"The pinyin alphabet does help beginners learn to read more easily, but if it is to be promoted, all elementary school textbooks must be modified."
"This method is too expensive and takes too long...The key is that it is only useful for beginners. Once you are proficient in reading text, you will no longer need it."
"It is not cost-effective for the imperial court to spend so much effort to promote a pinyin that only beginners can use."
Kong Yingda gave his reasons.
Zixiaoguan's elementary school textbooks are not kept secret. Many people have seen them and even used them privately for their own children who are starting elementary school.
However, the significance of using it privately and promoting it nationwide is completely different, so many people have raised objections.
The reason is the same as Kong Yingda's. This thing can only be used by elementary school students, and it is not cost-effective to promote it.
Li Shimin seemed to have guessed that they would say this. He did not express his position directly, but pointed to another pile of books and said: "It is not too late for you to draw conclusions after reading these books."
Hearing this, Kong Yingda took a copy and saw the five characters "Zhenguan Dictionary" written on the cover, which shocked him.
Being able to use the emperor's reign as the title of the book shows the importance of this book, and he couldn't help but attach more importance to it.
At the same time, I am also more curious about the content of this book, the dictionary, what kind of book is it? It can allow the emperor to name it after his own reign.
When he opened it, he saw that it was densely packed with pinyin, words and numbers. He couldn't help but look at Li Shimin in confusion.
Li Shimin didn't show off any more and immediately introduced the situation of the dictionary.
After listening to the introduction, not only Kong Yingda, but everyone present was shocked, and then everyone took a copy and read it.
As a result, everyone was impressed by this book.
Kong Yingda said excitedly: "The dictionary, what a dictionary. The person who came up with this book is really amazing. Your Majesty, may I ask who compiled this dictionary?"
Li Shimin smiled and said: "Every dictionary has the name of the compiler on the back of the cover."
Everyone hurriedly turned over it and found a list of names.
Kong Yingda said in surprise: "Chief Editor Chen Jingke, but Zixiaoguan Master Chen?"
Li Shimin said: "Yes, it is Chen Jingke. Deputy editor-in-chief Yihe is the maid he bought from the tooth shop, and general consultant Wu Shu..."
"Ahem, you should know her identity even if I don't tell you. All the subsequent compilations are from Zixiaoguan."
Everyone once again showed expressions of disbelief.
Kong Yingda questioned: "How is this possible? How talented is Chen Zhen? That Lady Wu has just passed her haircut. How could they compile such a masterpiece as a dictionary?"
At this time, Changsun Wuji stood up and said: "Kong Jijiu's words are wrong. You have little contact with Master Chen and may not know his situation."
"I've met him a few times and I know him fairly well, but I really can't treat him like an ordinary person... His knowledge is also different from ours."
"It's not just dictionaries, pinyin, mathematics and other books that he created...but this is not created by him, but comes from family learning..."
"It's just that his family lived in seclusion, and these knowledge have never been known to the public. In the past few years, his family suffered great changes, and he was the only one who managed to escape, and was saved by Master Sun."
"Dictionaries, arithmetic, and pinyin were all things he used to learn when he was young. It was not difficult to take them out after settling in Chang'an."
"For example, if you have used this dictionary and know what it looks like, it is not difficult to find someone to write it."
Sooner or later, Chen Jingke will step onto the stage, and he must have a suitable identity and origin, and his knowledge must also have a source.
After some deliberation, everyone came up with this rhetoric.
No one can find evidence anyway, so whatever they say is what it says. It doesn’t matter whether others believe it or not.
After Kong Yingda and others heard this reason, although they had a lot of doubts, they did not doubt whether it was true or false.
Chen Jingke had previously revealed that he was a descendant of Yu Shun, a descendant of the Chen family after Gui Man, and lived in seclusion during the Yongjia Rebellion.
Many people have also investigated it privately, but no clues have been found.
The Chen family has lived in seclusion for hundreds of years, so it is normal for their knowledge to be different from the outside world.
There is nothing wrong with Changsun Wuji's rhetoric. It can also explain why Chen Jingke was able to make so many breakthroughs in knowledge at such a young age.
It's not that he is a monster, but that he has a good family background.
Kong Yingda said with relief: "I see, it's a pity for the Chen family and their knowledge, but fortunately there is Zhenren Chen."
"It is a great achievement for Chen Zhenren and others to restore the dictionary. Your Majesty should reward them greatly. Especially those who participated in compiling the dictionary should be recruited as officials as a reward."
