Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 15 Enlarged Cabinet Meeting (Part )

Zhu Changluo hadn't expected Huang Kezan to object, but since it was a meeting, he should have listened to all sides' opinions. "Mr. Huang, why is this?"

"What the emperor said is nothing more than competition and selection of the best. However, the winner is not necessarily the best talent. On the contrary, the struggle itself will cause the local government to lose interest in government affairs." Huang Kezan was no longer just alluding. He was almost pointing at the noses of the backbones of the various parties present and cursing them.

Huang Kezan had been brooding on these words for a long time, but he dared not speak them out. During the Wanli reign, the emperor, addicted to alcohol and sex, would not listen to direct criticism from his subjects. He denounced factional strife as futile and ultimately self-defeating. Zhu Yijun simply wanted to incite a struggle within the outer court, ideally a life-or-death struggle. Then, he would step in as an arbitrator, maintaining what he considered a balance and silencing his subjects.

But the new emperor was different. He "killed" three officials with two peaches, using the Zheng family's palace relocation case and the Sarhu case to bring together the Donglin Party, Qi, Chu, and Zhejiang, as well as the Imperial Household Department. But what was the final result? Cui Wensheng went from being Zheng's dog to being the new emperor's dog, and the "official recommendation memorial" was rejected, missing the last step, and no one was dismissed.

All parties involved in this struggle had problems, so they did not dare to impeach others with confidence. Yang Lian, the only one who could and dared to attack these problems, said nothing afterwards and was eventually transferred from the capital to Liaodong as an imperial censor.

The new monarch was also acting as an arbitrator, but he wanted to arbitrate not any particular party, but the entire empire. Some things were wrong and they were wrong.

"Go on." With the exception of the two eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department and Li Ruhua, the Minister of Revenue, all the officials present had grim expressions. However, Zhu Changluo was pleased to see this happen. If what he said was wrong, and the officials below remained silent, that would be a disaster for the country.

"Your Majesty, if I were a newly minted scholar, having studied for ten years and finally been appointed by the imperial court, but after taking up my post I discovered that someone was standing in my way, I would definitely find ways to cause trouble for him and get him out."

"If I were an acting official, there would be no problem if the court directly arranged for a new chief official to replace me. However, if a newly minted Jinshi were of the same rank as me and there was only the possibility of replacing me, then I would definitely do everything I could to keep my official hat on my head."

"The struggle between acting officials and newly minted scholars will never be benign, as the contradictions between the two are irreconcilable. Regardless of the final outcome, it will undoubtedly lead to a chaotic atmosphere within the government, and the people under their rule will ultimately suffer." Huang Kezan bowed to Zhu Changluo, "I hope Your Majesty will reconsider."

"Your Excellency Huang is quite right. I was misjudging the situation," Zhu Changluo nodded. "Then, first, we will order local officials to fill the vacancies. They will be examined before or after the Spring Examination. Those who perform well will be retained, those who are average will be retired, and those who perform poorly will be dismissed. After the examinations are completed, the newly minted Jinshi will be sent to fill the vacancies. What do you think?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhou Jiamo wanted to fight for it again, but he was stopped by Han Yu.

Zhu Changluo nodded, then said to Sun Ruyou, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, "Secretary Sun, for next year's Spring Examination, I would like to add a new category besides the Jinshi category."

"Add another subject?" Sun Ruyou was stunned.

The imperial examination system originated in the Sui Dynasty. Its main feature was "self-advancement by submitting a petition". To a certain extent, it broke the privileged situation in the medieval aristocratic society where family background was the basis of appointment (the system of conscription, the system of recommendation, and the system of nine-rank selection).

But the Sui Dynasty was only the origin of the imperial examination system. At that time, the imperial examination system was still in its infancy and had not yet formed a system. The regulations in all aspects were very imperfect, but it did basically establish the basic framework for studying, taking exams, and being appointed as an official.

The Tang Dynasty inherited and developed the imperial examination system, dividing it into regular examinations and special examinations. Regular examinations were held at regular intervals, such as every three years during the Ming Dynasty. Special examinations were held temporarily by imperial decree.

During the Tang Dynasty, the imperial examinations consisted of various subjects, including the Xiucai (Scholarship), Mingjing (Classic), Jinshi (Chronicles), Mingfa (Law), Mingzi (Character), and Mingsuan (Arithmetic). The Mingjing and Jinshi examinations were the most common. The examination methods included copying scriptures, interpreting calligraphy, oral examinations, policy questions, and poetry.

By the Song Dynasty, the status of the Jinshi subject was elevated, and the content of the imperial examination changed to the Jinshi subject and other subjects (Mingfa, Mingjing, etc.).

