Jingming

Chapter 347 Yan Song's Enlightenment

"This is Guangzhou..."

A not-so-big sea ship approached the Pearl River Estuary slowly, and a group of scholars, large or small, stood on the bow deck. Hai Rui, who had left Qiongshan for the first time, opened his eyes wide and looked at the scene of shadowy sails in front of him.

"Yes! This is Guangzhou!" A 20-year-old scholar next to him kept fanning in his hand, "Don't say you people who come to Guangzhou for the first time, I come here every year and see the scene every year. It’s different, it’s really changing with each passing day!”

"Brother Luo, should you win the exam this year?"

The scholar's face froze: "The syllabus of the national and rural examinations has been changed this year, so who can say for sure? You have studied mathematics, physics, practical studies, and dialectics hard this year. Do your best."

Now it is midsummer, and the provincial examination for the seventh year of Jiajing is about to be held.

Guangdong is the first province to implement annual provincial examinations, and now the province of Guangdong has already "produced" a large number of applicants.

In addition to the main list every year, some candidates for the sub-list are not reconciled and have to take another exam.Some became officials because there are more official positions now, and the new law makes it impossible for the gentry to fish in troubled waters like in the past.

Most importantly, the syllabus is finally about to change.

Before the Spring Festival, the news of His Majesty's personal conquest to defeat the Northern Captives and kill the Great Khan of the Northern Yuan Dynasty spread to Guangdong, and the whole province was in a state of excitement.Then, in the first issue of "Ming Pao" in the seventh year of Jiajing, His Majesty published a congratulatory message as usual.The theme of this year's congratulatory speech is "Only talents".

With the prestige brought by his illustrious military achievements, His Majesty re-established the official school, but this official school is not what everyone thinks.

When the student surnamed Luo mentioned this topic, everyone immediately started talking about it.

"There are so many disciplines, do we have to be like Tang Shi, who can obtain scholars from multiple disciplines?"

"Brother, don't tell me, you must take a test in arithmetic. This is quite the ancient style of the six arts of a gentleman."

"Isn't it necessary for everyone to understand music theory, be good at archery, and know how to ride horses?"

"Should engineering and agronomy also be a subject for obtaining scholars? Should scholars be allowed to become artisans and farmers, or should artisans and farmers be educated and become officials?"

"..."

Amidst the discussion, the 15-year-old Hai Rui just continued to look at the scene in front of him.

He studied at Huangming Primary School in Qiongshan County—no, according to the latest government plan, it will only be called primary school in the future—after he finished his studies, he was recommended to study in Guangzhou Fu Middle School after the performance evaluation.

What is the high school that was converted from a prefectural school like?
The people talking next to me are all students who have been born as students. They are going to Guangzhou to participate in this year's rural examination.Therefore, they only care about the provincial examination and the general examination next year.

There was not much time left for them, but Hai Rui was still young.

The changes in Daming are really fast, and for scholars, the changes will be even faster in the next few years.

In the city of Guangzhou, government offices are respected by government orders, and follow the four ranks.Above him, there is a magistrate of the fourth grade, but civil affairs are only supervised by government orders.

Under the government office, all the original houses are now called bureaus.The punishment room no longer exists, it is the work of the criminal bureau.The barracks don't exist any more, that's the job of the Secretary of Public Security.The household houses are still there, but other taxes other than land and grain are in the Taxation Bureau.

Provincial capitals, prefectures and counties, and now the line of civil affairs, there are still six main bureaus and bureaus: officials, ethics, experience, engineering, archives, and business.

Now the Guangzhou government decree is in charge of the six-rank office of the Bureau of Etiquette and Education, which was changed from the original ceremonial room: "The Huangming Middle School in this government will start after the fall. The philosophy and literature are good, but the math, finance, history, and geography are good. , you need to find them as soon as possible.”

"The lower officials are stepping up their appointments. It's just that besides these things, the province wants our Guangzhou government to help invite professors of various subjects from Guangdong University College, which will be very difficult..."

"There is no rush for these. It is the imperial court's decree that every province has a university, but it will take several years to build, and there is no need for all subjects. If you find a professor for any subject, you will teach that subject." The government official then looked at the university. The Engineering Bureau, which was converted from the workshop, is in charge of the Liupin Bureau. "It's about the location and construction of the Guangdong University College. The province has given this major matter to the Guangzhou government. A lot of money has been allocated, but this matter is related to the cultural context of Guangdong. Yidu Terrace means, built on Xiqiao Mountain.”

"Xiaguan has already gone to investigate. It's just that there are many old houses and studies of officials and gentlemen, and Xiqiao Mountain is in the mountains. The money may not be enough."

