Inside the Huangji Palace.
All civil and military officials, each wearing official uniforms, stood as usual, quietly waiting for the emperor.
The Gongsheng students who are taking the examination have been led by the officials of the Ministry of Rites to the east and west rows of the Danqi in the main hall and stand in sequence facing the north - Danqi is the steps outside the hall. They are all waiting outside the examination room.
As for the location of the exam, Guanglu Temple had already prepared the exam tables in two verandas yesterday. They were just waiting for the emperor to come to open the questions and go through the motions, so that the Gongsheng students could take the exam.
The sun is gradually rising.
At some point, Honglu Temple suddenly sang "The Emperor Ascends to the Palace".
Immediately afterwards, there were three sounds of cleansing whips.
The emperor is coming!
Everyone immediately got excited and cheered up.
Sure enough, the emperor came out in his regular clothes, surrounded by ministers and ceremonial officials, calling for thousands of times.
The Gongsheng students were asked to lower their heads and not look, but few of them felt at all calm.
Except for those who had met the emperor a few days ago, most of the other Gongsheng students secretly shook their eyes and looked at the emperor with their peripheral vision.
It wasn't until the emperor's back disappeared that the Gongsheng students lowered their gazes again.
The palace examination ceremony is a grand ceremony for recruiting talents. Every grand ceremony has its own rules. All civil and military officials must not bow down at once.
Therefore, when Zhu Yijun walked into the Huangji Palace, all the civil and military officials immediately knelt down.
Zhu Yijun Shiran walked up the imperial steps and slowly sat down: "All the ministers stand up and serve."
All the officials thanked each other and stood up to return to their shifts.
Then, the deacon put the proposal table in the hall and respectfully invited the proposal.
The chamberlain officer gave the proposal to the ceremonial officer and placed it on the case.
Deacon Wang Xilie looked at the policy question Zhang Hong put on the table and was shocked on the spot.
These are clearly not the questions asked by the Ministry of Rites!
He glanced at the emperor quietly, and saw that the emperor's face was expressionless, as if he knew nothing.
At this time, the officials of Honglu Temple had already begun to let Gongsheng enter the temple. Wang Xilie felt that he was in a dilemma and was riding a tiger with difficulty.
It was the late emperor who had no choice but to have the idea of ​​crashing to death in the Jinluan Palace.
However, I am not a random person.
Wang Xilie's thoughts were racing, and he finally sighed.
He held the project proposal high, slowly descended from the left step, and placed the project proposal in the middle of the royal road according to the ceremony's procedures.
The Gongsheng students lowered their heads and hurriedly followed the Honglu Temple official and filed in.
"Candidates should bow five times and kowtow three times!"
The official of Honglu Temple praised.
Gongsheng and others were in a panic but did not panic. They bowed their hands four times and kowtowed three times.
Zhu Yijun raised his hand to express his displeasure, and slowly spoke: "I am in charge of the new year, and I have no intention of doing so. I only follow the emperor's decree, give lectures to relatives and sages, and consult with my ministers daily.
In order to work hard all day and night in the palace, I don’t dare to relax in my free time, and I also want to be a commoner, as the poems and books call it, and not fall into the trap of my two ancestors and eight sects."
This is the starting point for planning a question, and it is very similar.
Anyway, the emperor hopes that the country will be well, but one person is short-term, so he needs to ask wise people for advice.
As the emperor opened his mouth, Wang Xilie took the initiative to propose a proposal in the east of Danqi, looking at his nose and nose, and then began to look at his heart.
Zhu Yijun was neither sick nor slow, and said eloquently: "I am the one who rules the world, promotes change and justice, and has many political solidities. However, I am the one who focuses on agriculture and agriculture. The "Book" says that it is difficult to farm crops, so it is easy."
"I respectfully recite the edict of Emperor Gao of my great ancestor, "Yu Tian", and the "Instructions of Wu Ben" of Emperor Chengzu Wen, so that I know how the king's business thrives and how difficult it is for people to live their lives."
"Nowadays, people crying about hunger and cold are not only found in remote and remote places, but also in large counties."
