Chapter 0313: Talents Emerging from the Imperial Academy, Liang Wan Da Gracefully Accepts Two Honors
In the eightieth year of Jian’an, after completing their foundational education, students from the Imperial Academy traveled to the Tai River basin to collaborate with local farmers on cotton cultivation. They successfully harvested the first batch of cotton native to Jian’an territory. Through multiple processes such as ginning and spinning carried out by the Imperial Wardrobe, the cotton was ultimately woven into cloth.
The cloth produced from cotton was soft, warm, highly absorbent, durable, and wear-resistant. Whether made into clothing or stuffed into quilts, it provided excellent protection against the cold. The court distributed subsidies and seeds, encouraging local farmers to cultivate cotton. The following year, the Imperial Academy established an Agricultural College, recruiting those skilled in cotton cultivation from the Tai River basin as external students. These students were dispatched to the Yangtze River basin to disseminate knowledge about cotton farming among local farmers, ensuring that within three years, all citizens of Jian’an could use cotton quilts in winter, and within five years, cotton clothing would be widely adopted.
In the eighty-second year of Jian’an, Imperial Academy students used grafting techniques to shorten the maturation period of certain fruits, increase yields, and enhance disease resistance in plants. They also began researching new agricultural models, such as the rice-fish-duck ecological symbiosis system.
Simultaneously, Jian’an reformed the imperial examination system, allowing those who failed the Spring Examination to study at the Imperial Academy for two years. Those who performed well could remain as instructors at the Academy, while those who performed poorly could return to their hometowns to establish private schools, disseminating the knowledge gained from the Imperial Academy. They would receive annual court subsidies, gradually achieving the goal of universal basic education.
Jian’an scholars were highly competitive. Within three years, the Imperial Academy produced an abundance of talents, and schools were frequently established across various regions and prefectures. The Imperial Academy began issuing special recruitment quotas to preemptively enlist gifted individuals.
In the eighty-third year of Jian’an, an Imperial Academy student embezzled funds and leaked information in advance, enabling certain officials to manipulate market prices for profit. The student was sentenced to eight years in prison. Meanwhile, another student developed a high-efficiency loom, earning high praise from the court. He was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Weaving and granted admission to the Qionglin Banquet.
The Imperial Academy clearly distinguished rewards from punishments, and its achievements benefited the people. This attracted countless students from humble backgrounds to vie for admission, gradually forming a situation where “the humble enter the Imperial Academy, while officials and merchants enter high halls.” The emperor began suppressing the bureaucratic system, prohibiting descendants of merchants from serving as court officials.
In the eighty-fourth year of Jian’an,
Joyful news arrived from Yi Province: the dam was nearing completion. The Yizhou Zhifu sincerely invited the Imperial Advisor and the emperor to witness the Min River split in two, channeling water into the city to irrigate vast farmlands.
The emperor, occupied with court affairs, politely declined, sending the Imperial Advisor and Shen Shilang to conduct the inspection.
On Yu Ji Mountain,
Accompanying them were Zhu Xiaobiao and Jing Ze.
“Shen Yuan.”
Now twenty-five years old, Xie Chengze had gained a steadiness in his eyes and demeanor. Yet, when a mischievous smile curled on his crimson lips, the audacity and cunning of his youth still shone through.
“Do you remember our bet?”
The man, still clad in elegant white robes, was now adorned with vibrant red accents—such as the horribly embroidered “Ze” character pouch at his waist and the red tassel knot swaying from the hilt of his Azure Sword. His eyes smiled as he gazed at the red-clad man standing proudly with crossed arms atop the mountain peak. His lips parted slightly as he replied, “Of course I remember.”
As the words fell, the snowmelt left the mountains and surged into the Min River with majestic force, like an earth-shaking dragon transforming into rolling waves that rushed downstream. At the Fish Mouth, it abruptly split into two channels, raising clouds of sand at the Flying Sand Weir like a sea dragon attempting to overturn rivers and seas, trapped under the Hun Tian Ling as it struggled relentlessly. Ultimately unable to withstand the repeated blows of the Qian Kun Quan, it obediently flowed into the Precious Bottle Neck, transforming into spring water that irrigated countless farmlands.
From this moment on, the Land of Abundance was destined to be realized.
Grain would soon flow into all corners of Jian’an, and what the common people sought would no longer be mere survival.
