allonlinenovel Chapter 428 What's wrong with favoring our son-in-law?
Chapter 428 What's wrong with favoring our son-in-law?
After a moment's thought, Li Shanchang bowed to Emperor Zhu and said, "Your Majesty, the recommendation system can be abolished, but the imperial examination system cannot be abolished now."
Emperor Zhu glanced at Li Shanchang, who continued, "Your Majesty, I believe that the imperial examination system should not only not be abolished, but special examinations should also be held."
Liu Bowen also bowed and said, "Your Excellency, among the candidates for the palace examination, those who complained about the excessive labor service and heavy taxes were mostly candidates from the Jiangnan region."
"Among the scholars from the north, there are very few who say such irrational things."
"In addition, it will take time for the Imperial College to be split up and relocated to various provinces, and it will be even more difficult to train suitable students overnight."
“If the imperial examination and recommendation system were abolished now, the problem of insufficient manpower in the imperial court and local governments would be even more difficult to solve.”
"I believe it would be better to follow Brother Shan's advice and abolish the recommendation system without abolishing the imperial examination system."
"After three to five years, we will split up and relocate the Imperial Academy, especially the one in the north, so that it can train suitable personnel. Then we will abolish the imperial examination system."
As Liu Bowen finished speaking, Emperor Zhu fell silent for a moment.
The principles that Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen spoke of were understood by Emperor Zhu.
But no matter how well you understand, it's hard not to feel angry.
Moreover, what Liu Bowen just said actually contained a degree of avoidance of the important issues.
For example, Liu Bowen said that most of the candidates from Jiangnan believed that the forced labor was too cumbersome and the taxes too heavy.
Liu Bowen never mentioned that among the 146 candidates, there were as many as 100 from Jiangnan!
Let's do a simple conversion.
Excluding the twenty-six candidates from Ningyang County and the three candidates from the Korean side.
Then, remove the one hundred spots occupied by Jiangnan.
Only a mere twenty candidates from the north actually came to participate in the palace examination.
Doesn't that mean out of 146 test takers, 100 are cursing us?
Furthermore, Liu Bowen said that the answers given by scholars from the North rarely contained any irrational remarks.
The problem is that the answers from the northern scholars didn't contain any nonsense about excessive labor service or heavy taxes, but they weren't exactly good people either.
Emperor Zhu was particularly eager to bring those twenty examinees to him for questioning.
What does it mean that I have the sole favor to Dengzhou Prefecture?
You might as well just say we're biased!
Emperor Zhu picked up an answer sheet and waved it around.
"They didn't say anything like that about the labor service being too troublesome or the taxes being too heavy."
"But they say we favor Dengzhou Prefecture."
Emperor Zhu said with a dark face, "The candidates from Ningyang County are no good, and these scholars from the north are no good either."
"Damn it, can't they open their eyes and see how many good things Dengzhou Prefecture produces every year? And how many problems our son-in-law has solved for us these past few years?"
"Besides, what's wrong with us favoring our son-in-law?"
"A bunch of bastards, they even accused us of favoritism during the palace examination, it's all because they've been spoiled!"
Seeing that Emperor Zhu's anger, which he had finally managed to suppress, was starting to rise again, Li Shanchang fell silent once more.
If the candidates from Ningyang County were both loved and hated, then the remaining twenty scholars from the north were simply hateful.
We need to find a way to get these twenty scholars from the north to serve as officials in Dengzhou Prefecture.
Don't you all think that Emperor Zhu favored his son-in-law?
Then you can go to Dengzhou, go to Yang the Madman's side, and see how you cry then!
Having made up his mind, Li Shanchang cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I remember the Imperial Son-in-Law mentioned that Dengzhou Prefecture and its subordinate counties are short of manpower. These twenty scholars from the north..."
Liu Bowen glanced at Li Shanchang with disdain, then cupped his hands to Emperor Zhu and said, "Your Majesty, Dengzhou Prefecture is short of manpower. We can transfer personnel from various prefectures and counties in Jiangnan."
"As for these twenty scholars from the north, I believe they can be divided into four groups."
“One group stayed in Beijing, one group went to Dengzhou, one group returned to the north, and one group went to serve as officials in the coastal prefectures and counties of eastern Zhejiang or Fujian.”
Emperor Zhu's eyes lit up, and Zhu Biao also laughed and said, "Of the five who remain in the capital, two can go to the Censorate, and the remaining three can take charge of the Imperial Gazette."
Upon hearing the mention of the imperial gazette, Emperor Zhu, Li Shanchang, and Liu Bowen immediately burst into laughter.
The official gazette is a good thing.
The idea of having county students read the official gazette to the people at the Shenming Pavilion, combined with spot checks by the Censorate, was particularly ingenious.
If we publish more issues of the official gazette and explain the causes and consequences of cases such as the Plowshare Case, the Sun Gupu Rebellion Case, and the Blank Seal Case to the people, they will naturally be able to distinguish right from wrong.
Just as the three emperors were secretly pleased, Zhu Biao continued, "In addition to the court's news, some articles can also be published in the official gazette."
"For example, if a Korean official is well-versed in Legalist doctrines, he can write several articles about Legalist doctrines and submit them to the official gazette."
"For example, if the Earl of Chengyi was well-versed in Confucian classics and felt that the Duke of Han was wrong, he could naturally write an article to refute it in the official gazette."
"Most importantly, these articles, spoken by students in county and state schools across the country, reach the ears of the people, which is also a form of moral education, isn't it?"
"When more people become literate, the official gazette can be printed in larger quantities and made available for purchase by the people."
The smiles on the faces of Emperor Zhu, Li Shanchang, and Liu Bowen deepened.
Liu Bowen, in particular, couldn't stop smiling.
In the past, I couldn't do anything about you guys.
After all, there are many of you, and I only have one mouth. Even if I secretly try to kill you, I still can't out-argue you.
But things are different now.
I can submit articles to the official gazette.
If the text is distributed to more than a thousand prefectures and counties in the Ming Dynasty, at the very least, more than a thousand students will read my articles to the people.
At that time, I'll write three articles a day!
Let's talk to those three students from Ningyang County again and discuss not publishing your article.
From now on, I will be the one to scold you, and you will feel that you have no chance to scold me!
Tsk tsk.
Indeed, the most important thing in the underworld is to follow the right leader.
You absolutely cannot talk about hometown loyalty; that stuff can kill you!
Emperor Zhu never intended to use the official gazette to argue with people.
What Emperor Zhu was thinking was that no one would be able to misinterpret his (Zhu Chongba's) imperial edicts anymore.
Similarly, no one can misinterpret the dynamics of the imperial court.
Just as the emperor and his ministers were pondering this, Zhu Biao took out a small booklet from his sleeve and placed it in front of the emperor.
Emperor Zhu was slightly taken aback and asked, "What is this?"
Zhu Biao smiled and said, "This is a sample of the official gazette that I had someone make. Please take a look, Father."
Emperor Zhu immediately picked up the official gazette and began to read it.
"Table of contents."
"The reforms and changes in the provinces of the Ming Dynasty."
"The Shandong Provincial Administration Commission will begin road construction."
"The Dengzhou border market brought benefits to the Ming Dynasty court and the people."
"The Plowshares Case."
"Folk tales".
"..."
Emperor Zhu flipped through a few pages and gradually became engrossed in the official gazette.