When Ying Zheng spoke, the ministers no longer dared to persist. And they also knew in their hearts that even insisting was meaningless. Once the emperor decided on something, admonishment was useless.
So the courtiers could only try their best to remedy the situation. The remedy lies in the imperial examination itself.
The emperor asked everyone to discuss how to take the imperial examination, so let's make a fuss about it.
A courtier stood up and said: "Since ancient times, people have been divided into noble and humble. I believe that the same should be true for the imperial examination. It is better to grade the people in the world according to their titles. Those with the highest rank will be high officials, and those with the middle rank will be minor officials. , the lower class are civilians and are not allowed to participate in the imperial examination."
Ying Zheng asked calmly: "Then how should this level be assessed?"
The court official said: "Anyone who has a relative who is a minister within the five robes will be classified as a high-ranking official. Those who are selected for the imperial examination can be senior ministers. Anyone who has a relative who is a senior official within the five robes will be classified as an intermediate-level student. Intermediate-level children will take the imperial examination. After being selected, they can become doctors. As for other low-level titles, if they are low-level, they will not be allowed to participate in the imperial examination."
The courtiers nodded and felt that this suggestion was a good one.
Li Shui couldn't help but sneer: "How many people can have the title of Duke or above? After all, should the recommendation become the imperial examination, or should you just play behind closed doors? Then there is no point in choosing the imperial examination."
The courtier was a little unhappy: "What method does Master Huai think we should use?"
Li Shui said calmly: "No matter how high or low your background is, you should be appointed according to your ability."
Chunyu Yue flatly objected: "No. You must know the actual etiquette of warehouses. Those poor people in Guizhou have no clothes to cover their bodies and no food to eat. When they are hungry and cold, they often have evil thoughts. Killing people, setting fires, and going into the mountains to steal are most likely to be like this. Such a person. How can such a vicious and evil person enter the court and serve as an official? I think it is more appropriate to take the imperial examination based on the title."
Li Shui rolled his eyes and said: "Dr. Chunyu's words are wrong. According to what you said, those vicious and evil people must be poor people. How many of the poor people are literate? How many of them understand the government? Can they take the exam? If you pass, you will be a ghost. So you don't have to worry. When selecting scholars through the imperial examination, more people will be selected from well-off families and more kind-hearted people."
Chunyu Yue sighed and stopped talking.
Seeing that all the courtiers were dumbfounded, Ying Zheng smiled slightly and said, "Then, regardless of origin, we will admit the best."
Li Si suddenly said: "Your Majesty, I think it's fine to admit the best. But businessmen must never take part in the imperial examination."
Ying Zheng had no objection to this and nodded.
Li Shui didn't say anything, expressing his understanding. In this era, agriculture is still very fragile and must be protected. If there are no restrictions on merchants, farmers will definitely flock to more profitable businesses.
By that time, the streets were full of speculative businessmen, but no one was farming.
Prosperity without industry is false prosperity. It's just a castle in the air. If a gust of wind blows over, it will collapse.
If businessmen want to get equal rights, they should wait a little longer. After agriculture is stabilized, it will not be too late to revive industry and commerce.
After determining the principle of merit-based admission, the courtiers began to discuss what the content of the examination should be. This time it completely turned into a hundred schools of thought contending.
Li Si and others advocated selecting the title from the Fa Jia classics, while Chun Yuyue advocated selecting the title from the Confucian classics. Even the doctors under him came forward one after another and believed that the topic should be raised from their own department.
These people are smart, and smart people are always sharp. They realized almost immediately that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Once their theory was determined as the content of the exam, it would develop rapidly and dominate the entire world.
In the end, the discussion came and went, and Yingzheng made the final decision. The test questions were based on practical policies, and the emphasis was on pragmatism. As for whether to answer with Confucian theory or Legalist theory, it depends on the candidates themselves. As long as their words are reasonable, they can be admitted regardless of which family's opinion.
