King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 805: Palace Examination: For the Source of Living Water
Although this man could speak Chinese, he was still beaten up severely. After all, it was not uncommon for foreign dignitaries of that era to know a little Chinese.

As for the fact that they claimed to be Burmese, it made no difference to the government troops. They were all thieves who instigated the riots, and it was only right that they should be punished.

If Zhou Qian hadn't given the strict order to leave any survivors, the four of them might have really been beaten to death. After all, they were killed anyway.

About half an hour later, the cavalry brought back more than 30 survivors, who were then interrogated by the Jinyiwei.

Another half hour later, when the Ayutthaya army finally arrived, they saw corpses scattered across the plain, some of which had been turned into rotten meat by artillery fire.

The general leading the troops was Tong Pala, who had 5,000 soldiers behind him, which was a quarter of the main force of the Dacheng Kingdom.

"There are more than 30,000 rioters, right?"

"Yes!"

"There are more than a thousand Ming troops?"

"Yes!"

"It only took them a moment to disperse the rioters?"

"In less than a moment!"

After confirming the situation again, Tong Pala's heart sank. The Ming army was even stronger than he had imagined.

At this moment, he thought of some calculations in the court, and suddenly felt that everything seemed like a child's play.

This is just a thousand troops, while the major military divisions of the Ming Dynasty have a total of 600,000 troops, not to mention the more elite Beijing camp and the imperial guards. Just thinking about it makes one's scalp tingle.

Fortunately, some people in the court still think they can learn from the Dzungars, pretending to obey but actually disobeying and ruining things, but they don't know that compared with the Dzungars, they are not even worthy of carrying shoes.

After thinking about it a lot, Tong Pala had to admit that the emperor thousands of miles away was really kind. He was strong enough to rob openly, but he still went through so much trouble.

He jumped off his horse and walked with Pala to the field beside the screen. Several people there were hit by shells and had very exaggerated injuries on their bodies.

He drew out his saber and plunged it into the mud with Pala. When he pulled it out, the blade was covered in blood, which made him feel even more depressed.

Just as he was thinking, he heard someone behind him reminding him: "General, someone is coming!"

"They are from the Ming army!"

Looking up into the distance, Tong Pala sighed again, and then said: "Today I may never come back!"

Today's incident was indeed caused by their negligence, which led to the siege of the Xingdusi headquarters, so he guessed that the people who came were asking him to come over for questioning, and his life and death depended on this questioning.

It took only three days for the news of the Annan Xingdusi's headquarters to reach the Annan Xingdusi, and the Xingdusi's commanders also knew about it.

This is a big mess, involving many things, and some are happy while others are sad.

Four days later, the news reached Guangxi. Wan Zehui, the Left General of the Rear Army Governor's Office, collapsed in his chair after reading the report.

He was the governor-general specially sent by the imperial court to the southwest to coordinate various affairs. He was ordered to control the three military governors of Yunnan, Guangxi and Annan, as well as all affairs of the Annan Xingdusi.

In other words, if there was a problem in the southwest, he would be the first person the emperor would hold accountable.

"General, the emperor has sent you many orders, all of which order you to stabilize the local area... Now you have caused civil unrest and so many people have died. I'm afraid the emperor will punish you!" Chu Qiyuan, the commander-in-chief of Guangxi.

Wan Zehui sighed and said, "If the emperor punishes me, I can only bear the responsibility alone. The most urgent task is to stabilize the southwest!"

"There are people fanning the flames in Ayutthaya, South Vietnam, and Burma. I'm afraid this is just the beginning. I'm worried that there will be more chaos later!"

Wan Zehui has a heavier responsibility, so he has to consider a wider range of issues and has more worries at the moment.

"According to the emperor's will, we have to wait until the Anxi Xingdusi garrison is built and the four countries have collected all the food and money before we can let the Anxi Xingdusi move in. We have to wait until at least the second half of the second year of Qiansheng!"

