Seven people lined up neatly in a row and stood in front of Yuan Zonggao... This time it was no longer a written test, but an oral interview.
Yuan Zonggao did not pretend to sit down and drink tea like Sui Gongyan did. He just stood there and looked at the seven children present with a smile. He looked amiable, but always revealed a hint of conspiracy.
"Don't be nervous. I'm not here to take a test, but I want to discuss knowledge with you... You can express your opinions and speak freely... You don't have to answer first and then answer, you can just say whatever comes to your mind..."
Yuan Zonggao first introduced the rules of this exam. He did not answer questions in order. He expressed his thoughts directly if he had any ideas. If he had no objection, he could just remain silent throughout the whole process.
When Zhu Hao heard this rule, how did it look like a debate competition in later generations?
Yuan Zonggao said: "When I was reading the "Book of Rites", I came across a sentence, 'The etiquette cannot be extended to the common people, and the punishment cannot be extended to the officials.' These days, I have been thinking about it sometimes, and I have gained and lost occasionally. What do you think?"
Several children finally saw the peculiarities of the royal palace's examination to select study companions.
Asking questions is basically the routine of the imperial examination, but unlike the imperial examination, there is no need to write eight-legged essays to dialectically discuss the topic, and only "speak freely". In Zhu Hao's view, this question is "stealing the proposition".
"Whoever has an opinion, please tell me."
Yuan Zonggao looked around with a smile on his face.
Except for Zhu Hao, none of the seven candidates could understand why Yuan Zonggao would ask such a question.
Even Mr. Jing, who was very conceited before, fell into deep thought at this time and was obviously stumped by this question.
Zhu Hao thought about it for a while. The first assessment was to test basic qualities, the second assessment was to test history and be knowledgeable about the past and present, and the third assessment was to test personal ambition.
The examination in Prince Xing's Mansion is indeed one step after another.
In this way, it is not as simple as finding a reading companion for the little prince, but carefully selecting mentors and friends who can help him in the court in the future.
What was the biggest problem during the Zhengde period of Ming Dynasty?
The laws are in chaos!
If the upper level doesn't work, then the lower level will do the same.
The emperor acted recklessly, first Liu Jin, then Qian Ning, Xu Tai, Jiang Bin, etc. A series of sycophants caused trouble in the court, and local officials, in order to cater to the emperor and the treacherous sycophants, wasted people and money, and destroyed the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.
Is Zhu Houzhao talented?
Maybe.
But you behave so recklessly, and I want to portray you as a wise king and holy master. Unless your son or grandson becomes the emperor, works hard to govern, and the Ming Dynasty is revived, the world will mark your head. But the problem is that if you don’t say anything about your reckless behavior, even your heirs will
None of them. The throne has been passed to another family. Do you still want others to think of you?
Go ahead and dream!
Zhu Hao understood that King Xing, as a royal family member who could covet the throne, was already reflecting on the chaos in the court during the Zhengde period, and this question was precisely to test several candidates' views on the chaos in the government, but the question was relatively obscure.
Another point is that Zhu Hao has already mentioned the Legalist affairs in Sui Gongyan, and he can see the attitude of the old Xingwang Zhu Youqi towards various schools of thought. If this question is not unexpected, he should follow the Legalist path. If he really wants to follow it,
If you continue to say "punishment is not good enough for scholar-bureaucrats", it is tantamount to falling into a trap.
…
…
Yuan Zonggao waited for a while, but no one came out to answer the question.
Although these candidates are not very young, they are all very shrewd. They know that it is best to have someone else speak out first and see the examiner's reaction before choosing the direction of the discussion.
"Why, is this question difficult?"
Yuan Zonggao frowned slightly, "Actually, I just want you to come out and say a few words about your understanding. Even if it is wrong, as long as it is meaningful, it is worthy of praise."
The scene was still dead silent.
Zhu Hao walked out of the crowd.
Yuan Zonggao looked at Zhu Hao with a kind smile and nodded, probably satisfied with Zhu Hao's courage to be the first.
The official on the side said: "Yuan Changshi, before the Sui Dynasty taught six historical records questions, he answered them all correctly."
"Yeah?"
Yuan Zonggao nodded again, his smile even wider, "At such a young age, I know the history of China very well, and I will definitely make a difference in the future."
Zhu Hao leaned over and saluted, expressing his gratitude to his elder for the compliment.
The pian was standing by and reminded: "If you have any idea, just say it."
Zhu Hao then spoke: "The student has a question. I would like to ask Mr. Yuan. I don't know what a scholar-official is?"
If you don't say anything shocking, you will die.
What is a scholar-bureaucrat?
Even Yuan Zonggao, who was full of expectations for Zhu Hao, originally had a kind smile on his face, but his expression turned ugly when he heard this question.
Are you sure this is the guy who just answered all six history questions correctly?
The clerk had just strongly recommended Zhu Hao, but now he felt ashamed and said hurriedly: "Are you here to answer questions, or to ask questions?"
A few boys behind Zhu Hao covered their mouths and snickered, secretly happy that they had made the right choice and did not stand up to embarrass themselves. As long as Zhu Hao was embarrassed, he would not be embarrassed even if he answered the question wrong.
Zhu Hao said: "A gentleman can be called a scholar-official when he is in court. Can a villain still be called a scholar-official when he is in court?"
