Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 290: Clean Up After the Big Trouble [Please Subscribe]

Hong Daxuan said, "This matter was indeed announced in the government office today. It's not something that can be explained in a few words. Wait until I send the fish back to my wife to cook, and then I'll come out and talk to you guys."

Wang Tiezhu waved his hand, "Go quickly, go quickly."

Hong Daxuan smiled and left.

The remaining few people looked at his back and started talking.

"Old Hong has been doing better and better these past few years. He's eating fish again today."

"Now the Shangguan appreciates craftsmen like him who have good skills and work hard. He will definitely do well."

"After all, aren't our lives getting better and better?"

"I wonder what's going on with the court re-evaluating the ranks of craftsmen this time. I hope we don't have to live the same miserable lives we did a few years ago."

"Probably not?"

Hong Daxuan was a very trustworthy man, and soon he came back to the alley entrance.

Without being pressed, he replied, "It's said that this reform is being overseen by the Tiangong Academy. It's about redividing the ranks of our Ming Dynasty craftsmen, and then everyone will re-evaluate them."

"How do you divide it?" asked the impatient Wang Tiezhu.

"Before, the level from Apprentice to Grand Master was only six, but now it's divided into nine levels."

"Level nine?!" The people who were listening were all shocked.

Hong Daxuan said, "The first four, Apprentice, Lower Craftsman, Intermediate Craftsman, and Upper Craftsman, remain unchanged, but the latter are changed to Master Craftsman, Great Master Craftsman, Grand Master Craftsman, and there's also a title called Heavenly Craftsman."

Wang Tiezhu and others were confused when they heard this.

Wang Tiezhu then asked, "We can understand the terms 'master craftsman' and 'master craftsman', but what does the title 'Heavenly Craftsman' mean?"

Hong Daxuan scratched his head and said, "I can't explain this clearly. When you go to work, you can ask the officials above you."

"Just remember that it says that in the future, the status of a master carpenter will be equal to that of a scholar, a master carpenter will be equal to a juren, a master carpenter will be equal to a jinshi, and a master carpenter will be equal to a hanlin scholar."

"Since the title of Tiangong is of a higher rank, it naturally has a higher status. It is said that it can only be bestowed by the Emperor himself."

hiss~
Several people gasped at first, and then someone asked doubtfully, "Old Hong, did you hear wrong? Can we craftsmen really have the same status as those Wenquxing?"

Hong Daxuan explained, "Not all craftsmen are equal to scholars. Only those who have reached the level of master craftsmen can be equal to scholars."

While the others were still reacting, Wang Tiezhu asked, "Since they are equivalent to scholars, can they be exempted from military service?"

Hong Daxuan laughed and said, "Someone actually asked your question at the time. The superior said that it was not possible, but if you were pacified and appointed as a craftsman, the subsidy given by the court when you work would be very high."

"In addition, the imperial court will issue special craftsman certificates. With a certificate from the imperial court, you can naturally earn more by taking on work during your free time."

"Also, if you are recognized as a Master Craftsman or Grand Master Craftsman, the court will pay you a certain salary every year, just like an official."

After hearing this, several people reacted in a flurry, and then someone hesitantly asked, "Is it really that good?"

Hong Daxuan said, "The imperial court has issued an imperial decree, and the Tiangong Academy has issued a notice, so how could it be false? But I heard from my superiors that a craftsman is almost equivalent to a master craftsman in the past, and it's not that easy to evaluate."

Equivalent to a master craftsman?
That's really hard to judge.

A few people thought so in their hearts, and then started discussing it more excitedly.

"When will the evaluation begin? Where will it be held? How will it be conducted?"

"I feel like I could have been promoted to a craftsman a long time ago, but the higher-ups never gave me the title. This is a great opportunity, I'm sure I can get one!"

"That's not necessarily true. What if the assessment standards are raised?"

"···"

Wubailou. This is a teahouse that opened in recent years near the Fuxue and the Imperial Examination Hall. Its name means "no uneducated people come and go". It is decorated very elegantly and is deeply loved by scholars.

Unlike the excitement and joy of the craftsmen in the miscellaneous workshop after learning about the "New Method for the Classification and Evaluation of Craftsmen in the Ming Dynasty", most of the scholars in the teahouse were indignant when talking about this matter.

