Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 990 The Guild Hall
In the beginning, the guild hall was just a gathering of fellow villagers to help each other.

But with the popularity of imperial examinations, it gradually became a semi-official organization, responsible for accepting local officials to go to Beijing to settle down, scholars to live in Beijing temporarily, and even businessmen to help.

For example, it is equivalent to the Beijing Office of later generations.

In some places, due to financial pressure, they can only be combined into one, such as the Qin and Jin guild halls before. As the Shaanxi people showed their power in the court, the two provincial guild halls naturally separated.

But in the same way, Jiangsu, Nanjing, and Anhui, which were originally Nanzhili, still share the same guild hall, reflecting the concept of their family.

In addition, there are Bashu guild halls in Sichuan and Chongqing, Guangdong and Guangxi guild halls in Guangxi and Guangdong, Northwest guild halls in Gansu and Anxi, and Huguang guild halls in Hunan and Hubei, all of which speak of their close relationship.

Anyone who can preside over the guild hall is without exception a local gentry, who has unspeakable contacts and prestige in the capital and the hometown.

Therefore, in the face of the invitation from the head of the museum, even if he is a Juren, as the servant of the Ministry of Officials, Zhao Mengshu did not dare to neglect at all, and attended the banquet solemnly.

At this time, facing this dignified and respectable head of the museum, he was at a loss for a while.

There is no doubt that his attitude represents the attitude of the entire Shandong Guild Hall. If he expresses it poorly, his reputation in the countryside will be ruined.

"You said that Shandong has experienced disasters. During the reign of Chongzhen, the slaves plundered many times, which can be described as a huge loss of population. Even many princes and counties died. That is to say, in the early years of Shaowu, there were only 300 million people in Shandong."

"And during the Wanli period, Shandong broke through nearly [-] million, and it is also one of the best in the entire Ming Dynasty."

"Now it has taken twenty years to reach 700 million. With so many catastrophes, so that the style of writing is not flourishing, how can it be compared with Jiangsu, a land of fish and rice that has enjoyed peace for hundreds of years?"

Zhao Mengshu rolled his eyes in his heart.

At that time, Shandong also included the Liaodong area, and the real population of the people was about 900 to [-] million. Now it seems that it has almost recovered, and it is no different from before.

After deliberating for a while, he said cautiously: "The matter of the imperial examination is the result of His Majesty's arbitrariness, and the candlelight shining thousands of miles away!"

"But, my Shandong has always been a north roll, and now I am competing with the people in the south of the Yangtze River, how can I beat it?"

The head of the museum hurriedly said: "In my opinion, Shandong should be the central province, let those rich provinces fight for it!"

"You are the face of our Shandong in the imperial court, you have to think about our hometown!"

These words are really difficult for others.

Zhao Mengshu sighed, pity him as the right servant of the official department, how much power does he have in the court?
In the early years of Shaowu, the Shan people and the Chu people dominated the huge court, and the cabinet and the eight ministers were basically controlled by them.

Now after years of development, especially after moving the capital to Beijing, the power balance of the imperial court has eased, but it is also not optimistic.

Although the strength of the Shandong people has continued to recover and many Jinshi have been produced, the Shandong people have not yet produced a minister, let alone entered the cabinet.

This caused some people to complain.

Now that the emperor has adjusted the quota of imperial examinations, it seems to him a good thing.

Shandong people have been bullying places like Shaanxi, Henan, and Hebei, where the short ones become taller.

Only by letting Shandong people compete with Jiangsu can we see what the real advantages and disadvantages are.

In the past years, so many Jinshi have been produced, and they have entered the rich and provincial piles, and it will be difficult for Jinshi in the future. Only in this way can many people who are not clear-headed have self-awareness.

The size of Shandong is too large, and now there is no such burden as King Fan, and they want to easily seek benefits in Beijuan. This is too simple for the court to think.

Of course, this is his own consideration.

In any case, this is the emperor's arrangement, and no one dares to object.

Thinking about it, he continued: "To tell you the truth, someone in the imperial court proposed to set quotas based on population. After all, if there are more people, there will be more Jinshi, and if there are fewer people, there will be fewer Jinshi."

"That's a good idea." The head of the museum hastily praised.

Shandong has a population of 800 million, and it is also ranked among the top five in the entire Ming Dynasty. In this way, the number of places obtained may be more than before. Isn't this a good thing?
Zhao Mengshu said angrily, "Who can beat Jiangsu in terms of population?"

"As early as the Wanli period, the number of Dingkou in Jiangsu exceeded 800 million. In Suzhou alone, there were nearly 200 million people. Now, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Jiangsu may have 2000 million people."

"So, out of these 400 people, Jiangsu will have [-] out of them..."

