At first, the guild hall was just a gathering of fellow villagers to help each other.
However, with the popularity of the imperial examination, it gradually became a semi-official organization, responsible for accepting local officials to settle in Beijing, scholars to live in Beijing temporarily, and even helping businessmen.
For example, it is equivalent to the Beijing Office in later generations.
In some places, due to financial pressure, they could only combine the two into one, such as the previous Qin and Jin guild halls. As the Shaanxi people showed their power in the court, the two provincial guild halls naturally separated.
But similarly, Jiangsu, Nanjing, and Anhui, which were originally part of Southern Zhili, still share the same guild hall, reflecting the concept of one family.
In addition, there are the Bashu Guild Hall in Sichuan and Chongqing, the Guangdong and Guangxi Guild Hall in Guangxi and Guangdong, the Northwest Guild Hall in Gansu and Anxi, and the Huguang Guild Hall in Hunan and Hubei, all of which tell the story of their close relationship.
Anyone who can preside over a guild hall is without exception a local gentry, who has indescribable connections and prestige in the capital and hometown.
Therefore, in the face of the invitation from the head of the hall, even if he was a minister, Zhao Mengshu did not dare to neglect at all and attended the banquet solemnly.
At this time, facing the originally dignified and respectable leader of the hall, he expressed his bitterness, and for a moment he was at a loss.
There is no doubt that his attitude represents the attitude of the entire Shandong Guild Hall. Once he expresses it poorly, his reputation in the countryside will be ruined.
"You said that Shandong has experienced disasters. During the Chongzhen period, slaves were repeatedly plundered. It can be said that the population was greatly lost. Even many princes and princes died. By the early years of Shaowu, our Shandong had only three million people."
"During the Wanli period, Shandong's number exceeded nearly 10 million, which was one of the best in the entire Ming Dynasty."
"Now, after twenty years, it has only reached seven million. It has suffered so many disasters that the literary style has not flourished. How can it be compared with Jiangsu, a land of plenty and peace that has enjoyed hundreds of years of peace?"
Zhao Mengshu rolled his eyes in his heart.
At that time, Shandong also included the Liaodong region. The real population was about eight to nine million. Now it seems that it has almost recovered and is no different from before.
He thought about it for a while and then said cautiously: "The matter of the imperial examination is the result of His Majesty's arbitrariness, and the candle shines thousands of miles away!"
"But, I, Shandong, have always been from the north. How can I compete with the people from the south of the Yangtze River now?"
The head of the museum hurriedly said: "In my opinion, Shandong should be a central province, let those rich provinces fight for it!"
"You are our Shandong representative in the imperial court, so you have to think about our hometown!"
These words are really difficult for people to say.
Zhao Mengshu sighed, pitiful for him, a right-hand servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, how much say can he have in the court?
In the early years of Shaowu, the Shaanxi and Chu people dominated the huge court, and the cabinet and eight ministers were basically controlled by them.
Now, after years of development, especially after the capital was moved to Beijing, the balance of power in the imperial court has eased, but it is still not optimistic.
Although the people of Shandong have been recovering in strength and have produced many Jinshi scholars, they have not yet produced a minister, let alone a cabinet member.
This made some people complain.
Now that the emperor is adjusting the imperial examination quota, he thinks it is a good thing.
Shandong people have been bullying places like Shaanxi, Henan, and Hebei, and they have become taller among the short ones.
Only by letting Shandong people compete with Jiangsu can we see what the real advantages and disadvantages are.
There have been so many Jinshis in the past years and they have entered the rich provinces. It will be difficult to be Jinshi in the future. Only in this way can many people who are not clear-headed have a self-awareness.
Shandong is too big, and now that it doesn't have the burden of King Fan, it still wants to easily seek benefits in Beijuan. This is too simple for the court.
Of course, this is his own consideration.
No matter what you say, this is the emperor's arrangement, and no one dares to object.
With his mind spinning, he continued: "To tell you the truth, someone in the imperial court proposed to determine the quota based on population. After all, the more people there are, the more Jinshi will be, and the fewer people, the fewer Jinshi will be."
"This is a good idea." The head of the museum praised hurriedly.
Shandong has a population of 8 million and ranks among the top five in the entire Ming Dynasty. As a result, it may get more places than before. Isn't this a good thing?
Zhao Mengshu said angrily: "Who can surpass Jiangsu in terms of number of people?"
"As early as the Wanli period, the number of Dingkou in Jiangsu exceeded 8 million. In Suzhou alone, there were nearly 2 million people. Now, according to statistics from the Ministry of Household Affairs, there are probably 20 million people in Jiangsu."
"So, of these four hundred people, Jiangsu will have forty..."
