February 20, Nanjing.
Outside the gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan, there is a sea of people.
I have been a "big V" for several months, and I also started a business by running a fake "Confucian Daily" that sells better than the real "Confucian Daily", and earned more than 10,000 silver dollars. Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi also stood outside the gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan with complicated emotions.
They both came to see the list!
Today is already the day when the results of the general examination will be released, but Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi, despite their busy schedules of being "big V" and starting a fake newspaper, still found time to participate in the general examination, and they felt special after the exam. good!
Because the questions in this examination were all related to the land equalization system, there was no test on eight-legged essay writing, but only three subjects: policy theory, arithmetic, and metaphysics. Among them, policy papers carry the largest weight, and it can be said that a policy paper determines the future.
The title of the policy theory is "On Equalizing Land"!
Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi have been discussing the equalization of land with Huang Zongxi and others for several months using the real and fake "Confucian Daily" as a forum... They have discussed all aspects, and those who have written better are pro and con. The articles are either their masterpieces or they are already well known.
This is not an ordinary overcooked meal, but it has truly reached the point of being crushed and thoroughly eaten. It can be said that if they write casually with their eyes closed, they can write a masterpiece.
Therefore, both of them wrote a policy paper in the examination room analyzing the advantages of the land equalization system from various angles.
Yes, the articles they wrote in the examination room all supported the equalization of land! They did not write this to please the examiners, but they had really changed their position - after several months of great debate, they already knew the benefits of the equalization system, and they also knew the fatal shortcomings of the tax farming system. .
Although for Emperor Kangxi who was in urgent need of money, the tax-sharing system was the only solution at the moment. However, for the Ming Dynasty, which had strong financial resources and developed industry and commerce, but the land in some areas was relatively concentrated, it was difficult to use the time to conquer the world. The best choice is to complete the equalization of land with the huge accumulated authority.
As for the "Wang Mang's government", it is simply copied by rote. Wang Mang usurped the world in the hands of an orphan and a widow. He did not have enough legitimacy and deterrence. He wanted to equalize the land, and the powerful people below could take over. But what could he do with those powerful people?
The new Ming Dynasty conquered half of the country! Legitimacy is based on strong military strength, and before the new Ming Dynasty seized Jiangnan, it had already completed a round of land equalization in the vast and sparsely populated base area of Guangdong.
And the top military and political leaders of the new Ming Dynasty were mainly Cantonese... These Cantonese people did not suffer from the equalization of land in Guangdong. They had no land in Jiangnan, Jiangxi, Jiangbei, and Zhejiang, so they definitely supported equalization of land.
With their support, Zhu Heji's land equalization system will be supported by the powerful Xinming army. Is there any problem that land equalization cannot continue?
Therefore, both Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi already knew that the new Ming Dynasty's equalization of land would definitely succeed! The question now is whether it will be successful in three years or five years?
As for the success of the Ming Dynasty in equalizing land, for the Qing Dynasty and Wu Zhou... it meant that the end was coming!
Understanding this, Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi have now managed to squeeze into the front row of the crowd, standing in front of a long wall covered with lists of tributes.
The "winning rate" of this imperial examination is still very high!
Because Zhu Heji needed to replace most of the county officials, county magistrates, bookkeepers, dianshi, and six-room dianli in the four provinces of Jiangxi, Jiangnan, Jiangbei, and Zhejiang—these people alone accounted for thousands of positions!
Although the Dianshi and the jailer in charge of public security will arrange veterans or retired officers and soldiers after serious injuries and disabilities to fill the positions, there are still enough positions left.
In addition, Zhu Heji also planned to set up township offices under the county government and open township primary schools... This is a lot of positions.
Although it is impossible to fill all the vacant positions through one imperial examination, there are still more than 2,000 names on the list of tributes for this examination!
Almost one-seventh of those who took the exam became tribute soldiers, crossing the threshold to become the eagle dog of the Ming Dynasty.
The remaining more than 10,000 candidates who have not graduated from high school will be divided into two categories, one is "passed the general examination" and the other is "failed".
