Ming Dynasty: Moral blackmail? I, Emperor Chongzhen, have no morals!

The following morning, Ni Yuanlu, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, and Huang Daozhou, the Junior Chancellor of the Imperial Household Department, hurriedly arrived at the Wuying Hall to report on the matter of the imperial examinations.

Seeing that Zhu Jian was still reviewing memorials, Ni Yuanlu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, most of the candidates have already arrived in the capital. As for the examination questions for the spring imperial examination, I would like to request Your Majesty to write them down!"

Zhu Jian was taken aback. He had never even taken the college entrance examination, yet he was being asked to set exam questions? Wasn't that making things difficult for him? After a pause, he asked, "Chief Inspector Ni, what kind of exam questions do you think would be appropriate?"

Upon hearing this, Ni Yuanlu hurriedly knelt down: "Your Majesty, I dare not overstep your bounds. Since ancient times, the imperial examinations have always been conducted with questions set by Your Majesty personally, and those who pass are all disciples of the Emperor!"

Ni Yuanlu was right. Only the emperor was qualified to set questions for these candidates, and these people were all the emperor's students. If he, the chief libationer, were to overstep his bounds and try to rule over all the scholars in the world, wouldn't he be courting death?

Zhu Jian simply wanted him to give some hints so he wouldn't make a fool of himself, since this was the first time he had set a question...

Zhu Jian glanced at Huang Daozhou again: "I intend to focus on policy essays, addressing current affairs. What do you think, Huang Daozhou?"

"Your Majesty, I believe this is a very appropriate course of action!"

Zhu Jian tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic tapping sound. After a moment, he slowly spoke: "Choose one of the following four as your strategy: saving the people, disaster relief, suppressing bandits, or pacifying the barbarians!"

Prosecutor Zhu planned to gather ideas from all sides and see what insights these contemporary scholars and talents had.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Ni Yuanlu and Huang Daozhou bowed and were about to turn and leave when they heard Zhu Jian's voice: "You two and the other examiners, remember this: focus on practical matters and policy arguments, with ornate writing as a secondary consideration. Simply writing down the words of sages is useless in today's nation!"

Huang Daozhou paused for a moment, then replied, "Your Majesty, I believe the imperial examination system should follow the established practices of the Ming Dynasty, rather than being newly created. Doing so would undoubtedly breed opportunists!"

Huang Daozhou believed that everything should be done according to the rules and regulations, and there was no need to change the conditions for reviewing exam papers. Zhu Jian, on the other hand, believed that practical ability was more important than any kind of writing. Although he might not be able to do it, being able to write it down showed that he had the insight. Those who only knew how to write down the words of sages were probably just bookworms who studied by rote, and such people would be better off returning to their hometowns to teach and educate people.

"Focus on substance, not abstract concepts!"

"I want to select capable people, not those who only talk about factional strife!"

"Your Majesty's words are very appropriate!" Ni Yuanlu bowed and echoed.

Ni Yuanlu was a man who could get things done. He disliked those who could only raise questions but not solve them, especially those civil officials who only knew how to impeach and oppress others based on the words of sages.

"Huang Daozhou, I know you possess both virtue and talent, but you must also understand that the Ming Dynasty is not an academy; officials cannot be judged solely on the quality of their writing!"

Zhu Jian affirmed Huang Daozhou's integrity, but criticized his abilities in governing the region and in military affairs.

Seeing that Huang Daozhou seemed to be deep in thought, Zhu Jian continued, "A county magistrate can save tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of people in a year of natural disaster. But if he only talks big and causes countless refugees to be displaced and tens of thousands to starve or freeze to death, even if his entire family is exterminated, can he save those who have died?"

Before he could finish speaking, Huang Daozhou, suddenly realizing the truth, bowed and returned, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you for clearing up my doubts!"

Zhu Jian waved his hand: "Go start the exam!"

"We take our leave!" Ni Yuanlu and Huang Daozhou bowed, took two steps back, and slowly left the Wuying Hall.

Outside the hall, Ni Yuanlu glanced at Huang Daozhou and said, "Lord Huang, we have both witnessed the Emperor's actions since the eleventh year of Chongzhen's reign. Let us not dwell too much on the past! After all, the Ming Dynasty of today is not the same as it was during the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Daozhou sighed deeply: "How could I not know!"

