My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 385 Zhang Juzheng's Skill
——[Simulation Start]——

The proposal on the reform of the imperial examination system by dividing the examination papers into separate volumes was submitted to the cabinet.

Gao Gong did not object to your memorial, but Yin Shidan, the minister in charge of education, did.

Yin Shidan believed that the reason why the Ming Dynasty court valued the eight-legged essay but not policy essays was because the examination that emphasized policy essays was unfair to students from poor families.

Children from poor families could not understand the details of politics like children of the powerful and wealthy, nor could they afford to read books outside the Four Books and Five Classics like children from rich families. This kind of examination reduced the chances of children from poor families passing the imperial examinations and made it more difficult for them to enter officialdom.

This memorial also encountered opposition from officials in many places.

Officials from the southeast region could now obtain more places in the imperial examinations, but the division of papers reduced their number of places.

Provinces with large populations, such as Hubei and Hunan, proposed allocating quotas based on population, arguing that so many quotas should not be allocated to Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou.

The court was in an uproar.

The Longqing Emperor accepted your memorial.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 1570.]

[To approve your memorial, you need to pay 1000 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?]

As expected, any reform involving the imperial examination system encountered enormous resistance.

1000 points of prestige is quite good, so Su Ze naturally chose "yes" without hesitation.

[Prestige points have been deducted, leaving 570 prestige points. Please complete the memorial as soon as possible and await its effect.]

Su Ze closed the system, eager to see how it would forcefully pass the memorial this time.
-
March 3rd.

Imperial Examination Hall.

Zhang Juzheng changed out of his official robes and sat in the Mingyuan Tower.

Zhang Juzheng remained remarkably silent during this impeachment.

Even to this day, Zhang Juzheng has not submitted a memorial to the throne.

Every evening, he would climb Mingyuan Tower and wait until the sun went down before coming down.

Today, as the sun was setting, a figure also climbed Mingyuan Tower.

"Ziwei, you've been downstairs these past few days, haven't you?"

It was Zhang Siwei who went up the building.

Zhang Siwei's cheeks flushed.

Having spent many years in officialdom, he had long since developed a thick skin, but he still felt somewhat awkward today that Zhang Juzheng had exposed his true intentions.

Zhang Siwei's identity was sensitive, and meeting with Zhang Juzheng alone was a great risk for him.

In fact, Zhang Siwei had wanted to talk to Zhang Juzheng for a long time, but he was afraid of being discovered.

It wasn't until two days ago that he noticed Zhang Juzheng climbing the tower every evening, and that's when he realized this opportunity.

Zhang Siwei then observed for two more days. During this time, all the clerks in the examination hall were taken out for investigation, leaving only the examiners.

Most of the others were in their public housing at this time, making sure they wouldn't be noticed. Zhang Siwei changed into a black outfit and climbed Mingyuan Tower before sunset.

Facing a clever man like Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Siwei refrained from further formalities and instead said:

"Grand Secretary Zhang, I want to save myself."

Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhang Siwei and said calmly:

"I can barely save myself, how can I save you?"

Zhang Siwei cupped his hands and said:
"No need for such modesty, Grand Secretary Zhang! You surely have a way to turn things around!"

Zhang Siwei then added:

"Actually, there's nothing wrong with these students making a fuss. The Grand Secretary and we have a clear conscience. Once the exam papers are released, these discussions will naturally subside!"

"The problem is that some people are taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble."

Zhang Siwei's dissatisfaction was about to overflow.

He is someone who is extremely protective of his reputation.

Zhang Siwei was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the thirty-second year of the Jiajing reign. After becoming a Jinshi, every step he took was toward the position of Grand Secretary.

Two years after becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), he ranked first in the Shujishi (a junior official in the Hanlin Academy) examination and was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

After his mother passed away, Zhang Siwei returned to his hometown for three years of mourning, which allowed him to avoid the most intense factional struggle against Yan Xishan in the imperial court.

In the first year of the Longqing reign, Zhang Siwei served as an official in charge of imperial lectures and daily lectures.

During his tenure as the Director of the Personnel Selection Department of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhang Siwei was not as aggressive as his mentor, Prime Minister Gao Gong. He was able to satisfy all parties on personnel matters and won unanimous praise from the court.

Before serving as a co-examiner, Gao Gong had already recommended Zhang Siwei to the Longqing Emperor, who then promoted him to Junior Grand Master of the Palace and assisted in managing the Palace.

However, the emperor accepted this recommendation.

The news Zhang Siwei heard was that the Crown Prince disagreed with the appointment and preferred Su Ze to serve as the Junior Chamberlain.

Although Zhang Siwei learned of this rumor himself through the inner court and didn't know if it was true or false, the recommendation fell through.

Gao Gong treated this disciple well, and then recommended Zhang Siwei to be promoted to Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

This time, Emperor Longqing could no longer oppose Gao Gong, so he promised to promote Zhang Siwei based on his merits after the imperial examination.

However, seeing the imperial examination embroiled in controversy, which delayed his promotion, he realized that the examination was in turmoil.

