Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 221 Apply what you learn
The "failed students" now have a bright future.

Whether it is Chen Jiru, who vowed that he would never take the exam again and then became famous and was recruited as a scholar of Taichang, or Yu Xiangdou, who gave up taking the imperial examinations and became a publishing tycoon and teaching aid editor, or the numerous scholars and juren in the Ming Dynasty at this moment.

Of course, it will take time for the Imperial College to reach this scale with tens of thousands of students, but there are already quite a few students in the Imperial College in the two capitals. With the addition of those who passed the exam this year, there are now more than 6,000 students on their journey.

You will be enrolled this year and school will officially start next spring.

The busy farming season has passed, and He Shengrui, the right vice minister of the Ministry of Works, is busy as a whim.

At present, two major projects are under construction, one major project is about to be launched, and two major projects are to be planned.

Although He Shengrui was only in charge of the construction of the military equipment and arsenal in Zunhua, he was a person valued by the emperor. He Shengrui participated in the reconstruction of Xiyuan into Imperial College, the reconstruction of the outer court area of ​​the Forbidden City, and the expansion, modification and improvement of local water conservancy and roads and bridges in the Ming Dynasty.

After the court meeting on the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the emperor, accompanied by the Grand Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, officials from the Ministry of Works and officials from the Imperial College, personally inspected the progress of the reconstruction of the nearby Xiyuan Imperial College.

After exiting the Xihua Gate of the Forbidden City, the first thing you see is the work and living quarters of the eunuchs on the east bank of the Taiye Lake, where many inner court offices, including the Imperial Household Department, the Silver Bureau, the Armory Bureau, and the Imperial Food Bureau, are located.

Walk north to the northwest corner of the Forbidden City and you will see Qianming Gate, the central gate leading to the Western Garden.

After entering Qianming Gate, you will first see Chengguang Hall leading to Qionghua Island in the north. After crossing Yuhe Bridge over Taiye Lake, you will see Lingxing Gate. To the north of the gate is Yuxi Palace, and to the south is Ziguang Pavilion.

Zhu Changluo stood in front of Lingxing Gate and looked north and south. He first asked Tian Yi, "Have all the warehouses and factories in Xiyuan been relocated?"

"In reply to your Majesty, I have arranged for them to be placed in the government offices to the east and north of the imperial city."

Zhu Changluo nodded.

The entire imperial city is almost entirely functional areas serving the Forbidden City, with the largest area being the internal eunuchs' offices. In addition, there are ceremonial buildings such as the Altar of Land and Grain, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the West Garden, East Garden, and Wansui Mountain, which serve as the emperor's gardens.

The most famous story about Xiyuan before was the stories left by the two cousins ​​Zhu Houzhao and Zhu Houcong. The former built a leopard house in the northeast corner of Xiyuan, and the latter built a Wanshou Palace in the south of Lingxing Gate.

But the most common warehouses here were actually the internal eunuch warehouses, including Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Nei Chengyun, Xiepai, Guanghui, Guangji...

To develop this area, which is two or three times larger than the entire Forbidden City, into the Imperial College, the work of moving and relocating things was already very complicated.

Fortunately, the journey is not too far.

Now the most obvious change here is a wall.

From Lingxing Gate to the south and north, a wall separates the Imperial Academy from the banks of Taiye Lake.

"Let's go check out the professors' houses first."

After saying this, he turned south.

With so many students in the future, there will naturally need to be enough teachers.

Some of them can live outside the Imperial College, but for some elderly people it is more convenient to live nearby.

In addition, this was also the emperor's courtesy to them: many courtyards were built on the banks of the southern half of Taiye Lake.

Next to them, south of the line of Lingxing Gate and Xi'an Gate, is the University Garden of the Imperial College.

In the southwest corner of the University Garden is a side door.

After entering, you will first see a garden surrounding the original Shouming Palace, with some small pavilions added and surrounded by students' dormitories.

The south is the living area and the north is the teaching area.

The Wanshou Palace where Zhu Houcong once stayed became a library and study room, and the nearby Daguangming Hall and the former Xixinsi were temporarily converted into schools.

