Chapter 224: Abolish the Song Confucians, Study the Han Confucians

"Do you take me for such a man? You came to my house—was that all you had to say?" Feng Congwu glared at Zhang Yu and demanded loudly.

His eyes seemed to spit fire, and he had already adopted the posture of showing his guests the door.

Song Yingsheng and Song Yingxing on the side were both stunned—no one had expected Zhang Yu to come out with such an aggressive posture right from the start.

After all, although the three of them weren't exactly here to beg for favors this time, when you visit someone's home, shouldn't you at least maintain a somewhat decent attitude?

When all was said and done, they had come to form an alliance. But the way Zhang Yu was acting now gave one the feeling he'd come to make enemies!

Zhang Yu remained unmoved, unshaken, and said with a peaceful smile on his face: "It is precisely because I believe you are not such a man that I speak of these things with you."

"What we must do is be loyal to the sovereign and serve the state, uphold righteousness—not vent our anger, nor seek fame through blunt remonstrance. The Great Ming has now reached a moment of life and death; we can no longer remonstrate bluntly. We need stratagems; we need to take an indirect path."

"In the court, there are many mediocrities, and no small number of those who advanced through sycophancy. With such men holding the reins of Great Ming governance, one can imagine what the future holds for the Great Ming. At a time like this, we can even less afford to indulge a moment's pleasure of the heart, disregarding righteousness and disregarding the Great Ming!"

Feng Congwu looked at Zhang Yu, knowing that although this fellow spoke lightly, his words were not entirely honest.

Though such men existed in the court, not everyone was like that; the situation now was not about what the ministers wanted to do, but how to turn His Majesty's views around.

But Feng Congwu could tell that Zhang Yu's words carried hidden meaning, so he slowly sat back down, softened his expression somewhat, and asked: "Then what ideas do you have?"

"In the court today, Xu Guangqi belongs to the School of Mind; beside him are Vice Minister of Revenue Li Zhizao and Minister of Rites Shen Tingyun. These three, deeply trusted by His Majesty in the court, can be said to have entrenched positions. Though they have not been in power long, shaking them will not be easy."

"Beyond that, Huang Kezuan of the Ministry of Justice raising Xunzi at this very time can be called a banner of his own. Before long, a group of people will surely gather around him—that will be the second force in the court."

"As for the third force, on the surface it is Chief Grand Secretary Han Kuang and Grand Secretary Sun Chengzong of the Grand Secretariat. But in truth we all know that Han Kuang and Sun Chengzong are not the same kind of men; there is also Minister of Works Zhao Nanxing. These three barely count as being on the same front, yet their hearts are not united."

"The main force in the court right now is Xu Guangqi's group. Beyond that, there will likely be Huang Kezuan's group as well. When that time comes, a new round of upheaval in the court is probably about to begin."

Glancing at Zhang Yu, Feng Congwu spoke: "I am merely a lowly fifth-rank Chief of the Seal Office now, and you are only juren—what qualification do you have to comment on the worthies of the court? Still less do you have any means to sway them."

"Not having it before doesn't mean not having it in the future." Zhang Yu said with a smile.

"What do you mean by that?" Feng Congwu looked at Zhang Yu; this time the expression on his face finally turned serious as he awaited Zhang Yu's answer.

Feng Congwu could see that this Zhang Yu had come here precisely because he had something to say.

Zhang Yu made no secret of it; he directly told him everything about Han Kuang seeking out himself and the two Song brothers.

After hearing all this, Feng Congwu fell into deep thought, the expression on his face unclear whether dark or excited, giving one a very complicated feeling.

After a long while, Feng Congwu finally raised his head to look at Zhang Yu and asked dryly: "What has this to do with me?"

"The court is in turmoil, every faction proclaiming its own doctrine. At such a time it is like sailing against the current—if you do not advance, you retreat. If our Guanzhong lineage accomplishes nothing at this moment, I fear we will soon sink into the dust." Zhang Yu looked at Feng Congwu and said directly: "When that day truly comes, where shall we go?"

Feng Congwu naturally shared this worry.

