Rule over Ming Dynasty

If you go to work in a barbarian land, not to mention that life there is very hard, compared with the picturesque Jiangnan, it is like the difference between hell and heaven, and the bumpy journey is beyond imagination.

For example, it takes half a year to go to the American continent, and a year to go back and forth. How is this different from exile?
Incidentally, working overseas also presents significant life opportunities.

How many generals who have returned from overseas have been placed in important positions by the imperial court, and officials who have served overseas have received high-level salaries. Xu Shiying, the governor of the East China Sea, is now a minister in the military aircraft cabinet.

In fact, what they are facing now is not a simple choice question, but a life choice.

If they choose to refuse to serve overseas, the Ministry of Civil Affairs should not violate their personal wishes, and they can still enter the officialdom with the title of Shinke Jinshi.

It's just that the consequences are equally obvious. Although they can enjoy a generous official life at home, their treatment will definitely lag behind those of the same age who dared to go overseas, and their future career may also be bleak.

Today's Emperor Hongzhi is famous for his pragmatism. Back then, Emperor Hongzhi overthrew Qingliu, who ruled the country on paper, and instead chose Wang Yue and others who dared to kill people locally.

If there is any good position in the court in the future, it must belong to those who dare to go to sea to open up the Ming Dynasty, rather than those who are content with enjoying themselves at home.

Just like this, there were six hundred candidates in the huge examination room, but when faced with a very simple multiple-choice question, they couldn't write for a long time.

The frivolity on Tang Yin's face disappeared. After making a hard decision, he finally wrote on the white paper: Learn martial arts and sell to the emperor's family.

Although he is famous for being frivolous and likes to linger in the land of fireworks, in fact these are just appearances.

As a member of the Ming Dynasty, he received pure Chinese education since childhood, and naturally wanted to serve the country loyally. It's just that his talent in poetry and painting is too high, so it is inevitable that he will sink into the fireworks and willow alley.

This time he was questioned because of his arrogance, which triggered a major public opinion, allowing him to see the warmth and warmth of human nature, and he also achieved real growth.

If the court were not clear and the emperor was wise, I really don’t know which way things would develop. Now that he has the opportunity to prove himself, does he really want to miss it?
For this reason, he chose to agree to work overseas, which was not only an inner decision but also a way to prove to the world that he could not only write poetry and paint.

"Surrender your body to serve the Ming Dynasty, and die in mourning for your country!" Wang Shouren had been thinking about promoting the Ming Dynasty to develop Australia's iron mines, so he immediately wrote the article eloquently.

"Report your favor on the golden stage, support the Jade Dragon and die for you!" Lun Wenxu also chose to bravely go overseas. When writing, a sense of righteousness flashed in his eyes.

He is a son of a poor peasant family. He has been accustomed to seeing the sufferings of the world since he was a child. He also witnessed the decline and prosperity of the Hongzhi Dynasty with his own eyes.

He did not exclude foreigners like others. Originally, Guangdong was regarded as a southern barbarian, but now the development of Guangzhou city is actually no worse than that of Jiangnan.

Although traveling overseas is indeed more difficult and involves many unknown dangers, it can be a new life experience and will be a part of his growth.

Because of this, he decided to make a huge gamble in his life, hoping to bring back more resources from overseas to the people at the bottom of the Ming Dynasty.

Six hundred candidates wrote their papers one after another and made a choice of their own lives.

"My parents are here, so I won't travel far!"

"I just want to be quiet and be a beautiful husband."

"I am already declining and can no longer go overseas to share the Emperor's worries."

……

Although many people choose to have the courage to work overseas, most candidates are not willing to take this risk, but express their willingness to stay and work in China.

Life is like a crossroads, and there is no absolute right or wrong.

As the test papers were handed in one after another, everything was finalized.

Just as they came, the six hundred candidates walked out of the Meridian Gate in neat rows and left the Forbidden City through the Meridian Gate.

"I have no chance with Yijia!"

“It’s so hard overseas, but it’s so beautiful if you don’t go there!”

"I know I regret it when I am old, but I dare not go!"

……

Many candidates have lost all illusions and feel somewhat downcast.

A Jiangxi examinee said fancifully: "Maybe this second question is just a routine question about our employment intentions and will not be counted in the palace examination score?"

"Haha... you probably don't know what the plaque hanging on the wall of the Imperial Study Room says, right?" an older candidate said scornfully.

The Jiangxi examinee had a bad premonition, so he asked seriously: "What is it?"

"Empty talk will harm the country, but hard work will make it prosperous!" the older candidate gave the answer.

