Thief Emperor

Chapter 1165 A Taste That's Not What It Used to Be
Being an official is not actually a difficult job, nor does it require much professional knowledge. This profession is more about a person's emotional intelligence and character.

These two skills are high enough that whether or not one has professional knowledge is not very important.

Of course, it would be even better if they had personal charisma.

Therefore, whether it was Li Yun's new-style selection of officials or the old-style selection, there was essentially no difference in the selection of officials. The biggest difference between the two methods was that they changed the process of seeking official positions.

This will, in turn, change the social atmosphere.

When social values ​​become more pragmatic, the overall pace of progress will naturally be faster.

Of course, it would be even better if officials were pragmatic, and it would be even better if they could also master some professional skills such as agronomy.

By the time of the seventeenth year of Zhangwu, the decline of traditional learning was unstoppable, and it was time to find a suitable niche for it.

The so-called traditional learning is actually similar to the humanities in another world. These kinds of knowledge in literature and history should naturally be placed in the literature and history departments.

Li Yun's idea was simple: in the future, officials from the Hanlin Academy would mainly be placed in government offices related to literature and history, such as the Ministry of Rites, the Court of State Ceremonies, or the Censorate.

Li Yun did not explicitly state this matter, but took advantage of the incident involving Luo Bin and other scholars to establish a branch of the Hanlin Academy, similar to the Agricultural Academy.

Although he did not say it explicitly, the two had a tacit understanding over the years, and Prime Minister Du had clearly sensed the emperor's thoughts. He did not object and silently carried them out.

This is actually a good thing for traditional learning.

Without this "small path," it's hard to say whether future scholars would still be able to concentrate on studying the classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections.

Over time, even the seeds of civilization might be extinguished.

After leaving Ganlu Hall, Prime Minister Du quickly returned to Zhongshu and conveyed His Majesty's wishes to the other prime ministers.

At this moment, among all the ministers, only Minister Xu Ang was absent. The other ministers seemed to be deep in thought after hearing Minister Du's words.

Yao Zhong coughed twice, looked at Du Qian, and asked, "If the Hanlin Academy were to establish a sub-academy, just like the Agricultural Academy, with the authority to select students to enter the academy, this matter is still a bit troublesome. We need to sit down with the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy to discuss a set of rules."

"We need to decide on the exam format, the exam method, and the content to be tested."

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Du glanced at the people present, took a sip of tea, and sighed, "What's there to discuss?"

He looked at Yao Zhong and said with a wry smile, "Brother Juzhong, isn't it obvious?"

Yao Zhong was taken aback and asked, "Prime Minister Du, what do you mean?"

Minister Du sighed and said, "Now that the court has opened the imperial examinations, the content of the examinations is completely different from that of the imperial examinations during the Zhou Dynasty. Although it is still called the imperial examinations, it is now a completely different system."

He said quietly, "This exam was set up by the Hanlin Academy itself."

Du Xiangong said with some emotion, "Whatever the imperial examinations of the old Zhou Dynasty tested, that's what the Hanlin Academy tested."

Upon hearing this, the gentlemen all suddenly understood, and a sense of感慨 arose in their hearts.

The imperial examinations, which once tested knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as poetry, prose, and policy essays, have gradually ceased to be the mainstream practice of the court.

It is foreseeable that while it will still exist in the future, it will likely only be a branch, and is unlikely to become the mainstream.

Du Qian and Yao Zhong both had many feelings to express, while Prime Minister Guo You simply lowered his head slightly and remained silent.

Xu Kun, however, did not feel much. After all, he could be considered a prime minister who came from the modern school of thought. He paused for a moment, then looked at Prime Minister Du and asked, "Prime Minister Du, we first established the Academy of Agricultural Affairs, and now we have the Hanlin Academy. Will His Majesty establish any other academies in the future? Academies with the power to recruit students and select officials?"

Minister Du was taken aback upon hearing this.

He hadn't thought about these things, but after thinking for a while, he said, "I haven't thought about these things, let alone Houde. As far as I can see, His Majesty hasn't mentioned these things. However, based on my understanding of His Majesty, he will probably set up a military academy in the future."

He said softly, "It will be registered under the Privy Council."

The group of men looked at each other, and no one said a word.

Yao Xiangong nodded and said, "After entering the Central Plains, His Majesty probably had this idea, but the reason why he never did it was because there were too many officers in the Jiangdong Army at that time, which was more than enough."

He said quietly, "It might be done in the next few years."

Nearly twenty years have passed since they entered the Central Plains, and many of the people from the Jiangdong Army back then have grown old.

The military also needs some fresh blood.