"Jiangxi has nearly 1000 to 500 million people, Anhui has nearly [-] million people, Zhejiang has [-] million people, and southern provinces such as Huguang, Sichuan, and Fujian account for [-]% of the world's total population."

"In other words, the south has gone further, [-]% more than before?"

The head of the museum was shocked.

He changed his mind, this population should be true.

The north experienced natural disasters and man-made disasters, plus a large number of military disasters. Even if the imperial court exempted tax for three years and half tax for two years, it took 20 years to return to the appearance of the Wanli period.

However, the South has been peaceful for many years, and naturally it has gone further, showing a crushing trend in terms of population.

The north and south are out of balance at once.

Zhao Mengshu finally concluded: "Now the imperial court has exempted the Dingkou tax. Since the tax cannot be collected, naturally it doesn't care about the population."

"The former dynasty was ruined because of money and food, but now the important ministers above the court, who is not afraid of running out of money?"

"What you said is true." The head of the museum sighed and said in despair, "I am a native of Shandong!"

After finishing this matter, Zhao Mengshu heaved a sigh of relief.

Just now when he comforted him, there was a wave in his heart.

There are eight ministers in the imperial court and four elders in the pavilion. Among the 12 people, none of them are from Shandong, which can be described as miserable.

If I can go one step further, I am afraid that I can become the banner of Shandong people and have countless benefits...

The carriage rolled and moved, and the hustle and bustle outside the carriage was completely separated, leaving him alone in his thoughts.

Not far from the Shandong Guild Hall, a few passing scholars were interested in the crowded Shandong Guild Hall.That is countless envy.

Two huge stone lions, huge stone plaques, tall steps, and grand plaques all tell the luxury of the Shandong Guild Hall.

"I, Suiyuan, when did I have such a beautiful scene?"

Several scholars were filled with emotion.

There are quotas for Jinshi, and naturally there are quotas for Juren in each province.

For example, in the past, Nanzhili had the most people, 135 people, but now it is divided into three places, and the number has not decreased but increased. Anhui and Jiangsu each have 80 people, and Nanjing Yingtianfu has 30 people.

As a border province, Suiyuan has a population of only a million or so, and the Mongols make up the majority, but there are indeed many scholars.

Therefore, Suiyuan has been fighting for it in recent years, and finally no longer participates in Ningxia's rural examination, and has its own quota: 30 people.

In recent years, the wool trade has become popular, and many Mongolian nobles have made a fortune, so they naturally invite famous teachers to guide them.

In addition, the frontier army was stationed on the spot, and his children also participated in the provincial imperial examinations, and the style of writing gradually flourished.

But it is a pity that Suiyuan is barren. Although the guild hall has been built, there are only seven or eight tile-roofed houses. Several people live together, and sometimes they have to go to the Ningxia guild hall to squeeze.

Ordinary scholars, three dishes and one soup, fish and meat, and even a separate courtyard for servants, extremely spacious and bright.

And what about them?

Daily vegetables and tofu, eating and drinking are not as good as ordinary servants.

In this case, how can you seriously prepare for the exam.

Several people discussed it and felt that going on like this would be bad for the future, coupled with envy and jealousy, they hurriedly went to find the head of the museum.

Unlike other guild halls where Juren and even Beijing officials act as the head, the head of the Suiyuan guild hall is actually a businessman, and he is also a Beijing businessman, named Liu Changgui.

The courtyard they lived in was actually a separate courtyard of another family, and it cost 5000 yuan to buy it in Beijing. It can be said that they are open-minded and far-sighted masters who don't hesitate to let scholars live there temporarily.

"You mean, seek cooperation from his provincial capital?"

Hearing this, Liu Changgui was overjoyed: "It should have been like this a long time ago, why don't we try it with Ningxia?"

He was born as a businessman, and he was also a native of Beijing, so he didn't have any views on sects. Naturally, he would be more happy to expand his network.

Unexpectedly, Du Yizhi, the leader, vetoed this proposal: "Not to mention that the Ningxia guild hall is already in short supply, and many Juren are forced to rent temples. We have no place to live when we go."

"Besides, because of the unpleasant quarrel before, I'm afraid they won't like it."

At that time, the imperial court considered that Suiyuan had a small population and Ningxia was newly built. The two places were not very populous places. In addition, they were close to each other, so they merged the rural examination together and admitted 50 people in total.

On the surface, the two provinces each have 25 quotas, which is very fair.

But in fact Suiyuan suffered a big loss.

Although Ningxia has a small population, it used to be Ningxia Town, and many frontier military households, more than half of them are Han, which is much stronger than Suiyuan.

Therefore, every time the provincial examination is held, Ningxia often takes the lead, and at most two or three people from Suiyuan win the exam, which can be described as miserable.

