Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"You should invite Chen Jiru to serve as the headmaster of Wensi Academy."

Is he capable of this position?

Looking at the memorials from the Wensi Academy and the Wensi School, Zhu Youjian asked in confusion.

As an investor in the nine universities, he has the power to decide on the appointment of the university's principal.

But he never expected that Wensi Academy would invite Chen Jiru to be the headmaster, and Chen Jiru actually agreed.

This contradicts his plan for the Wensi Academy, which he established to train engineers.

Chen Jiru is clearly not an engineer, and I have never heard of him training such a person.

If it weren't for the fact that he had just been appointed to head the Citizens' Committee a few days earlier, Zhu Youjian would have immediately rejected the proposal.

Just as he was thinking about how to find a replacement, Lü Xiang said:
"Chen Meigong has a great reputation in the court and among the people. With him serving as the headmaster, Wensi Academy will not be ostracized by other academies."

"After the news of his appointment as headmaster spread, many famous scholars were willing to teach at Wensi Academy."

"Xu Xueshi, who is in charge of the Academy of Sciences, is also willing to run a school together with the Academy of Arts and Sciences."

This news came as a great surprise to Zhu Youjian.

This made him further realize Chen Jiru's influence.

This person's abilities are not yet apparent, but he certainly has the power to influence a large number of people.

This is also why Zhu Youjian appointed Chen Jiru and kept him in the capital.

This person can deceive people, and some people are willing to be deceived by him.

Rather than allowing them to comment on current affairs while in opposition, it would be better to incorporate them into a new ritual and music order.

But if he dares to overestimate his abilities and interfere with Zhu Youjian's plans, then he should be taught a lesson.

Thinking of the proposal to jointly run a school with the Academy of Sciences, Zhu Youjian said:
"Your Wensi Academy is located in the outer court, and the artisans have always been marginalized by civil officials, so it is indeed not easy for you."

"It would be better to jointly run the school with the Academy of Sciences, as it would make it easier for the inner court to provide support."

"The school's name should also be changed to Science and Technology School."

He wrote four large characters, defining the purpose of the school.

He then added:

"The Science and Technology Classroom mainly teaches science and technology."

"Where does science come from? We ask the researchers at the Academy of Sciences to teach us."

"Where does the technology come from? It needs to be taught by engineers from Wensi Institute."

"The school should focus on learning and developing science and technology, and should not be concerned about external slander."

"I can promise that as long as the students of the Science and Technology Academy obtain technical titles, they can work in the Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Arts and Sciences, or the Imperial Enterprises."

They took care of the employment of these students, so that they did not have to aim for the imperial examination.

If there are any inventions or creations, they can be awarded medals and titles.

Lü Xiang rose through the ranks using this route, and was even granted the title of Yuanshi, becoming one of the most powerful officials in the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Equipment.

However, his views were influenced by his contemporaries, who believed that becoming an official through craftsmanship was not the proper path, and that one should take the imperial examination if one truly wanted to become an official.

That's why he invited Chen Jiru to serve as the headmaster, hoping to integrate the children of artisans and officials into the scholarly community.

Only upon hearing the emperor's words did he realize that this was not the emperor's purpose in establishing the Wensi Academy—

What the emperor wanted to cultivate were practical talents who could do manual labor.

Feeling somewhat regretful, he quickly tried to salvage the situation:

"Thanks to Your Majesty's favor, I will discuss with the teachers of the academy whether to preserve the Wensi Academy."

"In the future, engineers from Wensi Academy will regularly go to Wensi Academy to give lectures."

Zhu Youjian nodded and said approvingly:

"This is a good idea; Wensi Academy should indeed be established."

"This academy will still be supervised by the Wensi Academy, and will give priority to enrolling children of Wensi Academy students."

"In addition, we will build a Hundred Crafts Academy, invite engineers and senior technicians to teach, and train technical talents to train outsiders."

