Chapter 589: New Changes in the Imperial Examinations (1)
Chapter 589 New changes in the imperial examination (1)
Author: Feng Xiaomu
Emperor Su He took a car on his way to Qianqing Palace.
He listened to Su Changsheng, the commander of the Xuanwu Guards, report on the teaching situation of the seven new Hanlins.
"My knowledge is not bad, and these people don't dare to send a fool to fool me.
Have all seven Hanlin officials investigated clearly?"
As the teachers of these princes, their backgrounds must be investigated in detail.
Make sure these people are not spies of the enemy country.
Now that the Great China Empire is coercive, spies are unlikely, but this system must be perfected just in case.
Xuanwu Guards will also investigate the ideological tendencies of these people.
For example, are there too many negative thoughts? Too many negative thoughts are not conducive to the guidance of the princes.
Princes are in the formative period of their outlook on life, and the role of parents and teachers is crucial.
Emperor Su He did not want to train the prince to be like Li Chengqian, the prince of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty.
I admire Turkic culture, wear Yi Di clothes, learn Yi Di etiquette, and look like a man.
If Emperor Su He really has such a prince, he will definitely be demoted to a commoner and exiled overseas.
Su Changsheng said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I have made it clear through investigation that most of the Hanlin officials are from official backgrounds, received Confucian education since childhood, and are not people with old-fashioned ideas.
Ma Mingyuan and Ka Qifeng did not enter the officialdom, but they were also from Juren background.
There is nothing wrong with their three views, that is, Ka Qifeng was born into a Han family in Papua.
Their family was the first merchant to go to sea, and they were both merchants and pirates at sea.
Their family quickly transformed and took root in Batavia, becoming the first group of people in Southeast Asia to support the empire."
Emperor Su He smiled and said: "As long as there are no problems with these Hanlins, Ka Qifeng's origin is not a problem.
Xuanwu Guard will send special personnel to keep an eye on these Hanlins and report any problems to me in a timely manner."
Su Changsheng nodded in agreement. He would definitely send people to keep an eye on these teachers who taught the prince knowledge for a long time.
Once these people are ready to harm the prince, it will be a big deal.
Emperor Su He soon arrived at the Qianqing Palace, and some officials were already waiting outside the Qianqing Palace.
Today's imperial meeting was attended by slightly more people from the Ministry of Rites.
The Great China Empire is about to hold the imperial examination, and the main content of today's imperial meeting is to discuss the imperial examination.
Emperor Su He walked into the Qianqing Palace, and officials entered the Qianqing Palace one after another according to their status.
The emperor and his ministers are all ready, and the imperial meeting officially begins.
Han Cuibai, the Minister of Rites, was the first to stand up.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty recently asked the Ministry of Rites to readjust the content related to the imperial examination.
The minister led many officials from the Ministry of Rites to interview the governors of each province and consulted various yamen for their opinions.
The minister also considers the suggestions left by the candidates after the imperial examination every year.
Now I am leading the Ministry of Rites to reform the imperial examinations in the empire, and I would like to ask your Majesty to review it."
Han Cuibai, the Minister of Rites, talked about such a big thing as reforming the imperial examination.
Many officials in the Imperial Council were not surprised at all.
Because they have already received the news.
The Ministry of Rites must fully communicate with the cabinet and various yamen before deciding on the major matter of imperial examination reform.
The imperial examination is related to the interests of everyone, and it must reach a consensus with the majority of forces before it can be promoted.
Eunuch Zhou Fangzhi walked to Han Cuibai, the Minister of Rites, and took the memorial handed over by Han Cuibai to the emperor Su He for reading.
Emperor Su He looked at the imperial examination reform plan finally decided by the Ministry of Rites after several consultations.
The biggest change is that the content of the imperial examination has changed.
There will no longer be a distinction between Jinshi subjects and minor subjects, and the imperial examination will be unified into three subjects: Wen, Policy, and Mathematics.
Literature is the history of China and the thoughts of the sages.
It has the same test points as the previous Jinshi paper and will not affect candidates.
Policy is policy theory, which mainly tests the candidates' understanding of the emperor's edict, the cabinet and the policies implemented by the six ministries.
They will also examine issues such as major national affairs and governance.
Mathematics is mathematics, and it is the most difficult subject for most candidates.
As for other subjects such as law, they will all be cancelled.
The admission to Jinshi is no longer divided into rankings, but is based on a unified ranking list, and admission is based on the total scores in the three subjects.
The imperial examination has not changed much. The content that has changed the most is the training of Jinshi after the imperial examination.
Emperor Su He carefully read the memorial presented by Han Cuibai, Minister of Rites.
He asked: "Han Aiqing, I have read the contents of the imperial examination reform. Please explain in detail why the Ministry of Rites made such changes."
When Han Cuibai, the Minister of Rites, heard what Emperor Su He said, he knew that he had finally passed the test this time.
