"What was originally an ordinary little thing has become more and more important due to various reasons..."
Zhu Jingyuan looked at the report sent by Yin Zhou and shook his head helplessly.
The two Changshi Mansion originally just wanted to recruit a group of translators, but now it has become the first authentic imperial examination for Thai and Westerners.
Zhu Jingyuan thought for a while and put the telegram on the table:
"It can still be a small thing..."
Let the two Changshi Mansion work according to the original plan, recruit translators when they should be recruited, and ignore the media and the public.
By the way, let’s punish and sanction the boss of the New York Evening News who fabricated this nonsense.
Remind them to be more cautious when reporting on matters related to the Ming Dynasty in the future.
But it can also be treated as a big deal...
Taking advantage of this opportunity, we might as well hold an imperial examination for the Taixi people in the Dongyi Kingdom.
Those who pass the examination will be given a certificate of "student member", which is what is commonly known as scholar status among the people.
Of course, the scope of use of the issued certificate is still limited to the territory of Dongyi Kingdom.
Moreover, the rights possessed must be adjusted accordingly based on the actual situation of Dongyi Kingdom.
The imperial examinations of other vassal states cannot be copied directly.
The imperial examinations in other vassal states were either targeted at immigrants from the Ming Dynasty or targeted at fully naturalized Yin and Hu people.
Of course, the Thais cannot be placed in the same category as them.
However, the scope of people who can participate in the exam does not need to be limited to the Dongyi Kingdom itself.
Americans and even Canadians from next door can take the test.
The actual purpose of this exam was changed from recruiting translators to screening "collaborators."
Born in the United States, he is willing to cooperate with the Ming Dynasty and cooperate with the Ming Dynasty to rule and manage the land and population of Dongyi Kingdom.
It is best if the other party has a certain degree of influence in the United States, or has the ability to exert influence.
It is best to be an intellectual with a relatively high level of education.
In addition, the goal of recruiting translators is still included. Ming collaborators in Europe and the West should at least understand Ming Yayan.
Therefore, you can directly use pure Daming test papers for the exam.
If you can't even understand Daming Yayan's test paper, then of course you are not qualified to pass the exam.
With this in mind, Zhu Jingyuan wrote a response himself:
"We can hold a simple imperial examination, using the test papers from Daming Primary School to middle school, the test papers from middle school to university, and the imperial examination papers from the county examination, divided into three tests.
“If you can pass the county examination, you can be issued a certificate of Dongyi State student as appropriate and be hired to become a grassroots official of Dongyi State in the Ming Dynasty.
“Other candidates with outstanding performance may also be hired as translators as appropriate.
"But you need to pay attention when the assessment is going on. If a candidate who is from Thailand and Western countries belittles Thai and Western civilization and culture as useless in the content of the article he writes in the exam, and at the same time extremely praises the culture and system of the Ming Dynasty, it is okay if he has excellent other results. They should be admitted, but they should not be given the best grades, nor should they be appointed to key positions and officials close to the people.
"Because this kind of person who fundamentally despises his own origin can no longer clearly see the characteristics of the ethnic group he comes from, and can no longer provide effective suggestions for the Ming Dynasty to rule the local Taixi people.
"If the candidate respects the Ming culture, is good at exploring the relationship between modern Western literature and thought and the Ming culture, can find the practical merits of the Western culture, and connects it with the cultural influence of the Ming Dynasty, advocating that the Westerners should continue to learn from the Ming Dynasty Candidates, their scores can be improved accordingly.
“Only those Taixi people who truly understand their own culture and characteristics and are willing to cooperate with the Ming Dynasty are the most suitable candidates to serve as grassroots officials in the Ming vassal state where the majority of Taixi people are from Taixi.
"Candidates can come from all over Yinzhou or even mainland Thailand. As long as they understand the elegant dialects of the Ming Dynasty, they can take the exam. However, candidates from the Long Island area will be given priority for all practical positions.
“Candidates outside the Changdao area who have excellent conditions may be given priority to apply for Dongyi country’s residency and national status.
"Due to the special circumstances, the starting point for the Taixi people in Dongyi Kingdom to enter politics can be unified as translation.
"Finally, I would like to privately warn the relevant personnel of the New York Post and other newspapers that any future decrees issued by the Dongyi Kingdom must not be over-interpreted without the official notification from the Ming Dynasty.
"Otherwise, the newspaper organizations in Changdao will be sealed, and any relevant organizations will be prohibited from conducting direct interviews on Ming-related matters, and relevant personnel will be sanctioned in all Ming-controlled areas."
Zhu Jingyuan's suggestions and requests were sent to Yinzhou.
Liu Ruozhi and Ruan Yuan, the two chief historians of the Dongyi Kingdom, sighed leisurely when they saw this suggestion.
We really need to hold a "county examination" directly.
This Prince of Dashi will really arrange the work.
The point is, this New York Post is the culprit.
Blind reporting and propaganda turned the recruitment of translators into an imperial examination.
However, both of them also understood that holding imperial examinations was actually a very important and useful means of controlling a place.
Recruit capable people into the bureaucracy, give capable people a normal upward path, and at the same time obtain enough bureaucrats.
