Chapter 1790: Discussing Matters of Substance

"Alright, enough idle talk—let's get to the real business!" Having disposed of one corrupt official, Emperor Liu seemed in an even better mood, a hint of a smile already tugging at the corners of his mouth. He waved a hand and addressed the assembled ministers.

The Administrative Assistant of Luoyang Prefecture could be said to hold the highest position below the Governor—at least within the Luoyang Prefecture system, his authority was considerable. At the rank of the fourth grade, he counted as a senior official of importance, for even the once-powerful Chancellor Zhao Pu had only ever reached the second grade as Vice Director of the Left.

Yet Emperor Liu had executed a fourth-rank official right in the court, and in his mouth, it was merely a trivial matter—as if he had simply slaughtered a chicken. And indeed, that was precisely the case; the monkeys throughout the court were all stricken with terror.

Although Zheng Xu's crimes were by no means limited to extravagant excess, Emperor Liu deliberately seized upon this non-capital offense to deal with him, saying nothing of the rest. The warning implicit in this was extremely significant, and many courtiers subconsciously began to examine themselves, reflecting on their own conduct and that of their families. They would need to continue restraining themselves in the future—though the Emperor was aged, the blade in his hand remained sharp as ever, and the Son of Heaven's sword was truly the most merciless and keenest blade in all the world.

"The sun is already high—if there is any business, present it now!" Seeing that many were still somewhat distracted, Emperor Liu spoke again.

At these words, a minister stepped forth from the ranks—Zhang Quhua, who had been transferred from Fiscal Commissioner of Huguang to Minister of Rites the previous year. This spring marked the triennial metropolitan examination once again, and Zhang Quhua served as chief examiner, with Academician Li Hang serving as invigilator for the second time.

Zhang Quhua was also one of the renowned ministers to emerge during the Kaibao era, and he was a zhuangyuan by origin—in the very same examination class as Zhao Kuangyi, he had surpassed all the scholars and claimed the top laurel. More than twenty years had passed, and the old zhuangyuan remained elegant and refined, having completed his transformation from academician to bureaucrat.

"Reporting to Your Majesty!" Under Emperor Liu's gaze, Zhang Quhua held up the roster and presented it respectfully: "For this session's metropolitan examination, the grading of examination papers has been completed. Based on the results, we have drafted a list of successful candidates totaling 172 persons: 43 in the Classics Examination, 15 in the Mingjing Examination, 29 in the Mathematics Examination, 31 in the Law Examination, 9 in the History Examination, 14 in the Medicine Examination, 18 in the Agriculture Examination, and 13 in the Engineering Examination. We humbly request Your Majesty's review!"

"Present it!" Emperor Liu raised a hand simply.

Yan Tuo immediately stepped down with light footfalls, took the list from Zhang Quhua's hands, and respectfully presented it to Emperor Liu. Emperor Liu opened it—though merely skimming, his movements were slow, seeming somewhat sluggish.

After a moment, he set the list down and said softly: "This Kou Zhun—I seem to have heard of him. Before the examination even began, he was debating with others at Yongding Tower, and the topic was the drawbacks of the Western Campaign. Young and hot-blooded indeed."

Somewhat puzzled—with so many candidates, why did Emperor Liu single out an insignificant Kou Zhun? Could it be because of the Western Campaign? Last year, Prince Wei Liu Min had led troops to defeat the Kara-Khanid army, slain their Great Khan, nearly destroyed their state, and recovered Suiye. Since the news had arrived, the court had once again erupted in debate over the Western Campaign. Most held opposing views, believing that a distant expedition would exhaust the troops at too great a cost for too little gain—even if vast wealth had been seized from within Kara-Khanid territory, it could not possibly make up for the expenditures of the Western Campaign.

Now that Suiye had been recovered and the western frontier restored, it was time to stop while ahead. Moreover, for the Great Han, the greatest benefit of Anxi lay in the Silk Road—that overland conduit of exchange between East and West. If it remained in a prolonged state of warfare, that would mean abandoning the greatest advantage, grasping at trifles while neglecting the essentials.

Of the remainder, most also held conservative positions. As for those who explicitly supported continuing the Western Campaign, there were virtually none—even those accustomed to gauging and following Emperor Liu's thoughts fell temporarily silent.

The heated discussions in the court had also spread to the common populace, and examination candidates like Kou Zhun had joined in, likewise divided into two factions. Though young, Kou Zhun was not like the others, hot-blooded and dreaming of feats of territorial expansion; rather, he was a firm and pragmatic opponent, arguing until red in the face, nearly coming to blows. The matter had even been reported to Emperor Liu by the Palace City Office as a matter of capital public sentiment.

While speculating inwardly, Zhang Quhua introduced verbally: "Your Majesty, Kou Zhun, courtesy name Pingzhong, is a native of Xiagui County in Huazhou, aged twenty-four. His talent and wisdom are outstanding, and he is thoroughly versed in the Spring and Autumn Annals. Before the examination, he served as a fiscal clerk in Xiagui County, handling tax and corvée assessments without a single error."

It was evident that Zhang Quhua greatly admired and held high hopes for this Kou Zhun. However, before he could finish, Emperor Liu cut him off: "Did I ask you about Kou Zhun's life history?"

The single sentence left Zhang Quhua choking on his words, but facing Emperor Liu, whose temper grew ever more peculiar, he dared not show any grievance or resentment—he merely clasped his hands in salute and fell silent.

