"Perhaps we can increase the quota and recruit some northern scholars?" Han Du tried to say flatteringly.
Lao Zhu frowned, obviously dissatisfied. He looked up at Han Du and said, "Isn't this still a compromise with the northern scholars?"
"Not really." Han Du smiled and shook his head.
After a pause, he explained: "If the emperor opens another subject specifically to recruit northern scholars, then this subject will almost become a rule in the future, otherwise those northern scholars will not agree. But the additional quota is different. This is an opportunity given to northern scholars by the emperor's great kindness. This will only be a special feature of this subject and will not become a rule. If we continue to open subjects to obtain scholars in the future, no one will use Ding Mao Ke to make excuses. After all, The emperor's favor can be great once, but it cannot be great again and again, right?"
Lao Zhu nodded lightly and understood what Han Du meant. It seems that the two methods are similar, but such a small difference makes the effect produced greatly different. If a special subject is opened to recruit northern scholars, then these scholars will think that the court is afraid of them and has to compromise with them. It is conceivable that if the next court does not open a separate subject to recruit northern scholars, then these people will definitely make trouble for their own interests, regardless of their own safety.
The increase in quotas is different. The increase in quotas is the emperor's grace. This is not without precedent in the past. In the past, Lao Zhu would set up additional quotas for scholars when some of the scholars he valued were not on the list, or when the court needed more officials and there were not enough scholars on the list. It’s just that the number of additional places in the past was generally relatively small, sometimes just a few people, sometimes just a dozen people.
Moreover, not only the number of additional places is uncertain, but also whether there will be additional places is not certain. There were no additional places in the 14th and 17th years of Hongwu. Because of the additions made in the previous ten years, Ming Dynasty now has no shortage of officials.
And this time the northern scholars are making trouble, it is definitely not something that can be dismissed by a dozen people. It may take dozens, or even hundreds, of people to stop the northern scholars.
But no matter how many additions are made, it can only be done once. If even one subject is not added to the next class, no scholar will complain.
Seeing that Lao Zhu was still hesitant, Han Du struck while the iron was hot and reminded: "Your Majesty, the harm of opening another subject is not just that."
"Oh? What do you think? Tell me. I'm listening." Lao Zhu's slightly cloudy eyes turned and looked at Han Du standing below.
Han Du's expression quickly calmed down, and he said with a heavy tone: "If the Ming Dynasty's exams are divided into northern and southern subjects, there will be disaster in the future."
"What's the trouble?" When he heard Han Du speak, Lao Zhu couldn't help but his heart jumped suddenly, but he asked calmly on his face.
Han Du's tone was somewhat solemn, and he said in an affirmative tone: "Since ancient times, there has been no number one in literature. If the difficulty of the examination for scholars from the south increases, and the difficulty for scholars from the north decreases. In this way, it will inevitably This will cause scholars from the north and the south to be hostile to each other, and over time it will definitely lead to officials from the north and the south joining forces to keep each other warm, and the entire court will be divided into two factions, the north and the south."
Lao Zhu's face suddenly became ugly, he sat up straight, stared at Han Du closely and asked: "You mean, they are cliques?"
What Lao Zhu is most afraid of and worried about is the official friends.
party. Once an official becomes a clique, it is very likely that he will evade the emperor's power. This is something that Lao Zhu will never tolerate and is absolutely unwilling to see.
Didn’t you see that Hu Weiyong’s cronies were dealt with by Lao Zhu? Although Hu Weiyong was charged with conspiring to rebel, you can think with your toes that Hu Weiyong is not a fool. How could a person who followed Lao Zhu all the way to conquer the north and south know that rebellion relies on military power? He doesn't even have a single soldier under his command, so he would only rebel if his brain was damaged.
Conspiracy to rebel was just a charge that Lao Zhu forcibly pinned on Hu Weiyong. The real reason why Hu Weiyong cannot be tolerated is because of his cronies. Otherwise, even if Hu Weiyong is really plotting a rebellion, just kill the main ones. Why has he refused to give up and pursued it until now, and there is still no end?
Han Du smiled with an ugly expression. This was not a question of whether it would happen or not. But if the officials from the north and the south became hostile to each other, it would seem that there was a fierce fight below, which would be conducive to the emperor's control of the court. However, once one party gained a strong position, in order to continue to maintain their advantage, they would definitely pay attention to the people above their heads. The emperor exists. At this time, they will think that if they can hold the emperor in their hands, then they can always have the upper hand in future battles with the other party.
Therefore, once officials start cliques, the emperor will be in danger sooner or later.
Lao Zhu naturally understood this truth, and he would never allow his descendants to face the problem of cliques.
"Then there is no hidden danger in increasing the quota?" Lao Zhu has now completely given up the idea of opening another subject, and even questioned Han Du's method. He always felt that Han Du's method was not perfect and had flaws.
