Chapter 105: Fame, Wealth and Honor
The imperial examinations of the Great Zhou Dynasty were usually scheduled in February when the weather was still chilly. This year was the first year of Qi'an, and the new emperor ascended the throne in the first month of the year. The news of his ascension to the throne did not spread throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty until the end of January or the beginning of February. It was simply too late to hold the special examinations in February.
Now, in order to show consideration for the students, the metropolitan examination was arranged for the first time after the provincial examination, also in autumn. If a person was capable, he could pass the provincial and metropolitan examinations within three months and meet the emperor in person.
There is another difference between this special examination and previous imperial examinations. In the imperial examination, the empress asked a question about business, while in the palace examination, the emperor asked about military and political affairs, and the prince asked about the people and officials.
The questions in the Enke examination not only reflect the emperor's attention to the scholars, but also show the emperor's attitude towards the empress and the prince. The scholars selected in this Enke examination must kowtow respectfully to the emperor, empress and prince.
The emperor was also using this move to tell the scholars of the world that the queen's majesty should not be offended. If you harbor resentment, you can just wave your sleeves and leave, telling the world that you are a person who is not eager for fame and fortune, and that you are a true hermit in the mountains.
unmanned!
There wasn’t a single juren who left the Imperial Examination Hall early!
The invisible slap hit many people in the face, and those who secretly expected the scholars to cause trouble were discouraged.
"Scholars, they talk about benevolence, righteousness, and morality, but their actions are completely different. Yet, they can still justify their words and swallow their pride."
Today is the big day of the parade of top scholars. Huang Mengde, Wang Nianjing and Chen Yizhi haven't been together for a long time. Since they don't have to work today, they met up in a teahouse for tea.
A group of scholars were walking downstairs surrounded by the people of Luoyang. Chen was looking down from the upstairs. All he saw were the smiling faces of these newly-minted scholars. He couldn't help but half sneer and half laugh at them.
"How many families with daughters are jealous of the queen, and they want to pull her down and put their own daughters in her place, so that they can become the one holding the power and support their family's wealth and prosperity."
"What a shame! They all had the will but not the courage. In the end, it was Prince Xian who was the first to step out and was foolish enough to have his title stripped away. There's no place for his family in Luoyang. Who among those cowards would care about Prince Xian?"
Chen always acted like the prince's teacher in front of outsiders, but he was a frivolous chatterbox in front of his acquaintances. He scolded the scholars and then the royal family. Huang Mengde, the Confucian leader, pretended not to hear and just drank his tea.
"Old man Huang, please say something!"
Huang Mengde, now well-versed in cultivating his Qi, ignored him and turned to Wang Nianjing, "The other day, I was delivering a document to the Qi'an Hall. I heard the Emperor and the Empress discussing the construction of a Hundred Craftsmen's Building in Luoyang. They're looking to recruit many talented people from your Mohist school. What are they developing? Do you know?"
Wang Nianjing smiled and nodded, "I know. The Empress has always valued workers and farmers."
The Hundred Craftsmen Building will not be built until next year. Many Mohist disciples from other places have already rushed to Luoyang. Those who arrived early were arranged to help officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue in the imperial farm. They will be assigned specific tasks after the Hundred Craftsmen Building is completed next year.
Wang Nianjing once thought that after the emperor ascended the throne, in order to win over military generals, local clans, scholars all over the world, etc., even if the empress was willing to support them, after the empress retreated to the harem, she would probably no longer be able to live like she did in Songjiang City.
Who would have thought that after the emperor ascended the throne, the empress was still the empress who was on par with the emperor, and the emperor was willing to protect the empress. Their non-Confucian schools, as well as businessmen like Chen Yizhi, were getting better and better with the support of the empress.
Then again, there is a reason why Chen has been cursing all the time. The world belongs to everyone in the world. Even if the Confucian scholars can read and write, if they really want to compete, how can they, with just a few people, fight against everyone in the world?
