Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The position of head of the Hanlin Academy immediately satisfied Qian Qianyi.

This year, in particular, coincides with the imperial examination. After passing the examination to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), students will also have to take the examination to become a Shujishi (a junior official in the Hanlin Academy).

He took this opportunity to select a group of people to align themselves with him.

Liu Zongzhou was able to teach students at the Imperial Academy, and Qian Qianyi was able to recruit talent at the Hanlin Academy.

As Qian Qianyi was contemplating how to recruit probationary officials, he suddenly heard the emperor say:

“The selection of candidates for the Shuchang Hall has been controversial in the past.”

“It is common for examiners to hire people they are close to because of their personal likes or dislikes.”

“This is contrary to the principles of fairness. I intend to entrust the selection of the Shuchang Jishi (a type of scholar-official) to the Hanlin Academy scholars and the heads of the various academies.”

"Nowadays, the Hanlin Academy has the National History Museum that was established earlier, as well as the Classics and History Museum that was established some time ago."

"I wonder what other pavilions Mr. Qian thinks should be established?"

This problem was completely unexpected by Qian Qianyi.

This also made him realize that the emperor was about to take action against the Hanlin Academy.

After establishing the National History Museum and the Classics and History Museum, the emperor was no longer satisfied with minor repairs and planned to completely restructure the Hanlin Academy.

Before the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, he would never have agreed to such a thing, nor would he have participated in it at all.

However, the current emperor has reformed many institutions under the guise of re-establishing rites and music. After experiencing the reforms of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the National Assembly, he has become somewhat accustomed to this.

At this moment, he wasn't thinking about how to persuade the emperor not to change it, but rather how to make changes in a way that would be most advantageous to him.

Thinking that the pragmatic school had already established its position in history but was somewhat lacking in classical studies, Qian Qianyi said:

"Emperor Wen of the Southern Song Dynasty established four academies, which were divided into four disciplines: Confucianism, history, metaphysics, and literature."

"I believe that we can follow the example of the Four Academies and set up academies for classics, history, and literature in the Hanlin Academy."

This suggestion piqued Zhu Youjian's interest, and he inquired:

"You mean to separate the academies for classics and history?"

"What about the National History Museum? Should it be merged into the History Institute?"

Qian Qianyi was determined to make historiography independent, as the foundation of the practical school of thought, and said:

"The Hanlin Academy originally had the responsibility of compiling national history. National history is different from history. It can be incorporated into the History Institute or set up as a separate institute."

"In this way, the Hanlin Academy would have departments for classics, history, literature, etc., which would recruit personnel separately."

This arrangement earned Zhu Youjian's approval, who considered it very appropriate.

He viewed the Hanlin Academy as a social science academy, and the later social science academy had six departments, which he also planned to set up accordingly.

The academies he established were the departments of study: the Classics Department was equivalent to the Department of Marxist Philosophy, the History Department was equivalent to the Department of History, and the Literature Department was equivalent to the Department of Literature and Philosophy.

Keep it simple, don't complicate it, Zhu Youjian decided:
"The National History Museum will be merged into the History Institute, still referred to as the Institute, as a special branch, and connected with the Daily Records."

"For other ancient history and world history, only research institutes are established, and then research institutes for historical theory are also established."

"in addition……"

After a pause, Zhu Youjian said:
"Among the four academies is the Xuanxue Academy. However, since the current dynasty does not promote Xuanxue, there is no need to establish this academy."

"But the knowledge of Laozi, Zhuangzi, the philosophers of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and the ancient sages from China and abroad still needs to be studied."

"Therefore, we will set up a philosophy museum to study how ancient philosophers viewed and transformed the world and to draw on their useful perspectives."

Establish a separate library for philosophy and assign dedicated researchers to study it. This is to prevent a future situation where classical studies might be overturned and no alternative discipline can be found.

If Marxist philosophy or other philosophical theories emerge abroad, a philosophy museum can be established to conduct research on them.

What Zhu Youjian planned this time was a system that would not be outdated for hundreds of years.

Qian Qianyi naturally hadn't thought of that; he only remembered the emperor's recent instruction to him on "drawing from a hundred schools of thought," and wholeheartedly agreed, saying:

"Although each of the Hundred Schools of Thought has its shortcomings, it also has its merits."

"A separate Philosophy Department may be established within the Hanlin Academy."

The four academies of Confucianism, history, metaphysics, and literature established by Emperor Wen of the Southern Song Dynasty were renamed the four academies of classics, history, philosophy, and literature.

This was enough in Qian Qianyi's eyes, but in Zhu Youjian's eyes it was just the beginning.

Because this is only equivalent to three divisions of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; there are still three divisions that haven't been established yet!

So after thinking it over, he said again:
"Rites, music, books, mathematics, archery, and charioteering are the six arts of a gentleman."

“Ritual music can be placed in the Confucian Classics Institute and studied by the Institute of Ritual Classics and the Institute of Music Classics.”

"The archery technique can be placed in the Martial Arts Research Institute so that martial artists can study it."

"Books can indeed be studied in the Hanlin Academy, which requires a dedicated facility."

