My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 294 Three-in-One Memorial

Yin Shidan saw through Su Ze's idea of ​​getting something for nothing.

According to Su Ze, if Jinshi graduates from the Ministry of Rites were appointed as supervisors of the Grand Academy, it would be equivalent to sending officials from the Ministry of Rites to other places, and would not increase the number of officials in the Ministry of Rites at all.

The same applies to the reinstatement of retired officials; the court doesn't even need to pay them salaries!
However, retired officials who had passed the imperial examinations were already accomplished and famous. If they lacked anything, it was fame!

Many retired officials write books simply for fame, don't they?

To serve as an inspector at a renowned academy is a prestigious position, and many healthy retired officials would certainly volunteer for it.

In other words, the supervisors of these academies were all on the original payroll, and the number of officials in the Ministry of Rites was not increased at all!
Yin Shidan snorted coldly and said, "If the officials from the Ministry of Rites are sent out, who will do the original work?"

Su Ze said:

"Grand Minister of Rites, the Ministry of Rites can send officials on a rotating basis to serve as supervisors of education for a period of two to three years. After they return to the Ministry, they will be promoted based on merit."

“The local education commissioner can concurrently serve as the supervisor of the academy in ordinary academies.”

It really was a freebie!
But this was a freebie that Yin Shidan and the Ministry of Rites officials couldn't refuse!

Being assigned to a renowned academy as an academic supervisor is undoubtedly a valuable career achievement for an official and a highly worthwhile source of political capital.

In particular, many of the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) came from the great academies of the Ming Dynasty. Serving as supervisors in these academies was tantamount to gaining early access to these political resources.

Moreover, bringing the academies under the Ministry of Rites' influence is nothing compared to the Ministry's ambition to expand its power; it's just a matter of getting something for nothing.

Seeing the atmosphere in the hall, Yin Shidan knew that Su Ze had actually persuaded the Ministry of Rites.

However, there were still some details he needed to confirm. This time, he disbanded the public council and instead took Su Ze to his own residence.

"What does Grand Secretary Gao think?"

Because it was a private occasion, the attitudes of both parties softened considerably.

Su Ze honestly replied:

"I will naturally speak to the Prime Minister, and I am 90% confident that I can also reach Grand Secretary Zhang."

Yin Shidan nodded. Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng's opposition to the academy was not entirely due to academic differences.

Rather, it stemmed from their natural dissatisfaction with the academy system, a system for scholars outside the mainstream, as powerful political figures.

The academies were the political core of scholars who were not in power. Many of the policies of Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng were opposed by the scholars in the academies.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng also saw the effects of the previous two bans on the destruction of academies.

Given the level of official schools, scholars will vote with their feet; nominal bans and destructions will only make the academies stronger.

Su Ze's method, on the other hand, is easier to implement.

By sending supervisors to the academies, the major academies were at least under control, or at the very least, they had the court's eyes and ears.

Setting up inspection teams would allow for targeted crackdowns on disobedient academies.

Abolishing the students' eligibility for the imperial examinations was a radical and decisive move.

Therefore, Su Ze said he was confident he could persuade Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, and Yin Shidan knew he wasn't just boasting.

"The appointment of supervisors and inspectors of academies must be made by the Ministry of Rites and cannot be delegated to the Ministry of Personnel."

Su Ze said:

"That's natural, but the evaluation should still be handled by the Ministry of Personnel."

Yin Shidan nodded in agreement. The power to evaluate officials belonged to the Ministry of Personnel, as clearly recorded in the "Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty," and Yin Shidan had no intention of vying for it.

Yin Shidan then asked, "The list of students in the Grand Academy?"

Su Ze said with great familiarity, "The four great academies of Jiangxi Bailudong Academy, Huguang Yuelu Academy, Henan Songyang Academy and Yingtian Academy should naturally have supervisors appointed."

"The remaining academies still need to be thoroughly investigated by the Ministry of Rites."

Yin Shidan nodded in satisfaction, and then said:

"The selection of successful candidates is indeed the responsibility of the Ministry of Personnel, and I will keep the officials of the Ministry of Rites in check."

"However, the affairs of the academy are also related to the administration of education, and Zilin should submit a memorial together with the academy."

Yin Shidan was also afraid that Su Ze would play tricks, so he asked Su Ze to put the two matters in one memorial.

Su Ze had the same idea, so he readily agreed.
-
After leaving the Ministry of Rites, Su Ze felt exhausted.

But then I thought about how the burden of the Ming Dynasty was on my shoulders!
Su Ze then rushed off to the Ministry of Personnel.

Today, Gao Gong has come to the Ministry of Personnel to handle official business.

After listening to Su Ze's words, Gao Gong frowned and said:
"Wouldn't the Ministry of Rites use the supervisors of the academies to suppress practical learning?"

Su Ze said:

“Master, nowadays there are no large academies for practical learning.”

