My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 290 Concerns about the Devaluation of Academic Credentials
Ultimately, Admiral Li Chao and Pacification Commissioner Chen Hao accepted Zhang Xuan's suggestion.

The Kingdom of Luzon in Manila sent an envoy, led by Lin Yuantu, the head of a Chinese merchant family, carrying the Kingdom of Luzon's letter of credence and tribute, to accompany the Ming Dynasty navy back to the Ming Dynasty to pay homage to the Ming emperor.

The Ming Dynasty navy stayed in Manila for five days, demonstrating the power of the Ming Dynasty to the citizens of Manila, before returning home with the delegation.

However, Zhang Xuan wrote another letter, which he had the postal system of the Ministry of Justice send to the capital before the fleet arrived, explaining the situation to Yang Sizhong, the Commissioner of Justice, and hoping that Yang Sizhong could persuade the court to accept the tribute from the Kingdom of Luzon in Manila.

After sending the letter, Zhang Xuan also sighed.

The loose political situation in Luzon, coupled with the fact that Manila is a melting pot of various factions, each with its own control but unable to form a unified force, makes it difficult to achieve this.

The municipal council system is precisely the most suitable for Manila.

Moreover, the relatively loose political system of the municipal council makes it easier for the Ming Dynasty to manipulate it.

However, Zhang Xuan also understood the reasons why Li Chao and Chen Hao opposed it. The tribute system was not a one-sided matter, but rather the Ming Dynasty recognized the legitimacy of Manila Luzon and incorporated Manila Luzon into the Ming Dynasty's tribute system.

Such issues, which involve etiquette and law, cannot be simply glossed over.

After sending the letter, Zhang Xuan used the remaining power of the Ming Dynasty navy to persuade the Manila City Council to expel the Spanish merchant groups in Manila.

He also persuaded the Manila City Council to build city fortifications and port fortifications, and to have the citizens of Manila pay taxes to hire a princely state outside the city to form an army to protect the trade routes near Manila.

Perhaps the Spanish were unwilling to go to war with the Ming Dynasty at this time, so the Spanish, who had been eyeing Manila covetously, quietly withdrew their forces from the vicinity of Manila.

Although the Spanish abandoned Manila, they sent more missionaries to Luzon, and more and more princely states began to convert.
-
October 11th, the capital city.

During his break in early October, Su Ze accepted an invitation from his friend Shen Yiguan to visit a theater near Chongwen Gate in the southeast of Beijing.

"Brother Zilin, tickets for the Chongwenmen Theater are extremely hard to come by."

There used to be a stage at Chongwenmen, which was a place for performing acrobatics.

But just last month, the stage was booked by a Kunqu Opera troupe, who set up tents around it and transformed it into a theater.

This seemingly simple theater quickly gained fame in the capital, and Su Ze had even seen reports about it in the Commercial Daily.

It is said that after the theater became famous, powerful families in the capital vied to invite them to perform, and the number of public performances became less and less.

Even Shen Yiguan managed to snag two tickets, so the two of them secretly went to Chongwenmen on their day off to watch the performance.

The Peony Pavilion?
After Su Ze saw the program being performed, he asked Shen Yiguan in confusion:
Who wrote the repertoire for this theater troupe?

Shen Yiguan had clearly done some research. He said, "I heard that he was a scholar in his twenties named Tang Xianzu. He came to the capital this year to prepare for the imperial examination the year after next. It seems that he sold his repertoire to this troupe because he was short of money."

It really is Tang Xianzu.

No wonder this theater troupe is so popular.

"The Peony Pavilion" is Tang Xianzu's most prized work, and it holds a pivotal position in the entire history of Chinese opera.

This is a romantic love story, and it's also a long play. Before the performance, Shen Yiguan said to Su Ze, "Today's performance is the first act. If you want to see the rest, you'll have to rely on Brother Zilin."

"rely on me?"

Shen Yiguan said:
"Yes, the Peony Pavilion has a full twenty-nine acts. It's impossible to watch the whole play in this theater. I heard that this troupe often performs at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. We'll have to rely on Brother Zilin's connections then."

Su Ze was speechless. It turned out that Shen Yiguan had dragged him over here so that he could "use his connections" to get a free show at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

Indeed, inviting a theatrical troupe to perform at one's home is very expensive, and it is definitely not something that ordinary officials can afford.

Only a duke like the Duke of Dingguo, whose family had held the title for generations, could afford to invite him.

However, a long play like "The Peony Pavilion" cannot be sung all at once. The entire play is divided into twenty-nine parts, or twenty-nine acts, and each act can be sung separately.

Unlike previous short plays, "The Peony Pavilion" was also known as a "fragmented play" by the people of the capital.

With the sound of a timpani, the opera troupe began playing instruments and singing backstage. The curtain slowly rose, and the actors took to the stage to perform.

It must be said that in the Ming Dynasty, where cultural and entertainment activities were relatively scarce, this play "The Peony Pavilion" was indeed captivating.

The theater was very quiet, and everyone listened attentively until the performance ended, at which point a continuous round of applause broke out.

