Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 145 The Scientific Expedition Ends, Prison Visit
"The Wealth of Nations" is an epic masterpiece that cannot be bypassed in the development of the world.

Of course, according to the people's view of history, history is created by the people. It is inappropriate to overemphasize the influence of individual elites, as it is easy to fall into the extreme view of history as a hero. Even if there is no Adam Smith, there is someone who claims to be Adam Smith.

But it is indeed the foundation of modern economics.

The current level of social productivity in Dayu is roughly equivalent to that of the Tang and Song dynasties.

Some scholars believe that the seeds of capitalism in my country sprouted in the mid-Song Dynasty, while the mainstream view is that it emerged in the mid-Ming Dynasty. But regardless of the perspective, it is far too early to discuss market economy and primitive accumulation of capital now.

But tell me, isn't the title "The Wealth of Nations" eye-catching or not?
As the emperor, wouldn't you be thrilled to see this at a glance?

All rulers would be 200% interested in these three words.

Take Wei Ye for example, doesn't he want the wealth and power of the top scholar?

Moreover, even if its ideas are advanced, it does not mean that all its measures will be extreme and reckless, and easily lead to the downfall of the country.

We must not be afraid of capitalism like a tiger.

"The Wealth of Nations" identifies three fundamental elements: labor, land, and capital.

The content is basically centered around the development of productive forces.

Many of these points can be revised based on the current situation before being put forward.

The essay question stated that Sun Qian made money in Zhang County mainly by cutting back on expenses.

But just like the last provincial examination, the only way for Dayu to get out of its predicament is to open up new sources of income.

Yuan Sheng.

Those who frequently trade stocks know that as long as you don't use leverage, it's impossible to lose money if you have unlimited funds to trade stocks.

Once wealth reaches a certain threshold, investments will not result in losses.

The historical trend is characterized by extreme disparities between the rich and the poor.

In today's world, as long as one is not overly greedy, does not seek more, and does not participate in political factions, no aristocratic family will decline out of thin air.

Including the Wei family.

It hasn't shrunk in size; on the contrary, it's still growing steadily.

Rather, it was the royal family's population that expanded.

This makes it appear cumbersome and weak.

Other powerful families are also expanding, so why shouldn't they?
Because other aristocratic families practiced elitist politics and did not care about the rapid development of minor branches, they suppressed and cracked down on them.

At worst, it's just a matter of a smaller branch replacing a larger one.

Alternatively, we can open a separate case.

Can the royal family do this?
Absolutely not.

The surname Wei implies either a mediocre life as a carefree prince or a hidden dragon lurking in the abyss.

In any case, they can't show off their talents.

The Ming Dynasty can be said to have been brought down by the "policy of nurturing Zhu".

In the later stages, hundreds of thousands of members of the imperial clan who did not participate in production were reduced to robbing the court's disaster relief funds.

The population of Dayu was far less than that of the Ming Dynasty, and the Wei clan did not expand as dramatically, so this problem was not too serious.

But it can be said that...

Now, Song Shi'an can say whatever he wants.

There is no sin in saying anything.

No matter what you say, no one can get angry.

Moreover, exam essays are not policies for governing the country. If you want to nitpick the words in the article and try to carry out some kind of literary inquisition, I can also nitpick your points.

Beset by internal and external troubles, one should not seek political enlightenment, but to resort to tyranny under such circumstances is tantamount to wishing the country would perish even faster.

The approach was thus established.

A policy essay destined to be recorded in the history of Dayu has begun to be written.

The scholars directly opposite were stunned to see Song Shi'an start writing on the exam paper without even needing to draft a draft.

If there are any mistakes, just use a brush to erase them and then continue to "speak freely".

Although when it comes to the point of submitting the exam to the Grand Secretary, the exam paper will be copied, and the score for the paper's appearance is not important.

However, for ordinary academic examiners grading papers, the presentation of the paper is very important.

This scholar had also taken the imperial examination, and it took him three attempts to pass. During the examination, he was extremely careful when copying the first draft, fearing that he might make a single mistake. He was as cautious as if he were walking on thin ice.

Later, he also participated in grading papers, which made him even more certain of how important the paper presentation was—many people's first impression of an essay is whether the paper is clean and whether the handwriting is neat.

If the paper is not neatly presented, it will be rejected immediately.

Fortunately, Song Shi'an's handwriting was unconventional and sometimes scribbled, but it was still quite beautiful.

As I wrote, I almost finished the entire test paper.

Originally thinking there would be another exam paper to take, Song Shi'an stopped writing.

Then, place the brush on the inkstone.

Finished writing?
It's still moving so quickly.

"I'm handing in my paper."

Song Shi'an raised his head and smiled slightly.

His exams were over.

“Alright.” The supervising scholar nodded, then stood up and said, “Lord Song may personally supervise the anonymization and sealing of the papers.”

"No need."

Without a care, Song Shi'an got up.

Soon, a member of the Imperial Guard and two jailers followed him and escorted him back to his cell.

Only the exam papers lay quietly on the table, along with a group of scientific researchers.

They strictly went forward to perform the blind naming.

All invigilators are not allowed to participate in grading the papers and will be separated from the others. Therefore, even if they catch a glimpse of the content at this time, it is not a big deal.

Given such a challenging exam question, he picked up his pen without hesitation and wrote down his thoughts. With such a torrent of inspiration, what kind of magnificent piece of writing did he create?
He would like to see.

Then, the three impactful words "The Wealth of Nations" caught his eye.

As a scholar, how could I possibly remain unmoved upon seeing these words?

It's like when there was no sacred learning, there was a book called "The Book of the Saints," what would you think?
Who is so arrogant as to call themselves a saint?

