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

Li Gang said sternly, "You can sleep now, you don't have many more days to sleep anyway!"

Qin Hui sighed, "Every day I can live is a day I must live."

……

Luoyang, the Imperial Examination Hall.

One after another, the students of the Imperial Academy were suddenly told that they would not attend class today, but to bring their writing brushes, inkstones and inkstones and follow the teacher.

As we walked, we arrived at the Ministry of Rites Examination Hall, the place where the imperial examinations were held.

"Is this an exam?" Hong Mai looked at the line ahead.

Lu You didn't respond to that; he had realized something was wrong the night before.

His father, Lu Zai, was urgently summoned back to the capital and succeeded Hu Anguo as Minister of Rites.

I arrived in Beijing yesterday at noon and went to the palace to meet the emperor in the afternoon. I haven't been home since.

His mother sent a servant to inquire, but the guards at Donghua Gate told him to wait patiently.

Upon further inquiry, it was learned that many officials from the Ministry of Rites had gone to the Imperial Examination Hall and had all stayed there overnight.

Wang Lianqing said in a low voice, "Did you notice?"

"None of the three scholars are here today; they are usually at school every day."

Hong Mai guessed, "They won't get arrested?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Lu You scolded. "The three scholars entered the examination hall yesterday."

Wang Lianqing asked, "How did you know?"

Chapter 3921 The Chaotic Imperial Academy

Lu You said, "My father went to the capital yesterday and became the Minister of Rites. He also stayed at the examination hall all night and did not return."

"Your father did it..."

Hong Mai stopped mid-sentence, quickly suppressing his shout, and turned to look at Wang Lianqing beside him.

"Line up, everyone line up, wait for your number to enter the exam room!" An official came over to maintain order.

The three scholars they mentioned were all inside the examination hall at that moment.

The emperor ordered a surprise test to assess the academic proficiency of all the students in the Imperial Academy.

The procession was quite frightening; they were first summoned to the palace.

Then I went straight to the examination hall to set the questions. I was busy for most of the night and didn't sleep.

The official positions of the Imperial Academy in the Ming Dynasty were basically inherited from those in the Song Dynasty, but there were also subtle changes.

For example, the position of "Guan Gou Tai Xue Gong Shi" (headmaster of the Imperial Academy) was changed to "Zhi Tai Xue Gong Shi," or simply "Zhi Xue."

Two other vice principals changed their names to Tongzhixue.

The official titles in the Song Dynasty included Zhi, Pan, Tong, Tiju, Tidian, Guangou, etc.

All of them were temporary or part-time positions.

Take the Privy Council as an example. The real head is the Privy Councilor, but there is often a person who is in charge of the Privy Council.

The same applies to county magistrates; occasionally, a county prefect will appear.

The Ming Dynasty continuously simplified the official system, merging official titles, honorary positions, and nominal posts into official ranks, which were used to determine seniority and pay salaries.

All specific assignments were standardized into formal official positions to confirm the relevant powers and responsibilities of officials.

The current Imperial Academy has one principal and two vice-principals.

There were also positions such as Imperial Academy Instructor, Academic Instructor (student-appointed, no official rank), Imperial Academy Registrar, Academic Registrar (student-appointed, no official rank), Imperial Academy Doctor (professor), Imperial Academy Assistant Instructor (lecturer), Imperial Academy Lecturer (junior lecturer)...

"The emperor has arrived!"

"The emperor has arrived!"

Several shouts came from afar, and the officials, teachers and students in the examination hall were all in a panic, turning around and coming to the gate of the examination hall to pay their respects.

But then a rider galloped up and shouted, "Do what you're supposed to do, all of you go back!"

The crowd quickly stopped and restored order.

Zhao Yuan's carriage stopped at the alley entrance, and he lifted the curtain to observe silently.

Suddenly, a few students, who looked like students, carefully walked along the wall, trying to get past the emperor's carriage to the gate of the examination hall.

Immediately, guards went to stop them, and after some questioning, they returned and reported, "Your Majesty, those are all students of the Imperial Academy."

Zhao Yuan's face was extremely grim: "Detain them and have their teacher come and take them away."

The Imperial Academy allowed students to commute, especially those whose elders lived in the capital, so they could go back to their families every day.

However, there is a strict attendance system, and students are not allowed to be late or leave early. Leave of absence requires the approval of the Imperial Academy.

Even if you are sick, you must complete the leave application process afterward, and it must be signed by a doctor.

The decline of the Imperial Academy in every dynasty began with absenteeism.

After a century or so of development, the vast majority of students from the Imperial Academy had graduated without ever attending a class.

Some even lived in their hometowns, which were a thousand or two miles away from the Imperial Academy!

The imperial students were brought before the emperor, their expressions filled with panic and unease.

Zhao Yuan asked with a smile, "What time is it? Why are you only now coming to take the exam?"

One of the students replied, "We had an upset stomach last night, which caused us to be late this morning."

"I didn't know there would be an exam, so I went to the school first, and then rushed to the examination hall..."

Chapter 3922 The Imperial Academy Also Needs to Be Changed

Zhao Yuan interrupted, "Do you know what the crime of deceiving the emperor is?"

