The imperial examination has become a focus of attention for many people, as it is the first spring imperial examination held after the new emperor ascended the throne.

Moreover, this was the first time the Ming Dynasty had a separate list of candidates from the North and South, with scholars from the South and North listed separately. This was also a rare occurrence in the imperial examinations, marking the first time the Ming Dynasty had officially selected officials through a North-South list.

All scholars took the exam in Yingtian Prefecture, with unified grading, unified cut-off scores, and unified admission, aiming for equal selection as much as possible. In reality, the admission ratio was allocated according to the province. Of course, this was a transitional phase; in the future, the northern and southern examination lists would likely be held in two separate examination centers: Beiping and Yingtian Prefecture.

Historically, the rivalry between the North and South in the imperial examinations did not only occur in the Ming Dynasty, but also in the Song Dynasty.

The Northern Song Dynasty had a very strict system of regional examinations, with Kou Zhun, a famous minister and a native of the North, serving as prime minister and chief examiner. He was a very positive figure in history, but his administration of the imperial examinations was particularly unfair, blatantly discriminating against people from different regions.

The north produces generals, the south produces prime ministers. In fact, before the Song Dynasty, almost all emperors, generals, and prime ministers came from the north; the south had little influence. During the Northern Song Dynasty, there were indeed instances of deliberately elevating northerners and suppressing southerners.

However, the situation was more complex during the Ming Dynasty. The most telling example was that the north had been under foreign rule for far too long since the Ming Dynasty was newly established. Not only had the hearts and minds of the people not been fully won over, but the Ming Dynasty also genuinely needed to win over the hearts and minds of the people, which is where the role of the scholar-official class became apparent.

On the other hand, it was also a way to suppress scholars in the south.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Huai-Xi clique consisted mostly of military officials. Liu Bowen, on the other hand, led the Zhejiang-Eastern literati group. Now, however, southern civil officials clearly hold a dominant position in the court. In an era that values ​​local connections, this is not a good thing.

It was also because when the civil service group in the south grew powerful, it tended to exclude 'dissidents,' which was intolerable.

During the Yuan Dynasty, a hierarchical system was implemented, dividing the people of the country into four classes, with southerners at the bottom. Many believed that the north possessed a stronger imperial aura, while the south was known for its literary talent, leading to the gradual rise of southerners on the stage of Chinese history. Indeed, the distribution of talent reflected this, with more talent in the south and less in the north.

This is not a good sign, and it is also the reason why Zhu Yunying was so focused on creating the North-South Ranking.

This examination allocated 90 places to scholars from the south and 30 places to scholars from the north. It seems extremely unfair to the scholars from the north, but if they were to compete based on their true abilities, it is very likely that none of these northern scholars from the Ming Dynasty would pass the imperial examination.

Old Zhu couldn't stay idle, so he brought little Zhu to the Wuying Hall. "Ying'er, this won't do! You're the emperor!"

Zhu Yunying was stunned for a moment, completely puzzled.

Seeing his grandson's silly look, Old Zhu said angrily, "You just want to suppress the Duke Yansheng, don't you?! That's easy. If the scholars in the north don't cause trouble, you just give them a push. If the scholars in the south start causing trouble, we'll make sure the whole world knows about it."

"Will this work?" Zhu Yunying stood up with a smile and helped Old Zhu sit down. "This is just too undignified!"

Old Zhu was completely unconcerned, genuinely unconcerned. "If you ask me, just be careful, and let the Embroidered Uniform Guard stir things up. Even if someone notices, we'll just deny it. What can they do about it?!"

"That makes sense. These scholars are too honest." Zhu Yunying was exasperated and said irritably, "They're busy visiting their fellow villagers, submitting lists of names and essays. How come they didn't see that we've already announced that only 120 people will be selected for this imperial examination?! There are only 30 candidates from the north. They should have started making a fuss long ago!"

Zhu Yunying was rather cautious in his first imperial examination after ascending the throne. He planned to select 120 tribute students, who were equivalent to Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). As for those on the supplementary list, they could go to the Imperial Academy, which was considered a formal education, but it was still somewhat inferior to what many scholars aspired to.

Song Zhong, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, arrived. His name was rather unlucky. However, Zhu Yunying accepted the pun. He couldn't easily change the name his parents gave him. As for Wang Chengen, that was a special case; after all, he was subordinate to Zhu Yunying.

Song Zhong was under considerable pressure. Facing Zhu Yunying, whom he had always been loyal to, Song Zhong dared not be careless. As someone who did such dirty work, he actually understood his master better than most. Song Zhong clearly understood that while his master didn't have a particularly great reputation for benevolence or kindness, generally speaking, no one said his master was harsh or cruel.

This was merely a facade. Song Zhong knew that his master was actually a very ambitious man, and when his master resorted to dirty tricks, he was no less ruthless than the current retired emperor. It's worth noting that Zhu Yunying was only fifteen or sixteen years old when he first pledged allegiance to his master, who was then the crown prince.

Even in such an era, many men matured early, but their ruthlessness and scheming, their indifference and meanness that seemed to be etched into their bones, were no less than those of the current retired emperor.

Old Zhu sat smiling on the dragon throne, while Zhu Yunying said, "Those scholars have all entered the capital. Have they uttered any grievances?"

Song Zhong immediately replied, “Your Majesty, the imperial examination is a matter of great importance to the nation, and we dare not be careless. There are currently six scholars from Zhejiang who are making irresponsible remarks about national affairs. There are seven scholars from Southern Zhili who seem to be reminiscing about the traitor Zhang in their remarks. Ma Zhong, a scholar from Shuntian Prefecture in Northern Zhili, and Ju Yi, a scholar from Baoding Prefecture, often refer to the pseudo-Yuan dynasty as their former country.”

Zhu Yunying laughed and then said, "That's fine. Send the list to the Grand Princess."

Old Zhu, standing nearby, chuckled and began to criticize, "You rascal, we've said no interference from the harem in politics. Your eldest aunt is already married; why should she meddle in court affairs?"

“It’s all about whispering in her ear!” Zhu Yunying said nonchalantly. “My younger aunt has a stronger temper. If she finds out about this, Yunhu will definitely find out too. If Yunhu finds out, he might call on a few of his uncles and start a fight. My eldest aunt is much gentler, but she is still a member of our Zhu family.”

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