He counted as a representative figure of the Guanzhong lineage, and his considerable attainments in both the School of Principle and the School of Mind proved him a man of eclectic accommodation.

Feng Congwu looked at Zhang Yu but did not ask, for he knew Zhang Yu's words were not yet finished.

"So at this very day and hour, the time has come for us to act, and also the time for great change." Zhang Yu continued: "Our Confucianism has always been all-embracing. Since that is so, why can we not found a new school of learning?"

"We juniors have no standing, but you have lectured in Guanzhong for over twenty years, your disciples and old friends are spread across the realm, and your reputation among the literati is considerable—why can you not found a new school yourself?"

"We can gather the strengths of every school, take the Guanzhong lineage as our foundation, combine it with what the court presently needs, and found a new school; with Han Kuang, the Chief Grand Secretary, as our ally in the court. When that day truly comes, we will hold a place in the government."

"Only thus can we truly change everything in the court, rather than writing routine memorials to vent our anger as we do now. This is also the purpose of our visit today—the inheritance of the Guanzhong lineage rests entirely upon your single word, sir."

Feng Congwu looked at Zhang Yu and fell into deep thought.

To say he was not tempted would be a lie.

In fact, Feng Congwu had no real school of his own—he studied both the School of Principle and the School of Mind; calling himself part of the Donglin lineage was merely an endorsement of Donglin's ideas and thoughts.

And Donglin could hardly be called a school at all, so after hearing Zhang Yu's proposal, Feng Congwu's heart was truly stirred.

Thinking of his twenty-five years lecturing in Guanzhong, and then considering his present position—was he content?

Now he was merely a fifth-rank Chief of the Seal Office. What could he do? Could he live up to a lifetime of learning?

Things being what they were, he might as well gamble. If he succeeded, then naturally he would rise swiftly; if not, he would return to Guanzhong and continue lecturing.

With this thought, Feng Congwu looked at Zhang Yu and said slowly: "What ideas do you have? I mean regarding the school itself—this point must be thought through clearly. If this point cannot be thought through, then nothing else need be said."

Zhang Yu looked at Feng Congwu, a smile spreading across his face, and said: "I do have some ideas, though they are not yet mature. For instance, I believe the first priority of our school should be two words: pragmatism."

Feng Congwu was taken aback.

Even Song Yingsheng and Song Yingxing were taken aback—Zhang Yu had never mentioned this matter to them.

Zhang Yu did not look at the others but continued: "Now the various schools are all swept up in empty theorizing. We must reverse this situation and raise the banner of pragmatism."

"One must do things to know whether they are right or wrong. As for the standard by which to measure pragmatism, we can use one of His Majesty's sayings: practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. One only knows by doing—no empty theorizing, no boastful talk."

After hearing these words from Zhang Yu, the faces of everyone present took on somewhat strange expressions.

Making pragmatism the first priority, raising the slogan that practice is the sole criterion for testing truth—you are aiming squarely at His Majesty.

The moment you shout this slogan, it is plainly and simply flattering His Majesty.

But Feng Congwu and the two Song brothers did not stand up to object, because such things could be done but not said—though the slogan itself was rather serviceable.

When a school is first founded, it must always have slogans and substance it can present; otherwise it would have little effect.

Zhang Yu continued: "In other respects, we advocate equality among the four classes of people."

Zhang Yu looked at Feng Congwu and said gravely: "Heaven gives birth to the multitudes, and naturally treats all alike; all living beings are equal, so people have no high or low, noble or base—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants merely follow different occupations."

There it was—he'd gone and borrowed the Buddhist slogan.

They all knew the seductive power of this slogan. And theirs was hardly the only faction doing such a thing, so they did not find it strange.

At the same time, Feng Congwu and the other two roughly understood what Zhang Yu was up to—taking the most representative elements from the schools currently in vogue and most trusted by His Majesty, crossing them together like hybrids to form his own ideology.

Zhang Yu continued: "How does one judge whether a person is noble? It depends on what he has done for the state and for the people."

