The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 388 The Possibility of Imperial Examination

Zhu Jianxuan judged in his heart that there must be a lot of trouble behind the incident of the widow taking the imperial examination in Songjiang Prefecture.

Bureaucrats are unwilling to change, so it is normal to make big things small and small things disappear.

This Jiangnan education official must bring this matter to the surface, at least to push the education officials of Songjiang Prefecture and Shanghai County to the opposite side.

The officials of the Jiangnan Provincial Government and the Jiangnan Judicial Commissioner may also be feeling very uncomfortable.

At least I don't have a good impression of this education official.

The education inspector must have known the consequences of this, but he still insisted on doing so.

This kind of character is what a monarch should encourage.

At the same time, Zhu Jianxuan also wanted to hear the education official tell him on the spot what the local situation was.

So after this educational official arrived in Beijing, he was summoned before he even went to go through the procedures for promotion.

When the education official entered the palace and saw Zhu Jianxuan, he immediately bowed excitedly:

"I, Liang Zhangju, the official in charge of education at the Jiangnan Provincial Government, pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Zhu Jianxuan had some impression of the name Liang Zhangju:
"Liang Zhangju, right? Tell me about this year's Songjiang Prefecture annual examination..."

Liang Zhangju immediately said:

"I am guilty and incompetent. I have served in Jiangnan for three years, but I have failed to educate the people and instead have caused chaos..."

If Zhu Jianxuan was 20 years younger, he might find it baffling. I haven't even charged you with any crime, so why are you asking for forgiveness?

If he were ten years younger, Zhu Jianxuan might have been a little angry and felt that this minister was sulking with him.

But now, 47-year-old Zhu Jianxuan felt like laughing after hearing this:
"Looking at your bitter and resentful expression, you really have a lot of complaints against the officials of the Jiangnan Sansi. What did these people do to you?"

Liang Zhangju did not speak directly, but handed over a memorial that had been written in advance.

The Zhongshu Sheren beside Zhu Jianxuan took it, checked it and presented it to Zhu Jianxuan, who opened it and took a quick look.

The public memorial jointly signed by Liang Zhangju and the Governor of Jiangnan was very polite and tactful.

The result of Shen Fu's phone call to investigate was also rather euphemistic.

Liang Zhangju wrote it down separately and handed it directly to himself, in which he made the accusation without mercy.

Liang Zhangju claimed that officials in Jiangnan, especially those in schools, colluded with each other and condoned local unruly women to take the examination for students.

In the prefectures, counties and districts of Jiangnan, the women of wealthy families had nothing to do and spent their days competing with each other on all kinds of things.

For some reason, the competition extended to the imperial examinations, so much so that in recent years it has become common for women to take part in county and prefectural examinations.

The practice of school officials ordering family members to check on students has even become a fixed rule, but no one has actually passed the annual examination and has not truly become a female student.

The so-called widowed student was deliberately pushed forward by these wealthy families.

Before this, some people had privately inquired about Liang Zhangju's intentions and tried to bribe him, hoping that Liang Zhangju would cooperate.

Liang Zhangju never agreed and finally made a scene in the examination hall.

Liang Zhangju still refused and asked local officials to jointly sign a memorial to the emperor.

In fact, it took more than half a year to submit this memorial.

Zhu Jianxuan was somewhat surprised after reading it:
"Are these women taking the imperial examinations just to compete with each other?"

Liang Zhangju simply bowed and said:

"Most of it is because of comparison, maybe a rich girl at a party claims that they can pass the exam, and then it starts."

Zhu Jianxuan thought about it and felt that this so-called comparison was probably just a superficial phenomenon.

The fact that they could compete with each other in the imperial examinations and even create a trend for it must have its economic and social basis:
"Is that all you have to say?"

Liang Zhangju bowed again:
"I beg Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the officialdom and education in Jiangnan. The imperial examination is a national event, and we must not allow them and women to cause chaos."

Zhu Jianxuan thought for a while and did not give a direct response. He waved his hand and asked Liang Zhangju to go back first.