There weren't many major changes. After taking a look around, Zhu Changluo said, "It's good to have a prototype first. It can be used for living and learning. When it becomes popular in the future and we have more money, we can build it in detail."

Shen Shixing nodded: "It is not in accordance with the Imperial College etiquette at present, but we should have everything we need in the future."

Zhu Changluo just looked at him.

Zhu Changluo certainly didn't care what kind of iconic buildings the ritual Imperial College should have. Practicality was the most important thing.

It's all later anyway.

The main entrance to the University Garden is the North Gate, unless a doorway is opened specifically for the University Garden on the southern wall of the imperial city. After going out, you will reach the Taipu Temple.

The North Gate was located at the former location of the stolen goods and fines warehouse on the north side of the Wanshou Palace. The house is still there, but several rooms in the middle have been demolished and a gate has been built.

Zhu Changluo stood in front of the gate, looked at the Lingxing Gate to the east and the Xi'an Gate to the west, smiled and said, "This street will be lively in the future. We can open some shops, bookstores, teahouses, and wine shops. We can open a lot of them."

"...Your Majesty, you are joking." Zhu Guozuo was stunned. "The Imperial Academy is such an important place, how can it be..."

Zhu Changluo shook his head and said, "The Imperial College is limited to students under 30 years old. They are all energetic young people, and there are many of them. They always need some entertainment. There will naturally be some outside Xi'an Gate. It would be better to prepare some between the University Garden and the Middle and Primary School Gardens."

This street is straight, with warehouses and factories of the former inner court on both sides. Now a wall has been built behind the house and a gate has been set up to divide it into the university garden area and the primary and secondary school garden area, naturally forming a wide street in the middle. To the south is the university garden, which covers an area slightly smaller than the entire Forbidden City, and to the north is the primary and secondary school garden, which is almost half the size of the Forbidden City.

Compared with the university garden, the primary and secondary school garden no longer has a garden area, but has been transformed into a playground based on the original inner school field.

After taking a look around, Zhu Changluo "worked" on the spot and asked everyone to sit down in the school that was converted from the original Qingfu Palace.

The north side of here is the original leopard house, which has now been converted into a school. The inner court warehouses to the west and north have been unified into schoolhouses. The original Silijian Sutra Factory has been converted into a dining hall.

"There is discussion among the people that the Imperial College charges tuition fees, and those who graduate will have a high status, which is no different from opening a school."

After hearing what Zhu Changluo said, Shen Shixing immediately said, "The tuition for one year is only six taels of silver. Even if you study in a primary school, after three years of study, you will be a student, but it is only 18 taels of silver. How can you get a good reputation with just 18 taels of silver? Your Majesty, why should you take my opinion to heart?"

"Those who say these things are not ordinary people." Zhu Changluo looked at the officials of the Imperial College. "In the past, the Imperial College was either for the Imperial College members, the Imperial College members, or the Imperial College members. Not only did they not have to pay any money, but they also received some money and food. Now the Imperial College has to pay money, and many of the gentry ignore the good intentions of the court and just criticize it in every possible way. With such a culture among the scholars, the Imperial College has a heavier responsibility."

The officials of the Imperial College naturally claimed yes first, but Shen Shixing and Zhu Guozuo had no choice but to stand up and apologize.

"Tian Yi."

The emperor gave an order and Tian Yi had someone bring out a pile of books.

"I have discussed with the Zanhuaguan and others how to manage the Imperial College and have drawn up a set of rules. You can all take a look."

Compared with them, Zhu Changluo had a more systematic education experience. In a large school, many rules and regulations were of course easy to come by.

After comparing with the top imperial examination candidates in the Hanlin Academy, these regulations came up.

Zhu Changluo only said: "For those who are really poor, I personally set up scholarships; for those who are both good in character and learning, I also set up scholarships. The purpose of setting up the Imperial College is to cultivate talents for the country. Monthly regular examinations, quarterly minor examinations, and annual major examinations are all scored according to the rules. Whether you are promoted or retained, whether you complete your studies or drop out, you will be rewarded or punished clearly."