"One who has merit for the state naturally enjoys high position—that is the true standard for measuring a person's nobility. For the meritorious noble houses, His Majesty weighs their public merit; His Majesty's Mandate of Heaven is Heaven's weighing of His Majesty's merit in the court above—this is the doctrine of heavenly merit."

This doctrine of heavenly merit had also been appropriated by Zhang Yu. One should know that this matter had stirred up no small commotion not long ago.

But Zhang Yu had not stopped; he continued: "Beyond that, I believe the court should uphold both rites and law equally—rites as the outer form, law as the inner substance. Whether meritorious noble, commoner, official, or man of no rank, if one breaks the law, all must be severely punished without exception. Mercy may be shown outside the law, but the law must never be bent."

The three men exchanged a meaningful glance at Zhang Yu. He had brought Xunzi's doctrine over as well.

As for the pragmatism from before, that too could even be expanded into Xunzi's doctrine, for after all, Xunzi advocated mastering the Mandate of Heaven and putting it to use.

The three men looked at one another, not knowing what to say about Zhang Yu.

If you say what he proposed is improper, his plan is actually quite feasible. If they did this, the rise of the Guanzhong School would be just around the corner—with Chief Grand Secretary Han Kuang supporting them from within the Grand Secretariat, and their Guanzhong School people cheering them on from outside.

If it truly could be made feasible, then it truly could succeed.

Just wash these ideas clean, make them your own, then find some matching arguments from within the Guanzhong School—and instantly you could rise to prominence in the world.

It's just that doing it this way is really somewhat shameless.

Seeing that the three of them said nothing, Zhang Yu continued: "We still have one advantage."

Feng Congwu and the others were all taken aback.

With our paltry few members, what advantage could we possibly have?

"We are all men of Guanzhong. What is Guanzhong? Guanzhong is where the Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties flourished. Let's not even mention Qin—let's just take Han and Tang out separately. We can proclaim a slogan to the outside world, called 'Study the Confucianism of Han and Tang.'"

"We are all of the Guanzhong lineage, so advocating the study of Han-Tang Confucianism is only natural. This way, we can find doctrines from Han-Tang Confucianism that fit our Guanzhong School. Or rather, we are inheriting Han-Tang Confucianism, possessing the strength of Han and Tang."

"Why should we study Song Confucianism? That is rotten Confucianism. Look at the Great Song—since its founding, was there ever a single day of strength?"

Zhang Yu's words here were pure nonsense; the blame for Song's weakness couldn't all be dumped on Song Confucian scholars.

But history is like a young maiden—you dress her up however looks prettiest. Now that he needed Han-Tang Confucianism to look beautiful, he could only make Song Confucianism ugly.

The three men looked at Zhang Yu with a feeling of sudden enlightenment—this way, they had found an origin for their school.

We are the Guanzhong School; we inherit from the Han-Tang Confucianism of Guanzhong.

If they wanted to find theoretical doctrines, Han-Tang Confucianism had so many writings that they could always find something in there, then apply it all to the present—this is called making the past serve the present.

The three men's gazes flickered uncertainly, especially Feng Congwu's. If they really did this, then who but him could claim the position of leader?

After all, within the Guanzhong lineage, he had the most seniority and the highest prestige. If he truly could pull this off, what position would he hold in the future?

The things he could do would be too numerous to count! Thinking of this, it was impossible not to get excited.

Although doing it this way was a bit shameless, could anything in this world ever be accomplished by being thin-skinned?

Besides, we Confucians have always been ever-changing; learning from others' strengths is also one of our strengths.

Forcing himself to calm down, Feng Congwu looked up at Zhang Yu and said flatly: "Have you spoken of this matter with Han Kuang?"

The crux of this matter lay with Han Kuang. If he agreed, then naturally everything would be easy; if he didn't agree, then this matter would certainly be difficult.

Because to do this, they needed Your Majesty's support. And to gain Your Majesty's support, they would first need to get before Your Majesty—at the very least, someone would have to introduce them.

Under such circumstances, Han Kuang's introduction was extraordinarily important, which was why Feng Congwu asked this question. Without Han Kuang's introduction, the few of them couldn't accomplish anything at all.

