Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Yao Pingzhong glanced at Yue Fei again, his jealousy growing stronger.

Yue Fei was too young and inexperienced.

To actually be granted a marquisate this time is truly a stroke of incredible luck, like his ancestors' graves emitting auspicious smoke.

Yao Pingzhong thought that if he had been on the battlefield at that time, he would definitely have been able to fight a brilliant annihilation battle like Yue Fei.

An official from the Ministry of Rites reminded them, "Distinguished guests, it's time to rehearse the etiquette. Please come over here."

Wu Qimai had been waiting for a long time, and it was finally his turn to take the stage.

The Ministry of Rites official said, "Just treat this place as the Imperial Street, and when you hear 'presenting captives,' go forward."

"You will be followed by many prisoners of war. Lead them forward and when you arrive at the destination, make the prisoners kneel down."

"Come on, now practice the kneeling salute with me..."

Wu Qimai's mind went blank at that moment. He remembered that there were prisoners of war following behind him, and those prisoners of war were all generals of the Jin Dynasty.

That's fucking humiliating and shameful!

Like a walking corpse, Wu Qimai kept walking, kneeling, and shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

At first, I was so embarrassed I wanted to die, but gradually I became numb and got used to it.

.....

The new era name was decided last winter.

At that time, Zhao Yuan received more than ten alternative reign titles from Kaifeng.

He wasn't satisfied with any of them, so he made one himself.

Moreover, it even has a four-character reign title: Revive China!

When Wen Huanzhang received this reign title, he was so surprised that he almost burst out laughing, so he went to consult the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites.

Then, Wen Huanzhang discovered that it seemed to actually work.

There is no limit to the number of characters in the reign title; two, three, or four characters are all acceptable.

Three-character reign titles are relatively rare, such as Wang Mang's "Shijian Guo".

There are a lot of four-character reign titles, such as: Taichu Yuanjiang, Jianwu Zhongyuan, Taiping Zhenjun, Tiance Wansui, Taiping Xingguo, Dazhong Xiangfu, etc.

The cabinet and the Ministry of Rites conducted a thorough study and concluded that the etymology of "revival" came from the Zuo Zhuan, although it was written as "restoration" at the time.

As it evolved into the Song Dynasty, "revival" always specifically referred to the restoration of ancestral temples, the state, and the nation's destiny.

There are currently no terms such as national rejuvenation, industrial revitalization, or cultural revitalization.

Therefore, if one wants to use "Revival" as the reign title, a specific word must be added; otherwise, it would have a negative connotation at the beginning of the dynasty.

The term "Zhonghua" originated in the Wei and Jin Dynasties and is a combination of "China" and "Huaxia".

After the Five Barbarian Invasions, it was given even more special significance.

Chapter 3496 Reviving China

Perhaps for modern people, "rejuvenating China" is just a very common slogan.

But at this moment, the combination of these two words for the first time clearly signifies the intention to "recreate the glorious Han and Tang dynasties and restore the unity of the world."

This reign title, which Zhu Wen Huanzhang considered extremely frivolous, surprisingly found no opposition from the senior officials in the court; some even felt that His Majesty the Emperor possessed grand ambitions.

It's very simple, the difference is between the first time and countless times.

Wen Huanzhang had heard the phrase "Revive China" so many times he was sick of it, but it was the first time that the civil and military officials had ever seen it.

As for the Western Xia envoys, their first reaction upon learning that the Ming Dynasty was using this reign title was one of panic and unease.

……

The first year of the Ming Dynasty's revival of China was 1133 AD.

The ceremony of presenting captives was still being prepared, and Zhao Yuan was presiding over the palace examination for the first time as emperor.

This year's imperial examination question, translated into plain language, is: "In ancient China, there were the various Xia peoples, as well as the barbarian tribes."

"At that time, China specifically referred to a tiny part of the Central Plains."

"Modern China extends from the desert in the north to the sea in the south."

"Many of the barbarians of that time became Chinese."

"The land they inhabited has all become part of China. Why is that?"

"Now within China, there are Han, Qiang, Xi, Tubo, Khitan, Dangxiang, Jurchen, and Uyghur..."

"Since various ethnic groups live together in China, can they be merged into one large ethnic group?"

"And how does one integrate into one's ethnic group?"

"Beyond China, there are also territories of the Han and Tang dynasties that have not been recovered."

"Should we reclaim our lost territories, and how should we govern the various ethnic groups there?"

"The emperor is very puzzled by this. He asks all candidates to discuss it in detail."

The last nationwide purge resulted in the execution, exile, and imprisonment of many officials.

Now that large swathes of territory have been recovered, there is an even greater need for officials to govern.

Therefore, there were many opportunities to become a Jinshi this year, with a total of four hundred people being admitted.

Zhao Yuan scanned the candidates in the hall. Some were scratching their heads, some were writing furiously, and some were secretly observing the emperor.

The scholars who could participate in the palace examination were all very intelligent. After receiving the questions, their first reaction was to match them with the reign title.

The reign titles all have symbolic meanings, representing the court's governing policies or aspirations.

The questions for the palace examination also had a significant background, as they must have been issues of concern to the emperor at that time.

With the reign title and the palace examination combined, how could you not understand it?

Three days later, the officials who were grading the papers sent over the exam results.

Zhao Yuan was too lazy to listen to them read it aloud, so he simply took it and read it himself.

The top-ranked entries were all beautifully written, with clear arguments and sufficient evidence.

The content is similar, but the focus is different, such as clan origins and bloodlines, military conquest, and moral education.

When Zhao Yuan saw the paper that ranked eighteenth, he found it somewhat interesting.

