The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 271 Is this considered wearing a yellow robe?
Not long after Li Yulong left, the secret envoy of Zhong Yin, the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, arrived.

This governor had an even more bold style. He directly let the Cai family act as middlemen and didn't even send one of his own people.

Or maybe he was afraid of leaving any handle behind. In any case, Zhong Yin always completed the transactions between Mo Zibu and him through intermediaries and never got involved himself.

Mo Zibu couldn't help but observe a minute of silence for Emperor Qianlong in Beijing.

As the highest decision-maker, Qianlong's strategy did not have many mistakes, and it could even be said to be very cautious.

However, the Qing Dynasty's state apparatus was too corrupt, and the administration was even worse than during the Tianqi and Chongzhen periods of the Ming Dynasty.

There were still a few decent local officials in the late Ming Dynasty, but the Qing Dynasty was plagued by corruption from the day it was established.

Kangxi even used the bannermen officials as tools to make money. Even if he knew that some bannermen officials were not honest, he would still send them to local areas to serve as local officials.

When things got really out of hand, they summoned him back to Beijing, confiscated his property, and put him in jail.

Once the storm has passed, if someone intercedes for this person, he can often be reinstated.

This method was used relatively less frequently by Yongzheng, but Kangxi and Qianlong, the two like-minded grandfather and grandson, used it frequently.

The benefits are, of course, that the treasury is full, the emperor's treasury is never short of money, and he doesn't have to worry about being criticized.

But the bad thing is naturally that it spreads from top to bottom. Corruption became a common practice in the Qing Dynasty officialdom, and it could not be controlled even with high salaries for maintaining integrity.

For example, the corruption case of officials in Gansu province who are about to break out and are involved in fraudulent relief donations is simply appalling. Officials across the province are a den of evildoers, openly and blatantly corrupt.

Mo Zibu felt that the Qing Dynasty under the rule of Emperor Qianlong was like a bloated fat man, who knew clearly that he had to exercise more and diet to lose weight.

But even though I thought so, my head couldn't control my mouth, hands and feet, and I walked step by step towards the abyss with guilt.

But Mo Zibu was still cautious. In order to prevent Qianlong from having other channels or spies coming to Beihe to inquire, Mo Zibu prepared to report the matter basically truthfully.

Anyway, at present, it is indeed Guangnan that repelled the invasion of Bac Ha. Just report the scale of the battles in Shunzhou and Hue as less as possible.

As for the author of this report to Zhong Yin, it would be better if it was written by a local Annan person, but who should write it?
"General, all candidates for this provincial examination have arrived outside the palace and are waiting for your inspection."

Mo Zibu was thinking about who to ask for the letter when he heard Pei Changwu's voice from outside.

After five or six months of planning, Mo Zi Bu finally held the first provincial examination in Hue, which was similar to an imperial examination.

The imperial examination system of Annan was basically a copy of that of the Central Plains. It also had three levels: county examination, provincial examination, and metropolitan examination, as well as Jinshi, Juren, etc.

But when it comes to specific aspects, it becomes a bit abstract.

First of all, although there was a county examination in Beizheng, it was basically a decoration because the grassroots political units were not stable and the population was too small.

The purpose of most county examinations was to discuss who could go to the prefectural capital to take the provincial examination.
Even such a show-off provincial examination, after a few years, it was completely unsustainable.

By the beginning of the eighteenth century, the provincial examinations in Beizheng became something that could be taken by paying money.

As long as you want to take part in the provincial examination, no matter who you are, even if you are a bandit, you can register as long as you pay a Mingjing fee, which is the registration fee.

After registering, you need to pay a fee, which is the examination fee, and then you can actually enter the examination room.

So at this time, the provincial examination in Beizheng was a mess. As soon as the examination period arrived, people from all walks of life rushed into the examination hall frantically.

In order to collect more money, a large number of places were sold, causing extreme chaos in the examination room.

Bringing cheat sheets or even asking someone to take the exam for you are just minor issues, because every time an exam is held, there will basically be a stampede. Sacrificing five or eight candidates every three years has become standard.

Since Beizheng is so abstract, Guangnan is no less so. It does not have county or provincial examinations at all. As long as you are willing to sign up, you will be able to take the metropolitan examination.

The imperial examination would be held four times in a row within ten days. Those who were not eliminated in the first three rounds would be exempted from labor service for a certain number of years. Those who passed the fourth round could become officials directly.

This method is simply designed for the wealthy and powerful.

Because at the first step, which is registration, they can directly eliminate students who do not belong to high-ranking families and deny them the qualification to register.

The four consecutive exams that followed were basically conducted privately, especially since there was a Chinese language exam among the four, which was more beneficial to the wealthy and powerful families.

Of course, they usually don’t go that far, and a certain number of children from poor families will still sign up for each exam.

Only during the period of Zhang Fuluan, when he began to sell examination places directly in order to make money, was the path for students from poor families truly cut off. This is also one of the important reasons why Zhang Fuluan was so reviled.

So as soon as Mo Zibu came to power, he immediately began to restore order.

In order to win people's hearts, Mo Zibu deliberately checked the list himself, trying to give more middle and low-level scholars from poor families the opportunity to take the exam.

Moreover, Mo Zibu put the most challenging Chinese test not in the first session but in the fourth session, which is more beneficial to the lower-class students.

In the palace, Mo Zibu reviewed the essays of the candidates taking the imperial examination one by one. The most outstanding one among them was named Chen Wenji.

