I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 665 Where is the throne of Confucius?

The sound of gongs and drums became louder, followed by the sound of firecrackers, which startled countless flying birds.

The choking smoke filled the air and scraps of paper were flying all over the ground, but the atmosphere was instantly set.

After the firecrackers stopped, everyone applauded enthusiastically. Li Wanyi invited Li Zhi and Cao Guozong to preside over the ceremony of raising the plaque and opening the gate.

Amid cheers, Li Zhi, who was wearing a jacket over a Confucian robe and a big hat, and Cao Guozong, who was wearing a red official robe, walked towards each other humbly, walked to the gate of Jiangxia Public School, took a brush from a student, dipped it in the ink in the inkstone, and made a stroke on each side of the plaque.

Then the plaque was slowly lifted up by the craftsmen and stuck above the door frame.

"Jiangxia Public School" was written by Wang Yi'e.

Powerful, solemn and awe-inspiring.

Then Li Zhi and Cao Guozong took two pairs of scissors, cut the red ribbon hanging on the door knocker, and pushed the door open with force.

The applause rang out again, and the band used all their strength to beat the gongs and drums loudly.

Cao Guozong and Li Wanyi invited him again and again, but Li Zhi refused to show his hospitality and was the first to step over the threshold and enter the gate of Jiangxia Public School.

Cao Guozong was the second to step in, and Li Wanyi turned around and invited Geng Dingding to be the third to enter the gate.

Geng Dingxiang had already been feeling indignant.

In terms of achievements, I am a Jinshi and a senior of Cao Guozong. How can you, Li Zhi, a mere Juren, compare to me?
In terms of official rank, I was once the Right Censor-in-Chief, which is the same as yours, Cao Guozong. If you want to enter the palace, I should be the second one.

The abominable court was filled with treacherous people who were wilful in their administration. If one resigned or was dismissed, he would no longer enjoy the same rank and treatment as if he had retired. He resigned in anger and lost his corresponding rank, leaving only the title of Jinshi.

Even so, you can't compare to me!

But you guys despised and neglected me!

A bunch of people who curry favor with the powerful are disgracing civility!

Geng Dingxiang bowed to Li Wanyi with a forced smile, and unceremoniously stepped over the threshold third.

Next came the prefect of Wuchang, more than twenty officials from the Hubei Provincial Government, and fifty or sixty famous people from Huguang, who crossed the threshold one after another.

When it was Geng Dingli's turn, he walked up to Li Wanyi and bowed with his arms crossed.

Li Wanyi knew that he was apologizing on behalf of his brother, and quickly bowed in return.

Among the three Gengs of Tiantai, Mr. Eight is the most learned and the most kindhearted, but has the least reputation. His younger brother Geng Dingli passed the Hubei provincial examination last year, while he is still only a scholar.

Other guests followed in, including local elders, old scholars, merchants, and student parents, nearly two hundred people of all kinds.

No one noticed that there were four people mixed in the crowd, namely Wang Yi'e, Li Mingchun and two guards.

Walking into Jiangxia Public College, there is a screen wall in the middle of the front, on which are engraved two lines of powerful characters: "Beautiful is my young China, which will never grow old! Strong are my young Chinese, which will never be bounded by the country!"

The signature is Zhang Taiyue.

More than two hundred guests, in groups of two or three, followed Li Wanyi, who was leading the introduction, to visit this school, which is known as the first new standard public school in Hubei Province.

Going around the screen wall, there is a vast open space.

In the middle is a grass field, a standard football field. In front is a stepped stand made of cement bricks and stones. Around the football field is an oval yellow mud track, which is completely in accordance with the public school facilities standards of the Ministry of Rites and Education.

It is said that the standard first came from Xishan Military Academy and Qinghe Non-commissioned Officers School; some say it first came from Longhua Academy and Xiangshan Academy; and some say it came from Luanzhou Workers' and Miners' Children's School.

There are many different opinions, but now public schools at all levels are basically built according to this standard.

Beyond the playground is a four-story teaching building with two stairwells, six classrooms on each floor, and a long corridor in front connecting them.

