Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 33 I have never heard of such a request in my life!
In the early March of the seventy-third year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty (1700 AD), the Gengchen year of the lunar calendar, Zhou Liang, a candidate from Mizhi County, Shaanxi Province, won the title of "Hui Yuan" in the imperial examination!

[For a moment, all the celebrities in the capital couldn't help but turn their eyes to you, their eyes full of expectation and surprise...]

[The reason for anticipation is that as long as the candidate passes the imperial examination, he or she will definitely be awarded the title of Jinshi!]

This is an old system: there is no such thing as failing the palace examination; anyone who passes is considered a Jinshi. The palace examination does not actually have the function of "selection" or "elimination"; it is merely a "ritual" that means the candidate has passed the emperor's personal selection.

[As for why this old system exists, it is because of a story from the Song Dynasty...]

In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, the palace examination also served as a means of elimination. Those who failed the examination were eliminated... On one occasion, a candidate named Zhang Yuan was eliminated and thus missed the chance to become a Jinshi.

Zhang Yuan, the failed candidate, was furious, believing the court looked down upon his talent. So, in a rage, he fled the Song Dynasty and went to the enemy state of Western Xia!

Later, he was highly valued by the Western Xia Emperor, Li Yuanhao, and brought prosperity to the region! Later, seeking revenge against the Song Dynasty, Zhang Yuan advocated war against it, ultimately defeating tens of thousands of Song troops in the Battle of Haoshuichuan, inflicting a crushing defeat on the Song Dynasty...

[So from then on, the Song Dynasty no longer dared to eliminate candidates during the palace examination. As long as they passed the palace examination, all candidates would be Jinshi... After the Song Dynasty, the Jin, Yuan, and Ming dynasties also learned from this lesson, and this became the custom.]

[Based on this, the first place in the joint examination, "Huiyuan", is basically equivalent to the "Zhuangyuan" in the palace examination, so everyone is looking forward to the moment when you pass the exam and become the top scholar!]

[As for the surprise amidst the anticipation, it’s because of your place of origin…]

Northern Shaanxi was a place that everyone in the Ming Dynasty was extremely wary of, as it had once given birth to two of the most notorious rebel leaders: Li Zicheng, the Yongchang Emperor of the Great Shun Dynasty, and Zhang Xianzhong, the Great Western Shun Emperor.

[Besides the two emperors Shun and Xi, this place has also seen a large number of rebels, both large and small, such as Gao Yingxiang and Ma Shouying...]

According to some charlatans, northern Shaanxi is a "dragon vein," a dragon vein that specifically opposes the Ming Dynasty, hence the abundance of rebels.

Although the Ming court had not issued any official edicts regarding this, the taboo and suppression of northern Shaanxi were obvious. Even the Divine Emperor had gone on a rampage and slaughtered people here, leaving nine out of ten houses empty!

So, you, a "quasi-top scholar" from northern Shaanxi, have been a source of much discussion. Not to mention that you're from Mizhi County, the hometown of the rebels, which is even more taboo... Everyone can't help but wonder: Will His Majesty really allow a fellow rebel to be the top scholar? What if His Majesty, still resenting the fact that you belong to the same family as the rebels, disregards the old system and dismisses you?

[This isn't just blind speculation, but rather your Majesty's truly narrow-mindedness...]

[However, you didn't care about this. Facing everyone's private discussions, you just sat alone in the dormitory arranged by the Ministry of Rites, quietly waiting for the arrival of the palace examination.]

[Whether you pass or fail the exam, you don't care. You just want to take advantage of this rare opportunity to see with your own eyes the Divine Emperor who single-handedly bruised the world line...]

【…】

[At the end of March in the seventy-third year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty, the palace examination officially began!]

More than 300 candidates who passed the imperial examination slowly entered the examination hall, the "Baohedian Hall," amidst a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

After entering the hall, everyone sat down in the seats prepared in advance, arranged by the Ministry of Rites personnel, and then quietly waited for the man...

[After a while, a figure dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe walked into the hall, carefully served by eunuchs, and then sat steadily on the dragon throne.]

[At this moment, all the candidates lowered their heads, not daring to offend Him even a glance...]

Suddenly, a sharp eunuch's voice slowly spoke, "Since you have passed the Ministry of Rites' joint examination, today will be the Palace Examination. Your Majesty will set the questions, and you will write essays based on them... After the Ministry of Rites has reviewed the papers, you will be granted official positions."

"Listen carefully, Long Live says..."