Not long after, the eldest prince Zhu Jingkun also returned to Shuntian Prefecture. After a short rest, he hurried into the palace to see his father.

In the past two years, Zhu Jingkun has served as the magistrate of Wuchang Prefecture of Hubei Provincial Administration, and his duties are equivalent to those of an "executive deputy prefect."

After the greetings, Zhu Jianxuan asked his son to stand in front of him and looked at him carefully.

Zhu Jingkun is already 28 years old this year, and he will be 29 after the New Year. He is now the father of more than a dozen children.

After eight years of experience in the local area, he has become very mature and steady, without the frivolous feeling of his youth.

Zhu Jianxuan looked quite satisfied, and then asked about the situation in Wuchang Prefecture and Hubei.

I asked him about all aspects of the matter, and finally asked him:
"In Wuchang, are there any women who want to take the imperial examination? Have any gentry or craftsmen approached the government?"

Zhu Jingkun said without hesitation:
“Yes, in the two years that I have been in Wuchang, I have seen at least ten people who came to ask questions, and some people also wrote letters to the government office to seek instructions.

"The local school officials and county officials instinctively asked directly, how can a woman take the imperial examination? And then they simply refused.

"Perhaps the parties involved also felt that it was inappropriate for women to take the imperial examination, so the government rejected it and they stopped asking."

Zhu Jianxuan did not comment:
"What do you think about this kind of thing? Why would someone ask this kind of thing?"

Zhu Jingkun was a little confused:
“This… I asked the prefect of Wuchang and the school officials, and because they were curious, they went to investigate.

“In fact, in the past… at least before the Tiangong Dynasty, during the Xianning Dynasty, it is certain that someone had asked about this kind of thing.

“There are even records in the notes of literati showing that this happened before the Xianning Dynasty and even before the Chongzhen Dynasty.

“It’s just that the number of times in the past was rare, so it can be considered a very rare thing.

“Now… this situation has obviously become more frequent.

“I think there are two main reasons.

“First, the arts-related industries have become more developed, the output of books, paper and pens has increased significantly, and the prices have dropped significantly.

“Plus, now that people are generally wealthy, the prices of these products are considered cheap for ordinary craftsmen.

“Of course, there are many more people who don’t mind buying some books, paper and pens so that their daughters can also read and write.

"There is even a special 'girls' school' in Wuchang City.

“Let female teachers teach girls to read exclusively.

“Even in some family-run private schools, boys and girls study together.

“These girls are able to read, and the key point is that most of the books they read are no different from those read by boys.

"Perhaps some girls, after studying, also have the ideal of cultivating themselves, managing their families, governing the country and bringing peace to the world, so naturally they want to take the imperial examination.

"Even simply because of conflicts between boys and girls of the same ethnic group, it could lead to girls wanting to take the imperial examination.

“But the last thing a bureaucrat wants to deal with is change.

"So they all instinctively resisted, using the fact that there had never been women taking the imperial examinations before as an excuse to deny women the right to take the examinations."

Zhu Jianxuan was quite satisfied with his son's report and analysis. He also had a basic understanding of such things happening in the local area, and then he thought of several aspects at once.

According to the tradition of Shenzhou, this can be regarded as a sign that when the granaries are full, people will know etiquette.

According to psychology, once people's low-level needs are met, they will naturally pursue high-level needs.

From the perspective of sociology, it can be said that the economic base determines the superstructure.

Under its own control, the Ming Dynasty quickly completed basic industrialization. The key was that the people quickly became wealthy in the process of industrialization.

Instead of exploiting workers, farmers and all ordinary people to the extreme as happened during the European Industrial Revolution in history.

So when social changes were happening, Europeans had the Revolution of 1848 and even the Paris Commune.

The Ming people's reaction was quite mild. They just asked the government if they could allow their daughter to take the imperial examination.

After listening to his son's words, Zhu Jianxuan asked without any expression:

"What do you think? Do you think this rejection is reasonable? Should female students be allowed to take the exam, or even allowed to work as officials in government offices?"

