Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 76, What you should look up at is not the sky, but your surname!

Chapter 76, What you should look up at is not the sky, but the people! (Subscribe)
Seeing that Xia Zhibai was really determined to find another way to govern the world, the ministers in the field looked slightly surprised.

There have been people like Xia Zhibai in the court in the past, but most of them were just going through the motions to assert their own "justice" and get the court to make some concessions. None of them were as resolute as Xia Zhibai and would go all the way.

Although it was a bit unexpected, few people really took it to heart.

Xia Zhibai seemed to be righteous and had a lot of say in the court, but he was only speaking on the occasion of the palace examination. If it were any other time, his words would not reach the ears of the officials, let alone the ears of His Majesty.

A top scholar who is currently at most a fifth-rank scholar.

Are you qualified to talk about the people of the world? Are you qualified to talk about serving the country?
joke.

Li Shanchang lowered his eyes.

Turn your eyes away from Xia Zhibai.

The courage of an ordinary man is nothing to be feared, and it is difficult for him to achieve great things.

It is even more impossible to affect the status of their Huaixi lineage in the court.

Guo Chong and Wu Gongda looked regretful.

Young people have great ambitions.

It is indeed easy to make people feel good about you, but nothing can be accomplished just by relying on emotion.

Now that the world is settled, it is no longer the primitive era.

Without a background, no backing, no connections, and no one to support you, no matter how talented and ambitious you are, you will eventually be worn away bit by bit by endless trivialities.

There was also such a person in the imperial examination of their year, and he was the top scorer at that time.

Wu Bozong.

He is a kind person, but he is strong inside and does not flatter others, so he often stumbles.

However, his repeated advice caused the dissatisfaction of the Majesty, and he was reprimanded many times. Eventually, he died of illness on the way to exile in Yunnan.

They were not as upright as Wu Bozong. After being in the court for so long, their edges had long been smoothed out and they had become accustomed to the rules of officialdom.

The two looked at each other, and the passion in their eyes faded away little by little.

Hua Lun and Lian Zining looked at each other, with a hint of helplessness and resignation in their eyes.

They don't like the white of summer.

But he just disliked Xia Zhibai's arrogance.

But he still recognized Xia Zhibai's pragmatism and perseverance.

Seeing that Xia Zhibai was determined to go his own way, he would rather give up fame and fortune to do business for his ambition than compromise, and could only feel helpless.

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes and continued, "As for your third question, I can give you a clear answer. Not only do we have it, but we will always have it."

"I am not Tang Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. In the first ten years of his reign, he was indeed a famous ruler who worked hard to govern the country. However, after achieving some success, he became passive and lost his ambition. I will not be like that."

"We have very high expectations for the Ming Dynasty."

"The Northern Yuan Dynasty has not been destroyed, the surrounding areas have not been pacified, and the people are still in dire straits. We dare not and will not slack off in the slightest."

Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang quickly complimented him, "Your Majesty is wise."

"With your majesty pointing the way for us, I believe that the Ming Dynasty will continue to move towards greater prosperity under your majesty's leadership."

"This is a blessing for the world, for the Ming Dynasty, and for the people."

"I thank Your Majesty on behalf of all the people."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and was very pleased with Li Shanchang's compliment.

He stroked his beard and was ready to end the palace examination. After so many twists and turns, this palace examination no longer had much meaning.

It is not appropriate to have too many cutscenes.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the crowd of Jinshi candidates below and said, "According to the normal procedure, this palace examination has been delayed for more than ten days."

"I have personally read your test papers, and I have also heard the ministers talk about you. You are all talents that can be used by our Ming Dynasty and pillars of society."

"We are very pleased."

"Let's not waste any more words. This palace examination has been tiring enough. Let's just make the announcement directly."

"In this imperial examination, Xia Zhibai was the top scholar, Hua Lun was the second, and Lian Zining was the third."

"The rest are consistent with the examination results."

"As for your specific official positions in the court, there will be special officials in charge."

"We have high hopes for you, and we hope you won't let us down."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the Jinshi candidates below with eager eyes, as if he really had high hopes for them and attached great importance to them.

Everyone was so focused that they said excitedly, "We will serve Your Majesty with all our hearts and souls until our death."

"I will thank you, Your Majesty."

"Haha, great, great, with so many talented people, how can our Ming Dynasty not prosper?" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily, very satisfied.

All the officials also smiled and nodded frequently.

At this peaceful moment, Xia Zhibai stood up again. He raised his head and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, do you still remember that we had an agreement at the beginning?"

"If I can produce 1,000 kilograms of grain per mu, Your Majesty will agree to one of my requests."

"Now I ask Your Majesty to fulfill his promise."

After the words were spoken, there was silence all around.

Zhu Biao's eyelids twitched. He didn't expect that Xia Zhibai still remembered this. He had almost forgotten it.

He just said it casually at the time.

Unexpectedly, Xia Zhibai actually took it seriously.

Zhu Biao said gloomily, "Xia Zhibai, why do we have to finish talking about everything today?"

Xia Zhibai said: "Your Highness, I am worried that after today, I will no longer have such courage and bravery."

Zhu Biao's face darkened.

He didn't believe what Xia Zhibai said.

