Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

This is a grand event, a grand event that countless readers have been eagerly anticipating and longing for.

Over the years, countless people have longed for the imperial examinations to be reopened and to begin as soon as possible.

Even though the current imperial examination system is very different from what they had imagined, it was still held in the end!
Of course, it's open now, but deep down I still feel a lot of resentment.

I don't know what the emperor was thinking, why he suddenly had to do something like this.

It's infuriating that they're not only testing the Four Books and Five Classics, but also adding so many other things!

Of course, this is different from traditional students who are full of resentment about this and find arithmetic, physics, chemistry and other subjects extremely difficult.

Many new students are also overjoyed and full of anticipation for this.

Many of them had been exposed to and studied the relevant knowledge long ago.

Now that the imperial court is holding the imperial examinations and using this knowledge for assessment, it is naturally a very good thing for them.

Moreover, in recent years, because of their learning of these new disciplines, many conservative people have given them the cold shoulder.

He said many unpleasant things.
They were seen as heretics and traitors to Confucianism.

Who would have thought that the current emperor and the current court would use these as assessment criteria?

How could they not be overjoyed!
Many of them had already been exposed to and studied the relevant knowledge.

The fact that the imperial court is now using this knowledge for assessment is undoubtedly a great thing for them.

We must seize this opportunity!

They must demonstrate through their actions that a just and fair world exists.

We must use our achievements to shut those people up and make them behave!

Now, they have the advantage of timing and location. If they don't seize this opportunity, they would be wasting their time!

Many traditional students looked worried and distressed.

Many of them knew nothing about subjects such as arithmetic, physics, and chemistry.

Even if the emperor had said that the three-year period and future imperial examinations would use those as models to test the knowledge within them.

Furthermore, it accelerated the printing and sales of related books.

They should also expand the relevant schools as soon as possible to impart the corresponding knowledge.
Many of them also went there to study.

However, these things are not so easy to learn.

Looking at those "scribbled" symbols gives me a headache.

They couldn't understand why people would choose to learn these heretical and evil doctrines instead of studying the Four Books and Five Classics.
"Half of the Analects can govern the world." Does the emperor not even understand this?
Governing a country and ensuring its stability relies on Confucian classics; what's the use of learning those other nonsensical things?

The emperor is utterly foolish; instead of taking the right path, he insists on resorting to crooked and evil means!

A man who came from a background of begging and cowherd is indeed ignorant. If things continue like this, the country will be doomed!

These complaints from traditional scholars did not affect the progress of the imperial examination system.

Soon, a new question arose that captivated the attention of all the students and many Confucian officials.

That is, who will be the chief examiner for this imperial examination? And who will grade the exam papers?

If we knew who the examiner was, perhaps we could think of a way to prevent things from getting too bad.

However, many people are pessimistic about this, and even feel some despair.

Because the current emperor's heart is clearly crooked.

They were preoccupied with evil doctrines and heretical teachings.

Under such circumstances, would he really appoint a highly respected person who believes in Confucian classics as the chief examiner?

Even assuming, hypothetically, that such people are indeed chosen as examiners, and that these examiners are genuinely inclined to favor them.

Things are still not that easy to handle.

This exam is very different from previous ones.

In the past, the exams only tested some content from the Four Books and Five Classics, and some policy essays, etc.

There's a lot to be done with these things.

After all, whether you know how or not, you can still write a lot about things.
And those examiners, if they can show favoritism.

It's easy to do some things.

But things are different now.

The emperor then added many more exams.

Especially with those arithmetic problems, right is right and wrong is wrong; there's no way to fool anyone.

These are precisely the most difficult ones.

Even if the examiners wanted to show some favoritism, they simply couldn't.

Thinking of this, many traditional students who are not ambitious, or who are ambitious but not very good at these things, are even more anxious.

The discontent with the emperor grew even stronger!

……

Inside the Fengtian Hall, the atmosphere was quiet and somewhat oppressive.

With the exam date approaching, the examiners are finally being selected.

Previously, many people had been vying for the position of examiner.

However, the final decision rested with the emperor.