Gao Gong nodded. Just as Su Ze said, almost all the larger academies nowadays are academies of the philosophy of mind.

Of course, there were also strongholds of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, such as Songyang Academy.

Su Ze said:

"The officials of the Ministry of Rites were not of one mind either. The factional divisions within the School of Mind were greater than those between the School of Mind and other schools of thought."

Gao Gong smiled upon hearing this.

Su Ze's words are not wrong. Within the School of Mind, people have been fighting tooth and nail over who is the true successor to Wang Yangming.

It is also a common tactic for different schools of thought to use Wang Yangming's "Instructions for Practical Living" to attack each other as pseudo-science.

Sending supervisors to the academies was in line with Gao Gong's ideas, he said:

"I will support you in this matter."

But Gao Gong said with concern:

"Zilin, you've been busy with government affairs these days, but you should also pay more attention to practical matters."

It's no wonder Gao Gong was worried.

Despite the impressive media coverage of practical learning in the newspapers, which made it seem like it was on par with the philosophy of mind, the actual learning was not as prominent as it appeared.

However, Gao Gong's own people know their own affairs.

In reality, among the common people, practical learning simply cannot compete with the philosophy of mind.

The reason is simple: practical knowledge cannot be acquired through the imperial examinations.

Local academies were basically dominated by the School of Mind, while the rest taught the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism for exam preparation.

To this day, there is not a single academy that truly practices learning.

Watching Su Ze messing around with the academy, Gao Gong felt another wave of irritation.

There was nothing Su Ze could do about this.

The imperial examination system was the foundation of the nation and could not be changed arbitrarily.

Let alone practical learning, even the philosophy of mind, founded by Wang Yangming, has never managed to gain any traction in the imperial examinations.

The textbooks used for the imperial examinations are still the Complete Collection of the Four Books and Five Classics, which was officially commissioned in the early Ming Dynasty and mainly contains annotations by Zhu Xi from the Song Dynasty.

In other words, the textbooks used in the Ming Dynasty's imperial examinations were still based on Zhu Xi's annotations.

No matter how much the Xinxue Academy promoted Xinxue (the philosophy of mind), the exam-taking skills taught in the classroom were still based on Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism.

If even the philosophy of mind couldn't revise the exam syllabus, then practical learning is even less likely to succeed.

Even if Su Ze had a golden touch, and it concerned the examination syllabus for all the scholars in the world, the amount of prestige points he needed would definitely be astronomical.

Seeing Gao Gong's anxiety, Su Ze took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Gao Gong.

"What is this?" "Master, this is a letter Li Shizhen wrote to his disciple."

"Dr. Li?"

Gao Gong quickly opened the letter.

After Li Shizhen used schistosomiasis to verify the theory of microworms causing disease, he established correspondence with Su Ze, and the two would discuss some medical issues.

Su Ze gave Li Shizhen a lot of inspiration, and Li Shizhen has now given up his plan to compile a medical classic.

Li Shizhen's new goal was to establish a medical school.

"Teaching medicine using practical knowledge?"

Gao Gong frowned. "Li Shizhen wants to open an academy?"
It's not unusual for doctors to set up their own schools and teach students.

However, this is usually a master-apprentice or father-son inheritance, similar to the way craftsmen pass on their skills.

There were also those like Li Shizhen who compiled medical books to pass on to future generations, but these kinds of medical books were often reference books rather than introductory textbooks.

However, Li Shizhen's intention in the letter was to build a medical college in Nanjing specifically to recruit disciples and teach medicine.

This sounds more like an academy.
If it weren't for Li Shizhen, Gao Gong would probably have thought this was a fantasy.

Su Ze said:

“Master, you don’t know, in my hometown of Suzhou, a skilled doctor can earn up to fifty silver dollars a year, and a doctor with a little reputation can earn more than one hundred dollars a year.”

Even Gao Gong was somewhat surprised.

A seventh-rank county magistrate's nominal annual salary was only a little over forty silver dollars.

Officials in the Ming Dynasty had relatively low salaries and also received gray income, so this certainly cannot represent the income level of local officials.

However, fifty silver dollars a year was enough to live a fairly good life.

Earning more than 100 yuan a year can be considered quite wealthy.

Su Ze was not exaggerating this point.

The developed economy and growing urban population in the Jiangnan region have naturally spurred demand for health products.

A good doctor is naturally in high demand and short supply.

Li Shizhen also discovered that many doctors in the Jiangnan region were quacks; their prescriptions were ineffective, and many were even charlatans who frequently caused deaths.

Even so, doctors in the Jiangnan region still earn very high incomes.

These doctors cherished their medical books, treating them as their own secrets, and were not easily taught even to their disciples.

When Li Shizhen saw what Jiangnan looked like after the disaster relief efforts, he had the idea of ​​taking on apprentices.

