The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 446 The Imperial Examination in Yingtian Prefecture

Many scholars arrived in Yingtian Prefecture one after another, adding a touch of scholarly atmosphere to the already prosperous prefecture.

The imperial examination will be held soon, a time when scholars across the land will have the chance to rise above their circumstances and achieve great success.

At this time of year, the entire city of Yingtian is bustling with visitors.

With the imperial examinations approaching, the number of people coming and going is several times greater than before.

This imperial examination was somewhat different from previous ones. The previous imperial examinations all tested knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics, but this time it was different. The content of this examination was much more extensive, and most of the content came from the textbooks compiled by Zhu Xiong Ying.

In addition to the special imperial examinations, there were other examinations in various fields, including those on law, crafts, and even calculation.

These things, which were originally considered lowbrow by scholars, have now entered the imperial court, which greatly angers those scholars who are well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics.

This matter had a great impact on scholars, and even now, many scholars still resist it.

However, even the Sage Family had been defeated by Zhu Xiong Ying before, and this time Zhu Xiong Ying wielded even greater power.

Since Empress Ma fell seriously ill, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang has been staying in Renshou Palace, and the affairs of the court are now being handled by Crown Prince Zhu Biao and Grandson Zhu Xiong Ying.

The father and son had an extremely harmonious relationship, and Crown Prince Zhu Biao often followed Zhu Xiong Ying's advice.

This made them very depressed.

However, they were very curious about the results of this imperial examination. The content of this examination would be greatly changed, and no one could say for sure what the outcome would be.

Inside the cabinet, Crown Prince Zhu Biao frowned as he looked at Zhu Xiong Ying in front of him.

"Xiongying, have you prepared the exam questions for this time? This is the first imperial examination since you reformed the examination system!"

"There might be a lot of problems, so you really need to think this through!"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded after hearing this, understanding what Crown Prince Zhu Biao meant.

Many scholars today do not approve of the new textbooks they have compiled. In their view, the Four Books and Five Classics of their sages are the most suitable, and everything else is dispensable.

He wanted to change this idea. When two different ideas came together, a clash was bound to happen, and he had already anticipated this outcome.

"Please rest assured, Father, I have already prepared this test paper!"

"Most officials in the imperial court today were selected through the traditional imperial examination system!"

"If we let them set this question, it would probably be biased, so it's most appropriate for me to set the question this time!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao sighed upon hearing this. He understood these things, but almost all the scholars in charge of setting the questions in the court were Confucian masters from the Hanlin Academy.

This time, however, they were stripped of this power, and these people must have many grievances.

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded after hearing this.

That's for sure. Hopefully, those guys won't cause too much trouble, or they won't be so ruthless.

At this moment, several renowned scholars in the Hanlin Academy gathered together, and they were extremely angry.

"What kind of thing is this? In the past, we were the ones in charge of setting the questions for the imperial examinations. Now the court is doing these things itself. What does this mean?"

"Could it be that His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't trust us?" The others echoed this sentiment.

"We are all learned people who have studied hard for decades to get to where we are today, but they discard us like trash. This is outrageous!"

"If that's the case, why stay in the Hanlin Academy? We might as well resign!"

The others nodded and cheered.

"That's right, at worst we'll just leave this place. I refuse to believe that the court can only gain the support of those scholars by losing us!"

Just then, a young official standing nearby said with a smile.

"My lords, if I may be so bold, this matter is probably not as simple as we think!"

"Our Crown Prince has a very firm grip on the court and doesn't need us at all. Besides, what we've learned is completely different from what the Crown Prince is teaching us now!"

"Perhaps His Highness the Crown Prince is currently trying to find a way to replace us. If you bring this up now, His Highness might actually agree!"

"Don't forget that His Highness the Crown Prince's temper is exactly the same as His Majesty's. Now that the Ming Dynasty has just acquired so much land, if we really anger His Highness, he might exile us to those remote places!"

If Tyson were Zhu Yunwen, he might have compromised given his personality, but Zhu Xiong Ying would never have compromised so easily.

These Confucian scholars from the Hanlin Academy felt a sense of unease whenever they thought about these matters.

They are already old and frail. If they were really exiled to remote areas, their current physical condition would not be able to withstand it. Besides, what they seek as officials is stability.

Nobody wants to go to remote places.

But if things continue to develop like this, our Hanlin Academy will really have no reason to exist.

At that time, the Hanlin Academy might be abolished, just like the former Secretariat.

Everyone turned their attention to the official sitting at the very top, who was none other than the current Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy.

It is also the highest official position in the Hanlin Academy today.

At such a crucial moment, only the Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy can make decisions for them.

At that moment, the old man slightly opened his eyes, looked at the crowd in front of him, and said with a smile.

"Why are you all in such a hurry? Although our Hanlin Academy cannot participate in setting the questions this time, it still has a lot of use in maintaining discipline and other aspects. Just do what you are supposed to do, and don't worry about other things!"

"The imperial court makes all the decisions; the more you do, the more mistakes you make, and the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make!"

Everyone was extremely puzzled by these words, and some were very anxious, knowing that setting exam papers was one of their most important powers.

Even a slight omission in the questions on their exam papers would be enough to bring them considerable benefits, and they could even use this opportunity to promote themselves.

Nowadays, people say that the exam papers are anonymously marked.

I have no idea where those people are from or what their names are.

However, there are still some subtle differences in their writing process, and even the style of the articles may vary depending on whose disciple they were.

(End of this chapter)