Imperial College, the highest academic institution in the Ming Dynasty.
Regarding the construction of the Imperial College, Zhu Yuanzhang did not necessarily have the idea of "a century-old plan, education as the foundation", but it was really out of helplessness.
The Ming Dynasty used force to conquer the world, but we can't use force to rule the world.
Most of the people who followed Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the world were rough people, illiterate, and couldn't write official documents. Wouldn't it be too taxing to use them to govern the country?
If you want to govern a country, you need bureaucrats, and bureaucrats must know how to read. Those who know how to write are collectively called literati. This is why many dynasties will develop into a certain period, and there will be a phenomenon of "the prosperity of culture and the decline of military power".
Officials in other countries are all literati who make decisions. You, a vulgar man, even if you have meritorious service in killing the enemy, cannot compare to the literati's strokes.
The problem is that Zhu Yuanzhang did not have many literati. So, they brought over the old bureaucrats who were still alive in the Yuan Dynasty. This was not enough. What should I do? They could only use scholars who had never been officials.
But these scholars also had concerns. In the early Ming Dynasty, Northern Mongolia was still there, and Zhu Yuanzhang's tent was not sure whether it was stable or not. If he rashly entered the account as a servant, if the Mongols came back again, wouldn't he be liquidated?
Zhu Yuanzhang invited them to come, but they refused to come, which made Lao Zhu angry.
Okay, you're not coming, are you?
If you don't come to be an official, then kill him and see if you come or not.
The shortage of talents was really to the extreme. Zhu Yuanzhang had nothing to do. The grain chief had already lost his bureaucratic status, which was not enough. This group of scholars also caused trouble for themselves.
With no other choice, Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice but to promote the imperial examination while building his own new bureaucracy.
And this training center for new bureaucrats was the Imperial College.
The Imperial College was formerly known as the Imperial College. It had no school address at the beginning and taught in the main hall of the inner palace. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang located the Imperial College south of Jiming Mountain and changed it to the Imperial College in the 15th year of Hongwu.
The Imperial College is adjacent to the small teaching ground in the east, Yinglingfang in the west, Chengpo Tushan in the north, and Pearl Bridge in the south. There is Longzhou Mountain on the left, Jiming Mountain on the right, Xuanwu Lake in the north, and Pearl River in the south. "It stretches for ten miles and is illuminated by lights", which is a true portrayal of the grand scale of the Imperial College in the early Ming Dynasty.
In the early Ming Dynasty, the Imperial College did cultivate a number of useful talents, but this did not mean that the Imperial College was perfect.
Zhu Yunwen knew that traditional education in ancient times had great problems, especially the official education in the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Zhu Yunwen chose Xu Miaojin. Entering the Imperial Academy as a woman was a silent confrontation and challenge to traditional official education.
Xu Miaojin lived up to Zhu Yunwen's trust. Not only did she gain a firm foothold in the Imperial College, but she also won the support of a large number of Imperial College students by virtue of the national flag, national emblem, and national anthem.
After several months of observation and thinking, Xu Miaojin completed "Ten Major Disadvantages of the Imperial College".
Zhu Yunwen read every article carefully until the end of the article. He went back and reviewed it again. After reading it three times, he looked up at Xu Miaojin and said seriously: "This memorial should be included in the annals of history!"
Xu Miaojin smiled, hugged Zhu Wenkui and walked towards Zhu Yunwen, saying: "Is this considered the emperor's brother's approval and praise?"
Zhu Yunwen nodded seriously and said: "You have made contributions to the Ming Dynasty! The ten major shortcomings of the Imperial College can be said to be extremely sharp and point to the essence. In the future, innovation and talents will flourish. You should be the first to contribute."
Xu Miaojin was full of smiles and joy.
Zhu Yunwen lowered his head to look again, secretly marveling at Xu Miaojin's originality and sensitivity. He put away the memorial and said, "You stay here with the queen. I need to discuss the matter of the Imperial College with the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites."
"I also want to go."
Xu Miaojin said quickly.