As soon as these words came out, the candidates around him were stunned, but they also sighed helplessly.

It is said that it is a great good thing that they meet the wise king who only meets once in a century, but for some lazy people, it seems that it is not necessarily a good thing. The current officialdom is really too complicated.

As the palace examination ended, the examination of the papers began.

It was presided over by Yin Tai, the chief minister of the cabinet, and twelve important ministers participated.

The examination paper of the palace examination will not be "copied", only the name of the candidate will be blurred, and the original paper will be presented to the marking officer. In theory, the marking officer can determine the test paper of one or more candidates through handwriting.

It's just that the workload of the palace examination is relatively small, and the time is abundant. Unlike the provincial examination and the joint examination, which are divided among eight examiners, the palace examination requires each marking officer to review and score.

Taking Wang Shouren as an example, even if an important minister recognized Wang Shouren's test paper and gave him a high score, as long as other examiners did not cheat, the results would still be relatively objective.

Before he started grading the papers, Yin Tai, the Chief Assistant to the Cabinet, directly hammered some candidates to death: "Our test paper grades are divided into five levels! According to what we just discussed, the highest grade for candidates who do not express their willingness to serve overseas can only be four. wait!"

As soon as these words came out, most new scholars who wanted to be content with the status quo were destined to have a hard time getting high scores.

"Everything is in accordance with the arrangements of His Majesty and Yuan Fu!" The important ministers present solemnly stated their stance.

Although the second test question was proposed by the emperor, they also agreed with both hands.

The good days when you could stay in a comfortable position and wait for promotion because of good test scores have passed. Today, Ming Dynasty employs more practical talents.

Nowadays, these new scholars who do not have the courage to go overseas can only start from the lower level. In the future, the pillars of the Ming Dynasty will tend to choose officials with overseas experience.

The direction of talent selection in the Ming Dynasty is quietly changing. It is paying more and more attention to practical talents who dare to take responsibility and work hard. They will also be the engine for the Ming Dynasty to continue to take off.

In just one day, the rankings of the palace examination were announced.

Since they had no right to decide who would be awarded the first-class Jinshi, Yin Zhi and others, after ranking the other candidates, tied up the test papers of the twelve best candidates and handed them over to the emperor for decision.

After Zhu Youtang saw the names of the twelve candidates, he noticed that there was an unexpected name. The corners of his mouth could not help but raise slightly, and he also conducted a brief introduction as usual. The next day, the sun shines brightly.

Since the Hongzhi Dynasty, Xiaochuanluo has been held in Xiyuan, and the location is usually chosen in the open space in front of Tingchao Pavilion.

Zhu Youtang is now more and more comfortable in handling government affairs. Especially after cultivating a large number of capable and courageous officials, he no longer has to hand over every detail.

Since the workload of reviewing memorials was reduced, he had plenty of time.

Zhu Youtang also wanted to meet famous people in later generations, so he came to Chao Pavilion in person to listen to this small biography examination.

"I respectfully send my regards to you, Holy Father!" Wang Shouren and other twelve new scholars saw the emperor coming in person, and they also suppressed their excitement and saluted.

They all experienced the earth-shaking changes in the Hongzhi Dynasty and saw a prosperous Ming Dynasty. Even a talented man from the south of the Yangtze River like Tang Bohu had to admit that the current emperor was a rare wise king in a century.

Tang Yin actually saw Hongzhi sitting on the dragon chariot from a distance when Hongzhi went to Jiangnan, but now such a close contact made his heart beat wildly.

Lun Wenxu also lowered his head, for fear of offending Zhu Youtang.

After all, Wang Shouren was Wang Hua's son, and Wang Hua was so favored that he seemed the most calm, but he knew more clearly in his heart the bold and bold courage of the emperor in front of him to create the current prosperous age.

Xiao Chuanlu actually means that after the written examination is completed, the emperor personally interviews the twelve best Jinshi in the new department, which is more conducive to talent selection.

"I am in peace, please be safe!"

Zhu Youtang was sitting on the dragon chair in front of the pavilion, looking at these proud men.

I originally thought that Tang Yin was a handsome and suave young man, but when he came in front of me, he didn't even dare to raise his head. He didn't have the frivolity reported by the outside world at all. Instead, he looked like a very stable young man.

"What was the exam on this year's junior biography exam?"

"You won't let twelve of them raise grass carp like they did back then, right?"

“The tricks are different every year, so there shouldn’t be a repeat this time!”

……

When the outside world learned that Xiyuan was holding a small biography, they also speculated on the content of the emperor's assessment, and also wanted to know whether they could decipher the emperor's true thoughts.

