Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 39 All students are the pillars of the country, how can they be lowly clerks?
The next morning.

Forbidden City, Fengxian Hall.

"Is this the blackboard and chalk?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked, looking at the two things in the hall.

"Your Majesty, that's right," Su Quan said with a smile. "Yesterday, I had two copies made as instructed by Your Majesty. As soon as they were delivered to the Science and Technology Department today, I brought one here."

Zhu Yuanzhang walked down the imperial steps.

First, take out a piece of chalk from the wooden box held in Zheng Zhiliang's hands.

I saw that the chalks in this box were divided into two parts, one part was all white, and the other part was of various colors.

Its texture is powdery and it can be clearly seen that it is made of lime and gypsum as the main materials.

As for the blackboard in front of him, it was about ten feet long and six feet wide, but it was supported by two personal soldiers.

The surface of the board is smooth and painted blue-black.

"Lift it up." Zhu Yuanzhang said to his two personal soldiers.

The two personal soldiers were not stupid. They realized that Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to try out the blackboard, so they lifted it up vertically to a position where Zhu Yuanzhang could easily raise his hand to write.

Zhu Yuanzhang took a piece of chalk and wrote the word "Zhu" on it first, then wrote the word "Da Ming", and then "Hongwu".

After writing, he smiled and nodded, saying, "This blackboard and chalk are really good to use, just right for teaching. Biao'er, you try it."

Zhu Biao had been eager to try it.

Upon hearing this, he stepped forward and indeed took out a piece of yellow chalk.

At the beginning, I also wrote the word "Zhu" on the blackboard.

Then he wrote the twelve words "The sun, moon, mountains and rivers are all safe, and the Ming Dynasty has good weather and harvests."

After putting down the chalk, he bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "Father, this blackboard and chalk are indeed easy to use, and the production cost is also low. We can promote them to the Imperial College and other official schools across the country to benefit education!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "That's right."

Then he looked at Su Quan, "Why didn't Liu Kuan come with you?"

Su Quan said, "Your Majesty, Deputy Liu is still considering the construction of the train. By the way, yesterday Deputy Liu gave the list of officials and craftsmen he needed."

"Some of these individuals require Your Majesty's order to be called upon, and some even require special personnel to be dispatched to search for them. I have prepared a memorial for this purpose, and I would like Your Majesty to review it."

As he spoke, Su Quan took out a memorial.

Zhu Yuanzhang took it, quickly flipped through it, and said, "I will approve all the matters mentioned in your memorial. However, according to the rules, you must first submit it to the cabinet. After the cabinet ministers draft it, it can be sent to me for approval and seal. Do you understand?"

The Cabinet and the Grand Council had only just been established, and their operating procedures had not yet been fully finalized, but they had been undergoing improvements over the past few days.

Although officials tried hard to adapt, they were always influenced by their previous habits. Fortunately, as long as they did not make serious mistakes, Zhu Yuanzhang would not take it too seriously.

Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's reminder, Su Quan hurriedly said, "I understand. But the sooner this is done, the better. If the cabinet review takes a few days..."

He didn't finish his words, but his meaning was clear.

In addition, Su Quan actually represents the attitude of some court officials in the Ming Dynasty towards the cabinet. A small number of court officials actually like to report and handle matters directly with Zhu Yuanzhang for the sake of convenience.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "You can put a red mark on the cover of the memorial to indicate that it is an urgent memorial. Then the cabinet will vote on it as soon as possible, and no later than one day."

"Wei Chen understands."

After Su Quan and others left Fengxian Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat back on the dragon throne and asked, "Biao'er, what did you talk about at the banquet with Liu Kuan last night? I heard that he left the Eastern Palace almost at midnight."

"I was just about to report to my father what happened last night..."

Zhu Biao immediately recounted the topic he had talked about with Liu Kuan last night in almost the same way.

Then he said, "Father, although what my brother-in-law said about the restrictions on imperial consorts and the various strange rules in the future Ming Dynasty may not be entirely true, it is not necessarily groundless."

"I believe that to prevent future generations from mistakenly establishing these bizarre rules, your Majesty should clearly understand the restrictions and treatment of the imperial consorts of the Ming Dynasty, and leave behind ancestral teachings so that future generations cannot change them."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not agree directly after hearing this.

Instead, he pondered for a moment and asked, "Have you ever thought about why the emperors of the Ming Dynasty set up those rules?"

Zhu Biao said, "I have thought about this. When it comes to guarding against foreign relatives threatening the imperial power, it is generally targeted at the royal family. I have never heard of guarding against the prince consort."

"Therefore, I think that such restrictions are mostly intended to prevent the prince consort from using his royal power to oppress the people, or to abuse his power for evil."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. "Your guess is correct, so we will carefully consider the restrictions and treatment of the prince consort. We will definitely not establish the bizarre rules that Liu Kuan mentioned, but we will not be overly lenient either."

"Father is the one who thinks things through."

When Zhu Biao heard Zhu Yuanzhang say that he would not establish those strange rules, he felt relieved and felt that he had given an explanation to Liu Kuan.

···
It was also this morning.

Liu Kuan "interviewed" several officials recommended by Su Quan who probably met his requirements at the Science and Technology Department's Office.

These individuals were officials below the sixth rank, and being appointed as heads of the Science and Technology Department would be tantamount to a promotion. Therefore, they were quite cooperative during the "interview." After the "interview," Liu Kuan ultimately selected three individuals.

