Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 1095: North-South List Case
"This matter...is difficult to handle..."

In the Jinshen Hall, Zhu Biao frowned deeply as he looked at the secret report handed over by Song Zhong.

None of the northern scholars passed the imperial examination, so they were filled with indignation and joined forces to create trouble, causing public resentment... He had heard about this matter from his fifth brother Zhu Su.

The last major case of the Hongwu Dynasty, the North and South List Case!

According to historical records, at the end of the Hongwu reign, the North-South List case broke out, and northern scholars were furious. Northern candidates who failed the imperial examination jointly petitioned the Ministry of Rites to complain about their grievances, accusing the examiners Liu Sanwu and Bai Xindao of favoritism towards southerners. In the streets of Yingtian, dozens of candidates protested their grievances and even stopped officials' sedan chairs to complain.

This case implicated officials such as Liu Sanwu and Bai Xindao. Liu Sanwu was exiled to the northwest, and the top scholar Chen An and the third scholar Liu Shizhen, who were from the south, were also sentenced to exile. Although it was not as far-reaching as the four major cases, the aftermath was long-lasting.

Since then, there has been a precedent for the division of the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty. In the first year of Hongxi, the imperial examinations were divided into three volumes: South, North, and Central. Since the "division of the list", the relationship between officials, teachers and students, and the relationship between the townspeople in the Ming Dynasty has become increasingly intense. The closeness and distance between candidates who passed the list at the same time were particularly obvious. It even became normal for candidates who passed the list on the same list to form cliques.

It is said that "Nowadays there are three ways to form cliques. The first is to be admitted on the same list, the second is to be the disciple of the host, and the third is to be admitted in the same year." This is exactly what it means.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the "party strife" from the end of the Wanli period to the beginning of the Tianqi period was criticized by later generations. The court was divided into the "Qi Party", "Chu Party" and "Zhe Party" which attacked each other. The "divided list" system was one of the breeding grounds for this.

Zhu Biao knew the harm of factional struggles, and he was opposed to the North-South List case.

After all, in history, Zhu Yuanzhang's method of dealing with the North-South List case and pacifying the northern scholars was to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, and he dealt with a group of officials including the great Confucian scholar Liu Sanwu.

As for Zhu Biao, he preferred to solve this problem in a gentle way. Moreover, Liu Sanwu and Bai Xindao were ministers who had done nothing wrong.

Liu Sanwu, in particular, was another great scholar of the new school after Song Lian and Liu Ji. He was "generous, not cunning, and unshakable when it came to major principles." He was well-known among students and had a very upright character.

When people said that he was partial and corrupt, Zhu Biao was actually the first one who did not believe it.

Zhu Biao always cherished such loyal and steadfast ministers and was never willing to punish them easily.

But... firstly, we must find a way to quell the resentment of the northern scholars, and secondly, it is indeed inappropriate to only select scholars from the central and northern regions for the imperial examinations.

The north has been under the rule of foreigners since the Southern Song Dynasty, and the literary style has not flourished. In terms of the imperial examination, the south has a natural advantage. If the imperial examination only selects scholars from the central and southern regions, in the long run, all the ministers in the court will be southerners, which is definitely not appropriate.

The development of the South was already greater than that of the North, and the power of the Southerners in the court was already stronger than that of the North. The Ming Dynasty was still strong in the South and weak in the North. The North was in decline, while the South was full of landlords and tyrants. During the Hongwu Dynasty, he and his father had always implemented the policy of suppressing the South and supporting the North.

If he allowed the imperial examination to select only southerners, it would undoubtedly go against his and his father's wishes.

But... we must not openly divide the imperial examination into two lists, north and south, as happened in history, so that scholars from the north and south would be hostile to each other...

After much thought, Zhu Biao decided that the only solution at the moment was to ask the examiners such as Liu Sanwu to voluntarily admit that they had "biased opinions" in marking the papers, so as to free up a certain number of places for the northern scholars.

Thus, this case is temporarily closed.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Liu has been invited into the palace." Eunuch Fu'an brought Liu Sanwu into the palace.

"I, your humble servant Liu Sanwu, greet your majesty. May your majesty be blessed with good health."

Liu Sanwu was an old man with white hair and beard. When he entered the Ming Dynasty in the 18th year of Hongwu, he was already 73 years old, and now he is 85 years old. Even Zhu Biao, when he was the crown prince in his early years, studied under him.

Now, seeing Liu Sanwu trembling and trying to kneel down to pay his respects, Zhu Biao hurriedly stood up and walked down the steps, personally helping him up: "Mr. Liu is old and virtuous, there is no need for such a grand ceremony."

"Come on, quickly move a seat for Liu Qing's family!"

"Your Majesty, etiquette cannot be abolished." Liu Sanwu still insisted on completing the etiquette of paying homage to the king, and then slowly stood up and thanked Zhu Biao for the seat.

