Chapter 42
Just two days after Lia announced her intention to proclaim herself emperor, a Red Dragon appeared in the sky, roaming about. Isn't the meaning behind this clear enough?
These ministers didn't know that it was all just Illusion Magic conjured by Merlin at Lia's behest, meant to fool them.
However, that wasn't important. Once everyone believed it to be true, even if it was fake, no one would care anymore.
Soon, with the backdrop of this Red Dragon, some children's rhymes began circulating within Lia's territory. These rhymes, both overtly and covertly, pointed to Lia being the True Ordained Son of Heaven.
Thus, driven by this momentum, officials went down to the villages to conduct inspections, asking Common People their opinions about the current King Arthur and casually mentioning the recent dragon sightings.
Under the officials' deliberate guidance, the people quickly grasped the intended meaning and clamored to present Lia with a Ten Thousand People's Umbrella.
Although their current ruler was a woman, Common People didn't care about that. Ever since coming under Lia's rule, they had no longer suffered oppression from the Aristocratic Families and had never gone hungry.
If Lia didn't become the Emperor, they would be the first to disagree!
So, one by one, they pressed their handprints onto a Ten Thousand People's Petition. This petition first accused and criticized the erroneous policies of the previous Western Jin Dynasty, which had led to the five barbarians entering the Central Plains and committing endless atrocities.
Then, it began praising Lia, who 'Rose from Humble Beginnings,' yet possessed virtues such as 'Daring to be the First in the World' and 'Caring for the People of the World.'
Immediately after, the petition stated that thanks to Lia leading the rebellion against Wei, the Northern Wei's rule was now in its twilight. Furthermore, whether under Liu Song or Northern Wei rule, the people lived in dire hardship. Therefore, Lia, with her heart set on the world, should proactively step forward, reclaim the Han Homeland, and give hope to the people of the world.
Hope.
Next, the ministers produced a Petition Urging Ascension, which chronicled Lia's series of actions since starting the rebellion, all proving that Lia was not only a person Ordained by Heaven but also a Sage of Unparalleled Wisdom Born with Knowledge. For her not to become emperor would be an offense against the natural order.
Therefore, we, your unworthy officials, beseech Your Highness King Arthur to establish the capital at Chang'an, lead us and the people of the world to reclaim our homeland, unify the Central Plains, and recreate the glorious age of Huaxia!
When Lia saw these things, she was a bit dumbfounded. Should she say it was the mark of educated people? They certainly knew how to talk. So, according to them, if she didn't become emperor, she'd be a criminal for the ages.
Although she indeed intended to become emperor, she hadn't expected there to be so many justifications. In her mind, it was simply a matter of her wanting it and her subordinates shouting 'Long live the Emperor!' Wasn't that enough?
Also, now that everyone had produced a Petition Urging Ascension, if she wanted to become emperor, wouldn't she have to go through the ritual of Three Refusals and Three Urgings?
After thinking for a moment, Lia put on a look of shame and said:
'Although I was the first Han child to raise troops against the Hu regime, at the time, I only wanted to give the people a good life. As for the little reputation I've gained, it's entirely due to everyone's undeserved favor, and I feel unworthy. Therefore, matters like becoming emperor are better left to other virtuous individuals. I am merely a woman and lack that fortune.'
Upon hearing this, the officials rolled their eyes. Becoming emperor was your own idea; we didn't force you. Now that everything is ready, you say you don't want to? That's not how it works!
But everyone was shrewd and knew what Lia was doing. So, led by the civil officials, Xiao Ranhe picked up the thread and said:
'Since the five barbarians threw Huaxia into chaos over a hundred years ago, countless states have been founded, yet none have shown any concern for the life and death of the people. Only Your Highness has fought against corrupt gentry and local tyrants, distributed land, and truly ensured the people are well-fed and clothed. In all the world, only you genuinely care for the people. If Your Highness does not proclaim yourself emperor, Common People of the world would not accept it.'
Lia continued to decline: 'Common People all want me to be emperor? How come I didn't know? I think you people are just trying to fool me. Let's not do this anymore. I'm just a woman; I'm not fit for such a thing.'
'Don't you know about the Ten Thousand People's Petition in your heart?' the officials below thought to themselves.