"People from all over the world have lost their land, and not all of them have returned to farming."
"How can we make everyone work hard without losing their job?"
The most important thing in politics lies in agriculture. Whether it is "Shangshu" or Zhu Ming's ancestral precepts, this is what it says. But now this dynasty is not doing a good job in this regard. The people have lost their land and have no food to eat. The emperor is worried. Everyone
Tell me what to do?
When the officials from the Cabinet, the Ministry of Rites, and the Hanlin Academy heard this, they all raised their heads.
This...the policy issued by the Ministry of Rites is not like this, right?
Zhu Dashou, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, knew it best. He couldn't help but secretly stretched out his hand and poked Ma Ziqiang, who was standing in front of him.
The latter made small moves with the big ribbons, just lowering his head and saying nothing.
Lu Tiaoyang, the cabinet minister, looked at Zhang Juzheng in surprise, with a look of inquiry in his eyes.
The latter thought for a moment and nodded slowly.
Although the emperor did not say hello to Mr. First Assistant, Mr. First Assistant still tacitly supported the emperor.
Because as soon as Zhang Juzheng heard the emperor's words, he immediately understood the context and understood what this question was foreshadowing.
During the Jiajing period, there was a shortage of finances, and the most important policy questions asked by the imperial court were often taxes, laws, and money.
During the Longqing period, the Tatars repeatedly invaded the border areas. Naturally, the most important person in charge of the imperial examination was to manage the army and prepare for the war.
Now that the emperor has elevated the focus on agriculture to the top of politics, it is self-evident why he is doing this - he is preparing public opinion for the land transfer, and at the same time, he is recruiting talents for him!
This is much more practical than the vague test questions issued by the Ministry of Rites.
In this way, since it is in line with the direction of the New Deal, the cabinet naturally has no reason to demolish the emperor's throne.
As for setting the test questions beyond the Ministry of Rites policy, for the cabinet, it is a trivial matter.
"Erduo Shi has learned the art of the sages and made clear the affairs of the world. I have eclectically discussed them. I will investigate their pointers and find out when the government was established. Or it may be different in ancient and modern times. It may be different in ancient and modern times. It may be different in ancient and modern times. It may be different in ancient times and in modern times. It may be necessary to create and maintain special tracks. I will learn from them clearly and carefully.
The original intention is neither broad nor hidden."
Zhu Yijun ended with the last fixed sentence, asking the Gongsheng students to speak freely and not to be afraid of saying the wrong thing. The emperor's mind is greatly improved.
Then it was the turn of the officials of the Ministry of Rites to discuss the topic, and the tributes knelt down to receive it, kowtowed, and then tried.
The ceremony also ended.
After the officials of Honglu Temple finished singing and playing the ceremony, the emperor and all the civil and military officials left the temple together.
…
The path to becoming a Jinshi is different from pursuing a scholarly career.
You can talk about some things, but you can't really deceive yourself, otherwise you won't be ranked based on policy in the imperial examination.
Grasping the examiner's psychology is the first level of knowledge for the Jinshi examination.
Fortunately, the rankings in the palace examination are often sorted by the cabinet. The first place decided by default will be read by the first assistant, the second place will be read by the second assistant, the third place will be read by the group assistants, and the second place will be the first minister of the Ministry of Etiquette.
Reading, and so on - this is to prevent the emperor from being unable to read good or bad, or even recognizing rare words, and making jokes.
In this way, candidates only need to refer to the collected works of the Cabinet and the Nine Ministers, as well as the political tendencies of these individuals, to answer targeted questions.
But Jinke is obviously different.
Since the emperor's identity as the master of Confucian classics was revealed five days ago, candidates have had more things to consider.
Would an emperor with the level of a master still let the Ministry of Rites and the record readers draw up the ranking?
Taking a step back, the candidates assume that the emperor intervened, so how can the candidates get a glimpse of the emperor's political tendencies without a collection of essays?
Taking a step back, how wide is the scope of the emperor's intervention? Is it a one-word decision, or is it a compromise? Is it just one person and three people, or is it all witnessed by more than 400 people in person?