Only after he sat on the chair brought by the eunuchs did Zhu Biao let go of the hand that was supporting him.

Liu Sanwu was touched by the emperor's courtesy. He said to Zhu Biao, "I wonder what advice your majesty has for me to give you?"

"If there is any use for this old body, I will not refuse."

"There is indeed something that I need to trouble Mr. Liu with." Zhu Biao said. He found it difficult to ask Liu Sanwu to destroy his reputation and admit that the current imperial examination was unfair.

However, before speaking, he had to send everyone away... So Zhu Biao waved his hand, and Fu'an understood. He took the waiters in the hall and the historians who were writing the daily records out and closed the door.

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and said in a roundabout way: "I am really worried about the selection of scholars for this year's imperial examination."

"That's why I specially invited you to come here to help me solve my doubts."

"The matter of selecting scholars?" Liu Sanwu was stunned for a moment, then he sat up straight, and the emotion on his face disappeared.

"Your Majesty, why do you say that? There is nothing wrong with the current imperial examination. I have already written to Your Majesty to explain this."

"Some scholars are causing trouble because they are angry and humiliated. They are making trouble without reason. Their own writing skills are not as good as others, so they make up stories and look for opportunities to cause trouble."

"This trend must not be allowed to grow. Your Majesty has shown mercy by not arresting them and imprisoning them. It is alright to just ignore them now."

"Why are you worried?"

The old man had a serious look on his face, his brows knitted tightly into a shape of a "川" character. He was rigorous in his studies, and he had a clear conscience about the result of this exam.

Previously, Zhu Biao asked him to write a memorial to defend himself. He felt that his reputation had been tarnished by those northern scholars for no reason, and he was already angry.

Seeing Zhu Biao bringing up the matter of the special examination again, he naturally didn't look happy.

"Do you really think that selecting only southerners for the exam will be beneficial to the country?" Zhu Biao reminded.

"Although southerners are good at writing and taking exams, northerners are more solid and serious. Compared with those selected in the imperial examinations, northerners only get one-tenth of the total. This is not the way to make the world fair."

"Moreover, most of the officials in the court are from the south, and most of the students in the Imperial Academy are from the south. If the imperial examinations are only for southerners, in the long run, the court will be full of southerners."

"The people of the north will surely be filled with resentment and will certainly become alienated from the imperial court. Just by looking at the northern candidates in the capital today, one can see that the resentment in the hearts of the northerners is almost unbearable."

"The most important thing for a country is unity. If this continues, I'm afraid that the north and south of the Ming Dynasty will become hostile to each other and even split apart... How can this be the way to prosperity?"

"This is exactly what I am worried about!"

After saying this, he looked at Liu Sanwu with burning eyes.

Zhu Biao had hinted clearly, but unexpectedly Liu Sanwu stiffened his neck and said, "The imperial examination is a national ceremony for selecting talents, so we should select only the most talented."

"How could Your Majesty have the intention to change the results of the examination?"

"As for the division between the North and the South, it is pure nonsense... If the northerners are capable, they should work hard and surpass the southern scholars next year..."

"Your words are a little too biased." Zhu Biao frowned, but still tried to maintain a warm expression, saying: "The north was in the hands of foreign races for a long time, and it has only been more than 30 years since it returned to China."

"The South has been prosperous since the Song Dynasty, with numerous academies and schools, which is hundreds of years behind the North."

"Isn't it unfair to let northern scholars win over southern scholars at this time?"

"Your Majesty, you want to give preferential treatment to northern scholars in disguise. Isn't this unfair?" Liu Sanwu argued.

"The national talent selection ceremony cannot be treated as a joke!"

"…Is it more important to make the country quarrel between the north and the south than to hold the exam?" Zhu Biao was also a little angry.

"This talent selection ceremony cannot be treated as a joke!" Liu Sanwu still insisted.

The veins on Zhu Biao's forehead jumped. Liu Sanwu was a civil official he valued, and to some extent, even his teacher. He originally thought that Liu Sanwu would know the overall situation.

But I didn't expect that he would be so stubborn!
"...I have made up my mind to review the examination papers for the special examination." Zhu Biao said. Liu Sanwu was in an excited state at this time. If he went back and thought about it carefully, he might be able to figure out which approach would be more beneficial to the country.

"My dear, please take the trouble to review the test papers again and re-determine the rankings."

"I hope that this ranking will be to my liking."

"At the same time, it can take into account the interests of the country and the people of the world."

This is almost obvious.

Liu Sanwu originally still wanted to refuse, but Zhu Biao repeatedly reiterated his request. However, the old man still had a defiant look on his face and seemed to disagree with Zhu Biao's opinion.

This old man was upright and honest, and he sincerely believed that the imperial examination should not be biased. He did not care even if it caused mutual hostility between scholars from the north and the south.