When has Xia Zhibai ever been afraid? He wrote anti-corruption articles on the examination paper, criticized the emperor in person when he met him, and now he is still speaking wildly during the palace examination.

Is there anything in the world that Xia Zhibai dares not to do?

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, his anger gradually rising. He had been tolerant of Xia Zhibai again and again, but he was not a good-tempered person.

There are limits to his patience.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Xia Zhibai coldly and said calmly, "I just said it casually at the beginning, don't take it seriously."

"You are not joking." Xia Zhibai said.

"Do you really want me to recognize you?" Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes and spoke in a cold voice, which was icy and bone-chilling.

Listening to Zhu Yuanzhang's words, the ministers beside him couldn't help shrinking their necks, feeling a chill on their necks. Xia Zhibai said neither servilely nor arrogantly: "A man without trust cannot stand."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed in anger and said, "Okay, then let's hear what kind of 'surprise' you have for us."

Xia Zhibai raised his eyes.

He looked at the words "Fengtian" above.

Xia Zhibai said, "Your Majesty rose from a commoner background and took advantage of the situation to gain the world. You care about the people. This is a blessing for the people of the world."

"only……"

"The officials of the Ming Dynasty are too picky."

"What they have in their eyes is the world, the saints, the sages, and the myriad things in the world, but the common people are missing."

"People say that there is a god above your head, but I think the officials of the Ming Dynasty should not look up to the sky, but to the people!"

"I hope your majesty will change from serving the people to serving the people!"

"Please give me your Majesty's permission."

Xia Zhibai stood straight, staring directly at the 'Fengtian' above, as if he wanted to smash it to pieces with his eyes.

"Be bold!"

"Xia Zhibai, please don't act rashly."

"Your Majesty established the Ming Dynasty in accordance with the will of Heaven. This is the will of Heaven. How dare you, a scoundrel, point fingers at Heaven? You are so bold!"

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible."

"..."

The place was filled with noise. Some people were yelling and insulting Xia Zhibai, some were refuting him, and some were arguing with him. It was a chaotic scene all around.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Xia Zhibai coldly, his face turned ashen, and he remained silent.

The attitude speaks for itself.

Xia Zhibai continued, "I know that Your Majesty founded the Ming Dynasty in accordance with the will of heaven, but I think that Your Majesty obeyed heaven when you conquered the world, but you can't just obey heaven when you rule the world."

“It should be more for the people!”

"What if we don't change it?" Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Xia Zhibai said: "I only know that you are not joking."

"Xia Zhibai!" Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were wide open, he was completely furious, his eyes were red with anger.

Xia Zhibai refused to give in and insisted, "Your Majesty, please fulfill your promise."

Zhu Yuanzhang's chest heaved violently.

People are about to explode with anger.

Ever since he came into contact with Xia Zhibai, he has never had a smooth life. Every time he was accused and complained by Xia Zhibai.

This time is no exception.

"Your Majesty, please keep your promise." Xia Zhibai spoke again, his voice becoming louder and more resolute.

"Are you forcing us?!" Zhu Yuanzhang's face was extremely cold, with murderous intent in his eyes without any concealment. A overwhelming momentum of mountains of corpses and seas of blood instantly pressed over.

It seemed like he was forcing Xia Zhibai to give up.

Xia Zhibai only felt a tightness in his chest, but he did not give in at all.

He needs the Ming Dynasty to put up this sign.

Even if it's just a memorial archway.

You must have it too!
Xia Zhibai refused to retreat, and Zhu Yuanzhang refused to give in. The two men just stared at each other, and the atmosphere in the field suddenly fell to freezing point.

No one dared to say a word.

Zhu Biao also felt his scalp tingling at this moment.

He had been scolded by his father as a stubborn person many times in the past, but compared with Xia Zhibai, how could he be stubborn at all? He was clearly too gentle.

Zhu Biao frowned.

I was secretly thinking about how to solve it.

At this moment, Hua Lun and other Jinshi stood up without any warning. They lowered their heads, not daring to look at Zhu Yuanzhang, and their bodies were trembling slightly.

It was obvious that he couldn't hide his fear.

Hua Lun said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, I... made a bet with Xia Zhibai during the imperial examination. We agreed that if Xia Zhibai won the first place, we would support him once."

"Now Xia Zhibai has become the top scholar."

"As a subject of your majesty, I am afraid that I will be affected by this in the future. As a scholar, I dare not break my promise, but I do not want to betray your majesty's trust."

"Therefore, I dare to fulfill the bet I made as a humble scholar before serving Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, please forgive me."

"I think that people should not break their promises. Your Majesty, as the ruler of a country, should keep his promises. Since you have already agreed, how can you go back on your word?"

"I think your majesty should fulfill his promise."

"Change Fengtian to the people."

Other candidates also stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, please keep your promise and change Fengtian to the people."

"..."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked coldly at the scholars below, with a strong murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

He didn't expect it either.

Xia Zhibai unexpectedly has such a great appeal.

Although Hua Lun spoke seriously, he finally stood on Xia Zhibai's side, which made Zhu Yuanzhang even more disgusted with these scholars.

Zhu Yuanzhang was filled with murderous intent.

He always had only one thought about these traitors who disobeyed him.

Just kill!