Chapter Ninety-Two: The scriptures and righteousness must not move the scholars
"The determination to recruit scholars based on classics and righteousness cannot be given up. It cannot even be reduced." Yao Guangxiao said: "Since Wang Anshi, recruiting scholars based on righteousness and righteousness has become the mainstream in the world. Moreover, Wang Anshi's other policies were abolished, but this policy is the only one that will not be abolished. You should think deeply about this."
"One custom, one morality. The wish of Confucian scholars throughout the ages has no harm to the world. Your Excellency may think it is false, but it cannot be changed easily."
He Xi had to think deeply about Yao Guangxiao's words.
Yao Guangxiao's words show that not only many Confucian officials think this matter is important. Even Yao Guangxiao felt that this matter was very important and could not be changed easily.
But what both parties feel is important is different.
Confucian officials are interested. If you don't examine the meaning of the classics, how can a large number of Confucian scholars enter the officialdom? This is simply more uncomfortable than killing them. Why do Confucian scholars oppose the recommendation system? Of course, the recommended officials are mixed. But in fact, the imperial examination selected scholars from among the scholar-bureaucrats, which represented the entire class of scholars and became the local mainstream.
The landlord class and the scholar-bureaucrat class are different.
In the past ten years, Zhu Yuanzhang vigorously promoted culture and education, and actually completed the transformation of the powerful people left over from the Yuan Dynasty, transforming them into scholar-bureaucrat families. This is also because of China's ancient reading tradition, and most powerful people are also arty.
If you look at the resumes of many famous officials, you will find an interesting phenomenon. There were many civil servants whose ancestors were powerful during the Hongwu period, and even gathered righteous soldiers, and had a place in the troubled times. However, during the Yongle period of Hongwu, their descendants became officials through the imperial examination.
If He Xi abolishes the classics and meanings, it will have a particularly big impact on these forces. It may even affect the stability of the court. You can see this by looking at the abolition of the imperial examination in the late Qing Dynasty. In fact, if the Qing Dynasty had only reformed the imperial examination instead of abolishing it, it might have been able to survive for a few more years. It’s really because it was abolished.
Instead, students who were preparing for the imperial examination were preparing for revolution.
Yao Guangxiao felt it was inappropriate because of this. He has no children and only one sister, whom he has not seen for many years. Not related to interests. He never thought about speaking for Confucian scholars. Considering Yao Guangxiao's nature, he also despised those Confucian scholars.
But in terms of consolidating the imperial court, the classics and righteousness, as well as the scholar-bureaucrats, all had their own roles to play.
Can't move easily.
At the very least, until He Xi finds another way to unify the thoughts of people all over the world, the classics and meanings cannot be touched, and Confucianism cannot be lightly touched. At least no matter how to recruit scholars, these groups of people cannot be ignored.
In terms of future generations, ideological and political courses, which many people dislike, do not have a small weight in the overall teaching.
Same principle, different methods of practice.
He Xi was silent for a while and said: "Actually, I want to separate the qualification examination and the service examination. From now on, the honors obtained, even Jinshi, only means that they can participate in a certain official selection. It does not mean that they can Directly serve. In this way, the education of classics and meanings is placed in schools, and the examinations of other subjects are placed above the service examinations."
"Examiner?" Yao Guangxiao was silent for a while and said, "Do you want to take the exam for the official position? Although the imperial court holds general elections every year, it seems to be different from what you said."
The general election here is not an election. But choose officials.
There are also certain regulations for the appointment of court officials. Of course, today's charter is a mess. It is not systematic. On the one hand, the Ming Dynasty has just been established and there are no established examples to rely on. On the other hand, no rules can restrain Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang made many moves and changed the so-called charter.
Therefore, during the fifteen years of Hongwu, many things changed again and again. Even something as important as the imperial examination has gone through: the imperial examination was held, the imperial examination was abolished, the imperial examination was promoted, and now there are discussions about re-establishing the imperial examination. As for other aspects, there have been too many changes.
Even the Prime Minister was abolished.
The only constant thing in the early Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty was that it was always changing. Of course, this kind of change gradually disappeared in the late Hongwu period. After the death of the prince, it came to an end.