Similarly, a bureaucrat.

In an era when the emperor was so short of money that powerful families openly bought official positions, and people still applauded him, someone wrote a policy essay entitled "The Wealth of Nations".

There's only one feeling to it—crazy!

.........

The bell of the examination hall rang.

This scientific expedition has come to an end. For the vast majority of people, it is a great relief.

Similarly, for the vast majority of people, it's all down to luck from here on out.

Out of 3,000 applicants, 30 will be accepted.

He was already one in a hundred among the Xiucai (successful candidates in the county-level imperial examinations), and now he has to be selected one in a hundred again among the Juren (successful candidates in the provincial-level imperial examinations).

Of course, some people are still very confident.

After the exam, I realized that my essay writing skills were quite high.

After leaving the examination hall, Wang Shuishan felt completely relaxed.

At this moment, a fellow scholar who had passed the imperial examinations at the same time approached him and asked somewhat uncertainly, "Shuishan, how did you write your policy essay this time?"

When this was mentioned, he raised his finger and said with considerable confidence, "Open source, open source, and more open source."

"What do you mean? Can't we cut spending?" Hearing this, a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations leaned over and asked rather seriously, "This topic lists saving public funds as the first priority. Is writing about this off-topic and not going to generate tax revenue?"

As soon as someone gave the answer, more people quickly gathered around.

Many people participated in it.

“Saving public funds can certainly be profitable, but the question is clearly about how to make more money,” someone chimed in.

"But those measures that can make more money are inappropriate..."

"We can't be too concerned about the examiners' feelings. Didn't you see the model papers for last year's provincial examination?"

"But scientific research has never been this challenging before..."

"Times are changing, my lord."

"Shuishan, speak," said Wang Shuishan's scholar friend beside him. Knowing his profound thoughts and having gained considerable political experience from a year in the position of household registration official, he continued, "What is meant by 'open source'?"

"An article like 'The Strategy of Military Colonization' is an example of open source!"

Wang Shuishan became a staunch supporter of Song Shi'an with considerable certainty.

Some of the scholars standing beside him nodded slowly.

They just didn't go off-topic.

At this moment, Sun Qian and other Asian officials also came out.

They remained divided into two groups: Fan Wuji and Gao Yunyi in one group, and Sun Qian and others in the other, who were unwilling to join forces.

"The court is clearly giving a generous reward to Young Master Qian for this policy essay," Han Zhongchen, the lackey, immediately said obsequiously.

But Sun Qian's expression didn't change at all, and he left quickly without even saying a word.

"Is Young Master Qian somewhat unhappy?"

After the other person had gone, Gao Yunyi said jokingly.

“Multiple aspects.” Fan Wuji said without any mockery, “If it were me, being so blatantly listed alongside Song Shi’an would only make me feel ashamed and indignant.”

Military mindset.

"And then there's the fact that," Gao Yunyi added, "he probably felt disgusted by the exam too."

"What do you mean?" the bystanders asked, puzzled.

Then, Gao Yunyi explained, "The court's commendation of him for increasing tax revenue is an affirmation of his governance ability, but those reasons used to deceive children are not respectable."

"Yes."

After sighing, Fan Wuji murmured, "This intriguing topic makes one think that the court will be rife with danger in the future."

.........

Song Shi'an and Song Ce were in separate examination rooms. If they were sent out in batches, the purpose of anonymizing their names would be completely lost.

Therefore, after the examination papers were transported from the Gongyuan (Imperial Examination Hall), theirs were mixed in and sent to the Guozijian (Imperial College).

Then, the scholars worked tirelessly and frantically to revise the papers so that the results could be announced five days later.

The reason why the results of the Dayu exam were announced so quickly was to minimize any underhanded dealings.

However, Song Shi'an was not flustered at all.

If "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" plus "The Wealth of Nations" (a largely original version) can lose, then it really is a case of suppression by the imperial court.

He lay leisurely on the prison floor, enjoying his last days in jail.

At this moment, a seventh-rank prison officer came and said, "Lord Song, someone has come to visit you in prison."

"Huh?" Song Shi'an sat up, puzzled, and said incredulously, "Prison visits have been allowed?"

"..."

The other person paused for a moment, then explained, "Young Master Song, there was no rule against prison visits."

"what?"

Song Shi'an was bewildered.

“During special periods, prison visits are indeed prohibited. But once the case is largely settled, there is no longer a prohibition,” he added.

"So," Song Shi'an pointed to himself, asking to confirm, "not a single person has come to see me all these days?"

"..." After a long silence, he shook his head. "Young Master Song, there shouldn't be any."

Second Austrian!

The heroes of the Great Yu Dynasty, the famous ministers who resisted Ji, have been imprisoned for so many days. They were allowed to visit, but not a single one came.

No, putting aside the fact that my whole family was arrested, not a single other person came to see me.
Wang Shuishan, where have you been studying all this time?!

The imperial examination is important, but does that mean our friendship isn't?

"Let him come."

"Yes, Lord Song."

After Song Shi'an said something sad, the other party went to report it.

Oh, I forgot to ask, who came to see me?

Who could be so flashy?
Just as he was thinking this, the prison guard arrived with a familiar figure.

Looking up, Song Shi'an's eyes suddenly lit up.

When their eyes met, a gentle smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

Xin Yue could sense that Song Shi'an was genuinely happy to see her.

Her smile was innocent and had a kind of kind charm.

She, who rarely displays facial expressions, returned a gentle smile.

But before the smile could even spread, the other person, for some unknown reason, suddenly turned serious, and the corners of their mouth twitched: "Heh."

Xin Yue froze, then quickly returned to an expressionless face.

What a troublesome man.

(End of this chapter)