"The court wants to re-define the ranks of craftsmen. They can do so at their own discretion. Why would they make some so-called craftsmen equal to scholars? Where does that leave us scholars?"

"The cabinet members are really messing around!"

The people around who heard this all had strange expressions, because they understood that this person was talking about the cabinet ministers, but actually he was talking about Zhu Yuanzhang.

After all, everyone now knows that the cabinet only has the power to assist in government administration, and the power of the court has always been firmly in the hands of that person, and has never been relaxed in the slightest.

After a moment of silence, someone sighed and said, "Does it mean that from now on, when we, the candidates, meet the Master of Craftsmen and the Grand Master of Craftsmen, we will have to greet them as we would when we meet Jinshi officials?"

The rest of the people felt uncomfortable or even found it difficult to accept the thought of having to pay respects to a craftsman in the future.

At this moment, a man stood up and said, "Everyone, we must not allow the court to act recklessly like this. Not only is the court increasingly emphasizing science over Confucianism, but even craftsmen are being elevated to the same status as scholars."

"This kind of thing has never happened since the introduction of the imperial examination system in the Sui and Tang dynasties, let alone in the past thousand years."

"If this continues, I'm afraid Confucianism will no longer hold sway in the Ming Dynasty, and the court will be controlled by craftsmen and the like—they only possess a few peculiar skills, how can they understand how to govern a country? Chaos will surely ensue!"

"Brother Yao, what you said is very good, but I don't know what the countermeasures are?"

It turned out that this man was called Yao Shan, a Juren from Huguang. Since arriving in the capital, he had often come to Wubailou to drink tea and chat with other scholars. In the past half month, he had become quite famous.

Yao Shan looked around at the scholars in the hall and said, "During the Han, Wei, Jin, Tang, and Song dynasties, there were scholars from the Imperial College or the Imperial Academy who advised on government affairs. Although we are not students of the Imperial Academy, we are all scholars of the Ming Dynasty."

"Therefore, I suggest that after this spring examination, when all the students gather in the capital, we should contact each other and make joint recommendations to the court."

Someone asked, "Why wait until after the Spring Examination?"

Yao Shan said, "First, we must wait until after the Spring Examination, when the students have not yet left the capital, so that our number will be the largest."

"The second reason is, of course, to avoid missing the imperial examination. After all, we've all studied so hard for so many years just to get into the civil service."

"Thirdly, after the Spring Examination, some of us will have the status of Jinshi, and our advice to the court will carry more weight."

As soon as Yao Shan finished speaking, someone immediately agreed, saying, "Brother Yao, you're right—since the officials in the court have turned a blind eye to these absurd policies, then we scholars should step forward and correct the state's problems!"

Someone else said, "Everyone, this is a promising thing, but before the Spring Examination, it's best to do it privately and not make it public, lest anyone notice it in advance."

"Only in this way can we work together after the Spring Examination to let the people of the world know what is right and what is wrong!"

"Brother Zhou is right. This matter is of great importance. We must make careful plans before taking any action..."

···
These scholars who were discussing in Wubai Tower did not know that their conversation was delivered to Zhu Yuanzhang by the Embroidered Uniform Guard that very night.

After reading the booklet that recorded these conversations, Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, "These people are trying to interfere in government affairs before they even enter the officialdom. If they really enter the court in the future, won't they force us to do things according to their ideas?"

Mao Xiang, who had not yet retreated, was shocked when he heard this, thinking that those scholars who tried to collude privately to make suggestions would be in trouble.

Unexpectedly, after Zhu Yuanzhang put away the booklet, he said, "Continue to send people to keep an eye on these scholars, and don't alert the enemy."

Don't alert the enemy?
Could it be that Your Majesty wants to wait until these scholars cause a big disturbance before dealing with them?

With such speculation in his mind, Mao Xiang felt that the fate of those scholars would be even worse.

However, as a poor man and a military general, he did not have much sympathy for these scholars who had nothing to do and wanted to interfere in the government.

He first responded "yes", and when he saw that Zhu Yuanzhang had no other instructions, he said "I'll take my leave", and then left the Fengxian Hall, which seemed a little gloomy in the night.

　Second update.

　　Good night~
　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)