"This is where your Academy of Literature and Art's future talents are located; we can't let it go so easily."

Lu Xiang broke out in a cold sweat, realizing that by inviting Chen Jiru to be the headmaster, he had almost given up the future of Wensi Academy.

If no one is willing to serve as an official craftsman in the future, their Wensi Academy will decline sooner or later.

Now that things have come to this, all he can do is stay at the Imperial Academy of Literature and the Academy of Crafts, which were specially established by the emperor, to train people who are willing to become artisan officials.

After establishing two academies, Zhu Youjian continued:
"Both Wensi Academy and Baigong Academy are technical colleges, and the Science and Technology Academy should also have science colleges."

"The foundation of science is mathematics, so we need a mathematics college."

"This was also an advantage of Wensi Academy in the past. Didn't you have two scholars who passed the Ming Suan examination last year?"

Lü Xiang nodded repeatedly, feeling extremely fortunate.

These two brilliant scholars who passed the imperial examinations served as a fig leaf for the Wensi Academy.

Otherwise, if he fails the provincial examination, his position in one of the nine prestigious universities will likely be precarious.

This is also why he was so eager to invite Chen Jiru, hoping to recruit more people skilled in the imperial examinations.

Thinking of the scholars attracted by Chen Jiru, even though Lü Xiang knew the emperor didn't want the science academy to become a haven for intellectuals, he still said:
"Science is the subject of the imperial examination system; should we establish an academy for the imperial examination system?"

"The newly joined gentleman will be going to the Imperial Examination Academy as a teacher."

Upon hearing this name, Zhu Youjian almost burst out laughing, feeling it was far too blatant.

After thinking it over, he said:
"The imperial examination for the Jinshi degree mainly tests the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as some policy essays."

"We could establish a School of Classics and History specifically for the Jinshi (进士) examination, the Mingjing (明经) examination, and the Mingshu (明书) examination."

"A new School of Etiquette and Law will be established to focus on the Department of Law, while also specializing in industrial law."

Thus, the School of History, the School of Rites and Law, and the School of Mathematics and Calculation were combined to target the three major categories of the imperial examinations. Students of the Science and Technology School had more opportunities to pass the imperial examinations and become Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examinations).

Upon hearing this, Lü Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he could finally give an account to the artisans of the Wensi Academy. Their children could also study at these academies and become scholars in the future.

However, Zhu Youjian's expectations for the science and technology school clearly went beyond this. Thinking of the famous scholars associated with Chen Jiru, he also instructed Lü Xiang:
"Xu Xiake, who was on good terms with Chen Jiru, was a great geographer."

“The Ministry of Works’ mining and prospecting processes inevitably involved geography.”

"The science and technology school could establish a geography college to specifically train talents in this field."

"The Ministry of Works' Yuheng Division, the Ministry of Water Conservancy Division, the Ministry of Revenue's Land Administration Division, and the General Staff's Regional Administration Division all need geography professionals."

Another college was added to enhance the science and technology school.

He hoped that the science and technology school would have a stronger engineering atmosphere, rather than being transformed into a liberal arts school.

Lü Xiang repeatedly agreed, daring not to have the slightest objection.

He knew that inviting Chen Jiru to serve as the headmaster was a poor decision, and the emperor was cleaning up this mess.

Fortunately, the outcome was positive, and the children of Wensi Academy will have more career options in the future.
-

Zhu Youjian watched him leave, and then summoned Xu Guangqi, who was on duty in the cabinet.

At this time, Xu Guangqi already knew that Zhang Pu wanted to promote science and that his aim was to "supplement Confucianism with the knowledge of a hundred schools of thought," absorbing knowledge including Western learning.

This surprised and delighted him, but also left him with some hesitation:
While his Western learning was intended to supplement Confucianism, it still retained a certain degree of independence.

In his vision, Western learning was a supplement to Confucianism, and Catholicism was to replace Buddhism.