Just then, a scholar rushed onto the stage and shouted:

"Please let me meet Master Tang!"

The commotion attracted the attention of the theater audience, and Su Ze and Shen Yiguan also stopped in their tracks.

But it was clear that this scholar who rushed onto the stage had connections, and this wasn't the first time. The theater owner came up from backstage and said helplessly:

“My esteemed sir, Master Tang is not at the theater. You always do this, which makes things very difficult for our troupe.”

Shen Yiguan immediately recognized the scholar who had rushed onto the stage, and he said to Su Ze:

"That man looks like Kim Hyeon-chung, the envoy from Korea who came to pay tribute."

"A tribute envoy from Korea?"

Looking at Jin Xianzhong's outburst, Su Ze thought, "This doesn't look like an envoy from a country at all; he's clearly just a crazy fan chasing after a celebrity."

"Master Murong, on behalf of the Korean delegation, I invite you to perform in Korea. Our king will certainly reward you handsomely!"

Murong scoffed inwardly. Although Jin Xianzong was a tribute envoy from Korea, he was incredibly stingy. The silver dollars he had paid for inviting the theater troupe last time were still outstanding, and now he was trying to trick him into going to Korea to perform.

Since Su Ze exposed the trickery behind the Korean tribute paper, although Korean delegations still frequently visited the Ming court, they always brought some worthless items. The Ming court only returned the gifts as a courtesy, and the Korean king no longer gained any advantage from the tribute.

But the tribute envoys from Korea had no choice but to come.

The allure of the Ming Dynasty is too strong.

The culture of the Ming Dynasty was already very attractive to Korea, and since the Ming Dynasty opened its seas, the influx of culture into Korea has become even more intense.

Korean merchants often brought back newspapers from the Ming Dynasty, and Xu Jie, a scholar of the Hongwen Pavilion, imitated the Yuefu Xinbao and published the Joseon National News.

It was called the "Joseon National News," but it was actually a branch of the "Yuefu Xinbao." The newspaper was full of reports about the Ming Dynasty, and only one page was dedicated to reports about Joseon's own domestic affairs, which no one read.

This cultural impact is even more intense than the economic impact.

The novels and dramas popular in the Ming Dynasty will soon become popular in Korea.

The clothes popular in the Ming Dynasty would also appear at banquets of Korean nobles.

This impact is comprehensive.

The Joseon king had to constantly send tribute envoys to the Ming Dynasty in order to maintain the influence of the Joseon royal court among the Joseon scholars.

After watching a performance of "The Peony Pavilion," Kim Hyun-chung became completely obsessed with the story. He repeatedly sought to meet the playwright, Tang Xianzu, and even invited the troupe to perform in North Korea.

If Kim Hyeon-chung could bring the theatrical troupe, which was popular in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, back to Joseon, he would become a trendsetter in the Ming Dynasty, just like Heo Je, and would be highly valued by the king.

Unfortunately, the Korean tribute envoys were still too poor.

Seeing Jin Xianzong entangled with him, the Murong family leader could only say:
“Golden Envoy, if you continue to cause trouble, it will attract the attention of the police.”

Upon hearing the words "police battalion," Jin Xianzong immediately quieted down. A while ago, several members of the delegation had gotten drunk and caused trouble in the streets, and were arrested and imprisoned by the police battalion. It was Jin Xianzong himself who bailed them out.

The Ming Dynasty's patrol battalion was renowned, backed by five imperial censors who patrolled the city gates.

Even the sons of nobles and high-ranking officials in the capital dared not cause trouble, for fear that their families would become the censor's achievements.

Kim Hyun-chung left dejectedly, and Su Ze and Shen Yi-guan came to the front of the stage.

Su Ze took out a visiting card and handed it to the troupe owner, Murong Dangjia, saying:
"My name is Xu Wei. This is my visiting card. I invite Young Master Tang to come to my residence for a chat."

The head of the Murong family initially wanted to refuse, but upon seeing the visiting card Su Ze presented, he felt as if he had been electrocuted, and stammered:
"But was it Mr. Qing Teng, Xu Wenchang, in person?"

Su Ze felt no pressure about the imposters impersonating him; he nodded slightly and left with Shen Yiguan.

After leaving the theater, Shen Yiguan said, puzzled:

"Brother Zilin, why do you use the identity of Mr. Qing Teng? If you just reveal your identity directly, wouldn't Tang Xianzu be eager to visit you?"

Su Ze smiled and said:
"That's not necessarily the case."

"?"

“Young scholars are always proud. If I use my visiting card, he will be unwilling to come to visit.”

Shen Yiguan said, "Afraid of being branded as a sycophant?"

Su Ze nodded, and Shen Yiguan understood as well.

Xu Wei was also a master in the field of opera, so using his name would be more appropriate.

Shen Yiguan recalled that when he was a student, he looked down on all the officials in the court, always believing that his abilities were no less than theirs.

Tang Xianzu was able to become famous in the capital at the age of twenty, which suggests that he must have been a proud and aloof person.

