Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

February 6th, Chang Chao.

The court officials recommended Cheng Ji to be appointed as an Associate Grand Secretary.

After Zhu Youjian issued the imperial edict appointing them, he also ordered Yang Jingchen and Cheng Jiming to preside over this year's imperial examination.

According to the custom of Grand Secretaries presiding over the imperial examinations, this decision clearly treats Cheng Jiming as a Grand Secretary.

Apart from not participating in military affairs or cabinet meetings, the powers of an Associate Grand Secretary are almost identical to those of a regular Grand Secretary.

This greatly excited the other candidates for Grand Secretary.

Qian Xiangkun, Qian Qianyi, Qian Longxi, Qian Shisheng, Zhou Yanru, and others all set their sights on becoming Associate Grand Secretaries—

This position does not prevent one from serving as one of the Nine Ministers, and the power is even greater than that of an ordinary Nine Minister.

If used properly, it can even surpass that of an ordinary Grand Scholar.

Whether it's decision-making or execution, they can handle it all single-handedly.

Moreover, according to the custom that Grand Secretaries came from the Hanlin Academy, many officials from the Ministry of Rites would later be able to concurrently serve as Associate Grand Secretaries.

They lost to Cheng Jiming this time, but they may still have a chance in the next court election.

Especially now, several members of the cabinet are getting old. If these people fall ill or die, it could lead to the addition of new Grand Secretaries.

These ministers, who aspired to be Grand Secretaries in the next cabinet, began to set their sights on Associate Grand Secretaries, striving to assume the position before entering the cabinet.

A new round of political struggle is brewing in the imperial court. The ministers and the factions behind them are all making preparations.

Zhu Youjian acted as if he hadn't noticed this, and addressed his ministers:
“Last year in the Nanjing provincial examination, the top scorer in each subject was selected as the top scholar, which was well received by the candidates.”

"For this year's imperial examination, I intend to use the same method to determine the top scholar. What do you all think?"

This rumor had already been circulating for some time.

Some of the ministers agreed, while others disagreed.

Some officials thought the emperor was being meddlesome and frowned at his arbitrary changes to the old system.

However, the fate of those officials who opposed the reforms made them afraid to speak out—

In the present Ming Dynasty, restoring the rites and music system is the absolute political correctness.

Anyone who resists this point, no matter how highly regarded they are, will be sent out.

Huang Daozhou is a typical example. He was a disciple of Yuan Keli and was said to be highly regarded by the emperor. However, because he raised objections to the reform of the rites and music, the emperor did not hesitate to send him to Jiangnan.

These officials, who did not want to be exiled or demoted, could only keep their dissatisfaction with the emperor's new policies to themselves.

Yang Jingchen, who had just been appointed chief examiner and was wholeheartedly dedicated to assisting the emperor in achieving great deeds, echoed the emperor's sentiments:
“In the past, the selection of candidates for the top positions was often criticized.”

"If we change the selection method to choosing from among the top candidates, the scholars will surely be delighted."

The examiner, Cheng Jiming, said:

“Choosing the top scholar from among the leaders is indeed more convincing to the public.”

"However, in the past, the imperial examinations were graded in separate rooms, and there were more than five top scorers."

“Selecting the president from so many leaders is no easy task.”

This involves more specific matters. According to the imperial examination system of the Ming Dynasty, in addition to the chief examiner, there were also examiners from various departments who served as co-examiners.

Taking the imperial examination in the first year of the Chongzhen reign as an example, there were six examination rooms for the Book of Changes, six for the Book of Poetry, four for the Book of Documents, two for the Spring and Autumn Annals, and two for the Book of Rites. There were a total of twenty examination rooms and twenty examiners.

Each room will admit 20 people according to the ratio of 55:35:10 for the North, South, and Central areas, for a total of 400 people.

While cross-room admissions did occur, they were extremely rare and prone to causing public controversy. After the 40th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, they were explicitly prohibited.