To make matters worse, Su Ze seized the opportunity to submit a memorial demanding reform of the imperial examination system, further muddying the waters.

These days, Zhang Siwei also uses his influence to gather information from the outside world.

Gao Gong did not support Su Ze's memorial, and Yin Shidan, the Minister of Education in the cabinet, also opposed it.

Scholars from all over the country were dissatisfied with the plan, and everyone felt that they had been wronged.

Zhang Siwei resented Su Ze for meddling. If he hadn't written the petition, the matter might have been over long ago. Now everyone was locked in the examination hall, and even if they wanted to find a way out, they had nowhere to turn.

What worried Zhang Siwei even more was Gao Gong's attitude.

Gao Gong did not support Su Ze's memorial, while Yin Shidan vehemently opposed it.

It should be noted that Yin Shidan and Gao Gong are now allies, and their alliance was facilitated by Zhang Siwei.

Now that Yin Shidan is opposing it, Gao Gong remains noncommittal. Does this mean that Gao Gong wants to use this opportunity to completely overthrow Zhang Juzheng?

Zhang Siwei is a very thoughtful person.

He was acutely aware of the cruelty of politics.

As a core member of the Gao Party, he knew that the matter of the East and West rankings was not a scheme set up by Gao Gong.

But if you were in Gao Gong's position, and you had an opportunity to strike at your political enemies, and all you had to do was sacrifice a few promising protégés, what would you choose?
Zhang Siwei didn't know what Gao Gong would choose, but if he were Gao Gong, he would definitely choose to overthrow his political enemies.

As for the disciples, we can make it up to them later.

Once this thought popped into Zhang Siwei's head, he became increasingly unable to control himself.

Su Ze has already reached the fourth rank, while Zhang Siwei is still at the fifth rank.

Zhang Siwei is more than ten years older than Su Ze.

Although in terms of power, Zhang Siwei, a fifth-rank official, was probably the most powerful fifth-rank official in the entire Ming Dynasty.

However, considering their ages...

Su Ze may make mistakes, but given his relationship with the Crown Prince, he will still be able to enter the cabinet in the future.

But I don't have the chance to make a mistake.

After much deliberation, Zhang Siwei ultimately chose to meet with Zhang Juzheng.

Seeing Zhang Juzheng's calm demeanor, he judged that Zhang Juzheng must have a way to get out of this predicament. In that case, he needed Zhang Juzheng to lead him out of the mire.

Of course, Zhang Siwei did not intend to betray Gao Gong, but rather to secretly align himself with Zhang Juzheng.

Perhaps in the future, he will pass on some information about Gao Gong's core to Zhang Juzheng.

Or at times, they might be slightly less obedient to Gao Gong's orders.

As the sun set, Zhang Juzheng smiled. He had been up in the Mingyuan Tower, fishing.

Of course, Zhang Juzheng originally wanted to hook Lü Diaoyang.

After being locked in the examination hall, Lü Diaoyang was also very anxious. Zhang Juzheng's confident demeanor was intended to make Lü Diaoyang beg him, thereby creating a rift in Gao Gong's camp.

Unexpectedly, Lu Diaoyang didn't come, but Zhang Siwei did.

This made Zhang Juzheng even happier!
Although Lü Diaoyang was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he was a core figure in the Gao faction.

However, Lü Diaoyang was almost sixty years old.

Lü Diaoyang was not a member of Gao Dang's core circle.

However, Zhang Siwei was Gao Gong's most outstanding disciple besides Su Ze.

He was also a strategist for the Gao Party, a core member and henchman of the Gao Party, and held the important position of Wenxuanlang.

Zhang Juzheng considered it an unexpected delight.

Just as Zhang Siwei had thought, Zhang Juzheng did not expect to gain Zhang Siwei's loyalty.

However, as long as Zhang Siwei betrays Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng can pry open a bigger wall and eventually make Zhang Siwei one of his own.

Moreover, as a shrewd and calculating individual, Zhang Juzheng also sensed Zhang Siwei's jealousy towards Su Ze.

Jealousy is the easiest weakness to be exploited.

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and said:

"Ziwei, don't worry, in a couple of days we'll be able to get out."

Zhang Siwei looked at Zhang Juzheng, hoping to get more promises from him, but then he heard Zhang Juzheng's tone turn cold as he said:
"What, Ziwei, don't you believe me?"

Zhang Siwei felt the overwhelming pressure and quickly said:
"I don't dare, my subordinates."

Zhang Juzheng said:
"Everyone has the idea of ​​self-preservation. If you encounter any unpleasant things in the future, Ziwei, you can send someone to your residence. I will meet you here."

After saying this, Zhang Juzheng stuffed an address into Zhang Siwei's hand and then calmly left Mingyuan Tower.

Zhang Juzheng naturally had ways to save himself.

He stayed at the examination hall because he did not support Su Ze's memorial and did not want Su Ze to "hitch a ride" on the memorial that was divided into sections for the examination.

But now Zhang Juzheng has decided not to think about it too much. Zhang Siwei has taken the bait, and the gains from this imperial examination are already significant.

Then let's grant Su Ze's wish.
-
March 5th.