Then, Xiao Ranhe brought out a Ten Thousand People's Petition and said to Lia:
'Your Highness, look, the Ten Thousand People's Petition is right here. These fingerprints were collected from households we visited one by one, and they all agreed. This shows that Common People of the world are all hoping for Your Highness to become the ruler of the world. This isn't something we officials fabricated.'
Lia looked at it and showed a troubled expression:
'Although the people think highly of me, this still won't do. After all, everyone knows I am a woman. Since ancient times, there has never been a female emperor. Moreover, my talents are shallow and my virtue thin. So, you should choose another worthy and capable person.'
Good grief, even the Ten Thousand People's Petition is presented, and you're still refusing? Do you even want to be emperor anymore? If you keep declining like this, we really have no more tricks!
At this point, it was no longer a matter of whether Lia was willing or not. Everyone had prepared so much these past few days. Even if you lost the desire, you must have it!
Xiao Ranhe clapped his hands, and immediately, maidservants entered carrying the Dragon Robe and the Imperial Jade Seal. Lia saw this and thought, 'Wow, these ministers are really well-prepared!'
Thus, under the urging of the assembled ministers, Lia 'reluctantly' put on the Dragon Robe, and Morgan also put on the Phoenix Robe representing the empress.
Throughout the entire process, Morgan didn't say a word, just watched with amusement as Lia and the ministers went back and forth in their polite refusals and persuasions. This Huaxia ritual system was truly interesting.
After the Three Refusals and Three Urgings, Lia became the first emperor of Great Wu, directly establishing the capital at Chang'an, with the state name 'Wu,' called Great Wu or Longwu.
Then, the freshly minted Great Wu encountered its first problem.
Since Lia had become the emperor of the Longwu Kingdom, at the very least, the areas under her rule could no longer use the Reign Titles of Northern Wei or Liu Song. Now they needed their own Reign Title.
The Reign Title system was first created by Emperor Wu of Han. The first Reign Title explicitly decreed by Emperor Wu of Han was 'Yuanfeng.' Later, the retrospectively designated inaugural Reign Title was 'Jianyuan,' after which it became a standard practice.
An emperor might use as few as one Reign Title or as many as over a dozen. For example, Emperor Gaozong of Tang had fourteen Reign Titles, while most emperors of the Ming Dynasty used only one each.
Now, for Lia, naturally, a pleasant-sounding Reign Title should be chosen. After all, Reign Titles aren't chosen arbitrarily; they generally contain auspicious meanings.
For instance, the Ming Dynasty's 'Yongle' contained the meaning of 'eternal stability for the realm, peace and happiness for the people.' The Reign Title 'Zhengde' meant 'rectifying one's own virtue; those in high positions rectify themselves to govern the people.'
Chapter 101: Of Course, Acknowledging One's Own History
Of course, Reign Titles aren't all about positive connotations; the other side can be quite a headache.
For example, 'Yongle' shares the same meaning as 'Changle.' In the Tang Dynasty, there was a Prince of Changle, Li Youliang, who was accused of the crime of a royal uncle usurping the throne and was despised by later generations. So, those who planned the 'Yongle' Reign Title for Zhu Di might have intended to mock his usurpation as a royal uncle.
As for later generations' interpretations by silly netizens, they become even more amusing. Some even think Reign Titles are chosen based on the principle of 'compensating for what is lacking.'
For example, many people interpret the 'Zhengde' Reign Title as Ming Dynasty ministers feeling that Zhu Houzhao lacked proper virtue, hence telling him to 'rectify his virtue.'
In reality, Reign Titles that truly compensate for what is lacking do exist, but those were basically used in the Qing Dynasty. For instance, Puyi once used the Reign Title 'Kangde.'
Besides those, there were also Reign Titles like Northern Wei Emperor Xiaoming's 'Shengui' (Divine Turtle) and Northern Zhou Emperor Jing's 'Daxiang' (Great Elephant). These Reign Titles were fine in their time, but looking back, wouldn't that make it a gathering of mythical beasts?
Then there are ones like 'Baoda,' 'Wansui Tongtian,' 'Tianci Lisheng Guoqing,' and so on, which we won't list one by one.
