At that time, Zhu Ming was leading troops in Liaoyang and received more than ten alternate year names from Kaifeng.
He was not satisfied with any of them, so he had one done by himself.
And it’s also a four-character era name: Rejuvenate China!
When Zhu Guoxiang received this year title, he was so surprised that he almost burst into laughter, so he ran to consult the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites.
Then, Zhu Guoxiang discovered that it seemed to really work.
There is no limit to the number of characters in the year name, it can be two characters, three characters, or four characters.
Three-character year names are relatively rare, such as Wang Mang's "Shi Jianguo".
There are a lot of four-character year names, such as: Taichu Yuanjiang, Jianwu Zhongyuan, Taiping Zhenjun, Tianzhu Long Live, Taiping Xingguo, Dazhong Xiangfu... and so on.
The Cabinet and the Ministry of Rites conducted research and concluded that the etymology of "Fuxing" comes from "Zuo Zhuan", but it was still written as "Xingfu" at that time.
Continuing to develop and evolve into the Song Dynasty, "revival" always refers specifically to the revitalization of the ancestral temple, the country, and the country.
For the time being, there are no such words as national rejuvenation, industrial rejuvenation, and cultural rejuvenation.
Therefore, if you want to use "Fuxing" as the year name, you must add specific words, otherwise it will have a negative connotation when the dynasty was first established.
"Zhonghua" originated from the Wei and Jin Dynasties and is the collective name of "China" and "Huaxia".
After the Wuhu chaos, it was given special significance.
Perhaps to modern people, "Reviving China" is just a very common slogan.
But at this moment, these two words are combined for the first time, and their meaning is obviously to "recreate the prosperous times of the Han and Tang Dynasties and restore the unity of the universe."
This title, which Zhu Guoxiang considered to be a child's play, was not opposed by any of the important ministers in the court, and even felt that His Majesty the Emperor had great ambitions.
It's very simple, the difference between the first time and countless times.
Zhu Guoxiang had already heard the words "Revival of China", but his ears were numb when he heard them, but this was the first time for civil and military officials to see them.
As for the Xixia envoys, when they learned that the Ming Dynasty used this reign name, their first reaction was to feel panic.
…
The first year of the Ming Dynasty's restoration of China, 1133 AD.
The prisoner presentation ceremony is still being prepared, and Ju Ming will preside over the imperial examination for the first time as emperor.
This year's palace examination question, translated into vernacular, is: "In ancient China, there were Zhuxia and barbarian Rongdi. China at that time refers specifically to the Central Plains. Today's China has reached the desert in the north and the sea in the south. At that time, China
Many of the descendants of the barbarians, Rong and Di, have become Chinese. The land they live in has also become China. Why is this?"
"In China today, there are Han, Qiang, Xi, Tubo, Khitan, Dangxiang, Jurchen, and Uighur... Can all ethnic groups living together in China be mixed into one big ethnic group? And how to mix one ethnic group?
"
"Besides China, there are also native lands of the Han and Tang Dynasties that have not been recovered. Should we recover our native lands, and how should we govern the various ethnic groups there?"
"The emperor is very confused about this and asks all candidates to discuss it in detail."
Last time, there were large prisons, beheadings, and exiles across the country, and many officials were imprisoned. Now that a large area of land has been recovered, officials are needed to manage it.
Therefore, there are many places for Jinshi this year, with a total of 400 people admitted.
Ju Ming glanced at the candidates in the hall. Some were scratching their heads, some were writing furiously, and some were secretly observing the emperor.
The scholars who can participate in the palace examination are very smart. After they get the question, their first reaction is to match the year number.
The era names all have meanings, representing the court's governing policy or beautiful vision.
The questions in the imperial examination also had their origins, and they must have been issues of concern to the emperor at this time.
Can you still not understand the combination of the reign title and the imperial examination?
Three days later, the marking ministers sent the examination results.
Zhu Ming didn't bother to listen to them reciting, so he just took it into his hand and read it himself.
The first few are all written with great literary talent, and have clear arguments and sufficient evidence. The content is similar, but the focus is different, which is nothing more than family origin and blood, conquest by force, moral education and so on.
Ju Ming felt that there was something new when he kept seeing the 18th-placed paper.
The writing style of this answer sheet is relatively simple, and there are not many allusions. It is not easy for the emperor to see it.
At the beginning, he also started talking about the Yanhuang bloodline, and gradually focused on ethnic issues. Taking the Tubo people on the border of Shaanxi as an example, he believed that most of the ancestors of these Tubo people were Han Chinese in the Tang Dynasty. Why did their descendants become so different after hundreds of years?
What about Tuboization?
Then it analyzes the constituent elements of the nation, namely language, writing, clothing, customs, and appearance.
Ju Ming raised his pen and commented: "Religion is missing."
Then it discusses the process of Tuboization of the Han people. Conquest by force is the biggest prerequisite. Forced by power, the local Han people actively move closer to the Tubo people in order to survive and imitate the Tubo people's clothing and customs. Moreover, they have not accepted education for a long time and have lost the Han language and culture.
Word.
The above is actually nothing.
The candidate also analyzed the influence of geographical environment and explained that even within the Tubo people, customs and habits are very different. The Tubo people who mainly focus on farming and those who make a living by herding have different customs in clothing, marriage and other customs.
There is a huge difference.
The final conclusion reached is that if the Ming Dynasty wants to mix various ethnic groups, it cannot force a one-size-fits-all approach and must seek common ground while reserving differences based on local realities.
For example, if the Tubo Han people who make a living by herding herds want to be re-Chinese, they cannot be forced to change their marriage customs. Because those seemingly unethical and unethical marriage systems are due to the harsh living environment and can only be adopted through adoption.