"It doesn't matter, you only go to survey and customize, and then discuss the construction plan with the Provincial Department of Ethics and Education. For other matters, I will discuss with the Fu Zun, please write to the governor and all the adults to discuss. If there is a shortage of money, I will raise it myself. "

In another courtyard in the city, it also looks like an official office, with a majestic and majestic door, but there is a signboard of Huangmingji Maritime Trade Co., Ltd. on it.

In a five-room main hall in this house, Wei Bin was coughing from time to time, listening to the reports from the people below.

His adoptive son brought him tea, and Wei Bin nodded slowly after taking two sips: "Got it."

After saying a word, he coughed again.

Slowly turning his head to look at the adoptive son who was gently stroking his back with a worried face, Wei Bin smiled slightly: "Help dad grind..."

"Father, my son will write for you."

Wei Bin shook his head: "Submit it to His Majesty, it's my father's handwriting."

Then he closed his eyes and meditated, thinking.

In the blink of an eye, eight years have passed.Liang Chu passed away last year and got a posthumous title of Wenzhong.Since this year, my health has been getting worse and worse, and I'm afraid it will be soon.

He actually spent the last few years of his life here in Lingnan, and single-handedly helped His Majesty create such a giant as Huangmingji.In terms of power and actual influence, I am afraid that it is not smaller than being a guard eunuch in any province, or it is much larger.

It is a full and prosperous old age.

But now that my body is about to fail, Huang Mingji, a huge monster, should suggest to His Majesty to make some arrangements, as well as the matter of intercourse...

He slowly opened his eyes and picked up the pen.After stabilizing his wrist, he concentrated on writing: [Chen Wei Bin asks His Majesty Shengan...]

In the Guangzhou mansion, the governor's office in Guangdong is also holding a provincial meeting.

Wu Ting raised his eyes and looked at the chief officials of various departments in Guangdong and the companions of the provincial township academy, and said slowly: "After the autumn, the governor and Song Shengtai will leave for Beijing to attend the three-yearly great national policy meeting. During this time There are still a lot of things to do in the day, let's discuss it carefully."

"Dutai, in this national policy meeting, many ministries have participated in the policy for three years. I am afraid that the center has changed again. The lower officials are looking forward to the return of the governor. You have been an official in Guangdong for many years, so you have to think about the people of Guangdong. .”

Wu Tingju smiled: "Who can say for sure? In any case, Guangdong is the earliest to try out the new law, and everything should not be delayed because of Ben Du and Song Shengtai attending the meeting..."

This is the case in Guangdong, and it is the same in other places.

In Xuanda, Wang Shouren was leading Tang Shunzhi to patrol the border.

"The defense of the two towns was arranged by you and me together. The period when I returned to Beijing was also the time when the Tartars invaded the border most often. Last year there was a great victory, this year we must not worry His Majesty."

"Don't worry, Supervisor, Wu Dinghou, Yulin Bo and I both know the seriousness."

"Also pay attention to your own safety." Wang Shouren turned his gaze back from the direction of the Xuanning Five Forts, "Xuan Da is trying to implement the military system reform. This is the first year that is especially important. Even though His Majesty has the prestige of the imperial conquest of the Great Victory last year, Dabian General It is still not willing to give up the benefits of the army's military households."

Tang Shunzhi smiled: "On this point, the supervisor can feel more at ease. Now I am better at spear, sword and bow and horse are getting better and better."

Wang Shouren was stunned, and then he could only shake his head helplessly.

The evildoer is really evildoer, Tang Shunzhi's talent, even Wang Shouren is quite shocked.

"Let's go. After seeing the actual distribution of rewards and food and salaries this trip, you will know whether the figures of Xuanda Tuntian Qingzhang are true or not."

"Xuan Da is easy to say. No one is dissatisfied with the prestige of the governor's platform. The elite troops under the command of the two towns only listen to His Majesty's will. Xuan Da's rewards were promoted at the beginning of the year, and a large number of generals were mobilized. The officials are worried. For other border towns, this Xuanda is trying to reform the army, and the other border town generals are afraid. They are not like the generals of Xuanda who have made meritorious service last year, and the past sins can be offset by merit and demerit..."

"There will always be a few times." Wang Shouren was very calm, "Scraping the bone to heal the poison, how can it not hurt? This is inevitable. Even so, the Marquis of Xiangcheng still wants to continue to make meritorious deeds. This year's Beijing camp drills are comparable to previous years. Even more ruthless. It is said that he was only on the expedition with his own driver. Although he was able to risk his life to chase the enemy, but the merit of guarding Bodi's body and the big banner was sent to him by the Marquis of Chicheng. This little credit will be promoted to Marquis. Just luck."