The emperor Su He directly pointed out the dissatisfaction with the memorials he submitted several times before, and asked the Ministry of Rites to continue to revise them.
It was also Huangdi Suhe's high-pressure stance on this matter.
Only the Ministry of Rites can convince the majority of forces to accept this imperial examination reform plan.
Han Cuibai was very profound about the contents of the memorial, which he spent several months improving little by little.
He did not need to read the information and introduced directly: "Your Majesty, this imperial examination only retains three subjects: literature, policy, and mathematics.
This is the data transferred by the Ministry of Rites from the Ministry of Personnel. After research and judgment, it was found that Jinshi with high scores in these three subjects can do their jobs well.
The imperial examination is to select talents for the country, and these three subjects can make talents stand out.
The answers to the Arts and Science subjects are more subjective and there are no standard answers. It is almost impossible for candidates to cheat.
Mathematics has standard answers, but the test method is very simple.
Mathematics is a subject that cannot be mastered. Even if someone memorizes the answers, he cannot pretend to be a mathematical genius.
The Ministry of Rites listens to the suggestions of candidates and various yamen, and combines them with the cases investigated by the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
I found that the content of the examination is different between the main subject and the minor subject. Especially for the minor subject, only one subject is required to be successful.
There is a lot of favoritism and fraud, and the talents selected in recent years are also concentrated in certain families."
When Han Cuibai said this, he paused slightly.
He knew from the beginning of the reform that Emperor Su He wanted to reform the imperial examination and some yamen became cliques. This was something Emperor Su He could not tolerate.
For example, in the past, the imperial examination had a special subject to examine the examiner's handling of official affairs.
This is beneficial to the officials' children, as they can easily obtain the secrets of the officialdom.
This also forces other candidates to have no choice but to become apprentices to officials, or to become mentors to officials.
They experienced various situations in officialdom, formed a master-disciple relationship in advance, and began to form cliques.
In the imperial examination the year before last, 80% of the candidates for the law subject were monopolized by six families.
In the end, a large number of candidates were dissatisfied, which angered Emperor Su He and set off a major case.
The method of favoritism and fraud was very clever, and the imperial examination examined extremely secret legal knowledge.
Normal candidates cannot understand it, and only four families understand this knowledge in advance.
If these people weren't too greedy, they wouldn't have been exposed too quickly.
After so many years, the imperial examination has selected a large number of talents for the country, but some of its shortcomings have begun to be exposed in large numbers.
Han Cuibai put an end to his chaotic thoughts in an instant.
"Your Majesty, this reform of the imperial examination is mainly to cancel the minor subjects and make the imperial examination more fair.
Those who passed the Jinshi examination went to the Imperial College to study together.
In the Imperial College, he learned the knowledge of the officialdom and participated in another major exam.
Xinke Jinshi are qualified to be officials. Which yamen they want to be officials in depends on their ability.
For example, certain positions in Dali Temple, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate will test the person's legal knowledge.
Certain positions in the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Medicine will test the professional knowledge of these people.
The imperial examination no longer tests candidates' knowledge, but is specifically assessed by each yamen.
According to different positions, different contents are tested, which also allows talents to make full use of themselves.
Even in the Ministry of Punishment, everyone does not need to know the "Dahua Code" very well.
We also broke down the barriers between civil and military forces.
Parallel with the reform of the imperial examination was the abolition of the martial arts examination.
In recent years, the Metropolitan Governor's Office has selected talents from military academies and the army, and martial arts has been basically abandoned. This time it will be completely abolished with the reform of the imperial examination.
Talents who have passed the Jinshi examination can apply as long as they meet the recruitment conditions of various yamen, including the Metropolitan Governor's Office.
The Metropolitan Governor's Office can directly recruit talents who meet the requirements from Jinshi.
This will allow outstanding talents to enter the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion and enhance the strength of the army."
Han Cuibai, the Minister of Rites, introduced in one breath the main changes in the imperial examination.
The biggest change this time is not the imperial examination, but the distribution of Jinshi.
The civil service forces took advantage of the opportunity of the cancellation of martial arts to promote Jinshi to enter the governor's office.
Military officers became civilian officials, forming a new force among civilian officials.
The civilian officials took this opportunity to fight back, and a civilian force was formed in the military.
However, the Grand Governor showed no strong opposition.
They are responsible for assessing Jinshi, and those who do not meet the requirements cannot enter the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion at all.
The Royal Army of Dahua cannot be disrupted by just a few Jinshi.
After listening to Han Cuibai's introduction, Emperor Su He asked the ministers: "What opinions do you have regarding this reform of the imperial examination?"
Cabinet Minister Qian Mingyi stood up and looked at Han Cuibai, the Minister of Rites, and asked: "Han Shangshu didn't explain just now whether the imperial examination admissions for Jinshi should be based on the provincial quotas."
