The middle volume was cancelled, Sichuan was merged into the southern volume, and the rest were merged into the northern volume.
One hundred and fifty students were selected from both the Northern and Southern examination papers.
That's fine.
The stark contrast is that Henan and Shandong each added 15 places, while Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Sichuan added 35, 25, and 10 places respectively.
This clearly significantly reduced the number of places available in provinces with strong academic record in the imperial examinations—Zhejiang, Southern Zhili, and Jiangxi.
Scholars in the northern provinces were overjoyed.
The scholars of Jiangnan were all struck dumb.
Public opinion was in uproar, with the criticism directed either at Liu Jin, the Grand Eunuch in charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who was currently acting as regent, or at Jiao Fang, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.
Because Liu Jin is from Shanxi and Jiao Fang is from Henan, the number of places available for admission to these two places has increased significantly.
Although the emperor did not personally attend the banquet for the successful candidates, he dispatched many spies.
When Lu Xingjian received the secret report, his face showed little expression.
On the surface, he no longer cared about anything, but in reality, these changes were vigorously promoted at his behest.
In this way, the civil officials would split into two factions, one in the north and one in the south, and would no longer unite to target the emperor.
The North-South rivalry among the civil service has a long history.
When Emperor Yingzong was captured and taken to the north, the deposed emperor ascended the throne with the strong support of the Jiangnan forces.
After Emperor Yingzong's restoration, he loathed the southerners and used all means to suppress them, while almost all the scholars he appointed were from the northern school.
Later, when Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne, he used methods such as appointing an empress, bestowing titles on concubines, and promoting retired officials to win over the forces in the Jiangnan region.
Ultimately, they were able to have sufficient financial resources to quell the numerous uprisings and banditry that broke out across the country.
Whether they were from the south or the north, they were all subjects of the emperor.
Some were obedient, and some were disobedient.
What the emperor had to do was to use the power struggles and conflicts between them to achieve his own goals.
Lu Xingjian simply asked, "What's the grain price like in Jiangnan now?"
Zhang Yong replied respectfully, "Your Majesty is wise and has taken precautions."
"Zhen Jin is shipping the grain she brought back from overseas in Jiangnan, and she's made a fortune this time."
Zhen Jin, an official in the Imperial Household Department, was demoted from the capital last July, but secretly went to sea to purchase grain.
They did not rush to transport the grain back to the capital and distribute it to the nine border regions.
Instead, they first went south to the south, taking advantage of the high grain prices to sell their goods to unscrupulous merchants who hoarded goods and profited from the national crisis.
By the time those unscrupulous merchants discovered that there was a steady stream of grain on the market, it was too late.
The grain purchased from overseas has already recouped its costs and profits, with a substantial surplus.
No matter what price they sell the remaining grain for, it's all pure profit.
When unscrupulous merchants are forced to sell at a loss, that will be the perfect opportunity for them to buy more grain and transport it back to the capital.
"How did Xiao Bin end up in the grain transport fleet?" Lu Xingjian narrowed his eyes, looking at Zhang Yong with an oppressive aura.
Admiration and appreciation surfaced in Zhang Yong's eyes:
"Last June, the Empress discovered the severe drought in Shandong on her way back to the capital and arranged for her steward to purchase grain from overseas."
"It was Xiao Bin who went to handle the situation when these grain ships were being obstructed from docking."
"Zhen Jin was able to procure a large amount of grain this time because of her cooperation with her stewards."
Buying large quantities of grain overseas makes one an easy target for exploitation.
Without reliable connections, it's difficult to succeed even with money.
Lu Xingjian, however, sensed something unusual:
"You mean, her managers are very knowledgeable about overseas affairs?"
She only stayed in Jiangnan for three years.
In just three years, they managed to expand their business overseas?
Even a genius cannot have it so easy.
Zhang Yong replied truthfully:
“Zhen Jin has met their manager in Siam. That man has been operating in Siam for decades and knows everyone from high-ranking officials to underworld gangs.”
Lu Xingjian's pupils contracted slightly, and his eyes darkened.
How could such a shrewd and capable person be used by a young woman like Su Wanwan?
He lowered his eyes and pondered for a long time, then simply said, "Go down."
Wanwan has served the Empress Dowager faithfully for many years, and may have some influence that the old lady secretly left to her.
Xiao Bin helped her manage the dowry she donated.
It is obvious that he enjoys her deep trust, so it is not surprising that he appears in her grain transport fleet, which she keeps hidden from others.
only……
He didn't want Xiao Bin to have anything to do with her anymore.
The trust and dependence between her and Xiao Bin were deeper than he knew.
on the contrary.
Even though he and she spent every day together and were very close, there was always an invisible barrier between them.
This barrier made him feel like he had a thorn in his side and a fishbone stuck in his throat.
Lu Xingjian rummaged through the memorials on the emperor's desk and found one.
It was a memorial submitted by Wen Gui, the newly appointed governor of Xuanfu, Datong, and Yansui.
They requested that 500,000 taels of silver be allocated for border repairs, to abandon the existing ancient watchtowers, and to build new watchtowers with arrow slits and gun ports to ambush and subdue the enemy.
Lu Xingjian not only approved the memorial, but also changed his previous memorial on the annual allowance for the Nine Border Regions, which he had rejected, to "agree" in red ink.
This was a huge slap in the face for him.
Liu Yu, from the Ministry of War, was dumbfounded when he received two memorials with imperial annotations.
How could the Ministry of Revenue, which is currently strapped for cash, possibly afford an expenditure of 750,000 taels of silver?
Even if they could produce it, the Ministry of Revenue wouldn't take it.
Su Wanwan's dowry of one million taels of silver donated to the Nine Borders hasn't been spent much yet, so how could the Ministry of Revenue possibly allocate funds to the Ministry of War at this time?
Liu Yu had no choice but to consult with Liu Jin for a solution.
"Why aren't those donations from the Ministry of War being cashed out and used for the border troops?" Liu Jin narrowed his eyes, looking at Liu Yu with a meaningful gaze.
Liu Yu was in a very difficult position: "Her Majesty the Empress made the donation with certain conditions. It is true that the donations are for the Nine Garrisons, but they must be handled by her former bodyguard, Xiao Bin. Moreover, only the interest will be used each year, and the principal will not be touched."
If those dowry properties were sold off directly, they could indeed gain an extra million taels of silver.
However, this would contradict the conditions that Su Wanwan had initially proposed.
A knowing glint flashed in Liu Jin's eyes.
Suddenly, I understood why the emperor had suddenly become impatient during our audience that day.
It was indeed because of this person named "Xiao Bin".
After that day, he was completely baffled. Later, he heard by chance that Xiao Bin had once been the Empress's bodyguard, and suddenly it dawned on him.
The Empress passed by the study, and Liu Jin happened to mention "Xiao Bin," which angered the Emperor.
The deeper meaning behind these two memorials detailing enormous expenditures... Liu Jin suddenly realized.
By selling the dowry, the Empress and Xiao Bin would be completely severed from their relationship.
This is a solution that solves the problem once and for all.
The Emperor is using them to sever the Empress's ties with the past.
It also fully demonstrates the emperor's attitude of seeking peace with the border troops and civil and military officials.
This can be described as "killing two birds with one stone".
Whether the money for "border repair" was actually used for border repair or ended up in the emperor's pocket is hard to say.
Liu Jin smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Since it is the Emperor's imperial edict, we, as his subjects, should simply follow orders. What is Minister Liu afraid of?"
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