I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 458 The emperor used the imperial examination as a sword and castrated the aristocratic family. The lifeblood was not cut off, but it was useless!
The prison where the Huo thieves were imprisoned to death has become much more spacious. Are they waiting for new people to be thrown in?
Huo Thief's lesson is not far away, Zhang Anshi and others will never dare to touch the emperor's reverse scale.

They realized another truth today: the emperor likes to use scheming, but does not like to use conspiracy.

Every move of the emperor was supported by the principle of "the emperor rules alone", which suppressed ministers like Zhang Anshi to the point where they could not even raise their heads.

All court affairs that were put on the table for discussion, they could only listen to the emperor's orders without any resistance.

"As for this Renzi system..." Liu He stopped on purpose after finishing half of his sentence. This is probably the most poignant thing for Zhang Anshi and others.

After all the external and internal court officials present looked at him, Liu Hecai continued speaking clearly.

"Two thousand stone officials are the pillars of the court. They spend their energy on government affairs and give some preferential treatment to their heirs. It is reasonable and reasonable."

"So the sudden abolition of the system of appointing children will probably chill the hearts of important officials in the court and cause turmoil in the court..."

Liu He spoke slowly. He was now like a fisherman who was good at fishing. He lifted and released the line in his hand, teasing the fish in the pond.

This is a pain for Zhang Anshi and others. Their expressions are sometimes happy and sometimes worried, which is simply wonderful.

The good news is that the emperor seems to want to retain the system of sub-residential duties, but the sad thing is that the emperor seems to want to make some changes.

But just like the conquest system just now, they can only listen and have no way to resist.

"Zhang Qing, I want to ask you, how many sons do you have?" Liu He suddenly interrupted and asked.

"Weichen... Weichen has two sons." Zhang Anshi said hesitantly.

"No, I remember you have three sons." Liu He said firmly.

"The youngest son Peng Zu was adopted by his elder brother when he was born." Zhang Anshi explained quickly.

"That also falls within the scope of Ren Zi. Let me ask you, did all three of your sons become officials under the rule of Ren Zi?"

"Your Majesty is wise..." Zhang Anshi answered truthfully. His sons were not bad at learning, but in any case they could not reach the threshold of "inspection and examination".

"Gong Qing, how many sons do you have, and how many of them have followed the path of son-in-law system?" Zhang Anshi asked again with a smile.

"In the past, my rank was low, and my children did not receive such preferential treatment. As for the future...it is still unclear whether I can survive three years in office." Gong Sui said with a smile.

Gong Sui's self-deprecating words made everyone laugh, and the atmosphere in the palace relaxed slightly.

"Since the imperial examination system will be implemented in the future, it will be unsightly to keep the original system of appointing children..."

"Confucian scholars all over the world will laugh at the fact that the heirs of all princes are just drunkards and rice sacks, which is more likely to arouse public anger..."

"Therefore, the system of Renzi needs to be changed. Courtiers with more than two thousand shi can appoint Renzi as Lang after serving for three years, but only one person can be elected."

The foreign court official sitting on the left did not show any change in expression: after all, the three of them were old, and he did not have much time left. It was too late for his heirs to enter the officialdom, and Yu Wuyou did not have any heirs yet.

The expressions of the internal court officials sitting on the right side darkened: they were in their prime and had many sons and nephews to recommend. Such a change would cut off their career path to officialdom.

Could it be that we really want them all to take the imperial examination?Thousands of troops cross the single-plank bridge, how can the result be predicted?
Liu He looked at their ugly expressions as if they had swallowed flies, and felt funny in his heart: I have given you preferential treatment, so don't be ignorant of the compliments.

I just want to bring down the talented people in the world and bring down the great families.

"Zhang Qing, Bing Qing, Wei Qing, uncle..."

"Why do you all have troubled expressions on your faces? Is it because you are afraid that your sons and nephews will be ineffective and you will not be able to become officials without them?"

"If that's the case, can I issue an edict and reserve this power for the cabinet alone?"

"After all, the cabinet bachelor is the hardest worker, and the officials and people in the world will not object."

When Liu He said these words, his sword eyes were as clear as autumn water, without any scheming or scheming in them.

It seems that he really wants to give the cabinet a way out.

But regardless of whether it was true or false, the cabinet did not dare to agree.

As if someone gave an order, several people shook their heads and refused.

How can they not refuse: if they agree, they will not only be ridiculed by the world, but also admit that their nephews are not living up to expectations - which will affect their career.

"This special case cannot be made." Zhang Anshi waved his hands repeatedly.

"My nephew and I are quite good at reading scriptures." Wei Xian also said with a dark face.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. We still need to let our nephews and nephews make progress on their own." Liu De and Bingji also said sincerely.

Liu He smiled and nodded, and once again encouraged several important ministers to understand the righteousness.

From the scene, the monarch and his ministers were in harmony, which was very touching.

But under the forced smile, Zhang Anshi and others were complaining endlessly.

By this move of the emperor, this wealthy family was equivalent to being castrated: the root was only cut in half, but it was of little use.

The execution knife was the imperial examination system that had not yet shown its true face.

I wonder what other measures the emperor will take today - it's simply terrifying.

At this point in Liu He's explanation, the first feature of the imperial examination system is readily apparent.

