Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 208 The Battle for First Place in the Imperial Examination

Previous dynasty.

After Haiyue finished brainstorming her answer on the manuscript paper, she picked up her teacup and took a sip of tea.

The imperial examination consisted of six rounds of tests, but the final palace examination was treated differently. The eunuchs even served each candidate imperial tea, and the scholars answered their questions amidst the fragrant aroma of the tea.

But with the palace guards standing with halberds in hand and their eyes blazing, and the Hanlin scholars patrolling the hall with their hands behind their backs, occasionally stopping to observe, few candidates dared to actually drink tea. They didn't even dare to raise their heads, and just buried themselves in their writing.

Therefore, Haiyue's calm tea drinking stood out.

As soon as he reached out, several pairs of eyes turned to him.

As he picked up his teacup and calmly drank his tea, almost all the officials patrolling the area looked over.

Even Zhang Cong looked over because Hai Yue was seated near the front.

The Prime Minister did not harbor any particular animosity towards the Isshin Society.

He had an extremely strong desire for power, but he was wary of Yan Song, who had entered the cabinet, and Xia Yan, who was launching an offensive on the system of etiquette. As for the Yixin Society, its members were too young to pose any threat to his generation.

Even so, being treated the same way by the emperor, Zhang Cong had an unconscious scrutiny of this junior.

Moreover, Yan Song's only son, Yan Shifan, was also a member of the Yixin Society. Zhang Cong was somewhat disappointed not to see Yan Shifan sitting in the examination hall.

He didn't make any arrangements for the provincial examination, but it was precisely that incident that reminded him to exert influence on the chief examiner Huang Wan during the metropolitan examination, so that Yan Song's only son, who was not good enough, would pass with flying colors.

Once they made the list, they would naturally face criticism from the literati, and endless trouble awaited the father and son.

The methods were despicable, but that's how power struggles have always been—it's either me or him.

Without Gui'e, Zhang Cong was even less willing to allow any further obstruction within the cabinet, and thus shifted his limited energy from the new policies back to internal strife.

Yan Song, whose rise was exceptionally rapid and who was qualified to replace him, had to be suppressed!

Haiyue was drinking tea, but he didn't look back at Zhang Cong's gaze. He wasn't really distracted; he was just adjusting his mindset to answer the questions at his best.

The question for the palace examination was personally set by Emperor Jiajing: "I believe that a ruler, who is ordained by Heaven to govern hundreds of millions of people, must first ensure that all people live in happiness and contentment, so that they may fulfill their desires and aspirations. Only then can he fulfill his duty as the parent of the people and be without shame..."

"My lords, you are wise in reason, knowledgeable in the times, and have long possessed inner strength to support me. You should frankly state what you have seen and know, and write it down in detail. I will read it personally and do not hesitate or conceal anything."

When they were preparing for the exam at the Imperial Academy, Wang Shenzhong, Zhao Shichun, and others considered whether questions related to Annam would be asked. After all, this foreign war was affecting the hearts of the entire court and the public, and it was now on the verge of breaking out.

But now it seems that the young Jiajing Emperor was not radical, and the questions he set were still quite conservative.

It may seem like a long and rambling discourse, but in reality it boils down to four words: governing the country and improving people's livelihood.

Haiyue already had a plan in mind, a central idea, consisting of sixteen characters—

Equal land distribution, selection of officials, elimination of redundancies, cost reduction, land reclamation, light taxation, promotion of economic benefits, and prohibition of extravagance.

To expand on this further:
When land is distributed equally, the industry prospers; when officials are competent, the customs flourish; when redundant officials are removed, corruption is eliminated; when expenses are reduced, resources are abundant; when land is cultivated, the territory expands; when taxes are levied lightly, benefits are generous; when profits are facilitated, wealth flows freely; when extravagance is prohibited, prosperity increases.

The text was further expanded to include the following passage: "Having examined the historical records, I have found one person among those who were able to enrich the people after the Three Dynasties, namely Emperor Wen of Han..."

To be honest, Haiyue wasn't entirely satisfied with this article. At least from his perspective in his later years, although it contained some substance, it was ultimately just old news, nothing more than the usual talk of being diligent in governance and loving the people. The specific strategies and new policies had already been implemented long ago, so there was no need for him to elaborate.

But governing a country is not about writing articles, but about the actual practice of governance.

An essay is just an essay, used for exams, but he's determined to win the top prize!
Do they really think that the emperor, sitting high on the throne, and the court officials, preparing to review the papers, want to see a scholar with absolutely no governing experience pontificating and pointing out the state of the country in his papers?
That's why they deserve to be ranked below the top three.

Haiyue, confident and prepared a draft, began to copy it at a leisurely pace.

Compared to the Song Dynasty's imperial examination, where candidates could submit their papers early, and there were even instances where the candidate who submitted their paper first was chosen as the top scholar, the Ming Dynasty's imperial examination did not allow candidates to submit their papers early.

When the palace examination ended, the examination papers were collected, sealed, and handed over to the examiners for review.

Under this system, Haiyue left herself some spare time to deal with unexpected situations, while deliberately not trying to finish answering the questions early, so as to appear that she was not serious about the emperor's questions. She could be said to have paid attention to the details to the extreme.

Lin Chun, who came before him, finished answering much earlier. As soon as he raised his head, he saw the gazes of a group of important officials meeting. He quickly lowered his head and could no longer write. He felt quite uncomfortable.

After Haiyue finished writing, and another cup of tea's time had passed, the time to put away the scrolls was called by the sound of the clapper three times.

The few candidates who had not finished writing were also forced to put down their pens, watching with long faces as the officials of the Ministry of Rites collected their scrolls one by one and put them into yellow silk covers.

