Chapter 2229 The Emperor's Conditions
Now that we know that the Emperor and Meng Yunzheng knew each other long ago, wouldn't that mean...?
Yes, Meng Yunzheng and Xiang Weinan are good friends.
Ever since the end of the year before last, when the Third Prince and the Second Prince conspired to rebel and Xiang Weinan made the greatest contribution, everyone has known that although Xiang Weinan is the son-in-law of the Xiao family, he is not on the Third Prince's side.
Xiang Weinan is the Emperor's confidant, and Meng Yunzheng might be too.
At this moment, the way everyone looked at Meng Yunzheng changed.
Holy crap, this kid was hiding something so well.
Also, how many confidants does the Emperor actually have?
By the end of the year before last, many people knew that the usually unassuming Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Lord Jing, had long been the Emperor's man. Not to mention Xiang Weinan and Qi Lie, there were many others they never even imagined.
Now another top scholar has emerged, achieving the highest honors in six consecutive imperial examinations? The Emperor's eye is truly discerning; he only selects those with genuine talent.
Everyone had mixed feelings, but the Emperor pretended not to notice.
He looked at Meng Yunzheng and said, "I can agree to let you go back to teaching, but I have a condition."
"Your Majesty, please give your orders."
"Since you say it's to cultivate more pillars of society, then once you've established the academy, you must truly supply the court with talent. Three years from now, at least five students from your academy must pass the palace examination. And in the future, you must ensure that at least five of them pass the imperial examination. Otherwise, you must admit that you are not suitable to run an academy and honestly return to your position as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy. How about that?"
Wow...
Five?
Everyone was taken aback. In the entire Da Su Dynasty, with so many prefectures and counties, there were at least a thousand, sometimes even tens of thousands, candidates for the imperial examinations. Of all these candidates, only two or three hundred were admitted.
Of these two or three hundred, more than half came from Jiangnan and the capital. After all, these two places were inherently advantageous and had a large number of scholars.
Even if the remaining successful candidates were distributed among the various prefectures, there would only be a handful.
Some state capitals don't even have one.
Now the Emperor actually wants an academy that hasn't even opened yet, and expects at least five Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in three years? Is this just making things difficult for people? So, is Meng Yunzheng destined to be with the Emperor or is he his enemy?
Seemingly aware of what these people were thinking, the Emperor added, "Of course, I won't make things difficult for you. Your academy doesn't have any students yet, and even if you start teaching now, it's uncertain whether you'll be able to participate in the county examination in three years. Therefore, any candidates from other places who have studied at your academy for more than half a year within these three years will be counted in those five slots."
The others silently lowered their heads; this was difficult too.
Which scholar would want to study at an obscure academy that has been open for less than three years, for only half a year? Even if the headmaster of the academy is a top scholar who has passed the imperial examinations six times in a row, it would still be hard to attract him.
But Meng Yunzheng agreed, "Okay."
The Emperor raised an eyebrow. "You certainly have a lot of confidence."
Meng Yunzheng smiled and said, "To be honest, Your Majesty, I have invited Mr. Huai'an from Lingzhou to teach at the academy. Mr. Huai'an will bring several of his students with him."
"Whoa!"
Who are you talking about?
"Mr. Huai'an?"
"He actually agreed to teach at your academy?"
The crowd couldn't help but make noise; Mr. Huai'an was simply too famous.
This man was a great Confucian scholar who had also participated in the imperial examinations and achieved the top rank of the year at the age of twelve. He later served as an editor in the Hanlin Academy, rising through the ranks until he finally became the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.
(End of this chapter)
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