"There are nearly 12 million in Jiangxi, nearly 10 million in Anhui, 15 million in Zhejiang, and southern provinces such as Huguang, Sichuan, and Fujian, accounting for 70% of the world's total population."
"In other words, the South has gone further, even 60% more than before?"
The head of the hall was shocked.
Then he thought about it, this statement must be true.
The north experienced natural and man-made disasters, as well as a large number of military disasters. Even if the imperial court was exempted from tax for three years and half-taxed for two years, it still took twenty years to return to the appearance of the Wanli period.
The South, which had enjoyed peace for many years, naturally went a step further and was overwhelming in terms of population.
The north and south are immediately out of balance.
Zhao Mengshu concluded: "Now that the imperial court has exempted the Dingkou tax, since it cannot collect the tax, it naturally does not care about the population."
"The previous dynasty perished because of money and food. Now among the important ministers in the court, who is not afraid of not having money?"
"That's what you said." The head of the hall sighed and said in despair, "I, a Shandongese, are miserable!"
After settling the matter, Zhao Mengshu breathed a sigh of relief.
When he comforted her just now, there were waves in his heart.
Among the eight ministers and four pavilion elders in the imperial court, none of them were from Shandong, which was miserable.
If I can go one step further, I'm afraid I can become the flag of Shandong people and have countless benefits...
The carriage was rolling, and the noise outside the carriage was completely isolated, leaving him alone in his thoughts.
Not far from the Shandong Guild Hall, several passing scholars looked at the crowded Shandong Guild Hall. That is countless envy.
Two huge stone lions, huge stone plaques, tall steps, and grand plaques all tell the story of the luxury of Shandong Guild Hall.
"When did I, Suiyuan, have such scenery?"
Several readers were filled with emotion.
There are quotas for Jinshi, and there are naturally quotas for candidates in each province.
For example, in the past, Nanzhili had the largest number of 135 people. Now it is divided into three places, and the number has increased instead of decreasing. Anhui and Jiangsu each have 80 people, and Nanjing Yingtianfu has 30 people.
As a border province, Suiyuan has a population of only about one million, with Mongolians making up the majority, but there are indeed many scholars.
Therefore, Suiyuan has been fighting hard in recent years, and finally no longer participates in Ningxia's provincial examination, and has his own quota: thirty people.
In recent years, the wool trade has become popular, and many Mongolian nobles have made a fortune, so they naturally ask famous teachers to teach them.
In addition, the border troops were stationed on the spot, and their children also participated in the provincial imperial examinations, and the literary style gradually flourished.
But it is a pity that Suiyuan is barren. Although the guild hall has been built, there are only seven or eight tile-roofed houses. Several people live together, and sometimes they have to go to the Ningxia guild hall to squeeze in.
An ordinary scholar had three dishes and one soup, fish and meat, and even a separate courtyard for servants, which was extremely spacious and bright.
And what about them?
She eats vegetables and tofu every day, and her food and drink are not as good as those of ordinary servants.
In this case, how can you prepare for the exam seriously?
Several people discussed it and felt that continuing like this would be detrimental to the future. Coupled with envy and jealousy, they hurriedly went to find the head of the hall.
Different from other guild halls where the head of the guild hall is Juren or even Beijing officials, the head of the Suiyuan guild hall is actually a businessman, and he is also a Beijing businessman named Liu Changgui.
The courtyard they lived in was actually a separate courtyard. It cost three to five thousand yuan to buy it in Beijing. He gave it to the scholar to stay temporarily without any hesitation. He was a man with a broad mind and a long-term vision.
"You mean, find cooperation with his provincial hall?"
Liu Changgui was overjoyed when he heard this: "It should have been like this a long time ago. Why don't we try it with Ningxia?"
He is a businessman and a native of Beijing. He does not have any sectarian ideas, so he is naturally more willing to expand his network of contacts.
Unexpectedly, the leader Du Yizhi vetoed the proposal: "Not to mention that the Ningxia Guild Hall is already in a tight situation. Many people are forced to rent temples. We have no place to live even if we go there."
"Besides, because of the unpleasant commotion before, I'm afraid they won't be happy either."
At that time, the imperial court considered that Suiyuan had a small population and Ningxia was newly built. Neither place was a prosperous population place. In addition, the two places were close to each other, so they merged the provincial examinations together and admitted a total of fifty people.
On the surface, it seems fair that each of the two provinces has twenty-five places.
But in fact, Suiyuan suffered a big loss.
Although Ningxia has a small population, it used to be Ningxia Town. There are many frontier military households, and more than half of them are Han people, which is much better than Suiyuan.
Therefore, every time a provincial examination is held, Ningxia often occupies the majority, while Suiyuan can only be passed by two or three people at most, which can be described as miserable.