"But the situation is unstable now. If we don't send troops in as soon as possible, I'm afraid these countries will change!"

In the Indian region, Britain and France have sent people to lobby in these four countries, and there are even signs of selling weapons, which indicates extremely dangerous signs.

"General, do you mean that we should send troops in as soon as possible?" Chu Qiyuan asked.

After nodding, Wan Zehui said, "That's right... I think I'll report this matter to His Majesty this time!"

"Okay!" Chu Qiyuan nodded.

The two were discussing important matters when someone outside reported, "Master Chu, the Supervisory Censor Li Ziheng is here to ask you something important. He is waiting in the main hall!"

From this sentence, we can infer that Li Ziheng came to find Chu Qiyuan.

After leaving Beijing, Li Ziheng first went to Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi and then to Annan. He conducted open and secret investigations along the way, but now he has returned to Guangxi.

"Li Ziheng?" Wan Zehui was a little confused about him. He had some impression of this name.

The reason why he couldn't remember was because there were too many things that required his concern. For example, Chu Qiyuan knew a lot about Li Ziheng.

"Old General, this is the imperial envoy sent by the emperor to the four provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangnan, and Yunnan to investigate the problem of the proliferation of refugees!"

"If we are here to investigate the refugees, why did we come to you?" Wan Zehui asked.

Chu Qiyuan was speechless for a moment, but he quickly thought of a reason, so he replied: "Refugees are prone to causing trouble and disrupting local security. Perhaps this person is here to learn about strengthening vigilance!"

At this point, Chu Qiyuan continued to change the subject: "In fact, our Guangxi is better. I heard that most of these refugees escaped from Yunnan. It is said that they carried out land reclamation... and caused many people to lose their homes!"

"Alas, now that the old general has been ordered to stabilize the southwest, the troubles caused by those people will eventually be dealt with by you!"

Wan Zehui's attention was indeed diverted, and he became even more angry after hearing this analysis.

It's a mess abroad, but the country is also in a state of chaos. How can he fulfill the emperor's orders if he stays with these parasites?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Wan Zehui angrily shouted, "Send a letter to the Yunnan Provincial Government and ask them what kind of corrupt officials they have!"

While Wan Zehui was getting anxious and worried, in the imperial palace thousands of miles away, the candidates had already passed the security check and entered the palace from the Donghua Gate. Today they would take part in the palace examination.

The palace examination was held in the Fengtian Hall. At that moment, on the white marble pedestal of the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Jinghong, wearing a yellow dragon robe, stood by the fence, watching the students filing in from the distant palace gate.

"In the past, Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty looked at the new candidates entering the palace and said that all the heroes in the world are within my grasp. But these people... are they the talents I am hoping for?" Zhu Jinghong murmured in a low voice.

Those who could pass the imperial examination were naturally smart and hardworking, but these people were limited by the times after all, and what Zhu Jinghong wanted to do was beyond the times.

Therefore, it is indeed a serious situation as to whether these tribute scholars have the talent he wants.

At this moment, Hai was the only one following him, and the other eunuchs were at least seven or eight meters away. Zhu Jinghong spoke in a low voice and was not afraid of being heard.

Although Yu Hai heard it, he said nothing because he knew the emperor didn't need him to reply.

In the distance, the candidates have lined up under the command of the ceremonial officers. Soon they will be guided across the square, walk up the imperial steps step by step to the Fengtian Hall, and then enter the hall to take the exam.

Zhu Jinghong was looking at the candidates, and several examiners in the hall were also standing there waiting.

The so-called paper reader is actually the examiner, but the emperor is nominally the examiner of the palace examination, so the person who is specifically responsible for this matter can only be called the paper reader.

There were six examiners, including three cabinet ministers, He Gujin, the Minister of Revenue, Luo Guangde, the Minister of Rites, and Wang Pei'an, the Chief Censor. Zheng Xianlin, the Minister of Rites and one of the chief examiners, was not selected as one of the examiners this time.

