Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 41 Our Ming Dynasty is not the Song Dynasty!

Huang Zicheng and the other two disappeared.

With still twenty days before the palace examination, they disappeared without a trace, as if they had evaporated from the face of the earth. However, everyone who knew about the situation knew why the three of them kept a low profile, because Xia Zhibai's incident had made them lose face.

Even being in the top is not enough.

However, before that, Huang Zicheng and the other two found Li Min and asked about Xia Zhibai's residence. However, when the three arrived, Xia Zhibai had already left and there was no sign of him at all.

This made the three of them even more furious.

Because all signs indicate that Xia Zhibai is a liar.

They were fooled.

In the past, they boasted of their talent and knowledge, and were well versed in various classics, but they were met with such a harsh rebuke. The humiliation was beyond words and made the three of them lose all face.

After searching for a while in vain, the three of them simply hid themselves away to avoid the spotlight.

However, the fact that the three people were fooled by Xia Zhibai had already spread throughout the city and was a hot topic of discussion in the streets and alleys.

The three people in Class A became a complete joke.

at the same time.

Zhu Biao went to the Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat upright on the dragon throne, looking at Zhu Biao who was walking quickly. He knew why Zhu Biao was looking for him, but he looked calm and did not speak.

Zhu Biao cupped his hands and said solemnly, "Father, it was you who ordered Xia Zhibai not to be the emperor."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

Zhu Biao was a little anxious and asked in confusion: "Father, why are you doing this?"

"Xia Zhibai's words were harsh, but they were indeed for the good of Ming Dynasty. However, your decision, father, not only did Xia Zhibai fail to get a rank, but also made many scholars who participated in the imperial examination become a joke."

"This is too much!"

Zhu Biao could not be so anxious. Zhu Yuanzhang had really gone too far.

With Xia Zhibai's actual performance, even if he couldn't rank first, he was at least in the top two. As long as the court treated him fairly and justly, Huang Zicheng and others would not have suffered such a great humiliation, and would not have suddenly become a laughing stock.

These are the top three in the Ming Dynasty imperial examination.

How can it be so humiliating?

Wouldn't this give rise to gossip and undermine the morale of one's own officials?
If Huang Zicheng and others were unable to recover from this blow, it would also be a loss for the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang closed his eyes slightly, a hint of coldness flashed across his eyes, and he said indifferently: "Do you think I did something wrong? But I don't think I did anything wrong."

“We still think we’re doing the right thing.”

"We have seen Xia Zhibai's other two examination papers."

“Enough to rank second.”

"If we don't have any emotions, there's even a chance that we can select him into the top class. But as I said, if we don't have any emotions, he will take the third test. Based on what he wrote, we're doing him a disservice by not exterminating all nine of his clans."

"Still want to go to high school?"

"We are not that tolerant."

"Why should we be so tolerant of him?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, looked at Zhu Biao coldly, and continued: "We know about the bet between Xia Zhibai and Huang Zicheng and others."

"We did it on purpose."

"I know you are kind-hearted and always have good intentions, but I am an experienced person and I know what can be trusted and what cannot be trusted. I will tell you this time, don't take these scholars too seriously. None of them are trustworthy."

“No one deserves respect.”

"And we are also doing this to preserve the royal family's reputation."

"If Xia Zhibai is really ranked second, or even higher, do you think he can come back? Does he dare to come back?"

Zhu Biao was silent.

Will Xia Zhibai come back?

Zhu Biao shook his head in his heart, it was impossible for him to come back. Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and said, "Xia Zhibai will not come back, but his name is on the list of the second class, so he will definitely not participate in the palace examination, and will not participate in other examinations in the future. By then, it will be our own face that will be damaged."

"We won't allow this to happen."

"And after this farce, the world only remembers the embarrassment and misery of these scholars, but does not know the specific circumstances."

"We also saved your face."

"I'll let you see how hypocritical these scholars of our Ming Dynasty are. Do you think that if I do this, Huang Zicheng and others will be filled with grief and anger, and then resolutely leave?"

"Let us tell you."

"will not!"

"Twenty days later, these people will stand in front of you without any influence, and may even talk and laugh with you. I have long seen through what kind of people these scholars are."

"What integrity, what backbone, what nobleness, they are all fake."

"What they care about is official position and power."

"For the sake of power and position, they are willing to endure even the most extreme things, let alone these humiliations."

"We just want to destroy the arrogance of these scholars."

"It makes the literati completely unable to hold their heads up."

"We must tell them clearly that since they have chosen to be officials of our Zhu family, they must be aware of being officials of the Zhu family. We are not the Song Dynasty, and we have no intention of sharing the world with the literati."

"It's even more impossible."

"We just want them to be obedient."

"If anyone tries to ride on my head and share the world with me, I will let them know why I sit firmly on this world."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were full of murderous intent.

He has always hated scholars, and he hated them for gossiping about him, and he hated them even more for telling him what to do.

He just wanted to demote the scholars to the point of being worthless.

Although he came from a low-income family, he had been a reader all these years and had read many books in the world. In his opinion, many major events in the world, whether rebellion or revolution, were harmful to these literati.

Of course they lose ten times out of ten.

But the harm to the world is extremely serious.

Get to the root of it.

The reason is that these scholars did not just regard themselves as subjects, but also regarded themselves as "kings", and believed that they should rule the world together with the emperor. Therefore, they provoked all kinds of troubles in order to force the emperor to make concessions and then achieve their own political ambitions.

This was something Zhu Yuanzhang could never tolerate.

A minister should have the awareness of a minister.

He should not think of usurping the throne, let alone try to override the emperor, so he has been trying to suppress scholars over the years in order to completely destroy their dignity.

Let them be completely honest.

It also completely put an end to the scholars' extravagant ambitions, allowing them to understand their own identities and status, and to serve as honest and dutiful subjects in the future.

Zhu Biao was shocked when he heard what Zhu Yuanzhang said.

He knew that Zhu Yuanzhang disliked scholars, but he had never expected that his father would be so hostile to the literati.

It is not enough to treat the literati with severe punishments.

It is also necessary to completely destroy the integrity and nobleness of the scholar-officials, forcing them to be submissive and respectful in the future. But can the literati selected in this way really be of great use?

Can you really protect the Ming Dynasty?

At this moment, he finally understood why his father had such strong murderous intent towards Xia Zhibai and why he targeted him again and again, because Xia Zhibai revealed his father's true thoughts.

He regards all officials as farmhands and all the people as slaves.

Can such a Ming Dynasty really last long?
he does not know.

(End of this chapter)