My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 293, "Memorial on Unblocking the Stagnation in the Selection of Imperial Examination Candidates"

Just as Su Ze had predicted, the reform of the system for selecting officials from among the successful candidates in the imperial examinations sparked a great debate among the scholars in the capital.

Moreover, this time Su Ze only targeted the Juren (successful candidates in the provincial civil service examinations), and granting official positions to Juren did not affect the system of Jinshi (successful candidates in the imperial examinations) officials, so overall, he was more supportive.

In the original timeline, not everyone wanted to get into Tsinghua or Peking University, and not everyone in the Ming Dynasty wanted to pass the imperial examination and become an official.

If passing the imperial examinations would guarantee a position, most of them would be willing to do so.

Seeing that public opinion had taken its course, and after communicating with several senior officials, including Gao Gong, who also supported his proposal, he realized that the public opinion had shifted in his favor.

Su Ze decisively stuffed the memorial into the "Portable Ming Dynasty Court".

——[Simulation Start]——

Your memorial, titled "On Unblocking the Stagnation in the Selection of Candidates for the Imperial Examinations," was sent to the Cabinet, and all the cabinet ministers supported it.

I thought everything was foolproof, but when you submitted your memorial, officials from the Ministry of Rites also submitted a memorial requesting to wrest the power to appoint educational officials from the Ministry of Personnel.

The reform of the selection of candidates for the imperial examinations turned into a power struggle between the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites.

This debate caused the emperor and his cabinet considerable headaches.

The emperor has accepted your memorial.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 790.]

[To approve your memorial, you need to pay 1000 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?]

what?
Su Ze never expected that his advice to the Ministry of Personnel on reforming the appointment of successful candidates to official positions would ultimately face the greatest resistance not from within the Ministry of Personnel, nor from the successful candidates themselves, but from the officials of the Ministry of Rites.

The timing of the Ministry of Rites officials stepping forward at this juncture was also perfect.

In fact, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites have long debated where the power to appoint and dismiss officials and educational administrators actually lies.

The Ministry of Rites' Department of Ceremonies and Ceremonies was clearly designated as responsible for educational affairs in the "Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty".

The appointment and removal of educational officials naturally falls under the category of educational affairs.

The most troublesome thing was that when the Ming Dynasty was first established, the education officials were indeed appointed by officials of the Ministry of Rites.

Or rather, the educational officials at that time were actually concurrently held by officials from the Ministry of Rites.

However, starting from the reign of Emperor Chengzu, in order to strengthen the power of the Ministry of Personnel, the power to appoint educational officials was centralized in the Ministry of Personnel.

After that, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites argued about this matter for a long time.

There's no way around it; the power to appoint people is the greatest power.

If the Ministry of Rites didn't even have the power to appoint and dismiss educational officials, how could it possibly dominate local educational affairs?

This is also one of the reasons why official schools have been declining since the mid-Ming Dynasty.

The education officials who were supposed to be in charge of local education actually didn't care about education at all; they were just a position within the bureaucratic system.

Those officials who became education commissioners only hoped to enter the officialdom through this position. Their goal in office was simply to avoid causing trouble and accumulate enough seniority for promotion as soon as possible.

As local public schools declined, powerful forces naturally filled the gaps, leading to the flourishing of academies during the Jialing and Longqing periods.

Su Ze now understood why reform was so difficult.

The more fundamental the reform, the more interests are involved, and the more likely it is to be targeted.

Even among reformers, there is a need to distribute benefits.

Su Ze overlooked the Ministry of Rites, which led to their surprise attack.

Su Ze currently only has 790 prestige points left, but he can certainly wait until next month to accumulate enough prestige points before taking action.

However, Su Ze decided to abandon this simulation for now.

"Abandon this simulation."

This simulation has been cancelled, consuming 1 simulation attempt this month.

To put it bluntly, the reason this simulation failed was because the Ministry of Rites also wanted something in return.