Wang Nianjing has always understood that as long as the queen still has power, who would be afraid of a group of scholars if the workers, farmers and businessmen unite?
Speaking of the integrity of scholars, Chen Zhizhi became excited again. He said, "The Emperor and the Empress are wise. They should beat those nagging scholars instead of pulling them. Look at the newly minted Jinshi who just passed by. Which one of them didn't praise the Empress on their exam papers? In a few days, when the papers of the Imperial Examination for the Enlightenment are compiled into a book, printed and sent to all parts of the Great Zhou Empire, I'll let all the scholars in the world see how they flatter the Empress to advance their careers, and see if they'll have the nerve to turn against us in the future."
Huang Mengde couldn't stand him and frowned.
Chen Zhizhi laughed heartily and said, "Our Mr. Huang is definitely a scholar who is practical and useful to the world. He is definitely different from those sour Confucian scholars."
Huang Mengde glared at him: "Instead of watching the jokes of Confucianism, it's better to handle the matters entrusted to you by the master. Once the northern border is stabilized, it will be the turn of the south next."
Lifting the maritime ban and resetting commercial taxes, which one is not an earth-shaking event?
Chen just smiled and said nothing. How could he make the decision on such a big matter?
Tsk, if it wasn't the right time, he would have wanted to tell Huang Mengde that when the emperor and empress were still in Songjiang City, they had already selected the ports for lifting the sea ban, and even the new commercial taxes had been set long ago, just waiting for the right time to come, and arranged for him to supervise the implementation.
Huang Mengde worriedly said, "The Li family occupies the southwest. Although most of their troops have died or surrendered, they still have at least 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers. Will it go wrong if they only send the city defense troops?"
"Nothing will go wrong. Besides the city defense troops, the navy is also going there as a naval force." Chen kept his voice low. "The navy has some incredible new weapons. Mr. Wang should know that."
Huang Mengde looked at Wang Nianjing, who smiled and said, "It's unspeakable. It's unspeakable."
"What can't the three of us talk about?"
Wang Nianjing still smiled and shook his head. Now was really not the time to talk about that.
If the remaining troops in the southwest surrendered smoothly, it would be best if they didn't need the new weapon. It was a powerful and earth-shattering weapon, and it should be saved for the most critical moment, so that its benefits could be fully realized.
Seeing that Mr. Wang really didn't want to talk, Chen stopped asking. He said, "Forget it. I'll know sooner or later."
Chen has always had a good relationship with the navy's chief commander Gao Jin. He knew that the thing was developed by the Mohist disciples. He had always wanted to see the legendary thing with his own eyes, but he still hadn't found out its name.
After watching the excitement of the parade of the newly-minted scholars, the scholars from outside Luoyang City left one after another, taking the fresh excitement of Luoyang City back to their hometown. The Empress Dowager, who was the first in the history of the Zhou Dynasty to give examination questions to students, became the topic of conversation among these students. However, everyone had only good things to say about the Empress Dowager, and no one dared to disrespect her openly.
Gu Youan is not that domineering. As long as things appear to be okay on the surface, he doesn’t care what they think in private.
No one in Luoyang Kyoto was watching her anymore and causing trouble, so she could worry less. While Zhou Qi was keeping an eye on the military deployment on the northern grasslands, Gu Youan was also pushing forward her state-owned company plan as quickly as possible.
Both husband and wife were busy, and they would find time to review the memorials sent to the Qi'an Hall by the cabinet. After the autumn harvest, officials from the Ministry of Rites would submit a memorial, and the royal family would go to the farmland outside Beijing with all the officials to offer sacrifices for the harvest. It would be best if they could also visit the imperial farm to see the new agricultural tools developed by the Mohist craftsmen.
The tasks were minor, but they required a lot of effort, and neither the couple had the time to spare. Thus, Yuan, who was studying at the Imperial Academy, was sent away by his parents.
