In the courtyard of Zhao Mansion.

The six successful candidates first studied the relevant knowledge separately for three days, and then were gathered together by Zhao Hao to share the information they had learned during these three days.

There is no need to repeat what has been said, nor to express your own thoughts.

This method is naturally much more efficient than searching alone.

Just for the first question, "Strong troops to defeat the enemy", they wrote about how many tribes the Tartars are now divided into, where they are active, how many males and livestock and horses each has, how strong or weak each tribe is, how the relationships are, and what their living conditions are... and the current attitude of the court towards the various tribes of Tartars and the defense strategies of the three sides; and the various strategies that were discussed in the court last year to defeat the enemy, and so on and so forth... They wrote down the main points on three blackboards.

After copying down the blackboard, everyone's understanding of the Tartars will definitely exceed that of other Chinese candidates.

The other two questions were handled in the same way. Zhao Hao spent a day and a half with them to fully understand all aspects of the three questions.

They were then divided into two groups and discussed for three days.

On the seventh day, Zhao Hao came to the east room where Wang Wuyang, Jin Xuezeng and his father were and listened to their opinions.

The speeches of the three people were very interesting. Obviously, this kind of group discussion with clear goals is very helpful in broadening members' thinking and improving their cognition.

And with Dad, an old senior, holding the reins, basically nothing out of the ordinary would happen... otherwise Jin Xuezeng would have to come up with a grand strategy of an expedition to the grassland.

However, the three of them were a little unsure about some points regarding financial management.

"Will the idea proposed by Seventh Junior Brother, 'completely lift the maritime ban and collect taxes to supplement the government's coffers', cause trouble?"

In the tense and serious discussion atmosphere, the eldest senior brother no longer cared about flattering and looked at the master uncertainly.

"It doesn't matter, you can tell me." Zhao Hao had already determined that for some unknown reason, Xu Jie did not lead the marking of the palace examination.

The clause on completely lifting the ban on sea trade will not only not cause any trouble, but will become a highlight that attracts the two examiners.

That was Gao Gong's long-cherished idea - before Gao Gong stepped down, he proposed a condition to Xu Jie to completely lift the maritime ban.

At least the three ports of Guangzhou, Quanzhou and Ningbo must be opened. This will ease the financial difficulties of the court and ensure that the southeast will never be threatened by Japanese pirates.

Lord Xu agreed to it at the time and even handed it over in front of the emperor.

But who would have thought that once Gao Gong left, the powerful civil service system of the Ming Dynasty would shrink layer by layer.

By the time the official edict came down, the original plan of three major ports had turned into a tiny, single port like Yuegang, and there were also harsh trade limits...

If someone brings up this matter again now, Emperor Longqing will only sigh and say, "Oh, this person is a supporter of Master Gao."

It is said that Gao Gong was invited back by Zhang Juzheng later, so he should not object to this.

Besides, it’s just a policy paper, not even a formal memorial, so what is there to be afraid of saying?

~~

After encouraging them, Zhao Hao told the three of them about his fireside analysis that day and asked them to add it to their own articles as appropriate.

There is just one thing, "Maintain the emperor's authority and ask Your Majesty to make decisions on your own", which must be placed in the most conspicuous position, at least in the first three sentences of the opening.

You have to make Emperor Longqing see your loyalty at a glance!

Then, Zhao Hao reminded them of the art of policy writing.

For example, at the beginning of the article, one has to flatter the emperor, using clichés like "Your Majesty is gifted and intelligent, and has far-sightedness"; at the end, one should also use clichés like "Your Majesty is not talented and knowledgeable" to echo the emperor; one has to be tactful when giving opinions, and be flexible when making suggestions, and not be final... These are the strategies and essays for the top scholar summarized by later generations.

It is estimated that Wang Shizhen had already taught Wang Wuyang the art of farting.

Zhao Hao was speaking to his father and Jin Xueceng.

Then, he asked the three of them to strike while the iron was hot and write a policy paper on each of the three topics.

