The next day, there was a court meeting.
There were not many people participating in this small court meeting, so Fu Xiaoguan set up this meeting hall in the Council Hall.
He hadn't arrived yet, but dozens of officials had.
“…You have no idea how delicious that pork tastes! Tsk tsk tsk tsk…” Nangong Yiyu stroked his long beard, smacked his lips, and still savored the taste.
"This meat is very different from mutton. It doesn't have the strong smell of mutton and is very easy to cook. There are many ways to prepare it. In short, from now on, Fragrant Pig No. 1... this is the name Your Majesty gave to the pig. Once Fragrant Pig No. 1 is released, I'm afraid you won't be able to live without it."
The ministers of the six ministries all nodded in agreement, and the rest of the assistant ministers, eunuchs, etc. were all stunned - they knew that His Majesty had used pork to entertain these officials last night, but they did not expect that these officials who were used to eating delicacies from land and sea would actually praise the pork!
Wen Canghai, the Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, was puzzled. He bowed to Nangong Yiyu and asked curiously, "Are you serious, sir?"
"I've lived for most of my life, and when have I ever told a lie?" He suddenly whispered to Wen Canghai, "Your father, Master Wen Xingzhou, was a close friend of His Majesty. I'm telling you, there are only eighteen pigs left in the Ministry of Works!"
Wen Canghai was startled for a moment, then understood instantly. He chuckled and said, "Thank you, sir!"
There are only eighteen pigs. If you are slow, you may not be able to eat a single bite!
It will take at least another half a year for the Fragrant Pig No. 1 to grow up again.
Wen Canghai decided to talk to his father after leaving the court. The Wen family may seem glamorous, but only he himself knows the hardships they have to endure!
To put it simply, there are two words: no money!
They are said to be a family of scholars, but the brothers are all in low-paying government offices. Wen Xingzhou is said to be a great scholar of the time, but great scholar is just a title, and the court does not pay him a penny in salary.
To the extent that today, four generations of the Wen family live together in one courtyard.
My second brother Wen Xiuzhong used to work in the Zhengshitang, but now he has been transferred to the Menxia Province, which is the most important department. However, my second brother only serves as a sixth-rank Chengmenlang in the Menxia Province, which means he is in charge of the keys to the city gates.
My third brother Wen Xingzhao used to work in the Imperial Household Department, but now His Majesty has replaced all the people in the Imperial Household Department with eunuchs, so my third brother was transferred to the Secretariat and appointed as the chief clerk of the seventh rank.
They have no power, so naturally they have no extra income, so their lives are miserable.
Forget about lamb, even pork is so unpalatable that you can only eat it two or three times a month.
To be honest, the Hanlin Academy was in charge of the imperial examinations of the Wu Dynasty, but the imperial examinations of the Wu Dynasty were learned from the Yu Dynasty. It was my father's hard work that gradually established this imperial examination system.
However, the selection of talents in the Wu Dynasty was mostly based on recommendations from the gentry. Apart from the most famous Lishan Academy in the Wu Dynasty, there were very few people in other states in the vast Wu Dynasty who could truly stand out through the imperial examinations.
It’s not that there are no talented people who can read, but that almost all of these talents come from aristocratic families.
Studying is very expensive. If your family is not well-off, how can you read much and how can you get the recommendation of the aristocratic families?
There are no noble sons from poor families. This saying is absolutely true in the Wu Dynasty!
Therefore, the imperial examinations held by the Hanlin Academy every year are more of a formality.
Wen Canghai had already submitted memorials to His Majesty many times regarding this drawback, but had not received a reply from Him.
Over time, he became too lazy to mention it anymore.
Just as the ministers were whispering, Fu Xiaoguan walked in in casual clothes.
——The Minister of Rites was too lazy to mention the issue of His Majesty’s attire anymore.
Not to mention court meetings like this, even for grand court meetings, His Majesty rarely wears the dragon robe nowadays.
He said... that thing is very troublesome to put on and take off, and the weather is so hot now, it will be even hotter when wearing it!
Not as comfortable as this linen shirt!
Well, like father, like son... This is not true. Emperor Wen was very particular about etiquette and rules. Only Emperor Wu was... But Emperor Wu was not your Majesty's real father!
Your Majesty's identity is unclear.
You said his father was Emperor Wen, and he also appointed Emperor Wu as the Supreme Emperor.
You said that Emperor Wu was his father, and he paid homage to Emperor Wen in a proper manner.
Originally, the stubborn Xiao Yulou wanted His Majesty to sort out the matter, but all his memorials were retained. Later, Shangshu Ling Lord Meng found him to drink some wine and chatted with him all night, and he finally gave up.
So... who is your Majesty's father?
This became a permanent knot in Xiao Yulou's heart.
"I'll go first."
Fu Xiaoguan stood on the stage and spoke, and the ministers immediately fell silent. "First, Grand Secretary Wen has repeatedly submitted memorials discussing the shortcomings of the current imperial examination system. Over the past six months, I have basically figured it out. I originally planned to postpone the reform to next year, but now it seems we have to move it forward because the Autumn Examination is approaching. If it is postponed for a year, it will hinder the future of many students."
This is a sensitive topic. In fact, Zhuo Yixing, Nangong Yiyu and others are very clear about it, but over the years, the number of officials recommended by them is difficult to count.
According to the rules, as long as the person they recommended was selected by the court to become an official, this person would become a disciple of the recommender and call the recommender a benefactor.
In other words, there is a subordinate relationship between the recommender and the recommended person, and their interests will be related and they will share weal and woe.
Just like in the court today, there are still many officials who were recommended by big families such as Chen and Lu in the past, and some of them have even reached the third rank.
Can this be cut off in one stroke?
Obviously not.
If we were to trace this matter further, I'm afraid that no one could escape the connection, from the second-rank official to the seventh-rank county magistrate.
Fu Xiaoguan also understood this truth, so he did not make this move as soon as he ascended the throne. He even had to reuse these officials, otherwise he would have no one to use.
So what is his intention by raising this sensitive issue today?
Except for Wen Canghai who was extremely happy, everyone else was a little uneasy.
Even Zhuo Yixing and Nangong Yiyu were worried that the young emperor might be overdosing on the medicine.
"From now on, I will not hold you accountable for anything that happened before this year." He used the word "I", which was a very formal way of telling these ministers.
"The imperial examination is the foundation of a nation's recruitment of scholars. Its original purpose was to select talented individuals regardless of their background. I believe that this policy of recommendation no longer meets the needs of the Wu Dynasty's development. Therefore, I have decided to abolish this policy. All students must pass the imperial examination to enter the government."
It was quiet here.
Only the voice of Fu Xiaoguan resonated in the hall: "This is national policy! I appoint Grand Secretary Wen Canghai as the chief examiner for this year's autumn examination. I bestow upon him the Emperor's Sword and the Goldfish Pendant! Grand Secretary Wen must lead the Hanlin Academy in reestablishing the three-tiered examination system."
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