But after the announcement, officials were dissatisfied.
In their view, Xu Guangqi and Song Yingxing were originally the prime ministers of Huangming College, and the students of the college should also refer to them this year.
If the two of them were asked to come up with the topic, it would really be criticized by scholars and scholars all over the world.
In the eyes of outsiders, doesn’t this mean that he wants to open a backdoor for the college’s reference students?
What is the most important thing about the imperial examination?
It is fair and just.
But the emperor did not shy away from suspicion at all, and he wanted to publish some unprecedented themes. No matter what, some people would be dissatisfied.
Xu Guangqi obviously knew this truth, so he first remonstrated and asked the emperor to think twice before making another choice.
Zhu Youxiao thought about it and felt that it made sense. He didn't need to take the powerful nobles in his eyes.
But facing countless scholars, he had to pay attention.
In order to prevent anyone from saying that he, the emperor, was openly cheating, Zhu Youxiao finally came up with a way after thinking hard for a long time.
He told Xu Guangqi and Song Yingxing that within five days they would basically determine the scope and content of the new question.
Then he will issue imperial edicts and documents to announce the content and themes of this year's imperial examinations, as well as system changes.
Then inform the scholars who want to refer to the broad framework of the topic scope.
There is still more than a month left before taking the exam. Although the time is a bit tight, the buffer period is enough.
In order to completely cover up some people's opinions, Zhu Youxiao also explicitly stipulated that all students who are not Huangming College will receive an extra ten points for all new topics, regardless of whether they can answer the questions or not.
The eight parts of the Four Books and Five Classics account for 70%, and an additional ten points can be added here. It can be said that God's grace is vast.
In this way, even if someone uses this to cause trouble, he still occupies a righteous position and does not live up to the public opinion.
After the court meeting ended, the officials walked out of the palace with heavy hearts.
Many people lamented that the emperor was so unscrupulous and now wanted to change the imperial examination, and life was becoming increasingly difficult.
Zhu Youxiao quickly returned to Qianqing Palace and started to deal with other matters.
The first thing he did when he returned to the palace was to summon Li Zhilong, the guerrilla general of Huben Camp, and Chen Qisi, the Bo of Pingjiang.
Although Nanjing was garrisoned by more than 30,000 people under Li Zhicai and Zhang Shize.
But after all, it was still too little. It can be described as more than enough in retreat but not enough in attack.
This can be seen from the last tax recovery.
In order to prevent the powerful nobles in Jiangnan from jumping over the wall, he must strengthen his control and deterrence over the south.
The army is naturally the best choice. A strong army is better than any policy or conspiracy.
Therefore, he decided to let Li Zhilong and Chen Qisi lead 30,000 Yulin troops to go south and station them in Yangzhou, forming a rivalry with Nanjing.
In this way, even if an emergency occurs, you can move forward and retreat with sufficient strength to prevent the situation from getting out of control.
And Zhu Chunchen and others were now flirting with civil servants, which he did not want to see.
But now that it has happened, he has no choice but to attack Jiangnan interest groups at this critical moment.
Therefore, he can only try his best to win over a group of reliable and loyal nobles to stand on his side and enrich his wings.
Entrust them with important responsibilities and further show goodwill to the nobles, so as to prevent the nobles from getting into a group.
And this kind of combination is also extremely beneficial to him.
Civil servants look down on generals, but when facing noble ministers with titles, they must be respectful on the surface. Being sent abroad can reduce unnecessary troubles.
He knows best what the national conditions of the Ming Dynasty are and where the crises lie.
Even though he seemed so relaxed and under control at the court meeting, he made the civil servants breathless.
But he didn't dare to relax for a moment, otherwise he would face a disaster.
Not to mention other things, his personal security issues alone have risen to an unknown level.
Not to mention going out, even in the Qianqing Palace, there are no less than twenty guards and royal guards responsible for protection.
I don't know how many eunuchs and maids in the palace have been eliminated. Except for some necessary ones who need to serve and serve me, there is no one left.
Not to mention outside the palace, the guards of the Royal Forest Army and the Tiqi Fanzi of the factory guards were everywhere, guarding the palace from 360 degrees.
Even the queen needs the emperor's approval to enter the Qianqing Palace after being notified by the Jin Yiwei.
Zhu Youxiao cherished his life very much. He didn't want to die suddenly due to sudden illness.
Or like Emperor Jiajing, who was almost strangled to death by a palace maid in his sleep.
The guards of the Royal Forest Army who can serve as guards in the Qianqing Palace are mostly former white-pole soldiers, Ma Xianglin's old personal guards, and heroes who followed him in the northern expedition.
As for the Tiqi fans in the factory guard, all of them were absolute confidants of Xu Xianchun, Wei Zhongxian and other leaders.
This is also the main reason why he can rest assured. If these people can rebel, then everything he does will be useless and he can just lie here and wait to die.
"After you go to Yangzhou, you two must get in touch with Li Zhicai and Zhang Shize in Nanjing as soon as possible. They must assist you in the early stage so that you can gain a firm foothold in Yangzhou."
"I will allocate a military fund to you two. After arriving in Yangzhou, the first thing you have to do is to purchase enough military rations and stock up on necessities."
"At least one month's worth of military supplies must be stored. I will have the eunuchs accompanying the army inspect and report when I arrive."
"You two are under the control of Nanjing. All military actions and instructions must be approved and stamped by Nanjing."
"I understand."
They both replied in unison.
This point is crucial, so Zhu Youxiao must emphasize it.
"Don't make any noise during the march, and don't disturb the people. You can let others know your existence, but you can't let others know your purpose of going south."
"We must strictly abide by military regulations when we arrive in Yangzhou. The training on weekdays remains the same. Sergeants are not allowed to leave the camp at will. They must keep their legs and mouths covered."
"After arriving in Yangzhou, you will change the name of Weiwei Army Town, Li Zhilong. I will appoint you as the chief military officer of the army town. I hope that you and your brother Li Zhicai will work together to guard the destiny of Jiangnan for me."
"Your Majesty, don't worry. I will definitely live up to your sacred mandate and will never let you down your Majesty's expectations and trust."
Li Zhilong kowtowed his head on the spot to express his inner excitement.
Being suddenly promoted from a guerrilla general to a general officer would be exciting for anyone.
"Chen Qisi, although you are an earl and the founder of the Ming Dynasty, you have never led an army or been on the battlefield, so you can only commit yourself to being a deputy general to assist Li Zhilong."
Zhu Youxiao was originally worried that as an earl, he would complain if he attacked someone with a lower status than himself, but unexpectedly, Chen Qisi was moved to tears.
"I only obey His Majesty's holy orders."
"I have been idle for half my life, but I didn't expect to meet your Majesty's kindness today. I am already bursting with gratitude and will repay you with death."