"I intend to establish an art museum to study the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, painting, dance, drama, sculpture, architecture, aesthetics, and entertainment."

"What do you think, sir?"

These things have a somewhat decadent feel to them, and if a more conservative minister like Liu Zongzhou heard them, he would certainly advise the emperor against it.

However, Qian Qianyi was not that kind of person. He didn't mind flattering the emperor in private, and upon hearing this, he immediately said:

"The Hanlin Academy was established in the early Tang Dynasty to employ literary figures to accompany the emperor on his excursions and entertainment."

"Later, the task shifted to drafting confidential edicts, but one should not abandon one's original duties."

"Among the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), those with a special skill can enter the Hanlin Academy Art Museum."

The establishment of an art gallery was agreed upon, but it was stipulated that personnel be limited to those who had passed the imperial examinations (进士). This was to prevent indiscriminate recruitment and to avoid lowering the status of the Hanlin Academy.

Zhu Youjian only needed to arrange for people to specifically study these matters, without caring about who those people would be, and nodded, saying:

"That is how it should be; Hanlin scholars should be selected from among the Jinshi and Yuanshi."

"Only by laying a solid foundation of knowledge can one further cultivate one's character."

"If one does not hold the status of a Jinshi or Yuanshi, one can only serve as an unofficial scholar, serving as a study companion for Hanlin scholars."

While acknowledging Qian Qianyi's statement, he also left an opening for Hanlin Academy scholars to recruit talents who were particularly skilled in chess and painting.

He planned to include Wen Zhenheng, Zhang Dai, and others, evolving the so-called refined literati interests into aesthetic research and art study—

In the future, when I get tired of politics, I can find some enjoyment in these areas.

However, these were all secondary considerations. What Zhu Youjian truly valued among the Six Arts was mathematics, and he continued:
"Mathematics and finance and taxation are closely related, and finance and taxation can be collectively referred to as economics."

"The junior officials are to assist me in governing the country, and they must study economics."

"Therefore, I believe that the Hanlin Academy should establish an Economics Department to specialize in the study of mathematics and the art of governing the country and saving the people."

“A political hall will be set up to study domestic and foreign affairs.”

The responsibilities of the three departments—Economics, Social and Political Sciences, and International Studies—are integrated into the Economics Building and the Political Building.

Finally, in order to standardize academic research, Zhu Youjian established the Academic Institute, under which were set up the Teaching Research Institute, the Book and Periodical Institute, and the Academic Review Institute, which were responsible for the review of textbooks, publication review, journal evaluation, and academic dispute assessment that were separated from the Classics and History Institute.

Because they all studied techniques, the Political Academy, Economic Academy, Art Academy, and Academic Academy were collectively known as the Four Arts Academy, and together with the Four Academic Academy, they were collectively referred to as the Eight Great Academies. The Eight Great Academies of the Hanlin Academy were thus established, becoming the highest academic institution and the research center for humanities and social sciences in the Ming Dynasty.

In Zhu Youjian's view, the newly recruited probationary scholars were equivalent to graduate students.

They will be assigned to eight academic colleges for specialized study.

Zhu Youjian specifically instructed:
"Each of the eight academies is overseen by a Hanlin scholar, and there is no distinction of rank among the scholars."

"In the future, there will be no limit to the number of Hanlin Academicians. The basic rank will be the fifth grade. They will stay in the Hanlin Academy to do research and will be promoted to the honorary rank based on their seniority and merits."

"Other Hanlin officials who did not focus on academics were sent out to serve as officials after serving as lecturers."

This separates academics from officials, Qian Qianyi wondered:
"If a Hanlin Academician wants to become an official, can he/she be transferred to a substantive post?"

"Can officials who have been sent out to other places return to the Hanlin Academy?"

Scholars becoming officials was a common occurrence in later generations. Zhu Youjian said:
"A scholar of the Hanlin Academy is highly learned and naturally qualified to be an official."

"However, because he had not been trained in a real position, he could only be appointed to a prestigious official position in the Ministry of Rites system."

"If you return to the Hanlin Academy after being transferred to a post outside the capital, then you can only do what you did, serving as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and concurrently as the head of the Hanlin Academy."

Qian Qianyi now understood and realized the difference between the two.

However, his biggest takeaway was that the emperor gave Hanlin officials the opportunity to be promoted within the Hanlin Academy, without having to be sent out to serve as officials elsewhere.

This is very beneficial for the training of reserve personnel in the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites system, and as a beneficiary of this system, he naturally supports it.

To be honest, some people have quite a few complaints about the current emperor allowing Hanlin officials to hold concurrent positions outside the capital.

In their view, honest and upright officials have no need to be corrupt officials or hold substantive positions.

It was only because the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the transfer agency, was incorporated into the inner court that they had to be transferred to other government offices in order to get promoted.

Nowadays, the emperor has established more Hanlin Academy scholars and promoted their ranks with honorary titles, which makes Qian Qianyi feel that the era of noble and respectable officials has returned, and that noble and respectable officials can still maintain their noble and respectable status.

Therefore, he readily agreed to this and planned to reform the Hanlin Academy according to the emperor's request.

