Chapter 176: 176. Chapter 174: The Grand Selection of Talent, The Pen

176. Chapter 174: The Grand Selection of Talent, The Pen's Praise and Censure

Inside the Grand Pole Hall.

The civil and military officials, all in their official robes, stood in their usual order, waiting quietly for the Emperor.

The tribute students taking the examination had already been led by Ministry of Rites officials to the east and west rows within the hall's stone terrace, standing in order facing north—the stone terrace being the steps outside the hall, where they all waited outside the examination venue.

As for the examination location, the Court of Imperial Entertainments had already prepared the desks in the two side corridors yesterday, waiting only for the Emperor to arrive, set the topic, and go through the motions before the tribute students could begin.

The sun gradually climbed higher.

At a certain moment, the Court of Ceremonial suddenly chanted that the Emperor was ascending the hall.

Following immediately after were the three resonant sounds of the purification whip.

The Emperor had arrived!

Everyone felt a sudden jolt and braced themselves.

Sure enough, the Emperor, dressed in ordinary robes and surrounded by a crowd of inner court officials and ritual officers, finally appeared after much anticipation.

The tribute students were required to keep their heads lowered and not look, yet few could keep their hearts from stirring.

Except for those who had already seen the Emperor a few days prior, most of the other tribute students secretly rolled their eyes, using their peripheral vision to size him up.

Not until the Emperor's back disappeared did the tribute students lower their gazes once more.

The palace examination ceremony is a grand selection of talent, and every grand ceremony has its own regulations; the civil and military officials could not avoid a round of kowtowing.

Therefore, when Zhu Zhu Yijun walked into the Grand Pole Hall, the civil and military officials immediately knelt in a mass.

Zhu Zhu Yijun walked leisurely up the imperial steps and slowly took his seat: "Officials, rise and take your posts."

The officials chanted their thanks and rose, each returning to their respective ranks.

Afterward, the officiating official placed the desk for the policy questions in the center of the hall and respectfully requested the questions.

The inner court attendant handed the policy questions to the Ministry of Rites official, who placed them on the desk.

The officiating official, Wang Wang Xilie, looked at the policy questions Zhang Hong had placed on the desk and was shocked on the spot.

These were clearly not the questions the Ministry of Rites had prepared!

He glanced quietly at the Emperor, only to see the Emperor's face expressionless, as if he knew nothing of it.

At this moment, the Court of Ceremonial officials had already begun letting the tribute students into the hall; Wang Wang Xilie felt caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.

Had it been the late Emperor, he might have already considered slamming his head against the Golden Throne.

Alas, the current Emperor was not a man who acted recklessly.

Wang Wang Xilie's thoughts raced, and finally, he sighed.

He held the policy question desk high, slowly descended the left steps, and according to the ritual procedure, placed the desk in the center of the imperial path.

The tribute students, heads lowered, followed the Court of Ceremonial officials in a flurry, entering one by one.

"Examinees, perform the five bows and three kowtows!"

The Court of Ceremonial official chanted.

The tribute students, flustered but orderly, performed the four bows with hands to the forehead, followed by one final bow with three kowtows.

Zhu Zhu Yijun raised his hand to signal them to forgo the rites and spoke slowly: "In my youth, I have ascended the throne, yet I am not enlightened in the principles of governance. I only wish to respectfully follow the last wishes of my imperial father, to study and draw near to the virtuous, to be diligent in reading daily, and to consult with my ministers on all matters, great and small, so that I may be diligent day and night in the hall, never daring to be idle, and hoping to emulate the praise in the Book of Odes, so as not to lose the grand legacy of our two ancestors and eight emperors."

This was the opening of the policy questions, mostly the same.

In short, the Emperor hoped the country would prosper, but one man's wisdom is limited, so he must seek policy from the virtuous.

As the Emperor spoke, Wang Wang Xilie raised the policy question desk to the east of the stone terrace, eyes fixed on his nose, nose fixed on his heart.

Zhu Zhu Yijun, unhurried, spoke eloquently: "I believe that for one who rules the world, promoting transformation and achieving order involves many aspects, but prioritizing the root and valuing agriculture is the greatest among them. The Book of Documents says: 'First know the hardships of farming, then one can find ease.'"