As Zhu Hao finished speaking, not only Yuan Zonggao, but also the official next to him was stunned.
This is much more acute than the question raised by Yuan Zonggao. Instead of starting with the argument that officials who have read the books of sages and sages should receive preferential treatment, we first start with the definition of a gentleman and a villain. At first glance, it sounds too narrow and black and white, but think of it now that the Ming Dynasty is in power.
In reality, there is nothing wrong with Zhu Hao's words except that they are a little presumptuous and criticize current affairs.
Yuan Zonggao nodded slightly: "Since you asked this, let me express my opinion. If a villain is in court and goes against the Confucian principles, he will naturally not be regarded as a scholar-bureaucrat." As the examiner, he actually discussed the Eight Classics with Zhu Hao seriously.
The question of whether a villain can be considered a scholar-bureaucrat or not.
However, this is in line with Yuan Zonggao's requirements when he proposed the question, which is to discuss it by yourself. There is no absolutely correct answer, and you can develop arguments for both pros and cons and speak freely.
Just when everyone thought that Zhu Hao would make some shocking conclusion after getting Yuan Zonggao's answer, he bowed deeply, then retreated into the queue and remained silent.
The clerk was a little surprised: "You little official, you already know what a scholar-official is, why don't you tell me your point of view?"
Zhu Hao answered politely: "The student has actually already answered. Since a villain is not a scholar-official, then it is biased to say that the punishment is not good enough for a doctor. As for the specifics... the student would like to hear the opinions of other candidates."
It means I started it, so you can’t let me say everything by myself, right?
Shouldn't we listen to other people's opinions?
…
…
Zhu Hao came out and threw a brick and ran away without focusing on his own point of view to argue the issue. Yuan Zonggao glanced at him and shook his head slightly, as if he still had more to say.
Zhu Hao was silent, but he was laughing secretly in his heart.
This is called whetting your appetite.
First raise your interest. If you want to know what I have to say, you have to clean your ears and wait until you hear other people's "dregs" before speaking!
In this way, your attention is always on me. Anyway, you have spoken freely, so why can't I explain it?
With comparison, you will know my brilliance.
"What do other candidates think?" the clerk urged.
Mr. Jing was under great pressure at this time. Considering his age, it would be good if he could recite two or three of the Four Books and Five Classics. How could he study the meaning of the scriptures sentence by sentence? But he would not give up easily.
Mr. Jing came out, cupped his hands and said: "A gentleman is known as righteousness, and a villain is known as benefit..."
At this point, I got stuck.
"What else?" Yuan Zonggao asked.
This argument is actually based on Zhu Hao's question just now. There is no way to go deeper. In other words, Mr. Jing does not have the ability to explore his inner nature. After holding back such a sentence, he can no longer say it.
Mr. Jing was silent for a while, then changed the direction of his argument: "The etiquette cannot be inferior to that of common people. It means that it is difficult for ordinary people to demand complete etiquette, or that common people cannot master more etiquette..."
Just explaining, not demonstrating.
But even this is much better than those candidates who did not speak out. Yuan Zonggao nodded incomprehensibly, but the expression on his face was calm. Obviously he wanted the last sentence of the debate, "You can't be punished as a doctor", but Mr. Jing didn't
The law expands on this topic.
After Mr. Jing retreated, no one came out to speak for a long time.
Zhu Hao finally figured out that the one who could really compete with him was Mr. Jing. The other five were still too weak. In this kind of divergent thinking and debate without certain boundaries, they could not stand out.
"Students have opinions."
Zhu Hao came out again.
Yuan Zonggao's eyes were filled with brilliance, and he said with a hint of urgency: "Tell me."
Zhu Haodao: "Students have heard that 'if the law does not work, break it from above.' In order to prevent the top from being ineffective, the most important thing is to ensure the implementation of the law and implement it from top to bottom instead of from bottom to top."
"oh?"
Yuan Zonggao seemed a little surprised and looked at Zhu Hao with narrowed eyes.
Zhu Hao sneered, knowing that the other party was pretending, and continued his argument: "If you can't punish the officials, the country will not be stable, and the people will be difficult to educate. 'Everyone governs a gentleman to control his heart, so he should be strict with integrity and shame.
That's right, if an official doesn't know his integrity, he can't even be called a gentleman, let alone an official? The student concluded: Princes who break the law are as guilty as common people."
Zhu Hao's words can be said to be very convincing.
Especially the last sentence, "Princes who break the law are as guilty as the common people" is simply shocking. Although there are many remarks in line with this idea in this era, Zhu Hao is the first person to be able to sum it up like this.
Yuan Zonggao smiled: "Princes who break the law are guilty of the same crime as the common people. Do you mean that the little prince in the palace is guilty of the same crime as the common people?"
"yes."
Zhu Hao did not avoid the question.
Several candidates had no direction at first, but after hearing Zhu Hao's words, they instantly became energetic.
The eldest man among them came out and shouted loudly: "How can the prince commit the same crimes as the common people when he breaks the law? According to your words, isn't the prince the same as the beggar on the street? This is simply alarmist! It is the words of the sages that the doctor cannot be punished.
Is this nonsense to you?"
Zhu Hao said calmly: "You don't have to believe what the family says, but I have to express my opinion. If you have your own opinion, I won't stop you!"
After speaking, Zhu Hao went back and stood solemnly, preparing to be a quiet bystander.