Logically speaking, they should have accompanied the emperor when he arrived, but Zhu Jinghong denied it. After all, he just came to take a look in advance, so he didn't want to make a big fuss.

The reason why he came to take a look in advance was that Zhu Jinghong was numb from all the ceremonies of burying the late emperor and relocating the tomb a few days ago, so he skipped the strategist's ceremony today.

In other words, although today is his first palace examination since he ascended the throne, he will not participate in the entire process, but will choose a time in the middle to go again.

It was still early in the morning and the palace examination would last a whole day. He could choose to go and check it out at any time.

So at this moment, Zhu Jinghong had already taken a look in advance, and then he turned around and returned to the inner court. He still had many memorials to read today.

Soon, more than ten minutes passed, and the candidates were guided towards the Fengtian Hall. The hall high up in front was getting closer and closer.

Walking up the imperial steps slowly, Feng Yuan was extremely excited. It took him more than ten years to finally enter the core of this empire.

In the morning he was a farmer, and in the evening he was in the emperor's palace... The change in his mentality was difficult for him to describe at this moment.

The first thing everyone did after entering the hall was to look at the emperor's throne in the middle. At the moment, it was empty, but all the ceremonial guards had been set up.

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After sitting down, everyone waited for about two moments, but the emperor did not arrive. Instead, the examiners and several eunuchs directly read out the topic of today's policy essay.

The title is very simple, namely: "I dreamed of the late emperor at night, asking him about enriching the country and strengthening the army. The late emperor said: Why is the water so clear? Because it comes from a source of fresh water!"

This is the main content of the topic. Candidates must use it to write an essay on state governance, which can be called a propositional essay.

The topic was indeed proposed by Zhu Jinghong, and he thought of it on the spur of the moment yesterday, directly overturning the topic set by the Ministry of Rites. This move can be said to be extremely willful.

Most candidates were more or less surprised when they saw this novel way of asking questions, but those who were quick to react had already started to solve the questions.

Feng Yuan ranked low in the imperial examination, so he sat in the corner of the hall. When he saw that his answers were different from others, he was filled with endless joy.

From the time he passed the imperial examination until now, he had done similar things like predicting the topic, and it just so happened that he had predicted it correctly this time.

In fact, it is not correct to say that he guessed it correctly. Rather, Feng had been thinking about the policy essays for the palace examination these days, and he repeatedly analyzed what Zhu Jinghong had done over the years, and then came to some profound conclusions.

These conclusions gave him a direction to solve the problem, and it was a direction that others could not have thought of.

"Because there is a source of living water, living water is the strategy that Your Majesty wants to ask about. What is living water?"

"Is it a land survey? No, it is the great policy of the late emperor!"

"Your Majesty...pays attention to strengthening the army to resist foreign enemies, lifting the maritime ban to promote maritime trade, building a navy to show off his power in the ocean, and recruiting craftsmen to invent weapons... These are the living water that Your Majesty wants!"

Feng Yuan was from Jinling and was deeply touched by these changes, so he thought of using this as a solution.

Of course, his idea went against the meaning of the classics and he was likely to be eliminated by the examiners and fall to the bottom of the top three.

But for Feng Yuan, passing the imperial examination was a guarantee, so he was willing to take a chance.

If the emperor really likes his words and they touch his heart, then he will make a fortune.

He had always taken an unconventional approach in answering questions in the imperial examination, and this time he was willing to be even more radical. At this moment, he had a bit of a gambler's mentality.

If the bet wins, the rewards will be huge. If the bet loses, even if it ranks last in the top three, it is still a legitimate career path for the imperial examination. Feng Yuan will of course take the gamble with high returns and low risks.

When he started writing, the champion Song Ziyu had also completed the solution.