It is because of these off-site factors.
A major feature that determines that the palace examination is very focused on family background.
Let's put aside the differences in vision brought by education level and family background. Let's just say that people who saw the emperor debate the scriptures five days ago have a level of understanding of the emperor that is simply not comparable to that of Gongsheng who has been working behind closed doors this month.
Sun Jigao had already reviewed the emperor at the time of the debate.
He was sitting in front of his desk, thinking for a moment, and then immediately started writing.
"My dearest minister, Your Majesty the Emperor, with the virtue of the Holy Spirit, has returned countless times, sincerely served the Emperor, and respected himself and the people; all the ministers and common people in the world do not raise their heads and watch, wait and see, in the hope of soaking up the transformation of the reform...
…”
Every word in the policy statement is important.
Customized in the early days of the Republic of China, the policy discussion should be straightforward and limited to one thousand words or more.
While there is a clearly stated lower limit for the number of words, the upper limit is also determined by the length of the article.
So when Sun Jigao came up, he combined the usual praise of the emperor at the beginning and the main theme of his article into one.
The phrase "reformation" fully demonstrated his understanding of the emperor.
At the same time, on the basis of the reform, we began to discuss the key to "focusing on fundamentals and focusing on agriculture."
at the same time.
Li Kun sat quietly for a long time without writing.
Nothing else, just recalling the emperor's words and deeds during the debate that day.
That day, he saw the emperor attending the ceremony, and only later did he realize why someone specially invited him to attend the ceremony.
Although I don’t know who is so powerful and willing to show mercy.
But since he has taken advantage of the opportunity, using this opportunity in the palace examination is the only thing he can do.
As for repaying the debt? Let’s talk about it later.
Thinking of this, Li Kun finally started to dip his pen into ink.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I'm looking at Dao, but I haven't seen you yet. I'm asking for a cure for Yin, so I went to the court to give you some advice. I'm going to use my fists and fists to stabilize my body and strengthen my foundation."
"Su Shi once said, 'The king asks for it in name, and the minister responds with truth.' Your Majesty, your Majesty, asks for it with truth. How dare you, your Majesty, not wear your clothes to answer the question?"
"..."
It was also routine to praise the emperor.
However, after Li Kun finished discussing the general outline of the whole text, he did not continue to dwell on the classics, ancestral precepts, and emperors, but began to discuss the major shortcomings of the current situation.
"Now the emperor sincerely wants to drive all the people in the world to work together. There is no other way to do it but containment, annexation, and prosperity."
"If the people don't eat all day long, they will be hungry and exhausted. Now, if you just go to the fields with little skill, how can the people not be happy? The fields are merged..."
Each strategy has its own answer.
While showing political insight, it is also to compete for one's family background.
Li Kun is getting older, he is already thirty-nine this year, so he only wants someone with a second-class background.
The second-grade official is from the seventh rank, given a Jinshi background, and the third-grade official is from the eighth rank, given the same Jinshi background. According to the current examination method, the first-level examination requires three years of grinding, and must be taken seriously.
As for Yijia, he didn't dare to think about it.
However, Li Kun didn't dare to think about it, but Li Sancai really dared to think about it.
The first-level Hanlin editors and editors have three years less time to edit and compile than the common people.
As for why he dares to think so?
After all, he is the elder brother, and he always understands the emperor better than outsiders.
He passed through his mind all the summaries of the imperial court about the emperor that his father had relayed, and supplemented by the two encounters with the emperor, his behavior and behavior gradually outlined the emperor's temperament.
After a long while, Li Sancai slowly started writing.
"My lord, my great ancestor Gao, Emperor You Tian, ​​has an edict: If you want your wealth to be inexhaustible, your country to be prosperous, and the ghosts and gods to enjoy it all, it must come from agriculture? What a great king, you really mean to emphasize agriculture!
"
"Emperor Chengzu Wen had his own training in doing business. He first mentioned the difficulties faced by Taizu in starting a business, and then mentioned the sages and sages of the past, who were the masters of chaos, to serve as a warning. You are so holy, and you have the heart to be rich."
