Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 382: Recruiting Scholars
Guangzhou Palace, March 15th, just after dawn, the court officials were already holding lanterns and rushing to the palace.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony, where civil and military officials in court robes stand on the left and right sides of the hall

In the open space outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, more than 600 scholars in long robes stood. These people were the new imperial examination candidates selected in the Gengyin year of the Ming Dynasty.

The officials stood still inside and outside the palace. Under the supervision of the censor, the place soon became quiet. Today's palace examination officially began.

Outside the main hall, officials from the Honglu Temple set off firecrackers. After the sound of the firecrackers died down, Zhu Lang, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, ascended the hall accompanied by Li Guoyong and other eunuchs.
Zhu Lang sat on the throne. After all the officials in the palace bowed their heads and saluted, the ceremonial officer of the Honglu Temple came out and made a speech.
"The imperial court is holding an imperial examination to select talented people. Your Highness, please give us the topic."

Zhu Lang took out the test paper he had already written and handed it to Li Guoyong beside him. The official from the Honglu Temple took the test paper from Li Guoyong, bowed and saluted, and then walked out of the hall holding the test paper in both hands.
An incense table had already been set up outside the palace gate. The ritual officer of the Honglu Temple placed the test questions on the altar outside the palace. Under the guidance of the ritual officer, a group of scholars in long robes knelt three times and kowtowed nine times in front of the test questions on the altar above.
After the scholars finished their ceremony, the Honglu Temple set off firecrackers again. Zhu Lang left first, and the civil and military officials in the back hall also left the hall, leaving the venue empty for the scholars waiting to take the exam.
After the officials left, the officials of the Honglu Temple began to command the imperial guards to set up tables and guide the candidates into the examination room.
By the time the ceremony was over, it was already daybreak.
After Zhu Lang and his ministers left the court, they could go back to enjoy breakfast, while the new candidates had to spend another half day in the palace to complete the palace examination that would determine their future lives.
The candidates sat down, and the officials of the Ministry of Rites finally distributed the papers. The new candidates received the questions and immediately read them attentively.
"In the past, our Emperor Sizong worked day and night, was diligent and kind. Throughout the dynasties, no one has been as diligent, thrifty and intelligent as the late emperor. However, the late emperor died of a landslide in one night, and the whole country wept."

"How could the former emperor, who was so brave and diligent, eventually lead to the overthrow of the country? Was it because of the military, the money and grain, the administration, or the failure to employ talented people?"

"The Eastern Tartar invaded the country, and the whole country was in turmoil. Since I took office in the southeast, I have worked hard to bring order to the country. The ministers and generals in the court have also been loyal and diligent, but the court is still struggling."

"I am worried all day long. The Central Plains is in turmoil and the people are waiting to be saved. The Eastern barbarians occupy most of the Central Plains, and the imperial court only occupies the small area of ​​eight provinces in the south. How can we eliminate the accumulated evils, revive the country, and restore our Han country?"

"You wise men have paid close attention to worldly affairs and have long held opinions in your mind. Now is the day for you to express your loyalty. I hope you will speak forthrightly and I will read it in person."

The palace examination only tests one policy essay, but a policy essay does not mean there is only one question.

During the Chongzhen reign, the imperial examinations often had five or six questions, and the questions ranged widely, covering various aspects such as economy and war.
To answer all these questions within just half a day, and to take into account both the literature and the classics, is actually a great test of the new students' ability.

Compared with Chongzhen's policy essays, the palace examination of the Gengyin year in Guangdong Province was much simpler.

Although the topic of the policy essay is long, it actually asks two questions:

The first question is, Emperor Chongzhen only wore eight sets of clothes for the four seasons, and he was so diligent and intelligent. In the eyes of his ministers, he was as good as Yao and Shun, and he was a wise ruler for all ages. Why did he bring about the demise of the Ming Dynasty?

The second is that now all the good land in the world has been occupied by the Tartars, and the imperial court only occupies some narrow mountainous areas in the south. How can we restore national strength and fight back to the Central Plains?

When the candidates in the hall saw the test questions, they felt relieved at first, but soon they became serious again.
All the candidates had their own preparations before the palace examination. The questions were set by the palace officials in person just before the examination. The questions were set and answered immediately, so there was basically no possibility of leaking the questions.
Although the scholars could not get the questions in advance, they could guess.

While waiting for the results of the imperial examination, the scholars studied the court's trends published in the Xingming Times and prepared for the exam.
During this year's imperial examination, the Qing Dynasty delegation came to negotiate peace. Some people thought that the examination topic would be the distinction between Chinese and barbarians, while others thought that the imperial court would test the strategy of the Northern Expedition.

Although the scholars did not accurately guess the topic, they could still use some of the content they had prepared.
But the problem is that the topic of this year's policy discussion is too broad. The core of the court's policy discussion is actually only one, which is to let everyone come up with a strategy to revitalize the country.

