A proposal that touched the interests of more than 70% of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom, and even had an impact on the entire Ming Dynasty's landlord gentry class.
And yet, in the current court, no one speaks out against such an action?
Even Zhu Yuanzhang was a little surprised by this.
Even if he rashly proposed such a thing, the self-righteous officials in the court would definitely not give in.
These officials can reach their current positions with the support of the clans behind them, and they also need to maintain the interests of their clans.
In the words of some officials, even if it means death, we must preserve this peaceful and beautiful world.
There is an eerie tranquility in the Fengtian Hall at present.
It is the first time that the phrase "smelling a needle when falling to the ground" appears in the Fengtian Hall.
After Zhu Ying finished speaking, there was no reaction from below for a full half incense stick of time. Zhu Yuanzhang was just happy to watch the fun.
Liu Sanwu was under tremendous pressure at this moment.
He wanted to say something, but after moving his mouth for a while, he found that he didn't know how to say it.
His former eloquence seemed to have completely disappeared.
It is true that the momentum was suppressed too badly.
I haven't recovered from what happened just now yet, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has dropped such a huge bomb. If anything I say is found to be a loophole, I'll be dead.
Liu Sanwu is not afraid of death. He is so old that he has nothing to fear.
But he was afraid that his good reputation would be ruined.
He had figured out that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was no different from His Majesty. What's more, His Majesty would probably be dragged out and executed.
But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is completely murderous and heart-breaking.
This is what intellectuals fear the most. If they cannot die on the moral high ground, then death is meaningless to them, and they might as well live a miserable life.
Seeing that it was almost an incense stick of time, Zhu Yuanzhang saw that no one had spoken yet. After thinking for a while, he said, "It seems that the ministers also agree with my grandson's idea."
"In this case, we will issue a document to inform the world of the changes in this matter, and then we can quickly gather talents from all over the world to work together to improve this matter."
After Zhu Yuanzhang said this, the officials below became a little uneasy.
"I have a report to make." Then, an official from the Ministry of Rites came out of the office and bowed without even having time to follow the unspoken rule of coughing.
When others saw someone stand up, they were greatly relieved.
No one wanted His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to succeed in this way. Even those officials who entered the government through the imperial examinations did not want to see such a situation.
Before they entered officialdom through the imperial examination, they naturally strongly supported such a proposal, but now that they have become part of the powerful class, their interests are completely different.
No official who was able to pass the imperial examination and enter the government could guarantee that his descendants would be the same as himself.
No matter how great your power is, if you cannot benefit your descendants, it will be meaningless.
They are already part of the vested interests, and they also hope that even if their descendants are slightly inferior, they will have many opportunities to enter the officialdom. Even if they cannot reach the same height as themselves, at least they can pass on the official position to their descendants.
"Permission granted!"
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and spoke directly.
He still felt that it was not challenging enough. When Da Sun did this, none of the officials reacted. He mistakenly thought that what Da Sun said seemed to be on the side of the officials.
Now that someone has finally come to the fore, we must let him speak, and speak boldly.
The person who stepped forward to speak for the Ministry of Rites was no small official either, but a third-rank assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
Let’s put the issue of whether to kill or not aside for now and see how Da Sun responds.
The official who received permission bowed to His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and said, "The imperial examination system started in the Sui Dynasty and flourished in the Tang Dynasty. It has been in existence for more than 800 years. I have observed that although the emperors of all dynasties have made some reforms to the imperial examination system, the general direction has not changed."
"Our dynasty started the imperial examinations to select scholars from all over the country. It started in the third year of Hongwu and was announced to the world in the seventeenth year of Hongwu, when the Imperial Examination Rules were established."
"The imperial examination is held every three years. For scholars all over the world, it takes ten years of hard study to prepare. However, if it is changed rashly now, the hard work of many students will be destroyed in an instant."
"It is now the 25th year of Hongwu. The imperial examination was held last year, and the next one will be next year. Most of the students have already studied the classics according to the Imperial Examination Rules. If a new imperial examination system is specified this year, what should these students do?"
"The scriptures they had studied so hard for suddenly became useless, and there were more new scriptures to learn. For many students, the originally stable situation became turbulent."
"I was a Jinshi in the 18th year of Hongwu. Thinking back to the hardships of those years, I can't help but feel sad for these students."