"I have respectfully recited the 'Borrowed Fields' edict of our founding Emperor Taizu and the 'Instructions on Prioritizing the Root' of Emperor Wenzong, and thus I know the source of the rise of imperial enterprise and the difficulty of the people's livelihood."

"Today, the people crying from hunger and cold are not only seen in remote and secluded corners, but even in major cities and counties, they are sometimes unavoidable."

"Many of the people everywhere have lost their land and have not yet fully returned to farming."

"How can we make everyone prioritize the root and not lose their livelihood?"

The greatest aspect of governance lies in agriculture; whether it is the Book of Documents or the ancestral instructions of the Zhu Ming dynasty, they all say so. But currently, our dynasty is not doing this well; the people have lost their land and cannot fill their stomachs. The Emperor is anxious watching this; everyone, tell me what should be done?

The ministers of the Grand Secretariat, the Ministry of Rites, and the Hanlin Academy all raised their heads upon hearing this.

This... the policy questions issued by the Ministry of Rites did not include this, did they?

The Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Zhu Dazhou, was the most aware; he couldn't help but secretly reach out and poke Ma Ma Ziqiang, who was standing in front of him.

The latter allowed Zhu Dazhou to perform his little actions, simply keeping his head down and saying nothing.

Lu Lu Diaoyang of the Grand Secretariat looked at Zhang Zhang Juzheng with some surprise, his gaze filled with inquiry.

The latter pondered for a moment and slowly nodded.

Although the Emperor had not given the Chief Minister a heads-up, the Chief Minister still tacitly stood by the Emperor.

Because as soon as Zhang Zhang Juzheng heard these words from the Emperor, he immediately grasped the context and understood what this question was paving the way for.

During the Emperor Jiajing era, financial resources were scarce, so the "greatest aspect of governance" in palace examinations was often tax law and silver.

During the Emperor Longqing era, the Tatars frequently invaded the borders, so the "greatest aspect of governance" was naturally military defense and preparation.

Now that the Emperor had elevated "prioritizing the root and valuing agriculture" to the "greatest aspect of governance," the reason was self-evident—this was paving the way for land measurement, and at the same time, it was for the selection of talent!

This was much more practical than the empty and hollow questions issued by the Ministry of Rites.

Thus, since it aligned with the direction of the new policies, the Grand Secretariat naturally had no reason to undermine the Emperor.

As for bypassing the Ministry of Rites to set the questions, for the Grand Secretariat, it was merely a minor detail.

"You scholars have studied the techniques of the ancient sages and understand the affairs of the current world. You shall reconcile the various arguments for me, investigate their direction, determine what should come first in governance, or whether ancient and modern times require different methods, and whether creation and preservation follow different paths. Explain it all clearly to fulfill my intention of being cautious at the beginning and firm in the start; do not be vague, do not hide."

Zhu Zhu Yijun concluded with this final fixed phrase, allowing the tribute students to speak their minds freely, not to fear saying the wrong thing, as the Emperor's heart was vast and generous.

Afterward, it was the turn of the Ministry of Rites officials to distribute the questions, and the tribute students knelt in ranks to receive them, kowtowing to begin the examination.

The ceremony thus concluded.

After the Court of Ceremonial official chanted that the rites were complete, the Emperor and the civil and military officials all left the hall together.

The path to becoming a presented scholar is different from the path of pure scholarship.

Some things can be said, but one cannot truly deceive oneself, otherwise the palace examination would not rank based on policy essays.

Grasping the examiner's psychology is the first-class learning for a presented scholar.

In previous examinations, it was fine; the ranking of the palace examination was often determined by the Grand Secretariat. The pre-determined first place was read by the Chief Minister, the second by the Second Minister, the third by the other ministers, and the first of the second rank by the Minister of Rites, and so on—this was to prevent the Emperor from being unable to judge quality or even recognize obscure characters, leading to a joke.

Thus, examinees only needed to refer to the literary collections of the Grand Secretariat and the Nine Ministers, as well as the governing tendencies of these few, to tailor their answers.

But this examination was clearly different.

Since the Emperor's identity as a master of classical studies was revealed five days ago, there were many more things for the examinees to consider.