Su Ze's idea was just a spur-of-the-moment decision; he wanted to meet this character from the original textbook.

Having traveled through time to the present day, he has met countless important figures. His desire to meet Tang Xianzu is merely to satisfy his curiosity, not some kind of historical figure collecting hobby.
-
However, Su Ze did not wait for Tang Xianzu to visit him, but instead waited for his student Zhang Chun at the Imperial Academy.

"Are you going to give up the imperial examination the year after next and try to find a job as an educational official?"

Su Ze was somewhat surprised. Zhang Chun had passed the provincial examination in Shuntian Prefecture and was originally preparing for the imperial examination in the year after next, which was the sixth year of the Longqing reign.

Zhang Chun was a promising student selected by Shen Li from among the students admitted to the Imperial Academy. Su Ze would also frequently visit the Imperial Academy to give them lectures.

Although a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination) is eligible to become an official, in the Ming Dynasty, the career ceiling for Juren to become officials was still a bit low. Zhang Chun had previously said that he aspired to pass the Jinshi (a higher-level civil service examination), but now he suddenly changed his mind.

Su Ze looked at Zhang Chun and asked:

"If you have any difficulties in life, you can tell me."

Zhang Chun said gratefully:
“Master, I did not abandon my studies because of money.”

"Why is that?"

Zhang Chun hesitated for a moment before saying:

“Master, ever since I passed the imperial examination and became a Juren, I have realized that I may not be able to continue on the path of the imperial examination.”

Zhang Chun was telling the truth.

Five students from the Imperial Academy passed the provincial examination this time, among whom Zhang Chun was the student who had studied at the Imperial Academy the longest.

However, Zhang Chun was also the last of the five people who passed the imperial examination this time.

Although the provincial examination was only a qualification test for the imperial examination and the ranking was not important, Zhang Chun still felt that it was difficult.

Both being students at the Imperial Academy, Zhu Juntang, a close friend, made rapid progress after passing the provincial examination. Even his teacher, Shen Li, said that Zhu Juntang already had the ability to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

The other three students in the same year are all younger than Zhang Chun. Even if they fail the exam the year after next, they can wait another four years.

However, Zhang Chun is the oldest of the five, and he also has the heaviest family burden.

Therefore, after studying the essays of the successful candidates in the imperial examinations over the years and thinking about it for a long time, Zhang Chun made the choice to give up the imperial examinations.

Zhang Chun then said:
“In Shuntian Prefecture and Shanxi, the civil service examinations were no longer held, and those who passed the provincial examinations were no longer granted official positions, so my disciple…”

Su Ze now understood what Zhang Chun meant.

Those who passed the imperial examinations could be granted official positions, although they were initially unranked educational officials. However, if they performed well, they could be promoted to higher ranks.

However, since the Shuntian Prefecture and Shanxi started the civil service examination, those who passed the provincial examination could be exempted from the civil service examination and directly participate in the civil service class.

This was originally a measure taken by Su Ze to expand the number of students in the Ministry of Personnel and solve the employment problem for those who passed the imperial examinations.

However, at the same time, the Ministry of Personnel also closed the path for candidates from the two regions to enter officialdom.

The reason is quite simple: some successful candidates in the imperial examinations could only become clerks, while others could become officials. This unfairness would obviously cause chaos in the bureaucratic system and trigger more conflicts.

This is also a matter of course.

Su Ze understood Zhang Chun's meaning.

Zhang Chun understood that the promotion of the civil service examination was an inevitable trend.

As this "general trend" continues, the value of the title of Juren (举人) will depreciate. If the entire Ming Dynasty were to implement the civil service examination, Juren would only be able to serve as clerks and not as officials.

Therefore, Zhang Chun was eager to approach Su Ze, hoping to obtain an official position as a scholar by virtue of his status as a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations).

At the time, Zhang Chun's motives weren't entirely selfish.

He added:

“Master, when I was teaching at the almshouse, I also realized that I enjoyed teaching. Before coming to the Imperial Academy, I worked as a private tutor for a few years and wanted to hone my skills in the position of an educational official.”

Su Ze then remembered that Zhang Chun was now in charge of teaching the newspaper boys at the Beijing Almshouse, and he had indeed done a good job, training several newspaper boys who could read and write.

"You go back to the Imperial Academy and study hard, so I can think about this carefully."

Although he did not receive a direct reply from Su Ze, Zhang Chun still left with profuse thanks.

However, Su Ze frowned as well. Just as Zhang Chun had worried, some of the successful candidates in the imperial examinations had begun to worry about the "devaluation of academic qualifications."

There are too many scholars, but the imperial court can only offer a limited number of positions. And not all the successful candidates in the imperial examinations across the country are willing to become clerks like the candidates from Shandong.

Throughout history and across the world, when societies cannot provide enough high-level positions for the educated population, they will "find their own way out."

This is true for the late Han Dynasty, the late Tang Dynasty, and the late Ming and late Qing Dynasties in the original timeline.

How should this problem be handled? Even Su Ze was stumped.

(End of this chapter)