unclear

Chapter 952: No matter how poor you are, you must not be poor in education

On the seventh day of the second month, Gao Panlong, the Minister of the Supreme Court, and Yang Sichang, the Minister of Personnel, were appointed as the presidents of the Yichou examination. However, unlike previous years, two vice presidents, Tan Mingming, the Chief of Staff, and Qian Taiguo, the chief accountant of the Sun Moon Bank, and six co-examiners from banks and machinery factories were added to focus on the university candidates.

On the ninth day of the second lunar month, the Imperial Examination Hall located in Mingshifang in the east of the city slowly opened its doors. More than 6,000 candidates from all over the country entered the examination room one after another, and were stunned by the scene before them.

At least three-fifths of these candidates were repeaters and were very familiar with the Imperial Examination Hall. However, the current Imperial Examination Hall was completely different from the original one except for the outer walls and the gate.

The low examination halls were gone, replaced by rows of blue brick houses, or buildings, because they were two-story. Although the interiors were also small single rooms, they finally had windows and doors, so there was no draft everywhere, and the cold dew would not invade in the middle of the night.

In order to facilitate the inspection of the examiners, the windows are made very large, with transparent glass inlaid on them, which does not affect the lighting and can block the wind and rain. The situation in the room can be seen at a glance, which is very humane.

In addition, a small hemp bed was arranged in the room. Obviously, the candidates no longer had to curl up on the wooden board in agony during the three days and two nights of each examination. They could lie down when they were tired or take a nap when they were sleepy.

At the entrance, there were six large rooms on each side, with several tall and mighty Jinyiwei standing inside. Every candidate had to take off all his clothes, untie his hair, put down his luggage, and change into a black fine cotton suit before entering the examination room.

This is the new rule of the examination. The Imperial Academy will provide clothes, blankets, and stationery for each candidate who takes the exam. Candidates only need to bring their brains, bodies, and identity cards.

There is no need to prepare food and water by yourself. There is a special kitchen in the southwest corner of the Imperial Examination Hall. Every time there is an examination, the imperial kitchen in the palace will arrange eunuchs to serve as chefs to prepare three meals a day for the candidates to minimize accidents caused by improper eating and drinking.

"When I was taking the exam, I was assigned to Room C34. The roof had been in disrepair for a long time and was leaking, the wall paint was peeling, and there were often rats as companions."

Gao Panlong, wearing his official uniform, stood in the small square inside the gate with a group of presidents and fellow examiners. He watched the candidates enter the ward one by one for rounds, and soon come out in neat and uniform clothes. He couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

"Yang didn't make it to the shabby examination room, but in order to avoid getting an upset stomach, he had to eat fried rice every time. It was really sad!"

Speaking of the three imperial examinations, Yang Sichang was no exception and had a lot of complaints. In fact, most officials who were Jinshi had experienced the torture of the Imperial Examination Hall, and no one was better than anyone else.

"If that's the case, why hasn't anyone suggested renovating the Imperial College? It wouldn't be complicated to do it this way, but it would make the examinees feel comfortable and at ease."

Listening to the two court officials reminiscing about the past, Qian Duoduo, who was standing nearby and wearing a blue uniform from the Sun Moon Bank, poked his glasses with his finger and couldn't help but interject.

He really didn't mean to ridicule anyone, he just thought these malpractices were very easy to correct. The emperor asked the Ministry of Rites to borrow 400,000 taels of silver from the Sun and Moon Bank, and the problem was solved in less than a year and a half.

"Hey, the candidates from the university are here! My Lords, please come in!" This question was not wrong, but it was not the right occasion, and all the officials present frowned. Tan Mingming saw this and quickly interrupted. Just then, a group of candidates walked into the gate. They were all dressed in shorts, which was completely different from the long gown candidates before. This saved the situation. With all the candidates present, the Imperial Examination Hall should be closed and locked, and the examiners should also take their positions.

In addition to the different examination room layout, the questions for this year's examination were also different. In addition to the traditional questions on classics, theories and policies, there was also a new set of questions, divided into three main subjects: mathematics, geometry and geography, plus three sub-subjects: physics, chemistry and foreign languages.

Those who plan to take the new exam must complete the three main subjects and then choose one of the three sub-subjects to answer. However, the time does not need to be dragged out for so long, as there is only one test in total.

Regardless of whether they took the old or new examinations, those who were finally recognized by the examiners could only be awarded the title of Jinshi Chuan, which was the original three-class Jinshi. When they were actually awarded, they could only start as the lowest-ranking officials of the ninth rank, and their chances of staying in the central government were slim.

If you want to go one step further and become a Jinshi, you have to take both the old and new exams and do another set of exam questions. For example, after answering the three exams, the old school candidates can take an additional exam to answer the new school papers.

If they are selected as excellent in traditional studies and their new studies are also qualified, they will be selected as second-class Jinshi after the palace examination. Their starting point is higher than that of other Jinshi, and their official positions will not be lower than the eighth rank, and they have a greater chance of entering various central ministries.

Of course, the most powerful ones must cultivate both the inner and outer aspects and open up the Ren and Du meridians. Whoever can do well in both the new and old exams will be the first-class Jinshi. These people will immediately be granted an official position regardless of their ranking, starting at the seventh rank.

Although they have to serve in local areas first, as long as they are willing, after three years, those who have passed the external inspection can be transferred back to the central government to obtain actual positions in various departments and agencies, receive key training, and will most likely reach the peak of their lives.

Judging from this new set of imperial examination rules, the emperor's intention was very clear. He hoped that the Ming Dynasty's scholar class would be able to take into account both the old and the new, and be both rigid and flexible. They would be able to quote from classics, recite poems and compose essays, and also be proficient in calculations and knowledge of all countries in the world.

Of course, any change is difficult at first. The longer the goal lasts and the more people are involved, the more difficult it will be. The imperial examination system has existed and developed for hundreds of years. It is unrealistic to achieve it in one go. It requires great patience and determination to persevere.

Since it was the first time that new subjects were added, a number of examiners had to be added to review the new subjects papers. The review work was delayed until mid-March.

In the 401st year of Jingyang, a total of Jinshi were selected. After five years, the number of candidates seemed a little small, not because the level of the candidates was low, but because of the emperor's request.

In previous years, the thresholds for the joint examination and the palace examination were basically the same, which meant that as long as one passed the joint examination threshold, one would be admitted. As for whether there were so many positions available in the court, that was irrelevant. Anyway, as long as one passed the imperial examination, one would be able to enjoy the court salary. At most, one would have to wait in line for a few years. Sooner or later, one would be an official.

Now it is no longer possible. Since the Nanjing court was abolished, the court in Beijing has also been downsized, and some dispensable positions have been cancelled. At the same time, the emperor asked the Ministry of Personnel to estimate the number of vacant positions each year, and then recruit the corresponding Jinshi to fill the gaps, and no longer allow a large number of officials to be on standby.

(End of this chapter)