We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

imperial capital.

After the court meeting, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The charcoal brazier dispelled the chill of early spring. A group of important officials gathered here, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed than the previous court meeting.

Holding big meetings for small matters and small meetings for big matters has been a tradition since ancient times.

Especially now that the situation among the Daqing court officials has not yet been completely stabilized, it is even less likely that Li Che will discuss important matters at the grand court meeting. He will make decisions at small meetings and then announce them at the court meeting.

Zhuge Zhe held the imperial sceptre in his hand, looked at the densely written small characters on it, and slowly reported:

"Your Majesty, the 'Edict Seeking Talents' has been sent to all provinces, and the response has been overwhelming."

"Wherever the imperial edict arrived, responses flocked to it. Students and scholars from all over the country were filled with joy and excitement, and they all set out in groups, rushing to the imperial capital."

"Now, the official roads leading to the capital are filled with students carrying their books. It's so difficult to find a carriage, and the inns along the way are overcrowded."

"According to preliminary statistics from the Night Watch, as of yesterday, over 6,000 students have flocked to the Imperial Capital, and the number is still increasing."

Upon hearing this, Li Che smiled with satisfaction and said aloud, "Great! It seems that I haven't offended all the scholars in the world. There are still many talented people willing to come to the court!"

Li Che also knew that with so many students, their levels must be uneven.

But it doesn't matter. Li Che is not afraid of their low level. As long as they have read books and can read, there will naturally be a place for them.

The imperial examinations in later generations, which selected the best from the best and required thousands of people to compete on a single-plank bridge, were actually a huge waste of talent resources.

There are many basic positions that do not require such a high level of knowledge. As long as you can read and write and have normal intelligence, it is enough.

Du Fuji, standing by, added with a smile, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the students who flocked here this time are not coming to seek refuge with the court, but are coming for Your Majesty."

"Oh?" Li Che raised his eyebrows and asked with a hint of curiosity, "Why do you say that, Mr. Du?"

Du Fuji stroked his beard and replied, "Your Majesty's various actions when he was in Fengguo have long been known throughout the country, and all the students have heard of them."

"Being an official in Fengguo is the place with the highest salary and the best benefits in Daqing."

"Not only are we paid in full every month, with absolutely no deductions, but we also have a 'seven-day rest' policy, with extra days off during festivals and holidays."

"This kind of compassionate policy towards officials is unprecedented. When the students see your majesty's sincere desire to recruit talented people, they will naturally be as enthusiastic as a hundred rivers flowing into the sea."

After hearing this, Li Che felt a little amused and helpless.

This so-called 'single day off' and annual leave would have been criticized as a 'blessing' by workers in my previous life. The boss had no idea how many times he had been asked about his parents in private.

I didn’t expect that in ancient times, it would become a welfare.

Of course, this is also thanks to Emperor Qing, who is so diligent that he is almost self-abuse.

After all, not officials in every dynasty worked so hard, and there were dynasties with shorter working hours than modern times.

Not only did Emperor Qing take matters into his own hands, he also took all the civil and military officials with him, and reduced the officials' vacation time to almost nothing.

In contrast, my humane management has become a golden signboard.

Li Che collected his thoughts and said seriously, "Since the students trust me and have come all the way here, I will never treat them unfairly."

"The Ministry of Rites should do its utmost to ensure the food, clothing, housing and transportation of the students who come to the capital. All cities and post stations along the way must provide them with a proper reception and accommodation. Students must not be allowed to come to the imperial examination hungry."

Upon hearing this, Minister of Rites Zhang Fan showed a look of helplessness on his face. He stepped out and said, "Your Majesty is kind-hearted and considerate of scholars. We are deeply impressed."

"But the Ministry of Rites has done its best to coordinate with various post stations to provide free meals and accommodations, and will also send people to escort students through dangerous sections of the road."

"Unfortunately, the station's rooms, food reserves, funds, and manpower are all limited. The number of students now far exceeds the station's capacity, and the demand is far exceeding the supply. We are stretched to the limit."

"In addition, after the announcement of the 'Edict Seeking Talents', it was inevitable that some unqualified people, intending to eat and drink for free, would pretend to be students entering the capital."

"Post officials find it difficult to distinguish genuine students from fake ones, which further strains resources. Truly talented students may not be properly placed."

Li Che heard this and pondered for a moment before saying, "Since resources are limited and there are good and bad people, we should set up a threshold to filter out those who try to take advantage of the situation and leave the limited resources for the real talents."

Zhang Fan looked puzzled: "What does your Majesty mean?"

Li Che said simply, "It's very simple. Send a message to all the post stations. Anyone who wants to enjoy free food and lodging must recite the Analects on the spot, and be supervised by other students staying at the same time."

"Anyone who stumbles, hesitates, or even fails to recite at all will be considered a fake and will be immediately expelled from the post station and will not be received!"

Li Che himself was not a supporter of Confucianism and did not believe in the nonsense of "ruling the world with half a step of the Analects of Confucius".

But he also knew very well that "The Analects of Confucius" was a must-read book for enlightenment for scholars of this era and the foundation of the foundation.