Li Shui nodded repeatedly after hearing this, thinking: "This is a good method. It can not only allow a hundred schools of thought to contend, but also promote these theories to be pragmatic rather than unrealistic, so as not to train literati into old academics buried in piles of old papers like the later generations did. "
The next step is to determine the examination time, the number of students admitted, and what official positions will be awarded after admission.
These did not involve the interests of the courtiers. They talked freely and quickly came up with a reasonable charter.
Two hours later, the court meeting ended. Everyone felt exhausted and felt like they had experienced a life and death battle.
When walking out of the government hall, a courtier sighed and said: "I have participated in hundreds of court meetings, destroyed six kingdoms, conquered the world, and experienced all kinds of major events. But I have never been as dry as today. Dry, blood vessels are inflamed."
Everyone around them nodded and said in a flurry: "I originally thought that today's court meeting would be about merit-based rewards and solving Ma Lingshu's case, but I didn't expect that the highlight would be the imperial examination."
"I was really caught off guard. We didn't even have a chance to discuss it with each other and think about it carefully, so we lost one after another. I'm still in a daze now. Why is this imperial examination a foregone conclusion?"
Wang Wan suddenly walked up to Li Shui and said with a smile: "Master Huai is so brave. He actually proposed the imperial examination plan. Once this plan came out, the world was shocked."
The surrounding courtiers looked at Li Shui one after another, with quite a bit of hostility in their eyes.
Li Shui said loudly: "How can the Prime Minister accuse someone of innocence out of thin air? Why was it that I proposed this imperial examination?"
Wang Wan never expected that Li Shui would deny it outright. He looked at Li Shui and said: "In the court hall just now, there were many civil and military officials in the court, but Lord Huai was the only one who approved of the imperial examination. Isn't this what you suggested to your majesty?"
Li Shui said: "Everyone in the civil and military circles of the dynasty knew that this strategy would be met with hostility from everyone. Am I, Huai Guzi, that stupid? Doing such a thing to make enemies?"
Wang Wan was stunned for a moment and thought to herself: "This guy seems to be really not that stupid."
Li Shui continued: "The person who proposed the imperial examination strategy must be a cunning person. After he proposed the strategy, he was afraid that others would notice him. Therefore, during the court discussion just now, whoever did not say a word would be suspected. The biggest. For example..."
The courtiers listened carefully.
Li Shui chuckled and said, "For example, Master Zhao Gao. Isn't his behavior a bit strange?"
The courtiers couldn't help but nodded: "It's really suspicious that Zhao Gao has never expressed his position on such a big matter, such as changing the recommendation system to the imperial examination system. Why didn't he express his position? Could it be that he really proposed it? He was worried that everyone would suspect him. Your head is on your head, so you don’t dare to speak?”
Before the courtiers could figure it out, Li Shui said again: "Of course, this person may not be Zhao Gao. Perhaps, if this person comes up with such an offending strategy, he will definitely try his best to distance himself from his involvement. So in In the court, whoever is most opposed to this imperial examination policy is most likely to be the one to propose it. For example... Dr. Chun Yuyue."
The courtiers nodded. Many people looked around and found that Chun Yuyue had already walked away.
So the courtiers secretly thought: "Dr. Chunyu, why are you leaving so fast? Is it because you feel guilty?"
Who knew that Li Shui added: "Of course, this person may also be calling for a thief. For example, Mr. Wang Wan, he clearly came up with this plan. In order not to make people suspicious, he deliberately caught me and said that I came up with it."
Wang Wan's face turned green and he shouted: "Huai Guzi, don't spit on others."
Li Shui said calmly: "Didn't you just spit blood on me?"
There were finally a few sensible people among the courtiers. They quickly reacted and said to Li Shui: "Others are naturally suspicious, but Mr. Huai's suspicion is particularly high. If you hadn't brought it up, how could you be here?" Why does the court support the imperial examination?"