That's right. The education administration was also a matter for the Ministry of Rites, and Su Ze himself not only wanted to reform the system of selecting officials from among the successful candidates in the imperial examinations, but also had ideas for reforming the education administration.

In that case, we should discuss this further with the Ministry of Rites and revise the memorial accordingly.

He sighed and stood up. Why is it so difficult to get things done in the Ming Dynasty!
-
Ministry of Rites.

A group of officials from the Ministry of Rites rushed into the residence of Yin Shidan, the newly appointed Minister of Rites.

"Grand Minister of Rites! This time, you must represent the Ministry of Rites and make a statement!"

"Grand Minister of Rites! The Ministry of Personnel has been usurping the authority of my Ministry of Rites for a century. This time, we cannot let it go unpunished!"

Yin Shidan naturally knew the purpose of these Ministry of Rites officials' visit. Ever since Su Ze leaked the news in the newspapers that he wanted to reform the selection system for successful candidates in the imperial examinations, the discussion had been ongoing in the Ministry of Rites.

The controversy surrounding the appointment and removal of educational officials has always been a daily topic within the Ministry of Rites.

Given Su Ze's influence, if his petition is approved, it would be tantamount to clarifying that the power to appoint and dismiss educational officials would lie with the Ministry of Personnel.

Faced with overwhelming public opinion, Yin Shidan remembered the promise he made before assuming the post of Minister of Rites, and thus said:
"The matter of education administration falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites, but for a long time, the appointment of education administration officials has been controlled by the Ministry of Personnel."

"This is a good opportunity to take back the power of appointing and dismissing educational officials from the Ministry of Personnel, taking advantage of Su Zilin's reform of the selection of candidates for official positions."

"I will personally submit a memorial to fight for the interests of this department!"

Yin Shidan's slogan upon taking office as Minister of Rites was "to restore the glory of the Ministry of Rites."

After voluntarily relinquishing power over diplomatic affairs, Yin Shidan understood that he needed a victory to fulfill his promise.

In order to gain the support of subordinates, any department head must put the interests of their department first.

Power can come from the top down, and it can also come from the bottom up.

Yin Shidan understood this principle; he had to fight for the power to appoint and dismiss educational officials.

Sure enough, when Yin Shidan said he would take the lead in fighting for the interests of the Ministry of Rites, the officials became excited.

But at that moment, an official suddenly announced that Su Ze was requesting an audience.

The officials looked at Yin Shidan, their faces showing worry.

In a way, Yin Shidan was Su Ze's former boss.

When Su Ze first entered the Hanlin Academy, Yin Shidan was the head scholar.

Although there was little known interaction between the two, given Su Ze's reputation for being a "seductress" in the Ming Dynasty's officialdom, many officials feared that Yin Shidan would be "bewitched" by Su Ze and relinquish the Ministry of Rites' interests.

Seeing the distrustful looks around him, Yin Shidan sighed and said:

"Please invite Su Zilin to the main hall. Everyone, please come with me to meet Su Zilin."

Now the officials were relieved and followed Yin Shidan to the main hall.

Su Ze was also puzzled as to why he was not taken to Yin Shidan's official residence, but instead to the main hall of the Ministry of Rites.

But seeing this situation, Su Ze understood.

Yin Shidan probably guessed his purpose for coming and was afraid that a "secret meeting" with him would cause misunderstandings among the officials of the Ministry of Rites, so he met with him in public.

However, Su Ze was not afraid at all, as he had come to clarify things with the Ministry of Rites. "Greetings to the Grand Minister of Rites, greetings to all the officials."

Su Ze was very humble. Although Yin Shidan had been his superior, their relationship was just so-so.

Academically, Yin Shidan and Zhao Zhenji belonged to the school of mind, which conflicted with the practical learning advocated by Su Ze.

However, Yin Shidan's appointment as Minister of Rites last time was partly due to Su Ze's influence, so Yin Shidan was still quite polite in his reply:

"Is there any official business that Hanlin Su has come to our Ministry of Rites on?"

