The entire Luanping City was in a state of excitement on this day. Although having a Jinshi did not give them a few more pennies, the simple feelings of glory were still rippling in their hearts.
Sure enough, the Governor's Office in Chifeng also sent someone two days later and directly rewarded him with two hundred silver coins.
Although Chahar was only established for more than ten years, a group of local gentry and wealthy businessmen were born. They all pooled money to build a large-scale Jinshi archway.
In a few days, two thousand yuan was collected, and the whole Chahar was shocked.
After the magistrate Luanping learned about this, he smiled, shook his head and sighed.
At this time, the fawning wealthy businessman hurriedly asked: "Is there anything wrong with you, sir?"
The implication is that of course he is helping.
"Alas, this is a private matter." The magistrate said softly: "My evil son will take the imperial examination in a few days. I hope he can also gain fame."
The wealthy businessman was stunned for a moment, and after a few turns in his mind, he finally realized that the county magistrate's surname was Zhu, and the clan examination here probably refers to the "clan examination" of the Zhu family.
For a moment, he was filled with envy.
It is said that the emperor was deeply moved by his downfall when he was in Qiandi, so in order to take care of the middle and lower-class clan children, he set up a clan examination to select clan talents.
Ordinary scholars who want to become civil servants have to meet three small thresholds in the childhood examination and one large threshold in the provincial examination. In a large province such as Jiangsu, there are only eighty candidates in one session, in a small province there are only twenty or thirty candidates, and in Chahar, there are even only ten candidates.
Juren can be said to be one of the best talents.
And what about the clan? You can just take the imperial examination directly, and you will be elected as a candidate. What an exaggeration. How much time can you save at once?
The clan in this life is even more popular than the previous generations who ate royal food for generations!
Seeing the envy on the latter's face, the county magistrate suddenly became a little proud: a certain person was from the Zhu family's royal family, and his name was on the jade certificate.
As the palace examination came to an end, an examination belonging to the Zhu family also came to the stage.
Although it is a clan examination, it is not low in difficulty and is equivalent to the provincial examination. The chief examiner is the emperor, and the cabinet bachelor serves as the co-examiner.
Of course, the emperor never had this spare time. He basically relied on the cabinet to review the papers, and the emperor finally stamped them.
Early in the morning, nearly a thousand clan members from all over the country rushed to the just-concluded Gongyuan to participate in the biennial clan examination.
"Your Majesty, according to the jade certificates from each province at the beginning of the year, there are 237,818 clan members over seven years old."
"There are nine hundred and seventy-eight disciples coming to take the exam at the moment."
Accompanying the emperor was the fat and gray-haired King Rui. After saying a series of words, he took a breath.
King Rui, who is seventy-nine years old, has been in charge of the clan mansion for nearly twenty years. He is highly respected in the clan and highly trusted by the emperor.
As everyone knows, Princess Kunning is the legitimate daughter of Emperor Chongzhen. She was not only named the eldest princess by the emperor, but also gave her son the title of earl. She is a sign in the world.
In fact, as the son of Emperor Wanli and closest to the direct lineage of the previous dynasty, King Rui has always been a big star in the clan.
In addition to Prince Rui, who will inherit the title of king, the other two concubines were also granted the title of county princes by the emperor, breaking the convention.
You must know that according to the new vassal regulations, only the legitimate son can be named the county king, and the concubine can be named the general of the country.
Of course, only the prince's son can be ennobled, and the middle and lower-level clans can only be ennobled by the eldest son, and the rest are common people. It is no longer the vine-style clan system like the previous dynasty.
The titles passed down from generation to generation in the clan include prince, county prince, three generals of Zhenguo, Fuguo and Fengguo, and three lieutenants of Zhenguo, Fuguo and Fengguo, a total of eight generations, descending from generation to generation.
Theoretically, you can keep your wealth for two hundred years.
At the same time, the imperial court dismembered the huge burden of heirs except the prince.
"Are there 230,000 people?"
Zhu Yixi was startled.
He did not expect that after twenty years of peaceful development, the clan would begin to multiply again.
The children here refer to men. Women and family members are not included. If they were all added together, there would still be 500,000 to 600,000 people.
However, in the early years of Shaowu, a large number of clan members remained anonymous. According to statistics, there were only about 100,000 people, which doubled in twenty years.
"Your Majesty, there are only 437 people in the clan who have been granted titles and salaries."
King Rui was leaning on a cane and was surprised when he saw the emperor. He hurriedly explained that he was afraid that the emperor would show concern and strike harshly again.
In the early years of Shaowu, almost all the generals and lieutenants were rewarded with land, and their titles were bought out at one time (ten hectares of land for generals, five hectares for lieutenants), and all of them were demoted to lieutenants of the auxiliary state, allowing them to inherit wealth for two generations. .
Nowadays, those with titles are basically inherited by princes and princes, and there are only about 200 lieutenants.
