You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

Therefore, Jiang Bai told them some tips:

"Working in the temple, it's also important to train your psionic abilities to strengthen yourself, since ordinary people can't keep up with His Majesty's tasks. But you still have plenty of time."

She has more intelligence from her location, and judging from the current trend, He Wan and others will also begin to retire.

Then came Song Jingyun and the generation of court officials she represented.

I was busy back then.

Fortunately, the power transition at the temple's top levels has always been smooth and seamless. With Feng Tianyin in charge, it's just a routine shift change. The biggest difference is probably the different problems they face.

If Grandmaster Yu Xue was facing the initial establishment and stability of the Great Qian Dynasty, then Teacher He Huang was facing the era of land expansion.

Jiang Bai's generation is about to face the Age of Exploration.

"If you have any missions in the south, you can let me know. I also need to keep an eye on things there."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

They naturally took their senior's advice to heart, after all, Jiang Bai had always cared for her subordinates. Her teaching style at the academy was very meticulous, unlike He Wan, who always had an aggressive attitude.

After a brief chat, they returned to the study with tea and snacks.

Seeing this, Feng Tianyin simply ordered, "The timing is perfect, let's have a meal here."

The festive atmosphere continues.

Chapter 145 New Policies Series: Rewarding Merit (6K)

The festival will take place a month later.

Xia Yi finally saw off the many pilgrims who had come from afar, and the city returned to its usual tranquility.

Of course, in a rapidly developing era, tranquility is only relative.

Even inside the temple's study, Feng Tianyin could hear distant rumbling sounds—the early version of a steam engine hydraulically forging—and occasionally, the sound of explosives exploding, the result of experiments by the academy's engineering department…

She approved a huge sum of money for them.

The Qianlong Emperor previously only supported key projects such as agriculture and engineering because of insufficient population; now he can finally free up resources to vigorously promote them.

The money is in place.

Everything is negotiable.

With the temple authorities continuously providing funding, subsidies, and grants, they have no fear of spending money; they can simply pour resources into it. Moreover, both Feng Tianyin and Xia He have arranged relevant buffs, ensuring smooth progress.

Today, Xiayi is bustling yet carries a touch of tranquility and leisure after the festival.

He Wan, sitting at the desk, was even humming a little tune.

After the festival, she decided to retire and relinquish some of her work. In the inner sanctum, Bayar also gradually withdrew from the front lines, and the two longtime political allies finally felt a bit more at ease.

This fine tradition of early retirement and gradually reducing workload was left by teacher Yu Xue.

The power transition within the temple, centered around Feng Tianyin, has remained consistently stable.

There was no storm.

It's not that people don't value the Chief Scribe; who doesn't know that working alongside the High Priest for many years has established a deep-rooted position? The reason for not reacting too much is that they know the rotation will proceed as usual, without so many twists and turns.

In the history of Qingzhou and Minyue, each new emperor brought a new court, which always led to violent upheavals and even bloodshed.

To the people of Daqian, this was utterly barbaric.

They have a high priest in charge, and historically, changes in leadership and appointments have been smooth and uneventful.

stable.

This has always been the consistent stance of the temple's leadership.

There has been no large-scale purge over the years, not even by enemies like the royal families of the two southern kingdoms. It is precisely this sense of reliability that has allowed a large amount of wealth to flow into the capital region centered on Xia Yi.

Suddenly, He Wan, who was humming a little tune, raised an eyebrow and said, "Your Majesty, the real estate purchase tax collected in Xia County this year is simply frightening."

She submitted a statistical report.

Feng Tianyin glanced at it and said, "It's a transfer of wealth. The Southern Chamber of Commerce feels safer having land in Xiayi."

"That makes sense. After all, they still have memories of war, so they are prone to panic."

Although several years have passed, the intensity of the southern conquest war still makes the local elites uneasy. They even imagined, based on the historical system of Yiling, that "a portion of their property must be transferred to Xiayi as a pledge of allegiance," which is quite imaginative.

The Great Qian Dynasty had long since abandoned the system of towns and mausoleums, so there was no need for relocation.

However, historical memory remains, and the peace in the South is far less than that in the North in recent years. Although the Great Qian Dynasty has been constantly at war, most of these are foreign wars, and the collective pain felt on its own soil is not strong.

The South was often embroiled in wars on its own soil. In the past, Qingzhou and Minyue fought each other, and there were countless conflicts with city-states.

Seeking a sense of security.

This became a source of spiritual sustenance for the powerful and wealthy in Xiayi, leading to a surge in real estate prices.

"If this continues, even the locals won't be able to afford to live here."

Jiang Bai had been in charge of finances and had also taken over some of the powers that He Wan had relinquished, so he was more familiar with price fluctuations.

"Raise taxes, and then use those taxes to subsidize ordinary housing. More importantly, restrict purchases. We can't let them expand their property rights in Xia Yi; this is land under the watchful eye of Heaven." Feng Tianyin made the decision.