Zhang Yu said with a smile: "As long as you agree, I am confident I can persuade Han Kuang."

This wasn't Zhang Yu talking nonsense—he truly had confidence.

Given Han Kuang's current situation, he urgently needed to declare his position, and he urgently needed people to support him. These men of theirs were the most suitable, and this position was one Han Kuang would certainly be willing to accept.

Why would Han Kuang be willing to accept it?

The reason was also simple—from beginning to end, their school had followed the Emperor.

The first point about being pragmatic was flattering Your Majesty. As for the later points, which one wasn't something Your Majesty was interested in?

Beyond that, abolishing Song Confucianism and promoting Han-Tang Confucianism directly swept the School of Principle into the garbage heap.

Whether you're the School of Principle or the School of Mind, you're all Song Confucians; Song Confucians are finished, are useless. If you weren't finished, if you weren't useless, how could you have let the Yuan dynasty conquer you? How could you have been bullied so badly by the Liao and Jin?

The Song dynasty being so utterly ruined is all your fault—this hat you must wear whether you want to or not.

Our Great Ming is different. Our Great Ming's Grand Ancestor Emperor was brilliant and martial, rising from common cloth, bursting upon the world, driving out the barbarian hordes, restoring China, establishing laws and discipline, and rescuing the people.

With such a mighty emperor, such a powerful empire, how could we study Song Confucianism?

Our Ming has been so weak for all these years, with restless borders and insufficient state funds—it's all the fault of you Song Confucians.

At this point, we should set things right. How can we still study Song Confucianism?

We must study the Confucianism of Han and Tang.

As for the parts that differ from Han-Tang Confucianism, that is where we have Great Ming characteristics, fitting the actual conditions of Great Ming. If we were exactly the same as Han and Tang, wouldn't Great Ming become just like Han and Tang?

How could our Great Ming merely imitate Han and Tang? We must surpass them!

With such thinking, Zhang Yu didn't believe he couldn't convince Your Majesty. At the same time, he could tell Your Majesty: whatever you disagree with, let's talk about it; it's not like we can't negotiate—you raise it and we'll do it.

Song Yingsheng glanced at Zhang Yu, feeling that Zhang Yu's rhetoric had no bottom line at all.

But seeing Feng Congwu's eager expression, Song Yingsheng knew that Zhang Yu had probably succeeded again this time. Still, he said: "If so, wouldn't we be just like them?"

Song Yingsheng's words hit the nail on the head. If we're the same as them, we might as well let them do it.

Zhang Yu glanced at Song Yingsheng, his head aching somewhat.

Hadn't Feng Congwu seen this? Of course he had—but the benefits here were simply too great.

On one hand, he would become the leader of a school, and his official position would also rise greatly. By then, his reputation among the people would be unmatched, his position in officialdom would be unmatched, and his name would be recorded in the annals of history.

Before such benefits, everything else could be set aside entirely. What do you mean "the same as them"? How could what I do be the same as what they do?

Still, given Song Yingsheng's character, Zhang Yu wasn't at all surprised that he raised this question.

"How could this be the same?" Zhang Yu said with a stern face: "Those people scramble and scheme for power and profit—are they doing it for the Ming, for the realm?"

"Take the one who proposed elevating Xunzi's thought—does he truly believe in Xunzi? They don't believe. They do this for no other reason than their own official positions."

"But we are different. We do this for the Ming, for this nation. The Ming has been established for over two hundred years, and by now it has reached a point where reform is imperative. But how to reform has always been a question—in times like these, who but us can take up the task?"

Song Yingsheng glanced at Zhang Yu. He actually wanted to ask Zhang Yu: I don't know what others believe or study, but what you study is the School of Strategists, isn't it? You say you're a disciple of Confucius—who believes that?

"Right, exactly so! It's time for us to act!" Song Yingxing stood up from the side and said loudly, his face full of excitement.

Glancing at his younger brother, Song Yingsheng helplessly shook his head. He could no longer stop what was before him.

There was one thing he could still accept—that many things could be added in by himself, and he could also expound his own ideas and scholarship.