"In the past, Zou Ji persuaded King Wei of Qi to accept advice, and the king subsequently opened the way for public opinion. Those who pointed out King Wei's faults to his face received a high reward; those who wrote letters to him received a medium reward; and those who slandered him in the marketplace and heard him receive a low reward... Eventually, Qi prospered, and Yan, Zhao, Han, and Wei all came to pay homage to Qi. This is what is called victory at court!"

"Today, your topic is: Advice!"

"Your Majesty wishes to emulate King Wei of Qi in opening the channels for public opinion. If you can criticize Your Majesty's mistakes through writing, you will be rewarded with the title of Jinshi!"

[As soon as the question was revealed, everyone, including you, was horrified...]

what? !

When this essay question came out, not only were the students in the exam room stunned, but even Zhou Liang couldn't help but stare wide-eyed, with a big question mark popping up in his mind:

"What do you mean???"

No...is Chongzhen serious?

Since the imperial examination, Zhou Liang has clearly seen:

Chongzhen was a madman who could not tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes. Anyone who had offended him in the past was severely retaliated by him after he became a god!

Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, Lao Aijia, millions of unruly people in the capital, the Jiangnan Anti-Tax Group, all members of the Luoyang Food Association... none of them escaped!
The principal offender must die, the accomplice must die, and even the unrelated people who were close to him must die!
Later, slave education was implemented throughout the Ming Dynasty. Only those who were tamed had the opportunity to become officials, making all officials in the world become crazy people who could only shout loyalty.

This Khorne thing actually said that he wanted to humbly accept advice and be a wise monarch like King Wei of Qi... To be honest, Zhou Liang didn't dare to believe a word of it!

Even Zhou Liang made a bold guess:

"It's impossible to accept advice... But using the pretext of accepting advice to eliminate a group of disloyal people and thereby further improve the purity of the Jinshi exam is quite possible!"

This is most likely a sting operation!

If anyone dares to write something that criticizes the country or inspires people, they will be eliminated on the spot.

As the saying goes, anyone who slanders others in the market and lets me hear it shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years; anyone who can write a letter to remonstrate with me shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years; anyone who can point out my faults to my face shall be sentenced to life imprisonment or immediate execution... Anyone who believes that Chongzhen really accepts advice is a fool!
Therefore, as long as the candidates present have normal intelligence, it is unlikely that they would actually write something this deadly...

"But since He has already said that we should criticize current social ills, then the candidates can't just write nothing but eulogies, right? Wouldn't that be irrelevant to the topic?"

Zhou Liang couldn't help scratching his head:

According to the title, there is a high probability that you will be caught in a sting operation.

Blindly praising someone will most likely be judged as irrelevant.

It's a life-threatening question anyway...

"No...it seems like it's okay to go off topic?"

Zhou Liang suddenly reacted:

"Under the old system, the palace examination was essentially just a ceremonial affair. No matter how you answered, it didn't affect your chances of passing the imperial examination..."

"The results of the palace examination only affect the ranking of Jinshi candidates. It doesn't mean you will fail the exam if you do poorly... So even if I'm off topic, it doesn't matter. At most, I won't be the top scorer..."

Thinking about this, Zhou Liang gradually came to his senses:

"So the best way to prepare for the exam is to deliberately deviate from the topic, continue praising the emperor's achievements, and kowtow to him, never once offering any advice on the government..."

……

This is fishing!

[Everyone of you quickly realized: You must never actually offer advice!]

[No matter how gentle and tactful your advice is, it is very likely to offend the Divine Emperor, causing him to bite you to death!]

[As for going off topic? It's fine if it's off topic! Anyway, I'm guaranteed to be a Jinshi!]

[So, the other candidates made the right choice and began writing articles full of gratitude and praise...]

【Only you are reluctant to write. 】

You are struggling...

[Hearing the eunuch utter the word "remonstration," the resentment you've been pent up in for nearly thirty years finally boils over!]

[Massacre, brainwashing, enslavement, tyranny, greed, corruption... one by one, all the darkness and corruption you have personally experienced over the years, all spontaneously appeared before your eyes!]

[And all these tragedies stem from the nameless ruler sitting on the dragon throne in the Golden Palace...]

If He hadn't mentioned admonishment, you might have continued to endure, joining your fellow examinees in writing shameless eulogies... But He spoke!

[Damn it! You really asked for it!]

[Are you looking for trouble? I've never seen such a request in my life!]

[Since you asked sincerely, I'll mercifully tell you that you're a complete loser!]

[Point out the way forward, write inspiring words, and face the tower today! ! ! ]

[Ding! Filled with resentment, you can no longer bear it and decide to charge the tower and ruthlessly correct him! Please write an essay on the topic! Show off your style as a modern-day corrector!]

Zhou Liang: ???
……

(End of this chapter)