In short, choosing a Reign Title isn't as simple as silly netizens imagine. It generally needs to consider what the emperor is about.
For example, wanting to prove the emperor is Ordained by Heaven and the dynasty is legitimate.
For example, hoping for eternal stability and prosperity under the emperor's rule; for example, signifying the beginning of a new dynasty and renewal of all things; or for example, praising civil and military achievements, character, and moral conduct.
Lia's situation is particularly troublesome, as she is the first female emperor in Chinese history. How to choose one really stumped the officials.
So, the officials came up with a bunch of names for Lia to choose from herself.
Lia looked over the Reign Titles presented by the officials for a while but didn't particularly like any. She thought, since Reign Titles are so troublesome, why not just not use one?
Since it's so troublesome, why not just abolish it? Change directly to the modern Gregorian calendar recording method. Isn't it currently early in the year 452 AD?
Then just call it the Gregorian Era.
Lia thought for a moment and then said to the ministers, "Starting from the Wu Kingdom, the era names of future emperors will be abolished. All subsequent years will adopt the Anno Domini system as the era name."
After all, era names were originally just titles used for dating years. Their main function was to let Common People know who was sitting on the dragon throne, and they could also be used to indicate the year. For instance, Liu Heng didn't have an era name, but that didn't hinder his posthumous title of 'Emperor Xiaowen'.
"Your Majesty, what is this 'Anno Domini' era name? What meaning does it hold?" The ministers were immediately taken aback.
Lia thought for a moment and explained the meaning of the Anno Domini era name. This was essentially the Yellow Emperor's calendar. The first year of the Wu Dynasty's founding would be called AD 1, and the years before the Wu Dynasty would be called BC.
To benefit future generations in recording years and for the convenience of globalization, Lia directly chose the calculation method used by later generations.
According to the Anno Domini dating system, based on calculations, the First Year of Xuanyuan (Yellow Emperor) was 2697 BC. The current year is 452, which means the official year is now 3149.
Although the West does not acknowledge that our Huaxia civilization has a history of five thousand years, we ourselves must acknowledge it, right?
However, since AD is what she is setting now, to clearly distinguish the years, Lia specifically created two era names for posterity to understand: one is 3149 BC, and the other is AD 1.
Moreover, as long as her Wu Kingdom in the future acknowledges the Yellow Emperor's era, then the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors after the Yellow Emperor, as well as the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, would become solid, indisputable history.
This would also save future generations from having to listen to foreigners constantly babbling nonsense like the Xia Dynasty never existed.
As for whether future generations, during archaeological efforts, could find definitive proof of the Yellow Emperor's existence or determine if it's just a myth, that was completely outside Lia's consideration.
However, wanting to use the Yellow Emperor's calendar was not that easy. The first issue was the difficulty in determining the exact time of the Yellow Emperor's ascension. It wasn't as if everyone had to accept it just because Lia said the venerable Yellow Emperor ascended the throne 3,149 years ago, right?
Because calendrical dating involved too many matters, it required careful study. Our great Wu Kingdom is not like those barbarians; we would never stoop to fabricating history.
Of course, the exact time of the Yellow Emperor's ascension could not be determined for now, but that didn't hinder the fact that the present year was AD 1. Future years would be calculated based on this. As for events before AD, every dynasty and generation had historical records, so they could be calculated slowly in the future.
In short, due to Lia's insistence, the emperor's era names were effectively abolished in the Wu Kingdom. From then on, they would simply use the Yellow Emperor's calendar for calculations.
Then, this matter was announced in a public proclamation to inform the people, letting the common folk know that their Wu Kingdom no longer used era names, but rather it was now AD 1.
After solving this difficult problem, Lia also promoted the generals and civil officials one by one, filling all the vacant positions.
After completing these tasks, Lia addressed the assembled civil and military officials in the court.
"Speaking of which, although I have almost unified the Western Regions and even renamed it Xinjiang Province, to put it bluntly, most of the subjects in Xinjiang Province are still barbarians who have little understanding of our han family's culture. Therefore, I need some civil officials to go and educate them. I wonder who is willing to take on this important task?"
After Lia finished speaking, the civil officials below looked at each other, but no one spoke.
