Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Zhao Yuan has been extremely busy lately, with a great deal of official business to attend to during the spring season.

He was reading the land survey report sent by Wei Liangchen and was extremely satisfied with the progress of the land survey.

Zhao Yuan was unaware that someone had come to the capital to stage an accident.

At this moment, Liu Yannian stood outside the eastern city of the palace, looking at the Dengwen Drum in front of him.

When the time came, Liu Yannian became afraid.

He wanted to gain fame and reputation, but dared not appeal to the authorities.

Without holding an official position, how could he advise the emperor without striking the Dengwen Drum?

After pacing back and forth in front of the Dengwen Drum, hesitating and wavering for a long time, Liu Yannian still chose to leave silently.

Perhaps I'll have the courage tomorrow.

……

Chui Gong Hall.

Hu Anguo, the Minister of Rites, sat beside the emperor and watched him review the memorials.

After a long silence, Zhao Yuan put down his pen and asked, "Has the scholars already started to make a scene?"

Hu Anguo replied, "Xunzi's elevation to the status of a classic has drawn much criticism. Just two days ago at the peony festival, scholars gathered to discuss the Dao."

"What are we discussing?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Hu Anguo said, "Human nature is good, but rituals are hypocritical."

Zhao Yuan smiled and asked, "What are you thinking?"

Hu Anguo replied very tactfully: "Your subject respects Mencius."

Zhao Yuan said, "Let's take it slow. This year's autumn imperial examination will begin with an examination on Xunzi. For now, we can set the number of candidates for the 'Xunzi examination' for the lowest level of the imperial examinations (xiucai and juren) as small."

"Your Majesty is wise," Hu Anguo flattered insincerely.

Even before Zhao Yuan officially ascended the throne, he had already revealed his intention to elevate Xunzi to the status of a classic.

Hu Anguo has consistently opposed this view.

Or rather, very few people in the entire court supported him.

The ascension of Mencius to the status of a canon during the Northern Song Dynasty was a struggle that almost escalated into factional strife.

The matter was not escalated completely because there were quite a few supporters from the old party who advocated for Mencius to be included in the canon.

If even Mencius has attracted so much controversy, one can imagine how much more difficult it is for Xunzi to win people's hearts.

But Zhao Yuan insisted on his own opinion, and the ministers naturally could not object.

The emperor's normal procedure would be to have a minister offer suggestions and spark a war of words.

Then, the emperor stepped in to favor one side, ultimately achieving the goal of elevating Xunzi to the status of a classic.

Zhao Yuan didn't do that; he brought it up himself!

The cabinet ministers had been advising him for several years, and two prime ministers had been replaced, but Zhao Yuan brought up the matter again every year.

The ministers were exhausted; whatever, they figured they could only resort to a roundabout approach.

Hu Anguo, the Minister of Rites, was pushed forward by the officials to take charge of reinterpreting the Xunzi classic—since they could not stop it, they would try their best to guide it in the right direction.

Zhao Yuan suddenly said, "I intend to restore and reform the civil service examination system."

Hu Anguo felt a chill run down his spine; he vaguely guessed what the emperor was planning.

It must be related to those miscellaneous studies!

"Boom!"

A stack of manuscripts lay on the desk. Zhao Yuan tapped them twice with his fingertips: "This is the strategy for reforming the civil service examination system. Take it and fill in any gaps, then discuss it with the cabinet. Go."

"According to the order."

The eunuch brought over the manuscripts, which Hu Anguo bowed to accept, and then took his leave with the manuscripts.

Without waiting to return to the Ministry of Rites, Hu Anguo unveiled the reform plan for the imperial examination system.

Upon closer inspection, I realized with certainty!

The imperial examination held every three years was called the "regular examination".

The irregular imperial examinations were called "Enke".

Both the regular and special examinations had the same content and belonged to the formal imperial examination system.

In addition, there is the manufacturing department.

The special imperial examinations were designed to recruit exceptional talents, and texts such as the *Laozi*, *Xunzi*, and *Yangzi* were frequently tested.

Mathematics, law, medicine... these can also be included in the curriculum.

One day, the emperor might have a sudden whim and suddenly test the emperor on the classics, such as "Han Feizi" or "Mozi"!

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial examination questions have been quite chaotic. Because Zhao Yuan added various miscellaneous subjects, he essentially turned the regular examinations into special examinations.

Now, however, the process needs to be formalized, and the reform plan is as follows:

First, make "Mathematics" a compulsory subject in the regular curriculum, and "Xunzi" an optional subject in the regular curriculum. This is what Wei Liangchen revealed in Jiangxi.

Secondly, the Imperial Academy's Upper Hall Examination and the Special Examination were merged. This meant that the irregularly held Special Examination was changed to an annual one. The candidates for the Special Examination were primarily Imperial Academy students, but students from other schools could also apply independently.

Third, mathematics, astronomy, geography, chemistry, physics, law, metallurgy, machinery, shipbuilding, medicine, agronomy, water conservancy, Laozi, Yangzi, Guanzi, historical records of all dynasties...

All of them were included in the imperial examination system. They were divided into two major categories: the classics (including history) and practical studies, with quotas for Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) and Juren (successful candidates in the provincial imperial examinations).

Fourth, students of the Imperial Academy could also choose to participate in the regular imperial examinations, which were the traditional, formal examinations.

Fifth, the special imperial examination system had eighteen quotas for Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examinations) each year, and these candidates enjoyed the same treatment as those who passed the regular imperial examinations.

