Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 348 Three Suggestions! Science Conference! Change of Destiny!
Zhu Yunhuan had been considering the selection of the first president of the Imperial University of Peking for a long time.

The right candidate is as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, and it is really hard to find.

The first requirement for this person is that he or she must be proficient in science, have profound attainments in mathematics and physics, and have solid scientific literacy.

Even if you are involved in an industry that you are not familiar with, you only need a little advice from others or to look up some relevant information, and you will be able to rely on your deep scientific background to conduct a certain degree of screening and analysis and have a clear understanding of it.

In other words, this person must not only be an expert in a certain field, but also a generalist who is well-versed in both ancient and modern times and has a wide range of interests.

In later times, with education widely available, it is not difficult to find such compound talents.

Many senior intellectuals often have a broad range of knowledge covering many disciplines, and they also have profound attainments and deep knowledge in their own professional expertise.

But in this day and age, it is extremely difficult to find such a versatile person.

Furthermore, this person must be well versed in the ways of being an official and know how to deal with all kinds of officials in the Ming Dynasty officialdom, so as to clear the way for the vigorous development of Imperial University and remove the numerous obstacles on the road ahead.

This point is also of utmost importance and should not be underestimated.

It is true that as an emperor, Zhu Yunhu could give the most powerful support to the Imperial University of Peking, but the specific affairs and complicated details of the daily operation of the university ultimately had to be handled by the university itself, and it had to communicate, consult and coordinate with various departments of the court.

If the president lacks the ability to deal with this issue, it is very likely that many university affairs will come to a standstill, becoming a "ball" kicked back and forth between various departments of the court, and the university will be trapped in an endless quagmire of wrangling and buck-passing, unable to extricate itself.

Especially since this is the first university since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there are many complicated matters and there are no commonly accepted rules on how to deal with many affairs.

Even if Zhu Yunhuan used his supreme authority as an emperor to force the construction forward, the progress of the university's construction would inevitably be greatly reduced and delayed.

Wen Yuanliu was a sophisticated and tactful person. He knew the ways of advancement and retreat in official circles very well and was well versed in the essence of it.

He also has in-depth research in mathematics and physics, has extraordinary attainments, and possesses a very high foundation of scientific literacy.

In addition, he made great "merits" in the development of the steam engine and was awarded the title of Duke. With such a noble status, it is really appropriate for him to serve as the principal.

Upon hearing the appointment, Wen Yuanliu knelt down again and kowtowed, paying homage, and shouted: "Your Majesty's kindness will never be forgotten. I only wish to devote all my blood to serve Your Majesty, and work hard until my death."

After bowing, he continued, "I heard yesterday that Your Majesty wants to establish the Imperial University."

"Your Majesty has entrusted me with such an important task, how dare I slack off in the slightest? I will work hard and live up to your trust. I have three suggestions, and I hope your Majesty will adopt them."

Zhu Yunhuan heard this, raised his eyebrows slightly, smiled, and said happily: "My dear, please feel free to speak."

Wen Yuanliu bowed, knelt on the ground, raised his head and chest, looked respectful and determined, and said in a loud voice: "First, the establishment of Imperial University is aimed at spreading the spark of science and promoting the scientific spirit."

"This line of science was originally pioneered by Your Majesty. I believe that the first president of the Imperial University should be appointed by Your Majesty in person, following the example of the president of the Ming Military Academy."

"Your Majesty is charged with the heavy responsibility of governing the country, and you are busy with many things every day. You naturally don't have the time to personally take care of everything."

"I am willing to serve Your Majesty in all matters related to the university, and help him solve problems and handle them. I really don't dare to take the title of president."

"Furthermore, having Your Majesty personally serve as the president will enable the Imperial University to advance many affairs smoothly and without hindrance, both publicly and privately."

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it for a moment and felt that what he said made a lot of sense.

Although his appointment as president was just an empty title, it could actually remove many obstacles for the establishment of Imperial University of Peking and make it much smoother.

So he nodded and said, "Okay! I will do as you say. Let's do this, you will be the vice president and be in charge of the daily affairs of the Imperial University."

"I thank Your Majesty for your grace!" Wen Yuanliu's tone was excited, and he could not hide his joy.

His Majesty the Emperor personally serves as the principal, and he himself serves as the vice-principal. This arrangement undoubtedly raises his status and position to a higher level.

At the same time, he also knew that the emperor's move was intended to highlight his high regard for this matter.