In fact, they didn't need to worry. Even if their answers weren't completely finished, as long as they didn't violate any taboos or offend the emperor, they wouldn't be disqualified from the palace examination; at most, their ranking would be lower. After all the answers were collected, the numerous palace examination examiners began to review them.

The emperor was nominally the chief examiner for this exam, but it was clearly unrealistic to expect him to review each of the nearly three hundred exam papers.

The officials still reviewed and corrected the papers, and then presented the top-ranked papers to the emperor for his perusal.

At this time, Zhu Houcong was not even in the palace, and all the officials were busy with their tasks.

To demonstrate the importance attached to the imperial examination and to expedite the process, almost all the high-ranking officials of the court became examiners for the palace examination. These included the four Grand Secretaries Zhang Cong, Li Shi, Zhai Luan, and Yan Song, as well as Wang Xian, the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince and Minister of War; Xu Zan, the Minister of Revenue; Yan Yishou, the Minister of Justice; Jiang Yao, the Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince and Minister of Works; Chen Jing, the Director of the Court of Judicial Review; Zhou Qiyong, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review; and several scholars from the Hanlin Academy, totaling more than twenty high-ranking officials who reviewed the examination papers together.

"This young man's writing style is steady and his logic is clear. All the strategies he proposes are feasible, unlike those who only talk the talk..."

"He answered all the questions, but there were no surprising remarks. His comments on reforming the bureaucracy and encouraging agriculture were correct but lacked originality..."

"Although the article is ornate, it relies heavily on classical allusions and lacks practical solutions..."

"He dared to say what others dared not say, but unfortunately his words were harsh and his views were those of a scholar, which only drew ridicule..."

The officials present were all Jinshi graduates, and they naturally knew that this palace examination was often the closest a scholar could get to the emperor in his lifetime. It was inevitable that they would feel proud and have a sense of grandstanding, and they didn't care about the boastful talk in the essays, since everyone had gone through the same process.

While there was criticism, it was not harsh; rather, the more outstanding articles were extracted and read carefully.

Then, as the selection process progressed, Zhang Cong, who had presided over the previous two imperial examinations, was the first to discover that the talents in this examination were significantly inferior to those in the fifth and eighth years of the Jiajing reign.

Or perhaps it was precisely because of his reforms to the imperial examination system that a large number of talented individuals emerged in the past two years, somewhat like the Millennium Dragon and Tiger List of the second year of the Jiayou era in the Northern Song Dynasty, only without such a dazzling array of stars.

After a surge of talented individuals, a decline in the number of successful candidates is inevitable. Many examiners regretfully discovered that this year was truly a slow year for the imperial examinations.

Of course, even in a lean year, those who manage to survive the test of time and reach this stage are truly talented.

For example, Yan Song saw an article that he found very appealing: "It discusses local reform and tax collection, and even lists specific details. Only someone who has practical experience in investigating matters in prefectures and counties could say such a thing. Reading the article is like seeing the person himself. He must be a capable person and should be promoted to a higher position!"

"Ha! If I'm not mistaken, this was made by Hai Shisi Lang!"

He had long been aware of the writing style of the Yixinhui group and had also read the top-ranking answers in the imperial examinations, so he felt that this article was very likely written by Hai Rui.

The laws are rigorous and the words are forceful.

There was no copying process in the palace examination; the handwriting was the candidate's own, and what was seen at that time truly reflected the person's character.

'If only Qing'er had such a calm and steadfast nature!'

Yan Song sighed softly.

At the same age of twenty, why are other people's children so outstanding?
However, his son is no less impressive. He has been busy with official duties these past few days and has not returned home. His wedding is just around the corner.

That Mrs. Xia is quite nice, and it's rare to see Qing'er so enthusiastic. I think after the wedding, she can settle down.

Upon realizing this, Yan Song was greatly relieved and separately extracted the examination paper that was suspected to belong to Hai Rui.

At the same time, everyone also selected outstanding works.

More than twenty senior officials graded less than three hundred papers, which was quite fast. Before long, the best papers were collected, and the top ten were to be selected.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the ranking of the palace examination consisted of only three people in the first class: the top scholar, the second scholar, and the third scholar, who were awarded the title of "Jinshi Jidi". The second class consisted of fifty to one hundred people, who were awarded the title of "Jinshi Chushen". The third class consisted of the rest, who were awarded the title of "Tong Jinshi Chushen". Their starting point for official careers was relatively low.

The top scholar in the first class was directly appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a position of the sixth rank. The second and third-ranked scholars were appointed as editors in the Hanlin Academy, a position of the seventh rank. The best candidates in the second class were selected as probationary officials in the Hanlin Academy, who were also considered as potential talents. The rest could serve as officials in the six ministries. The third-class scholars could only be appointed as local officials.

This is also why, throughout the Ming Dynasty, the proportion of top-ranking scholars who entered the cabinet reached more than 15%, totaling 42 people, far exceeding that of other ranks.

A high starting point, leading directly to the Hanlin Academy, is absolutely crucial.

Therefore, at this moment, all the important officials in the court hoped that the answer sheets that caught their eye could be kept, so that they would be among the top two or even first-class candidates, and in the future, they could strengthen the power of their own faction in the court.

However, under the domineering Grand Secretary, the first two examinations were basically decided by Zhang Cong alone.

But things are different now.

Yan Song argued his case forcefully, and after a contest, Zhang Cong overruled the objections and left seven answer sheets, while Yan Song could only reluctantly leave three.

Despite the apparent clear difference in their abilities, Zhang Cong remained extremely vigilant, exchanging a sharp glance with Yan Song, neither willing to yield. Then, they both looked towards the empty throne, their brows furrowing slightly.
"What about Your Majesty?"

(End of this chapter)