However, the Hundred Schools of Thought supplementing Confucianism is different. No matter which school of thought is incorporated, it cannot compare with Confucianism as the main body.

Western learning was no longer unique; it was merely one of many schools of thought. Therefore, he felt conflicted about the scientific approach of supplementing Confucianism with other schools of thought.
They were both delighted that this method could be used to expand their influence and worried that Western learning would lose its current status.

After all, the founder of science was Zhang Pu, not Xu Guangqi.

His scholarship was still based on Western learning, and he held the idea of ​​supplementing Confucianism with Western knowledge, advocating that reason could be understood through numbers.

It is in line with science, but it is not the same as science.

Therefore, he was not very enthusiastic about the science and technology schools established by the emperor.

What he truly desired was to promote and strengthen Western learning.

Although he knew the emperor's attitude towards Western learning was one of using it and intending to integrate it into science, he still proposed:

"Today, the Academy of Sciences has branches such as the Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Academy of Marine Sciences, which conduct specialized research."

"I believe that Western learning is profound and extensive, and a Western Academy should be established to study Western learning."

He had had this idea for a long time and had discussed it with many missionaries.

They all supported Xu Guangqi in establishing the Western Academy of Sciences and promised to bring more academic classics.

Zhu Youjian listened to Xu Guangqi's idea and felt that it made some sense.

However, studying only the West is too narrow a view. After thinking it over, he decided:

"Western knowledge can be considered as one of the foreign disciplines, and institutions should be established to study it."

"This branch of the Academy of Sciences is called the Foreign Academy of Sciences, which has science and technology research institutes in Europe, the West and other places to study the science and technology and knowledge of those places, as well as international issues."

"If foreign scholars provide assistance, they can also be granted the title of foreign academician, enjoying the same status as academicians."

Xu Guangqi was asked to give his name, and foreign academician status was granted to missionaries and scholars who were unwilling to become citizens but provided assistance to the Ming Dynasty.

This status is equivalent to that of a Yuanshi (元士), but like foreign Gongshi (外籍公士), they can only hold certain positions.

Xu Guangqi was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately praised the emperor.

Although the Academy of Foreign Sciences does not only study the West, given the current situation in the Ming Dynasty, most of the scholars who come to the Ming Dynasty are Western missionaries.

He can recommend fellow believers to help them obtain foreign academician status.

In this way, Western learning can flourish within the Academy of Sciences, rather than being reduced to just another ordinary school of thought.
-

Although Zhu Youjian was unaware of his thoughts, he knew that the Academy of Sciences could not be controlled by missionaries.

Thinking about the three branch academies—the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Academy of Marine Sciences, and the Academy of Military Sciences—he said after some deliberation:

"Science can be used in medicine to precisely determine drug dosages. Therefore, the Academy of Sciences can cooperate with the Imperial Medical Academy to establish an Academy of Life and Medicine."

"We can also cooperate with the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to establish an Academy of Astronomy."

"To cooperate with the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Privy Council, we established the Academy of Geographical Sciences."

"In collaboration with Wensi Academy, we will establish the Academy of Gewu Science."

"The Ministry established the Academy of Mathematical Sciences, indicating that science is based on mathematics, pursues the understanding of principles through numbers, and uses mathematics to comprehend the mysteries of the universe."

The establishment of five branch institutes at once disrupted the original structure of the Academy of Sciences.

In particular, relevant institutions of the inner and outer courts could infiltrate the Academy of Sciences through business contacts.

The Foreign Academy of Sciences also became less conspicuous, just an ordinary branch.

Currently, these colleges vary in strength, but in the future, a balance will inevitably be achieved, preventing any one college from becoming dominant.

In order to achieve this as soon as possible, Zhu Youjian also specifically said:

"The Royal Academy of Sciences may appoint Royal Academicians, whose status is equivalent to that of a scholar."

“Except for not being able to directly hold official positions, academicians enjoy the same treatment as scholars of the nation.”