When it truly came to that point, things would be much easier to handle. So Song Yingsheng did not stand up to oppose.

Seeing that Song Yingsheng had not objected, Zhang Yu breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to look at Feng Congwu and asked: "We've said everything there is to say. What is your opinion, sir?"

Hearing Zhang Yu's words, Feng Congwu knew it was time for him to declare his stance.

If he didn't declare his stance now, then this matter wouldn't succeed—and after they returned, they would go find Han Kuang and sell him out without a second thought.

When that time really came, he figured his official position and everything else would be gone, and he could only obediently return to Guanzhong.

Thinking of this, Feng Congwu nodded and said, "In that case, I'll listen to you. I'll wait for your news."

Zhang Yu nodded and said with a smile, "Wait for my good news."

After the three of them, Song Yingsheng and the others, left the Feng household, Song Yingxing was still somewhat excited.

Unlike his elder brother, Song Yingxing agreed with Zhang Yu more this time. As for the words Zhang Yu had spoken, he didn't feel much about them; what he cared about more was what he could do now.

The three of them, Song Yingsheng and the others, walked back along the road, yet no one spoke — clearly the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

Until Song Yingxing turned his head to look at Zhang Yu, still asking with a somewhat agitated expression, "Do you think we can pull it off?"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "We definitely can pull it off."

After saying this, Zhang Yu gritted his teeth and uttered two words, "Definitely."

It was as if he was giving Song Yingxing confidence, and also as if giving himself confidence.

On another street, Zhu Youxiao, disguised as a wealthy young master, was idly wandering around.

Accompanying him was the senior eunuch Chen Hong, who at this moment looked like an old steward.

There was also Qi Yuanfu, the personal bodyguard captain Zhu Youxiao had personally selected. His disguise was even simpler — he was dressed like a coachman for a wealthy family. Of course, he also served as protection, because he carried a blade.

As for the others, they were scattered in various places.

Zhu Youxiao held a folding fan in his hand, occasionally snapping it open with a rustle, swaying it as he walked forward, carrying quite a bit of the air of a profligate young master.

If he brought along a few thugs and harassed some respectable women, he'd be a proper street bully.

But naturally, Zhu Youxiao couldn't do such a thing, although he did rather want to try it in his heart.

Truly, everyone has a dark side in their hearts — when suppressed for too long, even doing bad things feels exciting.

After turning down a street, Zhu Youxiao arrived at the gate of the Imperial Household Department. Quite a few people had already gathered here.

Zhu Youxiao walked over to take a look, then turned and entered through another door.

The people coming to take the examination here could roughly be divided into several categories. First were those from noble and consort families. Of course, they certainly weren't direct-line descendants — even the concubine-born sons might not qualify; most were from collateral branches or various distant relatives, or household retainers, such as stewards' sons and the like.

Zhu Youxiao wasn't surprised by this kind of maneuvering. Once a steward's son entered the Imperial Household Department, it was equivalent to one of their own people getting in. So nobles and consort families often did this sort of thing.

Besides this group, there were also impoverished scholars.

Don't think every scholar was wealthy — there were still very many poor ones, and even more who wanted to struggle for a future.

"Poor xiucai, poor xiucai" — these three words weren't said for nothing. Among the common folk there was a saying: poor xiucai, golden juren, silver jinshi.

This method of classification indicated their examination difficulty on one hand — after passing the juren exam, the jinshi exam was actually easier — and on the other hand, it also indicated economic standing.

You should know, the Great Ming Dynasty now had millions upon millions of scholars — how many passed the jinshi exam every three years? How many could pass the juren exam?

Many times, in the face of reality, you simply need to bow your head. Just like before Zhu Youxiao had transmigrated, even a street office position with official establishment would have people swarming to it. In this era, the situation was the same — this was an unchanging truth through the ages.

Moreover, what Zhu Youxiao was offering was establishment in the Imperial Household Department — how was that not better than being a petty clerk?

At worst it was still an official post, one that could be promoted. Under such circumstances, impoverished scholars naturally flocked to it.

