Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> Revitalize the Ming Dynasty

Volume 13: Reviving the Ming Dynasty Chapter 664: Imperial Examination Reform

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    The fourth year of Zhengyuan of the Ming Dynasty is a year that will be talked about by future generations. In this year, it played a great role in the rise and development of the Ming Dynasty.  First, at the beginning of the year, good news came about the elimination of gold, so that there would be no more foreign troubles in the northeast of the Ming Dynasty.  Afterwards, peace talks were held with Mongolia, and the situation in the north also eased. Soon after, there was news of mutual conquests between the tribes on the Mongolian grasslands. There were rumors among the people that this was also done by the imperial court, which caused some tribes to invade the Ming border.  All were hit hard.

    What interests the people even more is the change in Ming Dynasty's foreign attitude. In the past, envoys from various countries who were treated well when they came and took away a lot of property were disgraced this time.  Originally, the people were dissatisfied with the fact that they could not even have enough to eat, and the country was trying to make a fool of themselves, emphasizing the majesty of the Celestial Empire. But now the imperial court suddenly made a 180-degree change, which really surprised and delighted the people.  .  []

    Of course, there are also some people who are very uncomfortable with this.  Those rotten scholars who did not have to worry about their livelihood and were only immersed in the dream of the heavenly kingdom sighed after learning about this incident. This was clearly a sign of the decline of the Ming Dynasty.  In their view, the country should use the money that could have been given to the people to do some face-saving projects under the surface gratitude of the small nearby countries, otherwise it would be a deplorable thing.

    Faced with such ridiculous remarks, Tang Feng just spat disdainfully and threw it aside.  Chatting is the most harmful thing to the country. These people who don¡¯t know the sufferings of the people are not qualified to express their opinions on the court¡¯s policies because they are not worthy.  Of course, he will not punish those people for this, but he will not let these people become officials.

    After the external enemies had been completely eliminated and the Ming Dynasty had stabilized internally, Tang Feng's eyes fell on other aspects.  He knew that the current Ming Dynasty still had many areas for improvement, and many things were pushed forward by his own iron-fisted means. If there could be no further development, he would follow in the footsteps of many predecessors.

    ??History, most of the people who carried out reforms were talented people, but there were very few people who really succeeded and still had people who followed behind them, maybe only a few people such as Shang Yang.  As for most of them, like Wang Anshi and others, everything was easy to say when he was in office, but once they stepped down from their positions or died, everything would change back to what it was before, even for people like Zhang Juzheng in the current dynasty.  The fierce man ended up like this in the end.

    ?????????????????????????????? If such a tragedy does not occur, Tang Feng knows that he must have a group of staunch supporters.  Now that I am still young, I should take advantage of my youth to promote more people with new ideas.  In fact, the thinking of the late Ming Dynasty was relatively open, at least it did not restrict the thinking of the people like the early period and the Manchu Qing Dynasty, so it was not difficult for him to find helpers.  However, one thing makes him very embarrassed, that is, those who can become officials must conflict with him on this point. At least few people can agree with some of his reform plans, so he needs to get some people who are willing to support him.  people have embarked on official careers.

    There are only two sources of officials in the Ming Dynasty. A few relied on the merits of their ancestors and became officials because of their family influence. However, these people could not hold any important positions. To put it bluntly, they were just rice bugs raised by the court with money.  Most of the people who work are officials who have come up through the imperial examination.  And these officials who passed the imperial examination were all people who were deeply brainwashed by Confucianism. They paid attention to the etiquette of the ancestors and kings. They were not as good as in the past, so they naturally disapproved of Tang Feng's reform ideas.

    So at first, Tang Feng thought of changing the way officials entered, that is, letting other methods replace the imperial examination, so as to find people who can help him. However, after carefully thinking about the dialogue with other people, he gave up this idea.  Realistic ideas.  Because he understood that once he really did this, he would be overthrown immediately. Even if he held military power, he would not be able to make enemies all over the world.

    Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the imperial examination system has taken root in the land of China. No matter who becomes the emperor, this system will be implemented because it is the basis of national stability.  Only this path can give the children of poor families hope to move forward. Everyone is aware of this. If it is stopped suddenly, the rebound will not be something Tang Feng can bear.

    And after thinking about it carefully, Tang Feng also found that no matter how serious the drawbacks of the imperial examination system were, it still had its reasonable side. At least it was fair.  Except for a few individuals with bad intentions who may commit fraud, it can fairly select the most knowledgeable people to govern the country.  In fact, if he really wanted to talk about it, the civil service examination he thought of would be more unfair than it, because the civil service examination is too subjective.  Sometimes the experience of foreign countries and later generations may not necessarily be suitable for the current national conditions of our country.

    However, Tang Feng still planned to start with the imperial examination, but instead of completely denying it and giving up using this method to get an official position, he changed the way of the imperial examination.  Since Zhu Yuanzhang took down the Great Ming Dynasty, for the sake of convenience,Although the imperial examination is still carried out during the rule, it has changed its method, that is, the eight-legged examination system is used to select scholars.  This obviously greatly imprisoned the minds of scholars, preventing their knowledge and cultivation from being truly developed.  Although it seemed very beneficial to the rule of the Ming Dynasty in the short term, two hundred years later, this has greatly hindered the progress of the nation.  So if we want the country to develop, this must change.

    Of course, the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty did not just consist of eight-legged essays. They also had strategies, but this aspect was relatively inconspicuous. Many candidates only stared at the eight-legged essays and only knew how to memorize the Four Books and Five Classics.  But in fact, an official's ability is reflected in policy questions. This kind of putting the cart before the horse is really frustrating.

    After talking with some knowledgeable people, Tang Feng finally grasped this breakthrough, and he knew what he should do.  In this way, not only can he promote more capable officials to contribute to the revitalization of the Ming Dynasty as he wants, but he can also ensure that the original interest groups will not be single-mindedly opposed to him.  .

    "Just do it if you think of it. Tang Feng understands that time waits for no one, so he immediately proposed this method in the court.  Because he knew that although Ming Dynasty now had no foreign enemies, it was only temporary.  As Western countries continue to grow and rise, one day they will invade the Chinese nation as they did in history.  If we want to avoid being bullied and even take the initiative, we need to develop like them.  And once the Chinese nation, which has thousands of years of civilization, really speeds up its progress, it will not be able to compare with those barbarian countries that have just left the world of raw materials and blood.  But all this must first be based on reform.

    One stone stirred up a thousand waves. When Tang Feng proposed this plan at the court meeting, he was immediately opposed by many officials.  Although he now controls the government, there are still very few people who are willing to agree with him on this matter.  Because the imperial examination is the foundation of the country, it is a sacred and unshakable place in the minds of scholars, and it is more important than one's own life. How can it be changed just by saying it?  Even those who were on both ends of the spectrum did not dare to support Tang Feng because they were afraid that they would suffer infamy after birth.

    Now Tang Feng is in a bit of a dilemma. He can use force to make everyone dare not oppose him, but the grading of the imperial examination is still in the hands of these officials. If they are unwilling to cooperate, even if it is implemented, they will have many tricks to violate it.  .  Tang Feng couldn't correct those papers by himself. Even if he did, he couldn't read thousands of papers by himself.  But Tang Feng didn't want to give up this idea, so he had to calm down and argue with these people.

    "Why do you insist on using stereotyped writing to select scholars? You are all knowledgeable people, can't you see that this method will only make scholars know less?" Tang Feng said earnestly.