That is "everyone must take the exam".

From now on, only by becoming an official through the imperial examination system is the right path and can you go far in your official career.

The other paths can only be evil ways, and you can be an official, but you will be ridiculed by your peers.

"Okay, then I will go on and talk about how to test the imperial examination system." This is another important thing. Since the Renzi system is no longer in name only, if you know how to test the imperial examination earlier, you can help your family. The nephews and nephews should prepare early.

"There are hundreds of official positions in the court and government offices, and the talents needed are naturally different. In the past, when the inspection and promotion system was implemented, there were various 'disciplines' as distinctions..."

"And the Ph.D. disciples in Taixue also have ideas about archery countermeasures..."

"So, the imperial examination system naturally requires examinations in different subjects."

"The first subject is [virtuous literature], which examines the meaning of Confucian classics."

"The second subject is [Mingfa Tonglu], which tests law and punishment."

"The third subject is [Mengzhi Art of War], which tests the art of war."

"The fourth subject is [Cultivation of Mulberry Field], which examines the occupation of farmers and mulberry farmers."

"The fifth subject is [Arithmetic Geometry], which tests arithmetic and measurement."

"The sixth subject is [Metalworking and Woodenware], which tests the craftsmanship."

"The seventh subject is [Business and Trade], which tests the study of business."

"The eighth subject is [Philosophy and Heavenly Principles], which tests the study of heavenly principles."

"Except for the subject of virtuous literature, all other subjects must take an additional subject [Ming Jing]. Ming Jing is a test of the meaning of Confucian classics."

"After all, the Han Dynasty 'exclusively respects Confucianism'. Officials who serve as officials should still be Confucian students. Naturally, they cannot be ignorant of Confucianism."

"As for selecting the ranking, it's easy. After copying the names, the examiner will grade each student's test paper, and finally the best ones will be selected based on their accumulated scores."

"In addition, except for prisoners and three generations of guilty persons, all citizens with registered households can participate in the imperial examination."

The so-called household registration covers almost all people who pay taxes, including merchants and craftsmen.

These were the imperial examination subjects that Liu He had temporarily thought of, so he gave them the name "Eight Imperial Examination Subjects".

With this arrangement, wealthy families have an advantage in the subject of virtuous literature, but they may not be able to compete with other families in other subjects.

Later, Liu He explained some specific details of the imperial examination, such as time, paper preparation, scoring, test questions, etc., which were complicated.

For the eight courtiers who were born and raised in the Han Dynasty, this examination system was like something from heaven and was completely unheard of.

But in fact, Liu He just directly transferred the "testing of the metric system" from later generations.

It took Liu He half an hour to explain clearly all the points and details of the imperial examination system.

Afterwards, Liu He went to the bedroom at the back and circulated several examination papers that had been printed in advance to the courtiers.

During this whole process, he had been observing the reactions of the courtiers.

Surprise, surprise, admiration, anger, suspicion... all of them.

The people who learned the best about Confucianism here were naturally Gong Sui, Wang Shi and Wei Xian. Their expressions were changeable and very interesting.

I'm afraid that in their minds, there is a thin line between the "imperial examination system" they implemented and eccentricity - or in other words, it is an act of eccentricity.

Gong Sui and Wang Shi were more confident in the emperor's talent and learning, so they could listen patiently and respectfully, but Wei Xian was different. He blew his beard and glared without hiding anything.

It is only normal to have such a reaction. If these courtiers sit on the couch and listen to him quietly, Liu He will become suspicious.

He would wonder if these people came from the same place as himself.

It was another half hour, and all the courtiers present knew the imperial examination system very well.

"My dear friends, if there is anything you still don't understand, I can explain it to you again..."

"Your Majesty, I have something to advise you!" Wei Xian stood up from the couch before Liu He finished speaking.

Wei Xian is thin and tall, and he is usually kind-hearted. Judging from his appearance, he has the air of an immortal.

Now, that leisurely temperament is gone, instead there is a layer of anger that cannot be concealed.

"Don't worry, Mr. Wei Ge, do you understand the connection between the imperial examination system and the academic system?"

"Humph, Your Majesty, I naturally understand that it is nothing more than what is taught in the official school and what is tested in the imperial examination." Wei Xian said bitterly.

"Mr. Wei Ge is indeed a scholar. He actually saw what I was thinking."

"Mr. Wei Ge is right. I have spent so much money and food to train so many scholars, so naturally I want them to become officials."

"Of course, scholars who have not yet entered the official ranks can also take the imperial examination. They will be treated equally and without any bias."

Liu He spoke boldly and magnanimously, but this time he did not get the support of the courtiers.

Especially Wei Xian who stood up, his disrespectful anger towards the emperor was beyond words.

In Liu He's impression, Wei Xian did not have a strong presence in the court, but he could be regarded as a loyal minister.

When he took office, it was he who took the lead in expressing support for Liu He in the front hall, leading a group of "centrists" to defect and help Liu He take office smoothly.

Therefore, even if Liu He does not consider Wei Xuancheng's factors, he will still think that Wei Xian is a person who understands current affairs.

Unexpectedly, Wei Xuancheng would express his dissatisfaction so clearly this time. It seems that the academic system and the imperial examination system have really hit the lungs of these people.

　Please subscribe!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)