The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

In the past few years, Yi Huawei has opened thousands of township schools, hundreds of county schools, and dozens of prefecture schools throughout the Qin Empire. The Imperial Capital Academy has hundreds of students. In addition, more than a thousand boys and girls have grown into talents. These people have undergone strict screening and training, and are loyal, reliable, and have outstanding abilities. With two or three people in each county, plus the students recruited, it is not a problem to govern the 48 counties.

After listening to Yi Huawei's words, Li Si could no longer hold back and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, in this case, how can the vacant positions be filled? With the current reserves of the Great Qin Empire, I'm afraid it is beyond our ability!"

If a large number of official vacancies cannot be filled in time, government affairs will be paralyzed and the development of Daqin will be seriously affected. If Yi Huawei is allowed to select officials, will they have a say in the court in the future?

Yi Huawei's mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a meaningful smile: "Now that there are vacancies in the official posts, we can select talented people from the counties. Your Majesty may wish to issue an edict to hold the first talent selection event of the Great Qin Empire in Xianyang."

After a pause, Yi Huawei looked around and continued, "Anyone who can master Xiaozhuan is eligible to participate in this exam. Those who pass the exam can become officials."

"...In this selection, except for those involved due to resignation, all the people of Daqin can participate in the assessment to fill the vacancies caused by the resignation."

As soon as Yi Huawei finished speaking, the ministers were stunned for a moment, and then looked at each other. Their hearts were surging like a stormy sea, and they finally understood that the nobles had originally wanted to force Yi Huawei, but they had not expected that this move would actually backfire, putting them in a dilemma.

Once the imperial examination was held, people from various schools of thought, common people, and even scholars from outside the Great Wall would have the opportunity to enter the court. If this system were implemented, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for the aristocratic families, destroying their long-standing foundation and directly pushing the aristocratic families into an endless abyss.

The twenty-level military merit system implemented by the Qin Dynasty built a stable promotion channel for the Qin warriors. A commoner could break free from the shackles of class as long as he fought bravely on the battlefield.

This is exactly what makes Shang Yang so outstanding.

It cleverly created a gap in the originally unbreakable class barriers, creating a path for passage between classes both from top to bottom and from bottom to top.

This system gave the Qin people a precious opportunity to change their destiny. It gave birth to the powerful Qin warriors who shocked the world and became an important force in the rise of the Qin State.

On the surface, Yi Huawei held the imperial examination just to fill the vacancies. But in fact, once something starts, it can never be stopped. Once there is a first time, there will be a second time, a third time...

Holding the imperial examination was equivalent to opening up a path to the upper class for the scholars and students of the Qin Empire. From then on, the era in which the nobles and aristocrats had long monopolized the world's books and controlled the court positions would become history and would never return.

The court structure will undergo a major change as a result. The distribution of power will no longer be limited to a few classes, and the mobility between social classes will become more frequent. The chain reaction caused by this series of changes will gradually appear in every corner of the Qin Empire. Whether it is the pursuit of knowledge by the people or the adjustment of the power structure within the court, profound changes will occur around the core of the imperial examination.

Wang Wan and the others' thoughts raced, and they looked at Yi Huawei with amazement. From the equal-field system to the current imperial examination policy, every step hit the nail on the head. As long as the court can stabilize the situation, all the problems will melt like ice and snow under the warm sun.

In fact, Yi Huawei knew clearly that he made such a suggestion only in order to reduce unnecessary disputes and to unearth the talents hidden among the people of the Qin Dynasty.

This first imperial examination must give people below a taste of the sweetness, so that they understand the benefits. However, the number of subjects in subsequent imperial examinations must be gradually increased. This year, there will be six subjects, including law, mathematics, farming, geography, history, and etiquette; next year, there will be eight subjects, with physics and astronomy added, and more will have to be added in the future... Medical colleges and science and technology academies must slowly prepare, so that the Qin scholars will know what five years of college entrance examinations and three years of simulations mean two thousand years in advance!
Yi Huawei stood there quietly, looking calm, as if everything was under control. However, the atmosphere in the court became more and more solemn. Some of the ministers frowned, thinking about the impact of this change on their own interests; some were shocked, and had not yet recovered from the sudden news; and some had flickering eyes, as if they were thinking about how to seek a place in this new situation.

The nobles had gloomy faces. They felt an unprecedented crisis, but were powerless to stop the impending change.

Hu Hai listened to Yi Huawei's words, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes: "Teacher is really far-sighted. But, can these new officials be competent for their duties?"