Li Shimin shook his head and said: "I have already rewarded them. As for recruiting them as officials...their eldest ones are not old enough to be crowned and want to continue to study in Zixiaoguan. Oh, by the way, they are in charge of Wangyue Tan.
.”
Hearing that they were all young people, Kong Yingda originally wanted to get these people into the Imperial College, where they could become pillars of the country with a little training.
But when he heard that these people were in charge of Mochizuki Tan, he immediately swallowed the words that came to his lips.
The reason is simple. If he wants to publish his articles on Mochizuki Talk, he needs to go through the review of these people.
His articles are often rejected by others, and it would be good if one or two of his ten articles are published. Under such circumstances, he really does not have the confidence to get people to become a student in the Imperial College.
What's more, Wang Yuetan itself is a place that countless scholars yearn for. Going to the Imperial College is not necessarily better than being there.
Others would not say anything at this time. The old fox was thinking more: What unique knowledge did the Chen family master?
The saint and the empress doted on him so much that they even let the princess marry him or share his husband with another woman. Is this related to this knowledge?
There are too many mysteries, but one thing is certain, Chen Jingke is not simple.
Previously, because Sun Simiao was so brilliant, everyone ignored him and even regarded him as the saint's tool to win over Sun Simiao.
Now it seems that things are far from that simple.
As for pinyin, no one thinks that it is worthless to promote it nationwide. The dictionary makes it more practical.
Especially when Li Shimin said: "The internal treasury will pay for it. The selling price of each set of dictionaries is fixed at fifty words, and the price difference will be made up by the internal treasury."
Everyone shouted: "The saint is wise, and all the scholars in the world are grateful for the saint's grace."
Li Shimin waved his hand and continued: "It is not easy to make engravings for a large dictionary with a large number of characters. Zixiaoguan has movable type printing technology, which can reduce the cost to a minimum."
"So the printing of the dictionary is handed over to them. Kong Jijiu, you remember to hand over to them and take away the printed dictionary."
"I'll give them as much certificate as I want to withdraw, so that the internal treasury can pay for it and settle the account."
Kong Yingda frowned and said: "Sage, I am afraid that relying on Zixiaoguan alone to print will not be able to meet the needs of the whole country. How about opening up and allowing printing houses all over the world to print together."
Li Shimin asked in return: "Have you ever considered the collusion between government and businessmen to refuse the imperial court's low-priced dictionaries to be sold locally?"
"And dictionaries are only in high demand in the first year. After one year, when most people have them, the demand will decrease significantly."
"What you said just now is right. We would rather do some things slowly than rush for success and let good governance turn into bad governance."
Kong Yingda was a little dissatisfied, but he did not insist anymore, but retreated and asked: "Then can the Press of the Ministry of Industry also join in?"
"A dictionary is really a must-have for scholars. The sooner it is popularized all over the world, the sooner more people can learn profound knowledge."
Li Shimin thought for a moment and said, "Okay, let's have the printing house of the Ministry of Industry print it together."
…
Dictionaries can only be regarded as a side topic. Today's meeting is not to promote it, but to have other more important things.
"What are your thoughts on universal treatment of smallpox?"
Everyone was silent, not because they didn't want to talk, but because they really didn't know what to say. But no one dared to ask what this medicine was about, so they could only remain silent.
After a while, Wei Zheng came out and said: "Sage, I would like to ask if the medicine for preventing and treating smallpox is complicated to make and whether it is convenient to take?"
Li Shimin said: "The preparation of medicine is very cumbersome and dangerous, and it can lead to catastrophe if not careful. Therefore, the production of this medicine can only be done by the imperial court and cannot be disseminated."
"The advantage is that it is very convenient to use. You don't need to take it. You just need to prick the skin on any part such as your arm and apply the liquid on it."
"It will take about half a month for the drug to fully take effect, and you will be able to gain immunity to smallpox."
Wei Zheng continued to ask: "How long can this kind of liquid be stored?"
Li Shimin thought about what Sun Simiao told him, and then said: "Zhenren Sun once verified that the liquid is still effective when stored in a cool and dark place for half a year."
Everyone only believed half of what he said. It must be true that the production is complicated. After all, it is used to treat serious diseases such as smallpox.
But is it dangerous? It is most likely that the emperor deliberately made an excuse to have exclusive control of the prescription.
But it doesn't matter, as long as the emperor doesn't use this kind of medicine to plunder people's wealth. Now that everyone has free treatment, it's great, but the worst thing is that the efficiency is a little slower.
After understanding these characteristics, they finally knew what to do.