Tang Shunzhi sighed: "Luck is very important. Your Majesty's promotion of his uncle to the position of Marquis really has the meaning of motivating honorable and loyal ministers. Now the Marquis of Xiangcheng is only training troops and sending them to the governors and generals of various border towns as the commander-in-chief. The pacesetter and the soldier are indeed short of a convincing great achievement."

"Therefore, let's do the immediate thing first, and your majesty has to consider the hidden dangers of the other border towns." Wang Shouren looked back when he heard footsteps, "Both doctors are here."

Walking towards them were the two Langs in Xuanda sent by the newly established Tuntian Qingli Division under the Ministry of War.Starting this year, starting from Xuanda, the management of the military settlements will be in the charge of civilian officials from the Ministry of War.Under the Ministry of Industry, there used to be the Department of Tuntian Qingli, but now it is constantly improving various systems, all of which point to one point: Your Majesty no longer plays with the checks and balances between the various ministries in actual government affairs, but let them work in their respective departments. The areas of focus have greater power and greater discourse power.

As for the supervision and checks and balances of civil servants and military generals, that is the business of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Criminal Division, and the factory guards.

With the beginning of the trial reform of military settlements, there are actually bigger reforms, which will be a focus of this national policy meeting.

Tang Shunzhi looked at Zheng Xiao, the governor of Datong, who was walking towards him, and met again after the examination.

His official status has not changed, but now that he has come to Xuanda, he is also entrusted with a heavy responsibility.

With Wang Xian's return to Beijing, Xuanda's army stationed for trial reform, and this year's Xuanda side will be transferred. Apart from Wang Shouren, Xuanda is already a new generation of civil servants and military generals who have made contributions here.

But in the capital, at this year's National Policy Conference, the older generation and the hard-core generation are about to compete for many prominent positions.

It is another round of reform of the central government office, and His Majesty is constantly creating opportunities for more courtiers who agree with his idea of ​​rebuilding the Ming Dynasty to stand by his side and entrust them with important responsibilities.

Tang Shunzhi was deeply impressed by this—this was probably the most magnificent reform since the Sui and Tang Dynasties established three provinces and six ministries and opened the imperial examination.

From the 16th year of Zhengde to the present, there are fewer and fewer people who can oppose the emperor's will, not to mention the direction of his will, which is really giving the world's sages a bigger stage and a more prominent position.

The imperial palace in the Forbidden City is now full of joy, because the wedding of Princess Yongchun was postponed for more than half a year, and finally it was held.

Lu Bing didn't make an inch of merit, just because he has been escorting him all the time, but it can also become a qualification.

As for the Prince Consort, he is already super high-quality.

Now Zhu Houcong looked at Lu Bing who came to the palace in wedding clothes to welcome his relatives, and just smiled and said: "Go. After the wedding, serve me well."

"The minister obeys the order!"

Watching them leave, Zhu Houcong asked Gu Shilong's son Gu Huan: "How is Lord Jingguo's condition these days?"

Gu Huan is currently serving as a bodyguard, his eyes turned red when he heard this, and he saluted, "Thank you for your concern! My father takes medicine every day, but his condition still hasn't improved."

Zhu Houcong sighed softly in his heart: he is only 45, he is in his prime.

Although the famous Chinese doctors of the Tai Hospital, which has been converted into a nursing home, have consulted many times, they have not come up with any good solutions.

Zhu Houcong vaguely guessed that Gu Shilong was probably suffering from some kind of cancer.

"Go home on vacation, Haosheng will take care of you."

Gu Huan returned home, and when he reached Gu Shilong's bedside, Gu Shilong's face was already sallow.

Seeing his son's worried face, Gu Shilong forced a smile: "It's a pity... Father's health is not good. If you can make great achievements again, you... will attack the Duke."

Gu Huan gritted his teeth, and said decisively: "Father, my son will definitely make great achievements again and pass on Duke Jing to three generations!"

Gu Shilong shook his head: "Don't be obsessed with it... First you will be promoted to be a prince, and then you won't be degraded for three generations, then it should be... How desperate..."

He was the first duke newly appointed in the Jiajing Dynasty.Xuanda World War I did not give birth to another Duke.

If he is in good health, he can probably fight for three generations without being degraded.

Although the son is ambitious now, his ability and strategy are not enough.

So Gu Shilong warned: "You don't have to go to the battlefield to make meritorious deeds. Huan'er, the first thing is to take care of your four younger brothers, and don't let them harm the Gu family. As for you... I have asked General Counselor Yang to ask him Guaranteed you to go to the General Armament Department. It is also a special achievement to do this well. There are a few people, you must ask for advice..."

Knowing that the end is approaching, Gu Shilong's mind at this moment is to entrust his funeral.

