Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

"Are these the wise and capable individuals, the pillars of our nation, that our Great Ming has selected this time?"

Inside the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang flipped through the list in his hand and looked at Liu Sanwu, asking him a question.

"Your Majesty, these are all outstanding individuals who have distinguished themselves."

Since His Majesty promoted the new education, our Great Ming Dynasty has undergone rapid changes. Scholars are thriving, and many talented individuals are emerging like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, no longer hidden from view.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "That's why we were able to select so many promising talents this time, right?"

Liu Sanwu was slightly taken aback, but he showed nothing on the surface and simply nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then suddenly looked at Liu Sanwu and asked calmly, "Tell me, did anyone cheat in this exam?"

Liu Sanwu's heart skipped a beat, but his face only showed appropriate fear and trepidation:
"Your Majesty, absolutely not! I am willing to guarantee with my own life that as the chief examiner, I have done my utmost to ensure fairness and impartiality in this examination, and there will be no favoritism, corruption, or cheating in the imperial examination!"

He then knelt down.

Zhu Yuanzhang remained unmoved, and continued to speak as he looked at Liu Sanwu: "Are you saying that none of the people selected this time have any problems?"

Liu Sanwu said, "Your Majesty, I cannot guarantee that there will be no problems with anyone."

However, within my jurisdiction, absolutely no one has engaged in fraud.

Even if there are any, there would only be a handful.

"You really are very conscientious!" Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile, "Get up."

Liu Sanwu stood up, secretly relieved, knowing that this matter was now over.

Even though the emperor had heard some rumors, he could only swallow his anger in the face of this matter.

Because he couldn't find concrete evidence.

Even if the emperor wanted to question these results and wanted to review these people's exam papers, that was fine with him.

Because the answers written on these people's test papers were indeed correct, they deserved such high scores.

Moreover, given the current situation, even if Zhu Yuanzhang had some suspicions, he couldn't possibly escalate the matter further.

This is the first scientific expedition since the start of the new school.

If something really happens, it would be embarrassing for Zhu Yuanzhang to lose face.

Thinking of these things, Liu Sanwu couldn't help but feel happy.

Thank goodness! Thank goodness I didn't give up!
At this moment, they fought back fiercely and ultimately caused Zhu Yuanzhang to suffer a great loss, pissing all over his face!
"But we've received news that there's been a lot of unfairness in this imperial examination, with someone leaking the questions and even the answers in advance."

They secretly provided the viewing space to some students, in order to create a disturbance.

Upon hearing this, Liu Sanwu knelt down on the ground once again, expressing his innocence and suggesting that they could check the students' exam papers.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "We also believe that someone is slandering us."

However, since such a claim has been made, it must not be without basis.

Therefore, we need to take some measures to stop this rumor.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Summon all the students on the list to the Fengtian Hall and conduct an examination on the spot."

Nothing else will be tested, only math.

We'll come up with the questions ourselves.

We've looked at these people, and their overall scores aren't bad. Even the one with the worst math score got 109.

Let's give them a math problem of similar difficulty to the one on this exam, and have them solve it on the spot. That alone will be enough to verify its authenticity.

Zhu Yuanzhang's words stunned Liu Sanwu, his heart pounding wildly.

He truly hadn't expected that Zhu Yuanzhang would pull such a stunt.

He actually knew very well how good many of the people who passed the exam were at math.

This thing is different from others; it cannot be faked.

One is one, and two is two.

If the answers hadn't been provided beforehand, many people wouldn't have been able to get in at all.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Liu Sanwu and asked, "What do you think?"

Liu Sanwu nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Even at this point, Liu Sanwu was still unwilling to give up and wanted to hold on a little longer.

After all, things have come to this point, whether we admit it or not, it doesn't really make much difference anymore.

Admitting it will only hasten your death, while denying it offers a glimmer of hope.

At the very least, there can't be not a single person among those people who is competent in mathematics.

There will always be some people who stand out.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "You seem to be in a good mood. Well then, let's wait and see."

Upon hearing this, Liu Sanwu's heart sank even further, and his bad premonition grew stronger.