"I am very busy today. You are the crown prince, so you can handle small matters like the harvest sacrifice. Go quickly. The elders of the cabinet are waiting for you outside."
A new batch of military rations is to be sent to a newly built small town deep in the grassland. This batch of food must be enough to last the officers and soldiers stationed there for the whole winter, so there must be no problems. Zhou Qi must go to the granary to check it out to feel at ease.
"Where's the Queen Mother? I'll go with her."
"Your mother is even more busy. There's something wrong with the state-owned company's account books. Your mother is worried that someone is playing dirty, so she's keeping an eye on the accounts."
Zhou Qi changed into clothes suitable for going out, looked back at his son still standing at the door, and said, "How old are you? Without your mother and I to guide you, you won't be able to do anything?"
A Yuan was unhappy. His father was busy and his mother was busy too. He wanted to study. He hadn't had a good talk with his mother for a long time.
Zhou Qi sneered, "Just be content. No matter how busy my mother and I are every day, we will always go to your room to see you at night. Think about how your father, the emperor, was when he was a child. Since he started learning to read at the age of five, he only saw your grandmother two or three times a month."
"But I miss you guys." Yuan said aggrievedly.
After all, this was a child he had raised himself, so Zhou Qi's heart softened. "Well, after these busy days are over, and your mother's state-owned company is established, the situation on the northern grasslands will surely be resolved before winter. Then your mother and I will take you to the imperial farm outside the capital to stay for a few days and have a good time."
"Are you ready? What about the southern affairs? Lifting the maritime ban, expanding the navy, there are so many things to do."
"How can things ever be finished? There are only two of us, your mother and I. Do we really have to keep spinning like a top, working ourselves to death?" Zhou Qi rubbed his son's face and said with a smile, "You should share some of the responsibility with your mother and me. Go ahead."
A Yuan watched his father leave. He stood there for a while, waved to the servants to come over, changed into sacrificial clothes, and followed him.
"Prince, the Emperor has said that you will travel in his carriage."
When Yuan saw Liu Ling, whose hair was almost completely white, standing before the imperial carriage, he didn't even glance at the cabinet elders standing nearby. He quickly trotted over and asked with a smile, "Are you going today too?"
Liu Ling smiled and nodded: "The emperor said that there is no one to look after you, so he asked me to accompany you."
A Yuan supported Liu Ling's old, wrinkled hands on the bicycle frame and said, "It's just a sacrifice. I can handle it."
"That's right. You are the only son of the Emperor and Empress. From now on, the whole of Great Zhou will belong to you. This little thing is nothing to you. It's just a piece of cake."
Yuan was amused by him. Turning back to see the officials accompanying the carriage, his face turned serious and he said, "Let's go!"
"The prince is coming!"
The prince offered sacrifices on behalf of the emperor. Once again, everyone inside and outside the court, as well as in Kyoto, saw clearly that their emperor was really generous. The queen was a queen with real power, and the prince, who was still young, seemed to be a prince with real power as well. This family of three was really close-knit, and outsiders could not separate them!
The prince rode in the emperor's carriage to the suburbs to offer sacrifices, and then went to the imperial farm to meet the disciples of the Mohist school. He even ignored his ceremonial clothes and went to the field himself to plow the land with new agricultural tools.
After trying it, Yuan said, "This plow is too heavy. It takes too much effort for a woman to use it."
An official with a short beard laughed and said, "It's not that heavy. A mature man can use it very easily. You think it's heavy because you are too young. You will be able to use it when you grow up."
A Yuan sneered, "Among the many people in our Great Zhou Dynasty, what percentage are children under ten? And what percentage are frail young men between ten and fifteen, young women, and men and women over forty?"
"A good farm tool is only good if most people think it's useful. If only able-bodied men think it's good, then it's not good. With so much arable land in the world, are we going to let able-bodied men cultivate it all?"
