"In the seventh year of Shaowu's reign, on April 29th, we tried to test the world's tributes. The first three people were awarded Jinshi status, and the second A67 people were awarded Jinshi status.

The 230 people in the third class were granted the same background as Jinshi."

After the announcement was completed, the officials began to roll the call, and the civil and military officials and scholars in the main hall listened with bated breath.

The official Chuan Lu sang: "The first one, the first place, Wang Xu——"

As soon as these words came out, the tributes kneeling before His Majesty were agitated.

Many people looked back frequently with surprise and confusion on their faces.

The examiners were even more horrified, suspecting that they had sent the wrong paper.

This is totally against common sense.

Not only them, but also Wang Xu himself, the pores all over his body were opened, a rush of heat hit his head, and his face immediately turned from fair to red.

Going from last to first is so exciting.

There is one subject every three years, and there are 300 people in each subject.

In the Ming Dynasty, there were two provinces in the two capitals and twenty-two provinces. In three years, a champion would be selected. The emperor would hand-pick him and he would be ranked first on the gold list. He would be praised throughout the streets and receive great honor.

He couldn't hear the next rankings.

From the left gate of the Imperial City of Chang'an to the East Fourth Archway, it was as if my feet could not touch the ground. There were people everywhere cheering me up, smiling faces everywhere, flattering words in my ears, I felt dizzy and unable to calm down.

Needless to mention the fun along the way, the number one scholar who is elected every three years is the most talked about among the people of the capital.

Although later generations have said that the number one scholar is useless, and few of them serve as chief ministers, this is nothing more than survivorship bias.

According to the survey, among the 90 number one scholars in the Ming Dynasty, 17 people including Hu Guang, Ma Yu, Peng Shi, etc. were included in the cabinet from officials to bachelors or non-majors, accounting for 19.1% of the total number of number one scholars.

Nearly half of the champions are high-ranking officials, or ministers of the six bureaus, or ministers.

It can be said that the No. 1 pick has a bright future and is enviable.

The next day, the inner court began to publish the imperial examination papers, and then published them all over the world.

In an instant, the situation of the palace examination became known to everyone, and public opinion was in an uproar.

No one expected that after entering the palace examination, there would be additional questions.

The news spread from Beijing to the world like the wind.

At the foot of Wulaofeng Mountain in Lushan Mountain, Jiangxi Province, there is an academy that is famous throughout the world.

It is called Bailudong Academy.

During the Tang Dynasty, Li Bo from Luoyang and his brother Li She lived in seclusion here to study and raised a white deer, so it was called Bailu Cave. Later, Zhu Xi became an official here and rebuilt Bailu Cave Academy.

Afterwards, it became a model for the "lecture-style" academies for hundreds of years from the late Song Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty. It became a cultural center in my country at that time and was known as "the first academies in the world".

In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to social studies, encouraged official studies, and despised private academies.

During the Jiajing and Wanli periods, the officialdom was flourishing and ideas developed greatly. In particular, Wang Yangming advocated academies and opened lectures wherever he went.

Unfortunately, the imperial court was extremely vigilant against heretical ideas, suppressed them by forming cliques for selfish purposes, and banned schools many times. During the Zhang Juzheng period, he "destroyed academies all over the world."

Of course, the intensity was even greater during the Tianqi period, when 9,000-year-old Wei Zhongxian directly issued an edict to destroy the Donglin Academy in the world.

"Is it coming out today?"

"Are you from Cantonese? That's strange——"

"It's not our Jiangxi Jishui? Damn it!"

A group of scholars gathered in the courtyard, each wearing a t-shirt and a scarf on his head. The last one was also a scholar, and they started talking indiscriminately.

"Eh-" Suddenly, someone well-informed directly obtained the court policy published from Beijing City.

"There are additional questions?"

"Nine chapters of arithmetic problems? Damn it, it's so simple. I should have won it long ago if I had tried."

Two arithmetic questions and one geography question made everyone furious.

It's as if they can become Jinshi after entering Beijing.

"Ahem -" Suddenly, a gentleman in a green shirt came over: "Everyone, sit down, I have something important to say."

As he spoke, he spread out the book in his arms and said, "The reason why the top scholar came out on top in today's imperial examination is because he did a few additional questions."

"I believe you all know that the third question is very difficult. Only the top candidate can write it. Your Majesty is very happy. This point is hereby chosen as the top candidate."

