Cheng Yao was somewhat surprised by the demands made by the State of Wei. He originally thought that the State of Wei would have some more stringent conditions, but he did not expect that they would only allow the great scholars and students of Julu Academy to open schools in the State of Wei to teach the people.
The original idea of Confucianism during the time of Confucius was to educate the people of the world, but later with the rise and development of the imperial examination system, Confucianism gradually became tied to officialdom.
This has caused Confucianism to gradually deviate from its original intention. Now, except for a small number of great Confucian scholars and students who truly take it as their responsibility to educate the people, most Confucian scholars learn Confucian knowledge and become Confucian disciples in order to become officials of the court.
If Wei truly possessed these conditions, then Julu Academy's decision to relocate its headquarters to Wei was undoubtedly the wisest choice. This would not only help restore Confucianism's original aspiration of educating the world, but would also enhance Julu Academy's influence on the Shengwu Continent.
Cheng Yao asked, "Your Highness, is this really all the Wei Kingdom wants? Doesn't it require the great scholars of our Julu Academy to serve in the Wei court and help govern the country? Doesn't it require our Julu Academy to hand over all its wealth to the Wei Kingdom?"
You should know that if a force actively wants to join another force, the other party, as the accepting party, will often put forward many harsh conditions, such as asking the force that wants to join to hand over all its wealth, or requiring its core members to become a member of the force to help manage the force.
However, the State of Wei only allowed the great scholars and students of Julu Academy to open schools in Wei to teach the people. How was this different from rewarding Julu Academy? The State of Wei did not make any excessive demands, which made Cheng Yao a little unacceptable. He was worried that the State of Wei was hiding a bigger conspiracy behind it.
Chu Zhenglin said seriously, "Didn't you just say, Cheng Daru, that your Julu Academy no longer has any requests? Why are you now asking for the great scholars from Julu Academy to serve as officials in the Wei court?"
You must know that in the past, the Wei State might have allowed some great scholars to enter the court to serve as officials because of the reputation of Julu Academy, but now His Majesty has carried out educational reforms, and the admission rules for officials have also changed. All officials must pass examinations in various departments before they can enter the court to serve as managers. Future officials will also need to learn various knowledge and accumulate experience in college first.
Then, they would be assessed by officials from various departments before they could enter the imperial court. First, your Julu Academy simply moved its headquarters to the State of Wei and you expect to have great scholars directly appointed to official positions. This is simply wishful thinking.
As for the matter of Julu Academy's wealth, we in the Wei Kingdom would not do such a robbery. We would naturally welcome Julu Academy's sincere surrender to the Wei Kingdom. How could we attack our own people?
Not only will the State of Wei not demand wealth from Julu Academy, but the schools it runs in Wei will also receive funding from the Wei government. However, the State of Wei also has its own principles and bottom line: the academies run by Julu Academy must adhere to Wei's educational laws and regulations, ensuring that their teaching content is consistent with Wei's national interests and must not violate Wei's governing philosophy.
Of course, if Julu Academy could share the books it has collected over the centuries with the State of Wei, we would also be very happy.”
Chu Zhenglin's words made Cheng feel ashamed. He thought he was at a disadvantage, but in Wei State, he was considered to have taken advantage of it. As for the wealth of Julu Academy, Wei State not only did not ask for it, but also provided financial support. This magnanimity made Cheng Yao feel ashamed.
However, Cheng Yao could not be blamed for such things. Although he had been staying in Wei State and had a certain understanding of many of Wei State's policies, Wei State also had many new policies that were not made public. These policies were often only known to a few people, not to mention him as an outsider.
Confucian scholars were highly respected by the rulers of other countries on the Shengwu Continent. The rulers of these countries needed the reputation of these scholars to stabilize their rule and strengthen the people's hearts. That was why Cheng Yao believed that the Wei State would also allow the scholars from the Julu Academy to directly serve as officials, which is why he raised such a question.
Cheng Yao quickly said, "Your Highness has misunderstood. I just can't believe that the State of Wei would be so generous. You know, if Julu Academy were in other countries, it would never receive such preferential treatment."
Chu Zhenglin smiled and said, "Since the current emperor ascended the throne, our Wei Kingdom has no longer relied so heavily on Confucian scholars as other countries have. Instead, we place greater emphasis on the ability of officials to handle affairs. It's not that the great scholars of Julu Academy cannot serve in the Wei court, but they need to go through the same assessment process as other officials. As long as they can pass the assessment of the relevant department, they can obtain the corresponding official position.
Of course, if there are truly great scholars and students in Julu Academy who wish to serve as officials in the Wei court, it would be best if they register for the exam after the Julu Academy's headquarters is moved to Wei. Otherwise, if they miss the opportunity, it will be even more difficult to obtain an official position in Wei in the future."
With Chu Zhenglin's explanation, Cheng Yao fully understood Wei's current policy for recruiting officials, and he was filled with admiration for the person who proposed it. Wei's selection mechanism was not only fair and equitable, but also ensured the ability and loyalty of officials, avoiding the drawback of neglecting actual ability for the sake of reputation.
As a renowned scholar at Julu Academy, Cheng Yao had seen countless other Confucian scholars fail to govern their country due to their reputations but lack of actual skills. Cheng Yao recalled an incident that had occurred on Shengwu Continent.
Several hundred years ago, a tragedy occurred on the Shengwu Continent where a country was destroyed because a great scholar had a reputation but was unable to govern the people. This great scholar did not commit any acts of corruption, abuse of power, or taking human lives, but the harm he brought to the country at that time was far greater than that of corrupt officials.
At that time, this great scholar served as prime minister of a small country and implemented a series of policies that were in line with Confucianism but were unrealistic. Moreover, this great scholar believed that scholars were nobler than other people and even did not allow businessmen to appear in the country.
As a result, a severe drought struck. Without the merchants' dispatch and storage, the people did not have enough food to survive the famine. Finally, in order to survive, the people rose up in rebellion, and eventually the regime of this small country was overthrown.
This incident prompted Cheng Yao to reflect on whether Julu Academy's previous educational philosophy and teaching methods were too idealistic and out of touch with reality. After witnessing the educational reforms in the State of Wei, he discussed with some like-minded Confucian scholars the idea of moving Julu Academy's headquarters to the State of Wei.
Now, after listening to Chu Zhenglin's talk about Wei's policy of selecting officials, Cheng Yao knew how correct his decision was.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com