Fang Xuanling said: "Since the difficulty of drug production cannot be carried out across the country at the same time, it is best to carry out treatment in one state and one county. This can not only ensure safety, but also ensure that no one is left behind."
Yu Wenshiji also came out and said: "According to the information I collected on the public sentiment, the people are very suspicious of this medicine. It would be better to start treatment from Chang'an first, which will calm the hearts of the people in the world."
Wei Zheng was more direct, saying: "We should first come from the princes in the court, so that people's hearts will be at peace."
Others also expressed their opinions. Generally speaking, they all agreed that vaccination should be carried out one by one in each state and county. The only controversial issue was whether to start with Chang'an first.
Li Shimin made a decision directly: "There is no need to argue about this matter. Let's start with me first, then the relatives of the emperor, and then the nobles of the court."
With deliberate dissemination, the content of that day's meeting quickly spread throughout Chang'an City. Everyone knew that the emperor would receive treatment for smallpox at the meeting on the first day of August in a few days.
Then came the relatives of the emperor, then the nobles of the Manchu Dynasty, and finally starting from Chang'an, he provided free treatment to people all over the world.
Even the treatment methods have been spread.
All you need to do is make a small incision on the skin and apply the liquid. Is it that simple? It’s simply unbelievable.
But as more detailed news came out, everyone suddenly stopped talking. Making drugs is cumbersome and difficult, and the process is very dangerous.
Although they did not know what the dangerous method was, they did not doubt this statement. After all, it was to prevent smallpox. If it was too simple, it would be untrustworthy.
Moreover, an incision is made on the skin and the medicinal liquid is applied on it... This treatment method has never been seen before.
It is indeed a method of treating smallpox, it is so unique. No wonder no one has discovered it before, Master Sun is indeed a medical saint.
The thing is, the more mysterious, unique and incomprehensible it is, the more people are willing to believe that this method can cure smallpox.
After all, the emperor was being vaccinated and no one dared to take it lightly. Sun Simiao gave Li Shimin a physical examination several days in advance and asked him to eat well, sleep well and stay in good condition.
At the same time, all the utensils are ready.
"Liu Dian of the Tang Dynasty" records: "When the ninth rank of the civil and military officials of the Jingsi has been reached, every new day, Wang Chao will attend; if the fifth rank has been reached and the enshrined officials, Yuan Wai Lang, Supervisory Censor, and Dr. Taichang will attend the court every day."
This means that all officials in Beijing will come to attend the morning court on the first and fifteenth day of every month, which is generally called the China-North Korea Meeting.
Officials of fifth rank and above, as well as enshrined officials, Yuanwailang, supervisory censors, Dr. Taichang and other officials, must attend the morning court every day, which is generally called the small court or the regular court.
Every winter solstice and the first day of the new year are called the Great Chao Hui.
On the first day of August there was a meeting between China and North Korea, and hundreds of officials from Beijing and China were present.
Normally this day would be very lively, but today everyone was surprisingly quiet. Even Yan Guanmen, who usually likes to participate in people the most, kept his mouth shut for the first time.
Everyone knew what they were waiting for, and Li Shimin didn't waste any time. He quickly cut through the mess and settled the government affairs and immediately announced the main event.
Under the eyes of everyone, he got down from the dragon chair and stood in the center of the crowd, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his strong arms.
Sun Simiao took out a silver knife and made a small incision in his shoulder muscle, then took some cowpox solution from a porcelain bottle and applied it to the wound.
Li Shimin was afraid that no one would see it, so he showed it in front of everyone.
Everyone was silent as they witnessed all this with their own eyes.
At this time, Yu Wenshi came out and said: "Haha, good, the saint is indeed a wise king, I admire him."
All the ministers reacted and quickly said: "Sage, Saint, Ming."
Li Shimin wanted this effect, and said with a smile: "Haha... I just hope to get rid of everyone's fear, complete the nationwide treatment as soon as possible, and completely kill smallpox."
Yu Wenshi immediately said: "Although I am old, I am still willing to follow the saint."
As he said this, he rolled up his sleeves and said to Sun Simiao: "Please, Master, please inoculate me with the medicinal liquid as well."
Many people secretly scolded him for being a flatterer, but many of the smarter ones saw their eyes light up and quickly stood up and said:
"I am also willing to follow the saint and ask him to inoculate me with the medicine."
The people who were slow to react gradually came to their senses. Flattering the emperor was second to none. The key was that Sun Simiao was personally inoculated.
With their status, don't even think about missing this opportunity.
Although the same medicinal solution was used, it was more reassuring to have Sun Simiao inoculate himself.
So more people gathered around and asked for vaccination.
