In these people's minds, the King of Myriad Phoenixes and the True Dragon Order were both supreme treasures of the world, like the imperial seal to ordinary folk.
Anyone who obtained the King of Myriad Phoenixes and the True Dragon Order would clutch them like precious jewels, absolutely unwilling to hand them over.
Si Fengwu's imperial decree completely stunned the people from Sansheng Tower and Hanxiao Hall.
As for the individuals who caused such a massive stir, Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan were not idle.
After the imperial decree was posted, the two quickly took charge of the governance of a portion of the southeastern three kingdoms.
Their first stop was Chi Jingchuan's Songshan Academy.
The destination was decided on the spur of the moment for both of them. By the time they arrived at Songshan Academy, Chi Jingchuan, the actual person in charge of the academy, only received the news and casually made his way over.
He, who was usually dressed in fine silks and jade belts as a noble son, now looked like a carefree scholar indulging in poetry and wine.
Knowing that Lu Qingwan and Si Fengwu had arrived, he was not in a hurry and approached them at a leisurely pace.
"Your humble servant has finally awaited the arrival of Your Highness and Your Consort. Your humble servant has not informed anyone of your arrival. May your humble servant accompany you for a tour?"
He adopted the posture of a host, as if strolling through his own vegetable garden.
Lu Qingwan was amused, "Young Master Chi has a lot of confidence. It seems that Songshan Academy has developed well over the past six months!"
The last time they left the capital was at the end of the year. Now that they were back, it was nearly mid-autumn.
For ordinary people, eight months might seem like a long time, enough to accomplish many things.
However, Chi Jingchuan had used these eight months to build an academy.
Keep in mind, he was not managing an ordinary academy, but a higher learning institution specifically dedicated to cultivating strategic reserve talents for a part of the southeastern three kingdoms.
Those who could enter Songshan Academy were either individuals who had already passed the provincial examinations or talented grassroots officials selected from local areas.
What they studied at Songshan Academy was not the Four Books and Five Classics, but the strengths and weaknesses of various regions within the southeastern three kingdoms, how to improve the lives of the people in a region based on local conditions, and how to achieve the greatest development for the southeastern three kingdoms with the least cost.
These individuals were talented, and thus, countless among them were arrogant due to their talent.
Especially those who already held a certain status before entering Songshan Academy, they were even more difficult to deal with.
The fact that Chi Jingchuan could confidently lead them around indicated that he had managed the place quite well.
Hearing this, Chi Jingchuan replied humbly, "Your Highness and Your Consort have provided such support. If your humble servant cannot handle matters well, would that not be letting down the considerable amount of money Your Consort has invested in Songshan Academy!"
As they were speaking, a clamorous sound could be heard. One person said, "The desert is indeed suitable for raising cattle, sheep, and horses. It can not only allow the local people to be self-sufficient but also train warhorses for the court, a win-win situation. You insist on going to that place to study grain cultivation; aren't you seeking trouble and taking the long way around?"
Another person retorted, "Although Da Qian has fertile land stretching thousands of miles, the grain grown is not enough for everyone in the southeastern three kingdoms to share, is it? If you concentrate all the grain fields in Da Qian, and a natural disaster or man-made calamity occurs, will everyone in the southeastern three kingdoms have to starve?"
...
The academy, which should have been peaceful, was as noisy as a marketplace. Lu Qingwan, however, smiled with pleasure, "This is a training center for grassroots officials?"
Chi Jingchuan nodded, "Your Consort, don't be fooled by their arguments that sound like quarrels. Many effective good ideas are born from such heated discussions. My father and Prime Minister Wen occasionally visit here. If they find suitable candidates, they are graduated early and sent to fill vacancies in local administration. From the beginning of the year to now, twenty-seven people have been sent out, and they are all performing well in their respective positions. Tang Xiao sent people to track them in real-time, and the local people have very high praise for the officials who graduated from here."
Lu Qingwan was extremely satisfied. "I can see that they are considering issues from the most practical perspective here. When they are in their positions, they will not just focus on grandstanding or flattering superiors and bullying inferiors. Let's go and see those unripe melons still under cultivation."
Lu Qingwan was not worried about the abilities of these individuals who already had experience as officials. Wen Rusong had conducted background checks on those who were admitted to Songshan Academy. If they were truly incompetent or had character issues, they would never have been able to enter the gates of Songshan Academy. Lu Qingwan's only concern was that Chi Jingchuan was too young to command these old hands who were older and more experienced than him. Now, it seemed that Chi Jingchuan was very capable, so she no longer had to worry.
As the group walked towards another teaching hall, they could faintly hear some sounds, but compared to the commotion at the grassroots official training center, it was negligible.
"It's so quiet?" Lu Qingwan curiously pressed her face against the door, finally able to hear some movement.
The sounds of "Zhi Hu Zhe Ye" entering her ears made Lu Qingwan's head ache for a moment. "What kind of nonsense is this? Are they brought here to repeat what they've already learned, to show off how learned they are?"
Si Fengwu pulled her over, soothed her, and then turned to ask Chi Jingchuan, "How long have these people been in the academy?"
"Three days." Chi Jingchuan held up three fingers. "They haven't met the people from the grassroots official training center, nor have they met the previous graduates. Right now, they probably think that by entering Songshan Academy, their official careers are already set. They are all strutting around, nobody willing to yield to anyone else! After a few days, when they meet Master Yuan, they will know that they are nothing."
"That Master Yuan Qingshan, who was a classmate of Academician Chi and Prime Minister Wen, served as Assistant Minister of Rites at thirty, but voluntarily resigned and became a carefree hermit in the countryside?"
Chi Jingchuan nodded. "Precisely. Master Yuan is now the head of Songshan Academy, and also the master who teaches everyone strategy. Do Your Highness and Your Consort wish to meet him?"
"Let's forget it. I've long heard that Master Yuan resigned precisely because he disliked worldly affairs, so we won't trouble him." As she spoke, she suddenly let go of Si Fengwu's hand. "Alright, you continue. I'll wander around by myself." With that, she darted off, her target a plum tree not far away.
Si Fengwu smiled and shook his head, calling to Li Su, "Follow her, don't let the Consort run around alone."
Chi Jingchuan also smiled, watching them. "The academy has no shortage of various fruit trees. If the Consort likes fruit, after the new capital is established, we can plant some in the palace."
Si Fengwu looked at Lu Qingwan's cheerful retreating figure and chuckled softly. "She's just playful. She wants to touch anything new and fresh herself before she's satisfied. If these fruits were planted around her, she probably wouldn't even bother to look at them."
As Si Fengwu spoke, he took out a stack of papers from his懷 and handed it to Chi Jingchuan. "Look at this."
Chi Jingchuan suspiciously took the papers and, with just a glance, was astonished.