"I dare to say that according to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's idea, it seems that so many subjects will be offered at once. How will the students cope with this? They will definitely be panicked all of a sudden."
"A bright future was ruined just like that."
"I dare not represent all the students in the world, but I would like to ask His Royal Highness to be cautious. For matters that affect the reform of the whole Ming Dynasty, it is better to be cautious."
This Minister of Rites is naturally a coward. Since he has already become the first to stand out, he naturally needs to protect himself.
If something really goes wrong and I am disliked by His Majesty, or rather, His Highness, I will probably have a very difficult life in the future.
I thought about the choice of words for a long time.
Now, this speech can not only serve as a leading example in persuasion, but also allow one to get away with it safely.
In the court during the Hongwu period, the grass on the graves of stubborn officials was three feet high, and those who survived were all capable people.
Apart from anything else, at least in terms of being cautious in words and actions, each of them is extremely excellent.
The words of the Minister of Personnel were equivalent to directly putting the blame on Zhu Ying.
Many officials were also looking forward to it. In their opinion, it would be difficult for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to come up with a strong rebuttal.
No matter from which direction you talk, it is easy to stand in opposition to the scholars of the world.
In the end, the Ming Dynasty still needs to be governed by scholars.
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he also felt that the situation was a bit tricky.
But he didn't care in his heart. If there were any intellectuals or officials who opposed him, he would just find a way to kill them.
If I can't kill you in the court, how can I not kill you outside the court?
As a beggar who rose to the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang did not care about some means at all, otherwise the Jinyiwei Prison would not have come into being.
Turning his gaze to his eldest grandson, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to see how he would deal with these officials now.
Zhu Ying smiled slightly, without any pressure, and asked, "The Ministry of Rites is in charge of the national rituals, sacrifices, and tributes. I wonder where Minister Zhang worked before he entered the Ministry of Rites."
When Minister Zhang heard this, he was shocked.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince directly told him his last name, which showed that he had known him for a long time and might have even seen the files related to him in the Imperial Guards.
Thinking of this, Minister Zhang became more cautious. Following His Majesty's words, he replied, "Your Highness, I was previously the head of the Ministry of Works. In the 23rd year of Hongwu, I was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel as a minister by Your Majesty's grace."
After saying this, Minister Zhang bowed in return and did not dare to say more.
The more you talk, the more mistakes you make, and the easier it is for you to be caught.
Zhu Ying nodded, and then said, "That's the case. I would like to ask Minister Zhang. The Ministry of Works is in charge of construction. When Minister Zhang first joined the Ministry of Works, he was already the head of the department. Has he heard of construction before joining the department, or has he made an effort to study it?"
After hearing this question, Minister Zhang hesitated for a moment and then replied, "Your Highness, I have never studied it in depth. I only began to understand everything after I started working here."
In front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, in this Fengtian Hall, Minister Zhang dared not lie. However, almost all officials did the same thing, so it was nothing big.
Zhu Ying nodded again and asked, "After Minister Zhang was transferred from the Ministry of Works to the Ministry of Rites, did he have some understanding of Chinese and foreign etiquette, foreign officials' writing, and language?"
Minister Zhang shook his head again and said, "I don't understand."
Zhu Ying paused slightly this time, but Minister Zhang already had a bad feeling in his heart.
Sure enough, the next moment, a sharp counterattack from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince came.
"As the saying goes, governing a big country is like cooking a small fish. If officials are compared to cooks, then the way of governing is equivalent to the process of cooking."
"When Minister Zhang was the cook, he didn't even know how to hold a pot or a spoon, and he couldn't even control the heat. Now, as the head of the department, he has to make decisions on matters and problems related to the Ministry of Works."
"So how did Minister Zhang handle the situation at the time? Or did he just follow the crowd and listen to the advice of his subordinates?"
"That being the case, if something goes wrong in this matter, who will be held responsible?"
"If Minister Zhang is asked to take the blame, he will definitely feel uncomfortable. After all, Minister Zhang knows nothing. It's like forcing someone to do something wrong. This is entirely the fault of his subordinates."
"Is that so, Minister Zhang?"
Zhu Ying looked at Minister Zhang with a slightly sharp gaze and asked.