The classroom is very spacious, with front and back doors and windows on both sides. They are made of frosted glass and have bright windows.

Frosted glass is "inferior" glass, but it is also valuable.

The visiting guests were amazed.

The imperial court was really willing to spend money.

Who would be willing to spend so much money in an ordinary private school?

The classroom was neatly arranged with tables and chairs, one table and one chair forming a set. They were all made of wood and painted with varnish. Even standing at the door, you could smell the scent of wood and varnish.

Directly in front of it was a long platform, two bricks high, with a wooden podium in the front and a long wooden board hung on the wall at the back, which was flat and painted with a dull black paint.

Written on it in chalk is "Celebrate the start of school!"

The simplified Chinese characters in Fangsong style made Geng Dingxiang frown.

Above the blackboard, slightly below the roof, there was a slogan written: "Study hard and make continuous progress!"

There was a piece of paper next to the blackboard, with a schedule and a list of subjects written on it.

From the first to the ninth day of every ten days, morning reading begins at 7:00 a.m. and there is a 30-minute break for breakfast at 7:30 p.m.

Classes officially start at 8:00 and are divided into four periods. There is a 15-minute break between each period, and a half-hour break after the third period, including 15 minutes of exercise between classes.

Lunch and nap at 12 o'clock.

The three afternoon classes start at 1:45 pm and end at 16:30 pm.

Extracurricular activities are from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and dinner and rest time are from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Evening self-study starts at 7:00 p.m. and lasts until 9:30 p.m. It is divided into two sessions with a 20-minute break in between.

Go to bed at 22:00.

On the tenth day, you will have a day off and can apply to go home or go out of school for fun.

Each year is divided into winter and summer vacations, and the winter vacation is from the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month to the 20th day of the first lunar month.

The summer vacation is from June 15th to July 30th.

Don’t ask why it is arranged this way. The young people of the new Ming Dynasty must experience all the hardships that Emperor Wanli once suffered.

The guests looked at the schedule and couldn't help but sigh that the schedule was so tight and combined work and rest.

Look at the chart of subjects again.

Chinese, mathematics, physics, chemistry, art, vocal music, and physical education are interspersed in between. Chinese and mathematics have two to three classes every day, and physical education has one class every day.

There are one or two classes of physics and chemistry every two days, and one or two classes of art and vocal music every three days.

It was all in accordance with the education syllabus issued by the Ministry of Rites in the first year of the Wanli period. The Four Books and Five Classics were mixed in with the Chinese language, and the content was greatly reduced.

Many guests looked at each other, especially the old Confucian scholars, whose faces were filled with expressions as if the world was about to end.

But they didn't dare to say it.

There were three major cases in Jiangnan, as well as the Yuelu in Hunan and Shigu Academy examination boycott cases, all of which involved a large number of people being killed, and everyone knew the numbers.

Things have changed!
Geng Dingxiang felt dizzy and his chest felt stuffy.

The teachings of the sages are being openly discarded. If this continues, will the country still be a country?
Geng Dingxiang bit his lips tightly, trying hard not to let the grief and anger in his heart burst out from his chest.

The current Emperor Wanli is as ruthless as Emperor Taizu. Under such high pressure, all the horses are silent!
Geng Dingxiang stumbled out of the classroom, never wanting to look at the damn subject list again.

Such a good place, how much of the people's money has been spent, why can't it be used in the right way to teach students the teachings of sages and to understand righteousness and etiquette.

But it is wasted on miscellaneous side branches.

What’s the use of students taught like this?

Geng Dingxiang listened for a while and found that everyone was discussing the subject in a low voice, and he was very happy.

There is always the right way in the world!
But when I listened carefully again, I heard that everyone was saying that these subjects were difficult to learn and they were worried that their children would have trouble learning and would not be able to keep up with the teaching progress.

They all lamented that the syllabus and textbooks were too new, and they had no place to find private tutors. In their words and deeds, they were all praising the people who were admitted to Jiangxia Public School, how excellent and promising they were, but they did not mention the Confucianism at all.

