Zhu Youxiao, on the other hand, stood on the Danbi imperial platform, listening with his eyes slightly closed.
After the beating with the imperial stick was completed, several officials fainted and passed out. This shows how serious the Jin Yiwei's attack was.
They could completely understand the emperor's intention, which was to beat people to death.
When the Jinyi Guardsman knelt in the hall and finished his report, these officials did not dare to breathe, for fear that they would be the next one to be dragged out of the palace.
Every time the emperor held a court meeting, they were always frightened. If they accidentally said something wrong and offended the emperor, they would have their homes confiscated and exiled even if they didn't die.
Encountering such a dim-witted tyrant, many officials lamented the bad luck in their hearts. Their loyalty and talents had nowhere to show, and they could only wait for changes.
There was silence in Huangji Hall. After a while, Zhu Youxiao's voice finally sounded again.
"Things are changing. Since ancient times, there have been no unchanging systems and laws in all dynasties and generations."
"My Ming Dynasty is now like a terminally ill tiger, almost dying."
Zhu Youxiao made it clear that he did not care about the so-called influence or face at all.
"There are old slaves in Liaodong who are making trouble, and the Mongolian tribes outside the Great Wall are also ready to make trouble. The country's affairs are already difficult."
"And what about the inside of our Ming Dynasty? There are also countless scourges and moths, all of which are eating away at the foundation of our Ming Dynasty for more than 200 years."
"If I don't find ways to adapt and reform, I'm afraid the foundation that Taizu has worked so hard to create will be destroyed."
"During the Warring States Period, Qin Xiaogong and Qin Huiwen, it was precisely because they dared to boldly reform and reorganize the system and followed Wei Yang's reforms that the First Emperor annexed the six countries and unified the world with the power of tigers and wolves."
"And among the powerful Qi, Wei, Chu and other countries in the past, when their national power was at its peak, which one was not the most powerful and the best among all countries?"
"But they stick to the old rules and rest on their laurels for decades or even centuries. The country is completely corrupt, and the monarch is short-sighted and ignorant. How can there be any reason to be invincible?"
"You officials who have read history books and are familiar with the history of all dynasties, don't you understand the reasons for the rise and fall of a dynasty?"
"Don't think that I don't know the little thoughts in your hearts. You only have selfish desires in your eyes, and there is no world at all for the common people and the country and the country of Ming Dynasty."
"For the sake of the resurgence of our Ming Dynasty, for the coming of a new prosperous age, and for the sake of the eternal prosperity of our Ming Dynasty, let alone a mere reform of the imperial examination system."
"If necessary, it is not impossible to abolish the imperial examination and establish new rules and regulations."
The emperor actually had the idea of abolishing the imperial examination. This is really terrible.
Even the royalist officials are restless now.
After all, this imperial examination has been in existence for hundreds of years, and they are also the beneficiaries of the imperial examination system.
The reaction of the officials was as expected by Zhu Youxiao. What he said today also had the intention of intimidating and threatening, to let them understand his determination.
"I know that if you change the imperial examination, the people whose interests will be harmed the most are you officials."
When Zhu Youxiao said this, he pointed his fingers in a circle without any concealment.
"Especially the officials from Jiangnan and Zhejiang provinces, I am afraid that they now wish that I would die suddenly on the spot so that the reform would stop here."
"I don't know exactly what you are thinking, but I can make a guess."
"When I first ascended the throne, I said at the court meeting that the year of Tianqi is not the year of Wanli. The only voice and decision-making in this court will always be mine."
"As long as there is a stumbling block that hinders my progress, no matter how high the cost or how difficult it is, I will use all my strength to eradicate it."
"This year's reform of the imperial examination system is just the beginning. From now on, all systems that are no longer necessary and have become corrupt and backward will be brought to order and I will bring order to a peaceful and innocent world for our people in the Ming Dynasty."
In the eyes of some officials, the emperor was no different than crazy.
To actually say this openly in front of the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty was to indirectly declare war on the powerful nobles in the world.
A timid royalist official came forward and said:
"Everyone in the world knows that Your Majesty loves the people like a son. However, this meal must be eaten one bite at a time. I am worried that if I take too big a step, it may cause a backlash."
"If they want to give it a try, feel free to come over. I want to see how capable they are."
Now Zhu Youxiao no longer wants to hide himself at all. What bullshit city government schemes are not worth mentioning in the face of absolute strength.
He has now basically controlled the two capitals, and the northern provinces are relatively stable. Border towns and Liaodong are also guarded by his close confidants. The situation is completely different from two years ago.
He didn't care about the so-called backlash at all. It was just the powerful nobles in Jiangnan provinces who organized some servants and tenants to rebel against him.
These mobs are nothing to be afraid of. With the more than 200,000 elites he currently has at his disposal, they can completely suppress them.
As for the peasant uprising, it is impossible for it to break out in the south.
In history, the peasant uprising in the late Ming Dynasty was huge in scale and momentum, and swept away several high-ranking officials for more than ten years.
However, there are no large-scale outbreaks in Huguang, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, South Zhili and other provinces, which shows what the root of the problem is.
In the land of plenty and plenty in the south, the people, no matter how prosperous they were, could still barely survive. Therefore, there was no large-scale civil unrest led by Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and other big thieves.
As the saying goes, the scholar's rebellion failed for three years. These powerful nobles who are greedy for life and fear of death will only play tricks behind the scenes.
These are all small tricks that cannot be put on the table. If Zhu Youxiao is afraid of these, there is no need for him to become the emperor.
He just wants to force these people to jump out on their own initiative, and then catch them all in one fell swoop, saving him the trouble of having to find fault with them one by one.
The emperor's words could not have been more clear. Officials are all smart people, so they can naturally hear the true meaning.
At this point, no one dared to touch the emperor's brow, so they all had anger in their hearts and did not dare to speak out.
Seeing that they had become more honest, Zhu Youxiao immediately announced the candidates responsible for planning the new questions for this imperial examination.
The new questions involve agricultural water conservancy and people's livelihood economy.
Xu Guangqi and Song Yingxing are naturally the best candidates.
Although the two of them are now contracting a lot of business, they are already very busy.
But there is no way, who makes Zhu Youxiao only trust these two people and have the ability to feel completely at ease.
These two are the scientists with the richest knowledge and the most active and advanced ideas in our time.
As for the traditional Four Books and Five Classics, Zhu Youxiao finally decided to give full power to Wang Xiangqian, the chief minister of the cabinet. He did not want to ask whether it was about the topic or the content.