The purpose of constantly raising his status is to give him enough prestige and confidence so that when he deals with various departments of the court in the future, he will be able to handle various affairs with ease and coordinate well.

"Secondly, I earnestly request Your Majesty to grant me the power to act at my own discretion in handling all affairs of the Imperial University. In this way, I will be able to command all parties calmly and ensure that everything goes smoothly." Wen Yuanliu then made his suggestion.

Zhu Yunhuan nodded without hesitation and agreed: "Approved!"

"Third, since your Majesty pioneered the scientific tradition, countless people have devoted themselves to studying science."

"I boldly ask Your Majesty to issue an order to convene the Great Ming Science Conference, inviting scientific talents from all over the world to gather in Jinling to discuss the development of science and exchange academic skills."

Wen Yuanliu paused for a moment, then said solemnly: "If the court can really make this happen, it will greatly enhance the momentum of science, create a strong academic atmosphere, and also make the establishment of the Imperial University smoother and more stable."

Convene the Ming Dynasty Science Conference?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunhuan was slightly distracted and fell into a brief period of thought.

In an instant, the famous Solvay Conference in history involuntarily emerged in his mind.

At that time, a group of big names in the scientific community gathered together and their ideas collided, leaving a brilliant chapter in the long history of human technological development.

In this prosperous Ming Dynasty, can't we hold a similar academic event?
It is indeed so!
Although scientific journals can carry many academic insights, they are ultimately not as direct and in-depth as face-to-face communication and discussion.

Bringing together the scientific elites of the Ming Dynasty might spark countless brilliant sparks of wisdom and push science forward.

Furthermore, this move can boost morale and inspire people!
"Okay!" Zhu Yunhuan made a prompt decision and agreed.

Upon seeing this, Wen Yuanliu quickly knelt down to express his gratitude, his gratitude was beyond words.

Afterwards, Zhu Yunhuan ordered the eunuchs to convey his imperial decree, rewarding all those who had made great contributions in the development of the steam engine.

This grand banquet lasted for several hours before it came to an end.

After the banquet, all preparatory matters of Imperial University of Peking were carried out in an orderly manner.

At the same time, the news that the imperial examination would be held every year quickly swept across the country like a surging wave, causing countless people to sigh with emotion and cry with joy.

You know, in the past, the exam was only held once every three years, which was too long for many students with dreams.

A small mistake in an exam means having to wait three years before you can try again.

How many three years can we have in our life?
Moreover, the numerous difficulties in real life force many people to give up!

Although theoretically there is one chance every three years, in reality, many factors are intertwined and many people will hardly get a second chance after taking the exam once.

Now that the exam has been changed to one year, it is undoubtedly like a bright ray of dawn, injecting them with great hope.

However, what is even more shocking is the other new subjects added to the imperial examination.

Jiangxi.

In a quiet yard in the countryside of a certain county, a young man in his twenties was concentrating on reading a copy of Science magazine.

On the wooden table in front of him, there were a number of special issues of magazines such as "Mathematics" and "Physics" neatly arranged.

The young man was watching very attentively, picking up a pen from time to time to write and draw on the white paper beside him, performing various calculations.

Next to him, an old man sat on a stone chair, looking at his son's condition, and sighed heavily, full of helplessness and resentment. "Although our family is relatively well-off in the village, with a hundred acres of fertile land, we can't be called rich."

"Since you were a child, I gritted my teeth and hired a teacher to teach you the Four Books and Five Classics and Zhu Xi's Annotations. I was hoping that you would be able to take the imperial examinations, enter the officialdom, and seek a position in the future."

"You were quite ambitious when you were little. You passed the imperial examination at a young age and became famous in this area. Everyone praised you as a child prodigy."

"But what about now? Look at you now!"

When the old man said this, his tone became more and more disappointed.

"All you do all day is study science, mathematics, physics, and industrial manufacturing, instead of reading the classics. This is not doing your job properly!"

The young man was so annoyed by the nagging that he couldn't help but look up and defend himself, "Dad, this line of science was created by the current emperor himself. It will definitely become a famous discipline in the future and shine brightly!"

Upon hearing this, the old man snorted coldly, his face full of disdain: "So what if your Majesty created it himself? The knowledge of the saints has been passed down for thousands of years and has withstood the test of time."

"How long has this damned 'science' been around?"

"Your Majesty is young, and this is just a whim, just for the sake of novelty. Who knows, he might forget about it one day."

"What's the point of learning these now?"

