In Jiangnan, winter is not like winter, and spring comes quietly. But the first major event in the first year of Zhaowu, spring, affects the hearts of scholars all over the world, and they are always counting the days. Just after the new year, some scholars rushed to Nanjing

, for fear that they would not be able to find a house to live in when the exam period was approaching. As the date approached, more and more people came to Nanjing, the inns were full, and the government temporarily found housing, which finally solved the scholar's housing problem.

Since the Qing Dynasty entered the country, the Ming Dynasty has not held such a formal imperial examination. Both the number of people and the subjects of the examination are different from the past. Some people say it shows the style of the new dynasty, while others say it is the new emperor.

I don't like to be conventional, I want to be new and different.

In any case, the imperial examination is still the most attractive bait for scholars. Slight changes have not affected their enthusiasm. Since the North was restored late, there are fewer talents than in the South. It is difficult to participate in this new era.

Those who took the imperial examination for the first time were mostly from the south.

The content of the examination had long been known and was drawn up by the new emperor himself. Although he had the intention of reform, Zhu Yongxing knew that it could not be done overnight, so he did not overthrow everything. After repeated thinking, he divided the examination content into three parts: the first part was miscellaneous studies,

That is, some common sense things, accounting for 20% of the total score; the second part is current affairs policy theory, which tests the writing style and the candidate's ability to think deeply, accounting for 60% of the total score; the third part is specialization, that is

The candidate's specialties account for 20% of the score.

Eight-legged stereotypes are no more, and the opposition was once very strong, but Zhu Yongxing was uncompromising and even stated clearly: Even if everyone resists, he will never change his will. There are academies to train officials, and Zhu Yongxing is not afraid. Isn't there another saying, scholar?

The rebellion won't happen in three years. It's just lip service.

"Long live. Long live, long live!" The old imperial city of Nanjing was renovated and used as the venue for the examination. The candidates knelt down to listen to the decree, and then shouted long live. The imperial decree was just some official words of comfort. The candidates

I am even more anxious to know what the test questions are.

There are two examiners. Chen Shaoyu, the Minister of Rites, and Zhang Huangyan, the Minister of Punishments. They actually don’t know what the questions asked by the emperor are. The first part of the test paper was printed in the palace and has been kept sealed. It was escorted and transported by the palace guards today.

.The second part of the exam question is about the Huang Ling package that Zhu Yongxing personally awarded in the morning. It has only now seen the light of day.

Chen Shaoyu and Zhang Huangyan bowed to each other, opened the package and took out the paper inside. There were four current affairs policy topics. The first topic was "National Tragedy", the second topic was "Why did the Tartars sweep the world", and the third topic was "How to make the people rich and the country strong"

”, the fourth title is “A Country Ruled by Law”.

The four questions will be read aloud to the candidates by the examiner and written on a large piece of paper for the candidates to copy. Then the first and third part of the test paper will be distributed to the candidates, and then the clerk will send the candidates one by one into the small single room to answer the questions.

Although the rules have changed too much, Zhang Huangyan and Chen Shaoyu were contemplating the profound meaning behind these four current affairs policy topics.

Zhu Yongxing once told them that the imperial examination does not necessarily have to be ranked by scores. If the candidates have certain professional skills or unique insights in a certain aspect, they can also be selected to participate in the imperial examination. In other words, Zhu Yongxing even more

Value expertise and prefer creative talents.

After such an analysis, these four policy topics are not too unexpected. But it is not easy to do these four topics well and make Zhu Yongxing look at them.

There is nothing much to say about "National Memorial". It is taken from the work of Qu Yuan, a great poet of the Chu State during the Warring States Period. As long as it praises heroism and patriotism and hopes to avenge national humiliation, it can be considered worthy of the title.

The third and fourth questions have some tricks. They test the candidate's understanding of civil affairs, economy, and the rule of law. It is not difficult to answer them in a regular manner. It is not easy to have new ideas and original ideas.

The key is the third question. It covers too many topics and has many taboos. It is really difficult to solve. The question actually deliberately avoids some sensitive words, such as Jiashen, subjugation, etc. But the essence is still expressed through the question.

. Therefore, candidates should be able to think about why the Jiashen Rebellion happened, why it was so difficult to resist the Manchu Qing Dynasty after entering the customs, and why the Ming Dynasty was almost doomed. This inevitably brings up the various missteps and bad policies of the Ming Dynasty.

Criticism and exposure are inevitable.

In other words, this third question is to expose shortcomings, find problems, and learn lessons.

"Jiashen Rebellion——" Zhang Huangyan hesitated for a moment and said cautiously to Chen Shaoyu: "It's a bit sensitive. If someone or a certain army is involved, will people be uneasy?"

The Jiashen Rebellion must be mentioned about Li Zicheng and the Dashun Army. If the words are inappropriate, the reaction of the princes, generals and soldiers of the remaining Dashun Army must be taken into consideration. It is not unreasonable for Zhang Huangyan to be so worried.

.

Chen Shaoyu has followed Zhu Yongxing for a longer time and understands Zhu Yongxing's thinking better than Zhang Huangyan. He thought seriously for a moment and guessed: "The Jiashen Rebellion is unavoidable and will always be recorded in history. Long live it now that it has happened

On this issue, we do not discriminate against or suppress Prince Zheng and others, so we must have already reached a conclusion in our hearts, so it is not a bad thing to conclude the coffin in one fell swoop.”

If it is handled properly, it will be a long-term solution. Zhang Huangyan pondered Chen Shaoyu's words and nodded slightly. Based on his understanding of Zhu Yongxing, it is obviously impossible to settle old accounts, so there will definitely be an excuse for Dashun Army. Just do this.

If so, most of the fault will be placed on the court, and Emperor Lie will also be blamed...

Could it be that——Zhang Huangyan shook his head, the more he thought about it, the more he thought about it. It was indeed the case. The death of Ming Dynasty was not a unilateral cause, but the result of joint efforts. Moreover, this was not caused in a short period of time. If traced back, even Wanli was also responsible.

"This topic is too big." Chen Shaoyu has been thinking about it, and he also sighed in the same way, "It seems simple and clear at a glance, but it is difficult to find the key. Moreover, there is also a matter of courage."

It is indeed not an easy task to tell the truth about long-standing shortcomings or to rebuke someone's fault. The emperor's heart is unpredictable. Who knows if he says something wrong and offends the emperor, his career will be over.

"Long live benevolence, I have never killed people without punishment. Those candidates must have heard about it!" Zhang Huangyan was not too worried about this. After all, studying and understanding the emperor's liking and temperament should be a must-do for candidates.

"Haha, that's true." Chen Shaoyu smiled and said, "Gu has always been famous, so it's hard to tell them apart, right?"

Zhang Huangyan nodded with a helpless smile. Who can really guess what's going on in this person's heart? Is it because he's just asking for favors, or is he really strong in loyalty? Who can tell from the surface?

…………(To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel will be better and updated faster!
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