"According to their merits, they were granted honorary titles and ranks, and even hereditary peerages."

"Academicians are members of the branch academy and form a committee to preside over the branch academy."

"The General Assembly of Academicians is the highest decision-making body of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and it is held at least once every three years."

This approach is consistent with the previous establishment of foreign academicians, both aimed at accommodating academic talents.

Xu Guangqi, who served as a Grand Secretary, also saw through the emperor's intention to indirectly expand the number of Yuanshi (a high-ranking scholar) positions:
In the future, the emperor's rewards for scholars will not be limited to the title of Yuanshi; those scholars who do not wish to become officials can obtain the status of academicians.

The two have similar pronunciations and similar statuses. The only difference is that academicians cannot directly become officials, and there are no quota restrictions.

This undoubtedly strengthened the emperor's control over academia; scholars who wanted to become academicians had to curry favor with the emperor.

From the perspective of a subject, Xu Guangqi's instinct was to oppose it. However, since he had not opposed the establishment of foreign academicians before, he naturally had no grounds to oppose the establishment of royal academicians now.

Thinking of the potential criticisms from other ministers, Xu Guangqi said:

"The number of academicians should be limited."

"I believe that one should not exceed the level of Yuan Shi."

Zhu Youjian laughed and said:

"If we can reach the number of Yuan Shi, I will be laughing in my dreams."

"To obtain academician status, one needs to first work as a researcher and make meritorious contributions, and then be recommended by the academician conference."

"In the future, the number of scholars may reach thousands. How many researchers do you think will be able to become academicians?"

Researchers at the Academy of Sciences, like engineers, are divided into four levels: special, senior, intermediate, and junior, equivalent to officials of the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth ranks.

They were assisted by assistant researchers, who, like assistant engineers, were divided into nine levels, equivalent to the status of officials of the corresponding rank.

In Xu Guangqi's view, there are very few qualified researchers in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, let alone those who have made great contributions and obtained the status of academician.

Therefore, with just a little thought, he knew that the number of academicians was mostly less than that of scholars.

The number of academicians is several hundred, requiring the support of hundreds of thousands of researchers.

The Ming Dynasty could never have so many researchers, either now or in the future.

Thinking this to himself, Xu Guangqi still offered his advice:

"His Majesty does not grant academician titles casually, but future emperors may not be so."

"To prevent the number of academicians from becoming excessive and their status from being inferior to that of scholars, I believe that the number should be fixed."

Zhu Youjian pondered these words and found them to make some sense, so he said:
"The number of royal academicians shall not exceed the number of Yuanshi, nor shall it exceed one-tenth of the number of Jinshi."

"Foreign academicians are not included, but they need to be nominated by at least five academicians and approved by the general meeting of academicians."

"Academicians who are seventy years of age or older can retire from their substantive positions and become honorary academicians, without taking up a spot on the Royal Academy of Sciences."

The rules were roughly determined, and Xu Guangqi was asked to refine them.

However, due to Xu Guangqi's preference for Western learning, he appointed Song Yingxing to head the Institute of Natural Sciences and Chen Shigong to head the Academy of Medicine...

At the same time, Zhang Pu, the founder of science, was appointed as the dean of the School of Mathematics.

"Mathematics is the foundation of science and needs someone proficient in mathematical calculation to lead it. Zhang Pu was the top student in the mathematics department in Jiangnan and can lead the mathematics academy."

"Also, the labor association that Zhang Pu organized in Jiangnan is quite interesting."

"Let him establish a management academy to specialize in the study of company management, enterprise management, and administrative management."

"Management is also a science and should not be ignored."

"We must base our work on mathematics, clearly define all types of data, and promote digital management."

Zhang Pu was appointed as the head of the two branch institutes to counterbalance Xu Guangqi's position.

The number of branches of the Academy of Sciences also reached ten, collectively known as the Ten Branches. (End of Chapter)