Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 924 Imperial College Opens

As winter passes and spring comes, all things revive, and the city of Luoyang, inside and outside, is once again filled with a thriving scene.

For more than ten days in a row, the city gates were crowded with people, and most of them were rushing into the city. The room rates of hotels and inns in Luoyang city continued to rise, but there was still a shortage of supply.

At the gate of the Imperial College, countless people were gathered. Even outside the walls of the Imperial College, there were many people craning their necks to try to see what was going on inside.

The reason for such a bustling crowd is very simple, that is, the Imperial Academy, which has been in preparation for more than half a year and has caused a lot of commotion among the nobles and common people in the Han Dynasty, is finally going to open today!

It is not entirely accurate to say that school has started. It is just that the Imperial College has officially started accepting applications for admission since the first day of the first lunar month this year, and it has been two months since then.

A few days ago, the Imperial Academy conducted a simple test on all applicants. Today, they were assigned grades based on their test scores and the news was announced to the world.

The reason for dividing the students into grades was also Liu He’s suggestion.

Based on the historical record of "Three Dormitories of the Imperial College" in Wang Anshi's reform, he made some modifications and changed the Imperial College of the Han Dynasty to five dormitory units.

Those who are under ten years old but have very low education or even cannot read or write are placed in one dormitory.

Those who are ten years old or above but under thirteen and have just begun to learn literature will be in the second dormitory.

Those who are thirteen or above and under sixteen and have some knowledge of classics and history will be in the third dormitory.

Those who are sixteen or above and under twenty and have many insights will be in the fourth dormitory.

Those who are over 20 years old and under 25 and have extraordinary knowledge will be in the fifth dormitory.

Students in each dormitory will be tested once every six months. Those who fail the test three times in a row will be expelled from the Imperial College. Those who perform well in the test can be promoted to the next dormitory regardless of their age.

Those who have reached the upper age limit of their own dormitory but are not old enough to be admitted to a higher dormitory will also be expelled from the Imperial College.

After reaching the fifth house, the results of each examination would be submitted to the imperial court for review, and then talents would be selected and sent to various places to serve.

Not only that, the Imperial Academy did not just teach classics as usual, but also had four major branches.

The four major branches are economics, engineering, medicine, and military.

The Jing Academy taught classics, history, poetry, Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and mathematics.

The Institute of Technology includes many categories such as salt, mining, foundry, architecture, and agronomy.

A hospital, as the name suggests, is a branch of a hospital that teaches medicine.

The military academy is naturally responsible for teaching martial arts, military tactics, and strategies.

The highest head of the Imperial College is the dean, who is in charge of all the affairs of the Imperial College and enjoys the salary of a senior official.

Under the dean, there are two academic officials, five academic supervisors, and ten academic supervisors, who are responsible for assisting the dean, managing the affairs of the academy and the students' academic performance, as well as supervising order within the academy and enforcing academy rules.

The four major branches also have positions such as directors and supervisors.

The establishment of such an imperial college was simply unheard of. In addition, all Han people, regardless of whether they were scholars, farmers, merchants or workers, were welcome to enroll. Therefore, it attracted scholars and common people from all over the country to come and explore.

On both sides of the gate of the Imperial College, there are two notice boards more than ten feet high. On these four notice boards are posted the names of the students admitted to the four major branches and their admission and allocation after the assessment.

"I passed... I passed, and I got into Class 2, Building 3, School of Economics..."

"I'm in class 3, Dormitory 4B, too. I'm in the hospital..."

"Haha, I didn't expect that I could get in. I have been learning carpentry from my father since I was young. I didn't expect that I would have the opportunity to enter the Imperial College in this lifetime. Father, you can rest in peace now..."

"Military academy, I'm in the academy... Father, look, I'm in the academy, second dormitory, sixth class, look..."

"I saw it. My son has made great progress. After he enters the academy, he must study hard and make great progress, so that he can serve the country in the future. If he dares to slack off, he is no longer a descendant of the Qian family..."

"I can't believe it, I can't believe it... I come from a family of farmers, but now I can have a scholar. Great... I'm happy, I'm happy... Son, you have to work harder..."

"Well, child...child knows..."

"Chang'er, you've been accepted, too. Great! Let's go home and kill the lamb. I'll give you a good meal tonight, and you'll start working hard tomorrow."

In front of these four lists, there were countless people who were either extremely excited, or crying with joy, or secretly encouraging themselves, or receiving earnest advice from their elders. Of course, there were also those who failed the examination or were too old to enter the university, and they hid aside, secretly grieving and regretting.

In addition to these, there were quite a few people, either in groups of three or five, or in groups of ten, gathering together, whispering to each other, with unhappy looks on their faces.

"Hmph, what kind of Imperial College is this? Besides the classics school, there is also a military academy. That's fine, but there is also an engineering academy and a hospital. It's really disgraceful."