For this question, education, military affairs, money and food, official administration, personnel selection, almost anything can be answered.
The essays prepared by all candidates can certainly be used, but the essays prepared by others can also be used as answers.
In other words, almost no one in the field has an advantage. If everyone guesses correctly, it means that no one guesses correctly. No one can take advantage of the situation and gain the upper hand.

No matter what the candidates think, half a day has passed in a flash.
Suddenly, a gong sounded in the palace in the afternoon, and then the palace eunuchs came to the examination room to collect the examination papers. The most important examination in the lives of the candidates was completed.

After the palace examination, the examination papers will be graded. The joint examination is usually held in mid-February, and the results are announced at the end of February, which is a full half month.

The palace examination was different. There were only three days from the examination to the announcement of the results, and the time for marking the papers was extremely tight.
The examiners of the palace examination began to grade the papers almost immediately after the papers were collected.
Three days later, in Zhonghe Hall, Qu Shisi, Jiao Lian and other military officials were all sitting in the hall.
This was the first time that the Guangdong Provincial Court held an imperial examination to recruit scholars. The court attached great importance to it. All the important civil and military officials of the Military Affairs Office were present in the palace to listen to the papers.

In the main hall, the examiner was reading out the papers of the top three candidates. If nothing unexpected happened, after reading out the papers, these three would be the top three candidates of the Gengyin year.
The examiner below was reading the top-ranking examination paper, but Zhu Lang looked through the three essays submitted by the Ministry of Rites and frowned slightly.

"Stop, don't read it yet."

The examiner was stunned and stopped where he was. Zhu Lang looked at Lu Daqi and others below and said:

"Are there only these three papers?"

"These three examination papers have been reviewed by the court. All examiners believe that these three essays are sophisticated in logic and profound in insight, so they are presented as the top three. May I ask Your Highness if there is anything wrong with them?"

Lu Daqi looked puzzled. Zhu Lang didn't say yes or no. He just shook his head slightly and said to Li Guoyong below.

"Go and get all the examination papers for this palace examination."

Li Guoyong quickly led the eunuchs to bring the palace examination papers.
Qu Shisi, Lu Daqi and others looked at Zhu Lang who was constantly flipping through the papers, and they all looked at each other in bewilderment. It was obvious that His Highness the Regent was not satisfied with the top three this time.

Zhu Lang was busy marking the papers. It was called marking, but in fact it was more appropriate to say scanning the papers. Zhu Lang marked the papers very quickly, basically just glancing at them once or twice before putting them aside immediately.

This speed certainly cannot grasp the essence of the test paper. Qu Shisi and others below do not know what standards His Royal Highness the Regent is using to mark the papers.
The palace was completely silent, with only the sound of His Royal Highness the Regent flipping through the examination papers. He quickly flipped through the papers of the 217 candidates in the second class, and then His Royal Highness the Regent flipped through the papers of the third class.
Lu Daqi's face was also solemn at this time. Lu Daqi was in charge of the Ministry of Rites, which was also in charge of the palace examination affairs.

Your Highness went to look through the examination papers of the top three. It turned out that there was not a single one of the more than 200 examination papers of the top two selected by the examiner that met the requirements of Your Highness the Regent.
Zhu Lang was flipping through the test papers quickly. Suddenly, his hand stopped. Zhu Lang looked at the test paper carefully, then nodded slightly and took out the test paper.
Zhu Lang continued to flip through the test papers, and when he had almost reached the bottom of the top three papers, he finally pulled out another answer sheet.

Zhu Lang looked at the test paper in his hand, and finally showed a trace of satisfaction on his face. He then looked at the name of the candidate next to the test paper, which clearly read "Chen Yonghua"

Zhu Lang felt that this person's name seemed familiar. After a little thought, a smile appeared on his face. He did not expect that this time he would be able to take this person to the court.

The name Chen Yonghua may be unfamiliar, but if you mention his other alias, it will be very familiar.
Chen Yonghua, also known as Chen Jinnan, is the famous leader of the Tiandihui in a martial arts novel. If you don't know Chen Jinnan, it's useless to meet all the heroes. How could Zhu Lang not remember this person's name?
In reality, Chen Yonghua was not the leader of the Tiandihui, but an important official under the Zheng family in the late Ming Dynasty. He was one of the three heroes who founded Taiwan.
Zhu Lang took another look at the test paper he had taken out earlier. The candidate's name was Li Yong. Zhu Lang thought about it but found that he had no impression of him.

Zhu Lang did not think much about it. He took out the papers of Chen Yonghua and the other two, and then took one of the three papers submitted by the Ministry of Rites and handed it to Li Guoyong.

"I think these three examination papers are both literary and practical, and can be ranked top three. You gentlemen should take a look at them together."

Li Guoyong handed the three test papers to Qu Shisi and others below for review. The ministers soon understood what His Royal Highness the Regent was looking for.

The core of Chen Yonghua's policy is only one thing, that is money and grain

Chen Yonghua was born in Tongan, Fujian Province, not far from Chaozhou and Huizhou, Guangdong Province. The division of land between Chaozhou and Huizhou caused a great stir in Fujian and Guangdong.