Besides this, the third relatively large group was the petty clerks. Since the news that the Imperial Household Department was accepting petty clerks was announced, clerks naturally swarmed in.

You should know — who wanted to change their origins the most? They were that very group.

A lifetime of never having a chance to rise above — some were willing to endure it, but others were not. So under these circumstances, the Imperial Household Department became a very good choice for them, and they naturally came running.

Zhu Youxiao had strolled around outside for a while and could now basically distinguish these three types of people.

It could be said that even before entering the Imperial Household Department, they had already naturally split into three factions. This wasn't determined by any other issue, but was already decided by their origins.

Zhu Youxiao's opinion on this was: don't interfere, do whatever you want.

Having subordinates without factional divisions was simply a joke. The idea that ministers wouldn't form cliques could only exist in an emperor's beautiful fantasies.

After walking into the Imperial Household Department, Zhu Youxiao went directly to find Fang Zhenghua.

This matter was Fang Zhenghua's responsibility, and Zhu Youxiao had some things he needed to ask him.

As for his father-in-law Zhang Guoji, Zhu Youxiao simply didn't take him to heart. Aside from taking the blame, Zhang Guoji had no other use.

After circling around a few times, Zhu Youxiao spotted Fang Zhenghua.

Fang Zhenghua was just giving instructions to his subordinates when he looked up and saw his master the Emperor. He hadn't expected the Emperor to come, and his face was full of disbelief.

After recovering his senses, Fang Zhenghua quickly ran to Zhu Youxiao's side and directly knelt down, preparing to perform a grand ceremonial bow.

"Enough, no need for formalities." Zhu Youxiao waved a hand to cut off Fang Zhenghua's movement.

If any commotion were made at this time, then everyone at the Imperial Household Department would have to come over to pay respects to him, and nothing would get done.

So Zhu Youxiao directly stopped Fang Zhenghua and didn't let him make too much of a stir.

The group quickly entered Fang Zhenghua's duty room, and Zhu Youxiao curiously looked around. In modern terms, this was Fang Zhenghua's office.

Zhu Youxiao walked around and found the room's decor was quite nice — it didn't put on airs of refined elegance. A wild goose feather saber hung on the wall not far away, clearly Fang Zhenghua's own.

Sitting down in a chair, Zhu Youxiao looked at Fang Zhenghua and said gently, "How are the preparations going?"

Fang Zhenghua dared not be negligent and quickly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, everything is fully prepared."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and asked, "Chen Hong has already explained everything that needed explaining to you, right?"

"To answer Your Majesty, Eunuch Chen has already instructed this servant." Fang Zhenghua said respectfully.

Nodding lightly, Zhu Youxiao said, "Then continue on."

The examination was held in a large square within the Imperial Household Department, divided into three rounds in total.

The first round was like the imperial examinations, testing the Four Books and the Five Classics — though the difficulty was very low, basically just transcription and fill-in-the-blank. This posed no difficulty at all for the examinees. If you couldn't even pass this, then you needn't bother coming.

The main purpose of this section was to check whether everyone was literate; beyond that, it had no other use.

The second round tested arithmetic. This one was comparatively harder — besides simple calculations and fill-in-the-blank questions, there were also applied word problems.

The third round tested policy essays. This also imitated the imperial examinations, but in Zhu Youxiao's view it was actually completely useless. What use did the Imperial Household Department have for this?

However, Fang Zhenghua had also explained it to Zhu Youxiao. Through this policy essay examination, the main purpose was to judge the examinee's character and style of conduct.

After the three rounds of examinations, there would also be an interview round. Only after passing the interview could one formally enter the Imperial Household Department.

Therefore, the examinees were extremely cautious, and everyone was waiting for the examination to begin.

Zhu Youxiao stood in the invigilation tower directly in front of the examination grounds, gazing through the window at the dense sea of examinees below.

There really were quite a lot of examinees. Watching them prepare for the exam, Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but let out a sigh.

He suddenly thought of something—he should establish a school within the Imperial Household Department to teach these people, or at least give them some training.