Countless test takers eagerly awaited the results.

As far as they know, the results should be out by now.

Although there were still two days until the originally scheduled release date, many people were still heading there, hoping that some miracle might happen.

This is especially true for those who have already received the answer and whose writing flows effortlessly.

I have high expectations for the results of this imperial examination, after all, this is a great moment to bring glory to my ancestors, pass the imperial examination with flying colors, and soar to the top.

They might not have been able to do it in the past, but this time they are confident that they can definitely be among the top performers.

As expected, their expectations were met, and the imperial court did indeed post some lists.

Many people couldn't help but cheer when they saw their names on the list.

But they soon discovered that although the list included total scores and rankings, it did not specify the candidates for each subject.

This scene surprised and delighted many, but also left some puzzled.

Finally, news spread that someone had cheated in the imperial examination, resulting in seriously distorted results. Therefore, the emperor decided to hold a re-examination, with only one subject: arithmetic in the palace examination.

Those whose names are on the list are requested to come to the Fengtian Hall starting tomorrow, where the Emperor will personally set the questions and supervise the examination.

We must restore a bright and clear world for all students.

These words left countless people stunned, and countless others with hearts pounding.

No one expected things to turn out this way.

Yang Shiqi and Tie Xuan, who were not on the list, breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the news.

With their skill level, how could they possibly be unranked?

And some of the people they knew who had no talent in modern learning were able to get such high scores.

This is clearly unreasonable.

It turns out that someone actually committed cheating in the imperial examinations!

In an instant, it was truly a case of some rejoicing while others grieved.

Regardless of what these people thought or how terrified they were, the imperial examination took place as scheduled the following day.

It's not that no one has thought about escaping, but there's simply no way to escape.

Their place of origin and names are all registered. If any of them escapes, it would be an admission of guilt, and the situation would only become more serious.

So he could only go to see the emperor with a heavy heart...

Many people are hoping for the blessings of their ancestors.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang, dressed in a dragon robe, sat on his throne, looked at the crowd, spoke a few words, and then ordered everyone to take their seats. He then distributed examination papers on the spot and began the examination.

He sat there proctoring the exam.

This time, things were completely different. It was no longer like the imperial examinations, where many people would start writing furiously as soon as the exam papers were handed out.

Many people scratch their heads, rack their brains, and hesitate to put pen to paper.

If it were any other subject, everything would be fine, but it has to be math. If you don't know it, then you really don't know it.

Sitting on his throne, Zhu Yuanzhang could see everything very clearly, and he was not at all surprised by this outcome.

He knew all too well what kind of people they were.

I used Liu Sanwu fishing rod, and it really worked every time.

Time passed slowly, and the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.

Some people were even on the verge of tears.

Who could have imagined that everything would change so quickly? I thought this imperial examination would be a great success.

But who could have imagined that the final result would be like this!
When the last incense stick burned out, the exam ended, and everyone handed in their papers.

Zhu Yuanzhang corrected the papers on the spot, and as expected, the arithmetic papers were a complete mess.

The best score among them was only a little over fifty points.

A paper with a score of 120 points, and they only got this few points, not even half of the mark. This shows how much of their scores were inflated!
Liu Sanwu and his ilk really haven't changed; their audacity is outrageous.

In my past life, I created a system where only people from the South were admitted, and no one from the North was accepted.

This time, none of those who learned the new material were recorded.

If he hadn't made it so obvious, it wouldn't have been so easy to find fault with him. Instead, he had to go to such extremes.

"Sun Rong, twenty-three points!"

"Zhao Youqing, 45 points!"

"Zhou Chao, nine points!"

……

While the students waited anxiously, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly finished grading their exam papers and checking their scores.

Then he read it out on the spot, as if the King of Hell were calling his name.

Many people were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, while others felt that the matter was far-reaching and the consequences might not be too serious.

"Come on, tell me, all of you who used to get full marks on math tests, with the worst score being 109, why didn't even one of you get 60 this time?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned ashen as he looked at the crowd and asked them a question.

