The officials were perplexed.
"Your Majesty, your humble servants are absolutely certain that this batch of scholars will become pillars of the state, surpassing all previous ones!" He Jingyun said.
"I naturally know, but I am still not satisfied!" Xiao Qing stated solemnly.
"Please, Your Majesty, do not withhold your teachings." The officials pleaded.
Xiao Qing looked at the equally bewildered candidates like Li Jun and sighed, "Three hundred dossiers, while they demonstrate profound knowledge and talent for governing the nation, have not, since the inception of our imperial examination system, mentioned 'the people are of paramount importance, the ruler is of secondary importance.' This is a founding ancestor's maxim, inscribed in the Great Qian Tablet Forest!"
The officials seemed to grasp something.
"As a descendant of the founding ancestor, and with the desire to usher in eternal peace, how can I disregard the ancestral maxim? The subjects of Great Qian now all regard me as a 'Sage Emperor,' showering me with praise. While I am grateful, I also hope that even when facing absolute authority, future scholars of Great Qian will still dare to speak boldly, that the people are of paramount importance, the ruler of secondary importance!"
The officials suddenly understood, their faces showing shame.
"Our Emperor is enlightened!"
In the eyes of the Great Qian subjects, looking throughout history, their current Emperor was truly peerless, perfect in every way, leaving no room for criticism.
But this Emperor still remembered the ancestral maxim, which truly earned their utmost admiration.
Ning Xuejun reminded them, "Your Majesty, truthfully, your old servant believes there is another possibility: perhaps everyone believes it is unnecessary to emphasize 'the people are of paramount importance, the ruler of secondary importance' to Your Majesty, because Your Majesty has consistently practiced it."
Upon hearing Ning Xuejun voice their thoughts, the officials no longer needed to consider the impropriety of flattery and chimed in, "Commander Ning speaks with great wisdom!"
Xiao Qing paused, then explained, "Of course, I have considered this. But I must emphasize it today for a specific reason. The Great Qian of the future will gradually abandon the imperial examination system."
"What?" The officials were shocked!
The current imperial examination system was considered perfect, deeply supported by the populace, and the most crucial pathway for upward social mobility. Yet, it was to be abandoned?
Xiao Qing's mind recalled her casual conversations with Liang Xiao, her eyes filled with determination.
"In the future, Great Qian will consider adopting a more equitable and convenient system for selecting talent. At that time, everyone will have the opportunity to study, children may even receive free education, followed by specialized assessments, allowing each to fulfill their potential."
"You are all the most outstanding talents of this generation of Great Qian. I hope you will become the driving force for the nation and its people to progress, rather than rigid, stubborn conservatives. Because any generation of candidates may be the last in the imperial examinations."
The officials mused, "So that's how it is!"
Xiao Qing's heart was filled with anticipation.
Her beloved had mentioned "universal free education" to her. She wished to use the current unprecedented support from the military and populace to leave a roadmap and a seed, so that even if it could not be realized in her lifetime, she and Liang Xiao's descendants could follow this path in the future.
However, she did not know that what Liang Xiao had told her was also a system idealized and modified by himself, different from his homeland's system, ensuring fairness and justice while also guaranteeing students the freedom to develop their strengths.
But this required the nation to be sufficiently prosperous, so prosperous that it could ensure the populace fairly enjoyed all social welfare, where privilege and special provisions no longer existed, nor capitalists and overlords, and the people would not have to endure "when poor couples face hardships, all things are sorrowful," or "a poor child matures early."
"Of course, I also hope that regardless of how times change, you will all sincerely hold the people in your hearts, rather than saying you serve the nation and its people while thinking only of business, secretly exploiting the populace, engaging in corruption, and then being paraded through the streets!"
"Your humble servants will certainly remember Your Majesty's teachings and never forget them!"
As the officials swore their oaths, Xiao Qing's face finally showed a satisfied smile.
The Great Qian nation, due to Xiao Qing and Liang Xiao, had unexpectedly embarked on an unknown path that even the former Liang Xiao himself had not dared to imagine...
The subjects in the capital were unaware of what kind of system, more equitable and just than the imperial examination, Xiao Qing spoke of. However, out of absolute trust in Xiao Qing, they all expressed their support without exception.
Even these powerful families, at the height of their influence, did not object.
Xiao Qing had already shown enough grace and consideration for their families. Compared to commoners, their descendants had already won at the starting line.
If they could not compete with commoners even then, it would be a problem of their descendants' abilities, attitudes, and their own education. They still had an opportunity to rectify it in a timely manner.
The imperial power of Great Qian was unprecedentedly stable. Absolute imperial power, controlling absolute military power, allowed the populace to live better lives than their ancestors could have ever dreamed of. This also led to the birth of absolute authority. With Marquis An Guo, Liang Xiao, deeply trusted by the people and simultaneously supporting imperial power, and the four prime ministers diligently fulfilling their duties, conflicts like factional struggles, powerful clans, and landlord uprisings—which had existed in history—had temporarily vanished in Great Qian.
Steam engines, spinning machines, and various experimental machine tools began mass production, prioritizing supplies for the front-line army...
At night, in the Western Palace Villa, after Xiao Qing had coaxed her two sons to sleep, she sat in her study, gazing at Liang Xiao's poems and a pile of blueprints, her eyes distant, her face slightly flushed, as shy as when they first met. "How are you so amazing..."
These blueprints contained written descriptions and strange patterns. Most of them were still conceptual, with copies already made and sent to the Ministry of Works.
Canned food, telescopes, steamships...
A moment later, Zhen Mi also arrived at the study. Listening to Xiao Qing recount these new concepts, she was entranced.
"When will Brother Xiao return to marry Mi'er..."
Xiao Qing hummed, "He'll marry you when he returns. If he dares not to marry you, we sisters will unite to bully him!"
Zhen Mi's face blushed, and she shyly nodded.
This meant her sister Shuang'er was preparing to announce her identity as Empress to the world.
In the Yuzhang military camp, Liang Xiao was supervising the daily drills of the soldiers and occasionally visiting the generals.
Hearing cheers from the cavalry camp, Liang Xiao curiously went to investigate. It turned out several cavalrymen were sparring and practicing archery, demonstrating their mastery of horsemanship.
A young man resembling Yue Yun stood out among them.
After the rest, this youth, accompanied by Yue Yun, came to pay their respects to Liang Xiao.
"Yue Feng is indeed becoming more like a great general," Liang Xiao praised.
This was Yue Yun's younger brother, twenty years old, skilled in martial arts, loyal and brave, and a new generation of general Liang Xiao planned to nurture.
Great Qian had formidable generals like Nan Jiyun and others, but most had already become independent commanders and could not always be at the forefront of battle.
The army's talent pool could not be broken.
"It is my elder brother's good teaching!" Yue Feng said humbly.
"Great Qian will have more and more cavalry, and in the future, we will rely on you to lead them," Liang Xiao said.
Yue Feng repeatedly agreed, then asked, "Marshal, when will our army recapture Jiaozhou and Daliang?"
Liang Xiao smiled, "Let's strive for within a year."
Yue Feng was both surprised and delighted.
Yue Yun, standing nearby, chuckled, "Are you missing home?"
Yue Feng scratched the back of his head and chuckled.
"After we recapture Jiaozhou and Daliang, my brother and I will return home. I wish to spend time with my wife and children, and then apply to the Marshal to fight the rebels again in the Western territories or Liaodong!"
Before Liang Xiao and Yue Yun could speak, an urgent report arrived from a distance.
"The enemy forces are gathered south of Yuzhang City, and it appears tens of thousands more have been added!"