Chapter 1501: How Our Dynasty Receives Heroes

Was he imitating the Former Han? The Crown Prince continued to think deeper, but then suddenly felt that such an approach might not be entirely good. In both the Former and Later Han dynasties, the emperors heavily relied on meritorious families and imperial relatives, and didn't that result in powerful clans growing so strong they threatened imperial authority?

"Father Emperor… your son has more or less understood your meaning, but there are still some things I don't quite grasp." At this thought, the Crown Prince couldn't help but press on with his questions. "The old ministers helped our family win the realm, so it is only right and proper to reward the meritorious nobles with generous treatment in return. But if we keep relying on them heavily, letting them fill the court and command both civil and military affairs, I fear… I fear that might not be good either. Wouldn't there… wouldn't there be the worry of a tail too big to wag?"

The Crown Prince's words were phrased very tactfully, and he was extremely nervous, because he was deathly afraid that his words might bring unforeseen calamity down upon those loyal and devoted meritorious nobles, so he dared not speak too gravely.

"There is no such thing as a perfect solution in this world! Father Emperor weakened the Inner Court, so he must rely on the Outer Court — in all matters, one must take some risks!" The Emperor smiled, showing no particular tension. "However, you are quite right. One must not be blindly confident in anything, nor can one rely on only one side. So… Father Emperor does have other arrangements in place."

"Father Emperor… could you… could you teach your son a little more?" Although he knew in his heart that there were some things even the Crown Prince should not ask too much about, the Crown Prince's curiosity made it unbearable to hold back. He steeled himself and pressed his father further. "Your son knows he is still young and has only just begun to participate in state affairs, and that perhaps he should not ask too much about many things. If… if Father Emperor feels that now is not the time to tell your son, then your son will slowly come to understand in the future."

The Emperor did not answer immediately. Instead, he stared at the Crown Prince for a while.

This child, without him even noticing, had already grown into a youth. And under his own urging and guidance, he had already acquired profoundly broad learning. Even by the standards of his previous era, this was an exceptionally outstanding child — let alone in this present era.

What gladdened his heart even more was that the Crown Prince had not, like so many others, grown arrogant or self-indulgent because of his intelligence and status. Instead, he maintained a modest and cautious attitude, and even that simple, unyielding, and resolute nature of his had been well preserved.

A son like this — however stern he might be on the surface, how could he possibly not cherish him in the depths of his heart?

He might as well take this opportunity to give him some instruction.

"You worry that our dynasty might end up like the Former Han, with imperial relatives and great clans growing in power generation after generation until they become a tail too big to wag and threaten the court. That worry is not wrong; on the contrary, it proves you have a brain. Under our reign, the meritorious nobles probably won't cause any major trouble, but a ruler must plan for posterity…" The Emperor pondered for a long time, then spoke to the Crown Prince in a low voice. "So, before too long, I will introduce another force to check and balance the meritorious nobles, so that they do not grow so powerful that no one can restrain them."

"How should it be introduced…?" the Crown Prince asked instinctively, and then a flash of insight struck him. "Father Emperor, could your meaning be to reopen the civil examinations?"

The Crown Prince had studied national history under many teachers. He also knew that from the Qin and Han to the Sui and Tang, China's court had been filled with powerful clans and great families who clung to their authority and lorded over the realm. It was only after the civil examinations emerged during the Sui and Tang that large numbers of scholars entered the court through the exams and were relied upon by the imperial house as support, causing the power of the great clans to decline dramatically so that they no longer posed a threat to imperial authority.

These teachers of his had all taken the civil examinations and studied for them in the former Ming era, and they had all once dreamed of governing the country and ordering the world. So they had always, intentionally or not, hinted to him about the benefits of holding civil examinations and granting generous treatment to the realm's scholars. And in his own reflections, the Crown Prince also felt that selecting talent through civil examinations was a rather convenient and fair method, so he too hoped that their dynasty would begin holding them as soon as possible. It was only because he was too young and dared not presumptuously discuss major policies that he had never remonstrated with his Father Emperor about it.

He had never imagined that his Father Emperor, who seemed to hold scholars in contempt and had always refused to hold civil examinations, had actually long ago made plans to open the examinations and recruit the realm's talents.

Father Emperor's wisdom and foresight are truly transcendent… The young Crown Prince once again added a measure of reverence for his father in his heart.

"However, civil examinations must be held, but they cannot be held rashly — at the very least, not in the same way as before." The Emperor furrowed his brow again, as if recalling something unpleasant. "When our dynasty selects officials, we cannot test the eight-legged essay. Those pedantic and rotten essays are utterly useless; reading them only rots the brain. Can you shoulder a rifle or forge a good cannon by relying on the Four Books and Five Classics? Our dynasty's civil examinations must emphasize practical affairs — practical affairs! Mathematics, the investigation of things, policy essays — these things are a hundred times more useful than any so-called great principles of the sages. Therefore, even if the new dynasty holds civil examinations, it can only use these to select officials. Otherwise, what is the point of the court taking in a bunch of utterly useless good-for-nothings to serve as officials?"