"And if before, he was among the top three——"

As soon as these words came out, everyone was in an uproar.

"Then sir, that's just stereotyped writing. Isn't the imperial examination just for policy discussion?"

Some scholars couldn't help but say.

"Today I attach more importance to it, but I won't mention the strategy."

The teacher shook his head: "You are about to pass the imperial examination, or you are about to go to Beijing to take the examination. You have to be aware of these changes. Don't make any omissions-"

The scholars nodded.

The rise of academies was initially due to ideological changes, such as Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty and Xinxue in the Ming Dynasty. However, in the later period, academies became advanced cram schools.

In the later stage, it gradually evolved into a tool for forming cliques and seeking private interests.

Didn’t the Donglin Party come from the academy?

In other words, either the connections are in place and the learned stereotypes are extremely proficient, or else you will not be able to enter the academy at all.

There was a lot of discussion in the school, and in the rear, the mountain chief (principal) Wang Shijing met with the Jiujiang prefect at the famous scenic spot Sixian Terrace.

"The visit of the great master of Futai is really a rare visitor, a rare visitor!"

Facing the Jiujiang magistrate, Wang Shijing showed no face at all and coldly held his hand in front of him.

He also has this capital.

As the world-famous headmaster of Bailudong Academy, he can even be called a brother-in-law with the governor of Jiangxi. His students are all over Jiangxi, and his power is huge.

In response, Qi Jing, the prefect of Jiujiang, could only smile bitterly and said: "Brother Wang, didn't you just not agree to rebuild the academy? Why is that so?"

"You also know that Poyang Lake has dried up very badly recently. The imperial court asked me to devote all my energy to destroying those private fields and restoring them to their old condition. There is really nothing I can do for the academy."

Bailudong Academy has more than 300 buildings. At its peak, it could accommodate 3,000 students. It was extremely large in scale. However, due to changes in time and vicissitudes of life, less than 30% of the buildings have been restored.

In order to survive, Bailu Cave even further transformed itself into an official institution, inviting government officials to recommend officials to preside over cave affairs, but this was nothing more than supervision.

Even so, with the status of a semi-official school, one can confidently request the court's support to rebuild the school.

When Wang Shijing heard this, he couldn't help but be startled: "As far as I know, Poyang Lake is vast and vast. Although there has been drought in recent years, fortunately the fields have been opened up to support the people. How can it be leveled and repaired?"

Qi Jing said helplessly: "The regulations issued by the Ministry of Industry say that a severe drought will be followed by a severe flood. If we are greedy for land now, there will be a huge flood in a few months."

"I'm afraid it will affect half of Jiangxi by then."

"The purpose of leveling private land is to conserve water sources so that when floods come, there will be a place to go."

Wang Shijing was stunned for a moment and felt that these words made sense: "Why did the mansion come to me?"

"The school field in Bailu Cave is not in Poyang Lake."

"Although Xuedian is not here, the students are here!"

Qi Jing Duanzheng said: "The influence of a certain prefect in Jiangxi is not half as big as that of Shanchang.

Nowadays, the people and gentry near Poyang Lake have taken advantage of this summer's drought to reclaim tens of thousands of hectares of private land. I am helpless and can only ask the mountain chief to appeal."

"One word from you is worth ten thousand words from me."

Wang Shijing squinted his eyes, listened to what he said, and started to think about it.

Good guy, this is putting him on the fire.

Regardless of his influence, asking people to sell tens of thousands of hectares of private land is no less than cutting off people's wealth. If he said this, I don't know how many people would scold him.

The point is, everyone is greedy for profit, and not many people will listen to him.

Thankless, nothing more than that.

"Futai, I am so helpless!"

Wang Shijing kept smiling bitterly.

When Qi Jing heard this, he sighed: "If you can't persuade me, the imperial court will really do it."

"What do you mean by this?"

"The Ministry of Industry wants to control Poyang Lake, so it will destroy all the land in Chongzhen in ten years, whether public or private."

"When the time comes, the patrol battalion will be dispatched directly, and they will destroy the lake at all costs, just to control the lake."

"What about the people? This is where their food and clothing are." Wang Shijing was anxious.

It is not something that the government can do to displace hundreds of people because of an unpredictable waterlogging disaster in the future.

"Exempt from five years of corvee service and reward twice as much land from Liaodong."
To be continued...