Training the Heavens

Chapter 324: Application Boom

Fortunately, Fan Yuanrang's skills are indeed solid. Despite all the troubles, Aurora University can still get some dividends. Those troublesome matters can only be slowly resolved by Zhang Jian and other shareholders. Zhang Xingjiu will not waste time on this.

The MSG business has always been good and has encountered far fewer troubles than salt production, because MSG is an emerging industry with no competitors and not many disputes with the old forces.

The salt industry is different. This business has always been very troublesome. Zhang Jian's establishment of the Tongrentai Salt Company was like touching someone else's cake, so it was reasonable to encounter these troubles. But it didn't matter. It was 1905 now, and the old order was about to collapse. The salt company would soon usher in new opportunities. It depended on whether Zhang Jian could seize them.

With the dividends from MSG and the salt industry, plus other income, Aurora University had more than enough funds, so it quickly continued its expansion, purchasing land, building school buildings, and recruiting teachers and other staff.

After a while, Yuan Xiangcheng, Zhang Xiangshuai and others formally wrote a letter to the court for the third time, requesting the court to abolish the imperial examination system. This time, many people responded. Seeing that the trend was difficult to go against, the old witch softened her attitude.

There was no way she would not loosen up. The Boxer Rebellion had brought shame to the imperial court. The Southeast Mutual Protection indicated that the influence of the local faction could compete with that of the imperial court, and the sacrifice of the Seven Gentlemen of the Wuxu Reform made the reformists lose confidence in the imperial court.

Who could the imperial court rely on now? Those Manchus with their bird cages? That was clearly impossible. The old witch could only yield. Accepting the advice of Yuan Xiangcheng and Zhang Xiangshuai to abolish the imperial examination system and usher in constitutional government might save the lives of future generations. If they still stubbornly refused to change, they would surely die without a burial place. The old witch knew all too well how the Manchus dealt with the descendants of the Zhu family when they entered the Pass.

Therefore, even though she knew that abolishing the imperial examination system would make countless conservatives lose confidence in the court, the old witch had to drink poison to quench her thirst, because these actions might allow her to survive for a few more years, but if they caused local powerful figures such as Yuan Shikai and Zhang Xiangshuai to turn against the court, then everything would be gone.

If it were twenty or thirty years ago, the old witch would definitely not surrender so easily, but she is seventy years old now, her health is getting worse day by day, and she doesn't have much time to live. How could she still have the energy to compete with Yuan Xiangcheng and others?

Although the imperial edict had not yet been issued, many people with ulterior motives had already figured out something from the court's movements, so the new-style schools were crowded with applicants.

They were clear-eyed: abolishing the imperial examinations was practically a foregone conclusion. So, after abolishing them, through what channels would the court recruit talent? The memorials submitted by Yuan Shikai and Zhang Xiangshuai clearly stated that students of the new school would inevitably replace Jinshi and Juren as the court's first choice for appointing officials.

Therefore, if you want your children to have the opportunity to become officials in the future, send them to new schools as soon as possible. The earlier they enroll and the better the school they enter, the brighter the future of their children and grandchildren will be.

Of course, not all applicants have such utilitarian ideas. There are many young students like A Zhang, Qian Junfu, Fan Yuanrang and others who are determined to help China wash away its humiliation and move towards prosperity. They also regard entering the new school as the only way out.

As one of the most prestigious universities in China, Aurora University naturally attracted numerous students. Long lines formed outside each registration point, with students from all over the country flocking to apply, hoping to pass the selection process and enter Aurora University. New-style academies like the Imperial University of Peking, Beiyang University, and Shanxi University were unprepared for this situation. Suddenly faced with so many applicants, they were somewhat flustered, unsure how to handle the situation.

The situation at Aurora University was different. Zhang Xingjiu, Yan Fu and others had realized this possibility last year and had already developed a response strategy. They prepared multiple test papers in advance. As long as the number of applicants reached a certain level, they would hold an exam. After the exam, the papers would be graded and the results would be announced immediately to prevent these students from staying in Shanghai for too long.

Basically, the examination is held every ten days or half a month. Many students who failed the exam are unwilling to give up and go to the registration point to sign up again. Aurora University does not stop them. As long as you want to take the exam, you can take it as many times as you want. What if someone really does not perform well in the first exam?
During the two months of summer vacation, Aurora University held five examinations and screened and admitted nearly a thousand students, half of whom were from the liberal arts and half from the sciences. This scale was the largest in the country. Neither the Imperial University of Peking nor the Beiyang University had the capacity to recruit so many new students.

When the news came out, Aurora University became famous throughout the country again, and many forces also took notice of Aurora University. The imperial court sent an imperial edict and bestowed some silver, hoping to take the opportunity to win over Aurora University. Unfortunately, half of the money was gone before it left the capital, and by the time it reached Aurora University, there was almost nothing left. Not only did this money fail to win the favor of the teachers and students of Aurora University, it also made them more disgusted with the imperial court.

The consuls stationed in Shanghai also took action and visited the school one after another. They all left some money before leaving. They believed that the Qing Dynasty's rule was already in jeopardy. With the teaching level of Aurora University, the students they trained would definitely occupy important positions in the new government in the future. If they could leave a good impression in their hearts now, these good impressions might play an unexpected role when they ascend to high positions in the future.

Zhang Xingjiu and Ma Xiangbo took the opportunity to talk to them again about studying abroad. Several consuls agreed readily, and Aurora University obtained some valuable study abroad places.

Yuan Xiangcheng, Zhang Xiangshuai and other local powerful figures also sent their confidants to Shanghai and presented generous gifts to congratulate Aurora University. Many of them were old acquaintances of Ma Xiangbo, Yan Fu, Ma Jianzhong and others. There were many attempts to win them over with words, but they were temporarily brushed off by Ma Xiangbo and Yan Fu.

As for the local gentry who came to donate silver, there were even more of them. Even though Ma Xiangbo repeatedly emphasized that even if they gave money, they could not interfere with the school's teaching work, few people gave up this opportunity and still kept the silver. This made the financial situation of Aurora University much more comfortable.

Some people were even afraid that the money would be rejected, so they simply bought land around the school and brought the deeds to donate to Aurora University. This way, they would have the land to continue expanding the school next year.

In the blink of an eye, it was time to start school. As soon as the freshmen completed the registration procedures, they heard big news.

On September 9, the imperial court issued an edict, declaring that "starting from the Bingwu (2) imperial examination, all provincial and municipal examinations will be suspended, and the annual provincial examinations will also be suspended."

This news spread across the country like a thunderbolt, shocking the world and bringing new opportunities to Aurora University.

　There will be more later
　　
　
(End of this chapter)