"Your Majesty, the chaos has spread beyond Sichuan. People in Guizhou, Henan, Shandong, Shaanxi, Hebei and other places have also joined forces to write to the government or gather in protest. Similar incidents have even occurred in Hubei and Anhui."
Zhongdu Imperial Palace.
In the imperial study room of Qinzheng Palace.
Gong Zhuman, the commander of Jinyiweidu, was reporting to Emperor Zhu on the "student movements" taking place in the newly recovered provinces.
Although it is said that Emperor Zhu was actually ready for a counterattack by the "conservative forces".
But the scope of the impact this time was so large that it still gave him a headache.
It spread from Sichuan to Guizhou, Henan and other places.
It has affected almost the entire Central Plains and Southwest regions.
It can be said to be the biggest domestic political challenge that the New Ming Dynasty has faced since its founding.
And Emperor Zhu can be sure that this time it will spread to the whole country so quickly.
It must have something to do with the acquiescence of local officials everywhere.
no way.
Who said that all the officials in the Ming Dynasty are Confucian scholars?
Let them take the initiative to suppress these scholars.
It's simply not possible.
Emperor Zhu now extremely hopes that the students who graduated from Daohua University, Nanyang University, Zhongdu University, and Nandu University in May this year, after one year of preparatory studies and four years of university education, can enter all aspects of society as soon as possible. .
The ideal that changed the entire Chinese society.
Just relying on Emperor Zhu alone is indeed not enough.
With the authority of the founding emperor, he could forcefully promote many things.
But once he dies, if there is no new interest class exists.
Then the industrialization of the Ming Dynasty may be like the destroyed treasure ship blueprints in history, which were counterattacked by conservative forces and the people were destroyed.
Think of this.
Emperor Zhu could not help but feel a sense of urgency that time could not wait for us.
The education system must undergo comprehensive changes!
But now it's urgent.
Or how to suppress the current chaos.
"It is only a matter of the emperor's words to calm down the chaos in Sichuan. Ultimately, this time it is because the pace of reform is too big. Scholars in the world cannot accept it for a while. Many of them are already thirty-four years old. It’s hard to learn something new at this age.”
In Qinzheng Hall, Qin Ying, a scholar from Hongru Academy, spoke loudly.
Qin Ying was a great Confucian in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. He studied in Jiangsu and Jiangsu, and his talents spread throughout Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
Great influence.
Moreover, they are different from great Confucian scholars like Li Tiaoyuan and Zhang Wentao who concentrated on living and studying.
Qin Ying is still a bit "motivated" to become an official.
However, Emperor Zhu did not think highly of the official abilities of these great Confucians.
So I just arranged for this great scholar to become a bachelor of Hongru Academy.
There is no actual power, it is just equivalent to recruiting for the position of anti-evil committee member.
After all, these great Confucians still have quite a lot of students, and they have a wide range of local connections, so they still have a lot of value in united front.
Low power, high status, high influence.
So there is no hindrance in speaking.
"I'm thirty-four years old, and I still have to take the imperial examination. It's better to learn a craft to make a living as soon as possible."
Peng Jun, the Minister of Education, said coldly.
"That's wrong. To be a farmer in the morning and to ascend to the emperor's hall in the evening is the ideal of scholars. If you can't take the exam at the age of thirty-four, wouldn't it mean that you have lost your dreams?" Qin Ying shook his head and objected. "Now that the country has made initial decisions, stability should still be the priority. What will happen even if the eight-legged essay is tested?"
"What's the use of a scholar who can only write eight-legged essays?" Gu Song objected, shaking his head repeatedly.
"Nowadays, the imperial court implements the policy of "scholars serve as officials". If you don't understand practical knowledge, how can you clean up the local area, clear taxes and govern the people? Can those scholars who only know eight-part essays be able to do things? I have seen it in the past few years and still don't know? If they can't even do things well in their own hometown, how can they be allowed to be one of the parent officials in the future?"
Qin Ying said: "Prime Minister Gu, you don't know the true purpose of the imperial examination, do you?"
"I know it, but my Ming Dynasty now worships literature but does not suppress martial arts. Nowadays, the world is in troubled times, and countries are competing for hegemony. How can we use the method of imprisoning wise men and let the elites of a country stick to eight-legged articles without caring about the facts? How can you act like a fool and make yourself weak during the turbulent times of the Warring States Period!" Gu Song immediately retorted.
He is one of the "Three Hundred Old Brothers Meritorious Group".
As a loyal supporter of Emperor Zhu.
Even as a Confucian scholar, he actually agreed that Confucian content should account for more content in the imperial examination.
But on this occasion.
He must unequivocally support the emperor.
The three hundred old brothers were the emperor's greatest weight in balancing the power of the Confucian scholars and officials in the court.
Gu Song's butt must not be crooked.
Qin Ying was a little annoyed: "Prime Minister Gu, the problem now is that the scholars in Sichuan have stopped taking exams, and the scholars in all provinces are also unstable. If we don't take a step back, I'm afraid there will be chaos in the local area."
Right now.
It was another member of the anti-evil committee of Hongru Academy. Well, it was the bachelor who spoke.
The speaker was also Zhang Huiyan, a great scholar from the Liangjiang area.
"It's better to take a step back. The key now is to stabilize the four sides first. Now that the situation has been decided, it's better to act safely."
Right now.
Qian Heng, who had never had much of a presence in the court, but was appointed by Emperor Zhu as the Speaker of the Council, said: "Sichuan scholars are just boycotting the exams. In fact, the fact that scholars are officials is of great significance to Sichuan scholars. If it's beneficial, they won't take the exam and just send some officials from other places."
Qian Heng was previously the accountant of Emperor Zhu's business in Europe.
He worked as the governor of the Strait Governor's Mansion for a period of time, and also worked as a member of the Royal Bank of Ming Dynasty for a period of time. Now he is placed in the position of speaker.
Naturally, he was also Emperor Zhu's mouthpiece in the court.
Although the Ming Dynasty now has a parliament.
But this parliament is not a universally elected parliament.
Honorable votes account for half of the votes, and local governments allocate "votes" according to the amount of tax paid.
In addition, Emperor Zhu could designate some meritorious deeds as members.
Therefore, this Ming Dynasty Council is a proper acclamation parliament, which is a complete reflection of the will of the Ming Emperor. Now Qian Heng, the "representative of the imperial will," spoke.
Naturally, everyone remained silent and did not dare to contradict him.
He just looked at the Emperor of Heaven sitting on the throne.
Emperor Zhu stopped talking when he saw the ministers.
He then said: "Mr. Lingcang, Mr. Yiming, you two go to Sichuan and listen to the opinions of the scholars. If they think the changes are too drastic, the imperial examination can be suspended for one year, but the syllabus cannot be changed. Yes, if they don’t want to take the exam, then they won’t take the exam! The imperial examination will not be taken, and the public bureau elections in Sichuan will also be suspended. Military politics will be used in Sichuan for the time being! In addition, according to my decree, any of the three tribes who have unpaid taxes are not allowed to serve as civil officials. , not allowed to participate in the imperial examination!!!"
Qin Ying and Zhang Huiyan looked at each other and were stunned.
Listen to the opinions of scholars and they will understand.
Why does the change of scenery involve tax arrears?
Is this an attempt to rectify officialdom?
(End of chapter)