This made Minister Zhang break out in cold sweat on his forehead. He had never been asked this kind of question before, nor had he ever thought about it.
However, he felt somewhat unconvinced. All the officials in the court had experienced the same thing. He, Minister Zhang, was just going with the flow. Why should he be reprimanded by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?
At this moment, Zhu Ying seemed to have heard what Minister Zhang was thinking. He did not force Minister Zhang to answer, but instead said, "This kind of thing has become a common phenomenon in the court today."
"My dear ministers, this is already commonplace and nothing is surprising."
"But think about it carefully, is it really a good thing for someone who knows nothing to suddenly be in charge of these things?"
"I really want to ask, in today's court, how many officials know everything about the things they are responsible for? This is equivalent to changing one's official position and having to start all over again with all the experience and knowledge they had as an official."
"Those who learn quickly won't waste much time, and may be able to master it in a few months, but not everyone can do that. If that's the case, isn't that just a vain job?"
"Minister Zhang, do you think what I said makes sense? Or if you have other suggestions, please share them with me."
Facing His Royal Highness's question, Minister Zhang felt a chill on his back, and his throat rolled several times before he respectfully replied, "Your Highness is right."
Minister Zhang actually still wanted to make a few rebuttals, but after thinking it over, he found that His Highness seemed to be very knowledgeable in this regard and could point it out so directly, and it was not something that could be fooled by just a few words.
I had no choice but to agree.
After Zhu Ying glanced at Minister Zhang, he turned his gaze to the ministers.
After a quick glance, he asked, "If any minister has any thoughts on what I just said, please feel free to bring them up and we can discuss it together."
Faced with the Crown Prince's rather sharp words, many ministers were speechless.
Even Liu Sanwu and the ministers of various ministries, after thinking about it, suddenly realized that what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said actually directly touched upon the root of the officialdom.
There is no way to refute this because it has always been a hidden danger in officialdom.
Of course, they could also change direction and attack His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's solution, but that would be too direct.
Now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince seems to be debating, but in fact he is very sharp, coupled with His Majesty who is smiling behind him all the time.
Neither the old man nor the young one had the courage to do that. The fact that Minister Zhang dared to take a detour was admired by many officials.
At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his eldest grandson's side profile and his high morale, and a word suddenly popped up in his mind: debate with a group of scholars.
Having such a great grandson really makes people feel comfortable.
Zhu Yuanzhang felt much more relaxed. In the future, if any official said something that made him unhappy, he would just close the door and give birth to his grandson.
This will surely convince many ministers.
At this time, Zhu Ying didn't care about the saying "don't pursue a desperate enemy" and would naturally pursue him relentlessly.
Seeing that no one was talking, he immediately made the final decision: "The advantage of the imperial examination system of selecting candidates by category is that it can avoid this kind of deficiency to a large extent, and for students, there are more options to choose from."
"As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. The longer you do something, the more familiar and professional you become with it, and the deeper your knowledge becomes."
"In my opinion, the trend of the imperial examination classification should be implemented sooner rather than later, especially in the area of elementary education. I think that in addition to the text, illustrations should be added to make the text and pictures more interesting to children."
"As for illustrations for elementary schools, we should call on all painters in the country to come to Beijing and select the best ones." ...
As Zhu Ying stood in the Forbidden Golden Palace, he continued to talk about the arrangements related to the imperial examination classification after the morning court.
The ministers below felt a great momentum.
Just by listening to his words, one can clearly feel that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been planning this matter for a long time. The details are very clear and it is not something that can be thought of in a short time.
As the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty, such a major event as the imperial examination reform is inevitable under the majesty of your majesty, and nothing can stop it.
As His Royal Highness the Crown Prince continued to narrate, the little thoughts in the hearts of many officials gradually settled down.
Things have come to this point. If you continue to oppose, you will be courting death.
After the morning court was over, Zhu Ying led Zhu Yunwen straight to the Dali Temple to arrange legal matters.
Matters such as the laws of the Ming Dynasty have always been the exclusive decision of the royal family and do not need to be discussed in court meetings.
When the new laws of the Ming Dynasty come out, all the officials have to do is obey them.
In Fengtian Square, many ministers went to their departments.
Zhu Di's face looked somewhat livid.