The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

About half an hour later, at the Fengtian Hall.

After the announcement ceremony concluded, with his subjects respectfully seeing him off, Emperor Zhu did not linger and immediately departed to return to the palace.

Meanwhile, they had just stepped out of the palace gate.

He glanced at the eldest grandson of the emperor who was accompanying him.

He was lost in thought.

Zhu Yuanzhang quickly ordered the eunuchs to stop, pointed to the imperial carriage, and said, "Is our grandson tired of standing?"

"Come on up and sit next to us!"

Zhu Xiong Ying was thinking about the ceremony that had just taken place.

Hearing his grandfather's words, he came to his senses and realized that Old Zhu loved him!

As a good grandson of the saint, how could I refuse?

Zhu Xiong Ying hurriedly replied, "Grandson thanks His Majesty for his consideration!"

Once seated to the side, we set off again.

Thinking back on the past few days, his beloved grandson had helped him resolve many of his worries.

Zhu Yuanzhang temporarily set aside matters of state and asked with concern, "What is our grandson thinking about? Why don't you tell your imperial grandfather?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying was startled.

Old Zhu is really perceptive!

However, after hearing the names of Huang Zicheng and others, he had some ideas and planned to talk to Lao Zhu about them.

There's no time like the present, let's speak frankly!

Hopefully, Old Zhu won't slam his fist on the table after hearing this!

Just to be on the safe side, Zhu Xiong Ying gave a heads-up, saying, "Your grandson has indeed been considering this!"

"But Grandfather, please don't be angry if I've said something wrong!"

Ok?

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately became alert.

But seeing that timid little face, she instantly beamed with joy.

Does Da Sun know to be afraid of us?

He reached out, pulled his grandson into his arms, smoothed his hair, and laughed, "Speak boldly, Grandpa won't be angry!"

Hehe, Old Zhu, you'll regret this!

Zhu Xiong Ying immediately perked up, organized his thoughts, and said, "Grandson remembers what His Majesty said: 'The world is treasured by virtuous and talented people!'"

He remembered that this sentence originally came from "The Precious Instructions of the Ming Taizu".

They noticed that Old Zhu nodded slightly, without raising any questions.

It is clear that this was indeed said, but it was not said by Zhou Shuren.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Ten days ago, Mr. Liu, while lecturing on the Zizhi Tongjian, also said: 'The key to governing the world lies in talent!'"

"This demonstrates the importance of virtuous and talented individuals to the world!"

"Today, your grandson is fortunate to be with His Majesty and witness the many scholars who have passed the imperial examinations, and even more so, to see the flourishing literary tradition and abundance of talent in the Ming Dynasty..."

"But after thinking about it carefully, I felt something was off!"

"In truth, the current system of selecting, nurturing, and employing officials in our dynasty harbors a great scourge! It may even lead our Great Ming Dynasty to decline and eventual demise!"

The imperial examination system of the Ming Dynasty was originally established by Zhu Yuanzhang and Liu Bowen!

Old Liu died ten years ago.

Now, in front of the original owner, he frankly admits that there are problems inside.

This is undoubtedly tantamount to provoking a major disaster!

However, for the sake of long-term considerations, some shortcomings must be mentioned.

For example, there were drawbacks to the eight-legged essay, an imbalance between civil and military affairs, and the rise of factional strife...

Of course, Zhu Xiong Ying understood this as well.

Given the limitations of the feudal dynasty and the national conditions at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, it was naturally impossible to completely solve these fundamental problems in a short period of time!

However, the performance evaluation method and the single-whip method proposed the day before yesterday.

He wanted to plant a seed in Lao Zhu's heart.

While verifying the findings, we must also gather the strength of our ancestors and take ten or twenty years to gradually improve and change it!

And thus establish a powerful Ming Dynasty!

Finally, he would reap the rewards, becoming a third-generation emperor, and could peacefully inherit and enjoy the good life.

He paused for a moment.

Seeing that the smile on Old Zhu's face disappeared, he sat up straight and even raised his hand to let the palanquin down.

Looking left and right, Empress Ma was not by his side.

He's really hit a nerve with Old Zhu. Will he get beaten into a dummy?

He's not married yet!

"Grandpa! You said you wouldn't be angry!"

Zhu Xiong Ying looked aggrieved and quickly offered a reminder.

Was it easy for us to do this for the Ming Dynasty?

Don't be angry, don't be angry...

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, twitched the corners of his mouth to reveal a mouthful of white teeth, and said, "Very well! Our great grandson, please continue!"

Zhu Xiong Ying pondered for a moment and said, "Grandfather, you see, our eight-legged essay system produces people who only know how to read the classics and don't know anything about the world."

"Although they can write articles, they don't care about practical matters. If you really put them in charge of a county or prefecture, or manage an army or town, they would be no better than those who are uneducated but know the suffering of the people, do their jobs conscientiously, and helped the Emperor conquer the country..."