With an Emperor who had the level of a master, would he still let the Ministry of Rites and the reading officials determine the rankings?

Taking a step back, assuming the Emperor intervened, how could the examinees probe the governing tendencies of an Emperor who had no literary collection?

Taking another step back, how much could the Emperor intervene? Would it be a one-word decision, or reconciling various arguments? Would it be the top three of the first rank, or would he personally look over all four hundred and more?

It was precisely because of these external factors.

This determines a major characteristic of the Palace Examination: it is extremely focused on one's background.

Leaving aside the differences in vision brought about by educational level and family background, just those who had seen the Emperor debate classics five days ago had a level of understanding of the Emperor that was simply incomparable to the tribute students who had been working behind closed doors this month.

Sun Sun Jigao had long since reviewed the Emperor from the day of the debate.

Sitting before his desk, he pondered for only a moment before immediately putting pen to paper, pouring out his thoughts.

"Subject's response: Respectfully, the Emperor, with the virtue of a sage and god, has received the return of the calendar, serving the Emperor with utmost sincerity, and governing the people with humility; all subjects under heaven, who does not look up and watch, wiping their eyes and waiting, hoping to be touched by the transformation of renewal..."

Every character in a policy essay is very important.

The early dynasty regulations stipulated that policy essays should only focus on direct narration, with a limit of over one thousand characters.

While there was a mandatory minimum character count, there was also a maximum limit determined by the length.

Therefore, Sun Sun Jigao combined the routine opening praise of the Emperor with the main theme of his essay.

The phrase "transformation of renewal" displayed his understanding of the Emperor to the fullest.

At the same time, on the basis of renewal, he began to unfold the discussion on the key of "prioritizing the root and valuing agriculture."

At the same time.

Li Kun sat quietly for a long while without putting pen to paper.

Not for any other reason, but simply recalling the Emperor's words and actions during the debate that day.

That day, seeing the Emperor attend, he only realized afterward why someone had specifically invited him to observe the ceremony.

Although he didn't know who was so capable and willing to show such mercy.

But since he had already seized the opportunity, utilizing this opportunity in the palace examination was the only thing he could do.

As for repaying the debt? Let's talk about that later.

Thinking of this, Li Kun finally began to dip his brush in ink.

"Subject's response: The Emperor is currently looking for the Way but has not yet seen it, seeking governance with great urgency, and has specifically summoned us subjects to the court, graciously bestowing clear questions, earnestly seeking policies for internal peace and solidifying the root."

"Su Shi once said, 'The ruler seeks with a name, the subject responds with reality.' Since the Emperor now seeks with reality, how dare I not pour out my heart to respond to even a ten-thousandth of it?"

"..."

It was also a routine praise of the Emperor.

But after discussing the general outline that governed the entire essay, Li Kun did not continue to spin around the classics, ancestral instructions, and the Emperor, but began to discuss the major drawbacks of the current situation.

"If the Emperor truly wishes to drive the people of the world to prioritize the root, the way is none other than to curb annexation and promote land measurement—these six words only."

"If the people do not eat all day, hunger follows. Now, those who hold onto minor skills and lightly abandon their fields, is it because the people do not enjoy life? It is land annexation..."

Policy essays have their own ways of answering.

While reflecting political insight, it was also to compete for a background.

Li Kun was older, already thirty-nine this year, so he only sought a second-rank background.

A second-rank official is seventh rank, granted the status of a presented scholar; a third-rank official is eighth rank, granted the status of a fellow presented scholar. According to the current evaluation law, one level is three years of grinding, which cannot be taken lightly.

As for the first rank, he didn't dare to think about it.

However, while Li Kun didn't dare to think about it, Li Sancai was very daring.

The Hanlin editor and compiler of the first rank could save three years of grinding compared to a probationary official.

As for why he was so daring?

He was, after all, a descendant of a great household, always knowing more about the Emperor than outsiders.

He ran through the summary of the Emperor in the court as told by his father in his mind, supplemented by the two times he had met the Emperor and the style of conduct he had displayed, gradually outlining the Emperor's temperament.

After a while, Li Sancai slowly put pen to paper.