After listening to this, Zhu Jingkun opened his mouth and subconsciously wanted to say something, but finally shook his head:
"I can't make up my mind now..."

Zhu Jianxuan was quite satisfied with this answer. If he immediately insisted on what to do about this kind of troublesome matter, it would seem like he was just trying to be pretentious:

“The situations you mentioned are more obvious in Jiangnan, where industry and commerce are more developed and people are more affluent, than in Wuchang.

Zhu Jianxuan said this, picked up three documents from the imperial desk and handed them to Zhu Jingkun: "Take a look at these..."

The three documents include a memorial from the Jiangnan governor and the education official requesting whether to open a female examination, a summary by Shen Fu on the incident of widows taking the imperial examination in Shanghai County, and a memorial written by Liang Zhangju, the Jiangnan education official himself:

Zhu Jingkun took the memorial and summary documents with both hands, and roughly flipped through them on the spot, then couldn't help but frowned slightly and said:
“I feel that the academic officials of Shanghai County and Songjiang Prefecture asked their wives and daughters to search the widow’s body. If this matter is taken seriously, it should be considered as cheating in the imperial examination.

"Who can guarantee whether these two school officials are in collusion with this widow?"

After hearing Zhu Jianxuan's earnest advice:

"People who are too upright or rigid, who only nitpick over trivial matters, are not suitable to be ministers in the court.

"You must remember that you are a prince, not an ordinary official. You must consider the overall situation and the long-term stability and prosperity of the country.

“You have to consider the socio-economic and ideological foundations behind these superficial things.

"Then we can judge how to deal with such things."

After hearing this, Zhu Jingkun quickly bowed:
"I, your son, will remember your father's teachings.

“I feel that since the situation in Jiangnan is even more serious, there are widows who insist on taking the exam.

“Then we can’t just shirk the responsibility.

“If this happens for the first time, there will probably be a second one.

“Someone might even pay off a few literate prostitutes to force you to take the exam under the pretext of being willing to be searched.

“The court should give a clear answer as to whether these women should be allowed to take the imperial examinations.

“It gives local officials a basis for dealing with this kind of thing.

“But whether it is allowed in the end or not, the court should be prepared for the corresponding matters.

“The reason why this happened is that these women had nothing to do after learning the books of sages.

"So we should prepare...plan something that women can participate in widely."

Zhu Jingkun's meaning was obvious. These people had nothing to do after eating and drinking, and after learning to read and write, they had new ideas.

The question of whether to take the imperial examination was essentially about finding something for them to do.

After listening to this, Zhu Jianxuan sighed in his heart that the current situation in the Ming Dynasty is different from any country in history.

The conditions prepared for the workers are so good, and the second industrial revolution has already begun, so now one worker can support a whole family by working.

Now cities have running water and sewers, electric lights are basically universal, and there are washing machines and refrigerators.

The household working hours of urban residents have dropped significantly.

In addition, influenced by the traditional culture of the Ming Dynasty, most families would not allow women to show their faces in public.

When ordinary women have free time, they stay at home and read storybooks, listen to the radio, or listen to operas. Those who have some ideas would think about the imperial examinations.

If we sent them all to various factories and mines and worked them to death, there wouldn't be this kind of trouble.

But there may also be other more troublesome problems.

Now they are still dependent on their families, have no independent economic foundation, and their demands are still relatively mild.

If they were all allowed to become workers and gain financial independence, more acute social conflicts might arise.

When he thought of this, Zhu Jianxuan's thoughts suddenly went in another direction.

How could a widow support herself in taking the imperial examination? Was it her deceased husband's family or her own parents' family?

She also claimed that she was willing to accept a body search. Even if her husband didn't care, would her parents care?

Is the widow that Zhu Jingkun mentioned just now a truly normal widow, or a secret prostitute hired by someone else?