“Shen Yuan, call me father!” His voice remained vibrant, as if time had never left its mark on him.
“Father.”
Shen Yuan responded briskly and decisively, then took Xie Chengze’s hand and flew with him to the top of a tall tree, gazing into the distance at the inner river flowing into Yi Province.
Setting foot here again, the two were now intimately close, with none of the eight hundred schemes each had harbored in the past.
That was impossible.
Shen Yuan glanced at the ground and whispered leisurely into Xie Chengze’s ear, “Call me father, or I won’t bring you down.”
Xie Chengze: “…Shen Yuan, don’t push your luck!”
Did he not call him father often enough? Did he have to seize such a moment to turn the tables?!
“Just joking.” Shen Yuan chuckled softly, wrapped an arm around his waist, and leaped lightly, soaring over countless verdant treetops, merging with the mountain breeze as they followed the direction of the rushing waves.
Below the tree, Zhu Xiaobiao pointed at the bifurcated Min River and exclaimed to Jing Ze with wide-eyed delight, “Jing Ze, His Highness truly did it! I knew it—I knew His Highness could accomplish it!”
Jing Ze gazed at the surging river, his cool and unruffled eyes resting on Zhu Xiaobiao as a few ripples of laughter slowly surfaced.
“Yes, the myth imagined by our Little Lord Zhu has come true.”
“Jing Ze, you’re the Chief Minister now—don’t call me Little Lord Zhu!”
“It sounds pleasant.”
“Pleasant where?! Why do you and Ouyang Jiu both enjoy teasing me like this?”
“So you prefer how Ji Songhua calls you Brother Xiaozhu?”
“…” It always feels like you’re asking more than what’s on the surface. “Forget it, call me whatever you want.”
“Then… my lord, will you move into the Jing Residence upon returning?”
“???”
Why did the topic jump here?
…
With the weir completed, Yi Province summoned scholars to collect names for it. The Imperial Advisor also submitted one, and it was ultimately decided that the weir would be named—the Dujiangyan Irrigation System.
Shen Yuan tallied Liang Wan Da’s past merits and faults, ultimately demoting him to serve as the Governor of Chaozhou in Lingnan.
Xie Chengze asked Liang Wan Da, “Do you resent this Imperial Advisor for not speaking up to plead for you?”
Liang Wan Da bowed deeply. “The Imperial Advisor’s teachings have long been engraved in my heart. I know the Imperial Advisor values me and wishes for me to go to Lingnan, clear the miasma, build terraced fields, and create another miracle like the Land of Abundance.”
Xie Chengze laughed softly. “With the Land of Abundance alone, Governor Liang will be recorded in history.”
“Then I, Liang Wan Da, will gladly accept both the Land of Abundance and Lingnan!”
On the day Governor Liang departed Yi Province, the streets were empty as crowds gathered at the city gate to see him off, presenting him with a Ten Thousand People Umbrella.
As the carriage set off, the colorful ribbons under the two-meter-wide giant umbrella fluttered in the wind like a colorful deer treading the sky, densely inscribed with the ink marks of the common people—a different way of recording the blessings Liang Wan Da had brought them.
They bowed deeply, watching the departure of this parental official, hoping that Lingnan, under his hands, would also become like the Land of Abundance.
In the 86th year of Jian’an, drought struck again, causing widespread famine across many regions.
Grain from the Land of Abundance flowed into all directions of Jian’an, alleviating the urgent food shortages in numerous areas. Merchants and commoners of Yi Province drove grain carts through mountain paths, rushing to famine-stricken cities to provide free porridge and disaster relief.
Wherever they went, they would say: “When Yi Province suffered disaster that year, all regions came to our aid. Now that other regions face difficulties, Yi Province shall not hesitate to repay the kindness.”
The affected people were deeply moved.
In the 87th year of Jian’an, the Imperial Academy successfully hybridized high-quality rice seeds, adding divine power to the Land of Abundance. The imperial court issued a decree to tunnel through mountains and establish official roads connecting north, south, east, and west, facilitating future grain transportation.
Sheng Yiren, as a female merchant, took on this heavy responsibility and devoted herself to the work with utmost dedication. The following year, she gave birth to a son, leaving the child with Young Master Jiang Yuan of the Jiang family while she continued her road construction work.
That same year, the Third Princess gave birth to twins.