Geng Dingxiang was so angry that he almost vomited blood.

It's too difficult for me, and it's too difficult to get into Wenjin Academy. There are fewer and fewer students who want to study the teachings of sages.

According to the new education policy issued by the Ministry of Rites, starting from the second year of Wanli, the county examination recruited local boys aged seven to twelve. After studying in the county public school for three to five years, they could take the prefectural examination, and if they passed the examination, they could enter the prefectural public school such as Jiangxia Public School.

After studying in the prefectural public school for three to five years, students can take the provincial examination. Those with excellent grades are recruited by the Northern and Southern Imperial Colleges and the Imperial College, and those who pass the examination are admitted to the Jianghan Public School.

The rest were admitted to technical schools (training institutes) and technical colleges according to their grades.

Some of them were directly admitted to the non-commissioned officer and technical officer schools set up by the army and navy, such as Qinghe Non-commissioned Officer School, Shanghai Navigation School, and Tianjin Navigation School.

Technical schools and the Army and Navy Officer Schools also recruited a large number of students who failed the provincial examination from county schools.

In short, if you get into the provincial public school, your future will be bright.

If he is admitted to the county school, his future will basically be worry-free, as there will always be a job waiting for him that can provide food and clothing for his family.

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The county exam is the easiest; one only needs to have attended a private school for two or three years and be able to read and do simple arithmetic.

The provincial examination is more difficult, as it tests Chinese, mathematics and the basics of science.

These subjects were taught by the county academy, but not by the Wenjin Academy, which only taught the Four Books and Five Classics and the righteousness of the sages. Even if you were well-versed in the classics, you could only pass the county academy entrance exam, not the prefectural exam, let alone the provincial exam.

As for the provincial and metropolitan examinations, they are now officially called the National Examinations for Recruiting Local/Central Officials, held once a year.

The county examination, prefectural examination, provincial examination and provincial examination (prefectural examination) are held in autumn, and the four examinations start at almost the same time.

The imperial examination (central examination) is still held in the spring.

Only students from the Imperial College and provincial public schools could participate in the provincial examinations. Those who passed the provincial examinations became trainee clerks in the province, and those who passed the six-month training and internship became civil servants, which was previously the lowest level of clerks.

Three years later, the examination and probation officially began, with the candidates rising step by step from the ninth rank to the ninth rank.

Some outstanding candidates in the provincial examination and students of the Northern and Southern Imperial Colleges can take part in the metropolitan examination. Those admitted to the metropolitan examination will become trainee officials. Those who pass the six-month training and political observation will be directly promoted from the eighth rank.

Some outstanding candidates in the imperial examination were selected as Shujishi, and there were only fifteen of them a year. Those on the "small list" of the Ministry of Personnel, after passing the training and political observation, started from the seventh rank.

Everyone has studied the new educational system thoroughly, and no one goes to Wenjin Academy anymore.

Do they only teach the Four Books and Five Classics, and include those in prefectural and provincial schools?
Not included?

Then what the hell am I learning?

I study for my future, not for personal interest.

Geng Dingxiang, who was well-read in history books, knew that Neo-Confucianism flourished for two hundred years in the Qing Dynasty, entirely due to the imperial examination system established by Emperor Taizu, in which those who studied Neo-Confucianism could pass the imperial examinations and become Jinshi, and thus become officials.

That is why scholars all over the world flocked to it, abandoned other studies, and concentrated on studying the Four Books and Five Classics.

If you fail the scientific examination, it will be useless even if you are extremely talented and have the ability to rule the world.

Now the Wanli Emperor, with his power no less powerful than that of the Taizu Emperor, made drastic changes to the imperial examination system, which was digging up the roots of Confucianism.

If the exam was conducted exactly like this, Geng Dingxiang would be happy.

Now, the scholars and candidates who are eligible to take part in the provincial and metropolitan examinations only know the Four Books and Five Classics. If you test so many miscellaneous subjects, they have no hope at all.

If we block their path, it will eventually lead to disaster.

Geng Dingxiang was happy to see it.

But the court made a patch.

