Red Mansion Taoist

Chapter 336 Miscellaneous Subjects
After Li Qiang spent Lin Daiyu's birthday with her, the imperial examination of Daqian that year also came to an end.

Unlike the liberal arts examinations that selected candidates for the palace examination, passing the miscellaneous examinations was the end point and there was no chance to participate in the palace examination.

Li Qiang sat behind the dragon table, and below him sat Scholar Tian and Lin Ruhai.

Because this special examination was the first for the new emperor, it was directly presided over by the cabinet to show the importance Daqian attached to this special examination.

"Why are there only 28 liberal arts candidates this time?" Li Qiang asked, holding the liberal arts list in her hand.

According to his estimation, there would be at least thirty people taking part in each imperial examination, and sometimes even more than forty people.

Only twenty-eight people this time is really too few. Although the main purpose of this special examination is to recruit talents in various subjects, these tribute scholars are the future Jinshi scholars, and they will all be bound by his loyalty with the "Mirror of Love and Lust". The more such people, the better.

"Your Majesty, there was an imperial examination last year. It is already good to have 28 candidates this year!" Grand Secretary Tian explained helplessly.

These talents are not cabbages, and as the chief examiner, it is impossible for me to lower the assessment standards, otherwise how can I be fair to the tribute scholars of previous years.

You should know that there is not a fixed number of people taking the imperial examination. It depends on how many candidates meet the requirements.

Last year was a year of major examinations, and the talents accumulated over the years were selected. This year, with the enrolment examination, the number of talents that can be selected has naturally decreased.

"Twenty-eight is twenty-eight. I'll see if there are any qualified talents during the palace examination!" Li Qiang shook his head and said.

He also understood why it was not surprising that the imperial examination would only be held once every three years.

"The number of candidates in miscellaneous subjects is less!" Li Qiang said, picking up another list.

Regardless of whether they are candidates for the liberal arts or the miscellaneous subjects, after the chief examiner draws up the list, it must be sent to the palace for confirmation by Li Qiang before it can be announced.

"Your Majesty, there are fifty candidates in the miscellaneous subjects this time, which is the highest number in history!" Grand Secretary Tian explained hurriedly.

He also knew that Li Qiang attached great importance to this miscellaneous subject examination, so not only did he expand the number of candidates for the miscellaneous subject examination to exceed that of the liberal arts examination, he also unprecedentedly increased the number of selected talents to fifty.

"Fifty people are certainly not enough. I will select the top three hundred and have them all become tribute scholars. These fifty people are not in a rush to take up jobs yet. They can first study in the school I have founded!" Li Qiang expressed his plan.

Scholar Tian felt overwhelmed. He glanced at Lin Ruhai beside him, asking Lin Ruhai to help persuade the man.

He knew very well that he could not persuade Li Qiang, and the only one who could persuade Li Qiang was Lin Ruhai.

The number increased from fifty to three hundred, which means almost one person is selected out of more than ten people. This ratio is really too much.

Especially compared with the liberal arts, although the scholars who passed the miscellaneous subjects and entered the officialdom were generally technical officials, it was equivalent to squeezing out the official positions of others.

Twenty-eight civil service examination candidates, fifty miscellaneous examination candidates, a total of seventy-eight examination candidates, could still be accommodated in the Daqian officialdom.

But more than 300 tribute scholars were definitely not something that the Daqian officialdom could handle in a short period of time, and it was impossible to leave the tribute scholars without official positions.

In fact, there are not many vacant positions in the Daqian officialdom. Every year, there are many officials waiting to be assigned in Beijing, and everyone is lining up.

Among these vacant official positions, a portion must be set aside to accommodate the successful candidates of the Jinshi degree that year.

In the past, scholars who passed the miscellaneous examinations did not receive the same treatment as Jinshi, but they were still given certain arrangements.

"Sir Tian, ​​the emperor wants these 300 candidates from various subjects to be admitted first. The emperor must have his own plans!" Lin Ruhai persuaded Scholar Tian in turn.

Scholar Tian thought about it and agreed. Since the issue of official position could not be resolved immediately, there was no need to rush.

"Your Majesty, I wonder how long it will take these 300 candidates for the various subjects to study?" He asked still a little worriedly.

If you only study for a few months, you will be assigned an official position within the same year.

"That depends on their learning progress. I plan to let them study together for a year first, and then divide them into classes according to their abilities. The shortest will take two years!" Li Qiang thought for a moment and replied.