"Subject's response: Our founding Emperor Taizu had an edict on borrowing fields, saying, 'If one wishes for wealth not to be exhausted, the country to be constantly prosperous, and the spirits to be constantly worshipped, must it not come from agriculture?' Grand are the King's words, earnest is the intention of valuing agriculture!"

"Emperor Wenzong had instructions on prioritizing the root, first mentioning the difficulty of Taizu's founding, then reaching the ancient sage kings and the chaotic rulers, to serve as a warning. Profound are the sage's plans, earnest is the heart of leaving a legacy."

He first listed the ancestral instructions mentioned by the Emperor, grasping the outline while showing his knowledge reserve.

But then the brush turned, falling onto the Emperor.

"I have heard the Book of Documents say: 'Heaven sends down the people and makes a ruler for them, a teacher for them, only so that he can assist the Emperor and soothe the four quarters.' Thus, I know that Heaven's creation of the people, the reason for assisting and perfecting them, is a responsibility always entrusted to the ruler; and the ruler's mastery of the people, the reason for nurturing and keeping them safe, is a way that truly follows Heaven."

Heaven and Earth nurturing the people is to take care of them, and this responsibility just happens to be entrusted to the ruler alone.

"The position the Emperor occupies is none other than that passed down by Emperor Taizu, and Emperor Taizu is none other than the one who rose from Fengyang."

"The Yuan government was not disciplined, greedy for goods without satiety, small groups usurped orders, levied taxes violently, so the people could not bear it and entrusted their lives to Taizu. Taizu thus wielded his sword, swept away the filth, received Heaven's great treasure, and thus was able to carry and pass it to the Emperor."

"In the prosperous times of the Hu Yuan, the territory was vast, the soldiers and horses strong, no less than today's world, yet Taizu took it as a commoner, like breaking dry wood, why?"

"Taxes were heavy, the people were displaced; currency was rotten, the people lost their jobs!"

How did the current Emperor's throne come about? It is a responsibility passed down from Emperor Taizu.

How did Emperor Taizu's throne come about? It was because the former Yuan was cruel, despised by the people, and the people together entrusted Heaven's mandate to Emperor Taizu.

"The Emperor says that many people have lost their land and have not yet returned to farming; this is where the Emperor's Heaven-mandated responsibility lies, and it cannot be taken lightly!"

"..."

"Therefore, today, prioritizing the root should be done by valuing agriculture; settling the displaced people, it may not be impossible to promote trade. If agriculture and trade flourish together, the two difficulties will be solved by themselves!"

The sound of officials' robes rubbing together mixed with the sound of turning pages, making the hall seem even quieter.

Hai Rui sat in an inconspicuous corner.

He wrote down his thoughts step by step.

Although he was already a high-ranking official in scarlet robes, coming here was just to supplement a background, even if he were last, it wouldn't affect his paving the way to the Nine Ministers.

But Hai Rui still wrote his answer with all his heart.

"Subject's response: The fields for garrison farming have been swallowed by the powerful, the lakes and mountains have been controlled by the influential, the treacherous and powerful deceive and hide, the idle help the wicked, which is why the Emperor speaks of the people crying from hunger and cold."

"I have seen with my own eyes, in the counties of Hainan, farmers farming, losing their thin fields due to natural and man-made disasters, losing their tenant rent due to bone marrow being exhausted, so they only pick water caltrops in the lake. But the caltrops are sharp, often hurting their fingers, blood flowing endlessly, making their faces haggard, looking like ghosts. By the time I left Hainan, the caltrop lake had also been annexed by the powerful, charging the caltrop pickers a monthly rent of two taels and four mace."

"..."

"Therefore, the urgent task today is to control the existing fields, measure the land, and correct the boundaries..."

Hainan is similar to Yunnan, both existing as remote and impoverished places in the world of the imperial examination.

As a presented scholar from Hainan, Hai Rui didn't have much time to study the classics deeply after becoming an official, and those flowery phrases were almost impossible to see in his writing.

He simply wrote a realistic answer from the perspective of having worked at the grassroots level for many years.

Time gradually passed.

Ink stains crawled over one examination paper after another.

The tribute students were answering questions in the hall.

The court officials mostly returned to their respective offices to sit at their posts.

Only the Emperor and the two Grand Secretaries were strolling on the platform outside the Grand Pole Hall, discussing something.