After all, Xinjiang was the Western Regions. According to records, the journey to Xinjiang was not only distant but also required crossing hundreds of miles of desert to get there.
Moreover, the language there was different from here. How could they teach? To put it harshly, that place was a barren wasteland; no one wanted to go there.
Seeing that none of the ministers below were willing to speak up, Lia immediately frowned.
Although she knew no one wanted to go to such a place, the fact that not a single person volunteered gave her a new understanding of these civil officials.
"Your Majesty, I have a few candidates in mind," Morgan said to Lia at that moment.
"Oh? Who are the Empress's candidates?" Lia looked at Morgan.
"The Imperial Censor Zhongcheng Zhu Ziran and his students. They have been well-versed in Confucian learning since childhood and are knowledgeable. I think sending them would be very appropriate." As Morgan spoke, a slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
With one look, Lia knew Morgan wanted these Confucians, who were always nagging in front of her, out of her sight. However, Lia also felt that sending Confucians to Xinjiang was the best choice.
Moreover, the reason she and Morgan kept the Confucians around was based on this very point. Although Confucian thought couldn't serve as national policy, it was an excellent choice for dealing with others.
Chapter 102: The Role of Confucianism
Although Xinjiang was currently under her rule, it was still not stable. It still needed Confucian thought to temper their unruly nature.
Moreover, there were too few people over there who could teach han family history and culture. If these Confucians didn't go, who would?
Soldiers are trained for a thousand days to be used in a single hour. It was time for these Confucians to be put to use!
Thinking of this, Lia and Morgan exchanged a knowing smile, and Lia immediately took over the conversation.
"The Empress is right. I have always believed that Confucian thought and culture are excellent. As can be seen from previous dynasties, Confucian thought and culture are profound and extensive. They are truly the ideal choice for civilizing barbarians."
"This..." Judging by their meaning, were they really planning to send him? Zhu Ziran showed a troubled expression.
He was willing to promote and glorify Confucian culture, but it also depended on the location, didn't it?
"Zhongcheng Zhu, I have always believed in Confucian thought. Since it gained the support of Emperor Wu of Han, it must have its exceptional merits. Therefore, the task of civilizing the subjects of Xinjiang is uniquely suited to you Confucians. Otherwise, who could I send? The Military Strategists, Legalists, Mohists, or Yin-Yang School? To be honest, their doctrines cannot achieve this point."
Lia stated directly.
Although Lia's words sounded very pleasant and were quite flattering to the Confucian scholars—after all, she explicitly stated that Confucianism was more effective than other schools of thought—
thinking about the place he had to go, Zhu Ziran still couldn't feel happy. However, he reluctantly responded, "Your subject obeys the decree."
"Zhongcheng Zhu, do not worry. As long as you serve competently in that place for a few years and teach the subjects of Xinjiang to be just like the han family's common people, I will record your contribution as the foremost!" Lia continued.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Hearing this, Zhu Ziran felt his body filled with strength once again.
Promotion for civil officials was not easy. With Lia's promise, upon his return, wouldn't he be among the Three Excellencies? After all, he was currently a Zhongcheng, just one rank below the Three Excellencies, so attaining that position was surely within reach!
Wasn't it just about civilizing some barbarians? Within a few years, I will definitely make them all understand what it means to be cultured and reasonable!
Seeing his expression, Lia knew he had taken the bait. However, conferring the title of Three Excellencies wasn't a big deal. If he could truly make the subjects of Xinjiang wholeheartedly turn towards the Han, it would indeed be a great merit.
But after all, they were Confucians; they couldn't be given too much real power. They would make good diplomats in the future.
Next, Lia issued many more decrees.
First, she ordered local officials to pave cement roads within their jurisdictions. Furthermore, Common People's houses were currently mostly wooden and earthen structures, many of which were dilapidated from age.
Lia didn't demand that everyone immediately replace their houses, but within urban areas, changes needed to be made after re-planning. In the future, all houses would be made of cement.
Of course, these houses would be uniformly constructed by the government. They could not take money from the people. These completed houses would still belong to the people. It was equivalent to the court spending money to build new houses for the people for free.
In addition, Lia also brought out some private knowledge, such as methods for making various seasonings and which plants needed to be cultivated to obtain those materials.
After all,