, intergenerational marriage and other methods can continue the survival of the tribe as much as possible.
Ju Ming personally read thirty test papers and moved the 18th place to the first place without changing the other rankings.
"Open the scroll," Zhu Ming said, pointing to the imperially-appointed No. 1 scholar scroll. "The Ministry of Rites has sent the career details (personal and family information) of the No. 1 scholar."
Every candidate must register their information with the Ministry of Etiquette when entering Beijing.
Soon, the detailed information of the new number one scholar appeared in front of the emperor and ministers.
The expressions of several marking ministers were a bit strange.
Li Zhong, courtesy name Zhicheng, was born in Huangzhou, Shaanxi.
His father's information is quite normal. A low-level general in the frontier army of the former Song Dynasty was transferred to Huangzhou when he regained Hehuang.
The information about his grandfather is a bit outrageous. He was actually an officer recruited by the Song Dynasty. Although he didn't write it clearly, anyone with a little knowledge knows that he must be a foreigner from the border area of the Song Dynasty.
…
The Grand Ceremony of Chuan Lu.
A young man with slightly sunken eyes and a very high nose was called to the front and took the lead.
When the new Jinshi went to change their official uniforms together, this young man attracted a lot of attention.
No way, it's a bit outrageous that a scholar with obvious alien characteristics was actually selected as the number one scholar in a new subject.
The Jinshi were led to the main hall. Li Zhong, the number one scholar, walked at the front, and the officials in the palace also looked at them.
After paying homage to the emperor, they stood in line with their bodies flat.
Zhu Ming shouted: "The Number One Scholar is coming closer."
Li Zhong stepped forward quickly.
Ju Ming looked at it carefully: "Which clan are your ancestors from?"
Li Zhong answered honestly: "To report to Your Majesty, my grandfather is a Uighur, my grandmother is a Tubo, and my great-grandfather is... a Dangxiang person. However, my mother is Han, and my grandmother's ancestors may also be Han."
The ethnic composition is so complex!
Ju Ming did not continue to explore because there must be a problem.
A border soldier in the Northern Song Dynasty was normally cannon fodder. His son actually became a low-level general, and his grandson actually had the money to study for the imperial examination. This is so unreasonable.
In fact, it's very simple. Li Zhong's grandfather served as an officer in the Song Dynasty. When the Song Dynasty imposed trade sanctions on Xixia, he used his tribe to help his superiors smuggle Xixia green salt. Gradually, he had a good relationship with several Shangguan officials and returned it to his brothers.
, the son seeks an officer position.
When Li Zhong's father arrived, he was transferred to Hehuang as a low-level general and began to quietly do business with the Yellow-headed Uighurs.
After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, military generals were not allowed to engage in business, but Li Zhong's uncle was allowed to do so. He did not need to rely on the power of the army. He could make money by running the Silk Road honestly and selling goods to Shazhou in Xixia.
The initial official position of the new Jinshi had been decided. Zhu Ming changed the appointment temporarily and said in person: "Li Zhong, the number one scholar, does not need to stay in the court to observe the government. He will go directly to Rouyuan (Zhangbei County) to be the chief registrar."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Zhong bowed and thanked him.
The ethnic composition of Rouyuan County is also extremely complex, and it was an important springboard for the imperial court to control Monan Mongolia.
If Li Zhong is serious about his work, it is estimated that he will be promoted to Rouyuan County Magistrate in one or two years.
This year's second place is Huang Gongdu, a native of Putian, Fujian. Historically, he won the first prize in the Southern Song Dynasty.
Tanhua is unknown, but his name is Liu Chuanxian, a native of Kaifeng. If Ju Ming had not changed history, he might have died in the Jingkang disaster, so he did not leave his name in the history books.
All new scholars received their first official rank, thanked the emperor and lined up to exit.
They went out from Donghua Gate and paraded through the streets on horseback.
The governor of Kaifeng personally helped Zhuang Yuanlang lead the horse, and Li Zhong sat on the horse as if in a dream.
He grew up in Hehuang, without any famous teachers to teach him. After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, his father sent him to Lanzhou for further study, and he was finally able to study Confucian classics seriously.
But he failed the exam twice, so he took his money and went to Yangzhou to study - Yangzhou Academy is now very famous.
He relied on improving his scores in physics, mathematics and other subjects, and finally passed the Shaanxi Juren Examination. He also ranked low in this year's general examination and barely missed the mark.
What the hell is it that he suddenly became the No. 1 pick with such poor results?
Both sides of the street were filled with cheers, and Li Zhong rode the horse as if sleepwalking to complete the journey.
In the evening, the new Jinshi scholars gathered for dinner, and one Jinshi after another came to toast Li Zhong and ask for friendship.
Li Zhong's drinking capacity is very good and he doesn't refuse anyone who comes.
Huang Gongdu, who was second on the list, was sitting next to him and couldn't help but ask: "Brother Zhicheng, can you tell me what the imperial examination essay is about?"
The articles in the examination must be published to demonstrate the fairness of the imperial examination and prevent junk articles from being given high marks. They may even be printed in books for scholars all over the world to learn from and observe.
However, the imperial examination articles are basically not exposed. Anyway, there is no failure, just re-ranking.
Huang Gongdu was very puzzled in his heart. He was proud of his brilliant literary talent, exquisite use of allusions, and well-founded reasoning. He really couldn't imagine that he would lose to a border scholar.
Li Zhong no longer remembered the words and sentences of the article, so he simply repeated the contents of his answer sheet.
After listening to the new scholars at this table, they basically confirmed two things:
First, the champion's Confucian attainments were very poor, and he was not proficient in diction and allusions. It would have been difficult for him to pass the exam in the South.
Second, some of the contents of the imperial examination essay of this champion were approved by the emperor.