However, Zhu Youjian's reforms to the Hanlin Academy were clearly more than just these; he stated:

"The Hanlin Academy will implement a mentor system. After the examination, the junior scholars will be able to choose their school and mentors according to their own wishes."

“Mentors can also choose students, and each mentor can teach three to six people every three years.”

"After completing their studies, students can formally join the academy to conduct research, or they can be appointed as Hanlin scholars and serve as local officials after leaving the academy."

"The arrangements for entering and leaving the library are all managed by the Hanlin Academy."

"However, we cannot act arbitrarily; we must convene a meeting of the chief scholars from each academy to discuss the matter."

"The affairs of each academy are handled in the same way, and are discussed by the Hanlin Academicians."

Qian Qianyi could understand this method of collective discussion.

However, the mentorship system left him somewhat confused, unsure whether it was good or bad for him.

Theoretically speaking, as the head of the Hanlin Academy, he selected all the junior scholars in this cohort himself, and they could all be considered his disciples.

However, these disciples also have to choose their mentors, and they will obviously be closer to their mentors.

Puzzled, Qian Qianyi said:
"Many officials in the Hanlin Academy are currently serving concurrently in other places, so it is probably difficult to find enough scholars."

"Could we wait a few years until we have accumulated enough bachelor's degrees before implementing a mentorship system?"

He wants to postpone his term for a few years and just coast through.

Zhu Youjian, of course, disagreed and said:

"If a bachelor's degree isn't enough, you can find a grand bachelor."

"Aren't Zhu Guozhen, Huang Lijie, and Zhang Ruitu all compiling history? They could easily become Hanlin scholars in the Imperial Academy of History."

“Zhang Ruitu’s calligraphy is especially exquisite; he could even become a bachelor at an art museum.”

"If that's not enough, Dong Qichang was also a member of the Hanlin Academy, and his status and achievements were enough to qualify him as a Bachelor of Arts."

With so many retired officials in the court, is there any worry about not finding enough people to serve as scholars?

When Qian Qianyi heard these names, he was so shocked that he almost cried out.

Only then did he understand why the emperor said that there would be no more restrictions on the rank of Hanlin scholars; it turned out that he wanted the Grand Secretaries to return to their posts.

These people are certainly qualified to be Hanlin Academicians, but what will happen to me, the head of the Hanlin Academy, once they return home?
With so many retired Grand Secretaries, I, a mere Vice Minister, simply couldn't manage them.

Therefore he requested:
"The court has shown great favor to its ministers, and that is why the Grand Secretary has been granted permission to retire."

"They should not take on more duties even if they return to the Hanlin Academy."

"I believe they should be called Hanlin Academicians, but they should not participate in the Hanlin Academicians' deliberations."

"When recruiting students, their disciples should also be restricted from conducting research in the Hanlin Academy to prevent them from forming cliques and engaging in favoritism."

This was to prevent retired Grand Secretaries from interfering with the affairs of the Hanlin Academy. Zhu Youjian didn't care about this and nodded, saying:
"Sir, please take charge and draft a set of regulations."

"Now we can let retired Grand Secretaries and old Hanlin scholars continue to contribute their remaining energy to build the eight academies."

"We need to develop stricter systems in the future to prevent people with insufficient knowledge from passing off as bachelors."

"For example, the academic institution can establish a journal to publish papers that meet the requirements. Only when a certain number of papers are published can a bachelor's degree be awarded."

Having laid down the requirement for the number of papers, Zhu Youjian said with great interest:

"This Hanlin Academy Journal can also accept submissions from outsiders."

"Anything that meets the requirements can be published."

"If there are too many articles to publish in one journal, each academy can establish a sub-journal to publish articles in that discipline."

“Exceptionally outstanding articles can be published as standalone books or even expanded into full-length books, with outstanding works selected each year.”

"I will allocate funds from the imperial treasury to establish an academic fund specifically to support the publication of academic journals and books."

Just as he supported technological research and development, Zhu Youjian waved his hand and took out 100,000 taels of silver, which was specifically used for the establishment of eight academies and academic journals.

The aim is to standardize academic research in the Ming Dynasty and establish a journal system.

Under his personal guidance, the Hanlin Academy Journal was established. Subsequently, sub-journals were established covering classics, history, philosophy, literature, politics, economics, art, and academics, forming a complete system.

Many academic debates began with the Hanlin Academy Journal.

For example, the recent lectures on the classics and the questioning of the ancient text of the Book of Documents.

Many people start by studying the issues in Mei Zhuo's "Shangshu Kaoyi" (Textual Research on the Book of Documents).

This kind of scholarship is too in-depth, and the average reader rarely pays attention to it. Newspapers are also reluctant to publish it, and rarely publish such articles. Even when they do, it's only to give face to a few famous academics.

Now that there are specialized academic journals, those who study academic issues have suddenly found a place to gather.

They discussed extensively in the journal, learning from each other's strengths and weaknesses.

With the increasing participation of more and more people, the authenticity of the "Ancient Text Shangshu" is becoming clearer.

Starting from this point, academic journals in the Ming Dynasty established various standards. Research in classics and other disciplines thus began to advance rapidly. (End of Chapter)