After the court ended, Zhang Yan and Zhu Cixiang had breakfast together and then went to the imperial study. Zhang Yan consciously gave up the throne to Zhu Cixiang and stood aside.
Zhu Cixiang didn't pay attention, but when Zhang Yan picked up the memorial on the table and looked like she was about to hand over government affairs, Emperor Xiao Zhu immediately stood up.
"Auntie, I am a junior. How can I ask you to stand? You should sit down while I stand."
"Although my aunt is the elder, you are the emperor..." Zhang Yan didn't know that he wanted to be a hands-off shopkeeper again, so she shook her head.
But before he finished speaking, Zhu Cixi forcibly pressed him down on the chair. He smiled and said: "What kind of emperor is not an emperor? There are no outsiders. We haven't seen each other for two years. How come my aunt is separated from my child?"
"Alas! My mother-in-law thought that when you became a father, you would... Who would have thought that you would still have such a bad temper?" Zhang Yan said with a bitter smile when she saw his playful smile and not looking like an emperor at all.
However, seeing that he was still as close to me as before, I felt warm in my heart, and did not mention anything about handing over government affairs.
"My mother-in-law has worked hard these past few years, and my son is very guilty. But I can just persist for two more years. After the new policy in the north is completed this year, it will be implemented in the south immediately next year, and then the two Beijings will be merged into one. Then my son will always be
Stay with my aunt."
Zhu Cixiang was relieved when he saw that she didn't say any more unfaithful words.
In fact, he said that Zhang Yan was not keen on power and did not want to stay in Nanjing, because in Nanjing, she seemed to be in a good position and was a high-ranking queen mother, but there was no one who could really say thoughtful words.
"If you have this kind of filial piety, my aunt will be satisfied."
Zhang Yan said with relief when she saw his sincere tone.
After pondering for a while, he looked at him worriedly and said, "But Xun'er, the New Deal in the South has just been completed last year. Is it too hasty to implement a more radical land policy next year?"
"It is indeed too urgent, but time does not wait for us. It will be implemented sooner or later anyway. Rather than delaying it for another two years, it is better to do it sooner." Zhu Cixiang waved his hand.
If this year's imperial examination was not too important and he was afraid of being affected, he would have planned to implement it simultaneously with the north this year.
After all, northern Xinjiang is now as stable as Mount Tai, and the landowners in the south are not afraid even if someone rebels.
"Auntie is a womanly person, so she is just talking. Since you have already made a plan, I won't say anything more."
Zhang Yan nodded, then saw him standing next to her, and thought it was not appropriate after all, so she moved to the side and said, "Hang'er, you can sit down too!"
"All right!"
The dragon chair in the Imperial Study Room was very spacious and could accommodate three or four people, not to mention two people. Zhu Cixiang didn't care when he saw her and didn't say anything.
Zhang Yan naturally wouldn't care. Now she is alone, with no desires, no needs, and no one to rely on. She has long considered Zhu Cixiang as her closest relative and her only support. It can be said that her entire mind is now focused on Zhu Cixiang.
"Auntie, please tell me about the imperial examination first!"
Zhu Cixiang naturally felt that Zhang Yan had regarded him as his only support, and the relationship between the two of them suddenly became much closer.
"Well, the number of people participating in this year's college examination has reached more than three million. All provinces have successfully completed the examination. Now except for Jiangnan Province, the examination papers of other provinces are still on the way. However, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Rites, the passing rate of the examination papers of the two provinces is
, more than 70% of the candidates who passed the exam..."
Zhang Yan began to describe the situation of the imperial examination in detail. After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but frown and said: "Hong'er, I always feel that the questions in the imperial examination are too easy. If this continues, everyone will become a scholar in the future.
.”
In the past, even if Zhang Yan had an idea, she would not say it outright, but now she has no worries.
"Haha, what Auntie said is right, but this is what I want. I want everyone to become a scholar in the future."
Zhu Cixiang laughed out loud, smiling very proudly.
"Hong'er, if everyone becomes a scholar, wouldn't this scholar become worthless?" Zhang Yan looked puzzled.
"Haha, scholars will indeed be worthless in the future. If you pass the exam, you won't feel that it is a matter of honoring your ancestors. But if you don't have this scholar status, you will realize how important this scholar status is."
Zhu Cixi smiled again, seeing that she still didn't quite understand what he meant, so he patiently explained it to her.
The reason why he wanted to lower the threshold for scholars actually had two purposes. The first was to liberate human rights in disguise, and the second was to encourage ordinary people to learn literacy and then popularize knowledge.
Although future scholars will not be as popular and respected as today's scholars, they can at least be called scholars without being bowed to officials. They are registered in the Ministry of Etiquette and cannot be bullied if they want to. If you want to bully ordinary people,
To bully a scholar like that is to take some risks.
But don’t underestimate this. In ancient times, the big landlords never regarded ordinary people as human beings, because most of the people were ignorant and were no different from animals in their eyes. But those who could read and write
People are different.
In the absence of a conflict of interest, no landlord or gentry would offend or oppress a literate person for no reason. Even if the person had no fame, they would not offend him for nothing.
That's why Zhu Cixiang took into account the actual situation of this era and adopted an imperial examination system that was easy on entry and strict on exit, giving those ordinary people with low status a minimum status protection. Otherwise, if he declared that everyone is equal now and abolished those bonds of self-reliance, it would definitely cause chaos.
The huge backlash, not to mention the gentry and wealthy families, may not even be able to adapt to it.
After all, the class ideology that has existed for thousands of years has been deeply ingrained and penetrated into everyone's bone marrow. It cannot be changed by the emperor's edict, nor can it be reversed by the force of the military.
This kind of relaxation of the threshold for scholars in the original imperial examination system is much gentler. Both the gentry and the ordinary people can understand, accept and adapt.
As long as the land is divided in the future and the people's income increases, they will rush to let their children learn to read and be tested as scholars. When everyone becomes a scholar, everyone will naturally be equal and everyone will be subject to the law.
For protection, everyone can meet officials without bowing to them, and no one is lower than anyone else. You are a scholar, I am also a scholar, and everyone is a scholar.
Zhu Cixiang feels that using knowledge to determine status is better than using wealth to determine status.
Because if he declares now that all people are born equal, in fact, it is impossible to be truly equal at all. It will only make the rich more advantageous. But now he does not declare it, but only uses talents to distinguish, then everyone's opportunities will be reduced.
It's the same.
Both poor and rich people have to pass the exam to become a scholar, and the threshold for a scholar is so low. Anyone can pass the exam as long as they read those few books. There is no difference between rich people who learn faster and poor people.
Learn slowly.
Compared with the poor, the rich, the smart and the stupid, there is no obvious advantage in front of the scholar. The threshold for the candidates and the Jinshi is much higher, and these two exams will completely separate the poor, the rich and the smart.
Make a reasonable distinction between stupid people and hard-working people.
For example, if you want to be in politics and become an official, in addition to mastering basic arithmetic, you will work hard to study ancient and modern classics and follow the old imperial examination path. The change will not be too big.
For those who have no talent in the original imperial examination career, but have a flexible mind and like to delve into new things, they can directly take the science examination.
As for those wealthy people with loose temperaments and artistic talents, they can take the liberal arts route after passing the scholar examination and contribute to the development of Chinese literature and art.