Chapter 222: Earthquake? The whole process of the exam...

The entire examination process went smoothly, but there was a problem when marking the papers.

However, this problem is not a bad thing for the Qin State, but rather a happy trouble.

After deciding to remove the property restrictions for the imperial examination, Ying Zheng took the queen and several important ministers to set the admission standards.

This standard must not be set too high, because those who are born in poor families, even if they have the opportunity to study and even if they have superb talents, will never be able to compete with the nobles in terms of resources.

If the admission standards were set too high, most of the candidates who passed would be aristocrats, and the previous move to abolish the asset limit would become a joke. It would also stimulate rebelliousness among the lower classes, who would think that the court was just going through the motions and that they, the poor and common people, were still looking down on them.

But it couldn't be too low, because the scale of the applicants this time was undoubtedly much larger than the last time. Although the empire had just been established and talent was in short supply everywhere, if too many people passed the exam at once, it would be difficult for the court to make arrangements.

Zheng Jia also made a special point: in the last imperial examination, people from Shu Kingdom did not understand the situation, and many students who had passed the examination and failed in the joint examination did not dare to come.

But with the marriage between Qin and Shu, students and merchants from both sides had more exchanges. The results of the last imperial examination must have been reported back to Shu, and the students of Shu Middle School were ready to move.

——The students admitted last time were all of that level, I can also get in.

Therefore, when the news that Qin was holding the imperial examination again spread to Shu, many students who wanted to avoid the war or look for other opportunities would definitely form teams to come to Qin to participate.

If the standard is set too low, the proportion of people from Shu among the students on the list will be too high.

Therefore, the admissions criteria were drawn up after careful consideration. Even so, when the papers were reviewed, the number of people who met the criteria was still beyond the expectations of the higher-ups: a staggering 980 people.

Of the 350 Shu Kingdom candidates who took the exam, 290 met the requirements. The remaining 60 were just a hair's breadth away from the mark.

If the standards were set a little lower, all the people from Shu who took the exam would have achieved great success.

The success rate of the Shu Kingdom was within Zheng Cuo's expectations. What surprised her was the Central Plains students, especially those from poor families.

She urgently investigated and collected evidence, and went to the palace to explain the situation before Ying Zheng summoned her.

"Your Majesty, our previous estimate overlooked one category: the retainers of the Six Kingdoms' nobles. After the fall of the Six Kingdoms, many retainers were left without a way to make a living. This imperial examination is another excellent opportunity for them to find work."

Although the talent and moral standards of those retainers varied, those who were able to meet the standards this time, regardless of whether they were civil or military, always had outstanding talents.

Ying Zheng nodded slightly and asked, "How do you think this matter should be resolved, Mr. Zheng?"

He has always been like this. Once he recognizes the talent of a minister, he will confidently throw the problem to the other party to solve, and he will trust the person.

It was precisely this attitude towards employing people that made Zheng Cuo willing to be devoted to him.

Since Zheng Cuo came to see the king, it was impossible for her to just find the problem. She had already thought of a solution.

"The admissions criteria were set long ago. Even if no one leaked it, it can't be changed at this point. It's better to be safe than sorry. Now that our Great Qin has unified the Central Plains, we must attach great importance to the country's reputation. If we go back on our word or break our promise to the people, the consequences will be immeasurable."

Ying Zheng nodded and said, "What Zheng Qing said is very true. I will keep it in mind."

At this time, Zheng Jia came over from the back hall, and Ying Zheng specifically told her what Zheng Cuo had said.

Zheng Jia nodded calmly, indicating that he had remembered it, without revealing that he had learned this a long time ago.

After the two of them finished their conversation, Zheng Cuo continued, "How about this? We divide the students who have met the requirements into two levels. Following the example of Shu, we will appoint the first level as Jinshi, who will be directly granted official positions by the imperial court.

The second rank is Juren, who can apply for officialdom on their own or wait until the next Jinshi exam. However, in this case, the date of the next exam must be set as soon as possible and announced at the same time as the results are posted.

The King and Queen both nodded. Zheng Jia said, "Now that the Central Plains have been unified, even if the Great Qin wants to conquer Shu, the mountains will block it. Even if the army over there turns the world upside down, it will not affect the peace of the Central Plains.

Since we have to set a date for the next exam, we might as well perfect all the rules of the imperial examination at once, so that students and the people of the world know that our Great Qin is committed to long-term peace and stability."

It can not only ensure the supply of talents for the country, but also play a role in stabilizing people's hearts. Why not do it?

Ying Zheng directly asked Zheng Cuo to take note of it and do it when he returned.

Zheng Cuo nodded and was about to leave, but Ying Zheng stopped him again: "Prime Minister, since we are going to standardize the imperial examinations, shouldn't we also put the issue of establishing schools on the agenda?"

It's time to put this on the agenda. Otherwise, if we take the imperial examinations twice more, the talent pool from poor families will be exhausted. By then, the imperial examinations will become a game for the aristocracy.

After Zheng Jia returned to his office, he immediately asked people to invite the Shaofu Ling Zheng Jia, Guowei Liao, Shangqing Feng Quji, Shangdaifu Zhou Hong, Qian Yue, Feng Liao, Zhongdaifu Han Fei, Tu Jia, guest officials Li Si, Xiong Ji and others.

