Chapter 210: Ying Zheng’s Troubles About the Black and White Tigers…
Neither the couple mentioned the matter of the black and white tiger to Ying Zheng.
The main reason is that they don’t know how far things have developed, whether they have reached the threshold that can break the boundary between immortals and mortals, and they don’t know what to say.
If they said something beyond the line, they would at most be struck by two bolts of lightning. With the physical bodies of Daluo Jinxian, they would be fine after two months of recuperation.
Ying Zheng was a real mortal. Things that were insignificant to immortals were unbearable for him.
It just so happened that Ying Zheng had no time to care about anything else. The imperial examination alone was enough to make him feel overwhelmed.
The main problem lies with the students from Shu Kingdom.
This was different from what Lu Buwei had expected. The students who decided to leave Shu and come to Qin after seeing the news were not failed candidates who had not passed the exam. Instead, they had already passed the exam, but had sensed that the situation in Shu was turbulent, so they came to Qin with the intention of seeking refuge.
These people all had rich experience in taking examinations. Along the way, in addition to studying the laws and systems of the Qin State, they were also practicing to write the characters of the seven Central Plains countries in a way that was as regular and beautiful as the characters of the Shu State.
The ink thickness, font size, spacing between columns, and the spacing between words...all of these can affect the aesthetics of the text.
They also had extensive experience in writing Shu characters, and quickly mastered a practical and effective writing method.
It can be said that no matter whether they were reciting their own theories or expounding on their political views, after looking at the answers of the Shu people, none of the examiners could say that they had a clear conscience.
But when it came to judging the case, they all used the "Law of the Holy King" of Shu Kingdom to judge.
If it were just that, it would be fine, but these people also wrote down how the judgment should be made according to Qin law at the end, and commented on it. They felt that Qin law was too harsh and cumbersome, and was only suitable for use in turbulent times, not in times of peace.
For the examiners, this was beyond the scope of the exam. They did not dare to write a review at all, so they collected all the papers of this type and sent them directly to Ying Zheng's desk.
These test papers also became the source of Ying Zheng's anxiety.
At this time, Ying Zheng had just ascended the throne and had not even officially taken power. He did not use the old system of Qin to unify the world, so naturally he did not form path dependence.
Moreover, he had been taught by Fu Li since he was young, and he had some understanding of the laws and systems of Shu, knowing that they were very different from those of Qin.
He had discussed this with Fu Li, and he was well aware of the pros and cons of Qin's farming and warfare system. If Qin didn't want to decline after its peak, reforms like Shang Yang were inevitable.
But now, it is not time for reform. The Qin State still needs the farming and warfare system to motivate the people and achieve the goal of unifying the world.
Once the Central Plains is unified, he can bring his supreme authority and propose reforms. By then, even if the vested interests are unhappy, they probably won't dare to openly oppose it.
As for those who made trouble secretly, he just followed the way Shang Yang dealt with them.
After all, how can reform be without bloodshed?
This group of students from Shu Kingdom didn’t come at a bad time, but they came too early!
First of all, for such talents, Ying Zheng must have wanted to keep all of them.
However, these people all participated in the imperial examinations, and although they criticized the Qin laws, their criticisms were not groundless emotional outbursts, but were well-reasoned and even gave directions on how to revise them.
If you want to keep them, the best way is to admit them directly.
However, for the first imperial examination, in order to make all students in the world convinced of the results, the test papers of all those who passed the examination had to be posted under the city wall for people to see.
If other students saw the Shu people's answers, they would have some unpleasant misunderstandings, such as: Oh, so criticizing Qin laws is the key to high school!
Will future generations follow suit?
These foreseeable troubles made Ying Zheng feel his scalp tingling just thinking about them.
"Come here, please ask the two ministers to come over. We have something important to discuss."
——He can’t be the only one who is worried. He hasn’t taken power yet. These worries originally belong to the two prime ministers.
Ying Zheng was very righteous in passing the buck.
Not long after, Lü Buwei and Dai Xuan rushed over from the government office. After understanding the situation, they both frowned.
With their talents and insights, they thought of everything that Ying Zheng thought of.
Dai Xuan was from Shu State and served as an official in Qin State. He had a deep understanding of the laws and systems of both countries.
If he were to say, the laws of the two countries each had their own advantages. Just like what the Shu students wrote on their exam papers, the laws of Qin were suitable for troubled times, and with the force of thunder and lightning, they could smooth over all difficulties!
The laws of Shu were more suitable to be implemented after the world was stabilized, so that the people could rest and recuperate, retain the interests of the upper class, and leave enough room for promotion for the lower class.
Moreover, the Shu Kingdom was not without its thunderous rule. Almost every generation of Shu kings would thoroughly overhaul the administration of officials after they had firmly grasped power.
This can also be regarded as a disguised political purge, which breaks up the gradually solidified upper class, ensures that the promotion channels for the lower classes are not blocked, and allows fresh blood to be added to the court on a regular basis.
If there are two or three consecutive generations of incompetent rulers who are unable to rectify the administration of officials, the country's rule will quickly decline, the class system will become rigid, and the lower classes will suffer.
At this point, it is the critical point for the end of a dynasty.
If the upper class does not provide a way out, the people will find a way out themselves.
After hearing Dai Xuan's words, Ying Zheng was fine, after all, he had already learned about it from Fu Li. Lü Buwei, on the other hand, felt that he had benefited greatly from it.