After all, in the eyes of the emperor and the court, the princes and princes were considered important members of the clan and needed to be taken care of, while the rest were just distant relatives.
Compared with the 200,000 nobles counted during the Wanli period, this can be said to be a drop in the heel.
King Rui was afraid that the emperor would be dissatisfied and would cut down the vassal vassal.
"Yeah!" The emperor nodded slightly, without saying much.
He naturally knows a lot about the clan's situation.
On Zonglu, the prince is compared to the Duke of the country, the prince is compared to the marquis, and the three generals of Zhengguo, Fuguo and Fengguo are paid one thousand, eight hundred and five hundred stones.
The third-class lieutenants are respectively three hundred, two hundred and one hundred stones.
Four hundred people with Zonglu consume about 200,000 yuan a year, which is not a lot of money. As time goes by, it will gradually decrease.
Zhu Yixi looked up and saw the clan members, each with their servants, lining up in front of the Gongyuan.
The clan examination refers to the provincial examination, and everything must be rigorous. However, it is no longer the soldiers from the Beijing camp who are searched, but the guards.
"Do you know why I no longer confer officials directly, but instead confer meritorious titles?"
Seeing everyone entering the Gongyuan, Zhu Yixi turned around and asked about the sitting man who was writing non-stop.
The man was startled, then put down his pen and said seriously:
"Zongkao is to recruit talents for the country. If he is directly awarded an official, he may arouse the jealousy of the government and the public, and his reputation will not be justified and his words will not be consistent."
"That's right!" Zhu Yixi smiled with satisfaction and nodded.
The other cohabitant was crazy with envy.
In fact, although the effect of directly conferring officials was very good at the beginning, it was like taking medicine. It only gave a temporary boost, but the fundamentals were still wrong.
A clan with such a background could only serve as some minor officials, and could not integrate into the officialdom at all, let alone assist the emperor.
The imperial examination is the right way to become an official, and the top two candidates are the real officials.
If Zong Kao is not beneficial to the emperor, what is the use of it?
Simply arranging positions for distant relatives would be a waste.
Therefore, after summarizing, Zhu Yixi felt that the imperial examination was still positioned as a provincial examination, which was used to shorten the imperial examination long march of the clan members.
Once every two years, eighty people were awarded at one time, which not only expanded the group of Zhu family gentry, but also eliminated the adverse effects.
It would be best if a clan could pass the Jinshi examination. To take a step back, people could also become officials, enriching the middle and lower classes.
I hope some real talents can emerge!
"Let's go, there's nothing to see."
Zhu Yixi shook her head, then took care of King Rui and left together.
Since the Zongzong Examination is comparable to the Provincial Examination, both in terms of the number of sessions and the content, they are naturally the same, but the level of competition is just different.
Considering King Rui's age, the emperor specially arranged a carriage for the two of them to sit opposite each other.
King Rui was getting older, and the age spots on his face were very conspicuous. Along the way, he talked about the events in Hanzhong and Huguang, with a look of emotion on his face.
Finally, he couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, I am too old to take on the important responsibilities of the clan..."
Zhu Yixi couldn't bear to see Prince Rui's old look on his face and said, "Thank you for your hard work, old man."
"In this way, in a few days, let the prince come to the sect's residence and serve as the right sect!"
Hearing this, King Rui instantly put a smile on his face.
He didn't expect the imperial decree to be hereditary for his family, but he relied on the emperor's attitude.
Now it seems that the lineage of King Rui is still favored by the emperor.
Zhu Yixi was thinking about Zong Renling at this time.
Starting from the early Ming Dynasty, those who held this important position were basically princes and county princes, and only they could suppress the feudal princes.
The first Zongren Ling of the Ming Dynasty was his ancestor Zhu Xi, King of Qin.
He was thinking, should he let the prince take charge of the clan mansion?
Immediately, he rejected it.
The Zongren Mansion involves nobles and vassal princes, especially those nobles who now either serve as general soldiers in various places or are in charge of the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies, and the Beijing camp is also controlled by them.
If the prince is really involved, it will be the end of the world.
Suddenly, a fat and white figure appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help but smile knowingly:
The old Seven Lucky Kings.
This kid is bouncing around, it's time for him to have a job and sharpen his skills.
…
Japan, Tohoku Mutsu Kingdom, Morioka Domain, Morioka Castle.
Morioka Domain originally had 100,000 koku, but the second-generation feudal lord Nannan Shigenao suddenly died of illness. Since he had no heirs, no candidate for the feudal lord was designated.
The feudal clan was supposed to be abolished, but in the end the shogunate was divided into two parts. The 80,000-kaku clan became the Morioka clan and was inherited by the fifth brother Shigenobu. The 20,000-koku household was inherited by the younger brother Naofusa.
Morioka Domain is Japan's main horse trading place. Because it is close to Ezo, it received a black seal issued by Tokugawa Ieyasu for trade with Ezo.
Therefore, Ezo Land has always been an important trading place for Morioka Domain.