It is not strange to keep scores, as that is what the Imperial College did.

The circle-drawing points system was established in the 16th year of Hongwu.

Students will draw a red circle under their name in the attendance book for each day they attend class, and a black circle for absences. Students will be eligible to enter the advanced class only after they have drawn 700 circles.

In the advanced class, in the first month of each quarter, there is a "test on the meaning of the classics", in the second month, there is a "test on essays, imperial edicts, imperial decrees, and internal medicine", and in the third month, there is a "test on classics, history, and policy, and two judgments". Those who excel in each exam will be given one credit, those who are slightly deficient will be given half a credit, and those who are very poor will not be given any credit. If you can accumulate eight credits every year, you will meet the "graduation" standard, and those who fail will be "repeat".

At present, Zhu Changluo is too lazy to change the current teaching syllabus, which involves the academic avenues that are being debated.

But the university campus is okay, the academic requirements for primary and secondary school campuses are a little lower, and some of them may still be children. In the specific course gradient division, Zhu Changluo still forcibly included the requirements for basic knowledge of miscellaneous encyclopedias such as mathematics, geography, and physical fitness.

The emperor came prepared, and the officials of the Imperial Academy looked at Shen Shixing and Zhu Guozuo.

Zhu Changluo was also looking at them: "From primary school to university, there are of course many classics to learn now. But in the future, we need to compile more clear and more difficult textbooks. Everyone has different talents, just as some people can pass the imperial examinations and some can only stop at the level of students. The court never has too many people, so how to make sure that students and juren have enough knowledge to handle government affairs is what the Taichang Temple and the Ministry of Rites will consider in the future."

This matter has just begun, and then it will be gradually improved.

But where Zhu Changluo planned to spend more energy was actually Baijiayuan.

I threw the question to them, and then discussed some details of the Imperial College's annual examinations, student management, teaching management, and financial management. Zhu Changluo said, "We will begin to accept students and allocate dormitories. The Imperial College will identify the students' family backgrounds. When the school officially opens on the 16th day of the first lunar month next year, I will come to the Imperial College in person and distribute the first batch of scholarships at that time."

There must not be enough school dormitories, so we can only provide accommodation for the top students like in the Imperial College.

The Imperial College doesn’t provide food, so you still have to spend money to fill your stomach.

Studying has never been easy, so if students from poor families want to succeed, they need to be supported by their families to study full-time.

But what use is there to the country in taking a lifetime off from work to take the imperial examination, other than enjoying some preferential treatment?
Zhu Changluo stood up and looked at them: "After three years, this first batch of students from the Imperial College should have some who can be granted the title of Jinshi, and some who can be granted the title of Juren. It is even more likely that they will take the provincial and metropolitan examinations within these three years. I hope that after three years, there will be a group of students from the Imperial College wearing official robes and serving the country. The Taichang Temple specializes in studying knowledge, and the Imperial College specializes in cultivating talents for governing the country. You should keep this goal in mind!"

When the pragmatic emperor established the rules of the Imperial College, students from different places were already on the journey in the cold winter.

Some are in their twenties, while others are around ten years old.

As the tax collection in various places has come to an end this year, many people have chosen to change after all, hoping that Imperial College will become another way for their children to enter officialdom.

Among them, many of them were determined to have a successful career after studying in the Imperial Academy for a few years.

As for the many other failed candidates who were over 30 years old and had repeatedly failed the exam, they were faced with a new regulation for next year's special examination: candidates over 40 years old were not allowed to take the exam.

On the one hand, this wave of resignations has brought about many official positions, and many people with extensive connections may have the opportunity to be recommended.

On the one hand, the regulations for the imperial examinations may become increasingly strict in the future, and the emperor clearly does not encourage people to take the imperial examinations throughout their lives.

How to choose has become a decision that many older scholars have to make this winter.

The key point is: the new emperor seems to have gained power in the court, and so many old ministers cannot suppress the rapid changes brought about by the new emperor.

In the face of such rapid changes, there are always those who are slow and those who are quick.

(End of this chapter)