What he believed in as "living water" was the land survey that the court had been carrying out for nearly a decade. This was to increase the tax base and treasury revenue, so that the country could be enriched, the military could be strengthened, and then the country could be peaceful and the people could live in peace.

Of course, Song Ziyu also mentioned consolidating tributary relations and letting each vassal state assume the responsibility of supporting the monarch and father. The wealth they "actively" offer as tribute is also living water.

As for other students, their ideas for solving the problem are similar. It now depends on who has better writing skills and who is more "unscrupulous".

If you want to rank high, you have to write in accordance with the emperor's wishes, but such writing goes against the ideals of the literati and will harm their vital interests.

So how to make the choice is something many people need to consider.

Soon an hour passed and it was already noon. Most of the students had completed the draft and the next step was to copy it neatly.

Everyone was looking forward to the emperor's arrival. However, after Zhu Jinghong finished reviewing the memorials and had lunch, he learned that the queen was unwell and went to visit her.

In Kunning Palace, Baochai couldn't help but joked when she heard the topic Zhu Jinghong had set: "It's a good thing you could think of it and even brought up the late emperor. If my father knew about it, I'm afraid he would punish you again!"

Sitting next to her, Zhu Jinghong said, "If the old man really knew, he would be very happy. After all, I let him appear in the history books again, which is equivalent to extending his life!"

"You always find some new ideas!" Baochai said with a smile.

Then she added, "It's already two o'clock in the afternoon. You should go over and take a look. After all, this is your first imperial examination after your succession to the throne. I think... you should take it seriously!"

"I know that. I was planning to go there after visiting you. Since you're urging me to leave... I'll go there now!"

Seeing that Zhu Jinghong was about to leave, Baochai stood up to see him off, but was helped back by Zhu Jinghong.

"Take a good rest. There's no need for this between you and me!"

Back in the Fengtian Hall, the examiners were patrolling the room, and the students were either thinking hard, sitting quietly, or writing furiously.

At this time, a eunuch came into the hall, and several examiners hurried to greet him, because this person was Yu Hai, the general manager of the Qianqing Palace.

Yu Hai nodded to everyone, then walked directly to the steps of the throne, put his hands in front of him, and said loudly: "Imperial Decree..."

Everyone who was originally doing their own thing stopped what they were doing and knelt on the ground nearby.

"I will personally come to Fengtian Hall to supervise the examination. The examiners, the eunuchs, the officials of the Ministry of Rites, and the students taking the examination in the hall do not need to kneel to greet me. You can just do what you want. I decree this!"

Zhu Jinghong's original intention was that he didn't want his arrival to affect the exam, so he asked Yu Hai to come and pass on the message.

But the current situation is that the fact that Yu Hai came to deliver the decree has already affected the progress of the examination, but it is much simpler than Zhu Jinghong's personal visit.

After receiving the order, everyone returned to their seats, and Yu Hai also stepped down from the throne and started chatting with the two seniors from the Imperial Household Department.

The reason why they are called predecessors is that the current eunuch Lu Tong, who holds the seal, and the eunuchs Liu Zhong and Cheng Ying, who hold the pen, are all from the period of Zhu Xianming.

Liu Zhong is on duty in the Imperial Household Department today, so Lu Tong and Cheng Ying are present at the scene. In terms of seniority, they are much more experienced than Yu Hai.

However, as the chief steward of the Qianqing Palace, Yu Hai's status is no worse than that of his predecessors.

The three of them had not been chatting for a while when they heard a series of footsteps outside the hall, and everyone knew that the emperor had arrived.

The others followed the order and did what they wanted, but the two men from the Imperial Household Department and Yu Hai could not. As house servants, they immediately went over to meet him.

Because Zhu Jinghong said that it would not affect the exam, the three of them bowed quietly and followed behind the emperor in case of any questions.

Walking along the aisle, Zhu Jinghong walked slowly, looking at the students' answer sheets.

(End of this chapter)