She summoned all the talented people she liked to discuss the two matters of imperial examinations and running schools.

In fact, she already had a plan in mind for these two things, and the reason she called everyone together was to share the credit.

She was already the right prime minister, the highest position among the ministers. No matter how many merits she had, the most she could be granted was a title and some additional fiefdom.

It is better to squander these things quickly if the descendants are not ambitious, because the only thing to worry about is that they will be targeted by others and become a death warrant.

She is already in her forties this year. According to the system of Shu Kingdom, she should retire at the age of sixty to make way for young people to ensure the metabolism of the court.

Even if he could sit in the position of prime minister until he was sixty years old, there would always be a day when he would abdicate and make way for someone more capable. What's the point of taking so many credits?

It would be better to give some to people with potential and earn some favors for my two daughters.

Those who are favored by her are not fools. The entire meeting was conducted under her guidance. Everyone knew clearly that she was intentionally dividing the credit.

No matter what, they have to appreciate this favor.

After the meeting, Zheng Cuo winked at Zheng Yu, signaling her to stay for a while.

"The Shu Kingdom is looking for you, right?" Zheng Cuo went straight to the point.

"Yes, it was someone secretly sent by the Queen of Shu, who wanted my eldest daughter to return to Shu." Zheng Yu felt a little guilty and his eyes dodged slightly.

Zheng Cuo smiled meaningfully. "There's nothing wrong with either of them. They haven't had children for so many years. Besides God's will, there's another possibility: their physiques are incompatible."

The medical field in Shu was well developed, especially in pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology. Generation after generation of excellent doctors devoted themselves to research, and the official medical archives collected almost all conditions.

There are no less than a hundred cases recorded in the archives where a couple has no problems but still has no children.

The solution is also very simple, both parties divorce and get married.

Nowadays, there are no advanced instruments, and the doctors in Shu Kingdom do not understand genes, so they define this symptom as "incompatibility of the two parties' physiques."

The two had no children, but refused to divorce. King Zheng Jin of Shu also refused to take a concubine to have children, making it clear that he did not want to have descendants.

Zheng Yu was not a fool, and he understood it after a brief reminder.

Her expression changed, and the guilt she felt immediately turned into anger. She gritted her teeth and said, "They don't want to leave any descendants. They don't want their descendants to experience the pain of losing their country. Does that mean my daughter deserves it?"

Seeing that she had changed her mind, Zheng Cuo didn't say much, but just said slightly: "Our Zheng family has come to this point, and it is inevitable that we will lose power. As long as you, me, and the queen can maintain stability in Qin, the Zheng family will not be afraid of having no future.

Is it because of Gu Nian's temporary sisterly love or the long-term consideration of the Gu Nian family? You have to think it through. Fang'er is a good child. Don't go astray because of your soft heart and ruin the child's life. "

Zheng Yu nodded vigorously and bowed, "Thank you for your advice, cousin. I understand."

"Yeah." Zheng Cuo nodded with satisfaction, "You can go back first."

After watching her leave, Zheng Cuo turned around and went to Weiyang Palace.

Zheng Jia dismissed his attendants and asked, "Have you told her?"

"I've already said it," Zheng Cuo said. "She's just too soft-hearted. She's always thinking about sisterhood. She needs to talk it out. She's not stupid. She knows what's best for her."

Out of consideration for their old friendship, she still spoke well of Zheng Yu.

Zheng Jia finally breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly smiled, "Central Plains and Shuzhong have always been two separate worlds. If these two worlds were to merge into one, what kind of scene would it be? I'm looking forward to it."

Zheng Cuo pondered for a moment and found that he could not imagine anything. He could not help but say: "It is just as the Holy King said. People can never imagine things beyond their own cognition."

Zheng Jia laughed heartily and said, "If you can't imagine it, then don't. I believe we can both see that day with our own eyes."

Because the world will eventually be truly unified in the hands of this group of people.

Zheng Cuo also laughed: "Then we'll wait and see... Ouch!"

This sound seemed to have triggered a switch, and the sound of "ouch" could be heard continuously inside and outside the Weiyang Palace.

Suddenly, the earth shook, and everyone was thrown out of the way. Zheng Jia, young and quick-witted, managed to steady himself and quickly grasped a nearby pillar.

Zheng Cuo, who was almost fifty years old, was not so lucky. She was thrown onto the table and happened to hit her waist. The pain made her face pale.

Fortunately, the shock only lasted for a moment, and after a while, the vibration stopped. Zheng Jia looked around and found that only people were affected. All the furnishings in the room were in place.

Of course, except for the table that Zheng Cuo bumped into.

"Ouch, hurry... hurry and help me." Zheng Cuo's wailing sound came over. Zheng Jia came to his senses and hurried forward to help her. Zheng Cuo screamed "Ah——" and said, "Slow down, slow down. Ouch, my waist!"

The palace maids and eunuchs who had been driven out of the palace also rushed in, asking about the queen's safety.

Zheng Jia said, "I'm fine. Send one person to fetch the medical officer, and two more to help the Prime Minister onto the soft stepping stone. Carry the soft couch and follow me to the square outside the palace. All the rest of you are not allowed to stay indoors and must gather in the square."

If it's an earthquake, it won't just be one shock; aftershocks might come at any time. Staying indoors is clearly a waste of time.