I

  Chapter 467 Chapter 465 [Education Expenses] (adding more for the penguin boss)

  Tian Xiuying, also known as Concubine Tian Gui of Chongzhen, was finally allowed to walk on the street.

   Even arranged for her a palace lady to help take care of her daily life, and she can also receive regular money every month.

  Zhao Han was stingy at first, so Tian Xiuying, a former concubine, naturally couldn't enjoy the glory and wealth. Her clothes are all made of cotton, not to mention silk, and she has to sew it herself.

  Not long ago, Tian Xiuying got a spinning wheel and bought cotton to spin cotton yarn in exchange for money.

  Early in the morning, Tian Xiuying reported to the female official, and then took the court lady Huier out to sell goods. There is no need to hawk along the street, there are special shops to buy, anyway, it is just a little hard money.

   "Sell the lamp, sell the lamp!"

  A six or seven-year-old child was selling matches along the street.

  Although children are forced to study, there are still many dropouts in remote villages. As for the city, the government is very strict, and it is really rare to see children who drop out of school due to poverty.

   Too poor for children to study?

  Then your whole family will go to the north, and the government will provide travel expenses. Those who are willing to farm can divide the land, and those who are not willing to farm, the northern cities are also very short of people.

  The mandatory enrollment age is now set at eight years old, and after three years of primary school, it is eleven years old. Those with poor grades can just become apprentices, and they can make a living by learning a craft.

  The child in front of him is a preschool child. He came over with a match and asked, "Madam, do you want to buy a lamp?"

  Tian Xiuying saw that he was cute and smart, so she couldn't help thinking of her son, nodded and smiled, "Buy twenty."

  The little match boy said: "Fifty matches, fifty matches cost a penny."

   "Okay, just buy fifty." Tian Xiuying said.

  Match profits are very thin, cheaper than fire pockets. Cut pine or fir into small sticks, then infect them with sulfur, and use a fire knife to ignite them.

  It was called Fa Zhu and Fa Zhu in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Yinguang Nu and Huo Cun in the Northern Song Dynasty, and Fa Zhu and Cuier in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, matches were named Qudeng.

   This thing has been sold along the street since the Song Dynasty.

  The child counted fifty-one matches, tied them with straw ropes, handed them to Tian Xiuying and said, "Maybe one more, Madam will come and buy it next time."

  Tian Xiuying said in a good mood: "Okay, I will look for you next time."

  The child said with a smile: "In six months, I will be studying. If I don't study after the age of eight, I will be punished if the government finds out."

   "Then you are afraid that you will be the champion in the exam." Tian Xiuying said.

The child smiled even more happily: "It's not the material for the number one examination. My father said that after graduating from primary school and knowing how to read and write, I will be an apprentice to carpenter Zhang. Carpenter Zhang makes lamps (matches) for me." Leftovers, he has a good relationship with my father."

  Tian Xiuying lived in the imperial palace for more than ten years, and was under house arrest in Nanjing for another year. Now she especially likes the market scene.

  She bid farewell to the child who sold the matches, and took the maid to sell cotton yarn. In exchange for some copper coins, she bought a piece of candy for her son.

   At this moment, passers-by gathered in front of them, pointing there.

  Tian Xiuying squeezed over curiously, but saw a few foreign barbarians heading for Beicheng on a pole, and hired some labor to carry the luggage behind them.

   "Hey, these foreign monks have finally left, His Majesty should also demolish that foreign temple."

   "I heard that I haven't finished walking, there are still a few left in the foreign temple."

   "Walk how many times, but you can't see the red eyebrows and green eyes."

   "You don't know, the South has come up with a teaching plan again, and many people have died. Your Majesty is furious this time, and all the foreign monks who don't listen have to go."

   "..."

  The number of missionaries who are willing to break with the Holy See and stay in China is about 20-30%.

   Most of the Jesuits choose to leave, but they cannot go to the Philippines, where the Dominicans rule, they can choose to go to India.

  Of course, some missionaries chose to go to Shanxi to join Li Zicheng.

  As for the Dominicans and the Franciscans, all the missionaries were expelled from the country and are now packing up and boarding ships in Fujian and Guangdong.

  Back to his small courtyard, there are already maids waiting.

  That is Liu Rushi's court lady, she greets and salutes when they meet: "My wife invites Madam to sit down for a while."

   "Let's go now, sister wait a moment." Tian Xiuying went back to the house to tease the children, and then picked up the bamboo flute to visit Liu Rushi.

  This concubine Tian Gui knows how to ride and shoot, is also proficient in rhythm, and also knows calligraphy and painting, so she can chat well with Liu Rushi.

   According to legend, Emperor Chongzhen's old clothes were mended by Concubine Tian herself. They also make ornaments, replacing the pearls on the crown of Chongzhen pearls with raven bluestones and inlaying them, which is more elegant than the old ones.

  She also remodeled the lamps and lanterns of the harem, the gardens of the Forbidden City, and the clothes of the maids.

   "Good luck, ma'am!" Tian Xiuying bowed and saluted.

  Liu Rushi waved and said with a smile: "Come on, come on, I'll compose a song, and I invite my sister to appreciate Fuzheng."

  Liu Rushi gave birth to a daughter last winter. She has a cold relationship with Fei Rulan and Fei Rumei, but there is no conflict, it's just that they lack a common language.

  The most important thing is that the Fei sisters dislike her origin.

  Pan Qimei is liked by everyone. She is obsessed with cooking, and especially likes making pastries and sweets. Even Tian Xiuying's courtyard often receives pastries, and the children especially like her.