Now, scholars and juren can participate in the provincial and metropolitan examinations to obtain the qualification to enter the government. The difficulty of the current examinations has been reduced. They mainly test the Chinese language, which scholars and juren are good at, and the rest only tests mathematics and the basics of the study of things, which are still very simple.

In addition, the imperial court published "Pre-exam Tutorial Books" for "Mathematics" and "Basics of the Study of Things", a quick and simplified version. It also encouraged scholars and candidates to go to various prefecture-level public schools to take free tutoring courses in mathematics and the study of things.

However, the court also reminded the existing scholars and candidates to seize the time and wait until a large number of students from provincial public schools graduate and start participating in the provincial and metropolitan examinations. The competition will become stronger and the difficulty of the examinations will double.

There is still three or four years of buffer time, so you can take care of yourself.

Don't leave any loopholes!
Geng Dingxiang was heartbroken. Looking at Li Zhi, Cao Guozong, and other officials including the prefect and county magistrate of Wuchang, his eyes were about to bleed.

You also studied the classics of the sages and won the imperial examinations. Now that your foundation has been dug up, why don't you come out and oppose it?

But Geng Dingxiang knew that this was useless.

These officials don’t care whether the new education policy will test the Four Books and Five Classics or not, because they have already landed a job. The reality now is that if they support the new education policy and the recruitment system, they can continue to be officials; if they dare to oppose it, they will immediately lose their official positions.

In serious cases, one might end up like Wang Lin, Li Shan and others, who were stabbed in the stomach at the vegetable market in the autumn.

How will these officials be elected?
Geng Dingxiang was so angry that his teeth were about to break. His eyes were slightly red, and his resentment made others feel a little bit, so they didn't dare to approach him.

Geng Dingli saw this and could not help but step forward and gently persuaded him: "Brother, we are here to learn, not to get angry."

"What are you learning? How to be unorthodox?" Geng Dingxiang snorted and left.

The guests followed Li Wanyi out of the teaching building and visited the office building, library, gymnasium, cafeteria, and student dormitories.

The office building is where teachers mark homework, prepare lessons and hold meetings. It is two stories high and has twelve offices and a large conference room.

The library is a hall on a platform, which contains thousands of books, all of which were recently printed using movable type by several major bookstores in Nanjing and the capital.

The guests picked up a few books and flipped through them. The handwriting was clear, all in simplified Chinese, with punctuation marks, and most of them were printed horizontally from left to right.

We must always take into account the habits that senior civil servants have developed over decades.

A small number of them are reprinted old editions, still typed vertically from right to left, but they are all in simplified Chinese with punctuation marks.

Geng Dingxiang would throw these books aside after just glancing at them, as if he had encountered a poisonous snake or insect.

"Everything has been changed, and it's a mess. How can people study?"

Geng Dingli advised: "Brother, the emperor is determined to make new achievements, and there will be a new atmosphere under his great achievements."

"Is this the new atmosphere? It's disgusting!"

Geng Dingxiang snorted again.

Then the guests visited the student dormitories.

There are only boys, so there is no need to separate the dormitories for boys and girls.

It has three floors, with a corridor in the front and rooms in the back. There are twelve rooms on each floor, each with four wooden bunk beds, which can accommodate eight people.

There is a large laundry room and a large toilet at the end of each floor.

The water comes from a large water tower on the roof, and students need to take turns every day to use water trucks to pump water to the water tower.

Artificial tap water.

The two dormitory buildings can accommodate 576 people, but Jiangxia Public School has only enrolled 560 people so far.

The cafeteria is a large, empty room with concrete pillars in the middle that can accommodate five to six hundred people.

There are rows of long tables and chairs.

Li Wanyi asked the guests to sit down, and then said in a loud voice: "You have visited our Jiangxia Public School. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to give them your guidance."

Geng Dingxiang, who had been holding back his anger for a long time, stood up and asked sternly, "Where is the throne of Confucius?"

Everyone was silent, looking at Geng Dingxiang, who was suddenly filled with righteousness, with complicated expressions.

(End of this chapter)