    What was exchanged was silence. In fact, everyone knew this shortcoming, but this is how they came here. They changed like this without even thinking about it. This may be a kind of revenge.  However, this reason cannot be expressed. Someone said: "What the Duke only sees is the shortcomings of stereotyped writing. In fact, stereotyped writing also has its successful side. Someone once said that as long as stereotyped writing is done well, no matter what article you write, it will not matter.  No matter how difficult it is, it requires poetry and poetry, poetry and poetry, a whip and a mark, a slap and a blood. Only these eight pieces can select the most suitable one from thousands of scholars."

    When Tang Feng heard such a reason, he smiled bitterly: "Of course I understand this truth. I was also a Jinshi. But have you ever thought about it, if you can write eight-legged essay and write well, you can be a good person with that.  There is no necessary connection between being an official. On the contrary, it is policy making that reflects the ability of an official. Why do you only focus on writing articles and not focusing on the ability of an official?"

    Seeing that everyone was silent for a moment, Tang Feng continued: "Have you ever heard of such a poem about the bad stereotypes that mislead people: 'A scholar is the worst, and when he is bad, his writing is as bad as mud. The country is originally  The talent-seeking strategy turned into a trick to deceive others. I read half of the sermon, memorized thirty questions, and stuffed the top candidate in my purse. Three sentences completed the question, two sentences broke the question, and I wagged my tail and shook my head, saying that I was a senior disciple of the Holy Sect.  . Do you know what the "Three Directives" and the "Four Histories" are? Which emperors were the Han ancestors and Tang Zong? Keep sermons high on your desk, and buy new scientific tools in the store. This is the disadvantage of stereotyped writing.  Okay, don¡¯t you guys really understand?¡±

    Everyone was dumbfounded when they heard this poem. When had there been a poem that criticized stereotypes so pointedly? I had never heard of it.  In fact, this is something Tang Feng didn't know. This poem was not a product of the Ming Dynasty, but was written by a doctor named Xu Dachun in the later Qing Dynasty. He didn't expect it to be used as justification now.

    However, these lines of poetry hit the point of the Eight-part Gu, and many officials present could not help but recall that in the past, when they were still studying hard in the cold window, it was indeed as written in the poem. In addition to the Four Books and Five Classics  , rarely involvedHunt others.  After becoming officials, they discovered that the knowledge they knew was far from enough to cope with government affairs, so they had to learn while becoming officials.  Now that I think about it, if I had dabbled in more knowledge in other areas, maybe my career would have been even better.

    Seeing their thoughtful expressions, Tang Feng continued: "Actually, I did not completely deny the idea of ??eight-part essay selection. I just wanted to increase the importance of the policy on this basis, so that it would not be wrong.  The future of those scholars who study hard will be better able to select the talents who are most beneficial to our Ming Dynasty, why don't you understand?"

    After a moment of silence, a few people finally relaxed: "The Duke's concerns are reasonable, but the imperial examination is a major matter for the country, but Ruopiao Astronomy Network is a big change, which is not very important to the current imperial examination."  That¡¯s fair.¡±

    Tang Feng felt slightly happy when he saw that they were relieved, and said: "I have also considered this. Since we are afraid of causing inconvenience to the candidates, we can temporarily choose one with less impact. This year, my Ming Dynasty has won consecutive victories.  After the victory, it is time for the whole world to celebrate. We can add an Enke, and we will make some changes from now on. As for Qiuwei, it will remain the same as before. If the scholars selected by this method are more suitable for officials than before, then  It¡¯s time for me to think about changing my attitude after the scientific examination in three years¡¯ time.¡±

    This is a compromise, and it is also a concession that Tang Feng had to make when encountering such great resistance.  However, he also firmly believed that as long as this change was made, it would not be too far away to kick out the eight-part examination system.  The officials did not object to Tang Feng's compromise plan, because they could see that this was Tang Feng's bottom line, and he still had the final say in the Ming Dynasty.