He first listed the ancestral precepts mentioned by the emperor in an outline and at the same time showed his knowledge reserve.
Then the pen suddenly turned and fell on the emperor's head.
"The "Book" that I overheard said: Heaven descends from the people to serve as kings and teachers, but they can only restrain God, the Prime Minister, and cage the four directions. Then you know that Heaven has created people, so those who have left and right to make music, their responsibility will always be sent to them.
The king; and the king governs the people, so that they can be prosperous and safe, and his way is as true as heaven."
The heaven and earth give birth to the people in order to take care of them, and this responsibility just happens to be placed on the monarch.
"The position that the Emperor Husband occupies is not his, it is the one passed down from generation to generation by Emperor Taizu Gao. The position occupied by Emperor Taizu Gao is not his, it is the place where Fengyang came from."
"The Yuan Dynasty's political system was not up to the standard, there was no end to greed, a group of petty officials were greedy for orders, and they exacted arbitrary demands. Therefore, the people could not bear it, so they all entrusted their orders to Taizu. Taizu therefore worked hard to sweep away the filth and filth, and received the great treasure from heaven.
This is why I can carry it with you and pass it on to the emperor."
"When Hu Yuan was prosperous, the territory was vast and the soldiers and horses were as strong as today's world. However, Taizu used cloth to capture it, which was like destroying dry matter and pulling away decay. Why?"
"If taxes are prosperous, the people will be displaced; if the currency is corrupted, the people will be unemployed!"
How did the current emperor come about? It is the responsibility entrusted by Emperor Taizu Gao from generation to generation.
How did Emperor Taizu Gao's throne come about? It was due to the cruelty of the former Yuan Dynasty that he was despised by all the people, and all the people jointly entrusted their destiny to Emperor Taizu.
"His Majesty the Emperor said that many people have lost their land and have not yet returned to farming. This is the destiny of Your Majesty and must be taken seriously!"
"..."
"That's why we should focus on farming now. To resettle the landless people, it may not be impossible to trade. Farmers and businesses are prospering together, and the dilemma is solved!"
The sound of people's clothes rubbing together mixed with the sound of examination papers being turned, making the hall even more quiet.
Hai Rui sat in an inconspicuous corner.
Write down carefully.
Although he is already a high-ranking official in Fei Pao, he is just making up for his background. Even if he is the last one, it will not affect his ability to pave the way for Jiu Qing.
But Hai Rui still tried his best to write his answer.
"I am sorry, the fields for farming are lost to the powerful, the lakes and mountains are suppressed by the powerful, the treacherous and powerful bully the hermits, and they travel to eat to support the emperor. This is what His Majesty the Emperor calls a people who cries about hunger and howls in cold."
"I have personally seen that farmers in various counties in Hainan have lost their fields due to natural disasters and man-made disasters, and have lost all their rents due to bone marrow dryness. Therefore, they only collect water chestnuts from the water chestnut lake. However, the water chestnuts are sharp and often hurt their fingers, causing continuous bleeding and causing facial discoloration.
He was haggard and looked like a ghost. When I left Hainan, Linghu Lake was also annexed by Hao You, and those who harvested water chestnuts paid a monthly rent of two taels and four cents."
"..."
"Therefore, the most urgent task now is to control the land and see who can survive, and to cultivate the land and establish the right boundary..."
Hainan is similar to Yunnan. In the imperial examination world, they are like backwaters.
Hai Rui, who was born as a Juren in Hainan, did not have much time to study the classics in depth after he became an official. Those gorgeous wordings are almost difficult to see in his articles.
He just gave a realistic answer from the perspective of many years of working at the grassroots level.
Time passes gradually.
Ink stains covered the test papers.
…
Gongsheng students answered questions in the hall.
Most of the court officials went back to their yamen to attend their duties.
Only the emperor and his first and second assistants were walking on the platform outside Huangji Hall, talking about something.