"Studying with a bunch of farmers, craftsmen, and merchants' sons, huh, huh, it's better not to go to this Imperial College."

"That's right. Look, everyone. Those untouchables who learned that they could enroll in school were dancing and laughing in public. How can this be? Is this the Imperial College or a market?"

"Isn't it enough to learn from all these words of saints? Why do you still want to teach these unorthodox ways? Do you still need to teach agronomy? Isn't it just farming? Who can't do it? You are just a peasant, but you want to be on an equal footing with the nobles like us. Where does that put saints?"

"But I heard that the president of the Imperial College is Lu Zhi, the most outstanding scholar of classics in our Han Dynasty. He is also a master of both civil and military affairs, and is highly respected. He resigned from the post of General of the Left Cavalry and took over the Imperial College. He listed more than ten books such as "The Analects of Confucius", "The Book of Songs", and "Three Character Classic" as compulsory courses for each college. There are also contemporary masters such as Zhong Yuanchang and Cai Bojie who teach calligraphy to the whole college every half month. I think among the four colleges, the Classics College is still the leader."

"Tsk... what's the point? If I have to study with these people who are full of dirt and money, I will avoid them as much as possible. What else can I learn?"

Most of the scholars who gathered around to watch the excitement had already had prejudices against the Imperial Academy due to many rumors. Now seeing this scene, their thoughts were further confirmed, and they became more disgusted with the Imperial Academy.

In the Imperial College, on top of a four-story building, Liu He sat firmly on the top of a mountain, overlooking the surroundings through the window.

"His Majesty……"

Lu Zhi walked over quickly, holding a thick book in both hands.

"This is the list of students enrolled in the four academies of the Imperial College this year. Your Majesty, please take a look."

"No need." Liu He waved his hand. "Lord Lu is an old minister in the court. He is both civil and military. He is capable and reliable. I have no doubts about him. Tell me, how many children of noble families are there in this list?"

Although Lu Zhi was old, he had been cared for by Hua Tuo for many years, and he had also practiced the Five Animal Exercises diligently in recent years. He should have died several years ago in history, but now he was still very healthy. When he heard Liu He's question, he answered without hesitation. "Your Majesty, there are 24,379 people who have registered this time, and a total of 16,538 people have been admitted. Among them, 70% are from the Academy of Classics, 80% are from the Military Academy, 20% are from the Hospital, and the last is the Engineering Academy."

"Among these more than 10,000 people, less than 30% are from noble families. Your Majesty gave the same status to the merchants and craftsmen you appointed in Yunhai County as being from noble families. Most of them have family members who came to take the exam this time, and most of them were admitted, totaling more than 4,600 people. The rest are from ordinary people."

After listening to Lu Zhi's report, Liu He nodded slightly: "Well, it is not much different from what I expected before."

"Your Majesty is wise." Lu Zhi bowed and said.

Qian Li stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the purpose of opening the Imperial College is not only to train talents for the court, but also to win the hearts of all the scholars in the world. However, the students of the Imperial College now have such backgrounds. I am afraid that the hearts of the scholars are still against the court."

"What the Sili Xiaowei said is correct." Jingzhao Yin Cai Yong also echoed: "I, an old minister, dare to make a suggestion. Can we provide some convenience for the children of the gentry? For example, they can directly enter the school without taking the recruitment examination. Or in the examination of the five houses, they can be given appropriate extra points, so that they can be used by the court and not abandoned."

As soon as Cai Yong said this, many ministers present expressed their agreement, including Meng Jian, Shi Tao, Zhao Jin, Huo Qing and other close confidants who had followed Liu He for many years.

In the eyes of all ministers, the gentry have always been the leaders of all people. Now that Your Majesty is able to open the Imperial Academy to all common people, it is already extremely merciful. It is also reasonable to grant the gentry some privileges, and the common people have absolutely nothing to say.

Liu He looked at Qian Li and found that even he, who came from a truly poor family, showed agreement with the proposal, but just did not express his opinion.

Liu He raised his lips and said, "A few days ago, my uncle Liu Yu came to see me with several royal relatives."

The ministers didn't know what the deep meaning was behind his sudden mention of this matter, so they could only lower their heads and listen.

"My uncle made a request to me. He said that there are many young men in my Han royal family, but many of them are unfilial and unlearned. He hoped that I could be lenient and allow them to go to school and discipline them strictly, so that they can serve the country in the future and have their wives and children be honored. Even the Queen Mother gave me some advice while we were having dinner."

After Liu He finished speaking, he glanced at everyone and said, "Guess how I responded to him?"

The ministers looked at each other, and then one of them spoke first: "Liu Yu is not only the chief minister of the imperial court, but also your majesty's uncle. He is fair, benevolent, and prudent. When he was sent to Jingzhou, he frightened Liu Biao and made many contributions. Moreover, such a request is reasonable, and it is for the sake of the royal family and the court, and it also saves the face of the empress dowager. Your majesty should agree."

