People in Hongwu, from heavenly master to emperor master

Chapter 127 This is not the answer I want

"Students believe that bureaucrats in this world can be divided into several types. One is called academic bureaucrats, who are particularly good at learning, but their other abilities are really lackluster..."

When Zhang Yi said this, although he didn't mention his name, it was obvious who he was talking about.

Are you polite?

Xu Cunren: ...

Although Zhang Yi was heartbroken, Xu Cunren also acquiesced to what Zhang Yi said.

He denied that he was a trash who could only read, but when it came to handling government affairs, Xu Cunren was really not good at it.

Zhu Yuanzhang put him in this position, which can be regarded as knowing people and making good use of them, and Xu Cunren is also very satisfied with his current duties.

The intrigues and intrigues in the officialdom are still too heavy for an old man who concentrates on learning. Mr. Xu recognizes his ability and is content with the status quo.

So after being honed by Zhang Yi, he chose to let Zhang Yi continue talking.

"The other type is called administrative bureaucrats. They are good at communication, and they can handle government affairs according to everyone's talent. They are generally reasonable. Among them, the most representative ones are naturally the big bosses of the Ministry of Education, represented by Li Shanchang... "

"Administrative bureaucracy?"

Xu Cunren and Kong Na were thoughtful, and probably understood Zhang Yi's division.

Kong Na was very interested: "What else?"

"The third type is technical bureaucrats... This kind of people often have skills, and the work they do also requires them to have skills. Technology is their foundation!

There are some departments in the imperial court that need such bureaucrats, such as the Ministry of Households, which is in charge of the world's money and food, knows how to sort out accounts, how to audit the taxes reported by local officials, and many other examples.Similar examples include the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Punishment, and those departments with a particularly obvious division of labor. When ordinary people enter it, they will not be able to grasp the doorway for a while..."

Technical...

Xu Cunren nodded and signaled Zhang Yi to continue.

"The last type is called compound bureaucrats. They have all or part of the characteristics of the above three bureaucrats at the same time. They either win in balance, or they are almost omniscient. Who do you think of this kind of people?"

"Liu Ji!"

Without thinking about it, Xu Cunren directly reported Liu Bowen's name.

Proficient in Confucian classics, excellent in handling government affairs, and also familiar with astronomy and calendar, mathematics, art of war... can almost be called a perfect man!

Apart from Liu Ji, Xu Cunren can't think of anyone in Ming Dynasty who can be called a representative of compound bureaucrats.

After posing these four bureaucrats, Zhang Yi asked with a smile:

"What kind of bureaucrats do you think my Ming needs the most?"

Xu Cunren pondered, if he had to make a choice, academic bureaucrats should be ruled out first,

Administration, technology, and compound bureaucrats are all talents that Daming urgently needs.

The first-class choice is naturally a compound talent like Liu Bowen, but administrative and technical talents are also indispensable.

As for which of the two is more important, it's hard to say.

"Actually, what students want to ask sir is, these four kinds of bureaucrats, except academic bureaucrats have a clear direction and are related to familiarity with the sacred sciences, do the others have a strong relationship with the sacred sciences?
If one can govern the country by studying holy studies, why isn't Song Lian the prime minister of Zhongshu Province? "

What Zhang Yi really wanted to express is here. Is he already questioning "Confucianism" itself?
Considering Zhang Yi's status as a Taoist priest, both Kong Na and Xu Cunren looked at him strangely.

They can be very good with Zhang Yi, but if Zhang Yi really points the source of the problem to Confucianism, then they have no choice but to disagree with each other.

"I don't think it has much to do with it. I think the relationship between Confucian classics and other miscellaneous studies is like the connection between Taoism and art for Taoists. If the five thousand words of the ancestors are the general outline of my Taoist practice, this is absolutely true. , if the "Tao Te Ching" is the body, then the techniques of talismans, alchemy, and divination are based on...

If I tell my father that I can learn alchemy without a teacher by reading "Tao Te Ching", he will probably break my leg!

However, what makes me find it funny is that today's great Confucianists actually believe that they can learn how to govern a country just by reading the classics? "

The six arts of a gentleman, if there is no need for existence, why would a sage study other subjects?

Liu Bowen did not understand military art, mathematics and astronomy and calendar from the Four Books and Five Classics...

The sage Confucius clearly taught his disciples to walk on two legs, but later generations were unfilial, cut off one of his own legs, and then said that walking on one leg is the same as walking on two legs, or even better. Isn’t this ridiculous? "

When Zhang Yi finished speaking, Xu Cunren and Kong Na's pupils shrank slightly. Although Zhang Yi's words were a little extreme, they were not necessarily unreasonable.

Using Daojia as a metaphor, the principles in the Four Books and Five Classics are Tao, so isn’t the knowledge of counting, imperialism, and archery handed down by sages?
Xu Cunren vaguely understood what Zhang Yi wanted to express. What he meant was that he blindly emphasized the role of the Four Books and Five Classics, while ignoring other miscellaneous studies, or the role of small arts, which is actually walking on one leg.

So joining Mathematics actually represents one of his views, that is, there must be multiple criteria for selecting candidates in the imperial examination.

If possible, not only mathematics, other subjects can also join the imperial examination.

It's just that in this way, the hidden interests of many people will indeed be touched, and maybe those friends of his will oppose him.

Xu Cunren was not convinced by Zhang Yi, but Zhang Yi's set of things can be regarded as justified.

This means that he presented this theory to the emperor, and the emperor would not think that he was being perfunctory.

Xu Cunren vaguely felt that Zhu Yuanzhang would even like this approach.

Every additional discipline is actually an increase in the cost of certain groups monopolizing the imperial examinations!
In addition to the theory of the six arts of a gentleman and walking on one leg, even if other people object, he still has an excuse.