"In the eighth year of Tianshun's reign, I ordered the cabinet officials to work with the Lili Department to formulate a test to select common people."
"The report was finalized in the sixth year of Hongzhi. One selection from each subject. For those who are under forty years old, more than fifteen ancient essays written by them in daily life should be recorded and submitted to the Ministry of Rites within one month."
"The Ministry of Etiquette has finished reading the examination, and the numbers will be sent to the Hanlin Academy for examination and approval. Those who are acceptable in arts and sciences will mark their names on the examination papers and send them to the cabinet for examination and selection as usual."
Gaoyi gave the emperor a rough introduction to the process of selecting concubines.
The conditions are roughly as follows: young, good at writing Qingci, and passing the independent selection examination organized by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Rites.
Zhu Yijun asked curiously: "I usually write fifteen ancient articles? What if I usually write less than fifteen articles?"
Since it is said to be ancient prose, it certainly cannot be poetry.
I may not write so much about this stuff on weekdays.
Gao Yi patiently explained: "So the Ministry of Rites has a time limit of one month, which is to give the Jinshi scholars the opportunity to complete fifteen ancient essays."
Zhu Yijun suddenly realized that he had to rush to finish the manuscript.
It’s good to rush the manuscript.
He nodded and signaled Gao Yi to continue: "What about after choosing Shujishi?"
Gao Yi followed the emperor and paced slowly: "Send to the Hanlin Academy and order bachelor's degree and other officials to teach. Those who have completed their studies, except for Hanlin officials, the second-grade class except editing, the third-grade class except for review, continue their studies."
"The rest of them, in addition to academicians, are subordinate to doctors, principals, and other officials."
Zhu Yijun said oh.
He immediately shook his head, looked back at Zhang Juzheng, and said thoughtfully: "Two gentlemen, choosing common people is to reserve talents for cabinet ministers. There is nothing wrong with this."
"However, there are more than 400 Jinshi in this department, and the increase of more than 100 is to fill the ranks of state and county officials and the backbone of the three departments in each province based on today's examination and tomorrow's farming."
"If we study all our subjects in the Hanlin Academy, I'm afraid we still won't be able to fill the vacancies for officials in various ministries, offices, prefectures and counties."
Everyone has been working together for a long time.
Now the emperor raised his buttocks and it was clear to the two ministers whether he was defecating or peeing.
The two looked at each other.
Zhang Juzheng shook his head helplessly: "If your Majesty wants to send the concubines to the provincial capitals and counties, and just ask the cabinet to reason privately, it will really be embarrassing for the ministers to wait for this old bone."
Listen to the strings and listen to the music.
The emperor's words obviously meant that he wanted to give the concubines a place to hone their skills.
Zhang Juzheng shook his head unceremoniously and refused, almost saying the words "unrealistic".
Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng curiously: "What Yuan Fu means is that the cabinet can't make the decision? Then I will go and call Uncle Zong here?"
Zhang Juzheng stopped the emperor from sending people to invite Ma Ziqiang, and said helplessly: "If Uncle Zong gets involved in this matter, I'm afraid he will have to become an official even if he doesn't want to."
The three of them walked to the corridor and stood leaning on the railing.
Gao Yi considered it for a moment, and then added tactfully: "Your Majesty, this matter cannot be passed with just an edict."
"Throwing Shujishi to the ground... is too humiliating. I'm afraid trouble will arise."
Zhang Juzheng was even more direct: "If you humiliate the common people and abandon your official position in this way, it will be a trivial matter. I am afraid that you will not be able to fight for the land with your head and splash the emperor's palace with blood."
"When it shakes up and down, there will definitely be another chaos."
Confucian scholars value dignity most.
It’s enough to release fellow Jinshi who are over forty years old to serve as county magistrates. How do you want to put Shujishi, a contemporary hero with a higher vision, into a local position?
Isn’t that a blatant example of the new dynasty’s harsh treatment of Confucian scholars?
There will be a mass incident.
Nowadays, officials often "just change the situation and use it differently", or "Huizhou is bitterly cold, which is not the norm for the country to treat Confucian scholars well."