Yuan pointed at the minor official who was speaking and asked, "How old are you? What's your position? What's your job?"
"In reply to the Crown Prince, I am thirty-four years old and the head of the Ministry of Revenue, in charge of land taxation."
Yuan made way for him and said, "You're thirty-four, so you're considered a mature man. Come and use this farm tool."
The official hesitated for a moment, then quickly nodded in agreement, tucked his official robe into his waist, and pushed the plow with all his strength.
"You think it's easy to use? Light?" Yuan sneered.
Perhaps out of exhaustion or anxiety, the official, covered in sweat, said, "I am dull-witted, not as clear-headed as the Crown Prince. This plow should definitely be modified."
At this time, several Mohist students from Wumeng Academy who had been silent all this time brought out an iron plowshare and said, "Prince, try this again."
The one carried out by the Mohist students is lighter. I guess a teenager can carry it and it is much easier to use.
Yuan praised him generously: "You guys did a great job. This is better than the one I used at the farm in Songjiang City last year."
Several Mohist disciples smiled and said, "Prince, please look, only the front of the plowshare is made of fine iron. To save iron, the back is hollowed out. This makes the plowshare lighter and more convenient to use."
"Good, good, a small change can make a big difference."
A Yuan really understood. After all, Wang Nianjing, the current leader of the Mohist disciples, was his teacher. He also secretly read many books from his mother. After integrating all the knowledge, he had a vision beyond ordinary people.
A Yuan was having a lively conversation with some Mohist disciples, and several officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue were treated coldly. Mr. Zhang, the cabinet minister, stepped forward and wanted to say something, but was stopped by Liu Ling.
So what if he is the minister? If the prince doesn’t ask him to go, then no one can go.
There was nothing that a shrewd person like Liu Ling couldn't understand. It was nothing more than that these agricultural officials in the court relied on their own honors and positions to bully the group of Mohist disciples who came from the Wumeng Mountain Academy, and suppressed them and prevented them from standing out.
Liu Ling glanced at Master Zhang and said, "Master Zhang, since the Emperor and Empress haven't arrived, do you think the Crown Prince is young and easy to fool?"
Mr. Zhang hurriedly said that he didn't dare, but Liu Ling ignored him.
Master Zhang gritted his teeth and said, "Young people are full of youthful energy and don't understand the rules. I think it's because they lack experience. I will submit a memorial to the emperor and ask him to send the agricultural officials in the capital out of town for a few years so that they can understand the hardships of farming for the common people."
Liu Ling snorted lightly and turned to serve the prince.
A Yuan stayed at the farm until mid-afternoon. Before leaving, he said to the Mohist disciples, "Your teacher is Wang Nianjing, and my teacher is also Wang Nianjing. So, we can be considered brothers. From now on, if you need anything, just tell me. Whether it's fine iron or manpower, I will provide it for you."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
The prince left and did not say a word when he passed by the officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue.
Liu Ling couldn't help laughing when he saw the prince's serious expression. A child raised by the emperor and empress was not someone who could be easily fooled.
It was already evening when A Yuan returned to the palace. His father, the emperor, and his mother, the empress, had returned. The three of them dined together at the same table. A Yuan sat down and complained, "The officials who were replaced at court are relatively diligent, but the officials below are still the same people, skilled in intrigue. I can't rely on them to do anything, and they only try to fool me."
Zhou Qi smiled and said, "Yes, I've become more careful after this trip."
"Father, I want to tell you something serious."
Gu Youan served his son some soup and said with a smile, "Don't be angry. We have no other choice now. We can only catch the big one and let the small one go."
Not to mention the Zhou Dynasty, even in the future, it would be difficult to ask officials from top to bottom to be loyal to their duties.
"When I become emperor, I will rule them all."
The child's angry look made the couple laugh. Gu Youan patted his son's shoulder encouragingly and said with a smile, "Mother is waiting for the day when you become emperor."
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