"There's no problem with this old minister!" Grand Secretary Tian felt relieved and bowed in response.

"I know what you are worried about. You don't need to worry about the official positions of these people. I plan to let them work in my workshop after they finish their studies. As for official positions, just let them hold honorary positions!" Li Qiang did not hide his thoughts.

"If this happens, there will probably be complaints among them!" warned Scholar Tian.

Although he came here to take miscellaneous exams, he also wanted to become an official.

Although the workshop is the emperor's property, it is ultimately a business industry. These people would definitely not want those who could have become officials to engage in business activities.

"I will personally persuade them!" Li Qiang replied with a smile.

His confidence came from the 'Mirror of Wind and Moon' still placed on his chest. Even with the protection of the 'Ruyi Immortal Robe', he still wore an inner armor inside the 'Ruyi Immortal Robe'.

The Mirror of Wind and Moon was right in front of his heart, protecting his heart.

With his current treatment methods, as long as the injury is not directly fatal and gives him a chance to heal himself, he can quickly recover from his injuries through 'Healing Spell [Advanced]'.

The two parts of the body that can cause fatal injuries are the heart and the brain.

Even an ordinary mortal would react instinctively if someone attacked his brain, not to mention someone with an extremely strong spirit like Li Qiang.

Therefore, the chance of a successful sneak attack on his brain is extremely small, and his instinctive reaction will be to avoid attacks directed at the brain.

On the other hand, the heart, as one of the vital parts, is the most popular target during sneak attacks, and the success rate is much higher than attacking the brain.

What Li Qiang meant by persuasion was to use the "Mirror of Love and Lust" to persuade those 300 miscellaneous candidates to become 100% loyal to him.

These are a batch of scientific seeds. After investing these seeds, he will no longer intervene personally.

"Brother Zhang, have you heard that the top 300 students will be selected in this year's miscellaneous examination?" In a corner of Qingfeng Tower, one of the scholars confirmed with Zhang, a student who participated in this year's special examination.

The other scholars also looked at Zhang Xuezi with inquiring eyes, as this was a major event that concerned their future.

"That's true, but it's a pity that only 28 people were admitted to the liberal arts this year!" Student Zhang nodded bitterly.

He took part in the liberal arts examination, but he knew that he had no chance of making it into the top 28.

He was a little regretful. If he had taken exams in miscellaneous subjects, he would have had a great chance of being in the top 300.

Even though the status of the miscellaneous examination candidates was lower, they were of a decent background and could still become officials. "I wonder if there will be an imperial examination next year. I want to take part in the miscellaneous examination!" the scholar who asked the question said hopefully.

Not to mention him, several other scholars had the same idea.

Instead of competing for the position of a tribute scholar in the liberal arts, it is better to take the examination for a tribute scholar in the miscellaneous subjects. The tenfold chance alone is worth it for them to change to taking the miscellaneous subjects.

"I have consulted with a classmate who is taking the miscellaneous subjects. Many of the questions in this year's miscellaneous subjects are taken from the contents of current books!" Zhang Xuezi thought about it and said.

He also wanted to keep this secret, in case he took exams for miscellaneous subjects, this would give him an advantage over other students.

But he understood even more clearly that this secret would soon be lost. There were thousands of students taking the miscellaneous courses, and it was impossible for all of them to keep the secret.

Saying it out loud now could help deepen our friendship.

"Really? I have studied the books written today and I'm not afraid of being laughed at by everyone, but I can't understand a lot of the content!" said a scholar in surprise.

"What's so funny? Without the guidance of a wise master, the only books written nowadays on mathematics and science are easy to get started with, but the advanced content is equally incomprehensible!" another scholar followed.

Different from the articles on the interpretation of scriptures, the book written by Li Qiang is something new, and a lot of the knowledge involved in the content cannot be understood by just reading it alone.

"My knowledge is like a firefly compared to the bright moon today!" Zhang Xuezi also recalled the feeling of reading that set of books and couldn't help but sigh.

The people sitting here are all outstanding young literati. Even if they did not take part in the special examination this year, it was to lay a solid foundation.

They find it difficult to understand the books written by Li Qiang, so one can imagine how powerful Li Qiang is to be able to write this series of books.

They couldn't help but shake their heads, marveling at Emperor Li Qiang's ability, and their admiration for Li Qiang increased even more.

