In addition to regular education, we also need to assign a few good teachers to these silly kids who are not deeply involved in the matter, so that they won't be fooled.

Zhu Youxiao narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment before instructing Liu Ruoyu, "Gu Xiancheng's letter to save Li Sancai was truly out of line. I order him to be stripped of his title as a warning. Guanglu Cheng Wu Jiong submitted a memorial to defend him and has been demoted to a commoner."

It's fine for you to care about national affairs and it's fine for you to discuss state affairs, but it's too much to use your reputation to interfere in the court and defend the corrupt Li Sancai.

As the spiritual leader of the Donglin Party, suffering a blow to his reputation was more effective than removing dozens of Donglin Party officials.

What's more, Gu Xiancheng opposed and criticized the School of Mind, which was contrary to Zhu Youxiao's promotion of the School of Mind. It was reasonable for him to take the opportunity to suppress it.

…………

According to convention, the marking of the palace examination can be completed in one day.

The examiner would review the papers overnight on the same day, and would generally pick out the top ten papers first and submit them to the cabinet.

If nothing unexpected happens, the top three in the first class will often come from these ten test papers, and the other seven will also occupy the top few in the second class.

In other words, the top three candidates in the palace examination were basically the top ten in the metropolitan examination. Those who ranked low in the metropolitan examination had very little chance of making a comeback.

Because although the top three candidates were appointed by the emperor, they were selected from the ten test papers submitted by the cabinet.

Therefore, no matter how well you write during the palace examination, the emperor will not see it unless it is submitted to the cabinet.

But this palace examination was different. It had been published in advance in the "Da Ming Forum." The emperor would personally review the papers and determine the rankings. The publication of the yellow list would also be postponed by three days.

Regardless of whether the emperor would be so diligent and hardworking, the candidates preferred to believe it was possible. Especially those who ranked low in the imperial examinations, they hoped to perform exceptionally well and be noticed by the emperor.

Ever since the publication of the "Da Ming Forum" newspaper, some people have noticed the uniqueness of the articles it publishes.

There are tadpole-like symbols, small circles, or spaces, which are equivalent to dividing the article into sentences.

In ancient times, the first lesson for elementary education was punctuation, or how to break sentences in a text. If you can't even do this, how can you understand the content of a text filled with densely packed words?

Just learning the basics will take more than a year. Is it worth it?

Innovations in newspapers will naturally attract criticism, but this is a royal decree, so even if people criticize it in their hearts, they have to read it with a pinch of their nose.

Later, the rumor gradually spread that the emperor only read memorials with punctuation marks, while the others were read aloud by others and then reviewed.

If the emperor has a hobby, his subordinates will follow it. Since the emperor has this hobby, it is natural that there will be people who cater to him and go along with him.

The first to make changes were some ministers. It doesn't matter if you don't know how to use punctuation marks. If you leave space to break sentences, it will make the emperor feel comfortable and he will praise you more, right?

Of course, there are also some old stubborn people who think that this is a tradition passed down for thousands of years, and they will not change it, will not flatter you, and will not fawn on you.

As for Zhu Youxiao, whether you are willing to change or not, I think you are conservative and useless.

But for the candidates taking the palace examination, gaining the emperor's favor was the most important issue. Whether they flattered him or not was unimportant.

Besides, the emperor has already made his intention to promote benefits and eliminate disadvantages, and to reform and advance, so clearly. Now it's just a minor change in the writing of the article. Why are you fussing over such a small matter?

In addition to the changes in the punctuation of the article, the emperor's admiration for "Xinxue" was also revealed in the newspapers.

This is also a very important directional signal. Just like Jiajing worshipped Taoism and cultivated immortality, all the officials in the court were masters of Qingci.

Even if you don't know how, you have to study hard. Otherwise, how can you have the chance to be promoted and gain the emperor's favor?

But if you read the articles in the newspaper carefully, you will find that they are not all "Xinxue".

To follow conscience and integrate knowledge and action, this is certainly the correct philosophy of the mind.

However, the emperor also emphasized the application of knowledge to practice, which seemed to criticize the unrealistic style of idle talk in some current "Xinxue" schools.

Wang Yangming probably didn't anticipate that his descendants would split into several factions, some even going so far as to "put away books and not read them," rejecting all social knowledge and practice.

As philosophies, there's no absolute good or bad in any doctrine. Yet you're talking about meditation and sudden enlightenment, as if you're aiming to become an immortal.

In fact, almost no one is very clear about what kind of knowledge the young emperor believes in. It seems to be a practical knowledge, and it also seems to be a eclectic study.

Zhu Youxiao said that he only believed in science, but science was too vague and difficult for people at that time to understand and accept.

Manufacturing tools requires science, management requires science, finance requires science, fighting wars requires science, and even farming requires science.

Now, Zhu Youxiao reviewed the examination papers of the imperial examination candidates in a very scientific way. He would first classify them, grouping those with the same policy essay topic together, and then evaluate and compare them to determine the best.

There was no way around it. The scholars' writing skills were all excellent, but their insights were far inferior to the young emperor's, and their answers certainly wouldn't satisfy him.

It can be seen that knowledge also has different levels of depth. Zhu Youxiao wanted to choose the best among them, rather than demanding that the ancients reach the same level of vision as himself.

Although it is not satisfactory, Liu Lishun from Henan is concerned about the country and the people, and is also aware of the suffering of the people. He is also a student of Teacher Yuan and can be ranked first.

Zhu Youxiao finally decided to put Liu Lishun, who ranked only 273rd in the imperial examination, into the top three.

Feng Yuanbiao of Cixi has some unique insights on lifting the maritime ban, perhaps because his hometown is located on the coast of the East China Sea?

Lu Xiangsheng, well, pretty average. Would it be better if he answered the questions for military scholars?

Huang Daozhou, though a scholar, possesses a fierce spirit and is quite stubborn. Well, he does have his uses.

Wen Zhenmeng, a descendant of the national hero Wen Tianxiang... Wen Anzhi, also a national hero in history...

The young emperor read through the test papers one by one. From his initial eager anticipation to his later indifference, Zhu Youxiao let go of his harsh demands and became more tolerant.

First go to the local area to gain experience. Even if he can be more honest and down-to-earth, and implement the new policies introduced by the court, he can be considered a useful minister.

"Your Majesty," Wang Tigan reported as he entered the palace. "General Shen Yourong of Dengzhen has been summoned to the capital..."

Zhu Youxiao pondered for a moment and said, "Please invite Chen Yourong to the palace to meet you."

Shen Yourong rushed to the capital in accordance with the imperial order and reported for an audience according to the rules, but he did not expect that the emperor would summon him for an audience as soon as he arrived at the post station.

He was completely confused on the way here. He didn't know what the emperor had suddenly summoned him for. The summons as soon as he arrived in the capital made Shen Yourong even more confused.

Why is the emperor so anxious? What urgent matter is there? Is it a blessing or a curse?

With speculation and uneasiness in his heart, Shen Yourong entered the palace and came to the outside of the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Soon, the inner palace came out of the hall and led Shen Yourong into the hall.