My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 381 Locking the Courtyard
If the imperial examinations emphasized policy essays, then Zhang Juzheng, as the chief examiner, could select the talents he wanted based on the content of the candidates' policy essays.

This was Zhang Juzheng's true objective.

During the imperial examinations, those who shared similar political ideals were selected, and these people would naturally gravitate towards Zhang Juzheng, their mentor.

The imperial examination presided over by Zhang Juzheng would greatly strengthen the power under his command.

In other words, even if Zhang Juzheng fell from power, a large number of people with similar ideas could still remain among the graduates of this cohort, and his political ideals could continue to be passed down.

That was a brilliant move!

Su Ze now understood why Zhang Juzheng was able to leave such a great reputation in the original timeline; his methods were simply too formidable.

Even knowing it was a gamble, Zhang Juzheng still wanted to raise the stakes to the maximum.

What should Gao Gong do next?
On the third day of the second lunar month, Wang Zhihuan, the Vice Minister of Works, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner and Governor of Fengyang, submitted a memorial stating that the preliminary work for the two major projects of the Yellow River-Huai River Sand-dredging Project and the diversion of the Huai River into the sea had been completed.

Gao Gong immediately convened a cabinet meeting. During the meeting, Gao Gong addressed Lei Li, saying:

"Lord Lei, the Yellow River-Huai River Flooding Project and the Huai River Diversion Project are two major projects that concern the foundation of the country. This project connects the provinces of Huguang, Henan, Shandong, and Southern Zhili. It is feared that Huaifu alone will not be able to control the local area."

"Therefore, I would like to ask for Grand Secretary Lei's opinion: would you please go to Huai'an in your capacity as Grand Secretary to coordinate the project?"

The cabinet fell silent.

Zhang Juzheng had a bad feeling. He looked at Lei Li, and based on his understanding of Lei Li, he knew that Lei Li was tempted.

Lei Li was indeed tempted.

Lei Li had originally intended to resign, but Su Ze's memorial propelled him into the cabinet.

After entering the cabinet, Gao Gong gradually formed a political alliance with Zhang Juzheng because Gao Gong refused to prioritize the work of river management.

But now Gao Gong has set a price.

Sending Lei Li to the local area to oversee and coordinate the river works was a request that Lei Li could not refuse.

Lei Li cupped his hands and asked:

"Prime Minister Gao, after I went to Huai'an, what were the coordination matters in the court? In particular, the budgets for the two major projects?"

Gao Gong said with a smile:

"I have already drafted a memorial. Starting this year, 20% of the taxes from Huguang, Henan, Shandong, and Southern Zhili will be directly sent to Huai'an and handed over to the two major projects."

"In addition, the Censorate will select some censors to serve as inspectors in local areas. If there are local officials who are not doing their jobs well, Grand Secretary Lei can first dismiss them and then impeach them."

"I have already discussed these matters with His Majesty, and His Majesty has basically agreed."

"What does Elder Lei think?"

Lei Li gasped; the price Gao Gong offered was indeed very generous.

These four provinces were among the wealthiest in the Ming Dynasty. Twenty percent of their taxes were directly escorted to Huai'an, which was a huge sum of silver dollars. This was equivalent to handing over the financial control of this sum of silver dollars to Lei Li.

Sending inspectors to patrol the localities was tantamount to giving Lei Li local officials supervisory power.

Such a level of support is unprecedented.

Once these two major projects are completed, Lei Li, as the person in charge, will surely be remembered for eternity.

Who could resist such a temptation?
Sure enough, Lei Li bowed and said:
"This humble official is willing to go to Huai'an."

Zhang Juzheng knew that he had lost this ally.

Lei Li was transferred to a post outside the capital. Although he still held the title of cabinet minister, it was impossible for him to oppose Gao Gong with him again.

However, Zhang Juzheng remained expressionless. He was not one to be easily discouraged. Political back-and-forth was normal. If Gao Gong did not retaliate, it would show that Zhang Juzheng was not competent enough as the chief minister.
-
Shen Yiguan rushed into the newspaper office: "Brother Zilin, Grand Secretary Lei is going to Huai'an to oversee two major projects! Grand Secretary Gao has made his move!"

The news that Lei Li was going to Huai'an quickly caused an uproar in the imperial court.

This time, Gao Gong acted very quickly, and the Longqing Emperor also swiftly approved his memorial.

Shen Yiguan had just entered when he saw Shen Shixing sitting to the side drinking tea, and he felt a little embarrassed.

As the court became more divided, even Su Ze's social circle changed.

Luo Wanhua was alright; he had no connections with high-ranking officials in the court and was basically on Su Ze's side.

Shen Yiguan's background is complicated, but he is now considered a confidant of Wang Shizhen, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies.

Wang Shizhen was also a half-step into the inner circle, and could be considered half a powerful figure. Shen Yiguan had to follow in his footsteps.

Shen Shixing was a typical member of Zhang Juzheng's faction; he was Zhang Juzheng's favorite student.

