A few days later, Lu Ming arrived at the Jiaosifang (Education Office).
At this time, the Jiaosifang still had staff from the Education Department, responsible for training some girls.
The Jiaosifang not only housed the families of criminals but also sheltered homeless girls.
They were taught to read and write, and to do some handicrafts.
If Lu Ming were to take a liking to them later, it would be their good fortune.
However, most of them were of average appearance, and Lu Ming didn't find them attractive.
Young girls weren't inexperienced; many had even gotten pregnant, so they weren't particularly thirsty.
Cai Wenji accompanied her, smiling as she watched the girls studying.
She had finally fulfilled her dream of educating and nurturing people. With her father now writing books at the Imperial Academy, she could enjoy a comfortable retirement.
Compared to others, she was already very fortunate.
"My lord, the books printed last time are all very good.
This will make popularizing education and classes much easier."
Cai Wenji said with a smile. Education was a privilege reserved for the nobility or wealthy families.
The poor rarely had such opportunities. Even now, education was still being sought from the poor and the widows of soldiers.
Soldiers who died in battle, if they had children, could be selected to study or undergo physical training to join the army later.
However, they still needed to be literate, at least to know some basic literacy and knowledge. Being cultured or uncultured meant being able to communicate effectively.
Moreover, another very important point was the popularization of Standard Mandarin.
Many regional dialects have strong accents, making communication difficult and hard to understand.
Therefore, popularizing standard Mandarin is also a very important matter.
"Farmers toil under the midday sun, their sweat dripping onto the soil; who knows the toil behind every grain of rice in their bowl!"
The clear, melodious voices of the girls reciting the poem were a pleasant sound to hear.
Lu Ming stood outside a classroom, looking inside.
The girls, some with pigtails, others with short hair, all looked very childlike.
"There will be even better ones in the future, passed down from generation to generation, only then will there be a better future.
Some of them will teach men in the future, it's not surprising.
"It's cold today, if we can provide relief, many fewer people will die this winter."
Lu Ming looked at the falling snow outside the window. In ancient times, the greatest fears were hunger and the arrival of winter.
Every winter brought the tragedy of selling children, starving and cold, and after one night, corpses littered the fields.
Therefore, Lu Ming adopted a "teach a man to fish" approach to dealing with the refugees within his territory. He provided disaster relief through volunteer work, and to exchange for food, they had to work.
Moreover, once they were fed and watered, they were kept working to prevent them from wandering aimlessly.
The disturbance caused by starving refugees to public order was extremely serious.
With the Central Plains in turmoil, many refugees, encouraged by circumstances, migrated to Hebei, Jingzhou, and Jiangdong.
However, much of Jiangdong remained undeveloped, deep in the mountains and forests. Furthermore, the presence of the Wuxi barbarians meant that even the later Eastern Wu dynasty focused its efforts on dealing with them, leaving little energy for external expansion.
Refugees entering the Luoyang area were guided to Chang'an, with dedicated troops even stationed at outposts.
Even Emperor Xian of Han dared not speak out against this, as the refugees were given absolutely no time to develop.
Even if Xun Yu arrived in Luoyang, he would be powerless to act without resources.
Condemnation was useless; in fact, it could lead to murder if provoked too far.
Furthermore, even if an edict was issued, the other lords would ignore it.
After all, they were all kings, and all were kings of different surnames.
If Emperor Xian of Han were to rise to power, and following ancestral laws, all the kings of different surnames were eliminated, it would be a huge mess.
Leaving aside the fate of military geniuses like Han Xin, who were kings of different surnames, consider the case of Empress Lü's nephews during the Western Han Dynasty. After Empress Lü's death,
the bloodshed was truly devastating.
Therefore, when Xun Yu issued a proclamation to denounce them, not a single lord stood up.
Only Liu Biao pretended to discuss it; if he were actually ordered to lead troops to attack Lu Ming, he would be the first to flee without hesitation.
Even the minor officials sent out on missions were taken away and not allowed to return.
Luoyang was essentially an isolated island, a city cut off from the rest.
Even if Emperor Xian of Han wanted to build an army, they couldn't afford to support so many soldiers.
Each soldier required ten men to support…
Having experienced the previous upheavals, Luoyang's population was now less than one-tenth of its former size; simply maintaining its basic functions was a struggle.
Now, everything they wanted to do was summed up in one word: poverty!
So poor they could barely afford food. The nobles and wealthy people of Luoyang had either fled, left, or, if they hadn't, their graves were now overgrown with weeds.
Therefore, Luoyang was truly in ruins. When Dong Zhuo left, he burned part of it, seemingly unwilling to give it to Lu Ming. In return, Lu Ming didn't want Luoyang either, leaving Emperor Xian looking rather foolish.
Arriving at the Jiaosifang dock, near the canal, it was used specifically for transporting materials. It used to be a dock, but was later requisitioned.
A large number of people were making a living at the docks. Chang'an was becoming increasingly prosperous, and the difficulty of governing it was also increasing.
Therefore, maintaining stability would require some effort.
Further beyond was the dance area, which, as the name suggests, was a place to teach women to dance.
Dancing was for entertainment. When Lu Ming hosted banquets for his officials, they would come out to dance.
However, most of the time, they would only dance here when Lu Ming was present, performing a more erotic dance to seduce him.
"Husband!"
A fragrant breeze wafted over, and the beautiful and alluring Diao Chan threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly, not caring that others were watching.
"Sister!"
"Chan'er hasn't recovered enough and has run out; be careful not to catch a cold!"
Lu Ming pinched Diao Chan's delicate nose and kissed her. He had long wanted to have sex with Diao Chan, to suckle her breasts and drink her breast milk while he was having sex with her.
The feeling of having sex with a woman and then drinking her milk is absolutely extraordinary, incredibly stimulating and exhilarating.
Cai Wenji nodded to Diao Chan, neither overly enthusiastic nor aloof.
Diao Chan was just that kind of woman—a very ordinary woman, a very ordinary vixen!