Chapter 506 A Dream of Youth 38
Xie Wangzhi handed over a blank sheet of paper, indicating that Xie Qi should write down the titles of the scriptures from memory.
“Father, I’ve noticed that the proportion of poems and essays has decreased compared to before, and there are also calligraphy and classical texts.”
You should know that in the past, people were ranked according to their poetry and prose. Even now, a literary person who writes good poetry is highly sought after, and many wealthy people will spend money just to get a single poem.
"Well, although the Tiejing and Moyi seem to focus on chapters and annotations in terms of content, in terms of form, they are nothing more than rote memorization and too rigid. In recent years, the focus of the exams has been more on the meaning and discussion."
Xie Wangzhi looked at the questions on the paper and silently took a sip of tea.
"Although the focus has changed, you should not neglect memorization. After all, you need to know what it is in order to cite classical texts in your strategy."
Therefore, the workload will only increase.
Xie Qi's heart tightened, and he silently lowered his head, saying, "Your son will remember."
He thought he wouldn't have to memorize anything anymore, but he was clearly overthinking it.
"Although poetry and prose make up a smaller proportion, you should not neglect your studies. After all, a poem with inspiration may be your stepping stone, and it has its own place alongside classical texts."
"yes."
The father and son analyzed most of the questions and felt more confident.
Only one question remained, an additional question on the doctrine of overseas trade.
Xie Wangzhi frowned as well. This question shouldn't have appeared on the prefectural school exam. He didn't know who added it. Fortunately, it was an extra question and the score wasn't high. Otherwise, many students taking the exam this time would have suffered.
Although admissions are based on rankings, students who don't meet the required score still won't be admitted.
Xie Wangzhi felt that this question was a bit beyond the scope of the curriculum, and after a long silence, he asked, "Do you still remember your answer? Tell your father briefly."
"I vaguely remember."
Xie Qi spent almost half an hour just stating his answer, and Xie Ning listened intently, not to mention Xie Wangzhi.
Xie Qi chose to follow tradition and keep overseas trade under state control to prevent the loss of domestic resources. In addition, the threat of Japanese pirates along the southeast coast was increasing, and a certain degree of maritime prohibition could effectively prevent Japanese pirates from coming into contact with civilians.
Seeing that Xie Wangzhi's expression was not good, Xie Qi was a little uneasy. "Father said that if you can't answer a question, you should play it safe. Even if you don't get the points, you won't make a mistake."
This mistake refers to offending the "conservatives," which lowered the overall impression score of one's exam paper.
However, this doesn't mean that the new faction is easy to offend; on the contrary, the old faction is relatively more powerful.
Xie Wangzhi sighed. If he had the choice, he would definitely choose to further lift the sea ban.
Because domestic handicrafts and commerce were highly developed, goods that were saturated in the market could be transported abroad by "sea merchants" to exchange for precious foreign treasures. In this way, the circulation of goods not only enriched the people but also the country.
The imperial court needs money, and the tax revenue generated by this kind of private overseas trade will be enormous, since the money earned from official ships conducting trade is already quite substantial.
However, although the two have opposing views, the correctness of the final question selection depends on which side the examiner is on. Perhaps Xie Qi's conservatism is right at this moment. Xie Wangzhi believes that whether it is conservative or new ideas and opinions, as long as they are reasonable, they will not go wrong.
Xie Wangzhi's idea was correct. At this moment, the academic officials in the academy were grading the exam papers overnight, because not only did the prefect come to oversee the exam, but a distinguished person also descended upon their small Quanzhou academy.
They were so frightened that they dared not relax at all, and tried their best to do their best.
Mr. He did not participate in the grading process; he only worked with others to determine the rankings in the final stage.
He's having a headache right now. A prefect and a prince are still arguing over the last question, acting like children. It's not dignified at all.
Fortunately, it was all in front of him; if the academic officials outside had heard it, their jaws would have dropped in astonishment.
"Your Highness, although Quanzhou enjoys a superior geographical location, the threat of Japanese pirates along its coast is extremely serious, and the Northern Jin and Western Li dynasties are also eyeing it covetously. If chaos were to break out again within the country, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, it is imperative to prohibit private overseas trade to prevent collusion between the people and overseas rebel forces that could endanger coastal security, and also to limit the outflow of silver from the country..."
The tall and thin Prefect Xia earnestly advised him, but Prince Duan simply closed his eyes quietly and then looked at Mr. He, "What do you think, sir?"
Xia Zhizhou choked for a moment, then looked at Mr. He as well.
Mr. He lowered his eyes, his words calm and collected. "It concerns national policy, and His Majesty and the officials in the court will make their own decisions. Why should I, a mere schoolteacher, ask you?"
Prince Duan couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, and even Prefect Xia fell silent for a moment. Could an ordinary schoolteacher sit with them?
Mr. He is underestimating himself. Even Prince Duan was taught by him.
"gentlemen......"
Mr. He waved his hand, “If we’re talking about national affairs, I have nothing to say. But as for the exam questions, whether the students follow the old ways or try to be innovative, it’s all acceptable if they have a reason.”
The academic officers who received the message breathed a silent sigh of relief; they really didn't want to get involved in the power struggle above.
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