"This perfectly illustrates the saying: Empty talk harms the country, while hard work builds it!"

"The reason for this is that those scholars, once they pass the imperial examinations, immediately enter the Hanlin Academy and remain in the capital; where have they ever gone to the grassroots?"

"Over time, they will inevitably forget their original intentions, value empty fame over real achievements, and be single-mindedly focused on promotion and wealth, forming cliques and factions with their fellow townsmen and relatives..."

"If that's the case, don't you think there won't be any trouble?"

I'm talking about you, Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai, who treat the reduction of the power of the princes as a child's play!

And the Tumu Crisis and the Gengxu Incident, those civil officials who knew nothing about military affairs!

Even more so, the Wanli, Tianqi, and Chongzhen emperors, amidst factional strife, were the ultimate culprits who led to the downfall of the Ming Dynasty!

And the root of all this is inextricably linked to Lao Zhu.

The preceding few words were practically a direct insult: "Old Zhu, this is all your doing!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang clenched his fists tightly.

Our grandson is brave!

The implication is that we were in the wrong.

However, we also have our own difficulties!

Who would have known that at the very beginning of the Ming Dynasty, officials were in dire need from the central government to the local level!

In fact, at the very beginning, they had no choice but to appoint former officials of the Yuan dynasty!

In order to fill the vacancy and accelerate the training of personnel, he discussed with Bowen and decided to reopen the imperial examination.

The selected outstanding talents will be directly appointed to official positions, while the rest will observe the administration in various departments!

Now that we've calmed down...

Upon careful consideration, what Da Sun said was not without merit.

Especially the saying, "Empty talk harms the country, while hard work builds it up."

It's like a profound truth.

Indeed, looking around, most of the people selected through the eight-legged essay system in the local areas nowadays come from wealthy families.

The truly poor struggle to even support themselves, let alone have time to pursue education.

Therefore, these people have never experienced poverty, they only know how to write articles, and they cannot understand the hardships of ordinary people!

Where can one achieve political success?

The end result was nothing more than supporting a large number of officials and gentry who did nothing.

Moreover, this group, like a snowball, will grow larger and larger, eventually exhausting the nation's resources...

So, does this mean we were wrong?

A gentle spring breeze was blowing within the imperial city.

Zhu Yuanzhang investigated further.

He broke out in a cold sweat, his face growing increasingly grim.

If it were anyone else, being so close to the Hongwu Emperor would probably have scared the soul out of their body!

Zhu Xiong Ying was still able to remain calm.

However, its bottom wouldn't cooperate and shifted to the side.

He then stiffened his neck and blurted out all his remaining thoughts at once.

"In response to these problems, I, your grandson, believe that we should hold imperial examinations to select officials. On the one hand, we can preserve the classics, but we should also add practical policy essays to the examinations."

"Secondly, all those who passed the imperial examinations had to first go to the countryside and start as officials in prefectures and counties before they could be allowed to enter the central government!"

"In terms of the training of officials, civil officials should be knowledgeable in military affairs, and military officials should be knowledgeable in law. All matters of national importance should be handled in the same way as in the Han and Tang dynasties, employing both civil and military talents!"

"Fourthly, official schools at all levels should not only focus on the imperial examinations, but also emphasize practical application, such as training professionals in agriculture, medicine, and industry to promote people's livelihoods and various industries. Even in the capital, in addition to the Imperial Academy, a comprehensive university could be built..."

After he finished speaking, he felt as if each day was an eternity.

After a long silence, Zhu Yuanzhang finally spoke.

"Your eldest grandson's idea is excellent! Grandfather has taken note of it!"

"But these things can't be changed overnight; it takes time..."

This statement alone shows that the Hongwu Emperor took it to heart.

The crisis was averted, and they even managed to set up a nest.

Zhu Xiong Ying was about to flatter him and ask about the banquet for the successful candidates in the imperial examinations, thinking about the banquet arrangements.

Unexpectedly, Old Zhu saw through his thoughts at a glance and took the initiative to speak.

"The Imperial Banquet this afternoon will be organized by the Ministry of Rites and will be held at the Huitong Hall!"

"We still have official business to attend to. If you want to join in the fun, we can have Jiang Huan accompany you. He can represent us and take a look at this group of scholars nearby to see if there are any talented individuals among them."

Zhu Yuanzhang's last remark was just a casual remark.

But Zhu Xiong Ying was secretly delighted.

Old Zhu, you wait and see. We have a keen eye and will definitely pick out some useful people for you!

He immediately stepped down from the imperial carriage, bowed, and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, your grandson will certainly not fail in his mission!"

The Imperial Guard officer guarding the front, who was about thirty years old, then bowed and said, "Your humble servant obeys the decree!"

Looking towards the source of the voice, one could see that it was none other than Jiang Huan, who had been in charge of the Lan Yu case during the later years of the Hongwu reign.