Just like students in later generations must memorize the multiplication table, what kind of student are they if they can’t memorize it?

This method is simple and direct, and can effectively screen out most of the unqualified people and leave behind the real scholars.

Of course, it is possible that there are scholars who cannot memorize the "Analects of Confucius", but this is not considered an accidental injury.

If one cannot even recite the "Analects of Confucius" fluently, it means that this person has never read books seriously and does not even have the most basic learning attitude.

This kind of person still wants to try his luck in the imperial examination and seek an official position. Does he think my court is a garbage dump?

Zhang Fan's eyes lit up, and he quickly wrote it down: "I obey your order. This method is very good!"

At this time, Zhuge Zhe spoke up again and asked, "Your Majesty, students have arrived from all directions. I wonder when the examination will be held? We must provide clear rules to the world so that students can prepare for the exam with peace of mind."

Li Che had already made a plan: "Even if the journey is smooth, it will take at least two months to get from the most remote province to the imperial capital."

"I cannot let the border students make this journey in vain. So, I will limit it to three months to give all the students in the world ample time to travel."

"Three months from now, the Imperial Examination will be held in the Imperial Capital on time!"

"Your Majesty is wise," Zhuge Zhe nodded, then asked, "This is the first imperial examination of the new dynasty. Even though Your Majesty has a clear vision and a complete concept for the examination system, we are all unsure of the specific content to be tested. Without detailed rules, it will be difficult to implement."

Upon hearing this, Li Che smiled with a hint of mischief: "No problem! All the questions for this examination will be set by me personally!"

He was already eager to try it.

It is time to let these ancient people experience firsthand the fear that students in the later generations' "examination-oriented education" system felt when they were dominated by all kinds of tricky questions!

What he wanted to produce was not rote memorization of chapters and sentences, but policy papers that could truly examine practical insights.

There is also some basic common sense. This group of students will most likely be sent to grassroots organizations in various places, so they cannot be ignorant of the five grains.

Of course, the exam questions can't be too tricky, and they can't be out of the ancients' knowledge system. You can't just study ancient trigonometric functions...

At this moment, Huo Duanxiao, who had been silent all this time, spoke up: "Your Majesty, I have a concern, I don't know..."

Li Che smiled and said, "Just say it directly."

"Today, a large area of ​​southern territory is still occupied by the false emperor, and there are many talented people under his rule. Is it unfair to hold the imperial examination only in the areas actually controlled by our dynasty?"

"Why not wait until the royal army has recovered Jiangnan and unified the country before holding a nationwide competition to recruit the world's best talents?"

When the others heard what Huo Duanxiao said, they all nodded in agreement.

Li Che listened, but slowly shook his head, his eyes sweeping across the ministers present: "Zhengze's concerns are justified. However, I believe that now is the most appropriate time to hold the imperial examination."

All the ministers looked surprised and didn't understand what he meant.

Li Che did not answer but asked, "What do you think, my lords, is the current style of study in Daqing, the north or south, which is superior?"

Huo Duanxiao pondered for a moment and replied, "Ever since the Hu cavalry marched south hundreds of years ago, the land of China was submerged, and a large number of well-dressed aristocrats migrated south, the cultural center has gradually shifted south."

"To this day, the martial spirit of the north still exists, while the culture and education of the south are more prosperous and the literary style is flourishing."

"That's right." Li Che nodded and posed a question that made everyone ponder deeply. "If we wait until the world is unified and students from the north and south compete on the same field, then nine out of ten of the top students will be from the south."

"Have you ever thought about what the consequences would be?"

The hall suddenly became quiet.

Everyone thought for a moment, and then their faces gradually became solemn. They had only considered fairness before, but had never thought deeply about this level.

Li Che looked at their expressions and knew that they had realized the seriousness of the problem.

He heard from his ex-girlfriend who studied history that the North-South List Case during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty was a lesson learned, as it almost caused a political turmoil due to the regional imbalance in the selection of scholars.

Daqing is now facing a similar situation, so it is naturally impossible to make such a mistake.

Li Che said in a deep voice: "If this is true, all the important officials of the future court will come from the south. Then, won't Daqing only have half of its territory left?"

These words were like thunder, which made all the ministers feel frightened.

Li Che saw that the time had come, so he laid out his entire plan: "But now, if we hold the imperial examination in the north first, the situation will be completely different."

"This time, the selection process is mainly for students from the north, so it can be called the 'Northern List'."

"When the South is liberated, we will hold an imperial examination specifically for southern students, called the 'Southern List'."

"In this way, talented people from the north and south will each find their proper place. This will not only demonstrate the fairness of the court, but also stabilize the hearts of the people in both regions."

Li Che paused, then smiled and said, "More importantly, we must take advantage of this buffer period between the North and South divisions to vigorously promote official education, use movable type printing to print cheap books, distribute them to various counties, and encourage the establishment of private schools!"

"When the third imperial examination is held, a unified examination will be held in the north and south. All students will receive the same education and will be on the same level."

After hearing Li Che's plan, all the ministers in the palace were impressed: "Your Majesty is wise and far-sighted. We bow to him!"