The appearance of the contents of the book written by Li Qiang in the miscellaneous subjects examination did not offend the candidates, which led to their admiration for Li Qiang.

After passing the special examinations and miscellaneous subjects, there was no need for further publicity. Many students began to study the book written by Li Qiang, but they had no one to teach them and could only explore on their own.

Three hundred candidates for various subjects were summoned to a school next to the imperial palace. A plaque in front of the school read "Temple of Science".

Many of them did not know what "science" was, but when they saw the name on the side of "Temple of Science", they knew that it was written by Emperor Li Qiang himself.

They entered the school called "Temple of Science" in an orderly manner and found that the school was full of soldiers who protected the entire school, and there were eunuchs busying around in the school.

The three hundred candidates for the miscellaneous subjects suppressed their excitement. They knew that Emperor Li Qiang would come, but they did not expect that Li Qiang would be waiting for them in the school.

Three hundred candidates for various examinations stood in the square of the academy.

"The emperor is here!" Jin Dong's voice came.

"Knowing your majesty!" Three hundred candidates from various departments all knelt on the ground and shouted.

Li Qiang walked up to the miscellaneous candidates. He did not speak immediately, but used the "Mirror of Wind and Moon" first, spending three hundred soul energies to bind the loyalty of all three hundred miscellaneous candidates.

This was not his previous plan. He had only thought of binding twenty students who had already studied with him.

But his set of books sold so well that it is now sold almost everywhere in Daqian.

Many books sell, but the problem with readers is that although a lot of knowledge is mentioned in books, most people cannot learn in depth without systematic study.

Then he would need some people to guide him. He couldn't just go there to do this, and the twenty students who were ready to become teachers were not enough.

So he bound all these 300 miscellaneous candidates to loyalty and gave them several years to further their studies.

The teachers who teach them are the first 20 people who learn, and they have a 100% loyalty. The 300 miscellaneous candidates will be particularly focused on their studies, which will have the best effect on their studies.

According to Li Qiang's idea, among these 300 miscellaneous candidates, those with average academic performance would be arranged to teach in various places, while the best among them would be arranged to work in workshops to participate in research work and enhance what they have learned through practice.

"Stand up!" Li Qiang said in a deep voice.

When the three hundred miscellaneous tribute students looked up, no matter what their previous attitude was, their eyes were now full of fanaticism.

Even if Li Qiang asked them to sacrifice their lives, they would do it immediately.

Not to mention that they are just not given any real job and are only allowed to work as teachers or in workshops in name only.

"You are all talented in various subjects of Daqian, but in my eyes, that is not enough. This 'Temple of Science' is where you will study in the future. They will teach you 'Nature', 'Physics', 'Chemistry' and 'Mathematics'. After you finish these classes, I will select the best among them to learn more in-depth knowledge!" Li Qiang looked at the various subjects and said slowly.

After he finished speaking, twenty people walked out and stood behind him.

The twenty people studied extremely hard. Li Qiang didn't have much time on weekdays, so she tried to cover as much as possible every time she came to class.

This kind of cramming education would not be able to continue without the support of 100% loyalty.

But the effect is still very good. After Li Qiang's teaching, it is no problem for at least these twenty people to become teachers.

As for in-depth knowledge, Li Qiang has not started writing it yet. He plans to write it in the next year.

In-depth knowledge cannot be seen by just anyone. It involves a lot of content and can only be learned by selected people with potential.

There is no process of worshipping Confucius in the "Temple of Science" school. All students kneel down to worship Li Qiang, who is the founder of this discipline.

In addition, a special course called "Politics" was added to the school's curriculum to ensure that students remained loyal to Daqian and Li Qiang.

Of course, the first batch of students don't have to worry, because the effect of the "Mirror of Wind and Moon" cannot be broken by mortals.

But according to Li Qiang's idea, there will be 300 students in the first batch, and another 300 will be enrolled next year, and 300 will be enrolled every year thereafter.

In this way, subsequent students can learn from old students about their attitudes towards Li Qiang, and combined with the course of "Politics", the students' loyalty will be strengthened.

From today on, a tradition was formed in the "Temple of Science" school. Every student who entered the school had to kneel down and worship Li Qiang first.

If Li Qiang did not come, they would kneel down and worship Li Qiang's portrait. This behavior almost put Li Qiang on the same level as Confucius.

But the students who can enter this school are all students who have studied the books written by Li Qiang. In their hearts, Li Qiang's status is no lower than that of Confucius.

(End of this chapter)