The ruthless emperor in the late Ming Dynasty forced Chongzhen to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 298

After the court was over, Zhang Yan and Zhu Cihong had breakfast together, and then they came to the Imperial Study Room. Zhang Yan consciously gave up the main seat to Zhu Cihong and stood aside.

Zhu Cihong didn't care, but when Zhang Yan picked up the memorial on the table, as if about to hand over the government affairs, Emperor Zhu immediately stood up.

"Auntie, the child is a junior, how can I let you stand, you should sit, I will stand."

"Although Auntie is an elder, you are the emperor..." Zhang Yan didn't know that he wanted to be the shopkeeper again, and shook her head.

But before he finished speaking, Zhu Cihong forcibly pushed him down on the chair.He laughed and said: "Why is the emperor not the emperor, and there are no outsiders, and we haven't seen each other for two years, how did my aunt have a separation with the baby?"

"Ah! Auntie thought that you would be a father...who would have thought that you would still have such a temper." Seeing his playful smile, Zhang Yan said with a wry smile.

But seeing that he was still as close to him as before, his heart warmed up, and he didn't mention anything about handing over government affairs.

"The past few years have caused my aunt to work hard, and my child feels very guilty, but my aunt will stick to it for another two years. After the completion of the new policy in the north this year, it will be implemented in the south next year, and then the two capitals will become one. At that time, the child will always Stay by Auntie's side."

Zhu Cihong was also relieved to see that she didn't say those out-of-the-ordinary words anymore.

In fact, he said that Zhang Yan was not keen on power, and she didn't want to stay in Nanjing, because in Nanjing, she seemed to be a beautiful queen mother, but there was no one who could really talk to her.

"If you have this filial piety, Auntie will be satisfied."

Seeing his sincerity, Zhang Yan said with relief.

After pondering for a while, he looked at him worriedly and said, "However, last year's new policy in the south was just completed, so it's too urgent to implement a more radical land policy next year?"

"It's really too urgent, but time doesn't wait. Anyway, it will be implemented sooner or later. Instead of delaying it for another two years, it's better to finish it sooner." Zhu Cihong waved his hand.

If this year's imperial examination was not too important and he was afraid of being affected, he planned to implement it simultaneously with the north this year.

After all, northern Xinjiang is now as stable as Mount Tai, even if the southern landlords rebel, he is not afraid.

"Auntie is a woman, and she is just talking. Since you have plans, Auntie will stop talking."

Zhang Yan nodded, and then saw him standing beside him, thinking it was inappropriate after all, so she moved to the side and said, "You can sit too, Honger!"

"All right!"

The dragon chair in the imperial study room is very spacious, let alone two people, even three or four people can sit there, Zhu Cihong didn't care about her when he saw her, and didn't say anything.

Naturally, Zhang Yan would not care about it. Now she is alone, with no desires, no needs, and no one to rely on. She has long regarded Zhu Cihong as her closest relative and only reliance. It can be said that now her whole heart is placed on Zhu Cihong.

"Auntie, tell me about the imperial examination first!"

Zhu Cihong naturally also felt that Zhang Yan had regarded him as the only one to rely on, and the relationship between the two of them became much closer at once.

"Well, the number of people participating in this year's college examination has reached more than 300 million, and all provinces have successfully completed the examination. Now, except for the two provinces in the south of the Yangtze River, the test papers of other provinces are still on the way. More than [-]% of the candidates who passed the test…”

Zhang Yan began to talk about the situation of the imperial examination in detail, and after she finished speaking, she couldn't help but frowned and said, "My aunt, I always think that the exam questions in the college examination are too simple, if this continues, everyone will become a scholar in the future." .”

In the past, even if Zhang Yan had an idea, she would not say it directly, but now she has no worries.

"Haha, Auntie is right, but this is what my son wants. My son wants everyone to become a scholar in the future."

Zhu Cihong laughed loudly, very proudly.

"Lang'er, if everyone becomes a scholar, won't this scholar become worthless?" Zhang Yan looked puzzled.

"Hehe, a scholar will indeed be worthless in the future. If you pass the exam, you won't think it's a matter of honoring your ancestors. But if you don't have the status of a scholar, you will realize how important the status of a scholar is."

Zhu Cihong smiled again, seeing that she still didn't quite understand what he meant, so he patiently explained to her.

The reason why he wants to lower the threshold for being a scholar actually has two purposes. The first is to liberate human rights in a disguised form, and the second is to encourage ordinary people to learn literacy and then popularize knowledge.

Although the scholars in the future are not as popular and respected as today's scholars, they can at least see officials without paying homage. They can be called scholars. They have been registered in the Ministry of Rites. It would take some risks to bully a scholar like that.

But don't underestimate this point. In ancient times, those big landlords never regarded those ordinary people as human beings, because most of them were ignorant and ignorant, and in their eyes, they were not much different from animals, but those who could read and write People are different.

In the absence of conflict of interests, no landlord or gentry would offend and oppress a literate person for no reason, even if the person had no fame, he would not offend him for nothing.

That's why Zhu Cihong combined with the actual situation of this era and adopted the imperial examination system with wide entry and strict exit to give those ordinary people with low status a minimum status guarantee. The huge backlash, not to mention that the big gentry can't accept it, I'm afraid even the servants and ordinary people can't get used to it all at once.

After all, the class ideology of thousands of years has already been deeply ingrained and penetrated into everyone's bone marrow. It is definitely not something that can be changed by the emperor's imperial edict, nor can it be reversed by using the army to forcibly deter and enforce it.

In terms of the original imperial examination system, the relaxation of the threshold for scholars is much more gentle. Whether it is a big gentry or an ordinary person, they can understand, accept and adapt.

As long as the land is divided in the future and the income of the common people is high, they will scramble to let their children learn to study and take the exam to be a scholar. After everyone becomes a scholar, everyone will be equal and everyone will be subject to the law. Protection, everyone can see an official without worshiping, and no one is lower than anyone else. You are a scholar, and I am a scholar, and everyone is a scholar.

And this kind of knowledge to determine status, Zhu Cihong thinks it is better than wealth to determine status.

Because if he declares that all people are created equal now, in fact, it is impossible to be truly equal at all, and it will only give those rich people an advantage. But now he does not announce, but only uses talents to distinguish, then everyone's opportunities will be great. it's the same.

Both the poor and the rich have to pass the exam to become a scholar, and the threshold for a scholar is so low, anyone can pass the exam as long as they finish reading those books, and there is no such thing as rich people learning faster, poor people Learn slowly.

Compared with the poor, the rich, the smart and the stupid, there is no obvious advantage in front of the scholar, the threshold for juren and Jinshi is much higher, and these two exams will completely eliminate the poor, the rich, the smart Make a one-time and reasonable distinction from the stupid and the hardworking.

For example, if you want to become an official in politics, then in addition to mastering the basics of arithmetic, you should study those ancient and modern classics desperately, follow the old path of the imperial examination, and the change will not be too big.

Those who have no talent in the original imperial examination career, but are flexible in mind and like to delve into new things, then go directly to the science department.

And those rich people with loose temperaments and artistic talents can take the liberal arts route after passing the examination of scholars, and contribute to the development of literature and art in China.

(End of this chapter)