  Liu Rushi was tuning the piano, Tian Xiuying said casually: "I went out to the street today and saw a few monks from Xifan leaving. I heard that His Majesty forbids them to preach. There are many foreign monks in the Imperial Academy, right?"

  Liu Rushi said: "There are none in the Imperial Academy, but there are many in the Qintian Academy."

   "Why don't you go back to the Imperial Academy to work?" Tian Xiuying asked.

  Liu Rushi said: "The child is too young, I really can't go away. You have to avoid suspicion, right? The Imperial Academy is full of men."

  Tian Xiuying said with a smile: "Your Majesty is really lucky to be married as a concubine. There are few rules in Nanjing, but there are more rules in Beijing."

   "What are the rules in the Beijing Imperial Palace?" Liu Rushi asked curiously.

  Tian Xiuying said: "When the empress meets the emperor, she should call herself a concubine. When the concubine meets the emperor, she should call herself a daughter. In Nanjing, when the empress meets the emperor, she can still call herself me. Wouldn't it be much happier?"

  Liu Rushi was greatly surprised: "Calling yourself a daughter is a bad habit of buying and selling maidservants among the people, and it has spread to the Beijing Imperial Palace. Do concubines have to call themselves like this?"

  Tian Xiuying hesitated to speak: "Forget it, the dead are the most important, so I can't say more. Alas, the country is changing, and all grievances and grievances are over."

  It is inconvenient for Tian Xiuying to say more, and it is also inconvenient for Liu Rushi to ask more.

   Letting the concubine call herself a daughter was deliberately suppressed by Queen Zhou, who regarded Concubine Tian and Concubine Yuan as maidservants.

   Chongzhen's harem didn't stop much either.

  After the renovation of the Forbidden City in Nanjing is completed and Zhao Han moves in, his harem may not be as harmonious as it is now.

  Of course, Zhao Han is busy dealing with the issue of Christianity now, and he doesn't think about the harem yet.

"Since you have broken ties with the Holy See, your constitution should be changed," Zhao Han said, "I heard that there are Protestants in the West, and there are even Orthodox Churches. Your Excellency found a Nestorian monument in China. Why don't you call it Nestorianism from now on?" Bar."

  Ai Julian did not expect the Chinese emperor to make progress, so he could only argue: "Your Majesty, this time it is only a violation of the Pope's order. The Chinese Jesuits have not broken with the Holy See. With the Pope's enlightenment, there may be room for maneuver."

  Zhao Han didn't force it either: "Then just wait."

   Pope Urban VIII is indeed enlightened, but he also has a strong desire to control. Moreover, this kind of cronyism and large-scale construction have made the Holy See's finances extremely embarrassing, and it can be called a "faint emperor" in China.

  He and the French power minister Richelieu are deadly enemies, but they have formed a strong alliance for decades, and are planning to brand the Jansenist sect as heresy. This kind of tough and profit-oriented guy will allow Chinese missionaries to be disobedient?

  Zhao Han can imagine the Pope's reaction. After one or two years, he must appoint and train new missionaries to come to China to take over the management positions.

   When the time comes, people like Ai Julian will have to hold their noses and turn to Zhao Han completely. Even changing the Society of **** (Diocese of China) to Nestorianism and drawing a clear line with the Holy See is nothing more than another Protestantism.

  The interpretation of the "Bible" must also be changed, it must conform to Datong theory, and must be integrated with Confucian classics.

  Since Ai Julian still has fantasies, let him fantasize first, it will only take two or three years.

  Waving the missionaries back, Zhao Han continued to review the memorial.

  A memorial from the Ministry of Rites made Zhao Han frown.

  However, Luling, Jishui, and Anfu counties reported that education expenditures were too high. These three counties are Zhao Han's initial territory, and due to the improvement of life, there has been a baby boom.

  The baby born after the Zhao Han uprising has reached the age of elementary school. As a large number of children go to school, the education expenditure in the three counties has soared, and it is almost unbearable. They request that some tuition fees be properly charged, and that the free lunch system be abolished.

  Free lunch was originally used to attract children to school.

  The cabinet's reply to this is: cancel the free lunch and charge the primary school students for books. Students can also buy used books by themselves, or several people can share a book.

  In the beginning, the three counties had been emigrating, otherwise the problem of education expenditure would have already erupted.

   But ten or twenty years later, as the population in the north increases, the population in the south will also increase. By then, free education will definitely not be able to continue. Although it is also possible to immigrate overseas, it is difficult to start a business overseas, and only young men and women must be immigrated, and it is impossible to immigrate children.

  Although Zhao Han was quite reluctant, he still picked up the ink pen and slowly wrote the word "ke" on the back of the cabinet's reply.

  After thinking for a while, I added a few more words: cancel school meals, charge for books, and proceed step by step. This year it will be in three counties, and next year it will be in Jiangxi. Within three years, it will be implemented in the south of the Yangtze River, and gradually implemented in the north of the Yangtze River. In the newly occupied land, the people are poor, and within five years, the old law will be used.

  Zhao Han got up and walked back and forth, then sat down to add ink: Do not charge for books by force, so as not to be taken advantage of by corrupt officials and booksellers.

  Books are very valuable. Families who cannot afford the cost of books can share a book with several children. Or, if you invite literate people from the village, it will be cheaper to copy books than printed materials, since there are not many contents in elementary school textbooks anyway.

   Those mountainous areas are even worse, and many schools are ruined temples. A single teacher teaches all subjects in a comprehensive manner. Some schools do not have all the books, and some schools still use old textbooks. The students' pen and ink are completely controlled by their parents. After finishing elementary school, they can only read and write, and they have not practiced calligraphy at all. Children in mountainous areas still have no way out.

   There is no way to surpass the times, Zhao Han can only do this.

  (end of this chapter)