Just ...

Xu Cunren was upset, he asked:
"Then why does it have to be arithmetic?"

"First, because arithmetic is fair enough, it is one of the best means to reduce the difference between poor families, powerful families, and regions.

Second, the background of mathematics is logic. A person with good logic is always faster than others in transforming his role!

Third, in fact, there are many departments in the imperial court that need people with a foundation in mathematics to serve, especially the Ministry of Households, which is in charge of money and food in the world, is even more important. The demise of successive dynasties often starts with finance...

If my Ming Dynasty had enough talents who made great achievements in mathematics, maybe many things would not have happened..."

"it is good!"

When Zhang Yi said this, he basically said everything that should be said.

Although Xu Cunren still had doubts, he also accepted his rhetoric.

This is indeed a set of methods that can be used to deal with the emperor, Xu Lao recognized it.

"Regardless of whether this method is successful or not, I recognize your efforts. Tell me, what conditions do you have?"

After Zhang Yi reassured him, Xu Cunren's mood improved a lot.

He took a sip of tea and waited for Zhang Yi to raise his conditions.

"Actually, it's not a big deal. It's just that in the future... if it's inconvenient for students to come to school, please ask Mr. to walk around me..."

"Why, you still want the same privileges as those children of heroes?"

Zhang Yi laughed, in fact, there are many children of heroes in Guozixue who also go to school here, but sooner or later, those people’s families will be people who will be named princes, and their own prospects are not lacking, so few people care about studying. , Going to school is one day after another.

For example, Chang Mao from Changfu, when Zhang Yi was chatting with his classmates, he knew that he was also attending classes at Guozixue.

But he has been here for so long, and this guy has never appeared.

Xu Cunren originally wanted to take care of this kind of hero's children, but was persuaded by his subordinates.

The fathers of these people were born and died on the front line, and the emperor can't easily punish them. In addition, military families and civil servants are not easy to deal with.

He didn't bother to care about it later.

But he can't control the children of those generals, and this stinky Taoist priest wants to rebel?

"Sir, it's not that I want to play truant on purpose. It's actually our family's alchemy. Sometimes it takes several days to make a pot of elixir. It's not that my disciples don't want to learn. When I am alchemy, I always think of my classmates..."

Not to mention Xu Cunren didn't believe Zhang Yi's nonsense, Kong Na also stared at him with contempt.

Xu Cunren sighed and stood up:

"Okay, if you want to ask for leave, just let me know!
Well, you go out! "

Kong Na and Zhang Yi got up, saluted respectfully, and then ran out.

Mr. Xu waited for them to leave, closed the door immediately, and began to record what Zhang Yi said. As Xu Cunren wrote it, he always felt a little aggrieved.

Zhang Yi's words were so shocking that even the recorder was terrified.

Moreover, counting into the imperial examination?

For an old scholar who has studied Confucianism for a lifetime, the shock it brings is actually more than stereotyped essays.

Xu Cunren thought for a while, and on the basis of Zhang Yi, he changed another version that he thought was suitable.

After doing all this, he sighed and sat on the chair for a long time and couldn't calm down!
On the second day,
After the emperor went down, he still kept working in the imperial study.

When Zhu Biao came back from reading, he accompanied the emperor to study and handle government affairs.

The father and son talked in a low voice from time to time, mainly because Zhu Yuanzhang taught Zhu Biao. Sometimes he would close his eyes and lean on the chair when he was tired, and Zhu Biao would stand beside him and read the memorial for the emperor.

"Father, since the popularization of this acne method, the situation is in dire straits..."

"Renren Zhang sent a letter, saying that he is now with the army, witnessing our Ming army driving out the Tartars..."

"Uncle Xu has another good news..."

After reading out the memorials one by one, Lao Zhu casually taught Zhu Biao how to annotate.

At this time, the eunuch came to report:

"Xu Cunren, doctor of Guozixue, seeks to see him!"

"That old guy, is he finally willing to look for me?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was still resting his eyes with his eyes closed, but when he heard Xu Cunren came to look for him, he became energetic all of a sudden.

He waited for Xu Cunren, but he waited for a long time.

"Hurry up and let him in!"

The eunuch led Xu Cunren in, and Mr. Xu knelt down:
"I have seen the emperor, I have seen His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Why is Mr. Xu free today?"

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw the real person, his attitude was not as excited as before. He asked:

"What are you doing here today?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Your Majesty asked the minister to make a plan for the reform of the imperial examination. The minister has already prepared it. Today, I specially handed it to Your Majesty for review. Please give me your advice!"

"Bring it up!"

Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't started reading the memorial yet, his eyes were already filled with anticipation.

When Xu Cunren's memorial was delivered, he couldn't wait to open it.

However, the more I looked at it, the more difficult Lao Zhu's face became.

If you don't count your studies, you can enter the imperial examinations. Why can you not count your studies and enter the imperial examinations?
Xu Cunren's memorial was obviously written by himself, and it has nothing to do with Zhang Yi's proposal?
Could it be that Zhang Yi didn't tell this old guy?

How did that brat do things?
Xu Cunren knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head to observe the emperor's face, but the solemn air in the imperial study seemed to tell him that the things he presented were not effective.

That's right, the first thing Xu Cunren handed in was not Zhang Yi's suggestion.

He always felt that Zhang Yi's formulation was too extreme, and even he was a little difficult to deal with.

"Xu Cunren!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice made Xu Cunren look up.

"What kind of bullshit are you, and show it to me?

Come on, drag him out and hit him twenty big boards first! "

Lao Zhu was really angry when he couldn't get the answer he wanted!

(End of this chapter)