The Fukuyama Castle established by the Matsumae clan also received tacit approval.
Now, with the establishment of the Yue Kingdom, hundreds of thousands of silver coins are not worth mentioning to the Ming Dynasty, but for the mere Morioka Domain, it can be said to be a great stimulus.
For a time, the Morioka Domain, which had 80,000 koku and tens of thousands of people, was full of vitality due to trade, and the feudal government was improving.
Tsugaru ware, wood, placer gold, copper, horses, chestnuts, rice, silk, wine, wagashi, miso, tobacco, lacquer, wax, catfish and other specialties were continuously exported to Vietnam in exchange for large amounts of silver coins.
In the midst of this bustling scene, the gates of Morioka City suddenly opened wide, and the feudal lord, his family elders, and all his old ministers walked out of the city in a mighty manner.
After a long time, a burst of dust passed by, and dozens of people appeared in front of them.
"Why did Akito come?" the feudal lord Nanbu Shigenobu asked in confusion.
Naoyoshi Nannan, the family elder, said in a low voice: "It must be about food!"
Nan Shigento suddenly understood.
There have been frequent floods in Morioka Castle recently, and many of Jiulian Morioka Castle have also been flooded and destroyed. Reconstruction work is constantly going on, and the vassal government is under great pressure.
But compared to Morioka Domain, Yue Kingdom, which has been in a state of expansion, is even more short of food.
After a while, a group of people appeared in front of them.
The leader, although wearing a bright robe, looks Japanese.
Nanfang Shigenobu came up to say hello, "Why are Yan Yuandian so here in person?"
"Morioka-dono is so polite." Zong Yizhen said with a smile: "I have been entrusted by His Highness the King of Yue, so I have to come!"
After the King of Yue married the princess of the Tokugawa family, he asked Zong Yizhen (The Great Secret of Tsushima), who became the judge of the Ministry of Rites, to act on behalf of the country of Vietnam in Japan.
Because Muneyoshi was really Japanese, and the shogunate was familiar with him, they naturally did not care about his change of allegiance.
The two exchanged familiar words before walking into the city side by side.
In the highest tower in the city, Zong Yizhen looked around and said with a smile: "Your clan is really rich and powerful!"
The fine wool blankets, exquisite porcelain, expensive famous knives, and the ivory pendant fan all show his wealth.
"This is due to the blessing of His Royal Highness the King of Yue." Nanfang Zhongxin said politely, his face full of sincerity, obviously these words came from the heart.
The Mutsu region, which had been at peace for half a century, was overpopulated but the land was barren. The Vietnam trade simply saved the entire Morioka Domain and the Mutsu Kingdom.
"It's good that your noble clan knows."
Zong Yizhen suddenly became serious: "I wonder how much rice your clan can provide this summer?"
"It's worth five hundred koku." Nanbu Shigenobu gritted his teeth and said, "As you know, Fukuoka flooded and countless rice fields were destroyed. These five hundred koku of rice were scraped from my treasury."
In exchange for silver coins, the people could only starve for a few more meals.
Zong Yizhen asked again: "I know about the Mutsu flood, but I don't know how much the price of rice has risen?"
Nanfang Shigenxin was stunned for a moment, and then said: "The price of rice is one contract to three cents."
One stone of rice weighs three hundred kilograms in Japan, which is equal to two stones of rice in Ming Dynasty.
It counts as one thousand liters (100 liters or 2.5 meters).
In other words, the price of one stone of rice is 3,000 Wen, which is equivalent to 1,500 Wen in Ming Dynasty.
This is also an extremely exaggerated figure in the entire Ming Dynasty.
"It seems that the entire Mutsu Kingdom is short of food."
Zong Yizhen said in a deep voice, and suddenly, bright light burst out in his eyes: "I can sell you food, a lot of food."
"Two thousand five hundred yuan per stone (three hundred catties)."
"Where does the food from Yue come from?" Nan Chongxin's face was full of disbelief.
Zong Yizhen chuckled and said: "Morioka Palace, there is a saying in the Ming Dynasty. Scholars should look at each other with admiration after three days apart. Today's Yue Kingdom is beyond your expectation!"
Finally, on behalf of the Yue Kingdom, Soyoshi reached an agreement with the Morioka Domain and became the Yue Kingdom's agent in Mutsu, selling horses and grain.
After completing the mission, Zong Yizhen returned to Yue State by boat.
At this time, the country of Yue had undergone great changes after several years of development.
Due to its proximity to Japan and North Korea, the Yue Kingdom recruited people from the two places aggressively, and at the same time continued to relocate people within the country. In just two or three years, the population exceeded 50,000.
Among them, the number of Han people is only about 10,000.
Thanks to the farming technology of the Ming Dynasty, the cultivated land area of Yue reached one million acres. Although the yield per mu was only about 150 to 200 kilograms, the quantity made up for the quality.
It became self-sufficient last year and even exported to Japan.
(End of chapter)