Yi Huawei bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will arrange for experienced old officials to guide them and ensure that they can get started as soon as possible."

Wang Wan said with some concern: "Lord Yi, although this move can temporarily solve the problem of official vacancies, the families of those officials being dealt with are very powerful, which may cause their dissatisfaction and even lead to rebellion."

Yi Huawei sneered: "Humph, if they dare to rebel, they will be courting death. I have ordered the Black Dragon Guards and the Imperial Guards to be prepared and suppress any unusual movements immediately. Moreover, the reason why these families dare to be so arrogant is because they have too much power in the court. The purpose of dealing with these officials this time is to weaken their power and make the court of Daqin more clear."

"Hahahaha~~"

Hu Hai raised his head and laughed heartily, the sound echoing in the hall:
"Teacher, you have considered everything very carefully. Let's do as you say. I want to make it clear to those people that I am the supreme master of the Qin Dynasty, and my majesty cannot be challenged by anyone."

After a pause, Hu Hai continued, "Those nobles who voluntarily handed over their land will be fine. But if there are nobles who try to disobey and force the court to implement the policy of equal distribution of land, no compensation will be required. If during the implementation of this policy, someone dares to resist..."

At this point, Hu Hai's eyes flashed with ruthlessness, and he shouted loudly:

"kill!!!"

"No mercy. I will make everyone in the Qin Dynasty understand that those who obey me will prosper, and those who defy me will perish."………………

Ten years passed in the blink of an eye, but it was enough for the Qin Dynasty to undergo earth-shaking changes.

The familiar figures of old ministers are no longer seen in the court. Under the strong measures of Yi Huawei, the power structure was completely broken. After the rebellion was quelled, the court underwent a major reshuffle.

The new officials were selected through the imperial examination. They came from different classes. Some were sons of common people, some were disciples of various schools of thought, and some were well-educated people from all over the country.

These officials were full of vigor and ambition, injecting fresh blood into the court.

Every court meeting was no longer the dull situation controlled by a few noble families as in the past. The suggestions they put forward involved all aspects of Daqin, from agricultural water conservancy to commercial development, from military border defense to cultural education.

During these ten years, the Qin Dynasty gradually improved the imperial examination system. The rules of the imperial examination became more and more rigorous. In addition to the subjects originally set, practical subjects such as water conservancy engineering and iron forging were added according to development needs. The examination was divided into three levels: the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination. The selection was carried out at each level to ensure that truly capable talents could be selected for the court.

At the same time, in order to prevent cheating in the imperial examinations, the court set up a special supervision agency. Once cheating was discovered, the entire family would be exiled. This made the imperial examinations a platform for fair competition and also made the talent pool of Daqin increasingly strong.

The changes among the people are even more remarkable. With the weakening of the power of the gentry, land distribution has become more reasonable. The land that was once annexed by the nobles is now dispersed among many people. The farmers work hard and actively reclaim wasteland, and grain production increases year by year. More importantly, the corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes brought by Yi Huawei are widely planted on the land of Daqin. These high-yield crops are highly adaptable, and even some barren lands in the past can produce a good harvest. The abundance of food has caused the population to grow rapidly, the former villages have continued to expand, and new towns have sprung up like mushrooms after rain.

New water conservancy facilities were built in various places, all of which were completed under the guidance of the new imperial examination talents. Irrigation channels crisscrossed the land, irrigating large areas of dry land and allowing crops to thrive.

With the development of agriculture, commerce is also flourishing. Commercial cities in various places have risen rapidly, and large cities such as Xianyang and Luoyang have become the centers of commerce. The streets are lined with shops and a wide variety of goods. Specialties from all over Daqin gather here, such as furs in the north, spices in the south, sea salt in the east, and jade in the west. The prosperity of commerce has also driven the development of the transportation industry. There are endless caravans on the official roads, and horse-drawn carriages and ox-drawn carts are full of goods. In order to ensure the smooth progress of commerce, the court has formulated a series of commercial regulations to regulate the market order and protect the legitimate rights and interests of merchants. Business has also ushered in a period of prosperity and development.

In Daqin, as the imperial court broke free from the control of the aristocracy, the business environment of the entire country took on a new look. Business policies became more relaxed than ever before, just like untying the ropes that bound business development, opening up a vast space for its development.