After saying this, the two walked side by side for a moment. Huang Daozhou slowly stopped, turned around and glanced into the distance at the Wuying Hall, saying meaningfully, "Either the sun and moon will be restored, or we will be doomed forever! We are in the present moment, so let's just do our jobs well!"

Ni Yuanlu didn't say anything, but simply nodded slightly.

.......

After the two left, Zhu Jian looked at the appointments and removals of officials page by page, word by word. There were more than 300 officials in Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, and Beizhili provinces who needed to fill vacancies.

Half of these cases involved Shanxi, mainly because Zhu Rongji had killed too many people in Shanxi, creating a systemic power vacuum and a void in local authority...

Although Zhu Jian granted the local governors the power to dismiss county magistrates and prefects and to appoint new county magistrates and prefects, an imperial edict was still required! Otherwise, it would only be a temporary official position.

The memorial has now been submitted, but Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua have only marked a dot to indicate that they have received and compiled the information. However, they have not made any suggestions regarding whether to reject the portion or appoint all the officials. This shows that the two of them have a sense of boundaries and are waiting for the emperor's approval without any intention of overstepping their bounds.

It is no easy feat to maintain such composure in the face of immense temptations of power.

"Someone, summon Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua!"

"As you command!"

Before long, Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua hurried into the Wuying Hall: "Your Majesty, we pay our respects!"

"No need for formalities, please have a seat!"

After saying this, Zhu Jian picked up the appointment memorial and patted it lightly in his palm: "I summoned you two to ask for your opinions on this personnel appointment memorial from the four provinces."

The two exchanged a glance, and Sun Chengzong bowed, saying, "We will obey Your Majesty's decree!"

"Your Majesty, when I was investigating the finances of the two vassal states and merchants in Shanxi, I came across a county magistrate who led the people of the county to dig for wild vegetables and peel tree bark to stabilize the area. I was prepared to promote him to the position of prefect of Datong in the name of the Military and Political Bureau to maintain local stability! However, after the Ministry of Personnel approved it, it was rejected by the censor of the Ministry of Personnel. I humbly request Your Majesty to grant special approval!" Li Banghua stood up and said.

According to procedure, censors had the power to reject the Ministry of Personnel's decrees, but after a rejection, the emperor could issue them again through an imperial edict.

Therefore, Li Banghua wanted to use the imperial decree to bypass the normal procedures and promote this diligent and stable county magistrate.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jian was slightly taken aback. Are there still people who are oblivious to their own mortality these days?

He then shouted angrily, "Wang Dehua! Wang Dehua!"

Wang Dehua, who was on duty outside the Wuying Hall, was startled by Zhu Jian's shouts and rushed into the hall: "This servant greets Your Majesty!"

"Of the Six Ministries' Censors, why is there only one, Li Dongying? What have you been doing all this time?"

Zhu Jian instructed Wang Dehua to place people within the court, especially in the censorate system. At the time, only Li Dongying, a supervising secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, was placed there; the rest were left untouched. Zhu Jian initially thought Wang Dehua had replaced all the supervising secretaries, but after Li Banghua's reminder, he realized there was still only one...

"Your Majesty, this servant...this servant..." Wang Dehua stammered, unable to give a coherent answer.

He had considered it, but he didn't dare to do it, since the emperor hadn't given him any clear instructions.

Zhu Jian waved his hand: "I'll give you a few days. Before the results are announced, I don't want to see any more rejected memorials!"

The functions of the cabinet and the six ministries have not been completely abolished, and they can still issue memorials according to the old procedures. Zhu Jian wants to use the eunuchs' power to finally reject memorials in order to undermine the authority of the cabinet and the six ministries and realize the emperor's actual control.

The Military and Political Bureau controlled major and important matters. If the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs monitored and controlled all the censors, it could control minor matters of the court. The two departments complemented each other and could achieve the ultimate control of the Ming Dynasty's imperial power, making him the emperor with the highest real power since the Jiajing Emperor!

"This servant will take care of it immediately!"

Wang Dehua slowly rose, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and slowly withdrew from the Wuying Hall...