Emperor Liu glanced at the list again and suddenly smiled: "The results of this examination are quite good. The numbers in the Medicine, Agriculture, and Engineering categories have continued to rise compared to previous years—this is a good trend! I have always emphasized that the Great Han needs not only officials who can write essays and manage mundane affairs; we equally need technical officials in medicine, agriculture, and engineering. Otherwise, without knowledge of agriculture and industry, without regard for medicine and commerce, without skill in calculation, I do not believe such officials can accomplish good deeds or govern the people well. The Great Han still needs more capable officials who can do things and know how to do them!"

"Your Majesty is sagacious!" Emperor Liu's familiar refrain was long since habitual to the assembled ministers, who chorused their flattery in unison.

Emperor Liu sighed, looked toward Crown Prince Liu Yang, and called: "Crown Prince!"

"Your servant is here!" Liu Yang immediately stepped forth and bowed, his expression as grave as grave could be.

"For this examination session, the palace examination assessment shall be handled by you and Minister Zhang and the others—I shall not personally select the rankings!" Emperor Liu instructed: "In the past, there have always been rumors that the ranking of the top three in the Great Han's examinations does not depend on talent and learning, but solely on my personal impressions and preferences. There has even been talk that the zhuangyuan is inferior to the tanhua. This year, I entrust this matter to you and the assembled ministers to assess and deliberate jointly, to dispel such claims!"

"Yes!" Liu Yang acknowledged.

Stepping back into the ranks, Liu Yang privately pondered Emperor Liu's intentions. Was this to see whether he would seize the opportunity to gather talent and build his own faction? It didn't seem so—when selecting people, he had always acted with impartiality, appointing according to ability, and Emperor Liu had supported this in the past.

Then what was the reason? It had to be said that under Emperor Liu's pressure, his ministers all seemed to have contracted a disease of suspicion, unable to resist overthinking every matter—and Crown Prince Liu Yang bore the greatest pressure of all. The impact of Empress Fu's passing on the court was fermenting subtly and imperceptibly.

"Your Majesty, this session's military examination has also been completed. A preliminary list of fifty-two candidates has been drafted—please review it, Your Majesty!" Pan Mei, the newly appointed Commissioner of Military Affairs, also stepped forth to present his report.

Giving it a perfunctory glance or two, Emperor Liu instructed: "I have no objections. Those who pass the military examination shall be handled entirely according to regulations by the Bureau of Military Affairs. The results shall be posted together with the civil examination results!"

"Yes!"

It wasn't that Emperor Liu didn't value the military examination, but after years of development, it had ultimately become an internal affair of the military system itself. The candidates were essentially mid- and low-ranking officers and outstanding soldiers from the army, or sons of nobles and military families. Ordinary commoners basically had no opportunity to even take part—and even if they did, they could hardly compete with those upper-class individuals who had military experience or family traditions of learning.

This was determined by the particular nature of the military system. Its powerful limitations had also dashed the vision of promoting both civil and military examinations equally. Compared to the more open civil examination with its greater opportunities, the military examination's development ultimately had a ceiling.

But reaching the current state was already the result of Emperor Liu's years of effort and experimentation. At least within the military, it had given mid- and low-ranking officers and soldiers a channel for advancement—even if that channel remained narrow and congested, riddled with obstacles, at least it existed, at least there was still hope and opportunity. Especially in this early period of the founding, with Emperor Liu still present, governance still relatively clean, and the nation's various institutions still able to maintain a healthy operation.

"Your Majesty, in the past two days, a number of Persian merchants have come to the prefectural office seeking redress, making the request that the court restrain the Western Expeditionary Army's policy of demolishing temples and killing believers in Anxi." Lü Mengzheng, who had just been rebuked by Emperor Liu, also stepped forth to report a matter.

"Is that so?" Emperor Liu perked up with some interest upon hearing this—though it was unclear whether he was interested in the Persian merchants' request or the Western Expeditionary Army's policy in Anxi.

Lü Mengzheng replied: "The Persians who filed complaints are all followers of Islam. They are extremely dissatisfied with the Western Expeditionary Army's actions in Anxi!"

"Dissatisfied?" Emperor Liu's aged brows immediately shot up, and he seemed to gain some energy. He sneered: "Does the Great Han's policy need to consider the opinions of these foreigners? Utterly presumptuous!"

"Luoyang Prefecture—immediately arrest these presumptuous, ignorant, boldly insolent Persians and throw them into the convict labor camps. Let them go worship in the Great Han's mines!" Emperor Liu commanded.

"Yes!" Lü Mengzheng acknowledged.

"I have heard that within the Great Han's borders, there are also some followers of Islam who have built their places of worship?" Emperor Liu raised another matter: "It seems there are some within Luoyang city itself! And Guangzhou seems to have them as well!"

"Indeed!" Lü Mengzheng acknowledged.

"Tear them down!" Emperor Liu's tone was indifferent: "Issue a decree to all prefectures and circuits under heaven—ban Islam. All Islamic temples and structures within the borders shall be demolished entirely. All religious personnel shall be arrested and expelled, and they are forbidden from proselytizing. The Great Han does not believe in their Muhammad, and will not tolerate such arrogance!"

Originally, Emperor Liu hadn't even thought about Islam, which had been transmitted through East-West exchanges—Guangzhou had even formed a veritable "diocese," something that had already displeased him.

Even Buddhism and Daoism had been molded by him into such meek and submissive forms—how much less could this untamable Islam be tolerated? It had happened to collide with him at this moment, and the Persians' request had not only failed to restrain the policy in Anxi but had instead invited even harsher and more extensive suppression within the Great Han itself.

Once Emperor Liu's golden words were spoken, the matter was conclusively settled and decided!