"In the eighth year of Tianshun, it was ordered that the Grand Secretariat officials, together with the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites, set the questions to select probationary officials."

"In the sixth year of Hongzhi, it was approved that each examination would have one selection, and those under forty years of age would each record more than fifteen ancient essays written in their spare time, limited to being submitted to the Ministry of Rites within one month."

"After the Ministry of Rites finished reading and testing, they would be numbered and sent to the Hanlin Academy for verification. Those whose literary logic was acceptable would have their names covered on their examination papers and be sealed and sent to the Grand Secretariat for selection according to the regulations."

Gao Yi introduced the process of selecting probationary officials to the Emperor.

The conditions were roughly—young; good at writing parallel prose; pass the autonomous selection examination organized by the Grand Secretariat, Ministry of Personnel, and Ministry of Rites.

Zhu Zhu Yijun asked curiously: "Fifteen ancient essays written in spare time? What if one hasn't written fifteen essays in spare time?"

Since it was called ancient prose, it certainly couldn't be poetry.

As for the fu, one might not necessarily write so many in spare time.

Gao Yi explained patiently: "That is why the Ministry of Rites limits the time to one month, which is to give the presented scholars time to complete the fifteen ancient essays."

Zhu Zhu Yijun suddenly understood; that meant they had to rush the writing.

Rushing the writing is good.

He nodded, signaling Gao Yi to continue: "And what happens after being selected as a probationary official?"

Gao Yi followed behind the Emperor, pacing slowly: "Sent to the Hanlin Academy, and scholars and other officials are ordered to teach them. Those who complete their studies, besides becoming Hanlin officials, those of the second rank become editors, and those of the third rank become compilers, to continue their advanced studies."

"The rest are also appointed as officials in the departments and ministries, such as directors and secretaries."

Zhu Zhu Yijun said "Oh."

He immediately shook his head, turned back to look at Zhang Zhang Juzheng, and deliberated: "Two teachers, selecting probationary officials is to store talent for the ministers of the cabinet and ministries, so there is nothing wrong with this."

"However, there are over four hundred presented scholars in this examination, and taking an additional hundred or so is to fill the positions of hall officials in prefectures and counties, and the backbone of the three divisions in each province, according to today's evaluation law and tomorrow's land measurement."

"If they are all placed in the Hanlin Academy to study, I am afraid they still cannot fill the vacancies in the various departments and ministries, and the hall officials in prefectures and counties."

They had been working together for quite some time.

Now, the two Grand Secretaries could see at a glance what the Emperor was up to.

The two looked at each other.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng shook his head helplessly: "If Your Majesty wants to send the probationary officials down to the provinces, prefectures, and counties, just asking the Grand Secretariat to talk about it privately is really making things difficult for us old bones."

Hearing the tone, one understands the meaning.

The Emperor's words clearly meant he wanted to send the probationary officials to the local areas to be tempered.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng refused unceremoniously, almost saying the words "unrealistic" directly.

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Zhang Juzheng curiously: "Does the Chief Minister mean that the Grand Secretariat cannot make the decision? Then shall I call the Minister of Rites?"

Zhang Zhang Juzheng stopped the Emperor from sending someone to invite Ma Ma Ziqiang, saying helplessly: "If the Minister of Rites gets involved in this, I am afraid he would have to retire even if he didn't want to."

The three walked to the railing and stood leaning against it.

Gao Yi pondered for a moment and added tactfully: "Your Majesty, this is not something that can be passed with a single edict."

"Throwing probationary officials into the local areas... is really too much of an insult, and I am afraid it will cause trouble."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng was even more direct: "If we insult the probationary officials like this, abandoning their official positions is a small matter; I am afraid they will inevitably slam their heads against the ground, splashing blood on the Grand Pole Hall."

"At that time, the whole court will be shaken, and it will inevitably be another mess."

Confucian scholars value dignity the most.

Sending presented scholars over forty years old to be county magistrates is one thing, but probationary officials, these arrogant talents of the current age, want to be sent to the local areas?

Isn't that a naked mistreatment of Confucian scholars by the new dynasty?

It would cause collective incidents.

