Zhu Xiong Ying did indeed want to make a fuss, mainly because some civil officials had their own ideas. It's hard to say who was right and who was wrong; it was probably just a matter of differing stances, which left Zhu Xiong Ying with no choice but to have his own thoughts.

The reasoning was actually quite simple. Liu Sanwu and other deputy examiners believed that the imperial examination system naturally required fairness. They argued that using the quality of the writing as the sole criterion was the only way to ensure fairness and truly select talented individuals.

Liu Sanwu was very determined and said to Emperor Zhu, "Your Majesty, the imperial examination is the foundation for the court to recruit talented people and the gateway for scholars to serve the court. If the imperial examination cannot be fair, it will surely dampen the enthusiasm of scholars!"

At this moment, Men Kexin also stood up to support Liu Sanwu, saying, "Your Majesty, scholars study hard for ten years and go through several imperial examinations before they can take the metropolitan examination. If we let learned scholars fail the examination based solely on their place of origin, it will be difficult to convince the public."

At this moment, the great Confucian scholar Fang Xiaoru also stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, the court prioritizes talent and learning when selecting officials! The Ming Dynasty has been established for over twenty years, and its civil administration has been quite successful. If this matter is not handled fairly, I fear that many scholars will become disheartened and repeat the predicament of the early days of the dynasty!"

Zhu's face immediately darkened. In the early days of the founding of the country, many scholars were unwilling to serve in government and chose to live in seclusion in the mountains or resign their posts. At that time, Zhu was indeed in a rather awkward position.

There are many reasons. Some people are still attached to their Mongol homeland, some admired Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, and some simply looked down on Zhu De, who came from humble backgrounds, or felt that Zhu De was too strict.

Was he being threatened?

Old Zhu, with his eyes narrowed, snorted coldly, then got up and left, seemingly ending this morning's court session.

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled slightly and said unhurriedly, "That's enough, court adjourned!"

Seeing Zhu Xiong Ying about to leave, several civil officials immediately swarmed over. They needed to have a good talk with the Crown Prince, and they hoped he would change his mind, since Zhu Xiong Ying was the chief examiner for this year's imperial examination, which naturally carried a different significance.

The imperial examination system, while nominally granting the title of "student of the emperor," often resulted in candidates being recognized as his mentors. Many newly appointed scholars also preferred to acknowledge the chief examiner as their mentor, a connection established within the imperial court.

Now, the graduates of this cohort can stand tall. Even if Zhu Xiong Ying doesn't acknowledge them, these people can still claim to be the emperor's protégés. As long as Zhu Xiong Ying ascends the throne smoothly, everything will be fine.

Liu Sanwu pleaded, "Your Highness, please reconsider!"

Fang Xiaoru, with righteous indignation, said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "Your Highness's insistence on selecting scholars from the North is unfair to scholars from the South! The imperial court prioritizes talent and learning when selecting officials. When will our Great Ming Dynasty start considering household registration? If this precedent is set, how can our Great Ming Dynasty's imperial examinations be fair and how can we convince the public?"

Liu Sanwu and Fang Xiaoru are right; this is indeed unfair to scholars from the south and will cause some to lose faith in the imperial examination system. This is the truth, and Zhu Xiong Ying could have foreseen these things when he insisted on selecting some scholars from the north.

At this moment, Zhang Xin, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, also said, "Your Highness, I have also read the essays of the candidates from the North, and they are far inferior to those of the scholars from the South! If we were to select candidates based on their essays, not a single candidate from the North would be chosen!"

Zhu Xiong Ying was certainly aware that the overall level of this imperial examination was not particularly high, and he only selected sixty people in total. In fact, according to the text, there wasn't a single southern scholar among the top sixty. Expanding the scope further, among the top eighty, northern scholars didn't really qualify much.

Zhu Xiong Ying asked with a stern face, "Oh? Then, my esteemed ministers, can any of you tell me why the scholars of the North are not doing well in their studies?"

Fang Xiaoru immediately said, "The students of the North do not admire sages! If the court..."

Zhu Xiong Ying didn't know what to say. The protagonist of the so-called "extermination of ten clans" in history was standing in front of him.

Fang Xiaoru's father was a minor official who was also killed because of the Blank Seal Case. Fang Xiaoru was intelligent from a young age and indeed studied diligently, becoming one of Song Lian's most outstanding disciples. Fang Xiaoru disdained the study of literary writing, taking it upon himself to proclaim the principles of benevolence and righteousness in governing the world and to achieve peace and prosperity.

Zhu Xiong Ying knew that Fang Xiaoru was of upright character. However, in Zhu Xiong Ying's view, Fang Xiaoru's family's adherence to the Zhou rites meant that he was essentially the same kind of person as Huang Zicheng, which left him at a loss for words.

These people are indeed loyal ministers, and they do possess some talent. However, if they are truly given important positions, it will undoubtedly lead to chaos and disorder, as they will govern the country using the methods found in the classics. How can governance theories from over a thousand years ago be applied to the present era? Moreover, those theories were not necessarily implemented even a thousand years ago.

However, there was no way around it; scholars like Huang Zicheng and Fang Xiaoru firmly believed that the Zhou rites were the orthodox tradition and that only the Zhou rites could usher in a prosperous era. And in reality, there were countless scholars like them—far too many.

These are the people Zhu Xiong Ying thinks have become stupid from studying too much!

Zhu Xiong Ying, his expression displeased, stormed off. As for the civil officials at this moment, they seemed to have some reservations. Since His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince had failed to recognize some of their mistakes, and since they had not chosen to heed honest advice, it was even more crucial at this time to remain steadfast in their beliefs and absolutely not back down.

If they back down, they will be condemned for all time, and the Ming Dynasty's imperial examination system will become a laughingstock. The Ming scholar-official class will lose its integrity. These civil officials and great scholars will be attacked by scholars across the land, and the descendants of sages will become a joke!

Zhu Xiong Ying glanced back at Chang Mao, who immediately understood.

Chang Mao trotted up to Zhu Xiong Ying and said, "Your Highness."

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