This is another story, not mentioned here.
The methods of employing people during the Hongwu period were also very different, and the majority were still recommended. A certain minister recommended someone to be a certain official. There are advantages and disadvantages to this.
That is, it is too common for people to form cliques for personal gain.
Because he was recommended for official service, there were benefactors behind him. If you have a benefactor and power, you will have confidence. He's not alone. If you encounter any problems somewhere, you can also turn to the benefactor for help. The biggest disadvantage is forming cliques for personal gain.
Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang also used other methods.
Examination is one. But the examination administered by the Ministry of Personnel is a qualification examination. For example, if you want to appoint a group of county officials, you would select a group of people based on their qualifications, take an exam, screen out some, and then appoint them. The drawing of lots that the prince talked about was in this kind of examination.
But more importantly, Zhu Yuanzhang directly appointed him.
Most of the officials in the world remembered it in Zhu Yuanzhang's mind. For example, this time Zhang Du was suddenly transferred to the coal and iron department. This is the unique destiny of the Sacred Heart. No consultation with anyone.
He Xi said: "Exactly, I think that if the court wants to appoint an official, it needs to be announced in the newspaper in advance. Announce the requirements, such as the rank, what qualifications are required, and any official selection can recommend some people. Certain ministers , can also recommend a candidate. There is a limit on the number of places, or people can self-recommend. Then the Ministry of Personnel will preside over the examination. The examination questions are related to the official position held, and then the superiors of the selected officials will judge the papers. Finally, who will be appointed. "
"how do you feel?"
After hearing this, Yao Guangxiao's first thought was that this would give the emperor a lot of room for action. The right to appoint ministers will be contested from now on. The second thing is that this thing is too troublesome.
Because there are too many things involved.
First of all, it is qualifications. How to determine qualifications? Secondly, how to take the exam? It should be noted that the biggest problem with the examination system is fraud.
How many officials will be appointed in the Ming Dynasty in a year? If this method is used, this kind of exam will not stop from the beginning to the end of the year, and thousands of people can still cheat in the big exam. And if a few people or dozens of people take a quiz without attracting attention, it will be even easier to cheat.
But Yao Guangxiao was also somewhat moved in his heart.
Because he saw He Xi's original intention.
What he wants is that a person can become an important minister of the Ming Dynasty step by step without becoming a member of any faction. If there were not all the clumsiness within the Ming Dynasty, any promotion would be done by talented people step by step through examinations.
Many things can be solved in Ming Dynasty.
It's just a pity that politics is too complicated.
The more ideal something is, the more difficult it is to achieve.
But for some reason, Yao Guangxiao just wanted to see if this thing could succeed.
Yao Guangxiao said: "Your Majesty, you can tell Fang Xiaoru these things."
He Xi was stunned and said, "Why?"
Yao Guangxiao said: "Does your Majesty know who Fang Xiaoru is?"
He Xi said: "A great scholar?"
Yao Guangxiao said: "He is the same kind of person as your Excellency. He is an extremely naive person. He is a person who wants to use his own theory to bring peace to the world. But you also know, Sir, that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You also know that there are some things that cannot be done. , just change and give up, and settle for the next best thing.”
"But Fang Xiaoru is not. Do you know what Fang Xiaoru's greatest desire is?"
He Xi said: "What?"
Yao Guangxiao said: "Restore the well-field system."
He Xi heard this sentence. There are mixed feelings in my heart. I don’t know how to judge Fang Xiaoru.
The well-field system is actually a land system that only exists in Confucian classics. Even archeology has no evidence to support the existence of this system. However, generations of great scholars continued to study it one after another. But their research was not without results. The Fubing system is the reform and variation of the Jingtian system.
But times have changed, and everyone knows that the well-field system is impossible. But there are two types of people who still stubbornly support the well-field system. The first is those who stick to the past. Everything was good in ancient times. Second, it is to embrace naive ideals and hope to restore Confucianism to its original appearance. Even if we know it cannot be done, we still hope to develop a better system based on the well-field system.
Let the people live better and with more dignity.
In other words, he advocated giving the people of Ming Dynasty better choices from a distribution perspective.