Zhu Youtang smiled slightly and announced the topic: "I know how many of the twelve of you are good at pairing, so I will write the second couplet, and you will answer the second couplet!"

Wang Shouren and others knew that the real exam had begun, and to many extent, it was already related to their final ranking on the gold list, and even the number one pick.

Liu Jin waved his hand, and the two young eunuchs just brought a table with the four treasures of the study.

This……

Wang Shouren and others exchanged silent glances, but did not dare to say a word.

Not to mention outside speculation, even if they now know that the emperor wants to test their pairing, they still don't know what medicine is sold in the emperor's gourd.

You know, Xiao Chuanlu's inspection is usually not about appearance, just like fish farming in the past. As a result, the three Jinshi who got the first grade have all disappeared in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.

Facing the gazes of all the candidates, Liu Jin showed off and said: "The first couplet written by Your Majesty is: January Beilou Cup Couple."

"I come first!" As soon as he finished speaking, Lun Wenxu stood up first and said.

Liu Jin motioned for him to come forward and write, but Lun Wenxu, known as a man of eager talent, stepped forward and grabbed a wolf's hair, twisted his sleeves and splashed ink and wrote in one breath: "The moon in the south room is hurt by the sound of the bell."

"good sentence!"

"The battle is neat!"

"As expected of a talented and eager man!"

……

Several new scholars also nodded in praise when they saw the second couplet written by Lun Wenxu in the flash of lightning.

Tang Yin thought this second line was ordinary, mainly just a quick word, but suddenly he noticed the corners of Wang Shouren's mouth raised: "Brother Wang, why are you laughing!"

"Lun Wenxu is too careless. I'm afraid the number one scholar will be born between you and me!" Wang Shouren glanced at Tang Yin and said in an astonishing way.

Ah!
The corners of Tang Yin's mouth opened slightly, but he didn't understand why a neatly matched second line could kill the top pick.

Wang Shouren was like a roundworm in Zhu Youtang's belly. He only saw Zhu Youtang read the second couplet and said: "Lun Wenxu, your number one scholar is gone!"

"Ah?" Lun Wenxu was secretly proud, and when he heard this, he looked at Zhu Youtang in shock.

Zhu Youtang looked at this newly minted official, and said with seriousness and sincerity: "After entering the officialdom, being anxious is not necessarily a good thing!"

"Your Majesty, I dare not ask for the top spot, but I am loyal to your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty. I wonder where I went wrong?" Lun Wenxu knelt down and tried to find the answer.

Wang Shouren noticed that Lun Wenxu was so ignorant, so he reminded him: "Brother Lun, you probably don't know that your Majesty actually took this first couplet from the poems of Du Ming, the former minister of the Ministry of Industry, and your second couplet collided with Du Shangshu!"

"I have not read Du Shangshu's old works beforehand. It is definitely not plagiarism!" Lun Wenxu saw that he had the hope of regaining the top prize and felt that he had been wronged.

Tang Yin seemed to have thought of something, and said calmly: "Not only can this sentence not be copied, but it cannot actually be mentioned. Brother Lun will think about it carefully in the future!"

"In the first month of the month, the cup in the north tower makes love, but in the south room, the bright moon and the bell sound hurt?"

The nine new scholars behind him recited silently, and then looked at Lun Wenxu who was kneeling on the ground with pity, as if they wanted to understand something.

Wang Shouren thought more, and now he finally understood that when His Majesty insisted on appointing Wang Yue, when the Qingliu led by Yang Pu attacked Wang Yue for his poetry, Du Ming, who was the Minister of Works at the time, suddenly turned against the emperor.

Unexpectedly, many years of officialdom mystery would be solved in this little rumor.

"I have no intention of collaborating with the enemy, nor do I mean to be sarcastic. Please be aware of it!" Lun Wenxu is not a stupid person, and he also realizes that he has caused a big disaster.

When Zhu Youtang saw Lun Wenxu's face turned pale, he gently raised his hand: "Lun Wenxu, you don't have to be so panicked! I raised this question as a trap deliberately set up to warn you. : Since you are a member of the officialdom, you should be careful in your words and deeds from now on, but you should also avoid falsehoods and be truthful!"

"I will remember your Majesty's teachings!" Wang Shouren and others learned of the emperor's good intentions and saluted respectfully.

Lun Wenxu really felt this lesson and kept it firmly in his heart. He knew that this was indeed the emperor's good intentions for them, and he also felt the magnanimity of the emperor in front of him.

Zhu Youtang's eyes fell on the nine new scholars standing behind him, and his eyes were fixed on a tall young scholar: "Yan Weizhong!". (End of chapter)