Now that they are separated, Ningxia and Suiyuan are [-] each, which means that Ningxia has lost more than a dozen places. Isn't it angry?
In the early years of Shaowu, Huguang Province was divided into Hunan and Hubei, and there was a lively quarrel because of the number of places. Hubei has never let go, and Hunan is determined to let go.

Later, it was the emperor Qiankun's arbitrary decision, and it was considered a settlement.

The reason why Suiyuan and Ningxia are so decisive is because they consider the Mongols, they are united!
"Go to Chahar."

Du Yizhi said seriously: "Compared to my cousin Ningxia, Suiyuan and Chahar are real brothers."

"Okay—" Liu Changgui applauded loudly.

Chahar is very close to Beijing, so he is indeed a good target.

Due to the distance, Chahar can better carry out immigration. Now several cities have been built, a large amount of cultivated land has been reclaimed, and taxes have increased sharply every year. It is richer than Ningxia and Suiyuan combined.

After the talks between the two provincial guild halls, an agreement was reached within a few days.

Suiyuan has no money, while Chahar has money but no influence, and the two hit it off.

The Chahar Guild Hall was directly renamed as the Chasui Guild Hall, which specially entertained officials, juren, and businessmen from the two provinces, and its influence in Beijing increased sharply.

The scholars in Suiyuan also moved into the more spacious Chasui Hall and lived a comfortable life.

This move has had a great impact on scholars, and many places have begun to consider it.

For example, in Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang, they are also planning to set up Northeast guild halls together to better serve the people of the province.

However, compared to keen to cooperate with other provinces, for some places, they are more willing to open branch halls.

Just like the Jiangnan Guild Hall, which accommodates Anhui, Jiangsu, and Nanjing, but Jiangsu also has Songjiang Guild Hall, Suzhou Guild Hall, Yangzhou Guild Hall, Xuzhou Guild Hall, etc., which can be described as blooming in all directions.

On the one hand, it shows its strong strength. The accumulation over the years has increased the number of its recruits, and at the same time it means its strong financial resources.

This makes many provinces quite envious.

"This time the distribution of quotas by taxation can be described as a stroke of genius."

In Yan's mansion, Yan Chongxin sat at the main seat, and several officials sat beside him, talking around him.

At this time, Su Ziweng, the left servant of the household department, laughed and said:

"In this way, everyone in the province is vying to be the first, so why not increase taxes?"

"As far as I am concerned, it has to be further subdivided. Each department is allocated according to the amount of tax, and each province arranges quotas."

Zhao Langxing, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, shook his head: "In this way, I'm afraid there is a suspicion of shaming."

"It's fine as it is now, the thick and the thin are consistent and complement each other."

Yan Chongxin twirled his beard, slightly complacent.

The imperial court has been dissatisfied with the division of imperial examination papers for a long time. After hundreds of years of development, the provinces are very different from those in the early Ming Dynasty. What used to be fair has now become unfair.

For example, Anhui is in the middle volume, but its style of writing is quite strong. For provinces such as Yunnan and Guangxi, it is basically in a state of crushing.

The same is true for Shandong, which is invincible in the northern volume.

This is very unfair to some remote provinces.

And Yan Chongxin has been in charge of money and food since the shogunate era, and now he is the chief assistant, so he naturally formulated new rules based on taxation.

In his view, any province that pays too little tax is not qualified.

Unlike Zhao Shu's opposition to the emperor's land expansion, he has always held an impartial attitude.

As long as he can pay taxes and not do loss-making business, he will support it.

For example, Chahar, Suiyuan, Jilin and other places have all started to pay taxes to the imperial court, and there is no need for the imperial court to allocate funds, so he will continue to support the emperor's development.

"Originally, a certain wanted to win more places for the rich province, but His Majesty has a far-sighted view and saw the imbalance, so there are only 200 people."

Yan Chongxin was a little depressed, but he could only say helplessly.

According to his vision, these rich provinces were originally southern volumes, and now they have expanded to a few more provinces. The number of people should be at least 250 to be considered appropriate.

However, the emperor pressed down to two hundred, which was even less than before.

Of course, the expansion of dozens of people is not bad for these provinces.

"Zhongtang, these 400 people are not enough."

"There are already more than 8000 people participating in this department. It is also difficult to take one out of twenty."

Zhao Langxing, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, said: "It is said that Myanmar, Japan, etc. are also planning to send people to participate in the next exam."

"I'm afraid there will be more than [-] people in the next session."

Hearing this, Yan Chongxin also had a headache.

Everything affects the whole body.

As the number of Jinshi increases, there will be more official vacancies, which is also a test for the cabinet.

(End of this chapter)