Peasant Woman’s Decreed Life as a Wife

Chapter 2302: Chapter 2299: A Tough Stance

Naturally, the importance of the infiltration of writing couldn’t be considered.

"Emperor, this is a good thing," Chu Heng said with a slight smile.

"Oh? How so?" Emperor Xuanming already knew that calling Chu Heng was the right decision. He had discussed this with Elder Zhong, and they decided that under control, this situation wouldn’t be a bad thing for Great Chu.

But straightforwardly saying it’s a good thing with such certainty—only Chu Heng could do that.

"Emperor, think about it. In the future, the people of surrounding countries will recognize and learn Chinese characters. You say, they learn them, but surely won’t leave them unused, right? As long as they use them, they’ll certainly read our Great Chu books. Over time, won’t that have an influence?"

Regarding the influence of books, there was no need for Chu Heng to explain; Emperor Xuanming, as a ruler, understood the benefits even better.

After all, the infamous book burning and burying of Confucian scholars—setting aside the specific historical details—was ultimately about the governance of writing.

Elder Zhong, sitting beside them, stroked his beard, "In this case, not only should we not stop it, but we should support it?"

"On the surface, we won’t support it, but secretly, we should allow this cultural development," Chu Heng nodded directly, seeing the Emperor showed no resistance.

"Indeed, the more unattainable something is, the better it becomes, doesn’t it?" The Emperor understood the key point and couldn’t help laughing heartily.

"Just right, I feel the name of pinyin isn’t resonant enough. Not all of our Great Chu’s people have accepted it yet. We can’t waste such a good opportunity." Being the Emperor, once he decided what to do, there was no need to explain to the two.

Yet, his attitude towards them became more gentle.

He even kept them in the palace for lunch.

After lunch, the two returned to their yamen.

As for Emperor Xuanming, after the two left, he immediately drafted a decree requiring all schoolmasters in Great Chu to teach pinyin; otherwise, they would not be allowed to establish. This Imperial Decree was issued.

Instantly, a wave of excitement stirred among the scholarly community.

Some conservative scholars refused to accept the existence of pinyin, dismissing it as worthless.

Yet, some scholars greatly admired pinyin.

No matter how the debates raged among the people, with this strong measure, coupled with the elementary examination mandating pinyin as a subject,

students and scholars who originally resisted learning pinyin and considered it unorthodox could only unwillingly follow suit.

While those who had already passed the elementary examination felt fortunate,

they heard that the township examination and the metropolitan examination would put more emphasis on calculations.

Suddenly, upon hearing this news, scholars flocked to bookstores to buy books, and the exercise books published by Yonghe Bookstore became the most purchased by students.

This book was compiled by Chu Heng and Elder Zhong.

It contained rather convoluted calculations, but the content was rich.

Many went because of Elder Zhong’s reputation, let alone that Chu Heng was once praised by the Emperor as an effective official.

No matter what these students thought, it was certain they would read the books produced by these two, despite any reluctance.

If this was the Emperor’s intention, the likelihood of related questions appearing in the upcoming township and metropolitan examinations was high.

As for rigid ideas, they couldn’t compare to the importance of one’s career.

Compared to these high-status scholars,

many families among the people of Great Chu became increasingly grateful for the emergence of pinyin.