Daming: I, Yang Xian, really govern Yang!

Chapter 105 The heroes of the world are in my arms!

Zhu Biao looked at Yang Xian and said, "Yang Qing, a few days ago, a minister mentioned the matter of opening up a subject to recruit scholars in the Ming Dynasty. Although my father has not yet agreed, he still has this intention."

However, this was the first imperial examination held after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, and he was inexperienced in many aspects. Therefore, Zhu Biao came to Yangzhou specifically to ask for his opinion.

"Yang Qing, in your opinion, when the imperial examination is held, how should scholars be selected?" Zhu Biao looked at Yang Qing and asked tentatively. "How about focusing on the Four Books and Five Classics?"

It was the intention of many ministers to set the examination topics of the imperial examination system in the Four Books and Five Classics, including the great scholar Song Lian, the teacher of Prince Zhu Biao.

The Four Books and the Five Classics are the collective name of the "Four Books" and the "Five Classics".

The name of the Four Books began with Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty, and the name of the Five Classics began as early as the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.It has always been the first book studied by Confucian scholars of all ages.

The four books are "The Great Learning", "The Doctrine of the Mean", "The Analects" and "Mencius".

The Five Classics are the Book of Songs, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals!
In the original time and space, under the persuasion and suggestions of these civil servants, Zhu Yuanzhang decided that the content of the imperial examination was exactly the Four Books and Five Classics.

Even the scope of teaching materials for the Four Books and Five Classics has rigid regulations. The Four Books must be based on Zhu Xi’s annotated editions.

The Ming Dynasty strictly stipulated that all articles must not have their own ideas, but must imitate the ancients and write articles according to the thoughts of the saints. Who is this saint?It's Zhu Xi.

Zhu Xi has always advocated that natural principles should be the basis and human desires should be sacrificed. The famous sentence "Death by starvation is a small matter, but lack of integrity is a big matter" is the embodiment of his thoughts.

He once wrote notes on the Four Books, mainly marking his personal understanding. However, these understandings were taken seriously by the rulers, who required all students to answer questions according to Zhu Shengren's thinking at that time.

Yang Xian glanced at Zhu Biao with a calm expression on his face. He did not answer his question directly, but asked: "First of all, I would like to know the purpose of your Majesty and His Highness in holding the imperial examination?"

"Of course it is to select talented people to govern the country." Zhu Biao replied without thinking.

"The imperial examination system originated in the Sui Dynasty and was established in the Tang Dynasty. The initial establishment of the imperial examination system was a means for the Sui Dynasty's imperial power to fight against the aristocratic families, but it gradually changed. Does your Highness know that it was the first time that Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty saw those people? What did the newly admitted Enke Jinshi say when they filed out of the hall?" Yang Xian asked.

"What are you talking about?" Zhu Biao asked.

"The heroes of the world have come to my rescue!"

After Yang Xian finished speaking, he saw the obvious change in the expression on Zhu Biao's face. He then said: "Enke, the so-called Enke, shows kindness to the scholars in the world and wins the favor of the scholars in the world. But for the previous dynasties, the so-called Enke King, the first important point of the imperial examination is neither to select talents nor to educate the world."

"What's that for?" Zhu Biao asked. In fact, he already had an answer in his heart at this time.

Yang Xian smiled and said: "It's the same as what Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said. Cage the lofty ideals and let all the smart people in the world enter the cage of the imperial examination. Let them study the chapters and verses and learn the scriptures. In this way, these people will not have any whims. Now, they will not be easily fooled by crooked ways. In the eyes of the emperors, these scholars will be stable, and when the time comes, even if there are still people in the world who want to rebel, they will be nothing more than bandits and will not achieve anything big."

After listening to Yang Xian's words, Zhu Biao's face was extremely shocked.

Because what Yang Xian just said seems to him to be a real emperor's art. Sure enough, I thought it right before, Yang Qing can be an emperor's master.

In the original time and space, this is what Zhu Yuanzhang did.

He even pushed the imperial examination to the extreme.

The imperial examination system originated in the Sui Dynasty, was established in the Tang Dynasty, gradually flourished in the Song Dynasty, and was perfected in the Ming Dynasty!
It was Zhu Yuanzhang who established the legendary eight-part essay to select scholars!

Zhu Yuanzhang himself started out as a rebel. How could he not know the role of scholars in the rebel army? If he had not recruited Li Shanchang in Dingyuan, his army would not have been able to develop so quickly.

Without the participation of scholars, a simple peasant uprising team has never succeeded in history. This was the case from the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprisings to the later Li Zicheng.

Because the peasant uprising was born with ideological limitations and did not have a clear understanding of itself, it was unable to put forward a correct program for the revolution.The mentality of small farmers also makes them easily satisfied on the one hand, and on the other hand they are eager to taste the fruits of victory after achieving certain results. Before they truly succeed, they become intoxicated in wine, sex and wealth.

Zhu Yuanzhang was able to stand out from the many rebels in this regard, and he felt the deepest.In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, without scholars, the mud-legged rebellion would be like a mess.

Therefore, he, Lao Zhu, was wary of scholars from the bottom of his heart.

Later, the Qing Dynasty, on the basis of inheriting the Ming Dynasty's eight-part essay selection method, took the matter of controlling scholars to the extreme.

Because not all scholars in this world will participate in the imperial examination, and there will also be those who are unwilling to enter the imperial examination cage, so the Qing Dynasty established a literary prison.

The imperial examination coupled with the literary inquisition was a double insurance.

"So if it is for this purpose, the Four Books and Five Classics are indeed the best choice." Yang Xian said.

The reason why he said so much to Zhu Biao today, logically speaking, was to try a possibility that went beyond the distinction between monarch and minister.

"Yang Qing also agrees with this proposal?" Zhu Biao asked.

Yang Xian smiled and said: "Your Highness, I just said that if our Ming Dynasty established the imperial examination for this purpose, it is indeed true. But if the purpose of the imperial examination is, as you said before, to select some truly usable candidates for the country Talent.”

"Then, Wei Chen thinks there is a huge problem with this approach!"

"It is absolutely forbidden to select talents based on the Four Books and Five Classics!"

On the other side, Beijing.

Royal Palace.

What Zhu Yuanzhang was looking at was the memorial of the great scholar Song Lian. There were also a bunch of memorials on his desk. The content of these memorials was the same as what Song Lian said.

They all suggested that Zhu Yuanzhang should establish Enke as soon as possible and at the same time recruit scholars based on Confucian classics such as the Four Books and Five Classics.

Because in the eyes of civil servants like Song Lian who were scholars, this is the only way to select good officials who are truly loyal to the emperor and patriotic.

After the changes of the times, Confucianism has also changed its flavor.

Especially after being poisoned by Zhu Zhu's Neo-Confucianism, the entire Confucian system has completely become a tool for the feudal dynasty to rule people's thoughts.

Use these so-called "Confucian" ideas to restrain a person's spirit, and then use Legalist methods to restrain people's behavior.

At this point, everyone in the entire world has become a similar "person".

If there were no external intervention, such a world would indeed be very stable.

If a very few people with awakened thoughts come forward, they will only be regarded as aliens by the world.

His cry went unheard.

Over time, you may even have the illusion that you are the one who is wrong.

The emperor's mind is unfathomable.

Zhu Yuanzhang picked up the royal brush with cinnabar and was about to draw a circle on it, when suddenly a eunuch outside came to report something and interrupted his action.

(End of this chapter)