Therefore, the examiners' reviews were crucial to whether a candidate could pass the imperial examination. The examiners who selected them were considered their great benefactors.

Some scholars who passed the imperial examinations would become apprentices to "Master Fang" and form a teacher-student relationship.

Zhu Youjian was very disgusted by these things; he disliked the collusion among civil officials.

In particular, the examiners were mostly selected from the Hanlin Academy. They were young and energetic, and as candidates for Grand Secretary, they could easily form cliques with the help of their disciples, which could affect the future political situation.

Therefore, for this examination, Zhu Youjian planned to change the grading method, reduce the status of the examiners, and remove their decision-making power.

He said to Cheng Ji:

“The practice of assigning rooms for grading papers is often criticized and there are aspects that are worth discussing.”

"The final list of successful candidates in the previous imperial examination was reassessed after the supplementary list was compiled."

"This time, I don't want to go through such trouble. Let each household select twice the number of examination papers required for admission. Then, at least three examiners will review them to determine the list and order of the main and supplementary lists."

"Those who are approved by two or more examiners can be included in the official list. Whether there are more or fewer places is decided by the chief examiner and the deputy chief examiner."

"Finally, the chief examiner will determine the top scorer in each subject to become the overall champion of the metropolitan examination."

"By combining all the departments into one, we can avoid overlooking talented individuals."

Upon hearing these words, Yang Jingchen and Cheng Jiming immediately remembered something:

The last imperial examination went wrong because of a mistake in grading the papers, which greatly displeased the emperor.

Although the emperor did not publicly punish them for the sake of court stability, Shi Fenglai and Zhang Ruitu, who presided over the imperial examination, are now not well-liked.

They are in charge of the imperial examinations; they cannot repeat the same mistakes.

Thinking that the emperor's new method would benefit the chief examiner, Yang Jingchen immediately said:

"Your Majesty's method is excellent; it can prevent talented individuals from being overlooked."

"With all the examiners reviewing the papers together, we will surely be able to select better talents."

Cheng Jiming hesitated for a moment and said:
“Repeatedly grading papers like this takes up a lot of time.”

"Shouldn't we add more examiners to participate in the grading process?"

“Especially the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Rites, now there are only two branches.”

Zhu Youjian, hearing that none of them objected, immediately nodded and said:

"We could certainly increase the number of examiners who grade the papers."

"In addition to the examiners in each room, one or two extra examiners will be added to each of the Five Classics, and they will only participate in the second review."

"Strive to ensure that the total number of examiners for each department reaches more than three, so that the list and order of examiners can be determined during the second round of marking."

"The selection of examiners should prioritize officials who have served in the imperial court and have experience in the Hanlin Academy, but they are not required to be currently in the Hanlin Academy."

All officials who came from the Hanlin Academy were included in the candidates for the examination of officials.

Now, the officials in the court who were no longer serving in the Hanlin Academy were also excited.

They hoped to get the opportunity to become examiners.

Even if the status of the examiners in the combined examination rooms and the second round of reviewing the papers were to be lowered, it would still be a good opportunity for them to build relationships with the newly appointed scholars.

The reform of the examiners for the imperial examinations was thus decided.

However, some people still have doubts. Wang Yongguang, the Minister of Justice, said:

"His Majesty's order for the examiners to review the papers a second time is excellent."

"However, judging the top scholar solely based on the Five Classics is somewhat unfair to candidates who excel in policy essays."

"I believe that all three examinations should be given equal importance, so as not to reduce the Jinshi examination to the Mingjing examination."

This shows that while acknowledging the emperor's reforms, they also offered opinions on the selection of the top scholar.

The Jinshi examination differed from the Mingjing examination. In addition to the first session on the principles of the Four Books and Five Classics, the second session included a written essay, five judgments, and a selection of answers to imperial edicts and memorials. The third session focused on policy questions related to classics, history, and current affairs. Although the study of classics was emphasized in the past, the idea that all three sessions were equally important was often mentioned.