    So everyone nodded and said good deeds. At this point, the eight-legged approach to recruiting scholars that had been popular in the Ming Dynasty for more than two hundred years changed.  Until a hundred years later, when the scholars of Ming Dynasty took part in the new imperial examination, they still kept thinking about what happened on that day. They deeply understood that they could get out of the fetters of the Four Books and Five Classics, thanks to Tang Feng on this day.  For his persistence, the young scholars at that time could be said to be grateful to Tang Feng.

    But that will be a hundred years later. In today's Ming Dynasty, those scholars who take scientific examinations don't think so.  They were very happy when they learned that the imperial court would open an enke this year, because it meant that they had one more chance to embark on an official career.  But when the key points of this scientific examination were made public, everyone was stunned.

    It is actually focused on policy questions, and the Four Books, Five Classics and Shiwen that I have studied for many years only account for a very small proportion. How can these scholars accept this?  Many people began to curse the injustice of the imperial court, and even the impulsive and courageous ones went to the Academy and the Confucius Temple to cry and complain about the imperial court.  These people soon learned the ins and outs of the matter, and Tang Feng became the target of their criticism. They talked about his faults, and some even said that Tang Feng was the root of the troubled times.

    The Ming Dynasty was very liberal in terms of speech, and those officials who spoke out could even hear about it, and the emperor could not be convicted. This was very different from the Manchu Qing Dynasty in later history.  But after learning some of the fierce remarks made by these scholars, the people in Jinyiwei couldn't help it. Many people wanted to get permission from Tang Feng to arrest some people who went too far.  Tang Feng did not approve of this. He said: "I have expected such a reaction. They can't accept it for a while and always complain. If we don't allow this, what does it have to do with the original eunuch party?"  What about the difference?"

    "But if this continues, there's no guarantee that they won't mess up the country?" Someone said worriedly: "They have already mentioned in their words that your actions, Duke, are disrespectful to the ancestors. Some even say that you have completely denied the original Taizu.  The current rules clearly have ulterior motives."

    "Don't worry, they won't be able to cause too much trouble." Tang Feng said with confidence: "The scholar's rebellion has not been successful for three years. At the beginning, it was difficult for those with high-ranking official status to make a difference, let alone these are completely white men.  I am a scholar. As for these remarks, when things become facts, they will naturally not appear again. They can only conform to the overall situation."

    "When he said this, Tang Feng also felt that what he did was a coincidence. Why were he doing it against Zhu Yuanzhang?  He wanted to ban the sea, but he chose to open it.  He banned trade and encouraged commerce himself.  He likes to promote the wealth of the Ming Dynasty when envoys from other countries come and give them enough benefits, but he doesn't get a cent.  He advocated stereotyped writing to recruit scholars to restrain the people's wisdom, but he made such a fuss again.  If Zhu Yuanzhang knew something secretly, he might have come out to fight with him, right?

    In fact, Tang Feng was a little overly worried, but any reform would always change everything before it.  The rules originally set by the Ming Dynasty were all created by Zhu Yuanzhang, so naturally he could only oppose them.  Although he felt weird in his heart, it did not affect Tang Feng's decision. He still wanted to?The imperial examination was reformed.

    Everything developed exactly as Tang Feng imagined. After seeing the court turning a deaf ear to the opposition from him and others, the opposition enthusiasm of the scholars quickly declined.  They still know that their arms cannot twist their thighs, and they also know very well that if they oppose Enke this time, they will only suffer.  So after making trouble for a while, these people had no choice but to pick up their books again and study hard. This time, they became more pragmatic and began to care about the national economy and people's livelihood.

    In May, when the Enke exam began, candidates from all provinces gathered in the capital, and there was another lively moment. Everyone talked more about how to write the policy paper, rather than continuing to slander this change.

    By the end of May, the candidates for the pilot test were announced one by one. Now that everything has become a fact, those scholars who originally only focused on reading books about sages began to pay more attention to understanding state affairs, and everything went as Tang Feng hoped.  Seeing the development, the changes in Ming Dynasty gradually took shape
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report