After learning from the letter about Li Shizhen's idea of ​​taking on students, Su Ze proposed the establishment of a medical school.

The solution proposed by Su Ze was very tempting.

First of all, medical schools are much more efficient than traditional medical schools in training apprentices; they can train a large number of people at once.

Secondly, medical schools can be used not only for teaching but also for research. Li Shizhen could teach his students while conducting medical research, and his students could also be his assistants and learn through practice.

Finally, Su Ze also made a promise to Li Shizhen: if he was willing to open a medical school, he could help Li Shizhen secure policy and financial assistance.

Thus, Li Shizhen wrote this letter.

Su Ze said:

“Master, Physician Li established the medical school in Jinling to gather disciples to study practical knowledge, and also to train more doctors to practice medicine and save lives. Therefore, I believe that the court should help Physician Li to establish the medical school.”

Gao Gong came to his senses and applauded Su Ze's idea.

Isn't there a lack of entry points for practical learning? Then isn't medicine a great entry point?
Doctors have high and stable incomes, and there is a strong demand for them. In fact, some poor scholars have turned to medicine.

However, these people could only read some ancient medical books, and their medical skills were comparable to those of shamans. It was common for them to kill people, and it was considered lucky if they were cured.

Shouldn't practical learning start from reality?
Medicine is the most practical thing.

Su Ze's theory of micro-insect-induced diseases laid the foundation for practical learning.

What if Li Shizhen had established a medical school to teach doctors and impart practical knowledge?

Practical academic examinations may have to wait, but training physicians through practical knowledge seems to be relatively straightforward.
When it comes to treating illness, it's all about being realistic. If you can be cured, you live; if you can't, you die.

Gao Gong understood the implications and immediately said:
"Leave this matter to me! I must ensure that Doctor Li establishes the medical school!"

Su Ze felt much more at ease knowing that Gao Gong was willing to push this forward.

In fact, Su Ze had already obtained support from Hai Rui, the governor of Yingtian. If Gao Gong could support Li Shizhen's school in the name of the imperial court, Su Ze could also get some sponsorship from Crown Prince Zhu Yijun, which would cover the cost of establishing the medical school.

Given Li Shizhen's reputation in the Jiangnan region, he would certainly not have trouble finding students.

Practical knowledge may not have an advantage in the imperial examinations, but it has a huge advantage in cultivating talents in other disciplines.

In the original timeline, modern universities are essentially two different paths.

One is royal or religious schools, which in the East are similar to the Imperial Academy and other academies. These are institutions specifically for training officials and teach grammar and literature.

Another type is vocational and technical colleges, which are often established based on real-world needs and teach professional skills such as engineering, arithmetic, and navigation.

And medical schools are the most special of all.

In the original timeline, the earliest medical school in the modern sense was the Royal College of Physicians of England.

It is an academy funded by the royal family, but it trains medical professionals.

This is probably because medicine is something that both royalty and ordinary people need; who doesn't want to be healthy?

Su Ze presented the medical school plan, and Gao Gong said with satisfaction, "I misunderstood Zilin. I will coordinate with the Ministry of Personnel regarding the matter of dispatching supervisors to the academy."

When Gao Gong, the Minister of Personnel, spoke, Su Ze knew that his plan was almost successful.

Gao Gong thought for a moment and then said:

"Please include Dr. Li's request to establish a medical school in your memorial as well. Combine these three matters into one memorial, and I will persuade the other cabinet ministers."

Su Ze had no choice but to go back and revise the memorial, finally producing this three-in-one memorial.

A Memorial on Unblocking Obstacles, Revitalizing Education and Medicine to Cultivate Talented Individuals

After finishing the proofreading, Su Ze stuffed the memorial into the "Portable Ming Dynasty Imperial Court" app.

——[Simulation Start]——

Your memorial entitled "Memorial on Revitalizing Education and Medicine to Cultivate Talents" was sent to the Cabinet. Under Gao Gong's persuasion, the cabinet ministers all supported your memorial.

The Longqing Emperor then ordered the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites to discuss the matter, and both ministries basically agreed with your memorial.

However, in the final part of his memorial, Li Shizhen's proposal to establish a medical school was opposed by the Imperial Medical Academy.

Faced with opposition from the imperial physicians, the Longqing Emperor passed reforms to the selection of candidates for the imperial examinations and reforms to academies, but shelved the establishment of a medical school.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 830.]

[To fully approve your memorial, you need to pay 300 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?]

Good heavens, Su Ze had planned everything, but he never expected that it would be the Imperial Medical Academy that objected.

That's true. Even the Longqing Emperor didn't want to offend the imperial physicians.

Since that's the case, Su Ze didn't hesitate to spend the 300 prestige points and directly chose "Yes".

[Prestige points have been deducted, remaining prestige points: 530. Please complete the petition in real life as soon as possible.]

(End of this chapter)