Not testing the Four Books and Five Classics, but testing mathematics and policy essays? Although this view of the Emperor's sounded very strange, the Crown Prince was not particularly surprised to hear it. All along, whenever he accompanied his Father Emperor, the Crown Prince had heard him speak rather disparagingly of those scholars who had been obsessed with the Four Books and Five Classics to pass the eight-legged essay exams, considering them utterly useless bookworms who could only spout principles and righteousness but could accomplish nothing at all.

The Crown Prince had also heard that most of the scholar-officials of the former Ming could only speak empty words, and were utterly incompetent at every aspect of governing the state and managing administration. After passing the Presented Scholar examination and being appointed to office, they still understood nothing, and in the end could only rely on private secretaries and clerks to help them handle government affairs. Some were even completely sidelined by the subordinate officials colluding together, reduced to mere puppets.

The lessons of the former Ming naturally could not be ignored, so the Crown Prince also agreed with his Father Emperor's opinion — civil examinations should be held, to promote talent from the localities and fill the court, which would both make the governance of the state more effective and secretly check and balance the meritorious nobles, preventing them from completely monopolizing power.

"Therefore, in order to run such civil examinations well, we must first provide education to the masses. Otherwise, if you test mathematics and policy essays, how many people will even understand them? The realm's talents have been poisoned by the eight-legged essay for so long that they won't be able to crawl out of it all at once…" The Emperor gave a cold laugh. "So, in these next few years, our dynasty must vigorously develop culture and education, building schools everywhere so that a new generation of scholars across the realm will study according to our dynasty's requirements, and then we will select talent from among them. As for those pedantic licentiates, let them stay in their studies and grow old poring over the classics. Also, we must not only use civil examinations to promote civil officials, but also establish military academies, so that young children can enter military studies from an early age and learn the various skills of warfare. Handling cannons, building ships, astronomy, geography — which of these is not a field of learning? In the future, the army must also use students graduated from these military academies to serve as officers and let them lead troops into battle! Not just commoners' sons — even the sons of meritorious nobles must study in them and be selected from the best of the best. Only in this way can the new dynasty's cultural lineage remain unbroken."

In the time that followed, the Crown Prince finally understood the arrangements deep in his Father Emperor's heart: have schools built everywhere, select civil and military students from them to fill the court, and then use these selected commoner elites to check and balance the meritorious nobles.

And then, he also suddenly understood why his Father Emperor was so keen on plundering wealth from abroad — because to achieve this goal, it would surely cost an incalculable amount of money.

"This entire framework is vastly different from those of previous dynasties, so it must be implemented slowly, constructed bit by bit, allowing everyone from top to bottom to gradually adapt. Once the framework is complete, externally there will be the Grand Secretariat and the army checking each other; within the civil and military officials, the newly risen gentry and scholars will check the meritorious nobles. Only under such a system of checks and balances will there be room for imperial power to maneuver. If it were all one monolithic bloc, then what need would anyone above or below have for an emperor? The point is to let them contend with one another, and then have the emperor stand in the middle, thriving on both sides, maintaining a situation where they fight but do not break. That way, they will always have to rely on the imperial house as the arbiter, and in turn, they will have to uphold the imperial house's position. Do you understand?" The Emperor patiently explained to the Crown Prince, his tone both earnest and full of expectation. "You are the Crown Prince. This whole system of mine will be yours to implement in the future, so I am telling you all these methods now. It doesn't matter if you don't understand now — I have plenty of time to teach you slowly. What I fear is that you won't be willing to study seriously! As long as you learn it well, then I can rest easy handing this realm over to you in the future… Hey, and when the time comes, you'll have to teach this whole system to your son too!"

These words, mingling genuine feeling with jest, made the Crown Prince's heart surge with even greater emotion, until even his breathing quickened. He felt as if his originally muddled vision had suddenly gained a sense of sudden clarity and enlightenment.

His Father Emperor's strategies for governing the state — originally he could not see through them at all, only knowing that his Father Emperor was a heaven-sent genius and that he need only obey orders. Now, his Father Emperor had explained things to him so thoroughly. This not only showed his Father Emperor's deep foresight and long-term planning, but also showed that in his Father Emperor's heart, he had already grown up and become someone who could be briefed on matters of state and military affairs.

Perhaps it was precisely because his Father Emperor regarded him so highly that he had arranged for him to go to Goryeo personally this time, to take charge of overseeing rear-area military affairs…

I must perform well and not disappoint Father Emperor's expectations! He swore to himself in his heart.

"Your son thanks Father Emperor!" Overcome with emotion, he suddenly knelt before his father. "Your son will surely engrave Father Emperor's strategies in his heart and dare not forget them even for a moment!"

"What do you mean, 'dare not even for a moment' — why make it so tense? Study when you should study, play when you should play. Father Emperor still has several decades left to teach you well and to properly construct the institutions of the new dynasty one by one. As long as the system is complete and runs smoothly, there's no fear of major trouble. You don't need to be so nervous; Father Emperor is still here to hold up the sky!" The Emperor's face still wore a smile as he patted the Crown Prince on the shoulder. "Since ancient times, balancing work and rest has been the proper way. Although some of your performance is still not entirely satisfactory, no one is perfect, and I don't demand flawlessness from you. In short, since I've given you leave, go and enjoy yourself properly. When I call on you to handle affairs, then handle them beautifully!"