There are also thirty places for successful candidates in the imperial examinations, who can be directly appointed to official positions in the arts and crafts field, with the appointments based on their specific professions.

Chapter 3597 Reforming the Imperial Examination System

Sixth, the Ming Dynasty has already established more than ten specialized schools, including those for medicine, metallurgy, and shipbuilding.

These vocational colleges select a group of students each year to go to Beijing to participate in specialized courses based on their exam scores, and the schools cover the students' travel expenses.

After carefully reviewing the plan, Hu Anguo began to worry that admitting eighteen special-grade scholars each year might affect the quota of regular-grade scholars, who are awarded every three years.

After all, the Ming Dynasty had very strict requirements for the selection of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), unlike the Northern Song Dynasty which saw a crazy increase in the number of candidates in the mid-to-late period.

At that time, the imperial examinations did not even have the eight-legged essay format, and the ministers did not take a strong stance on this matter.

The imperial examination system, where the emperor selects specialized talents, was a perfectly normal practice.

It used to be held occasionally, but now it's held every year.

Despite the fact that Xunzi's two major viewpoints, namely the inherent evil of human nature and the hypocrisy of ritual, were rejected by the vast majority of scholars, Xunzi's work still stands.

However, during the Song Dynasty, Xunzi appeared frequently in the essay questions of the regular imperial examinations.

The number of times Xunzi was tested in the imperial examinations during the Song Dynasty was more than that of the Records of the Grand Historian and Laozi.

In addition, the *Yangzi*, which is not commonly seen in later generations, contains more essay questions for the imperial examinations than the *Xunzi*.

Criticism is one thing, use is another, but let's not interfere with each other!

The ranking of Confucian sages in the Song Dynasty was surprisingly as follows: Confucius, Mencius, Xunzi, Yang Xiong, and Han Yu.

Moreover, this ranking has official endorsement.

In the seventh year of the Yuanfeng era, Xunzi, Yang Xiong, and Han Yu were enshrined together in the Confucian Temple.

……

Zhao Yuan was the first emperor, and although he had many ideas, he also had to make constant adjustments.

He had already ruined the imperial examination system; this was just a further step.

He had been pondering how natural sciences and professional disciplines should be integrated into the imperial examination system.

After much thought, I finally decided on manufacturing.

Because this thing is specifically designed for recruiting professional talent.

Therefore, any content that wasn't tested in the regular imperial examinations could be included.

History and the Hundred Schools of Thought were listed as the major category of the Imperial Examination for those admitted to the program, and they were then used to conduct research in literature and history.

Specialized and natural sciences were classified as practical majors in the curriculum, and those admitted were used to promote scientific development and serve as technical officials.

Zhao Yuan picked up another report from the Ministry of War, read it carefully, and then casually put it aside.

This is a military report from last year, indicating that fighting had already broken out with Annam.

In fighting in central and northern Vietnam, it is essential to choose the right time to conduct the operation.

The rainy season is from April to September in the lunar calendar every year. It is hot and humid, and non-combat casualties are very likely to occur.

The dry season is from October to March of the following year in the lunar calendar. It is relatively dry and not so hot.

Therefore, they chose to fight in winter.

In late October of last year, Champa launched an attack on Annam from the south.

At the same time, Zhenla launched an attack from the southwest, while Jinchi Kingdom launched an attack from the west.

Yang Zaixing sent troops from the north and ordered the Shanghai navy to harass them from the east.

Annam is under attack from all sides!

The report that Zhao Yuan had just read was sent by Yang Zaixing in winter, but was delayed because heavy snow in the north blocked the roads.

……

The Luoyang Peony Festival is held every year.

However, they are not uniform.

Flower festivals involving government officials and those involving temples are both relatively large in scale.

There were also flower fairs organized by merchants and scholars, which were smaller in scale and had no fixed location.

At this very moment, Liu Yannian is attending a literary gathering.

They brought their families along, chose a scenic spot, and even set up tents to stay overnight.

They would admire the flowers, compete in flower-viewing contests, drink wine, hold poetry competitions, and have fun. Occasionally, they would also give or trade peonies.

Today's flower show, however, is a debate.

"The theory that human nature is inherently evil is utterly absurd!"

A scholar loudly proclaimed, "Compassion, shame, deference, and the ability to distinguish right from wrong represent the four virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, respectively."

"These are the four beginnings of human nature. I respect Mencius, who said that human nature is inherently good, and this is a natural phenomenon arising from heaven and earth."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a scholar retorted: "No, no. Human nature is neither good nor evil; emotions can be good or evil. Emotions simply arise from human nature."

This person is clearly a disciple of Wang Anshi, who initially advocated the theory of the inherent goodness of human nature.

Later, it was changed to the idea that sex is neither good nor evil, but emotions are; sex is innate, while emotions are acquired.

However, Wang Anshi eventually acknowledged that sex can be good or evil, a view similar to that of Yang Xiong.

"You're all wrong,"

Soon more scholars stepped forward.

"Sex is inherently evil. How can an infant know about humility?"

"If one of the twin brothers is hungry, they will inevitably steal the other's food."

"What do babies know? How can they understand humility? It's just their nature!"

"Nonsense!"

Scholars who supported the idea of ​​inherent goodness angrily retorted.

A scholar who supported the idea that human nature is inherently evil asked, "If you say that human nature is inherently good, then surely an infant would know how to yield."

"I've only ever heard of Kong Rong sharing pears, but I've never heard of an infant sharing pears."