Then, did the social changes brought about by industrial development bring about large-scale changes in existing social ideas? Did a large number of factories with female workers appear in the Jiangnan region?
Zhu Jianxuan wanted to pick up the phone to ask, but he quickly gave up the idea and directly assigned the matter to Zhu Jingkun:

“So next year, you will go to the Jiangnan Provincial Government to serve as a councilor and concurrently as the education commissioner for Jiangnan.

“Investigate the cause and effect of this incident carefully.

"Also think carefully about what kind of jobs will be assigned to women after they are allowed to take the imperial examinations.

"If women are not allowed to take the imperial examinations, then these idle women will find something to do."

As soon as Zhu Jingkun heard it, he knew that this was a very troublesome job.

When I went there for training, I only had to learn my own and my chief's work, which could be considered a routine job.

Now that my father has assigned something to me, I can’t do it step by step.

You have to do some research...you have to use your brain...

But since my father had arranged it, I couldn't refuse:

"My son, I obey."

It turns out that this matter is not over yet.

Zhu Jianxuan thought for a few seconds and added a few more words to his son:

“After arriving in Jiangnan, you can specifically visit, research and analyze other possibilities.

“Would workers who have become wealthy want their sons to continue to be workers? And what arrangements would they make for their daughters?

"Besides waiting to get married, do you have any other ideas?

"Then, after the second generation of workers get married, if the husband continues to work as a worker to earn money to support the family, should he allow his wife to study at home and take the imperial examination?

"You should also think about this yourself. If the court allows women to take the imperial examinations, and there are women who are supported by their fathers, husbands, and even sons, and who concentrate on the imperial examinations in large numbers,

"In the future, will the number of women taking the imperial examinations outnumber that of men on a large scale?

"If, on this basis, the imperial court allows women to serve as officials, will the number of women serving as officials gradually exceed that of men?"

When Zhu Jingkun heard this, he was stunned.

Zhu Jingkun could barely understand the previous arrangements and questions, but he couldn't imagine the current problem:

"Your Majesty, father, what are you talking about? A woman can take the imperial examination and become an official with the support of her family? And the number of female officials exceeds that of men? How is this possible?"

Zhu Jianxuan reminded him based on the experience of later generations:
"If you allow women to take the imperial examinations and also allow them to become officials, then you can't completely rule out this possibility.

"After all, men have to support their families. If a man wants to take the imperial examination, he must rely on others for support. If he has no family or relatives to support him, he has to work on his own.

“Since I have to work to support my family, I have less time to study.

"Women don't need to worry about providing for their families, because they already have someone to support them, their father or husband.

“They can devote themselves to learning.

“As long as there are more women taking the imperial examination, the chances of winning will be greater.

“Even if for a while, the top management will still be all men, but if the bottom management is all women, then in the future, only women will be chosen for promotion.

"Sooner or later, there will be a situation where women dominate the top management."

Zhu Jingkun said directly:
"Then women cannot be allowed to take the imperial examinations."

Zhu Jianxuan was also surprised this time:

"Didn't you say before that you couldn't make up your mind? Why are you so determined all of a sudden?"

Zhu Jingkun immediately said:

"When a hen crows at dawn, it means the family is in trouble..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jianxuan waved his hand and interrupted Zhu Jingkun:
"I won't listen to your impulsive words now. Now you yourself don't know why you are saying this, so I instinctively quoted the sages' book.

“Do your own research first, then think carefully and analyze, at least understand the situation at the grassroots level, and then make comments.

“Whether you think it should be allowed or denied, explain the rationale based on the actual situation.

"Instead of looking for a quote from a sage's book as a basis, you should also discipline and demand the same from your subordinates. You can't just think that what is written in the sage's book is enough.

"Officials who pick out quotations from books are best at using the words in the books of sages to say what they want to say.

"Without serious investigation and objective analysis, you are not qualified to make direct judgments."

After being criticized and taught a few words by his father, Zhu Jingkun calmed down immediately and bowed his hands:
"My son was reckless. I will investigate thoroughly next year."

(End of this chapter)