In the past, military selection relied heavily on seniority and military achievements. However, as the world became more peaceful, there were fewer military achievements to be gained. Therefore, it became necessary to establish a military academy similar to the Hanlin Academy and the Agricultural Academy.

Master Du coughed and did not continue speaking.

The Secretariat is only responsible for political affairs; military affairs are not of much concern to them. Even the Ministry of War cannot interfere in such matters, so there is no need for them to speculate here.

If this were to reach His Majesty the Emperor's ears, it would be rather unfortunate.

"Alright, let's not talk about these things anymore." He looked at Yao Zhong and asked, "What's wrong with Brother Ziwang lately? I don't see him often in the Secretariat."

Master Yao sighed: "He's not feeling well, so he's taken leave."

Minister Du nodded and said, "Next year, transfer Cao Yu to the Censorate and let him be your student."

Last year, Cao Yu returned from Jiangnan with His Majesty the Emperor. He was not able to go to Guanzhong with Li Yun, but went directly back to Luoyang.

After arriving at the imperial court with the Emperor's favor and a note from Prime Minister Du, Cao Yu was quickly given the post of Prefect of Zhengzhou by the Ministry of Personnel, where he is now serving.

By next year, his tenure as the Prefect of Zhengzhou will have lasted less than two years, not even a full term.

It's like I've built up a resume at the prefecture or county level.

Upon hearing this, Yao Xiangong seemed to understand something, then nodded and said, "Alright, I'll write it down and give the Ministry of Personnel a heads-up later."

Prime Minister Du stood up, ending the meeting, and said, "Prime Minister Guo, please give His Highness the Crown Prince a brief report on today's proceedings, and then we can all go about our own business."

Guo Xiangong bowed his head and replied, "Yes."

The prime ministers then dispersed.

Yao Zhong was the last to stand up. He looked out the window at the sky and sighed, "That Cao Yu."

"What good luck!"

…………

In mid-May, the weather gradually got warmer.

That afternoon, a palace attendant came to the Secretariat and invited Prime Minister Du to the palace. Prime Minister Du followed the attendant, but instead of going to the familiar Ganlu Hall or Taiji Hall, he was led to the back garden of the palace.

When he arrived at the back garden, he saw His Majesty the Emperor enjoying the cool air under a pavilion. Upon seeing Du Qian from afar, the Emperor smiled and waved, "Brother Shouyi, come quickly, come quickly."

Prime Minister Du took a few quick steps, arrived at the foot of the pavilion, bowed, and said, "What brings Your Majesty to summon me?"

On the stone table beneath the pavilion, four green sticks were now laid out. Li Yun pulled Du Qian to sit down and said with a smile, "Brother Shouyi, what are these?"

Du Qian seemed to be thinking about something, and then said, "In the spring, I heard that His Majesty personally cultivated a piece of land and planted some seeds from overseas. I suppose this is what it is."

"clever."

The emperor smiled and said, "For the past three months, I have come to check on them whenever I have a spare moment, and I even had them composted. Now we are finally seeing the harvest."

He pointed to the field of corn that hadn't been harvested yet and said with a smile, "I picked a few today, and the rest will stay as seeds for next year."

The emperor smiled and said to Du Qian, "In a little while, let's cook two of them and eat them. I'll have someone send the remaining two to the empress and the crown prince to try."

Du Qian quickly waved his hand: "Your Majesty, how could I dare to..."

Li Yun said with a smile, "It was indeed precious a few months ago, but it's not so precious now. I can't grow much on this little bit of land. The agricultural institute has about an acre of land there."

"I went to check on it a few days ago. Although not all of them have sprouted, they are growing well. After two or three more times, these seeds will be enough to be promoted nationwide."

The emperor was quite excited, like a child who had received a treasure: "Let's peel it open together."

The two of them peeled open one ear of corn each, and found that neither ear was full and the kernels were just average, but Li Yun was already quite satisfied.

Soon, several palace servants set up a pot, cooked two ears of corn, and served them to His Majesty the Emperor and Minister Du.

At this moment, Prime Minister Du was playing with the corn silk. When he saw the two ears of corn that were served, he and the emperor each took one.

Du Xiangong took a bite, frowned as he savored the taste, then looked at Li Yun in front of him, only to see that Li Yun had also taken a big bite.

But he frowned slightly.

Du Xiangong seemed to be deep in thought. He took another bite, swallowed it, and then looked at Li Yun, asking with a smile, "Has Your Majesty eaten this before?"

Li Yun put down the corncob in her hand and hummed in agreement.

Du Xiangong took another bite.

"It probably isn't as good as what His Majesty used to eat."

Upon hearing this, His Majesty the Emperor looked up at Du Qian, remained silent for a moment, and then sighed.

"It doesn't taste the same anymore."

(End of this chapter)