Ma Enhui pulled Xu Miaojin and said, "It's not easy to get into the palace. You are not allowed to go anywhere today."
Zhu Yunwen was in a good mood when he saw Xu Miaojin's aggrieved look.
Wuying Palace.
Yu Xin, Xie Jin, Zhang Zhen of the cabinet, Chen Di, minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Yao Guangxiao, minister of the Hanlin Academy, sat on the left and right respectively. After circulating the "Ten Major Weaknesses of the Imperial College", Chen Di returned the memorial and said: "Your Majesty, this memorial explains the evils of the Imperial College It can be said that I have penetrated deeply, but some of my views are too biased and have some merits and desirability."
Zhu Yunwen tapped the table with his finger and asked: "What is undesirable about what Chen Shangshu said?"
Chen Di solemnly said: "The "Ten Major Weaknesses of the Imperial College" mentions that the current teaching content of the Imperial College is limited to the "Four Books", "Five Classics" and related laws and regulations, and should be extended to the fields of agriculture, commerce, craftsmanship, and the military. With all due respect. "The Imperial College selects candidates for the imperial court and should match the imperial examination. Do not add content without permission, which will only increase the burden on the students."
"Do you think that prison students do not need to study knowledge other than the Four Books and Five Classics?"
Zhu Yunwen asked softly, with some disappointment in his eyes.
Chen Di said bluntly: "Your Majesty, the Imperial College students are already fully booked and have no time to study other subjects."
Zhu Yunwen closed his eyes slightly.
Speaking of the examinations of later generations, thousands of people stepped on them and kicked them. But who can imagine that the imperial examinations and official education in the Ming Dynasty were dozens of times more rigorous than the examinations of later generations!
Only the imperial examination theory, everything serves the imperial examination.
Let me make it clear first that the imperial examination only tests the Four Books and Five Classics, and it is impossible to go beyond this scope.
Okay, I have been memorizing these books since I started to learn to read at the age of three. The extracurricular readings are all miscellaneous and unorthodox. What do you think they do?
Do you want to be a miscellaneous person?
Countless scholars of the Ming Dynasty hung on beams to stab their butts, and cut through walls to steal light, just to study the mysteries of these books.
If you ask them how to provide disaster relief, they will shake their heads and have no idea. If you ask them what they should do if they cannot complete the mission of the imperial court, they will say that they will commit suicide and then find a place to commit suicide.
Lack of flexibility, extremely pedantic, full of benevolence, but really without any strategy.
This is a common problem among a large number of scholars!
The reason for these problems is that these people have been trapped in the Four Books and Five Classics for decades and have never opened their minds.
Why does Zhu Yunwen value Jie Jin so much?
Because Xie Jin is flexible and far-sighted.
Why did Zhu Yunwen reuse Yao Guangxiao?
Because this guy has learned a lot, has an active mind, and has a lot of ideas.
There is also Yang Shiqi recommended by Fang Xiaoru, who Zhu Yunwen also attaches great importance to as a future cabinet member. Although Yang Shiqi has learned all the Four Books and Five Classics, he has been wandering in the world for ten or twenty years. He has been involved in both black and white and knows how to change. Can solve many problems.
But look at the court, how many people know how to adapt?
Their adaptations are often based on their stance, rather than on their thinking.
Even high-ranking officials like the Minister of Rites and the Six Ministries could not see the problem that the Imperial College only taught the Four Books and Five Classics, and even opposed adding other subjects. How do you expect the old men of the Imperial College to accept it?
"Master Yao, what do you think?"
Zhu Yunwen opened his eyes and looked at Yao Guangxiao.
Yao Guangxiao stopped moving the beads, looked at Zhu Yunzhen, and said: "Back to the emperor, the Imperial College only teaches the Four Books and Five Classics, which has its own limitations. I believe that the words of the Four Books and Five Classics do not need to be the words of a saint. Listening day and night, they should As an auxiliary word, it is enough to mold one's character and know the propriety and trustworthiness. Other courses can be set up in the Imperial College, focusing on supervising students and assisting the country. Only by selecting talents and matching them with virtue can this be the right path."