Su Ze said:

"Grand Minister of Rites, Your Excellencies, I have come here today to discuss matters concerning the Education Administration."

Su Ze's directness surprised the officials.

At this moment, an official stepped forward and said:

"Education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites. These days, Hanlin Su wants to promote the selection of candidates for the imperial examinations, but he is discussing it with the Ministry of Personnel alone. Isn't that looking down on the Ministry of Rites?"

Su Ze was not angry. The official who jumped out was putting on a big fuss, actually testing his attitude.

Su Ze didn't even bother with him and spoke directly to Yin Shidan:
"Grand Minister of Rites, the reason I have come here is to request the Ministry of Rites to support my memorial."

This somewhat angered the officials of the Ministry of Rites, but Yin Shidan stopped his men and instead asked:

"Does Hanlin Su intend to support the selection of educational officials by the Ministry of Rites?"

Su Ze shook his head and said:

"Grand Minister of Rites, you are wise. Our dynasty has entrusted the power of personnel selection to the Ministry of Personnel in order to ensure the orderly promotion of officials. If the position of educational administrator were placed under the Ministry of Rites, future transfers would be hindered by it. Is this something the Ministry of Rites would want to see?"

Any modern government system will unify personnel authority.

As Su Ze said, if the appointment and removal of educational officials were solely entrusted to the Ministry of Rites, then educational officials would inevitably be independent of the Ministry of Personnel's selection system.

This also hinders the development of educational officials.

However, the Ministry of Rites was clearly not buying Su Ze's explanation and was quite dissatisfied with his answer.

Yin Shidan also frowned.

He had thought Su Ze had come to seek peace, but it seemed he was not prepared to concede on the power to appoint and dismiss educational officials.

Yin Shidan's tone turned cold as he said:
"If that's the case, why did Hanlin Su come to the Ministry of Rites?"

Su Ze looked at everyone before speaking:

"Su came here regarding matters related to education administration."

"The affairs of the education administration are not just the affairs of the education administration officials."

Su Ze stopped keeping him in suspense and said:

"Grand Minister of Rites, are you aware of the proposal by Grand Secretary Gao and Grand Secretary Zhang to ban and destroy academies?"

Yin Shidan's brows immediately furrowed.

The banning of academies occurred during the reign of Emperor Jiajing (866-866), a movement by which the court prohibited academies, and this movement was repeated multiple times.

In the sixteenth year of the Jiajing reign, Imperial Censor You Jujing submitted a memorial criticizing Zhan Ruoshui, the Minister of Personnel in Nanjing, for "advocating heretical teachings, recruiting scoundrels, and privately establishing academies," and requested the emperor to "issue admonitions to rectify people's hearts."

On the one hand, Emperor Jiajing tried to persuade Zhan Ruoshui to stay, but on the other hand, he ordered the relevant authorities to destroy his academy.

The second instance was in the seventeenth year of the Jiajing reign (1548). Xu Zan, the Minister of Personnel, submitted a memorial to the Jiajing Emperor, citing the neglect of official schools and the construction of numerous academies that "gather students, provide for countless exams, and cause financial waste and disturbance to the people."

Emperor Jiajing immediately ordered strict prohibitions both inside and outside the capital, and ordered the destruction of all academies, and issued a decree to destroy all academies throughout the country.

These two bans on academies were due to the fact that many of the people in power at the time were scholars who opposed Wang Yangming and Zhan Ruoshui. They falsely accused Wang and Zhan of building academies and gathering students to teach, in order to suppress them politically and academically.

Using the pretexts that "official schools are neglected while separate academies are established" and "the cost is enormous, causing immense financial burdens and disruptions to education," all academies were banned and destroyed. However, academies held considerable influence and prestige at the time, and the ban was ultimately ineffective.

Moreover, the more the government forbade it, the more the private sector established it. As a result, the number of academies in the Ming Dynasty was not only the largest during the Jiajing period, but a considerable number of them were established after the sixteenth and seventeenth years of Jiajing's reign.

Since the reign of Emperor Longqing, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng have been staunch opponents of the "academy faction".