Xun Yu rolled his eyes and said, "Your Majesty should have rejected Zong Zheng's proposal."

Liu He laughed and said, "Hahahaha... As expected, Wen Ruo is the only one who knows my heart best. Yes, I rejected the emperor's uncle on the spot."

Seeing the astonishment and bewilderment on the faces of the ministers, Liu He said, "I told the emperor's uncle that family background is only a gift from parents and is not worth showing off. Even if they are children of the royal family, what can they do? They are idle and do not work properly on weekdays, hoping to rely on the status given by their parents to seek some privileges and live a muddle-headed life. In the end, they are harming others and themselves, and even harming the court. If they can't turn back, even if they enter the Imperial College, they will only corrupt the discipline of the Imperial College. If they can repent, study hard, and rely on their own strength to enter the Imperial College, or even directly become officials and make achievements, wouldn't it be a good story?"

"This..." After his explanation, everyone naturally understood the intention of Liu He's words.

Even the royal family of Liu did not have any special privileges, let alone the gentry?

Although they understood the situation, most of the ministers who came from aristocratic families were still indignant, but they did not dare to show it.

Qian Li asked, "Then I wonder what means Your Majesty intends to use to resolve the current situation and win the hearts of the scholars?"

Liu He looked out the window and said calmly, "After all, the nobles have made great contributions to our Han Dynasty. I can give you this privilege, but only this time. It will not happen again."

Hearing him say this, many ministers' eyes suddenly lit up.

Liu He said to Lu Zhi, "Lord Lu, you should immediately announce the announcement to all quarters, saying that many sons of noble families were unable to arrive in time for the Imperial College entrance examination due to various reasons, and thus missed the entrance examination. Considering that the court is in need of talents, we will conduct another examination in three days. All sons of noble families who can pass the second examination can also enter the school. In addition, I will announce the peerless treasure in the Imperial College that I mentioned that day."

Lu Zhi was a little confused, but he still accepted the order and retreated.

"Your Majesty..." Qian Li said in confusion, "The scholars have many prejudices against the Imperial College and are unwilling to come to take the exam. It's not that they are late. Why is Your Majesty..."

Xun Yu interrupted him and said, "Daozhun, there is no need to ask any more questions. We will know the meaning of your majesty's move in three days."

Qian Li stopped talking, and Liu He turned his head to look at the crowded people inside and outside the Imperial College. The many ministers looked at each other, with confusion on their faces.

Lu Zhi quickly posted the notice for the second recruitment, and this news caused an uproar again.

"What does this mean? Is this a special treatment for the children of my noble family?"

"It doesn't seem like it... If you really want preferential treatment, why do you need to take the test? Can't you just enroll directly?"

"But what do you think is the peerless treasure that His Majesty has prepared for the Imperial College? I am really curious."

"Hey, I think it's just a trick to deceive people. It can't be a good thing."

While these scholars were discussing, a few people squeezed into the groups of scholars.

"Everyone, please relax. In my opinion, this Imperial College is just a name. The recruitment exams and treasures are just a cover. Don't be fooled."

Most of the scholars around were resentful of the Imperial College, so when they heard this, they felt it was exactly what they wanted, and they all turned their heads to look at the person who was speaking.

"Oh? Why do you think so? Please tell me clearly."

"Hehe, didn't you notice that most of the people on the Imperial College admission list are sons of merchants and common people, while the proportion of children from noble families is extremely small."

After hearing this, many scholars looked at the list and said, "That's true. But what can we do about it?"

Those who squeezed in later said, "This shows that the scholars of the world are not interested in the court. However, although the emperor has always suppressed our gentry, he also knows that the gentry is indispensable and extremely important, so he still wants to win us over. I think Your Majesty must have seen that there are very few children from our gentry among the students this time, so he is a little anxious, so he hurriedly ordered Lord Lu to prepare for the second recruitment. Otherwise, why was there no news of such a big event before?"

When everyone heard this, they felt it made sense: "Yes, what you said is very true. In your opinion, should we accept this recruitment?"

The man shook his head and said, "Of course I shouldn't take the exam. If Your Majesty really wants to treat my noble family well, you should exempt me from the exam. My noble family has been well-read since childhood. How can we compare with ordinary people? As for the peerless treasure, hehe, you haven't revealed even a little bit of it until today. You must want to attract attention with this. It's not worth mentioning."

"Yes, yes, what you said is exactly what I want. Running a school is running a school, but you also need treasures. We are not businessmen. We come here to study, why do we need treasures?"

"Brother, your words have enlightened me."

"It seems that it is indeed the one from Yuzhou who is more sincere in recruiting talents. I have made up my mind and will go to Yuzhou to seek refuge in a few days..."

Many scholars have made up their minds.

While they were talking excitedly, those who were stirring up trouble quietly left. Some went straight to the outskirts of Luoyang City, while others ran to some mansions in the north of the city...

(End of this chapter)