As for who should do the teaching, Zhu Youxiao felt that letting the old eunuchs from the palace handle it would suffice.

Why let the old eunuchs teach?

The reason was very simple: the old eunuchs had worked in the palace for many years, and those who managed to survive to a good end naturally had some ideas and cunning about them. Beyond that, in the matter of handling people and affairs, they had enough experience for many people to spend a lifetime learning from.

As for scholarship, these people naturally wouldn't be lacking. You see, the eunuchs of the Great Ming all studied at the Inner Palace School; one could say they were steeped in it through constant exposure. Otherwise, if they couldn't even write and couldn't do anything at all, they wouldn't get far in the palace either.

Another point was that both the Imperial Household Department and the palace eunuchs belonged to the Emperor's private institutions—they were the same kind of people, making them easier to get along with.

Zhu Youxiao certainly didn't want to turn everyone in the Imperial Household Department into court ministers.

There was one more point: this place could serve as a retirement home for eunuchs who had left service. Teaching students here, with room and board provided, would be a very good final destination for them.

This also brought them great benefits and was conducive to stability and harmony among the palace eunuchs—a very good arrangement indeed.

While Zhu Youxiao was mulling over this matter, among the scholars below, one person was answering the questions with complete concentration.

This person was no longer young—he appeared to be thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, with a somewhat pallid complexion tinged with illness, looking like someone just recovered from a serious sickness.

His expression was exceptionally focused and earnest, and he soon caught Zhu Youxiao's attention.

It wasn't because this man was handsome or anything like that, but because he was wearing a set of scholar's robes. From his attire, one could tell that this man should be a xiucai.

Although quite a few xiucai had registered earlier, not many had actually come to take the exam.

Because after the court issued the notice recruiting petty clerks, many xiucai felt insulted. They had great pride—how could they be associated with petty clerks?

So they didn't come. Most of the scholars who showed up on site had no xiucai credentials at all; the majority were commoners without any rank.

But judging by their appearance, one could tell they were quite poor—after all, even xiucai were called "poor xiucai," so what of these commoners without rank?

Now seeing a xiucai, it naturally drew Zhu Youxiao's gaze.

However, Zhu Youxiao also knew this was only the beginning. These scholars would soon be turning to the Imperial Academy instead.

If the Imperial Household Department wasn't suitable for them, then the Imperial Academy was naturally the more fitting place. Many scholars thought this way, and those with xiucai credentials thought so even more.

Seeing a xiucai here did surprise Zhu Youxiao somewhat. He turned to Chen Hong beside him and said, "Go look into it—find out that xiucai's surname and given name, where he's from, and what he does for a living."

"Yes, Your Majesty. This servant will go at once." Chen Hong quickly acknowledged, then turned and walked out below.

Soon, the information Zhu Youxiao wanted was brought to him.

After flipping through it, Zhu Youxiao found it quite interesting indeed. This man was named Xu Feng, and he truly was a xiucai—a native of Shuntian Prefecture who had passed the xiucai examination at the age of twenty-one.

This year he was already thirty-eight, having taken the juren examination five times in a row, failing every single time.

For him, it was three years and then another three years, three years and then another three years, three years after that and then another three—and still he couldn't pass.

To support his studies, his family had been reduced to utter poverty, growing worse with each passing day. Recently, he had suffered a serious illness that drained every last coin from the household.

To save his life, the family had sold the few dozen mu of land they had left. If he didn't find a way to pass the exam soon, the whole family would have to sell themselves into servitude.

Though just recovered from his illness and not yet fully healed, Xu Feng still came.

Flipping through the materials in his hand, Zhu Youxiao found that although Xu Feng appeared to be a very stubborn man who kept taking exams regardless of his family's situation—

the actual facts were not like that. Throughout his repeated attempts at the exams, he had worked as a private tutor and even as a bookkeeper.

In short, he did whatever could earn money.

Of course, he had never done manual labor. But Zhu Youxiao felt it wasn't that he didn't want to—it was that his frail frame simply couldn't handle it.

At this, Zhu Youxiao became genuinely interested in this man.