Li Shui said: "It's simple, because His Majesty agrees, I agree."
The courtiers were suddenly speechless.
What else can be said? Everyone clearly admitted that they wanted to flatter the emperor or flatter the horse. What else can you say? Call someone thick-skinned? I have no shame at all.
Li Shui looked at the courtiers and laughed: "Think about it slowly, I have muddied the water, I think everyone will be suspicious of you."
The courtiers were stunned for a while, then shook their heads and left one after another.
The most important thing now is not to find out who is the person who proposed the imperial examination policy, but to educate the children of the clan as soon as possible.
According to the results of discussions among the courtiers, the imperial examination was held every three years. And this first time is scheduled for half a year later.
The courtiers also had their own selfish motives in setting this time.
After too long, the news will spread throughout the world, and the scholars scattered in the countryside will be prepared.
And the time is too short, and there is no time to teach the children of the clan, so they may not be able to pass the exam.
Now, taking advantage of this half-year period, the courtiers plan to summon the promising children of the clan, strictly prohibit them from playing, and lock them all at home to study practical strategies.
This is their last chance. If they fail the exam this time, after three years, all the scholars in the world will be fully prepared, and these sons of ministers will have almost no advantage.
The courtiers left worriedly, while Li Shui and Li Xin left the palace leisurely.
Li Xin asked Li Shui: "Brother Huai, how is your plan to hunt down the rebels? Didn't you say you wanted to take me to see it?"
Li Shui slapped his forehead: "I forgot about this matter. Let's go to Shang Jun's Courtyard immediately."
After the two of them left the palace, they got on their horses and ran towards Shang Jun's courtyard.
It was already noon when the two arrived.
Li Shui jumped off his horse, caught a craftsman, and asked, "Where is the bamboo?"
Takumi said: "It has always been in her small courtyard and has never come out."
Li Shui nodded and walked over quickly, seeing the two aunts still dutifully guarding the entrance of the courtyard.
Li Shui asked: "Is there nothing abnormal inside?"
The aunt said: "Everything is safe and sound."
Li Shui breathed a sigh of relief and stepped in. As soon as he took a step, his feet collapsed and a pit appeared.
Li Shui was a little dazed: "Did Xiangli Zhu dig this hole?"
The two ladies were also in a daze: "I haven't heard the sound of digging in the past few days."
Li Shui simply found a wooden stick, lit it on the ground like a blind man, and moved inward bit by bit.
Next, he encountered sharpened bamboos, bishou buried in the floating soil, and nooses used to catch wild animals in the forest. By the time Li Shui reached the door of the house, a quarter of an hour had passed.
Seeing this scene, Li Xin brought back some painful memories, so he ran away long ago and found a hut to drink.
As for Li Shui, he walked to the door of the house like a thief. He hid behind a pillar and pushed it against the top with a wooden stick. The door was opened. This time there was no mechanism.
Li Shui breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously looked inside, only to see Xiangli Zhu lying on the low couch, facing inward as if sleeping.
Li Shui called out: "Miss Zhu'er, the sun is already rising."
Xianglizhu didn't react at all.
Li Shui scratched his head: "Did he die suddenly because he dug traps all night and lacked sleep?"
Li Shui walked in carefully and poked Xiangli Bamboo with a wooden stick, but the feel was wrong. The body seemed too light.
Li Shui picked up the quilt and saw that there was a scarecrow inside.
At this moment, a cold bishou fell on Li Shui's neck.
Li Shui stiffened and slowly turned around, seeing Xiangli Zhu standing behind him with two dark circles under his eyes and yawning profusely.
Li Shuigan laughed and said, "Miss Xiangli, what are you doing?"
Xiangli Zhu said quietly: "It's just a matter of breaking into a woman's boudoir without permission, and you have to lift the quilt. What are you going to do?" Baidu reads the latest chapter of "I was a great stickman in the Qin Dynasty" and read it for free for the first time.