He was bitten by a snake, and he would be frightened just by looking at the straw rope. Han Du said that division among scholars in the world would lead to cliques among officials. Lao Zhu felt that officials all over the world would be cliques.
Han Du answered affirmatively: "No matter how many places are added, they all belong to the same subject. No matter how poor the knowledge of the northern scholars is, no matter how much better the knowledge of the southern scholars is, as long as they belong to the same subject, there will be no There is no reason to attack the opponent. After all, they themselves are Ding Maoke Jinshi, can they still say that Ding Maoke Jinshi is poor in knowledge?"
Lao Zhu nodded frequently as he listened and understood Han Du's meaning: Which scholar is not proud of being in high school? Even if they are sitting together as officials, they will first say that they are in a certain subject and what is their top rank in high school. If you publicly accuse someone of poor knowledge, and when others find out that you are in the same subject as you, wouldn't you be scolding yourself as well?
"The Sword Comes"
No one would do such a demeaning thing unless they were a fool.
"This matter is not a trivial matter. I have to think carefully before making a decision." Lao Zhu said after stroking his beard and thinking for a moment. He saw that Han Du was still holding his hands and was serving him carefully.
He waved his hand casually and said, "That's it for today. Please step back first."
Han Du immediately withdrew. It was not until he walked out of the hall that Han Du held his head high and exhaled a long breath. Lao Zhu had cheated here, but there were still troubles waiting for him to deal with in the academy.
Han Du felt a pain in his head when he thought of the academy's listed scholars who wanted to resign. The Ming Dynasty is not like the former Song Dynasty. If you are unhappy, you can hang up your seal and leave without even submitting a resignation report.
Just leave the stock.
The former Song Dynasty didn't care about this. Anyway, the officials in the former Song Dynasty were redundant and finally found an official position. This was something that everyone was happy about. It was too late for the government and the public to be happy. Who would pursue the person who resigned? responsibility?
Even those who have waited their whole lives and never waited for the chancellor's appointment are eager to see someone leave with their seals posted every day.
But the Ming Dynasty was different. It was only twenty years old. Having just experienced the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the world was extremely short of officials. At this time, someone resigning would be a big loss to the court, and it was also not allowed.
If you want to resign, don't think about it unless the emperor doesn't like you and asks you to resign. If you want to imitate the Song Dynasty and leave with a seal, you are courting death and wandering thousands of miles to learn about it.
Han Du naturally didn't want to see his students being exiled, so he wanted to persuade them.
The large hall was neatly filled with Jinshi, and Han Du called in all the 194 people who had taken the high school undergraduate examination.
One hundred and ninety-four people walked into the hall and sat down one after another. Until everyone sat down, there was not a single noise in the hall. It was so quiet that you could hear a needle drop.
All the Jinshi looked at Han Du calmly, with neither joy nor sadness on their faces.
Seeing that the atmosphere was extremely weird, Han Du couldn't help but break the silence after a while. He coughed twice and said with a smile: "I know that the reason why everyone resigned together was because they were afraid that I would be implicated in this matter. It's okay now. , the emperor has decided to issue an edict to make it clear that the undergraduate examination will be fair and just, and no one will cheat. Mr. Liu Sanwu will soon be reinstated. Therefore, I accept your good intentions. If you want to resign, don't say anything anymore, but Don’t joke with your own future.”
After Han Du finished speaking, there was still silence in the hall, and they didn't even whisper to each other.
Just when Han Du felt that the atmosphere was getting weirder and he was getting more and more embarrassed, Wang Yuanji spoke.
Wang Yuanji stood up, bowed to Han Du, and said, "Mr."
Han Du nodded in return.
"If you have something to say, just say it."
Wang Yuanji said without being verbose: "Our resignation has been carefully considered. Sir, don't think that we are among the best in this examination. But to be honest, if you don't have sir to teach us how to write policy articles, and use all the prefectures and counties in the world The people's livelihood, customs and customs have broadened our horizons, and it is impossible for us to achieve such results."
First, he complimented Han Du for his role in the examination.
Han Du shook his head and waved his hands to refuse: "No, no, no, this is your own ability. If you are not knowledgeable enough, no matter how much I do, it will be impossible for you to pass high school."
Wang Yuanji did not continue to explain to Han Du on this issue. He smiled and continued: "Although we are in high school, in other respects, we are no different from those failed scholars. Officialdom is a big dyeing vat. Once we students step in, we still don’t know what we will be dyed into?”
"Besides, when Master Han founded the academy, he wanted to impart knowledge to scholars all over the world. But now there are only a few gentlemen in the academy. Does Master Han think that just by relying on a few of you, the academy can grow?"