The specific details are left to them to handle.

She then turned to the next document, "The College's Application for a New Experimental Zone."

The document details the intended use, area, and drawings, clearly indicating an intention to expand further.

But Feng Tianyin was in no hurry to sign.

The many clerks who saw her action were slightly taken aback. After all, His Majesty had been very accommodating to research lately. Could it be that the plans of the people in the academy were a bit too ambitious?

"Gengtana, how are the schools being run in the churches across the country?"

Even though the question was sudden, the Great Prophet answered fluently. Of course, he was reminded a few times by his good apprentice Bayar, otherwise he would have seemed unprofessional.

"...The most significant achievement is the literacy rate, which has reached 73%."

"very good."

It's rare to see a high priest willing to praise someone.

In reality, if more than 70% of the population is literate, the remaining people can also read to some extent. Wouldn't it be easy to find someone to help them? Moreover, a significant portion of the remaining illiterate people are elderly, and forcing them to learn would be too much to ask. Therefore, the literacy rate in the Great Qian Dynasty is quite high.

This result was achieved through decades of dedicated work.

“I want to revise the college’s experimental zone plan. Let’s build a comprehensive research college, which I will call a university.”

"It oversees middle and primary schools. I will write a detailed charter and lesson plan, and then we will conduct a pilot program. We will recruit one class first, targeting the entire Xia County. If it is successful, we will immediately expand it to other areas."

"This whole plan is compulsory education."

Feng Tianyin's words made everyone's expressions serious, clearly indicating that there was a massive mobilization of resources behind this.

Ambitious.

She launched into an ambitious plan right from the start—was she planning to cover the entire Daqian people? Was it feasible? How much money would it require? How much manpower, resources, and decision-making costs would be involved?

However, the scribes all knew that the high priest was serious about making this decision.

His Majesty's determination is not expressed in inspiring words, but rather in a straightforward manner, outlining a long-term plan that will be continuously promoted over many years.

Once it takes shape, it will have an overwhelming force.

“The design process is very important and also very complicated, so Ivana Ho will mainly be in charge of the education program going forward.”

Yes, sir.

She was excited when her name was called out, and her colleagues were even more envious.

On the surface, her power seemed to diminish more rapidly, but in reality, that wasn't the case. What could He Huang, at the pinnacle of power, possibly aspire to? Only to leave her mark on history, to be remembered for generations. This task was a clearly significant achievement, and her name would undoubtedly be credited for her future political accomplishments.

What appears to be an order is actually a reward; such benevolent governance is granted so readily, which is quite generous.

He Wan, who is about to retire, is in charge of making arrangements for a blank field. He is not only able to end his political career smoothly, but also to start a great business. It is truly enviable.

"You all do a good job too."

“I have many similar ideas. If you have the ability, it doesn’t matter who you hand it over to. Just make sure it’s reliable.”

Feng Tianyin's casual words, however, painted a rosy picture.

There are fewer and fewer things in the world that can inspire the people in the Imperial Study, but that's not a problem for her. The High Priest's reward is not a mundane thing, but a meritorious deed that will be remembered for eternity.

This is a reward for He Wan's hard work, and also a presentation of a grand blueprint to the clerks.

You'll definitely get your share.

Seeing this, everyone became incredibly energetic, as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

The Age of Exploration is imminent.

The still-primitive steam engine roared like a baby's cry announcing a new world; all these factors were sending signals to Feng Tianyin:

A magnificent blueprint for development is laid out before us.

If the Great Qian Dynasty wants to seize the opportunities of the times, it cannot do so without strengthening its foundation. As the saying goes, "to forge iron, one must be strong oneself," and ultimately, the rear area represents the abundant resources of the Great Qian Dynasty. Developing these resources requires manpower, and simply employing illiterate people is insufficient.

The industry requires a high degree of organization.

What temperature, what time, how to inspect a piece of steel—all of these require literacy.

Literacy is even the most basic requirement.

A more profound requirement is that "a group of workers who have received school training are needed to shoulder the important responsibilities of the times," just as only trained soldiers can go to the battlefield, otherwise they will be sent to the enemy to die.

Feng Tianyin ensured a high literacy rate in order to facilitate compulsory education.

She instructed, "He Wan, make a plan as soon as possible. Ask me if you encounter any difficulties, and I will supplement it. There is no limit to the funding. Remember, we must never be poor in education."

Yes, sir.

The high priest's unprecedented display of resolve even frightened the scribes? Was it really necessary?

They didn't actually realize that they were in a very good position.

The de facto imperial examination system of the Great Qian Dynasty over the years naturally attracted scholarly families. Only wealthy and powerful clans could afford to provide them with private tutors from a young age, which was commonplace for them. Not to mention that the temple would also provide training.