For Zhu Youxiao, someone like this might very well accomplish great things in the future; in the Imperial Household Department, he might be able to spread his wings and show his full potential.

Worth keeping an appropriate eye on.

Handing the materials back to Chen Hong, Zhu Youxiao said nothing further, nor did he say anything about admitting him.

But Zhu Youxiao became aware of another matter: in the current Great Ming, this was an absolute officialdom-centric society.

For the people of the Great Ming, only becoming an official counted as making something of oneself, as changing one's class. There was no second path besides that.

As for engaging in commerce or taking shares in business—ordinary folk had no capital and couldn't afford to start. It wasn't that merchants had low status, but how many true merchants were there in the Great Ming at this point?

Essentially all merchants were official merchants; even if they weren't, they had countless tangled connections with those in office.

Ordinary people couldn't go into business. Instead, only studying was a relatively fair path that could let them change their class.

If he truly wanted to promote equality among the four classes, mere ideological propaganda wouldn't be enough—he also needed to find ways to raise the status of the common people.

As for how to raise their status, Zhu Youxiao thought of a very impressive policy—a policy called professional title evaluation.

In very early times, technical trades were linked to government treatment. For example, treatment at the level of a principal section chief or deputy section chief—they might not be civil servants, but they were given that treatment. They drew salaries according to such treatment, nominally on par with civil servants.

If the court gave artisans such treatment—say, a grand master artisan at the principal section chief level, which in current terms could be called a fifth-rank artisan—then the treatment he enjoyed would be the same as a fifth-rank official.

Then, if a dedicated technical school were established, wouldn't it be possible to attract many ordinary people to come study?

Or perhaps the poor commoners didn't even need all that—as long as you gave them education, they would be willing to study anything.

After all, in this era, many people couldn't even get enough to eat. For them, as long as it was studying, it was a chance to turn their lives around.

This matter needed careful consideration. Zhu Youxiao stood by the window, pondering.

Zhu Youxiao had a deep impression of the state-employed workers of later generations. Although there had been a massive wave of layoffs and many institutional reforms, in the earliest days of the nation's founding, such a system had still played a significant role.

They helped a country that was in ruins after war recover into a nation with a certain industrial foundation.

The idea of the communal pot was not advisable; what could be implemented was collective labor with distribution according to work. When the opportunity arises, let's try it out at the Hundred Crafts Institute first.

If it worked, it could be promoted to the military as well—that would count as a reform too.

Zhu Youxiao felt it was worth a try.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

Just as Zhu Youxiao was lost in thought, he suddenly heard someone calling him, so he turned his head to look.

Seeing it was Chen Hong, Zhu Youxiao's brow furrowed, and he asked coldly with a stern face: "What is it?"

"Your Majesty, it's getting late. We should return to the palace." Chen Hong said with a stiff upper lip: "Also, the examinations here are finished."

After hearing this, Zhu Youxiao quickly looked down and discovered that people below had already started handing in their papers.

Feeling the soreness and numbness in his legs from standing so long, it seemed he really had been standing for quite a while.

"Alright, let's go then." Zhu Youxiao nodded and turned to walk down the stairs.

He had made a trip to the Imperial Household Department today; it wasn't without gains, and it also counted as getting out for some fresh air.

For this, Zhu Youxiao still felt quite gratified, and the feeling was rather good as well.

After returning to the palace, Zhu Youxiao wandered over to Empress Zhang's place.

Tonight he would dine at the Empress's quarters and then sleep there. Lately he had grown increasingly unaccustomed to sleeping alone—nights by oneself were rather lonely.

While Zhu Youxiao went off to Empress Zhang's with a hint of a sulk, Zhang Yu arrived at Han Kuang's residence.

This time, the two Song brothers had not come along. In Zhang Yu's words, even if they came, they wouldn't be of much use, and instead it would make people think the three of them weren't of one mind.

So this time, Zhang Yu came alone.

The two Song brothers also agreed with Zhang Yu's reasoning—after all, the two of them truly couldn't help much. Compared to the two of them, Zhang Yu was more like a strategist of the School of Diplomacy; one man alone could handle everything.