When Emperor Longqing had just ascended the throne, Gao Gong proposed to ban and destroy privately run academies.

Zhang Juzheng also stated on several occasions that he believed that academies "corrupted the moral character of scholars."

Because the previous two bans on academies were aimed at the School of Mind, and most of the private academies in the Ming Dynasty were now affiliated with the School of Mind, Xu Jie, who was in power at the time, suppressed Gao Gong's proposal to ban the academies.

Yin Shidan himself was a disciple of the School of Mind, and naturally opposed the banning and destruction of academies.

Yin Shidan's expression turned somewhat grim as he said:
"Is Su Zilin threatening me?"

Su Ze shook his head and said:

"Grand Minister, I do not agree with the Prime Minister's proposal to ban and destroy academies."

Upon hearing this, Yin Shidan's expression softened slightly.

Su Ze continued:

"The decline of official schools is a problem with official schools, not with private schools."

These words reassured Yin Shidan somewhat.

But if it wasn't to ban and destroy the academy, why did Su Ze bring it up again?
Su Ze changed the subject and said:
But the education administration is the foundation of the court's culture and education!

"Has the Grand Minister of Rites ever considered that privately established academies are now scattered throughout the provinces, with the academy heads assuming the titles of headmasters and setting their own rules? Some even use the guise of lecturing to form cliques and engage in corrupt practices. The Ministry of Rites has the title of Inspector of Education but no real oversight!"

Among the officials of the Ministry of Rites, many were also graduates of academies. They were in an uproar, and some stepped forward to say:
"Scholar Su, you are mistaken! The academy is a place for scholars to study; how can the government interfere?"

Su Ze ignored the official and instead spoke to Yin Shidan:
“Since I come from Jiangnan, how could I not know what academies are like? Some academies publish banned collections of literature, teach forbidden subjects, and even gather people to discuss politics, thus confusing the public.”

"Grand Minister of Rites, if the Ministry of Rites could send educational officials to academies in various provinces, it would not only standardize the content of lectures but also rectify the atmosphere among scholars. This is exactly what the Ministry of Rites should be doing!"

After these words were spoken, the main hall of the Ministry of Rites fell silent.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites, based on their own perspectives, were unwilling to ban or destroy the academies.

But what if the Ministry of Rites were to manage local academies?
The Ming Dynasty had academies in so many places, involving a wide range of interests.

If inspectors are dispatched, how many more positions could be added to the Ministry of Rites?
Even if it's a temporary job, it's still a pretty good one.

Su Ze then presented his specific plan.

“Any local academy with a hundred or more students must be appointed by the Ministry of Rites as an official in charge of education. This official ranks above the academy's Chancellor and is responsible for supervising lectures, inspecting printing, and verifying tuition fees.”

"The Ministry of Rites also needs to dispatch officials to inspect the academies in various provinces. For those academies that violate the laws of the court, the inspectors can order the academies to be disbanded. If the academies gather in crowds and refuse to disperse, the inspectors can disqualify them from taking the imperial examinations."

The Ministry of Rites official's eyes widened again.

If, as Su Ze said, the Ministry of Rites could be granted the function of supervising academies, that would be far more important than appointing a few successful candidates as academic officials!
This is the only thing that can truly restore the power of the Ministry of Rites!
As expected, Yin Shidan was tempted.

However, being a seasoned bureaucrat, Yin Shidan still needed to clarify things.

he asked:
What rank is the supervisor of academies?

Su Ze said, "Academies are places where talents gather. Many academies are for those who have passed the imperial examinations and are preparing to take the final exams. The supervisor of the academies must be a person of profound learning in order to win the respect of the people."

"Therefore, the supervisors of large academies must be graduates of the imperial examinations, and senior officials selected from the Ministry of Rites, or retired graduates of the imperial examinations, must be appointed to this position."

Yin Shidan glanced at Su Ze and thought to himself: Little fox! He actually managed to get something for nothing from the Ministry of Rites!
(End of this chapter)