"Adapting to the times is in line with the principles of Shang Yang."
Lü Buwei pondered for a moment, his initial embarrassment vanishing. He asked with a smile, "So, the students of Shu Kingdom aren't completely opposed to harsh laws like the six states of Shandong. Instead, they believe that the world should be conquered with strict laws, not ruled with harsh punishments?"
"That's right." Dai Xuan nodded. "In troubled times, we should use harsh punishments. In prosperous times, we should impose light taxes and levies, so that the people feel they have hope of survival."
“Hahahahahaha…”
Lü Buwei laughed heartily, and after a long moment, he turned and bowed to Ying Zheng: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
"Oh, why should I be happy?" Ying Zheng didn't understand for a moment.
Lü Buwei said, "These Shu scholars are sincerely revising Qin's laws, clearly preparing for the unification of the Qin Empire. This simply proves that they came to Qin specifically to assist the king in unifying the world. The king will have countless talented people. Isn't this a great omen?"
Ying Zheng suddenly understood and laughed heartily: "Right Prime Minister, you are absolutely right! Right Prime Minister, you are absolutely right!"
After laughing, he pondered again, "There are twenty students from Shu Kingdom in total. Although each of them is extremely talented, it would be inappropriate to admit all of them now. However, if I let the rest go, I would find it difficult to let them go. Could you two ministers help me resolve this concern?"
Dai Xuan smiled and said, "How difficult is that? In my opinion, why not just admit half of them? As for the remaining half, the king can hire them as guest officials."
Ying Zheng and Lu Buwei were both stunned, and felt the leaf covering their eyes shatter with a "snap".
——Yes, although the Qin State tried the imperial examination system, it did not abolish the guest official system.
Lü Buwei said, "There are also students from hundreds of schools in the Central Plains. Those who failed the exam are not all worthless. As long as they have one outstanding quality, they can all be hired as guest officials to spread the word that the king is eager to seek talented people throughout the world."
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After the problem of the Shu students was solved, the rest became easy. Five days later, in the morning, two senior ministers, escorted by palace soldiers, posted the list of those who had passed the exam at the city gate.
The imperial examination had been brewing for days, and everyone in Xianyang knew about this major event. Now that the list was out, everyone, whether walking, riding in a car, or doing business, stopped what they were doing and followed the guards to watch the excitement.
After the two yellow lists were posted, the two ministers announced loudly that these were the lists of successful candidates. The one on the right was the civil examination list, and the one on the left was the military examination list.
After announcing it loudly three times, he bowed to the crowd of onlookers, got on the car and left.
But the soldiers stayed behind, taking turns loudly announcing the names of those who had passed the exam. The crowd was buzzing with discussion, and from time to time someone would cheer and applaud.
Many early risers crowded in to see the list. Some found their hometown and name on the list and shouted excitedly, "I passed! I passed! Chen Xiang from Chen Commandery, Chu!"
The students who came with him immediately congratulated him, and those who were not familiar with him came up to chat and make friends with him. Chen Xiang felt very happy.
And he was just the beginning. Soon, a second person appeared: "Hey, I got it too! Shen Zhong from Penglai County, Qi State!"
Then the third one: "I got it too, that's not my name..."
As one successful student after another revealed their experiences, the atmosphere gradually reached its climax.
But that was not all. Just as everyone was rejoicing, the sound of music suddenly appeared outside the crowd. These people were all dressed in bright clothes, with bright red silk ribbons tied around their waists, making them visible even from a distance.
They played their instruments and squeezed into the crowd. The one in front, who was still beating the gong, called out one day, "Is the student Pang Duan from Anyi, Wei State, here? Is the student Pang Duan from Anyi, Wei State, here?"
Pang Duan had just found his name on the martial arts exam list. Before he could share his joy with his companions, he heard someone in the crowd shouting his name.
He looked over doubtfully and answered loudly, "Pang Duan is here. What can I do for you?"
"Mr. Pang is here!" The leader raised the bell and knocked it several times, attracting everyone's attention.
Then, the group of people rushed forward and surrounded Pang Duan in the center. The music of musical instruments was deafening and Pang Duan was stunned.
The leader confirmed, "Excuse me, are you Pang Duan from Anyi, Wei State?"
Pang Duan came back to his senses and said seriously, "I will never change my name. It is Pang Duan!"
The man shouted, "Student Pang, we are here to tell you the good news. You have passed the martial arts examination and ranked seventh. You will surely have a bright future and rise to high positions!"
A group of people shouted together: "Congratulations to Mr. Pang, congratulations to Mr. Pang!"
"Ah, thank you so much, thank you so much."
This was the first time he had seen such a scene, and he didn't know how to respond.
Fortunately, one of his friends had traveled to Shu and had seen this scene in Jinguan City. He quickly took out money and rewarded the person who brought the good news: "Congratulations, congratulations. Everyone, this is Mr. Pang inviting you to tea. Let's all share in the good news."
Pang Duan secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "That's right, everyone should share in the joy."
Everyone said together: "Thank you Mr. Pang for the reward..."
The leader took the money, and the group surrounded Pang Duan and played a very festive tune before leaving.
Soon after this group left, another group of people dressed in the same attire squeezed in, playing music and loudly asking, "Where is Chen Xiang, the scholar from Chen Commandery, Chu?"
It was really one thing after another, and the crowd who came here to join in the fun had enough fun to watch.
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