In desperation, Zhu Biao dismissed Liu Sanwu, who was not convincing. He felt his temples throbbing constantly. Fu'an came into the hall and saw Zhu Biao's pale face. He was startled and hurried forward to support Zhu Biao: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, nothing..." Zhu Biao waved his hand. This was the first time he felt the difficulty of not having Old Zhu to support him.

If Zhu Yuanzhang were in power, he would have his own way of dealing with Liu Sanwu...

"Could it be that old Liu actually..." Fu'an remembered the aggressive look on Liu Sanwu's face when he left.

"Even if he is a moral old minister, he still likes fame..." Zhu Biao shook his head, but he saw through Liu Sanwu's true nature.

This kind of minister is loyal, of course. He is capable and knowledgeable.

But to put it bluntly, personal desires still outweigh public spirit.

He was loyal to the Ming Dynasty, but in essence, he did not want the Ming Dynasty to be peaceful and prosperous, but to fulfill his reputation as a "loyal and upright" person. If he had to sacrifice his reputation to fulfill the court's important affairs, he would cherish his feathers and refuse to give in.

What a pity. I originally thought that Liu Sanwu was a truly loyal minister who cared about the world...

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. In fact, he was being too demanding. A loyal minister who truly disregarded himself and was dedicated to the public was so rare that it was hard to find one in a century. Ministers like Liu Sanwu who only cared about reputation, not money, and did not show favoritism were already rare.

However, if Liu Sanwu is unwilling to change the imperial examination ranking, the matter will basically be in a dead end.

Replacing someone else to take charge of the imperial examination rankings... This is not a solution either. First, if Liu Sanwu is replaced, it basically proves that Liu Sanwu cheated in the imperial examination. Liu Sanwu is a great scholar of the time, and there may not be any ministers who would risk offending the entire Confucian community and take charge of the imperial examination.

No one else in the court had a prestige in the literary world that could surpass his.

If the northern officials were allowed to take the lead, the result would certainly fail to convince the southern scholars, and at that time, it would be the southern scholars who would cause trouble.

"If it really doesn't work, I can only link this matter to the case of assassinating my father." Zhu Biao thought secretly, with a cold look in his eyes.

The wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River are intertwined and among the candidates who pass the imperial examinations, one can always find a few who have some connection with the seven families involved in the assassination case.

On the pretext of assassination, several successful candidates were executed, and the vacant positions could be filled by candidates from the north. The contradiction between candidates from the north and south was resolved.

In the future, when arranging examiners for the imperial examinations, we must pay attention to the matching of officials from the north and the south, and avoid a situation like this time where all the examiners are southerners. This can avoid the current situation where there are only southerners and no northerners in the imperial examinations.

Um? etc……

Zhu Biao sensed something was wrong.

"The examiners for this special examination were actually appointed by my father."

"Fifth brother also told father about the North-South List case. Father knows about it."

"Then why did the emperor continue to arrange Liu Sanwu as the chief examiner? He even arranged for a southerner to be the chief examiner for the special examination instead of a northerner."

"Your Highness?" Seeing Zhu Biao stunned, Fu'an asked worriedly.

"Call Song Zhong!" Zhu Biao said.

After a while, Song Zhong arrived. Zhu Biao went straight to the point and asked Song Zhong:

"Is there any letter from my father in Xi'an?"

"Your Majesty, I have not received any letter from the Supreme Emperor..." Song Zhong was stunned and replied honestly.

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and then asked, "Are there any developments in Xi'an?"

Song Zhong thought for a moment and replied, "I heard that His Royal Highness the King of Zhou wants to establish a school in Xi'an and allow children from ordinary people to study for free."

"Besides that, His Majesty the Emperor has ordered people to survey Xi'an's topography and feng shui to see if it is suitable for being a capital. There is no other news or developments."

"Set up a school?" Zhu Biao's eyes lit up. He knew that Lao Wu wanted to enlighten the people.

Zhu Biao not only knew about it, but also supported it. Compared with the tough-minded Zhu, Zhu Biao actually valued knowledge more.

To enlighten the people does not mean that everyone should learn Confucianism, but that all the inheritances of China's various industries should be incorporated into the disciplines. This great cause was not only for Zhu Su, but also for Zhu Biao, who wanted to make it his lifelong career during his ruling career.

As long as he could accomplish this, Zhu Biao would be able to be emperor without shame in the eyes of heaven and earth, and would not be afraid of praise or criticism in the history.

It can be said that he was more enthusiastic about this matter than Zhu Su.

It’s just… he had discussed this matter in depth with Zhu Su, and they both thought that now was not a good time to push this matter forward.

Then, why did Lao Wu suddenly open a school in Xi'an without informing him? Zhu Biao shuddered, as if something flashed through his mind.

(End of this chapter)