Zhang Siwei was a member of Gao Dang, a disciple of Gao Gong, and served under Gao Gong for many years.

Wan Jing and Fu Shun were Lei Li's protégés and former subordinates, and Lei Li had also formed an alliance with Zhang Juzheng.

The remaining people also had their own stances, such as Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao from the Censorate.

Wang Shizhen and Zhang Juzheng's relationship deteriorated from friendship to estrangement. Today, Wang Shizhen has even publicly opposed Zhang Juzheng several times, which naturally affected the relationship between Shen Yiguan and Shen Shixing.

“Brother Jianwu, Brother Rumo has come today to discuss the council examination with me.”

Su Ze smoothed things over by explaining Shen Shixing's purpose, which eased the awkward atmosphere somewhat.

Congratulations to you both.

Shen Yiguan's tone was full of envy.

As a scholar, who wouldn't want to be an examiner?
Everyone here has worked incredibly hard to get ahead through their studies, and now they've transformed into examiners who oversee thousands of candidates—it's an exciting thought!

Shen Shixing, however, said with a bitter face:
"I asked the senior members of the Hanlin Academy, and they said that grading papers is a tough job."

Su Ze nodded as well.

Shen Shixing said:
"My colleagues at the Ministry of Rites told me that this year's imperial examination had more than four thousand participants, and the pressure of grading the papers was greater than in previous dynasties."

Shen Yiguan also gasped: "So many?"

In their year's imperial examination, there were only a little over 3000 people, but now the number has swelled to 4000.

Shen Shixing said:
"Speaking of which, Brother Zilin also deserves credit."

"What does this have to do with Brother Zilin?"

Shen Shixing said:
"This time, there has been a significant increase in the number of test takers from Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Southern Zhili."

Shen Yiguan asked in confusion, "What is the relationship between this and Brother Zilin?"

Luo Wanhua provided the answer.

Luo Wanhua said:
“These are all coastal provinces. With Brother Zilin’s push to open up the sea, it will be more convenient for candidates from these areas to travel to take the exams.”

Shen Yiguan immediately understood, and he said:

"Yes, back then when I went to the capital to take the imperial examination, it took me four months to get there. I heard that now it only takes twenty days to get to my hometown of Ningbo by sea, which is indeed much more convenient."

There are costs associated with participating in the imperial examinations.

In this era, long-distance travel was expensive, and many poor scholars had to borrow money to travel to the capital for the imperial examinations.

The developed maritime transportation made it easier for candidates from coastal areas to take the exams. They did not need to travel over difficult land routes; they could simply take a boat to the capital, which saved them time and greatly boosted their enthusiasm for the exams.

Su Ze hadn't expected this outcome.

It can only be said that the development of coastal areas is indeed an inevitable trend.

There's no way around it; the advantages of sea freight are just too great.

The flow of goods and people naturally leads to economic development. If this continues, will the original imbalance between the north and south of the Ming Dynasty be replaced by an imbalance between the east and west?

Shen Shixing said:
"Do any of you know what the best-selling book was for this imperial examination?"

Shen Yiguan said, "It must be Grand Secretary Zhang's collected works!"

"You are mistaken."

Luo Wanhua said, "It must be a compilation of the eight-legged essays from the imperial examinations of past dynasties."

On the eve of the imperial examination, major newspapers compiled past imperial examination questions and invited some famous people to write analysis of the questions.

Nowadays, all four major newspapers publish their own books, which sell extremely well.

Shen Shixing shook his head again.

When no one could guess, Shen Shixing finally spoke:
"It is a collection of memorials submitted by Zilin."

"?"

Shen Yiguan and Luo Wanhua were also dumbfounded.

Even Su Ze was stunned.

Shen Shixing said:
"Since Zilin is to serve as a co-examiner, all the candidates believe that Zilin will definitely have a huge influence in this imperial examination, so they all buy his collection of memorials for reference."

"Of course, another reason is that Zilin's memorials were all approved, which is a good reference for writing policy essays."

Su Ze was stunned; he hadn't expected this outcome.

However, it seems so. Policy essays are actually used to test students' ability to discuss politics, and a good memorial to the throne is a good policy essay.

So, in the entire Ming Dynasty today, whose memorials are written the best?
That would naturally be Su Ze.

Two petitions are issued each month, and all petitions are approved.

What could be more valuable than Su Ze's memorial to the throne?

What could be clearer about the court's policy direction than Su Ze's memorial?

In any case, studying Su Ze's memorials is the right thing to do!
Su Ze hadn't expected this outcome.

Shen Shixing said:
"The compound will be locked up for more than half a month. Zilin, you need to prepare a change of clothes. Also, once you're inside the examination hall, you can't send any messages out. Have things been settled at home?"

Su Ze said:

"Things at home have been settled."
-
On the seventh day of the second month, Chief Judge Zhang Juzheng and Deputy Chief Judge Lü Diaoyang received the imperial edict from the examiner Gao Gong and announced the start of this year's imperial examination.