Chen Yonghua personally visited the two prefectures and saw the new look of the two prefectures after the reform. He firmly believed that if the court wanted to enrich the country and strengthen the army, it must fully promote the seven-bull grain system.

The core of Li Yong's policy essay is to select talented people for employment. This theme is not uncommon. Cleaning up the administration of officials and selecting talented people for employment is a universal template in policy essay exams.
Many people also started from this approach in the second-class examination papers, but Li Yong's examination paper was more radical than others.

Li Yong believed that the reason why the court was full of problems was because it paid too much attention to family background and not practical ability.

As long as one is proficient in eight-part essays, no matter if one has the ability to govern or not, one can be promoted to a high position. However, if one does not have the merits of the imperial examination, no matter if one has talent or not, one can only be a low-ranking official forever.
Li Yong believed that the court should break the old rules and promote people based on their talents.
Whether they are clerks or common people, as long as they are truly capable and can make achievements, they should be given the opportunity to become officials.
Only in this way can the court recruit talents and gather a group of talented officials who are good at practical work.
After reading the two test papers, Lu Daqi and others finally understood why the two were ranked in the third place.
Chen Yonghua's seven-bu grain system undermined the money and grain of the gentry, while Li Yong's demand to allow clerks and common people to serve as officials in addition to the imperial examination endangered the upward channels of the gentry.
If these two outrageous examination papers are not placed in the third place, whose examination papers should be placed in the third place?
If these two people dared to write like this in the imperial examination, I am afraid they would be directly dismissed.

Zhu Lang didn't care what the ministers below thought. When they finished reading the test papers, he spoke directly.

"I think that Chen Yonghua's paper can be the top scorer, Li Yong's paper can be the second scorer, and Gu Yanwu, the first place presented by the Ministry of Rites, can be the third place. What do you think?"

Lu Daqi and the others looked at His Highness the Regent, who had a resolute expression on his face, and fell silent. They also understood why His Highness the Regent was able to read the papers so quickly just now.
His Highness the Regent was not looking for any brilliant article just now, but was searching for a clue.

The reason why Chen Yonghua was chosen as the top scholar was not because of how good his essays were, but because he advocated the seven-bull grain system. Li Yong was ranked second because he advocated the liberalization of clerks and commoners to serve as officials.
As long as someone can hit these two themes, no matter if he is Chen Yonghua or Liu Yonghua, Li Yong or Li Yu, he can be selected as the top two.
Lu Daqi, He Wuzuo and others looked at each other with solemn expressions. They knew that His Royal Highness the Regent had gone to such great lengths to bring these two people up at this time, and it must be not just because he was dissatisfied with the examination papers presented by the Ministry of Rites.
The Chaohui New System had been in effect for two years. Based on their understanding of the Regent, if he had named the examinee who advocated the seven-bull grain system as the top scorer, he must have had other intentions.

Compared with the intentions revealed by His Royal Highness the Regent, the top two places in the imperial examinations have become insignificant.

Moreover, Lu Daqi, He Wuzuo and others had no way to refute it at this time. Unlike the provincial examination, the chief examiner of the palace examination was the emperor himself, so the Jinshi could call themselves the emperor's disciples.

The ranking of the palace examination should be selected by the palace. There is no standard answer for the policy essay examination. The Ministry of Rites believes that the examination papers they submitted are outstanding, but as long as Zhu Lang does not think so, he can choose any one he wants.

Su Guansheng looked at the silent ministers in the room, glanced at the test paper in his hand, his eyes turned, and he suddenly spoke

"Your Highness has a keen eye for talent, and we are impressed. This time, Your Highness selected Chen Yonghua, the top scholar. He is only sixteen years old, but he has such talent and insight. Compared with Gan Luo in ancient times, he is not much inferior."

"I have heard that when Yao and Shun were in power, wise ministers would appear to assist in governing. Your Highness has just held an imperial examination to recruit scholars, and a child prodigy like this has been born. This is a sign of the revival of the country."

"Your Highness personally selected this person, and this will surely become a good story in the future."

Lu Daqi and others were also stunned when they heard this. They looked at Chen Yonghua's answer sheet and found that Chen Yonghua was only sixteen years old.

Chen Yonghua participated in the provincial examination for the first time this year, and he made it all the way to the palace examination. He can really be called a child prodigy.

The ministers finally understood why Chen Yonghua dared to write the seven-bull grain system during the palace examination.

This person is simply a young man who has never experienced the world and does not understand the seriousness of this matter. That is why he dares to speak carelessly in the palace examination.
At this time, Zhu Lang above also chuckled and said

"The country is in danger, so talented people are born. This is the protection of our ancestors of the Ming Dynasty. It has nothing to do with me, so don't speak nonsense."

The cabinet ministers looked at the smiling Regent, and a trace of helplessness flashed across their faces. This was all blessed by their ancestors. What else could they say?

Qu Shisi and others looked at each other, and then stood up and responded. The top three candidates for the first imperial examination of the Guangdong Province were thus selected.
(End of this chapter)