Nowadays, officials often say "transferred to other duties due to lack of acclimatization," or "Huizhou is bitter and cold, not a precedent for the dynasty to treat Confucian scholars well."

In this environment, the Emperor wanting to send probationary officials to the prefectures and counties is really making things too difficult for the Grand Secretariat and the Ministry of Rites.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng didn't care about being criticized anymore, he just feared messing up the big picture—these people were truly the basic foundation.

The Emperor, the Chief Minister, and the Second Minister, as long as the three reached a consensus, could be said to decide the court situation in one word, but now, facing such matters involving the basic foundation, they had to be extremely cautious.

Zhu Zhu Yijun heard this, held the railing with both hands, pressed his feet against the bottom, and swayed his body back and forth: "It doesn't necessarily have to be all sent to the prefectures and counties."

Halfway through his words.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng frowned and held the Emperor's waist, interrupting: "Your Majesty, mind your demeanor."

Zhu Zhu Yijun stood up straight sheepishly.

He coughed lightly and continued: "My meaning is, we can follow the principle of voluntariness, and give appropriate preferential treatment in their official careers to those Hanlin editors and probationary officials who take the initiative to go to the local areas."

This is tempting with profit.

Gao Yi sighed upon hearing this.

He shook his head and explained to the Emperor, who was unfamiliar with the ecology of the Confucian school: "Your Majesty, in the scholar forest, reputation is the foundation. No probationary official will damage their foundation just to reduce three or five years of grinding."

As for which is lighter and which is heavier between official career and reputation, just look at how many court officials dream of being beaten by the court.

The small favors the Emperor promised were not enough to make the probationary officials "not fit in."

Zhu Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and asked the two ministers seriously: "If someone takes the lead, would it be much better?"

The two ministers were startled.

After looking at each other, they nodded one after another.

Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled with relief: "Then the two teachers might as well draft a plan first. As for the probationary officials, I will do some 'ideological work' for them at that time."

There are still people who owe him debts; if the ruler and father wants to collect debts, they cannot refuse to pay.

It is easy to handle after someone takes the lead—whether the dynasty has a precedent, in terms of political resistance, cannot be mentioned in the same breath.

Sending probationary officials to the local areas, even if it is just going through the motions at first, is an inevitable thing.

The two were not surprised by the Emperor's strange wording.

Gao Yi couldn't help but remind him: "Your Majesty, pay attention to fairness in selection."

Zhu Zhu Yijun nodded perfunctorily.

What is fairness? The first rank is originally appointed by the Emperor!

It is legal and reasonable!

Zhang Zhang Juzheng saw the Emperor's appearance, and not knowing what he thought of, suddenly said: "Since this is the case, I am afraid Your Majesty will have to inquire about it frequently, otherwise, some probationary officials might have to be local officials for more than ten years."

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Zhang Juzheng with relief—Old Zhang sees things far.

He knew too well about this kind of selection and assignment, where they are not transferred back to the core after ten years as promised.

If there is no noble person above to remember, no matter if you are a probationary official or a master or doctor, just send them down, and they won't make a sound.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng was reminding him that if he let the Grand Secretariat or the Six Ministries handle it, it would inevitably become a tool for distinguishing between factions—probationary officials are, after all, candidates for the cabinet; who returns to court and who stays in the local area is a world of difference in their official careers.

Therefore, it is best for the Emperor to intervene personally.

Zhu Zhu Yijun immediately stated: "This is natural. At that time, the probationary officials will report directly to me, and their annual evaluations will also be personally reviewed by me and the Grand Secretariat before being graded."

Since he was already prepared to rule personally, there was nothing to hide about such things.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng nodded in approval of the Emperor's diligence.

Together with Gao Yi, they performed the rites: "We will draft the plan together with the Ministry of Rites later."

Zhu Zhu Yijun naturally kept spouting words like hard work, toil, and mental effort.

The two ministers bowed and retreated.

Only Zhu Zhu Yijun remained, his arms resting on the railing, his palm supporting his face, gazing out in a trance.

After a long while, he finally came back to his senses.

He reached out and summoned Li Jin: "Li Zhang Daban, after the palace examination ends, go and send a copy of 'Lü's Village Compact' to Li Kun, and tell him to study it well." ===== CHAPTER 177 =====