As the Minister of Justice, Wang Yongguang naturally hoped that the selected scholars would be more skilled in legal judgments.

Other officials disagreed, with some even suggesting that since there were already examinations in law and mathematics, the second and third examinations could be cancelled.

After listening to their discussion, Zhu Youjian considered it and said:

"The second and third exams will be graded on a 100-point scale."

"Each question, whether it's a treatise, judgment, edict, proclamation, or memorial, has a set score. As long as you reach 60 points, you're considered qualified and eligible to become a tribute student."

"The same applies to classics, history, current affairs, and policy; only a passing grade of 60 is required."

"Only those who pass these two tests can become tribute students."

"The rankings and the top scorer in the imperial examinations were determined according to the interpretation of the classics."

It affirms the importance of the scriptures and also sets requirements for the basic abilities of the candidates.

Most of the officials approved of this method.

Many people advocate for equal emphasis on all three aspects of the subject, but if the emperor were to actually do so, those students who only valued the classics and neglected other subjects would likely cause an uproar.

Conservative officials will also be dissatisfied, not considering policy discussions as important as classical texts.

The current system, which only requires a passing grade for exams outside of Confucian classics, meets the expectations of many. They feel that this approach balances the importance of all three exams without diminishing the status of Confucian classics.

Only some very stubborn officials, or those whose own sons only valued the classics, questioned this:

"It is certainly good to have all three exams given equal weight, but what if not enough candidates pass?"

"Are there people who are good at classical texts but not at policy essays? Should they be excluded?"

Zhu Youjian laughed and said:

"Those who fail two or three times can be placed on the secondary list!"

“If their understanding of the classics is indeed good, they can use their status as supplementary candidates to take the imperial examination for the classics.”

“The Mingjing examination only focuses on the classics, and it was designed for candidates who were only good at this subject.”

"The Ming Dynasty will not give up on any kind of talent; it will give them all opportunities."

These officials were still not satisfied and continued to ask what would happen if those who passed the second and third rounds did not reach the quota for admission. Zhu Youjian had not yet considered such a matter, and upon hearing this, he asked his ministers:

"Are the scholars from the Ming Dynasty so bad at policy essays?"

"There might be fewer than four hundred people who can even pass two or three rounds?"

The courtiers were speechless upon hearing this, but none of them dared to make a guarantee.

The Ming Dynasty's emphasis on Confucian classics in the imperial examinations was not a recent phenomenon; it was a deeply ingrained problem that was difficult to reverse.

Only after the current emperor established the Mingfa examination did many aspiring candidates begin to pay more attention to the judgments, but most people still only focused on the classics.

Whether four hundred people passed both the second and third rounds, the courtiers truly could not guess.

Judging from their expressions, Zhu Youjian felt that the abilities of the Ming Dynasty's Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) were even worse than he had imagined.

Although he was dissatisfied with the situation, he knew that improvement wouldn't happen overnight. To ensure the success of this imperial examination, he gestured:
"The difficulty of the second and third sessions of this imperial examination will be similar to that of the provincial examination."

"If there are still not enough qualified people, then leave the positions vacant for the time being and fill them with places for the Mingjing (Classics) subject."

"I refuse to believe that all the scholars of the Ming Dynasty only know the classics."

He seemed quite angry, expressing dissatisfaction with the current state of the students at Daming Academy and the implementation of the examination system.

The courtiers were somewhat terrified and dared not offer any further advice.

The emperor has already reduced the difficulty of the second and third rounds of the metropolitan examination to that of the provincial examination. What else can they say?

Only Liu Zongzhou spoke up:
"After the addition of the subjects of Mingfa (law) and Mingsuan (mathematics) to the Jiangnan provincial examination, many people referred to the original examination as the Mingjing (classics) subject."

