Daming: I am the most powerful emperor grandson, please abdicate the throne

Chapter 123 Imperial Examination Reform
  "Only the six arts remain."

"The rest is a matter of discretion?"

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a while, feeling that his darling grandson had left a difficult decision to him.

He could see that Zhu Xuan actually only wanted to keep the Six Arts, but he was worried that there would be trouble, so he chose the others as appropriate. But which ones should be kept, and what aspects would be useful to Daming? This cannot be determined at the moment.

It's hard to choose.

If only the six arts were left, those scholars would not be upset.

It is even possible to provoke a rebellion, with serious consequences.

"My dear grandson has dug a hole for us!" Zhu Yuanzhang sighed.

Zhu Xuan told all the shortcomings of the Eight-part Writing System for recruiting scholars, which made him shaken. He felt that those shortcomings would lead to the crisis of the Ming Dynasty, so they must be changed.

What needs to be changed? Zhu Xuan also gave the answer.

However, this answer is not completely applicable. Even with Zhu Yuanzhang's iron hand, he would not dare to directly wield the butcher's knife against the scholars in the world. It is indeed difficult to determine the choice.

If you do nothing, follow the old system.

Knowing clearly that stereotyped writing is not good at recruiting scholars, but not intending to change it, this is just watching Ming Dynasty sink into depression.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not want to see Ming Dynasty depressed, but how to change it became the key issue.

"My grandson's abilities are limited and he can't help Grandpa Huang much."

Zhu Xuan pretended to think: "It is my grandson's limit to be able to think of these things."

After all, he is still a child, and no one would ask a child to be perfect, know everything, and understand everything.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "It's good that my dear grandson can think of so many things. At least your grandpa Huang has never considered this at all. This is our problem. As an emperor, we are not good enough."

Zhu Xuan shook his head and said: "Grandpa Huang is already very good. As an emperor, you have to take care of many things. It is difficult to cover everything. There must be some oversights."

Zhu Yuanzhang agreed with this statement.

The emperor is not a god. He cannot do everything. He can only do everything as well as possible.

"There are also imperial examinations. How do you think my dear grandson should change them?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's mind returned to the eight-part essay to recruit scholars.

Confucianism was opposed by Zhu Xuan.

Eight-part essay selection of scholars is also a part of Confucianism, and it was criticized as useless by Zhu Xuan.

"Sun'er believes that we should give up stereotyped writing to obtain scholars."

"In fact, the six arts can be tested together with the imperial examination. It is not required to be proficient in all of them. However, for archery, you must know one of them. You must also learn the number of rituals and music. You must also learn one of them. Officials in the DPRK and China are required to be as knowledgeable as possible in both civil and military skills."

"Of course, for some older candidates, the requirements for archery can be lowered appropriately."

"In addition, a new subject of current affairs is added, which tests the candidates' opinions on certain current affairs issues or government measures, and how to do it. Answers cannot be answered in the form of eight-legged essays. This can determine whether the candidates have the ability to govern the country. .”

"My grandson also has an idea to add another miscellaneous subject."

Zhu Xuan was actually still hesitant whether he should bring up this idea.

Because the idea of ​​miscellaneous subjects would conflict with the household registration system formulated by Zhu Yuanzhang.

"What miscellaneous subject?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Zhu Xuan replied: "Miscellaneous subjects include medical skills, craftsmanship, agriculture, etc. Some folk skills and tricks. Grandpa Huang established a strict household registration system, which can restrain the people of the world and fix them in one place so that they cannot Running around, and what my grandson proposed is the opposite of Grandpa Huang."

Zhu Yuanzhang was not angry.

Zhu Xuan's ideas are sometimes rebellious, but if he takes it seriously, he still makes sense. He asked: "Why does my good grandson think so?" Zhu Xuan explained: "My grandson feels that miscellaneous subjects are also part of the study of things to achieve knowledge. Take craftsmanship as an example. The craftsmen in the factory made guns and cannons by examining objects."

"Fantastic skills and ingenuity are actually part of the development of the Ming Dynasty. Compared with the previous dynasties, and even compared with the Tang and Song Dynasties, our Ming Dynasty has made great progress in many aspects of technology. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, there were not even fire blunderbuss, let alone Shot."

“A lot of technology, including agriculture, will improve over time.”

"However, simply relying on progress over time is actually very slow. It is better to actively promote progress."

"Encouraging the development of these technologies means taking the initiative to make progress, which can make our country better, more prosperous, and more powerful."

At this point, Zhu Xuan formally expressed this idea and said: "Include this miscellaneous subject as part of the imperial examination. After the assessment, if the results are excellent, they can be assigned to the six departments according to their technical types and actively promote them." progress."

These are beyond the scope of what people in the Ming Dynasty can understand.

After Zhu Xuan finished speaking, he kept quiet.

Waiting for Grandpa Huang’s opinion.

Without Zhu Xuan's factory and those articles on studying things to achieve knowledge, it would be really difficult for Zhu Yuanzhang to accept it.

But with the factory's performance background, it was relatively easy for Zhu Yuanzhang to accept these remarks. After thinking for a long time, he felt that what Zhu Xuan said had some truth to it.

"My dear grandson has done so much and told us so many things. He just wants to change his ways, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his head and looked at Zhu Xuan.

I finally understood what this kid was trying to do.

Zhu Xuan nodded and admitted: "My grandson misses our Ming Dynasty so much that it can continue to be good, so he will do whatever he thinks of, but he often wants to do it, and then explain to Grandpa Huang, it is to kill first and tell later, Grandpa Huang You won’t spank your grandson because of this, right?”

"This won't happen!"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said with a smile: "If the good grandson had told us first, we would not necessarily agree to the good grandson to do it, and we would not see the effect."

Zhu Xuan said happily: "It's good that Grandpa Huang won't be angry."

Zhu Yuanzhang added: "It's not that we won't be angry. When we first saw that article, we were still very angry. It wasn't until Fang Xiaoru performed the apprenticeship ceremony that our anger subsided."

After a pause, he added: "What we talked about today must not be mentioned to the outside world."

"My grandson understands!"

Zhu Xuan nodded.

If he said it out, Zhu Xuan would definitely be criticized again.

After Zhu Yuanzhang heard so much, he must have wanted to reform and reform.

Zhu Xuan will not ask too much about how to change next, and will only do what he can.

If Zhu Yuanzhang did not dare to change, then the subsequent emperors would not dare even more.

Later Ming emperors were not as tough and intimidating as Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Xuan could tell that the emperor would make all these changes before passing the throne, leaving the next emperor with a steadily developing Ming Dynasty. This was his determination from the beginning.

Zhu Yuanzhang was worried that his descendants would suffer or be unable to hold on to the country, and he would do everything well.

Future emperors can govern the country according to his methods.

This is a very ideal approach. It is believed that the Ming Dynasty can be firmly established and passed down through the ages through this ideal, but the reality is very cruel.

The later Emperor Ming basically did not follow his routine.

Zhu Yuanzhang's hard work was in vain in the end.

(End of this chapter)