Along the well-connected traffic arteries, new commercial cities have sprung up one after another. These cities prospered because of commerce and quickly became prosperous commercial centers. The streets were bustling with people and cars. Merchants from all over the country gathered here, bringing a wide range of goods, either displaying them in street shops or setting up stalls in the bustling markets. The shouts of various accents rose and fell, interweaving into a unique commercial movement.

As a result of this change, the status of merchants has improved significantly compared to the past. In the past, they were deeply discriminated against, struggling to survive at the bottom of society, and their business activities were also subject to many restrictions. Now, they can run their businesses more freely, and society's attitude towards them has gradually changed.

However, not all problems have been solved. Among them, the tax issue is still a sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of businessmen, especially big businessmen, who face extremely heavy tax burdens of up to 70%.

Yi Huawei is well aware of the habits of businessmen. In his opinion, the profit-seeking nature of businessmen determines that they may do whatever it takes to gain more profits without strict constraints. High tax policies are a means of checks and balances based on this consideration. These big businessmen have huge wealth and extensive business networks, and their every move may have a significant impact on the national economy. If they are not strictly controlled, hoarding, price gouging and other market-disrupting behaviors are likely to occur, which will in turn damage the interests of ordinary people and the stability of the national economy.

In commercial cities, although the big merchants complained about the high taxes, they did not dare to disobey. Because the Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty only exiled the rebellious families to remote places such as the Western Regions, but for the big merchants who dared to evade taxes, they would directly kill the three clans and confiscate all their property.

This is also the only two things that Yi Huawei is criticized for.

What to do if the tax is too heavy? Therefore, some big businessmen try to share the tax costs by expanding the scale of business, increasing the integration of resources from various places, and incorporating more commodities into their business scope. For example, a big businessman who runs a silk business originally only has shops in a few cities, but now he has expanded his shops to more than a dozen cities, from the silk producing areas in the south of the Yangtze River to the commercial centers in the north. He hopes to make up for the reduced profits due to high taxes by increasing sales.

Some big merchants tried to improve their business methods to increase their profit margins. They began to focus on the quality and packaging of goods to attract more customers. For example, merchants in the porcelain business were no longer satisfied with just firing ordinary porcelain, but hired skilled craftsmen at high salaries to create exquisite porcelain and match it with exquisite packaging. The price of these improved porcelains increased significantly in the market, and despite high taxes, the profits were still considerable.

As for the imperial court, the management of commerce was not relaxed because of the prosperity of commerce. The supervision of the market was also strengthened. Special business management agencies were set up. Officials of these agencies shuttled through the markets of various commercial cities to check the quality of goods, supervise trading behaviors, and regulate business order. Once a merchant was found to be operating in violation of regulations, he would be severely punished according to law. For those merchants who tried to evade taxes, they would be severely punished. Not only would their illegal gains be confiscated, but they would also be fined according to the severity of the circumstances, and even three tribes would be eliminated.

In this business environment, small businessmen also have opportunities for development. Although they do not have as much capital as big businessmen, they can also get a share of the pie by virtue of their flexible business methods and familiarity with the local market. Some small businessmen focus on the operation of local specialty products. For example, a businessman in a small town found that a local handicraft was very popular with tourists, so he specialized in collecting and selling this handicraft. With the increase in tourists, his business is getting better and better, and his life is gradually getting richer.

At the same time, the prosperity of commerce also led to the development of related industries. The transportation industry ushered in its golden age. A large number of carriage drivers, boatmen and other transportation practitioners were busy between various commercial cities, transporting goods to various places. Service industries such as inns and restaurants also flourished, providing food and accommodation services for merchants and travelers. On both sides of the streets of commercial cities, inns were next to each other, and the aroma of restaurants was overflowing, adding more fireworks to the city.

However, some new problems also emerged during the commercial development process. With the rapid increase in the population of commercial cities, housing, sanitation and other issues gradually became prominent. Housing prices in cities began to rise, and some low-income residents faced housing difficulties. Sanitary conditions also deteriorated due to the dense population, and problems such as garbage disposal and sewage discharge needed to be solved urgently. After the court and local officials realized these problems, they began to formulate corresponding policies and increase investment in urban infrastructure construction in an attempt to alleviate these problems and ensure the sustainable development of commercial cities.

In the complex situation where business and the national economy are intertwined, Yi Huawei and other officials in the court pay close attention to the development of business. Commercial prosperity is important to Daqin, but only under reasonable policy guidance and strict supervision can business truly become a strong support for national development, rather than the root cause of social problems. This is a balancing game.

(End of this chapter)