Among them, those who "passed the general examination" were eligible to be recruited as civil servants, usually minor officials below the county magistrate.
However, it does not mean that these petty officials without Jinshi background will not be promoted in the future... Zhu Heji will arrange on-the-job training and promotion examinations for all officials!
"Yangzhou Zhouchang...Brother Pei Gong, have you seen it? The eighteenth place, just before that Yangzhou Huanglu Village, is ranked very high! If you work harder in the palace exam, you might be able to get to the top!"
At this time, Li Guangdi had already discovered Zhou Peigong's name on the high school tribute list - because Zhou Peigong was written in Chinese characters, not many people knew Zhou Chang's real name, so this time Zhou Peigong took the imperial examination of the Ming Dynasty under the name Zhou Chang of Yangzhou. , the result is...hit again!
This is already the second time he has won the tribute of the Ming Dynasty!
Zhou Peigong was about to cry. He took the Qing Dynasty examination so many times and failed every time, but he passed the Ming Dynasty examination... Did he vote for the wrong lord?
"I also won... No. 21!" At this time, Li Guangdi also discovered his pseudonym - Yangzhou Li Guang.
He also won, ranking twenty-first, not as high as Zhou Peigong.
However, he would not be jealous of Zhou Peigong. After all, they are all loyal ministers... He cannot succeed in "starting a business" in Ming Dynasty and make a lot of money just because he did well in the Ming Dynasty's imperial examination. If you become a celebrity, then betray the Qing Dynasty and become an official in the Ming Dynasty, right?
Thinking of this, Li Guangdi pulled the somewhat distracted Zhou Peigong out of the crowd and headed towards the yard where he and Zhou Chang rented.
Because Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi had already made a fortune, they rented a very nice courtyard by the Qinhuai River, not far from Jiangnan Gongyuan.
So the two people could walk back to the rental place. As soon as they entered the door, they saw an old steward who was responsible for managing the printing workshop for them, already waiting in the yard.
"Two Dong Weng," the old steward saw the two of them and immediately took out a copy of "Confucian Daily" and handed it over, "please take a look at this!"
Li Guangdi reached out to take the newspaper, glanced at it and exclaimed: "What?"
Zhou Peigong was startled by him and quickly turned to look at Li Guangdi.
However, Li Guangdi did not tell him what happened. Instead, he sent the old steward away first, then took Zhou Peigong into a small building in the yard, then got into the study room shared by the two of them, and returned Closed the doors and windows.
"Qing Jin, what are you..." Zhou Peigong looked at Li Guangdi in confusion.
"Something big has happened!" Li Guang handed the newspaper to Zhou Peigong, "Zhang Tongcheng and Gao Yuyao raised their troops in Tongcheng, and even once broke into Tongcheng County!"
"Really?" Zhou Peigong looked happy, "This is a good thing!"
"What a fart!" Li Guangdi gritted his teeth, "I don't know how crazy the two of them were. They actually shouted the slogans 'When the Holy Duke comes out, great Confucianism will flourish' and 'One third of the world has a hole'!"
"What?" Zhou Peigong was also frightened, "They are going to..."
"They want Shenggong to be the emperor..." Li Guangtong said, "But Shenggong is far away in Tongzhou and under the control of the emperor. There is no way he can change the world."
"Jin Qing!" Zhou Peigong had already roared, "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, I..." Li Guangdi realized that he had said the wrong thing!
No, it’s not that I said it wrong, it’s that there’s something wrong with my whole thinking!
The first is that I have read so much "anti-classical" things that I have become anti-traditional. When I think about problems, I naturally have "anti-traitor thinking".
Second, through these days of great debate, he had doubts about the future and destiny of the Qing Dynasty.
In other words, Li Guangdi is no longer a good slave of the Qing Dynasty...
While Li Guangdi was in a daze, Zhou Peigong had already stood up and started to collect the banknotes, manuscripts and household registers. While doing so, he said to Zhou Peigong: "I always feel that the current situation is very wrong. We can't stay in Nanjing anymore. We have to hurry up." Walk!"