"Your Majesty, spare your life!"

The student knelt down with a thud and immediately changed his story, saying, "We went to the brothel last night and went to bed too late to get up early."

Zhao Yuan asked, "Who is your father? He must be some high-ranking official in the court, right?"

The student lowered his head and remained silent, not daring to answer at all.

Zhao Yuan thought about it seriously and said, "Forget it, you are still young, it's not too late to correct your mistakes now."

"I won't ask your names or look for your teachers. Go to the examination hall immediately."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The students all knelt down and kowtowed frantically to the emperor before disappearing in a flash.

Lu You and his friends have already received their numbers and entered the venue.

The Imperial Academy of the Ming Dynasty offered many subjects, but only Mathematics was a compulsory subject. Students were also required to take one of the Six Classics and one natural science subject as electives.

As for the Four Books, they are not taught in schools, but they are tested.

Why not teach it?

You haven't even mastered the Four Books, how did you get admitted to the Imperial Academy?

Even those who were recommended for admission as descendants of meritorious officials or martyrs had to first study the Four Books at the Biyong (the preparatory class of the Imperial Academy) before they came.

The Six Classics of the Ming Dynasty were a new set of Six Classics, which removed the "Classic of Music" and added the "Xunzi".

Of course, if students feel they have extra energy, they can continue to take more courses.

The more extra elective courses one takes and passes the exams, the more likely one is to be granted the title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) upon graduation.

From the time of Emperor Huizong of Song onwards, the graduation examinations of the Imperial Academy were all presided over by the emperor himself.

Zhao Yuan also inherited this fine tradition. Every year, the number of students directly awarded the title of Jinshi upon graduation from the Imperial Academy was limited, and without exception, all those who received this honor were the top scorers in the imperial examinations!

Last year, there was a student who got full marks in math and physics, and achieved three excellent grades and one good grade in the Four Books (a set of four classic texts).

Of the six classics, one is excellent, one is good, and four are acceptable; astronomy, geography, and law are all acceptable.

However, he was not granted the title of Jinshi and had to choose to try again the following year.

Incidentally, Zhao Yuan merged the Imperial Academy graduation exam with the special examination, changing it into a specialized exam that included various miscellaneous subjects.

This attempt failed; it lasted only one term before the parties announced their separation.

There are currently three types of imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty:

First, the Imperial Academy Upper Dormitory Examination.

Only students of the Imperial Academy could participate. The exam was held annually, with ten Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) each year.

A student at the Imperial Academy could take the exam a maximum of three times, after which they would be forced to graduate or complete their studies.

If a student cannot complete the exam here, they can take other exams.

Graduates of the Imperial Academy, in particular, immediately obtained the status of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination) and could directly participate in the metropolitan examination—graduates who had not yet completed their studies could not.

Second, the regular subject exams.

This refers to the traditional imperial examination system, in which all scholars could register.

Third, the examination for imperial examinations.

In other words, it's a specialized field, encompassing all sorts of miscellaneous disciplines, divided into two main categories: traditional Chinese philosophy and practical learning.

It was separate from the traditional imperial examinations, and was also held every three years, but each session had only fifty special candidates who could be directly appointed as mid- to high-ranking officials.

There are also one hundred special examination candidates who can be directly appointed as low-level technical officials.

Lu You chose to study the Spring and Autumn Annals, which was his family's traditional learning.

He also studied the Erya, one of the Thirteen Classics, which was also part of his family's traditional knowledge.

He also took elective courses in Physics, Astronomy, Geography, Xunzi, and the Book of Poetry.

Lu You heard from the senior students in the upper dormitory that if he only chose these options, he would not be able to obtain the title of Jinshi unless he could get excellent grades in all of them.

Chapter 3923 Academic Corruption

Of course, graduating smoothly is definitely not a problem, as you will be granted the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) upon graduation.

He didn't know what a scroll was, but he found it terrifying.

Last year's top graduate of the Imperial Academy was a guy named Zhang Congdao.

He entered the Imperial Academy at the age of ten as a child prodigy from Shandong, and studied there for a full ten years.

Each time, the time limit for promotion was reached before the exam for advancement to a higher level, and even the graduation exam was taken only after the time limit had been reached.

The main idea is to stay put and not leave, eating and drinking for free at the Imperial Academy while studying.

My graduation grades were terrifying.

He excelled in mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, law, and the Four Books; he was rated two excellent and four good in the Six Classics; and even a dictionary like the Erya was rated good.

Even while still studying at the university, he had already invented his own mathematical formulas.

The thought of Zhang Congdao filled Lu You with despair.

How can I compare to such a child prodigy?

However, Zhang Congdao's whereabouts were even more mysterious; he was not granted any substantive position.

He was granted an official title initially, and then disappeared without a trace.

I heard that he was taken to Wangchuan Valley by Prime Minister Wen.

But Lu You thought it must be a rumor. The Prime Minister had already abdicated, so why would he take over such a genius?

After a long wait, the questions were finally sent out.

Lu You discovered that setting questions was not difficult, and the number of questions was also very small.

It was no different from the usual monthly or ten-day exams; in fact, the extra elective subjects didn't even require answers.