Twenty examiners, including Su Ze, accompanied Zhang Juzheng to first visit the Confucian Temple.

After offering incense under Zhang Juzheng's guidance, officials from the Ministry of Rites brought out Confucius's memorial tablet from the Confucian Temple, and then the group went to the examination hall again.

Zhang Juzheng took out the key given to him by Gao Gong, opened the gate of the examination hall, arranged for Confucius's memorial tablet to be placed in the examination hall, and then led the examiners to worship Confucius.

The examination hall was maintained on a daily basis, so opening the examination hall was actually a ceremony.

As a fellow examiner, Su Ze was assigned a small, separate room to rest in.

This was a privilege reserved for examiners. There were also a large number of clerks in the examination hall who were responsible for copying the examination papers and other documents. Their workload was much greater than that of the examiners.

They had to copy and seal all the exam papers of more than 4,000 candidates, and then unseal and verify them after the examiners had finished grading them.

However, these clerks could only rest in communal rooms with eight people per room.

The document review office was the place where exam papers were graded.

All examiners had to review the papers at the Office of the Ministry of Personnel, and the papers could not be taken out of the Office.

Next are the transcription office, the verification office, the sealing office, and the examination administration office.

Su Ze's main duties at the Imperial Examination Hall were to supervise and inspect the examinations during the provincial examinations and to grade the papers after the examinations.

After putting down their luggage, Zhang Juzheng first gathered everyone in front of the Mingxuan Building.

This is a small building where the chief examiner and deputy examiner would stay during the imperial examination. From this building, they could see the situation in all the examination rooms of the entire examination hall.

The examination halls were all individual examination rooms, each only two square meters. During the examination period, candidates had to eat, drink, and sleep in their examination rooms, and even going to the toilet required special permission.

Each examination room was separated, and after the candidates entered, the yamen runners would install wooden boards, making the examination process comparable to being in prison.

Given this terrible exam environment, Su Ze could only be thankful that he had already passed the imperial examination when he transmigrated.

Zhang Juzheng first explained the examination rules in front of Mingyuan Tower.

The content naturally stated that the imperial examination was a major national undertaking, and anyone who disrupted the examination or engaged in favoritism or fraud would be punished with the death penalty. It also required officials at all levels to uphold justice and not to jeopardize their duties.

Su Ze was not worried about cheating in the imperial examinations.

This was the time when cheating in the imperial examinations was least likely to occur.

Gao Gong was watching closely, as was everyone in the court. Zhang Juzheng was in charge of the imperial examinations, so there was absolutely no reason for him to cheat.

Of course, not all cases of cheating in the imperial examinations involved high-ranking officials; lower-ranking officials might also risk their lives. As the chief examiner, Zhang Juzheng naturally had to uphold the rules.

After the speech, Zhang Juzheng led Vice President Lü Diaoyang and twenty examiners to the Hall of Supreme Justice.

This is the largest public room in the examination hall, where the examiners held their meetings.

"Lord Lü, you may announce the lockdown of the hospital."

Following Zhang Juzheng's orders, Lü Diaoyang announced the closure of the Imperial Examination Hall.

Except for the candidates entering the examination hall tomorrow and leaving on the 16th, the gates of the examination hall will not be opened again until all the examination papers have been graded.

After locking the courtyard, Zhang Juzheng took out a box.

Let's discuss the topics for the texts and interpretations.

To maintain secrecy, the examination questions were prepared on-site.

This is why the imperial court had extremely high requirements for the academic qualifications of the examiners for the metropolitan examination.

This is a difficult question to formulate.

In the first exam, candidates were required to write three essays from the Four Books and four essays from the Five Classics, which had to be written in the eight-legged essay style.

There are also requirements for this.

First and foremost, avoid taboo words. The exam questions cannot contain any taboo words or phrases, because test takers must also avoid them when answering; making a mistake could be a political issue with serious consequences.

Secondly, questions cannot be repeated. If a question that has been asked in a recent exam appears, it would be considered negligence on the part of the examiner.

After setting the questions, you also need to clearly write down the thought process behind breaking down and solving the questions, and establish a set of evaluation criteria that everyone agrees on; otherwise, the examiners will not be able to grade the answers.

Therefore, setting questions is much more difficult than answering them, and only the most outstanding officials of the Hanlin Academy are qualified to do so.

To Su Ze's surprise, Zhang Juzheng actually asked everyone to work together to create the questions on the Four Books and Five Classics for the first exam.

The examiner is responsible for setting the questions, but there are also cases where the examiner is too lazy to set questions and delegates them to the deputy examiner and the grader.

But Zhang Juzheng was not that kind of person.

Su Ze quickly understood that Zhang Juzheng wanted to focus his energy on setting the policy questions for the third exam, and simply relinquished the right to set the first question.

What a grand gesture!
Sure enough, when Zhang Juzheng relinquished the right to set exam questions on the Four Books and Five Classics, Vice President Lü Diaoyang's eyes lit up.

(End of this chapter)