Gu Huan's body is much better than his, and he probably has a long life.That being the case, there is no need to rush.The posture of a middleman has a way to go with the capital of a middleman, let alone Gu Huan, the eldest son of the first new duke of the Jiajing Dynasty?

Now, the son of another important court official is extremely clever, and he is analyzing to his father the possibility of him becoming the Prime Minister and Minister of State.

Yan Song couldn't help but laugh: "What nonsense are you talking about? Dad just returned to Beijing last year to be Minister of Rites."

"Mr. Fei must resign! Among the state affairs, there are two old people who have lost their energy. When it comes to holy family members and talents, dad, who else can I give you?" Yan Shifan, who is already sixteen years old, spoke eloquently, "I and Brother Lu has such a good relationship, why don't you ask him to speak kindly to His Majesty?"

Yan Song slapped him on the head: "What is your position as an important minister? Don't mess around!"

The princess is getting married, and of course there are guests at the banquet.Right now, the father and son are waiting for the big gift in the side room of the Princess Mansion.

Yan Shifan put on a blindfold, looked left and right with one eye, and said dissatisfiedly: "Father, my son has grown up!"

"Your temperament is becoming more and more disobedient to discipline! Father is following an order to discipline you well, so that he can entrust you with great responsibilities in the future!"

Yan Shifan was overwhelmed: "This year's Wuju provincial examination, I will definitely pass!"

"...You didn't work hard to practice martial arts!"

"I'm prepared this time, and I'm sure I'll win the exam. If Dad, you do state affairs, I will definitely try to be ranked as the God of Heaven next year!"

Yan Song became alert: "What are you doing?"

Yan Shifan clenched his fists: "My martial arts skills are not bad!"

Yan Song stared at him for a while, and then said involuntarily: "You are only sixteen years old, you are not allowed to take the exam this year!"

"..." Yan Shifan was dumbfounded, which sentence was wrong?
Yan Song said seriously: "Dad has been busy working on the new school system throughout this year. Daddy plans to do this for at least three more years as Minister of Rites."

As a minister of the Ministry of Rites, he knows better what it means to spread the news to the whole Ming Dynasty from the Spring Festival this year.

Everything in Daming needs to be done by people.And the new official school and new school system that started this year are to rebuild the entry level for people all over the world.

For His Majesty, nothing is more important than this.

His Majesty said in his congratulatory message that learning will continue to evolve, and the court is compiling more complete teaching materials.The three principles of heaven, matter, and man are the knowledge of the Dao, which inherits the philosophical thoughts of the sages, so it is called philosophy.

The various disciplines are headed by philosophy, and there are many other studies that can lead to the Dao.These learnings are not only in line with the natural principles, but also have the wisdom of being practical in the world.Among them, under the Avenue of Humanities, there are philosophy, literature, history, law, finance and economics, management, art, education, and under the Avenue of Physics; there are mathematics, physics, refining chemistry, agriculture, engineering, medicine, astronomy, and geography. science, architecture...

The era when one could benefit from a lifetime of familiarity with the Four Books and Five Classics and Confucian classics has completely passed, and scholars of the Ming Dynasty will face brand new rules when they become officials.

Now it seems that the past few years and the next few years are just a transitional period before the new rules are stabilized—we must take into account the emotions of the current generation of scholars, and also let the next generation of scholars have a new direction.

Sociology schools in various places are called primary schools, and county schools are crowned with the word Huangming.There is a syllabus and a school system.After five years of study, after passing the county examination, he can enter Huangming Middle School, which can be converted into a government school.In the four years of this middle school, if you have passed the government examination, you have a student background.

After that, there are three ways out.

Starting from a small official of the eighth or ninth grade, he became an official.

Continue to take the provincial and general examinations, and become an official with a better background.

After passing the examination for five years in the university, you will also have a Juren background, and you will be able to take the examination, and it will be easier for you to pass the new imperial examination subjects.

Your Majesty wants to use the provincial colleges to train batches of scholars into talents with solid foundations in various disciplines.Undoubtedly, it will be a more secure path to obtain the treatment of the top candidates after passing the graduate school than going directly to the provincial examination.

Once you embark on this path, you will embark on the path of taking the new discipline system planned by His Majesty as your advancement step.

One of the exits of this road leads to official positions that will increasingly require some practical knowledge in the future, so that when they first take up the official position, they will not just talk about it and be dyed beyond recognition by the officialdom.

The other outlets are various positions other than the official positions in the huge Ming system, which are called by His Majesty the establishment: teachers and professors, titles in state-owned enterprises...

His Majesty not only needs Yan Song, but also a group of important ministers.

The old man has the world in his heart, and what he wants is a steady stream of talented people.

Is there any errand that can win the Sacred Heart better than this?

(End of this chapter)