If it really needs to be used, who should the emperor decide?
As everyone held their breath in anticipation, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke.

They called on Liu Sanwu and appointed him as the chief examiner.

Upon hearing this, Liu Sanwu was overjoyed.

These years of lying low have definitely paid off!
He had been looking forward to this opportunity, and these past few days he had been filled with anxiety about it, even losing sleep night after night.

There were even times when I felt hopeless and thought I might not succeed.

But who would have thought that such a good thing would suddenly fall into his lap at this moment!

Suppressing his excitement, he respectfully accepted the order.

This indicates that he will certainly live up to His Majesty's expectations.

Subsequently, Zhu Yuanzhang appointed two more people as deputy examiners.

On the surface, these two men did not have any close relationship with Liu Sanwu.

There was even one person who could be considered a political enemy of Liu Sanwu and others.

In reality, they were just like Liu Sanwu.

After the examiners were selected, Liu Sanwu and the others felt much more at ease.

Very good!
This is Heaven's will to let them set things right and demonstrate the teachings of the sages!
Once they serve as examiners, everything else will be much easier!
There are some things the emperor can decide, but there are some things he cannot.

As the saying goes, success depends on human effort.

If the emperor doesn't choose them, they have no choice.

But once they are chosen, some things will no longer be up to the emperor.

"This scientific expedition is related to the country and to the future."

This is to select useful talents for our Great Ming Dynasty, so we must do it well and not make any mistakes!
Don't let us down!

Especially you examiners, you are of utmost importance.

In Yingtian Prefecture, everything else can be put on hold for now; the imperial examinations should be the priority.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at these people and began to give instructions.

Everyone readily accepted the order, their attitude extremely respectful.

After giving some further instructions, Zhu Yuanzhang adjourned the court and returned to the Wuying Hall.

Recalling the secret investigations and inquiries conducted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard against Liu Sanwu and others, and thinking back to what he knew from his previous life about the things Liu Sanwu and his ilk had done and the methods they used.

A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Something similar has happened again!

Moreover, it is even more captivating than the North-South conflict of the previous life!
Now it's time to see Liu Sanwu and the others put on a show!

As the examination date drew closer, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Yingtian had many guild halls, which served as places for gentry and officials from various regions to connect and gather.

At this time, all the guild halls and other similar establishments in various places were already full of people.

Most of them are students.

Some people were discussing academic matters with each other, wanting to make some final efforts in the last few days.

Let's see if we can learn a little more.

The fact that the scientific expedition hadn't officially started was like a knife hanging over people's heads, making them uneasy.

However, at such times, some people become quite different.

Someone secretly gathered their close friends together, closed the door, and mysteriously took out some papers.

It was covered with writing, and upon closer inspection, they were all questions.

It covers a wide range of topics, including various subjects, and the answers are provided below.

"Brother Zhou, what is this?" someone asked in a low voice.

"Great stuff! Something that can help us pass the imperial examination in one fell swoop!"

The slightly older student also lowered his voice, which sounded extremely solemn.

Upon hearing this, many people present were taken aback, followed by boundless joy: "Brother Zhou, is this true?"

"It's absolutely true, as true as it can be!"

The man surnamed Zhou nodded vigorously: "This is something I picked up from the roadside. Tell me, how could it not be reliable?"

The man surnamed Zhou added another sentence.

Those around were taken aback upon hearing this.

But he quickly realized what was happening.

They said they picked it up from the roadside, but who could find something so good?

Brother Zhou must have some connections, and the people behind him didn't want to get involved, so they deliberately said that.

In addition, the subjects like arithmetic, chemistry, and physics are enough to give anyone a headache.

This time, some of the people inside lacked confidence.

At this point, there's not much point in learning anymore.

Now, who cares whether it's useful or not?

We should definitely give it a try; what if it actually works?
So they all copied it down and studied it carefully.

As for the arithmetic, chemistry, and other related subjects, I don't understand them.

If you can't figure it out, that's okay. Just memorize the answer.

Matters concerning one's future should not be taken lightly.