Now that they are separated, Ningxia and Suiyuan are each thirty, which means Ningxia has lost a dozen places. Wouldn't you be angry?
In the early years of Shaowu, the province of Huguang was divided into Hunan and Hubei. There was also a lively quarrel because of the quota. Hubei never let go, and Hunan was determined to let go.
Later, it was Emperor Qiankun who made the final decision.
The reason why Suiyuan and Ningxia were so decisive was because they considered the Mongols and wanted to unite!
"Go find Chahar."
Du Yizhi said seriously: "Compared to our cousin Ningxia, Suiyuan and Chahar are our real brothers."
"Okay-" Liu Changgui cheered loudly.
Chahar is very close to Beijing and is indeed a good candidate.
Due to the distance, Chahar can better carry out immigration. Now it has built several cities and cultivated a large amount of farmland. Taxes have increased year by year, and it is richer than Ningxia and Suiyuan combined.
The two provincial guild halls held talks and reached an agreement within a few days.
Suiyuan has no money, Chahar has money but no influence, and the two hit it off.
The Chahar Guild Hall was directly renamed Chasui Guild Hall, which was dedicated to entertaining officials, juren and businessmen from the two provinces. Its influence in Beijing increased sharply.
The scholars in Suiyuan also moved into the more spacious Chasui Guild Hall and lived a comfortable life.
This move has had a great impact on readers, and many places have begun to consider it.
For example, Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang are also preparing to set up Northeast Guild Halls together to better serve the people of their provinces.
However, although they are not keen on cooperating with other provinces, some places are more willing to open branch clubs.
Just like the Jiangnan Guild Hall, it accommodates Anhui, Jiangsu, and Nanjing, but Jiangsu also has Songjiang Guild Hall, Suzhou Guild Hall, Yangzhou Guild Hall, Xuzhou Guild Hall, etc., which can be said to be blooming in all directions.
On the one hand, this shows its strong strength. The accumulation over the years has increased its number of people, and at the same time, it also means its strong financial resources.
This makes many provinces quite envious.
"This time, the quotas are allocated through taxes, which can be described as a stroke of genius."
In Yan's mansion, Yan Chongxin sat in the main seat, and several officials sat beside him, talking around him.
At this time, Su Ziweng, the left minister of the household department, laughed and said:
"In this way, everyone in the provinces will compete to be the first, so why worry about tax increases?"
"As far as I'm concerned, it needs to be further subdivided. Each province will arrange quotas according to the tax amount."
Zhao Langxing, the Minister of Rites, shook his head: "If this is the case, I'm afraid it will be suspected of cheating."
"It's fine as it is now. The thick and thin are in harmony and complement each other."
Yan Chongxin was twirling his beard, slightly pleased with himself.
There has been a long history of dissatisfaction with the imperial examination system among those in the court. After hundreds of years of development, the provinces were very different from those in the early Ming Dynasty. What was fair in the past has become unfair now.
For example, Anhui is in the middle of the publication, but its writing style is quite prosperous. It is basically crushing Yunnan, Guangxi and other provinces.
The same is true for Shandong, which is invincible in the northern volume.
This is unfair to some remote provinces.
And Yan Chongxin has been in charge of money and food since the shogunate era, and now he has become the chief assistant. Naturally, he has formulated new rules based on taxation.
In his view, any province that pays too low a tax rate is not qualified.
Unlike Zhao Shu who opposed the emperor's expansion of territory, he has always maintained an impartial attitude.
As long as they can pay taxes and don't engage in loss-making business, he will support it.
For example, Chahar, Suiyuan, Jilin and other places have now begun to pay taxes to the imperial court without the imperial court appropriating funds, so they will continue to support the emperor's development.
"Originally, I wanted to get more places for the rich provinces, but His Majesty was far-sighted and saw the imbalance, so there were only 200 people."
Yan Chongxin was a little depressed, but he could only say helplessly.
According to his assumptions, these rich provinces were originally Nanjuan, and now they have expanded to several provinces. The number of people should be at least 250, which is considered appropriate.
However, the emperor pressed down to 200, which was even less than before.
Of course, the expansion of dozens of people is not bad for these provinces.
"Zhongtang, these four hundred people are not enough."
"There are more than 8,000 people participating in Jinke. It is also difficult to win one out of twenty."
Zhao Langxing, the Minister of Rites, said: "It is said that Burma, Japan, etc. are also preparing to send personnel to participate in the next examination."
"I'm afraid the next one will have more than 10,000 people."
Hearing this, Yan Chongxin also had a headache.
Everything affects the whole body.
As the number of Jinshi increases, there will also be more official vacancies, which will also be a test for the cabinet.
(End of chapter)