The young man refused to give in and retorted, "How can science be useless? Dad, look at what I have done..."

"You are not allowed to work at home!"

The old man interrupted him mercilessly, becoming more and more agitated.

"Although we have some land, and we have hired three or five farmhands, and we have tenants who rent the land, but don't I have to work in the fields, facing the earth and working hard all my life?"

"I just hope to have a son who won't have to endure this hardship anymore, and can ride in an official sedan chair and enjoy glory."

"No matter how powerful the things you tinker with are, what can they do?"

"Can I help you become an official in the court?"

"Can you ride in a sedan chair carried by eight men, and say goodbye to working in the fields?"

"If none of them work, what's the point of learning it?"

The old man paused, and looked at his son with a firm gaze: "Unless the imperial court holds an imperial examination someday and includes all your science books, I will burn all these miscellaneous books sooner or later!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard hurried footsteps outside, followed by someone shouting at the top of his voice: "Old Man Chen, Old Man Chen, the court is going to hold an imperial examination!"

When the old man heard this, he suddenly stood up from the stone chair, his eyes full of surprise and expectation.

At this moment, a figure rushed in breathlessly, breathing heavily, and said impatiently:

"I've issued an edict. The imperial examination will be held this year. His Majesty also said that the imperial examination will be held once a year instead of once every three years!"

When the old man heard this, his hands trembled with excitement, and he hurriedly asked, "Where did you get this news?"

"It has been posted in the county town and clearly published in the Da Ming Daily."

As the man spoke, he pulled out a newspaper that still smelled of ink from his pocket and handed it to the old man.

The old man took the newspaper, glanced at it quickly, and threw it on the table where his son was reading, saying loudly:

"The special exam has begun. From today on, you are not allowed to read any more miscellaneous books like 'Science', 'Mathematics', 'Physics', etc. You must focus on reading the books of sages and study hard for the exam."

The young man picked up the newspaper and took a glance at it. Suddenly, he showed an expression of ecstasy and shouted excitedly: "Dad, this newspaper said that the imperial examination has added many new subjects. From now on, "Mathematics" and "Mathematics" will be included in the imperial examination!"

When the old man heard this, his face was full of suspicion, and he shook his head repeatedly: "This is impossible! From ancient times to the present, how can the imperial examination test such things? Are you fooling your father?"

The old man was illiterate, so he was naturally full of doubts.

"No, it's really written here."

The young man was so anxious that his face turned red. He held up the newspaper and handed it to the old man. For a moment, he even forgot that his father was illiterate.

At this time, the messenger also spoke up to confirm: "It is indeed true. The court has introduced many new subjects for this imperial examination."

"I heard that in the past, the imperial examinations had many subjects, not just one."

"Your Majesty is now exercising benevolent governance, and this is to restore the ancient system."

When the old man heard this, he could not help but stand there in a daze, with mixed feelings.

Can the miscellaneous books my son read be put to good use?
My son had failed the imperial examinations many times before, and now a new subject has been introduced, which is exactly his favorite.

In this way, wouldn't the probability of passing the imperial examination and getting a place on the list of successful candidates be greatly increased?
The more the old man thought about it, the more excited he became.

After a while, he murmured to himself: "Your Majesty is truly a benevolent king!"

……

The same scenes were played out in various places across the Ming Dynasty.

Since Zhu Yunhuan founded science, there have been many people in the world who have been interested in it and devoted themselves to studying it.

After all, everyone has their own aspirations, and some people are born with a special liking for science and engineering knowledge.

However, the reality is like a high wall that traps these people.

The productivity level of the Ming Dynasty was still low and the economic foundation was weak. There was simply not enough financial resources for people to study these subjects that were considered "useless" without scruples.

Occasionally, some scholars would become addicted to it, but they would often be scolded by their parents and teachers and accused of not doing their job properly.

Today, the imperial court has opened up the imperial examination system and put science on the "right track", which has undoubtedly removed the huge rock that was weighing on everyone's chest and solved the biggest problem.

The fate of many people has also undergone earth-shaking changes as a result.

……

royal palace.

Zhu Yunhuan was still reviewing memorials in his study.

To him, the imperial examinations and scientific conferences were just a drop in the ocean of the many affairs he needed to deal with.

As an emperor, he had too many state affairs to worry about.

For the Ming Empire, there is a more urgent and more important matter that is being carried out in full swing, and that is the war with the three Jurchen tribes.

……

(End of this chapter)