Although this person was also born in the Chen family of Xiangcha County, that is, Chen Taili's family, his bloodline was very distant, his family had fallen into decline long ago, and his parents were both poor.

In fact, before the exam started, Mo Zibu had noticed this person, because this poor boy was quite famous among the scholars in Hue and had great literary talent.

Mo Zibu took a special look and found that this person's explanation of destiny perfectly matched his needs. So he immediately decided to select this person as the top scorer and increased the original admission quota from no more than 36 to 48.

Among them, more than thirty are students from poor families.

Since it was the fourth exam and the number of participants was not large, the results could be released almost immediately, and there were no procedures to avoid cheating such as covering names or transcribing.

Therefore, these students just wait where they are and do not have to wait for the results to be announced like on the mainland.

Chen Wenji lowered his head. In order to support his studies, his father had died of overwork. Not only did his two elder brothers not marry, but even his sister did not marry in order to have an extra laborer in the family.

He could only feel his heart pounding. He longed so much to make the leap to success. Even if he could only become a small official after passing the exam, it would be better than relying on his brothers and sisters for support like he was now. He would have a bright future in the future and could repay his family.

"Your article is well written." Mo Zibu walked directly to Chen Wenji and said with a smile:

"It was as if it was a wake-up call prepared for me. Destiny has its own destiny. If virtue is weak, it will be lost. If virtue is abundant, it will survive."

Mo Zibu read the words in Chen Wenji's article, then waved his hand, "This provincial examination, the first place is yours."

Chen Wenji felt dizzy and his legs went weak uncontrollably, and he fell to his knees involuntarily.

After Mo Zibu waved his hand, the officials of the Ministry of Rites began to chant the names of those who passed the exam, highlighting that it was a makeshift team.

But no one cared. Mo Zibu just wanted to use this incident to win people's hearts and complete the final persuasion.

Others also knew that Mo Zibu was trying to win people's hearts, and they were even more willing to be bought.

As the names of the successful candidates were announced one by one, the poor children in the crowd became uncontrollably excited.

Because almost all the poor children who came to take the exam were admitted, they originally thought that Mo Zibu would show favor, but they didn't expect him to be so generous.

The scholars from high-ranking families who did not pass the exam did not complain much, because many of them already knew that not many people from their side would pass the exam.

Moreover, important figures in their family had already entered the Xing Tang Shogunate and were working for the general, obtaining official positions.

"The general has a keen eye for talent. We finally have the opportunity to realize our ambitions."

"Real Lord! We Guangnan people have suffered for decades, and it's time for a real Lord to appear."

After the list was announced, the palace was like a real life drama.

These poor students had been blocked from the provincial examinations by Zhang Fuluan for seven or eight years. Now that they had finally gotten what they wanted, how could they not be happy?

Chen Taili gave Chen Wenji a look from a distance. Although someone had only vaguely mentioned it to him beforehand, Chen Wenji was very smart and knew what to do immediately.

Chen Wenji coughed, then stood up as the top scholar, and spoke loudly to his classmates who were sobbing and even wailing in the palace:
"My lords, the great general has driven out the northern invaders, recovered our land of Guangnan, and eliminated Zhang Qinhui and his clique of traitors, restoring order and bringing peace to the land.

Today, the Ruan family of the king is in decline, and only the sixth son is left who is unable to manage the affairs.

The general is Nguyen's son-in-law, a man of great virtue, wisdom, and bravery. He should replace Nguyen as the ruler of Quang Nam!"

As soon as Chen Wenji finished speaking, everyone else reacted.

Yes, the general has refused three times and this is the last time. This is a credit for his support!

Immediately, no matter whether they passed the test or not, they all came over to persuade him to come in.

Before Mo Zibu could say anything, Chen Taili, Ruan Fuhui and the ministers of the royal family from Guangnan knelt down and tried to persuade him.

Ruan Fuhui even roared with tears streaming down his face, regardless of his status as a royal family member, as if it would be a loss to the whole world if Mo Zibu did not ascend the throne.

Hearing the voices from inside the palace, the generals who had been prepared outside, such as Chen Guangyao, Chen Lian, Wu Wenyong, and Wang Wubing, hurried in and said in unison:

"General, the Nguyen family is now without a leader, and Guangnan cannot be without a leader for a day. Please don't refuse."

Chen Taili also knelt on the ground and said, "This old minister observed the celestial phenomena at night and saw that the North Star was shining brightly, corresponding to the south of Lingxi. It is obvious that the destiny is in Hue. We cannot go against the will of heaven, General!"

Chen Guangyao strode over, snatched the tray containing the list of successful candidates from the eunuch, and took the piece of yellow silk that was originally covering the list in his hand.

Then he, Chen Lian, Wu Wenyong and the other two surrounded Mo Zibu and sat on the throne without any explanation.

After sitting down, Chen Guangyao draped the yellow silk over Mo Zibu's shoulders, and then, along with everyone in the palace, knelt down in front of Mo Zibu.

"The general must have the mandate of heaven, Wang Guangnan!"

The others also shouted in unison, "The general should be Wang Guangnan!"

Alas! Mo Zibu held the two ends of the yellow silk with both hands to prevent it from falling from his shoulders, but he was still sighing and stamping his feet.

"Alas! How can I bear such a heavy burden?"

"You guys really made me suffer!"

(End of this chapter)