"When selecting and applying knowledge, only the meaning of the classics is valued, and policy analysis is not taken seriously."

"I wonder if Your Majesty's method of using three sessions simultaneously will be applied to the provincial examinations in the future?"

Zhu Youjian considered for a moment and then said:
"The provincial examinations will naturally be reformed along with the metropolitan examinations."

"The imperial examination originated in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, it mainly tested students' knowledge of the classics and their understanding of current affairs, and sometimes also tested their knowledge of poetry and prose."

"In future imperial examinations, the third session, which focuses on classics, history, current affairs, and policy, may be more important, while only passing the first and second sessions will be required."

"Of course, it can't be implemented yet; we need to let the students adapt."

This was his plan: to make the students of the Ming Dynasty pay more attention to practical matters.

However, such changes were too drastic. Not only did Liu Zongzhou, who valued classical texts, oppose them, but other officials also voiced their support.

Many gentry families were raising their children using the current examination system. With the emperor's change, their methods were thrown into chaos.

In particular, the evaluation of current affairs policies was far less structured than that of the eight-legged essay, and the officials believed that this change had many drawbacks.

Qian Qianyi tried to offer his advice:
"In the former Song Dynasty, the Jinshi degree was divided into two categories: poetry and prose Jinshi and classics Jinshi."

"I believe that the current Jinshi degree candidates can be called Jinshi in terms of classics and knowledge."

"Whether the provincial examination was called the Mingjing examination or the Jinshi examination, it was to select Jinshi who were proficient in the classics. In addition to the classics, candidates were also required to pass the policy essay examination."

They believed that there was no need to set up a separate department and that the existing system could be used instead.

Zhu Youjian hadn't fully figured out how to revise it, nor had he decided on new exam materials. After consideration, he decided to postpone it, and looked at Qian Qianyi approvingly:

"What Qian Qing said is very true. It is indeed possible to take the provincial examination as well."

"However, since the focus is on the classics, and the top scholar is called the 'Classics Champion,' then it will be called the 'Classics Examination.' Successful candidates can participate in the provincial examinations for all subjects."

"In the future imperial examinations, we should place more emphasis on comprehensive abilities. At the same time, we should not give up on candidates who are only good at classical studies, and we should set up a special Mingjing (Classics) category for them."

The existing methods for the provincial examinations will remain in effect, while the methods for the metropolitan examinations will be changed in the future.

No matter how much the ministers tried to persuade him, they could not change his mind.

Zhu Youjian even revealed that he would revise and annotate the Four Books and Five Classics to determine the classic texts for the imperial examinations.

This matter clearly attracted the attention of the court officials.

Many officials were envious when they learned that Liu Zongzhou and Qian Qianyi had been appointed as the heads of the collation and annotation of the Four Books and Five Classics.

Because this was an opportunity to become a sage like Zhu Xi, they were naturally very envious.

Some even felt they were knowledgeable and wanted to participate, even to replace Liu Zongzhou and Qian Qianyi.

Liu and Qian could guess what they were thinking, but they weren't worried at all.

In the academic circles of the Ming Dynasty today, Liu Zongzhou is undoubtedly a leading figure. Qian Qianyi, after publishing "On Constant Property" and "On Production" in succession, also became one of the leading figures.

Their positions were virtually unassailable. The only person they paid even slight attention to was Zhang Pu, who, under the emperor's guidance, founded science.

This was also the person in charge of proofreading and annotation chosen by the emperor, but it was not announced.

However, Zhang Pu was a junior and far less famous than them.

Even if they participate in the editing and annotation in the future, it is impossible for them to threaten the positions of the two individuals.

The final outcome of the collation and annotation, and whose ideas it reflects, will be contested between Liu Zongzhou's philosophy of mind and Qian Qianyi's practical learning.

Whoever gains control over the editing and annotation will become a revered sage among scholars in the future. (End of Chapter)