"Breaking news! Breaking news! The Censorate has submitted a petition requesting the publication of the examination papers!"

"To ensure the fairness of the imperial examinations, Grand Secretary Zhang's eldest son voluntarily gave up the examinations and promised never to participate in the metropolitan examinations again!"

The four major newspapers published news about the upcoming imperial examination.

Compared to the censors' demand for the publication of the examination rankings and the answer sheets of the candidates before the exam, the latter news attracted more attention from the public in the capital.

This article, published in the Yuefu Xinbao, reminded scholars in the capital of the last provincial examination in Shuntian Prefecture.

Last time, Zhang Juzheng's son, Zhang Jingxiu, won first place in the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination. After that incident, Zhang Jingxiu voluntarily gave up the metropolitan examination.

This incident was brought up and reported by the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper.

Zhang Jingxiu also wrote to the newspaper "Yuefu Xinbao" that regardless of whether his father was in court or not, he would never participate in the imperial examinations.

Furthermore, Zhang Jingxiu proposed that he could compete in writing with those scholars who questioned whether there was any foul play in this imperial examination. If they could surpass him, he would guarantee on behalf of his father that the whole family would resign from their official posts and return to their hometown!
After the article was published, the police force was mobilized and arrested two more gangs.

These two groups were not actually candidates for the imperial examinations, but rather some impoverished scholars from the capital.

These people were not qualified to participate in the imperial examination at all, but they fabricated many rumors about the imperial examination.

These unscrupulous scholars even specifically sought out scholars who had failed the imperial examinations, charging them fees and promising to help them gain the qualifications to become members of the secret society.

Many of these were candidates who failed the imperial examinations and were cheated out of thousands of silver dollars.

And some officials who had been clamoring about regional injustice seemed to have fallen silent overnight.

At this point, only a handful of people, including Yin Shidan, remained who insisted on opposing it.

Then, on March 4, Grand Secretary Gao Gong also submitted a memorial, insisting on clearing Zhang Juzheng's name, believing that there was no cheating in this imperial examination, requesting the emperor to publish the examination papers of the top twenty candidates, and agreeing with Su Ze's memorial to divide the papers again in the next imperial examination.

This time, the Longqing Emperor did not hesitate and approved the memorials submitted by Gao Gong and Su Ze.

Thus, the turmoil surrounding this imperial examination came to an end.

On March 6th, Su Ze left the examination hall and returned home.

Su Ze also saw the settlement report.

The proposal to reform the imperial examination system by dividing the examination papers into separate sections was passed.

Thanks to Zhang Juzheng's actions, public opinion reversed, and the emperor approved your memorial.

The separate examination papers for the imperial examinations became a fixed practice, bridging regional disparities and reducing regional conflicts.

The examination principle, which emphasized both the eight-legged essay and policy essays, also enabled the Ming Dynasty to select more outstanding talents.

However, the increased emphasis on policy essays in examinations also exacerbated the gap between scholars in developed and underdeveloped regions, reducing opportunities for scholars from humble backgrounds to rise in society.

The dynasty's fate remains unchanged.

[Prestige value remains unchanged]

[Remaining Prestige: 720]

Seeing this result, Su Ze could only sigh.

Every national policy has both advantages and disadvantages.

Just as Yin Shidan opposed, the more comprehensive the exam, the more it will create difficulties for students from poor families.

To write a good policy essay, it is not enough to just read the Four Books and Five Classics.

If you need to cite classical texts, you should read history books.

To understand the political situation of the time, one needs to subscribe to newspapers and read the collected works of famous officials of the time.

Poor scholars couldn't even afford textbooks, let alone books.

Su Ze sighed; this was a difficult choice.

If we continue to emphasize the rigid eight-legged essay, the imperial examinations will eventually resemble those at the end of the Ming and Qing dynasties, selecting only bookworms who can only study by rote, which would be a disaster for the country.

All we can do is try our best to develop, find ways to bridge the gap, and give more opportunities to students from poor families.

But if reforms are not implemented, regional conflicts could tear the Ming Dynasty apart.

The burden of governing these two capitals and thirteen provinces is truly heavy.

As Su Ze walked out of the examination hall, he saw Xu Wei waiting for him.

Upon seeing Xu Wei, Su Ze felt somewhat guilty.

"Wen Chang," Su Ze wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say.

Xu Wei then said:
"Master Dong, it is my own decision to give up this imperial examination. You need not blame yourself."

When the carriage arrived at the door, Xu Wei said to Su Ze:

“Master, I am preparing to leave the capital, and the remaining betrothal money has been returned to your household.”

Su Ze exclaimed in surprise:

"Is Mr. Qing Teng no longer planning to take the imperial examination?"

Xu Wei said:

"Xu has come to terms with it; taking the imperial examination at this age would be a waste of time."

"Originally, Xu became an official to clear Hu's name, and the Master has already helped Xu fulfill his wish."

"Xu has also realized that my personality is not suited for officialdom."

"Xu plans to pay respects to Hu Gong and then visit the former residence of Sheng'an in Yunnan."

(End of this chapter)