The atmosphere was depressing to the extreme.

No one dared to speak.

"Can't say anything now, can you? You're all so audacious and reckless. The imperial examination system has been ruined by you bastards!"

Instead of studying hard, they only think about taking shortcuts.

What use are people like you?

Zhu Yuanzhang rebuked: "Cheating in the imperial examinations is a heinous crime that cannot be pardoned!"
We already made our point clear beforehand, but they ignored us completely.

"If that's the case, then you shall all die! None of your descendants, within three generations, shall participate in the imperial examinations!"

Upon hearing this, countless people collapsed to the ground, some weeping bitterly, others kowtowing desperately, but to no avail.

After arresting these people on the spot, Zhu Yuanzhang dispatched the Embroidered Uniform Guard to arrest Liu Sanwu and other related people.

Then, an inquiry and interrogation were conducted.

Starting with the results of the interrogations and some things that the Embroidered Uniform Guard already knew, they followed the clues and quickly arrested over a thousand people.

At the same time, the issue of cheating in the imperial examinations also came to light.

This shocked and angered many people.

Some people felt a pang of regret, but many more people vehemently criticized Liu Sanwu and his associates.

They are shameless and should be torn to pieces, but thankfully His Majesty is discerning.

Otherwise, we'll let these treacherous villains succeed in their scheme.

A new order came from the imperial court, stating that the previous imperial examination was invalid due to cheating, and that the examination would be reopened in ten days. The order also reiterated the importance of discipline and warned that no one should disrupt the examination or cheat.

During this period, many people were punished for cheating in the imperial examinations, resulting in a large number of executions.

Under these circumstances, who would dare to be so reckless as to do such a thing again?

Therefore, this time the imperial examination was held smoothly and no more trouble occurred.

A large number of students from the new school passed the exams, and Yang Shiqi, Tie Xuan, and Huang Guan, who were already outstanding figures in the history of the Hongwu reign, all ranked at the top this time.

Zhu Yuanzhang personally hosted a banquet for them; these were the talents he truly wanted to select.

Zhu Yuanzhang believed that as long as this could continue for one or two decades, more and more people who distinguished themselves through the new learning and obtained official positions would be able to take up positions in various places.

More and more people are learning new things.

If it becomes the orthodox doctrine, then anyone who wants to do something about it in the future will be able to do so.

It is fundamentally impossible to abolish them and re-examine the Four Books and Five Classics.

Reforming the imperial examination system was only one step in that process.

When the time is right in the future, he will also take the civil service exam, referencing future generations.

In the future, all official positions should be made available for people to take exams.

This would break down local interests as much as possible and change the situation where local officials were controlled by various family forces.

Once preparations are complete, the significant gap between generals and clerks will be broken down, allowing capable officials to rise through the ranks and promoting talent without being bound by rigid standards…

……

Two months later, Zhu Yuanzhang was beaming with joy.

The entire city of Yingtian was bustling with people, just like during the Chinese New Year.

It was even more lively than the previous golden age of the imperial examinations.

The reason for this is that an extremely sensational event has occurred—today, the steam locomotive officially began operation.

The matter of steam locomotives is no longer a secret these days.

The railway has been built for more than 400 miles. In the past six months, steam locomotives have been tested many times, running on the railway with smoke billowing out.

The clanging and banging sounds had long attracted many people.

The story of steam locomotives has been circulating among many people for a long time, but today is still a particularly noteworthy day.

On this day, the steam locomotive will officially begin operation, and even the emperor, empress, crown prince, and many officials of the Ming Dynasty will attend the event.

Under such circumstances, how could one not feel excited?
This is something I've never seen before!
Zhu Yuanzhang, holding a megaphone, addressed the crowd and delivered a concise and powerful speech before the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The steam locomotive was then started, and Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, Empress Ma, and others personally rode on the train.

With a whistle, the steam train, like a steel behemoth, began to move, and its speed increased rapidly.

Many people on both sides of the railway couldn't help but cheer and run along.

A brand new and extraordinary era has begun... (End of Chapter)