Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1762 The Civil Service Examination Republic
Zhu Xianxi has always been troubled by these issues—and he's not the only one; in fact, everyone is bound by these rules. This is also the requirement of the imperial examination republic system for everyone, because now the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination) is widely granted to everyone, which means that the moral standards of a "gentleman" have become part of civic morality. Everyone must become a gentleman, a virtuous person, otherwise their basic civic morality will be questioned.

These were some necessary changes that arose after the Yongqing reforms, which could sometimes be perplexing. However, holding everyone to the standards of a gentleman was in line with the social norms of the time.

What's interesting about this path is that it points out a route for personal advancement for everyone: virtue, talent, and merit. Possessing just one of these can propel you forward on your life's journey. As long as you are more virtuous than others, good fortune will naturally follow. Proving one's virtue doesn't necessarily require passing the imperial examinations, as there are now many ways to achieve equivalent success, such as passing highly difficult competitions to be considered a successful candidate in the provincial examinations.

This is the title of "same as the Juren". Above that, there is actually the title of "same as the Jinshi" which can be awarded to some people.

Ultimately, however, the actual provincial examination and even the palace examination were still the most convenient way to reach the ceiling of one's life. While it was not difficult to obtain the title of "Tongjuren" (a degree in the imperial examination system), obtaining the title of "Tongjinshi" (a degree in the highest level of the imperial examination) was much more difficult than directly participating in the provincial examination. It required outstanding performance—mainly in the study of Neo-Confucianism—to gain sufficient persuasiveness from the expert committee that reviewed the "Tongjinshi" qualifications.

In other words, becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) could be achieved not only through talent but also through merit.

The two are essentially equivalent. Whether one goes directly to the exam or seeks academic achievement elsewhere, both are considered the proper path.

Once someone becomes a Jinshi (进士), regardless of whether they are ranked first, second, or third, or whether they are a Jinshi or a Tongjinshi (同进士), many of the behavioral norms that restrict their lives will be lifted, because a Jinshi must have his reasons for doing anything.

In fact, there are many Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) who choose not to become officials and instead go into business, which is not uncommon even today. Conversely, having a Jinshi degree makes it easier to do whatever you want, because it is easier to join any social circle.

For Zhu Xianxi, what he has always wanted is a freer position.

Although he has already achieved some academic success, it is not enough for him to obtain the rank of "Tong Jinshi" from the perspective of expert review—because expert review does not include alchemy, as there is no such discipline to review. To be evaluated, he can only be evaluated from a chemical perspective.

Someone in his family had already passed the review: the Empress herself. This is why the Empress could stay at the research institute; it wasn't just out of practical need, but also because her academic achievements were higher than Zhu Xianxi's, so her actions were less constrained by morality—a virtuous person like a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) must have her reasons for everything she did. The Empress spending all her time in the laboratory must also have its reasons.

"So, senior brother, you're actually thinking about expanding your business scope?"

"To be honest, your senior brother is quite talented, isn't he?"

"Mmm." This wasn't just a perfunctory response; it was the truth. Zhu Xianxi's academic achievements were already very high, but he simply couldn't gain recognition.

However, as long as the study of alchemy is included in the academic field, Zhu Xianxi will immediately gain recognition.

Once he achieves such an accomplishment, he can begin research at the "Jinshi level"—meaning he can establish his own research institute directly within the palace.

Everything a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) does is reasonable. If an emperor, after becoming a Jinshi, wanted to open an alchemy furnace in his own home, he must have had his reasons, and no one would say anything.

"Speaking of which," Shangluo suddenly thought, "what is the King of Joseon in there?"

“Ah, he is a perpetual outsider,” Zhu Xianxi replied. “He is even more awkward than I am; he can’t even take the imperial examination for the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) because he doesn’t have a household registration.”

This was the greatest nightmare for the King of Joseon. Although his family had lived in the capital for generations, and new Joseon citizens were being registered every year, the King of Joseon could never obtain citizenship, because that would strip him of his legitimacy as King of Joseon—the Ming Dynasty did not support the Xia ruler and the barbarians.

This made the Korean king a perpetual outsider, someone who could never be accepted into this system of virtue, talent, and merit.

However, this also allowed him to disregard public opinion when doing things—because it wasn't just scholars who could act as they pleased, but also barbarians. Since no one had any expectations of the barbarians, whatever they did was considered reasonable.

"Just thinking about it is incredibly stressful," Shangluo shook his head. Li Mu's situation is stressful enough to warrant a moment's consideration. Not only is he treated as an outsider within the capital region, but because he rarely returns to Korea, he is also considered an outsider there.

Being outside of human form here is definitely not a pleasant experience.

It's no wonder he wanted to go to Shangluo to pull off a "big job" and regain some face in his home country.

He didn't really care about this matter initially. After all, he didn't really need to save face domestically, and he wasn't going back to his own country anyway. But as Zhu Xianxi had previously arranged, the ascension was about to begin, and North Korea would gain some special status from it.

This means the situation is about to change. If he wants to alter his position in this process, he should do something now.

"But speaking of which, senior brother, don't you also need some... some help?"

"Huh? What did you say? Why would I need help? I can do it myself."

"Is it really not necessary?"

"..." Zhu Xianxi was silent for a moment, "Okay, you saw right through me, didn't you? But why didn't you ask sooner?"

"I didn't know either! I didn't know even you wanted some credit."

"Isn't it normal for me, as a scholar, to want to make progress? It's just that my research projects weren't in the public domain before, so no one could review my alchemy. But now, my skills can finally be recognized."

"So, senior brother, you also want to make a movie to promote yourself?"

"Oh dear, that's not good! It's too over-the-top!"

"."

"Right, Shangluo? This is too exaggerated, not good, not good."

Shang Luo covered his forehead: "Senior brother, what if I beg you?"

"Oh dear, I really can't do anything with you." Zhu Xianxi shook his head. "Then I'll reluctantly ask you to arrange a movie for me too. Don't worry, I won't let you film for free. Just give me a price."

"Around 200 million will be fine."

"Two million? What did you quote the King of Joseon?"

"2 million—but he insisted on paying that amount himself. He was determined to make a sitcom with a budget of 2 million, and there was nothing I could do about it."

(End of this chapter)