[Azure-tier Talent 'Thousand Acres of Fertile Land': Grants a fifty percent chance each year for the host's farmlands to increase in fertility.]
[Blue-tier Talent 'Gentry Landlord': Grants the host prestige in rural areas, making them more convincing.]
[White-tier Talent 'Skillful Management': Grants a low probability for employees of industries owned or managed by the host to reduce human error.]
Chu Chen scratched his head and looked at the rewards. He chose the blue-tier Talent 'Gentry Landlord' and not the azure-tier one. The reason was simple: Chu Chen didn't own a single acre of land.
After selecting the reward, Chu Chen sighed as he looked at the process of this second life simulation: "This is the process of land annexation by those landlords, lending money to desperate families and taking their daughters and land as debt repayment when they can't afford it."
"When disaster strikes, they inflate grain prices to earn ill-gotten gains, or collude with officials or local thugs to scheme and seize land."
"Over one or two generations, they can often increase their land holdings by at least fifty percent, or even double or triple them."
"And those self-sufficient farmers who lost their land can only become tenant farmers, struggling to survive until they can't afford a wife and their lineage ends."
These things still existed even in his previous life. Chu Chen didn't have the ability or qualifications to intervene then, but now he did!
"Gentry landlords aren't lazy, they just work hard at exploiting others, not at improving themselves," Chu Chen muttered with a cold smile.
"Never mind, I'll continue the life simulation. At least I need to get more points."
Chu Chen clicked on the life simulation system and started simulating again.
[Simulation loading complete. Protagonist: Chu Chen! Current points: 11350 points.]
[Please select mode: Self Life Simulation or Second Life Simulation!]
[You chose Second Life Simulation. Simulation begins!]
[...]
[You died at the age of 68.]
[Congratulations to the host for completing the Second Life Simulation, earning 680 points. Current points: 12030 points.]
[...]
After a casual glance, Chu Chen continued with the second life simulation. This mode allowed him to survive longer and earn more points than his own life simulation, even though the rewards were mostly trash.
After more than ten second life simulations, Chu Chen's points had reached 20050.
Having accumulated this amount, Chu Chen finally stopped, saying with slight fatigue, "With twenty thousand points, I can keep ten thousand for emergencies. Ten thousand points can be used for ten draws. I hope this time I can get something good, something I can use right away."
As usual, he started with a five-consecutive draw.
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining one hundred thousand taels of silver. System space now stores two hundred thousand taels!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining one hundred thousand shi of grain. Current grain stores: one hundred and ten thousand shi!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining one Hundred Dark Guard Summon Card!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a D-class (capable of governing a county) Talent Summon Card!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Bra Manufacturing Blueprint!]
"...What the hell is this bra manufacturing blueprint? Why would I get something like this from a draw? Fortunately, the other four are very useful." Chu Chen grumbled.
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining three thousand Iron Cavalry!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Random Commercial Talent Summon Card!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining ten Literate Talent Summon Cards!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining three thousand Body Tempering Realm Light Infantry Summon Cards!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining one jin of Fast-growing Wood!]
"The rewards from these last five draws are really good. All urgent talents. Once the merchant guild is established, I'll be able to support them."
"But what's the use of these fast-growing wood seeds? For environmental greening?" Chu Chen pondered the fast-growing wood seeds. Yun Yue Country's technological level was still ancient; it hadn't entered industrialization with mechanized, large-scale, and efficient logging. There was no need for environmental protection.
After storing everything except the Dark Guard Summon Card, Chu Chen waited until evening as usual and summoned the hundred Dark Guards in the courtyard.
He assigned ten people to collect price information in the counties around Shuangyue City, and planned to make the remaining ninety people the first members of the Imperial Guards.
The next day, after receiving the token, Chu Chen set off to inspect suitable garrison locations.
Afterward, he reported to the Empress and received the initial startup capital of one hundred thousand taels, along with the deeds to the two garrison locations. He also gave the Empress the planting manuals for the three new crops.
Then, Chu Chen hired a group of artisans for renovations and returned home to urgently compile exam papers for the six subjects of the imperial examinations, the popularization document for the examination reforms, and the specific rules and regulations for the merchant guild system.
After several busy days, Chu Chen finally sorted these out.
At the imperial court the next day, before Chu Chen could speak, the matter of the imperial examinations was brought up by the newly appointed Minister of Personnel, Sun Mo.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, several months have passed, and the new officials in the court have become familiar with their respective duties. However, the Hanlin Academy, which is responsible for compiling books, is severely lacking in officials, and various regions are in need of many subordinate officials."
"Therefore, I implore Your Majesty to grant permission for an additional imperial examination this year, or to increase the number of admitted candidates! This will help fill the shortage of court officials."
As soon as the Minister of Personnel, Sun Mo, finished speaking, the Minister of Revenue, Qian Jieren, jumped out to refute him. The two began to argue fiercely.
One claimed a lack of funds, the other a lack of personnel, neither willing to yield, nearly coming to blows.
The two's farce angered the Empress. She grabbed the gavel and slammed it heavily on the table, shouting, "Silence, all of you!"
"Your subject obeys!" The two snorted and stopped their bickering.
"The shortage of court officials is of utmost importance. As for the Ministry of Revenue's lack of funds, I will temporarily subsidize it from my personal treasury. Does any other minister have any objections to holding an additional imperial examination?" The Empress looked at the civil and military officials and asked faintly.
They had thought it would be canceled due to lack of funds. With such good news, how could any civil or military official have any objections? They were eager to get a couple of spots to place their own kin, even if the official position was minor. At least it was an official, right?
"Your Majesty, will the additional imperial examination still be presided over by the Ministry of Rites?" asked the newly appointed Minister of Rites, Wu Sheng, stepping forward.
The Empress glanced at him and replied faintly, "Order maintenance and convening will still be handled by the Ministry of Rites, but the issuance of papers, question setting, and their approval will be handled by Imperial Envoy Chu Chen."
"What? Your Majesty, Lord Chu is not from the Ministry of Rites, and he is also busy with the promotion of new crops. How can he hold two positions? Can he manage?" Wu Sheng, who had only asked casually, suddenly changed his expression and vehemently objected.
The other ministers were also stunned. They hadn't expected this. Chu Chen presiding over question setting and grading? Was this a joke?