Han Cuibai immediately responded: "Sir Qian, the education resources in the provinces of the Great China Empire are uneven, and the gap in the strength of the candidates is too large.
The scholars who failed in the examination in the southeast region are likely to be more knowledgeable than those in the northwest region.
If there are no restrictions, candidates from the southeast region will inevitably dominate the rankings.
The events in the North and South Rankings during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty will be repeated in the empire.
When a large number of people from a certain region fill the officialdom, a huge force will be formed that is tied to the region, such as the Donglin Party in the late Ming Dynasty.
His Majesty has the foresight to choose the imperial examination quota for Jinshi, a fixed quota for each province plus a floating quota allocated according to strength.
This practice has continued over the years without any problems.
You won’t change much in the future imperial examinations.”
After Qian Mingyi listened to Han Cuibai's introduction, he immediately sat down and said nothing.
Of course he understood these principles. The imperial examination only provided a relatively fair occasion.
Let the talented people in the world compete to become officials.
If the country rejects these talents, it will cause great consequences.
In order to maintain the stability of the country, it is impossible to have too many officials born in a certain region.
In a certain area, only a few scholars entered the officialdom. They became silent in the court and became the outcasts of the country.
Cabinet Minister Wu Hongyi stood up and suggested: "Your Majesty, candidates from overseas regions such as the Nanyang Governor's Palace are also Chinese.
They should be allowed to participate in the imperial examination, so as to stabilize the local area and prevent the local government from becoming alienated from the imperial court.
Some officials from various governor-general offices gathered in the capital, and the imperial court should not let these people down."
Wu Hongyi made this suggestion directly to Emperor Su He.
He knew that suggestions from the Ministry of Rites were of no use at all.
He had made similar suggestions to the Ministry of Rites before, but there was no feedback at all.
This suggestion is very difficult, allowing candidates from Nanyang and other places to take the imperial examination.
Has the total number of Jinshi admitted changed?
If the total amount remains unchanged, it will be equivalent to robbing other provinces of their quotas, and opposition will inevitably be strong.
Emperor Su He did not reply directly to Wu Hongyi.
He said in a calm tone: "In this reform of the imperial examination, the minor subjects of Jinshi have been cancelled, leaving only 150 Jinshi every year.
but……"
As soon as Emperor Su He said these words, it was like a heavy hammer hitting everyone on the head.
In the past, there were 300 Jinshi each year, but this year the number has been cut in half. This is the real big event.
Many people who are very confident will fail the exam directly, and the resentment caused will be difficult to deal with.
Many of these people are relatives, friends and disciples of the officials present.
As soon as someone heard the news, they wanted to persuade the emperor.
Before I could speak, I heard the word but, which meant that things were still going to turn around.
Emperor Su He did not keep his ministers waiting anxiously.
“But I think that many people will not adapt to the sudden change in policy.
In this year's imperial examination, the quota for Jinshi is still 300, and the quota decreases every year, eventually remaining at around 200.
The quota for each overseas governor-general's residence is three Jinshi.
When the overseas governor-general establishes a province, the distribution of Jinshi quotas will be the same as in other provinces."
The Dahua Empire lacked officials before, and now the number of officials is also in short supply.
Especially when occupying overseas territories and expanding the territory so much, a lot of officials are needed to govern the place.
However, there are too many Jinshi places for 300 people every year. Now there is a shortage of officials. In the future, there will not be so many officials. The number of Jinshi must be controlled.
Emperor Su He took advantage of this reform of the imperial examination to gradually reduce the number of Jinshi places, reducing the number of places by a few every year to allow candidates to adapt to this situation.
The number of seats will not be reduced much, and it will not cause too much backlash from candidates.
When the ministers heard what Emperor Su He had said, they felt relieved.
The number of Jinshi scholars is gradually decreasing, and everyone is mentally prepared.
Had it not been for the surrender of a large number of officials, they would have been replaced.
The establishment of overseas governor's offices requires a large number of officials.
Before the Great Hua Empire, there were 300 Jinshi every year, which had long caused the phenomenon of redundant officials.
Cabinet Minister Wu Hongyi also got the ideal answer.
He was very supportive of this plan, as long as scholars from overseas governor's offices could participate in the imperial examination.
Even if there are fewer places, these people will be grateful.
Emperor Su He saw that many ministers no longer raised any objections.
He issued a decree: "I agree with the plan proposed by the Ministry of Rites, and the cabinet is responsible for publishing this plan throughout the world.
This year's imperial examination will adopt a new plan.
Each yamen directly disclosed the conditions for admission to Jinshi to stabilize the emotions of candidates.
The Ministry of Rites will send people to appease the candidates and answer their doubts."
Emperor Su He issued the decree, Prime Minister Wei Shiming and Governor Feng Sanqiu led the civil and military ministers to stand up and salute respectively.