In places unseen by many, this exam paper was secretly circulated, copied, and studied by many people.

Those who were able to obtain these were all traditional Confucian scholars.

……

"I wonder if doing this will be too conspicuous?"

Inside the room, someone looked at Liu Sanwu and asked in a low voice, sounding somewhat uneasy.

"What's so conspicuous about it? Didn't we already decide to do this a long time ago?"

We've been looking forward to this for so long, and now that it's true, and we've really become the examiners, how can we back down?
Everything hinges on this one moment!

Besides, this was the first imperial examination after Yuanzhang implemented the new school system, and he was pleased to see such good results.

Even if they are unhappy or feel that something is wrong, they will certainly not make a big fuss about it.

After all, it was he who proposed restoring the imperial examination system, and he also set the questions and many other aspects of the exam.

In learning these new things, everything was done according to his wishes.

As it turned out, the test results were quite good.

If he still has grievances about these things and really makes a scene, it will be a major blow to the new school as well.

He was just as embarrassed!

Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. At this point, no matter how worried you are, there's no way to salvage the situation.

Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang is such a despicable traitor that he has already cornered us.

In this situation, do we have any other choice?

As Liu Sanwu spoke of these things, his fists unconsciously clenched together.

They originally thought that if a Han Chinese became emperor, Confucianism would end the suppression it suffered during the Yuan Dynasty, and Confucianism would flourish.

Who could have imagined that things would develop to this point?
Zhu Yuanzhang was such a despicable scoundrel!

Upon hearing Liu Sanwu's words, the person who had spoken up thought for a moment and ultimately said nothing more.

Because things really were as Liu Sanwu said, there was no turning back once the arrow was released; they had no other choice.

……

As the day drew nearer, the day of the scientific expedition finally arrived.

Many candidates who had already registered entered the examination room after undergoing extremely strict checks.

Then, everyone went to their assigned seats in turn, and the exam papers were distributed.

When they received the exam papers and saw what the questions were, many of them were suddenly shocked.

He showed extreme joy and disbelief.

They've actually seen these kinds of questions before?

Not only have I seen it, but I've also remembered it vividly!

Is this all true?!

Too strong, really too strong!

This is truly a stroke of good luck!
This imperial examination was destined to be recorded in history! So everyone began to write, their writing flowing as if divinely inspired.

I couldn't contain my joy and excitement.

Liu Sanwu sat high on the grand chair, his gaze sweeping over the students with an air of authority.

He appeared so upright and unyielding, possessing the demeanor of a contemporary Confucian scholar.
The exam lasted for two days. During these two days, candidates were not allowed to step out of the examination room, and all their eating, drinking, and relieving themselves were to take place within the examination room.

Everyone brought their own food, but the food, as well as the pots and pans they used, were all subject to strict inspection.

Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to do what was done in later times: after one exam, the candidates would leave the examination hall, and then they would be allowed to enter again for the next exam.

But in the end, it was still difficult to reach that level.

Our manpower and resources, including monitoring methods, are far inferior, so we have no choice but to give up.

However, the exam time has also been compressed to some extent.

It's only for two days, and the timing is set for when it's as cool as possible.
Let the students suffer less.

Two days later, the exam ended, and the exam papers were collected one by one.

As the candidates left the venue, some were anxious, while many others were full of confidence.

After being copied and anonymized, the exam papers were sent to the examiners for closed-door grading.

Amidst the waiting of many students, the excellent exam papers were graded, and some of the best ones were even sent to the desk of Liu Sanwu, the chief examiner.

Looking at these high-scoring exam papers, and even many perfect scores, Liu Sanwu nodded: "There are still many promising talents among them."

……

Ten days later, all the test papers were graded.

The corresponding scores are also obtained, and the ranking is based on the overall scores.

In addition to ranking by overall score, once the total score reaches a certain level, individuals with high scores in individual subjects will also be listed.

With this list in hand, Liu Sanwu went to meet Zhu Yuanzhang to report the results of the examination to their emperor.

He believed the emperor would certainly be very satisfied! (End of Chapter)