Chapter 236: Examination Questions

"If you want high returns, you must bear high risks."

Zhao Xu stood up and went to the map of Yanzhou, pointing to where Yanguan was located, "Take advantage of the Border Market, recruit some commoners, and build some breeding farms."

"Breeding farms?" This was a fresh term for Liu Fu.

"It's just a place specifically responsible for raising chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep," Zhao Xu said.

This was a part of his construction plan for his fief.

Handicraft industry was certainly important, but agricultural production was equally important.

Even in the contemporary era where the exchange of materials is so convenient, every country heavily subsidizes agriculture and will not let agriculture decline.

The reason is that agriculture is the foundation of a nation's survival.

Steel can be used to build various machines, but it cannot fill one's stomach.

Therefore, in Zhao Xu's mind, while upgrading the primitive handicraft industry of Great Song, he also had to get basic agriculture up and running.

Establishing breeding farms in the name of the Prince's Mansion was one of the measures.

The current Great Song is still dominated by a self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy.

But the shortcomings of this small-scale peasant economy are obvious; the narrow scale and simple division of labor—men plowing and women weaving—make it difficult to expand production, leading to an overall scarcity of materials.

The simplest example is the problem of the Prince's Personal Army procuring meat.

Even if he bought up all the chicken, duck, fish, and meat on the market every day, he still could not meet his requirement for the soldiers to eat meat at every meal.

Many times, the soldiers could only drink a bowl of meat broth.

It was precisely this resentment that made him decide to establish government-run breeding farms.

Later, there would be more government-run farms, utilizing the knowledge he taught to modernize agriculture.

"The government is going to raise chickens, ducks, sheep, and cattle?" Liu Fu thought he had misheard and asked again.

He knew that Yan Wang's ideas were always unconventional.

But this matter was truly too outlandish.

"You heard correctly, and there must be specialized agricultural officials in charge," Zhao Xu said to Liu Fu affirmatively.

Although Liu Fu had been with him for a long time, Zhao Xu knew that this kid still hadn't completely shaken off the concept that Great Song officials only exist to govern people.

Liu Fu opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but Zhao Xu immediately interrupted him, "How is the preparation for the Government Academy coming along? Once it can hold lectures, this Prince will explain all your questions."

"The courtyard has been selected, and we are currently recruiting students and arranging for incumbent officials to take turns attending lectures."

Since Yan Wang said so, he forcibly suppressed the doubts in his heart.

Zhao Xu nodded and asked again, "What about the Official Examination?"

For him, this matter should be put on the agenda.

Managing the fief cannot rely on him alone; it must rely on officials, both big and small.

After all, specific matters must be executed by them.

Therefore, to him, this matter should be the most urgent thing at the moment.

Otherwise, many subsequent policies simply cannot be implemented.

"The examination hall is ready, just waiting for Your Highness's papers." Mentioning the Official Examination, Liu Fu's spirits rose again.

"The papers are here; take them and have them copied, and the examination will begin in three days." Zhao Xu pointed to the three papers on the desk; these were the exam questions he had personally set.

The Government Office had long since notified all of Yanzhou about the Official Examination.

Scholars who wanted to participate in the Official Examination had been waiting in Yancheng.

"Yes, Your Highness." Liu Fu felt a surge of joy in his heart. He picked up the papers on the table, glanced at them, and was immediately dumbfounded.

Seeing Liu Fu's dull gaze, Yang He also leaned over to look, and his expression gradually became the same as Liu Fu's.

"If you successfully pass the Official Examination and become a new official in Yanzhou, but the old officials in the government often make things difficult for you, exclude you, and believe you are incompetent, how should you handle it?" Yang He read out a sentence.

"An official in a certain county in Yanzhou is drawing a salary for a ghost position; how do you think it should be handled?" Liu Fu read another sentence.

"A riot occurs among the commoners in a certain county; if you were the local County Magistrate, how would you handle it?"

"..."

The two of them read one sentence each, and by the end, they felt increasingly insecure.

Because they could not guarantee that they could correctly answer the questions on the papers themselves.

"Your Highness, these papers?" Liu Fu swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Great Song had never held an examination to select officials, so they certainly couldn't say the papers were wrong.

Moreover, the papers set by Yan Wang were indeed very sharp.

The questions on the papers were indeed problems that officials often encountered, truly testing the officials' methods of handling affairs.

Putting down the first paper, the two looked at the second paper.

This paper listed arithmetic problems.

A gentleman has the Six Arts: Rites, Music, Archery, Charioteering, Calligraphy, and Mathematics.

Among them, mathematics is arithmetic, which is also something scholars must master; in their view, this was indeed something that must be tested.

And when they reached the third paper, they were dumbfounded again.

There were only a few questions on it, leaving large blank spaces.

The first question was: What should an official fear?

"'If you reach out, you will surely be caught'; a brief discussion on governing bribery in commerce." Yang He read this sentence and suddenly felt uneasy; why did this question seem aimed at the merchant firms?

"Yanzhou is currently waiting for development; how should it be governed to make Yanzhou prosperous?"

"..."

After reading all three papers, Liu Fu and Yang He were stunned for a long while.

Although these questions were strange, they could feel that these were indeed real questions to test officials.

Testing poetry and historical classics is not as practical as the questions on the examination papers.

"If you have no objections, take them back; mind you, do not leak the questions," Zhao Xu looked at the two with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Regardless of whether the two opposed it or not, he had set the questions just like that.

These were questions he had picked from the vast sea of knowledge in his mind, approaching the examinations for officials in the modern era.

The first paper tests the specific administrative abilities of the officials, so the questions are all aimed at situations they might encounter after taking office.

The second paper is on mathematics; officials are responsible for measuring fields, calculating taxes, and other such matters, so their mathematics must also be reliable.

And the third paper tests the officials' overall perspective.

In his view, if one can pass these three papers, one can basically be a qualified official.

"Yes, Your Highness," Liu Fu replied, while simultaneously mourning for the scholars participating in this Official Examination.

After bowing, he took the papers to leave, but remembering something, he said, "Your Highness, the answers to these exam papers?"

"I will give them to you after the exam is finished," Zhao Xu said.

He would not allow any possibility of cheating in this examination.

Replying with a "yes" once more, Liu Fu turned and left.

Yang He asked to withdraw and also slipped out of the study looking dejected.

"Grand Tutor Liu, count me in as one of the first batch of students for the Government Academy," Yang He felt a chill down his spine.

Everyone in the officialdom of Yanzhou knew about this Government Academy.

But many officials were not very interested, and he was the same.

However, after seeing these papers, he suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

According to Yan Wang, veteran officials do not need to participate in this Official Examination.

But next year, there will be an internal examination for veteran officials.

If they do not pass, the result will be demotion or even removal from office.

He certainly did not want to have to give up his position as the head of the Yan Commandery Trading Firm next year.

"Good, that is naturally no problem," Liu Fu still had cold sweat slightly beading on his forehead.

This time, the veteran officials had gotten a great bargain.

Because they had helped Yan Wang conquer the territory of Yanzhou, they were exempted from the Official Examination due to their meritorious service.

Therefore, Yan Wang had given the officials one year of time.

If they still just loafed around, Yan Wang would no longer be polite.

This time, even he, the Grand Tutor, had to be careful.

Among the people Mi Zhuang brought this time, there were a few who were quite good.

If he could not compare to them, he would lose face.