Under such circumstances, it would be too difficult for the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites if the emperor wanted to send shujishi to the prefectures and counties.
It doesn't matter if I poke Zhang Juzheng in the back, I'm afraid it will mess up the overall situation - these people are really fundamental.
As long as the emperor, the first assistant, and the second assistant can reach a consensus, it can be said that they can decide the situation of the court with one word, but now when faced with such matters that involve the fundamentals, they have to be cautious.
When Zhu Yijun heard this, he held the railing with both hands, put his feet against the bottom, and rocked back and forth: "It's not necessarily that we have to send them all to the state capital."
Halfway through the words.
Zhang Juzheng frowned, held the emperor's waist, and interrupted: "Your Majesty, please pay attention to your manners."
Zhu Yijun stood up straight.
He coughed lightly and continued: "What I mean is that on a voluntary basis, Hanlin editors and editors who offer to go to the local government can be given preferential treatment in their official careers."
This is what induces profit.
Gao Yi sighed after hearing this.
He shook his head and explained to the emperor who was not familiar with the Confucian ecology: "Your Majesty, among scholars, reputation is the foundation. No bastard will damage his foundation, just to reduce the suffering of three to five years."
Which is more important, official career or fame, just depends on how many courtiers covet the imperial staff.
The small favors promised by the emperor were not enough to make the common people "unsocial".
Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and asked the two assistant ministers seriously: "Would it be much better if someone takes the lead?"
The two assistant ministers were startled.
After looking at each other, they nodded one after another.
Zhu Yijun smiled with relief: "The two gentlemen might as well draw up a charter first. As for the affairs of the common people, I will do some 'ideological work' for them."
There are people who still owe him debts. Your father wants to collect the debts, so you have to pay them back.
It will be easier if someone takes the lead - whether there is a precedent between the country and the dynasty, the political resistance is different.
Even if it is just a formality in the beginning, it is an inevitable thing to do when a Shujishi goes to work.
The two of them were not surprised by the emperor's strange words.
Gao Yi couldn't help but remind him: "Your Majesty, pay attention to fairness in selection."
Zhu Yijun nodded perfunctorily.
What does it mean to pay attention to justice? Yijia was originally appointed by the emperor!
Legal and reasonable!
Seeing the emperor's appearance, Zhang Juzheng didn't know what he thought of, and suddenly said: "In this case, your Majesty will probably have to ask questions from time to time. Otherwise, some common people may have to serve as local officials for more than ten years."
Zhu Yijun glanced at Zhang Juzheng with relief - Lao Zhang always sees things from a distance.
He understands this kind of selective transfer of students to the outside world, and the fact that they have not been transferred back to the core as promised for more than ten years.
If there is no noble person at the top who remembers it, it doesn’t matter whether you are a bastard or a doctor, just delegate it to the lower level without making a sound.
Zhang Juzheng was reminding himself that if he left it to the cabinet or the six ministries, he would inevitably become a tool for dividing the political parties. After all, Shujishi was the candidate for the prime minister. Whoever returns to the court will continue to stay in his place. The official career is a cloud.
Don't.
Therefore, it is best for the emperor to personally intervene in this matter.
Zhu Yijun immediately expressed his position: "This is natural. At that time, the Shujishi will directly report to me, and his examination results over the years will be reviewed by me and the cabinet in person before setting the score."
Since he is ready to take charge, there is nothing to hide about this matter.
Zhang Juzheng nodded in recognition of the emperor's diligence.
Performing the ceremony together with Gao Yi: "I will work with the Ministry of Rites to draw up the regulations later."
Zhu Yijun naturally has a lot of words like hard work, hard work, trouble and so on constantly popping up.
The two ministers bowed and left.
Only Zhu Yijun was left with his arm resting on the railing, his face propped up on his palm, looking out in trance.
After a while, he came back to his senses.
He extended his hand to Li Jin and said: "Li Daban, after the palace examination is over, go and give Li Kun a copy of "Lü Family Treaty" and let him study it carefully."
Chapter completed!