As soon as the Ministry of Personnel approves the transfer, the three will come to the Science and Technology Department to take up their posts.

in the afternoon.

Almost all the staff of the Science and Technology Department went to the Imperial College to recruit officials - only Zhao Chengzhu, the Deputy Director, and Cui Yan, the clerk, stayed behind in the department.

After Zhu Yuanzhang established Nanjing as the capital, he changed Yingtian Prefecture School into Imperial College.

It was not until the 15th year of Hongwu that the Imperial College was rebuilt on Jilong Mountain and renamed "Imperial College".

Therefore, the current Imperial College is the Yingtian Prefecture College, which is located in the southwest of the Forbidden City, adjacent to the Imperial Examination Hall, and not far from the Ministry of Works compound.

Liu Kuan and Su Quan, along with three clerks and the Yiluansi guard general flag led by Wang Guangyue, arrived at the Imperial College soon, either on horseback or on foot.

Liu Kuan sat on the dark clouds and looked around, and saw that it was a large building complex.

There is a three-door archway outside, and inside, the courtyards and houses with the architectural characteristics of that time are connected to each other, and there are pavilions and towers dotted in between. In addition, the greening is also well done, making it look like a scenic spot.

Su Quan explained with a smile: "Although the Ming Dynasty does not hold the imperial examination now, it uses official schools to spread Confucianism and educate the people."

"The Imperial College in the capital is the best official school in the country and a popular place for scholars to study. Currently, there are nearly 2,000 students studying there."

Listening to Su Quan's words, Liu Kuan vaguely remembered that the Nanjing Imperial College in later generations seemed to have reached its peak during the Yongle period, with more than 9,000 students at one time.

Today, there are less than two thousand people, which is obviously a small number compared with the Yongle period.

But considering that the imperial examination had not yet been launched, it was already difficult for the Imperial Academy in the capital to have so many students.

Recovering his thoughts, Liu Kuan asked, "How did the students of the Imperial College come from?"

Su Quan said, "Most were recommended by local official schools, and a small number were admitted through imperial favor. Overall, most of them are young and talented people who study Confucian classics."

"Let's go. First, let's go visit the officials in charge of the Imperial College and ask them to help us recruit students. This will make it easier for us to recruit talents."

The Imperial College was not a place that ordinary people could enter and exit at will.

But since Liu Kuan and others were officials, and Su Quan was carrying Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial edict, no one could stop them.

After entering the Imperial College, Su Quan introduced the situation of the officials in the Imperial College.

It was generally similar to the later Imperial College, with one chief academic officer, one dean of studies, one chancellor of education, five doctors of the Five Classics, fifteen assistant teachers, ten principals of studies, and seven registrars of studies.

There are also one person in charge of classics and one person in charge of bookkeeping, two people in charge of food, and several professors.

Finally, there is the Duke of Yansheng who is listed in the Imperial College. He probably only comes to the Imperial College when there are major Confucian-related ceremonies and acts as an idol (meaning a puppet statue).

The current Jijiu and Siye of the Imperial College were both appointed in March this year. One is the retired former Minister of Punishments Li Jing, and the other is the former Vice Minister of Rites Liu Song.

The academician had been in office for several years and his name was Feng Liang.

Liu Kuan, Su Quan and their entourage were quite a large group, and as soon as they entered the Imperial College, someone informed them, so not long after, Liu Kuan met these three officials in the "office compound" of the Imperial College.

Li Jing and Liu Song were both old men with white hair and beards, but they looked energetic.

Feng Liang was a thin middle-aged man who was serious and stern.

The Imperial College's chief academic officer was a fourth-rank official, so Li Jing, along with Su Quan, Liu Kuan, and the others, bowed and returned the greeting before slowly asking, "I wonder what business Doctor Su has brought you to the Imperial College on?"

Su Quan always seems to have a warm smile on his face towards everyone.

Wen Yan said, "It's like this. The Ministry of Industry's Science and Technology Department has just been established and needs a group of young talents to help."

"As for young talents, the Ming Dynasty naturally has the most Imperial Colleges. Therefore, I have asked Your Majesty for permission to come here to recruit them. I also hope that the Chief Priest will assist me."

After saying that, he took out the imperial edict and showed it to Li Jing.

This decree was addressed to the Department of Science and Technology, so Li Jing and others did not need to receive it. They only needed to know that Zhu Yuanzhang had indeed asked the officials to cooperate.

Students enrolled in the Imperial Academy with the intention of becoming officials. Even now that the imperial examinations were no longer in force, the Imperial Academy still had the responsibility of recommending talented individuals.

Li Jing then read the decree and handed it back to Su Quan, asking, "How many people does the Science and Technology Department plan to recruit? And what positions will they appoint?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Kuan and Su Quan looked at each other, and the same thought emerged in their minds: This chief priest asked the key question right away.

Su Quan coughed lightly and said, "That's right. We plan to recruit a dozen people and have them start as clerks..."

"absurd!"

Before Su Quan could finish his words, he was interrupted by the Minister of Education Liu Song.

The old man stared at Su Quan and Liu Kuan, his gray beard trembling, and shouted angrily, "All the students of our Zixue Academy are the pillars of the country. How can they be treated as lowly clerks? You are recruiting more than a dozen people at once. Aren't you deliberately trying to humiliate the students of our Zixue Academy?!"

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(End of this chapter)