The writing style of this answer sheet is relatively simple, and there are not many allusions, so it is quite remarkable that it was seen by the emperor.

It started by talking about the bloodline of the Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor, and gradually shifted its focus to ethnic issues.

Moreover, taking the Tubo people on the border of Shaanxi as an example, he believes that most of the ancestors of these Tubo people were Han Chinese during the Tang Dynasty.

Why did their descendants become Tibetan after hundreds of years?

The analysis then examines the constituent elements of an ethnic group, namely language, writing system, clothing, customs, and appearance.

Zhao Yuan picked up his pen, circled the area, and commented: "It lacks religion."

The discussion then turned to the process of Han Chinese assimilating into Tibetan culture, with military conquest being the most important prerequisite.

Forced by the powerful, the local Han Chinese actively sought to emulate the Tibetans in order to survive, imitating their clothing and customs.

Moreover, due to a long period of neglect of education, they lost the language and script of the Han people.

All of the above is actually nothing.

The candidate also analyzed the influence of geographical environment, explaining that even within the Tubo people, customs and habits varied greatly.

The Tubo people, who were primarily engaged in agriculture, differed greatly from those who relied on herding in their customs, such as clothing and marriage.

The final conclusion was that if the Ming Dynasty wanted to unify the various ethnic groups, it could not force a one-size-fits-all approach, but must seek common ground while reserving differences based on local realities.

For example, if Tibetans who have become Han Chinese and live by herding livestock want to be reintroduced to Han culture, they cannot be forced to change their marriage customs.

Because those marriage systems that seem to be against etiquette and ethics arose due to the harsh living environment, and only through adoption, intermarriage, and other means could the tribe continue to survive as much as possible.

Zhao Yuan personally read through thirty exam papers, moved the eighteenth-ranked candidate to the first place, and left the other rankings unchanged.

"Let's unroll it,"

Zhao Yuan pointed to the imperial examination paper of the top scholar and said,

"The Ministry of Rites sent over the list of the top scholar's conduct (personal and family information)."

Every candidate had to register their information with the Ministry of Rites when they arrived in Beijing.

Soon, detailed information about the newly appointed top scholar appeared before the emperor and his ministers.

The ministers who were reviewing the papers all had somewhat strange expressions.

Li Zhong, courtesy name Zhicheng, was a native of Huangzhou, Shaanxi.

His father's information was relatively normal; he was a low-ranking general in the border army of the former Song Dynasty, who was transferred to Huangzhou when the Hehuang region was recovered.

The information about his grandfather is a bit outrageous; he was actually a military officer recruited by the Song Dynasty.

Although it wasn't clearly written, anyone with a little knowledge would know that it must refer to a foreign tribe from the border region of the Song Dynasty.

.......

Chapter 3497 The Top Scholar

The Grand Ceremony of Chuanlu.

A young man with slightly sunken eyes and a high nose bridge was called to the front and stood out from the crowd.

When the newly appointed scholars went to change into their official robes, this young man attracted a lot of attention.

There's nothing we can do; it's simply absurd that a scholar with distinctly foreign features would be chosen as the new top scholar in the imperial examinations.

The successful candidates were led to the main hall, with the top scholar, Li Zhong, walking at the front, and the officials in the hall all looked at him.

After paying homage to the emperor, they stood in a line, level.

Zhao Yuan called out, "The top scholar, come closer."

Li Zhong quickly stepped forward.

Zhao Yuan scrutinized him carefully: "What clan were your ancestors from?"

Li Zhong answered honestly, "Your Majesty, my grandfather was a Uyghur, my grandmother was a Tibetan, and my great-grandfather was... a Tangut."

"However, my mother is Han Chinese, and my grandmother's ancestors may also have been Han Chinese."

The ethnic composition is so complex!

Zhao Yuan did not investigate further, because there was definitely a problem.

A border soldier from the Northern Song Dynasty would normally be considered cannon fodder.

The son actually became a low-ranking general, and the grandson actually had the money to study for the imperial examinations; this is simply illogical.

It's actually quite simple. Li Zhong's grandfather became a military officer in the Song Dynasty's foreign army. When the Song Dynasty imposed trade sanctions on the Western Xia, he used his clansmen to help his superiors smuggle Western Xia salt.

Gradually, he developed good relationships with several superiors and even sought military officer positions for his brothers and sons.

When it came to Li Zhong's father, he was transferred to the Hehuang region as a low-ranking general and began to secretly do business with the Yellow-Headed Uyghurs.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, military generals were not allowed to engage in business, but Li Zhong's uncle was allowed to.

There's no need to rely on the military; they can simply run the Silk Road and sell their goods to Shazhou in Western Xia to make money.

The initial official positions of the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) had already been decided, but Zhao Yuan changed the appointments at the last minute, saying personally, "The top scholar, Li Zhong, does not need to stay in the court to observe politics; he should go directly to Rouyuan (Zhangbei County) to serve as the registrar."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Zhong bowed and expressed his gratitude.

Rouyuan County also has an extremely complex ethnic composition, and it served as an important springboard for the imperial court to control southern Mongolia.

If Li Zhong works diligently, he could probably be promoted to magistrate of Rouyuan County in one or two years.

This year's runner-up is Huang Gongdu from Putian, Fujian. Historically, he was the top scholar in the imperial examination during the Southern Song Dynasty.

The third-ranked scholar was an unknown figure, named Liu Chuanxian, a native of Kaifeng Prefecture.

If Zhao Yuan hadn't changed history, he might have died in the Jingkang Incident, which is why he didn't leave his name in the history books.