By the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial examination system was abolished several times and temporarily declined.

After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty and the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial examination system was reinstated, but only the Jinshi (Jinshi) category was offered. Furthermore, the examination content was strictly fixed, limited to Confucian classics. Questions had to be based on passages from the Four Books and Five Classics, with reference to Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. Furthermore, only eight-part essays could be used for answers. Starting in the Chenghua period of the mid-Ming Dynasty, the imperial court officially established the eight-part essay system for selecting officials.

The eight-part essay consists of fixed sections: opening the topic, continuing the topic, starting the lecture, beginning the essay, starting the essay, beginning the essay, middle essay, end essay, and ending essay. Free expression, extensive quotations, metaphors, or any other inappropriate content are prohibited. Even within the classics, there are taboos against violating the rules.

While the eight-legged essay system had its drawbacks, it still had practical significance. The restricted answer format and exam content largely eliminated the influence of examiners' subjective factors on the test results, making the exam fairer and more objective under the historical conditions of the time.

For example, if free expression is allowed, different candidates will inevitably have different writing styles. In this way, the examiner can judge by the writing style whether a paper is the paper of the person who greeted him.

"Yes, I want you to add one more subject." Zhu Changluo repeated.

"Your Majesty, this is probably inappropriate." Sun Ruyou resisted instinctively, but his reasons were very sufficient: "Suddenly adding subjects will inevitably increase or change the examination content, which goes against the ancestral system." In Sun Ruyou's view, the ancestral system is a symbol of stability.

Finally, they hit the wall of ancestral rules. Zhu Changluo sighed in his heart: But this wall is no longer a protection but a shackle, it must be destroyed!
"Adding an examination doesn't violate the ancestral system; it extends it. I haven't said to abolish the Jinshi examination." Zhu Changluo prepared for a gradual approach from the outset. "So, the Ministry of Rites will draft a regulation. Next year's spring examination will still use the Jinshi examination as the primary subject, with nothing changed. But mathematics will be added as a secondary subject. Whether you pass or fail the examination, you can still take the mathematics test. Mathematics won't affect your academic status or your chance to be an official. Is that all right?"

"If the exam is useless, then what's the point of studying mathematics?" Sun Ruyou thought.

Zhu Changluo originally wanted to say that mathematics is the father of all learning, but in the minds of Confucian scholars, there is only one father of all learning: the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. So he changed his tone and said, "I simply want to plant a seed in the minds of future Ming officials. Mathematics is the foundation of engineering, astronomy, and accounting. If officials don't learn mathematics and can't understand account books and documents, how can they know the population size, the amount of arable land, and the appropriate taxes?"

"If local officials don't know these basic figures, they have to beg petty clerks who know these figures but don't understand the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. Isn't this putting the cart before the horse and a disgrace to civility?" Zhu Changluo continued from the perspective of Confucianism and local officials.

In ancient times, in order to reduce administrative costs, a dual-track system of "separation of officials and clerks" was implemented.

Officials were assigned a rank, received imperial salary, and were incorporated into the imperial hierarchy. Clerks who were not members of the official system were generally supported by their own offices, doing basic clerical and tedious administrative work, and not participating in decision-making.

At the same time, to prevent officials from forming their own factions in the local area, the Ming Dynasty strictly implemented a system of avoiding the need for officials to enter the south and vice versa, as well as a system of three-year terms, with a maximum of three. However, the imperial court did not have such requirements for civil servants.

Therefore, minor officials were generally appointed by local people, and the position might even be inherited from one family. This led to the formation of a deformed form of local governance, characterized by itinerant officials and native officials. The imperial court's reform of the native system resulted in a fragmented but large group of "hereditary" officials.

Furthermore, the imperial examinations only tested the moral teachings of Confucius, Mencius, Cheng Yi, and Zhu Xi. Before taking office, officials had nothing but enthusiasm and knew nothing else.

The end result was a situation where high-ranking officials were controlled by petty officials, and vice versa. Of course, officials could dismiss clerks, but if they took away the ancestral account books, the dignified and upright officials would immediately be sidelined, and the officials would then have to respectfully invite them back.

But Sun Ruyou had never served as a grassroots local official.

"Forgive me for not obeying your command. The eight-legged essay is the system for selecting scholars established by Emperor Taizu. The teachings of Confucius and Mencius are the foundation of a gentleman's conduct. How can I disobey your order?"

"What you said makes sense. Let's do it this way for now." Zhu Changluo was so angry that he laughed, but he did not persuade him anymore. Instead, he discussed the specific reasons for the special examination in the first year of Taichang with the ministers, as if he was really convinced.

(End of this chapter)