Xia Yuanji was very sad.
During the discussion, everyone was in a harmonious manner.
Isn't it just the word "discuss"? If you feel dissatisfied, let's continue discussing!
How could anyone be like him, Zhu Gaoxu, who would tell people to get out at the slightest disagreement?
After all, Old Xia Tou is also a veteran of four dynasties, and he has been in charge of the household department for the Ming Dynasty for many years. He also has a temper!
So Xia Yuanji walked away in a hurry, but before he could get out of Qianqing Palace, he heard the sound of the eunuch chasing after him.
"Master Xia, stay!"
"The discussion has ended. His Majesty summoned Mr. Xia to return to Nuan Pavilion!"
Hearing this, Xia Yuanji was obviously taken aback.
But he didn't think much about it and turned around and went back.
When he returned to Nuan Pavilion again, he saw only two people left inside.
There is an emperor of military virtue, Zhu Gaoxu, and a scholar of the Ministry of Education, Jie Jin.
"Xia Aiqing, sit down!"
"I'm leaving you two here just to discuss this free school!"
Xia Yuanji's heart moved when he heard this, and he began to cry out in pain.
"Your Majesty, running a school for free is a huge investment!"
"Let's not talk about those children who go to school to study. Who will pay for the education? Let's say that if every state, county, town and town sets up a free school, who will pay to build the school? Where will the teachers for these schools be found? Mr. Who will pay for the training salary?"
"If all this money is provided by the imperial court and allocated by the Ministry of Household Affairs, how can the imperial court afford it, Your Majesty?"
"This is not a matter of one or two schools, but a truly astronomical sum!"
Seeing Zhu Gaoxu's face getting more and more ugly, Xia Yuanji still did not choose to give up.
He took a deep breath and continued speaking.
"For example, in a county, there are at least dozens or hundreds of villages and towns. However, due to the ethnic groups living there, most of these villages and towns do not interact with each other, and the distance is relatively far for children and students. We cannot just set up such a A free school, right?”
"Even if we take a step back 10,000, each of these hundreds of villages will only build one free school. There must be at least forty or fifty teachers teaching in that school. There will be one free school in one county and forty or fifty teachers. I There are more than 1,100 counties in the Ming Dynasty, which means that there are at least 50,000 to 60,000 teachers responsible for teaching. This is only the data of only one school built in a county with a hundred miles of land. If one is built according to each village and town, then This number needs to be increased hundreds of times!”
"Let's not talk about where these teachers come from, let's talk about who will pay these teachers' monthly salary? The level of these teachers must be low, at least they must be talents, right? Now the imperial court is implementing the new policy of apportioning every person to every acre, abolishing Their reputation as scholars requires them to work as servants and pay for themselves, and these scholars are dissatisfied with the imperial court because of this. How could they respond to the imperial court's call at this moment and teach in a free school?"
"Furthermore, if the salary for the coach is low, naturally no one will be willing to go to coach and endure the pain. If the salary is high, it will be a heavy burden for the court. Millions of coaches Your monthly salary is almost as much as the number of bureaucrats in the Ming Dynasty. You can imagine what a terrifying figure this is!"
"Your Majesty, please think twice!"
Xia Yuanji finished what he wanted to say in one breath, and then lowered his head and eyebrows, waiting for His Majesty the Emperor to rebuke.
However, unexpectedly, instead of being scolded, he was greeted with appreciation, from His Majesty the Emperor.
"As expected of the old minister who has been in charge of the Ministry of Finance for so many years, he has figured out the powerful relationship between them in the blink of an eye!"
Zhu Gaoxu said with a smile: "But I have actually considered everything you are worried about, and I have discussed it with Xie Aiqing just now."
"You should first listen to the charter we negotiated, and then consider whether this matter is feasible."
"First, after the Three Law Departments are stationed in local areas to purge local officials, the Seventh Department will be the second step to enter local and state capitals, especially the school department. Branches will be opened in major prefectures and counties, from the provincial education branch to the state The government education bureau then goes to the local county education office, which is responsible for all educational undertakings such as schools, academies, and scientific examinations.”
Hearing this, Xia Yuanji's face darkened.
His Majesty the Emperor is going to crazily expand the size of the imperial court!
But in this case, there will inevitably be a situation of redundant officials and redundant personnel.
But Xia Yuanji also understood that now was not the time to give advice, so he still listened patiently.
"Secondly, whether it is maintaining the normal operation of the school or paying teachers' salaries, all expenses related to the free school are left to the local state governments. The central government will only allocate the initial expenses for building the school and recruiting teachers, and everything else will be handed over to the local governments. The state government is responsible for itself and sets aside part of the tax revenue for this expenditure. You have to know that after the implementation of the policy of apportioning one person to one mu, local tax revenue will be more than a hundred times as high as before, even if it is responsible for both the salaries of local officials and the expenses of local schools. The expenses are completely more than enough!”
"And in the future, the construction of local schools and the enrollment of local students will be an important part of the assessment of local officials. They cannot fail to pay attention to it and try their best to support the development of schools, so you can rest assured about this."
After hearing this second point, Xia Yuanji felt relieved.
If the Ministry of Household Affairs is only responsible for the upfront expenses, then this matter is acceptable. As long as the local and state governments are responsible for maintaining the operation of these free schools, it is naturally acceptable for the court to invest some money in the early stage. After all, this will benefit students all over the world. What an act of benevolence!
"Thirdly, as for the problem of the coach you just mentioned, it will be even easier to handle!"
"It is true that the imperial court is now implementing the policy of sharing the land with the family, which has caused dissatisfaction among the gentry scholars. But if the imperial court issues regulations, what if all the school teachers do not need to work as errands and do not need to pay for their food? Xia Aiqing thinks those gentry scholars would still be willing to be teachers? "
As soon as these words came out, Xia Yuanji trembled in shock, with a look of horror on his face.
School teachers don’t have to work as errands and don’t have to pay for food!
Doesn't that mean that they have become just like the imperial officials, the only people with fame?
The new policy of apportioning farmers into acres of land, firstly, inventoried the fields owned by the gentry, and secondly, deprived them of their fame and privileges!
However, court officials were not deprived of this privilege. After all, you can't ask courtiers to do hard labor, right?
But now, His Majesty the Emperor has added a new type of people, and that is the teachers in the school!
This sudden divine hand is simply wonderful!
Not only can it divide those gentry scholars and allow some gentry scholars to seize the opportunity to keep their reputations, but it will also make the profession of teachers become hot in an instant, no longer the pitiful situation where no one cares about it before.
In other words, as soon as the imperial court comes out with this policy, how can those gentry and scholars sit still? They are afraid that they will fight for the quota of this teacher!
This move is truly amazing!
Xia Yuanji sighed with conviction.
"Your Majesty is wise, I understand!"
"Well, Aiqing should try her best to assist the school department in preparing for this matter."
Zhu Gaoxu said enthusiastically: "Providing free education is a strategy to rejuvenate the country. Only in this way can we truly cultivate scholars for the Ming Dynasty and recruit scholars for the court!"