In the Dongyi Kingdom, a place dominated by Western Yi, it can also reduce ordinary people's resistance to the Ming Dynasty.
So the two men immediately took the existing bureaucratic team and immediately began to organize the imperial examination solemnly and seriously.
In order to make the examination organizers and candidates have the most basic preparation, in order to make the examination as fair as possible.
In order to have as many people as possible participate, all subordinate counties should have the opportunity to participate as much as possible.
The exam was scheduled for two months later and was held simultaneously in Lin County and Wilmington County.
Except for people from the Dongyi Peninsula who take the exam in Wilmington, candidates from outside the Dongyi Kingdom must go to Lin County to register for the exam.
Before the formal imperial examination, some available translators were recruited informally for emergency response.
At the same time, the exam content was announced, and the exam was conducted directly according to Zhu Jingyuan's instructions, using the three levels of Ming Dynasty's test papers.
Relevant news spread quickly through the media again.
However, the newspaper staff in New York received a direct warning from Daming, and they immediately followed suit this time.
First, I asked the city hall directly what it meant, and then I went to write a newspaper article.
The major newspapers were actually willing to accept this request, which was equivalent to having a reason to go directly to the officials of the Dongyi Governor's Office to ask for policy interpretations.
Small newspapers are just collecting second-hand news, and it doesn’t matter where the second-hand news comes from.
"All Taixi and Yinzhou people can participate in the imperial examination of Dongyi Kingdom! 》
"Starting from translation, Taixi people will have the opportunity to become official civil servants in Dongyi Kingdom!" 》
"Absolutely authentic!" The imperial examination will completely use the Yayan of the Ming Dynasty, and will directly use the domestic test papers of the Ming Dynasty! 》
"up to date! The collection of Ming Dynasty Imperial Examination questions is now available! 》
"Countdown to the imperial examination in two months!" 》
Forty-six-year-old James Roosevelt held a newspaper and a wad of pounds and placed them in front of his sixteen-year-old eldest son Isaac Roosevelt:
"The imperial examination of the Dongyi Kingdom of the Ming Dynasty has been confirmed. There are still two months left. You should seize the time to prepare and buy some special materials to study carefully..."
Isaac frowned and said:
"I actually don't want to be in politics or be a civil servant, and my father doesn't want to either..."
James shook his head and said:
"'Sheng Yuan' in the Ming Dynasty does not have to be a civil servant. 'Sheng Yuan' or commonly known as 'Xiu Cai' is actually similar to an honorary title, similar to bachelor or lord in Western countries.
“Obtaining this title is a prerequisite for becoming an official in the Ming Dynasty, but becoming an official is not necessary to obtain the title.
"If you can get the honorary title of a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, it will be very beneficial to most careers."
Now Isaac was surprised:
"You mean, in the Ming Dynasty, you only need to pass the exam to become a noble?"
James chuckled and said:
"So you still need to learn. Since the Tang Dynasty more than a thousand years ago, the Shenzhou Empire has been selecting nobles and officials through examinations. This is an important force for them to maintain their huge territory.
"In the current Ming Dynasty, all officials must pass the examination. The 'shengyuan' is equivalent to a lord, and can only serve as an officer below the county level. Only one who needs to continue to obtain the title of 'juren', or a status similar to a baron, can serve at the state level." 's chief.
"Only by continuing to obtain a higher 'Jinshi' title and gaining a status similar to that of a count can one have the opportunity to become a provincial official or even a member of the cabinet of the Ming Dynasty.
“Even nobles with traditional titles must pass exams to become officials or even inherit titles.
"So, do you want to obtain an honorary title from a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty?"
Isaac nodded without hesitation:
"Of course I hope to get this kind of title..."
James patted the newspaper and money in front of his son:
"Then hurry up and study. You have two months to prepare."
At the same time, in the southeast corner of Lin County, which had just been renamed, there was a rather elegant and small oriental-style garden.
The former Governor of New York, Earl John Murray Dunmore, brought a newspaper and information to see Macartney.
Macartney was sixty-nine years old. In the original history, he had never served as the colonial governor of Yinzhou.
By the time he was qualified enough to serve as governor, the United States had already begun to seek independence.
But he had this opportunity in this life and chose to retire in Lin County, Changdao.
The 74-year-old Earl of Dunmore, who also served as the governor of New York, is also retiring on Long Island.
Due to their identities, the two have a pretty good relationship.
Macartney sat in the rocking chair, took the newspaper from Earl Dunmore, opened it and read it briefly for a while, and then said with regret:
"I really want to give it a try, but my health is really bad and I have no chance of getting the honorary title of a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty."
Dunmore sat down on the rocking chair next to Macartney, shook the chair slightly and sighed:
“Our life is coming to an end, and even if we don’t participate, we don’t know how long we can live.
"Why not join in the fun? Anyway, the exam is in Brooklyn... Oh, it should be called Lin County now.
"And I heard that it was also a strange sight in the Ming Dynasty that a white-haired old man and a child enter the examination room together.
"Even if we have no chance of passing the exam this time, we can still go and catch up."
Macartney was silent after hearing this. Although he was younger, his health was worse than Dunmore's.
The scene was quiet for a long time. Macartney suddenly coughed heavily, then struggled and stood up unsteadily:
"Then let's try it together..."