~~

After finishing the work, Zhao Hao went to the west room again to listen to the insights of Hua Shuyang, Wang Dingjue and Yu Shenxing.

When Zhao Hao divided the groups, he deliberately paired them with stability and excitement so that they could complement each other's strengths and weaknesses and have moderate views.

Logically speaking, apart from Hua Shuyang, who is a scumbag, Wang Dingjue and Yu Shenxing are both very stable and should be more conservative than Dongwu's remarks.

Who knew that upon listening, it was completely different. The speech here was too exciting...

For example, on the issue of refugees, the three pointed out that the root causes of refugees were the unreasonable tax system of the imperial court, the powerful landlords using their privileges to evade taxes, and the feudal lords' large-scale annexation of land.

As a result, all the taxes from the imperial court were borne by the poor people who had little or no land. The common people simply could not afford it and had no choice but to flee...

Therefore, to solve the refugee problem, we just need to prescribe the right medicine.

The prescription given by the three people is——

First, the corvée labor based on the number of people and the land tax based on the land area were all included in the land area tax. The more land you have, the more you pay; the less land you have, the less you pay; and if you have no land, you don't pay!

Then, in conjunction with a nationwide land survey, the tax amount of each household was re-clarified, and the hidden lands of powerful landlords were identified, so that they would assume the glorious tax obligation.

In addition, we should crack down on the feudal lords' abuse of civilian land and require them to pay taxes on all excess land in addition to the land they were entitled to according to their titles!

In this way, the national treasury is full and the people live and work in peace and contentment.

"Good!" Zhao Hao couldn't help but applaud. These three guys basically explained the problems of the Ming Dynasty. The refugees were forced to leave. If you don't solve the reasons that forced them to leave, how can they be willing to go back?

This understanding is much deeper and more thorough than Luo Wanhua's.

The three disciples are so young, yet they can think through the problem so clearly. It's true that a good teacher produces excellent students!

"So, we're just going to write it like this?" The three disciples were greatly encouraged.

"No." But Zhao Hao shook his head decisively and said, "Cross out the third one."

"Ah?" The three of them looked embarrassed and said, "But Master, if we don't beat the vassal king, the powerful will not be convinced, so how can they obey obediently?"

"You three have lost your minds in discussion. Do you really think you are the prime ministers who can save the country?" Zhao Hao was so angry that he slapped each of the three on the head.

"You are taking the imperial examination, not even an official. No one will do what you say, so who cares if it works or not!"

"In that case, what's wrong with talking about it?" Wang Dingjue insisted.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Zhao Hao patted Wang Dingjue's head and said, "Who read your paper? It was the emperor! You can say this, but he doesn't like to hear it. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Master..." Wang Dingjue then said unhappily, "It's all for his own good."

"Hehe, you are wrong." Zhao Hao smiled coldly and said, "You are doing this for the good of Ming Dynasty, but the emperor is doing this for the good of his family."

"..." The disciples were shocked when they heard this. They felt that the things that they had been unable to understand for the past few days suddenly became clear to them.

"Just keep this in your heart." Zhao Hao would not admit that he had just said something wrong. He coughed dryly and said:

"In short, you have to say what His Majesty likes to hear now, so that you can do what you want in the future. Remember?"

"Yes, Master!" The three of them nodded heavily and finally adjusted their mindsets.

Then Zhao Hao also taught them the art of policy discussion.

However, Hua Shuyang's father was Grand Tutor Hua, Wang Dingjue's brother was Wang Xijue, and even Yu Shenxing's father had served as a prefect. It is estimated that these three people had already received the true teachings.

Then Zhao Hao also told them to write their essays separately.

Three days later, he reviewed the policy papers with the six people who had written them one by one, carefully considering the wording, arguments and supporting evidence.

When the six people have finished revising their policy papers, the day of the palace examination has arrived...

ps. The fifth update, 9600 votes plus more... Please give me monthly votes and recommendation votes~~