Inside the Imperial Study in Nanjing's Imperial City.
It was already midnight, but the new emperor Chen Huai'an still hadn't returned to his palace to sleep. He was still diligently handling state affairs in the imperial study, writing furiously at his desk.
When an emperor is so engrossed in his duties that he forgets to eat and sleep, it's even more unthinkable that he would have the time and energy to indulge in the company of his seventy-two concubines.
Among time travelers, Chen Huai'an is probably the first person in history to become an emperor.
It's not that Chen Huai'an didn't want to indulge, but the situation simply didn't allow it!
Before he transmigrated, he was just a 996 office worker in a big factory in Shanghai, and his knowledge of ancient history came only from time-travel novels on the Internet.
Even though he was reborn into the Xin Dynasty for 24 years and studied civil and military affairs under his father Chen Polu, the knowledge he acquired was only enough to enable him to be a king of a different surname and to govern the hundreds of thousands of people in his fiefdom.
Furthermore, the former Great Xin Dynasty was a dynasty that "respected military prowess," which led Chen Polu to focus more on cultivating Chen Huai'an's "military strength" while neglecting to strengthen his "civil administration" when training him.
This is why, although Chen Huai'an had many talented people under his command, most of them were military generals who led troops into battle.
Finally, there was a "black-robed prime minister" named Dongfang Xiao, but who would have thought that the old monk would take the initiative to resign and return to Qixia Temple on Fengming Mountain to cultivate and seek enlightenment just as Chen Huai'an was about to ascend the throne.
Therefore, Chen Huai'an doesn't even have a trustworthy advisor by his side right now.
So much so that when he rebuilt the Six Ministries after becoming emperor, he had to rely on former officials and generals who had surrendered from the previous dynasty.
We can't just promote a local official from Longcheng, a fiefdom, to the position of Minister of the Six Ministries in the new dynasty all at once, can we?
In other words, if the fiefdom of Longcheng truly possessed such talent for governing the world, how could Chen Huai'an not know it?
Under various circumstances, Chen Huai'an was forced to personally handle every detail when the new dynasty was first established.
At the same time, it also made Chen Huai'an determined that the reform of the imperial examination system in the new dynasty was imperative and could not be delayed!
call--
Finally, with the last word signed, Chen Huai'an, who was writing at his desk, breathed a sigh of relief. Thousands of words had already been written on the Xuan paper on his desk, and the six large characters of the title, "A Letter to Students Across the World," stood out prominently.
Indeed, what Chen Huai'an had been writing in the Imperial Study for days was his opinion on reforming the imperial examination system, which he had come up with after a long period of deep thought, taking into account the actual situation of the new dynasty and referencing the system of imperial examinations in later generations.
In this letter, "A Letter to All Scholars," Chen Huai'an outlined a detailed new imperial examination system, completely abolishing the "Nine-Rank System" for selecting officials that had been in use for thousands of years. This gave all scholars in the country the opportunity to enter the court as officials through the imperial examinations.
In this way, the occurrence of incidents in which officials in the court form factions based on their background and thus oppose the court and imperial power can be effectively reduced.
The most obvious example is that at today's court assembly, the civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun formed a defensive alliance on the matter of establishing a new empress, in order to put pressure on the imperial power.
All of this stemmed from the fact that the appointment of officials in various regions had previously been recommended by respected local clans and powerful families. Over time, this created a complex web of relationships among the officials, turning them into a community of shared interests on the same front.
When the influence of an interest group grows to a certain point, it will inevitably affect and threaten the rule of the imperial power.
Chen Huai'an was determined to promote the reform of the imperial examination system. His purpose was to recruit talented people from all over the country to serve the imperial power and to gradually dismantle the interest groups that had formed in various regions in the court.
This also means that after Chen Huai'an had a sufficient group of military generals, he began to focus on cultivating his own group of civil officials, so as to achieve a balance between civil and military affairs and a healthy development.
Let's get right to it.
The following day, at the second court assembly of civil and military officials of the new dynasty, Chen Huai'an had Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, read out the contents of the "Letter to Students of the World," bringing the matter of the new dynasty's reform of the imperial examination system to the forefront.
"I, by the mandate of Heaven, rule over all lands, governing with benevolence and virtue, and establishing civil administration as the fundamental principle..."
Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, holding the "Letter to All Students" personally written by the new Emperor Chen Huai'an, read it aloud in the Golden Palace, word by word, with a shrill voice:
"Looking upon the realm of the new dynasty, there are numerous ambitious scholars, all possessing the talent to govern the country and manage the world. However, the path to advancement is still narrow. Therefore, in order to broaden the avenues for talent and select outstanding individuals to assist me in governing the realm;"
"A special edict was issued to reform the imperial examination system, so that all scholars in the land could participate in the new dynasty's imperial examinations, enter officialdom, and work together to govern the country!"
brush!
When Cai He, the eunuch, stood on the steps of the Golden Palace and read the contents of the emperor's edict to the civil and military officials, the officials were all shocked when he read that the new emperor, Chen Huai'an, actually wanted to reform the imperial examination system so that all scholars in the country could enter officialdom through the imperial examination.
The military group was alright, after all, in the previous dynasty where "martial prowess was paramount", even ordinary soldiers in the army could be promoted through accumulating military merits. The valiant general Pang Xianchu was the best example.
Of course, there are also many military officers who were promoted by relying on their fathers' recommendations. Wu Fengxian, the son of Wu Qingyun, the Northwest General of the previous dynasty, was promoted to the position of junior general step by step by relying on his father's recommendation.
Overall, for the military generals in the court, Emperor Chen Huai'an's reform of the imperial examination system seemed to have little substantial impact beyond shock.
However, for the civil officials in the court, the new emperor Chen Huai'an's reform of the imperial examination system undoubtedly caused an earthquake within the civil officials group.
Especially for Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, it was only now that he finally understood why the Emperor had been so slow to approve the Ministry of Rites' memorial regarding the imperial examinations for the new dynasty next year.
It turns out that the emperor had long planned to reform the system that had been in place for thousands of years, which involved selecting officials for the court through recommendations from local officials and powerful families.
This directly impacts the interests of powerful clans and aristocratic families across the country. How can this imperial examination reform be successfully implemented?
In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was still reading the imperial edict:
"The imperial examination system has existed since ancient times, but its selection methods have sometimes been biased. Now, I am reforming the imperial examination system, abolishing the restrictions based on family background. Regardless of social status or wealth, anyone who is eager to learn and talented in literature can participate in the imperial examinations."
"The imperial examinations of the new dynasty are divided into three levels: the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination. The provincial examination is held by each county and prefecture to select outstanding talents; the metropolitan examination is held by the imperial court to gather elites from all over the country; and the palace examination is personally presided over by me to select the pillars of the nation..."
"......"
Cai He read aloud the contents of "A Letter to Students All Over the World" point by point.
In his edict, the new emperor Chen Huai'an detailed the contents of the imperial examination reform, which focused on Confucian classics while also considering history, philosophy, and literature. It emphasized practical learning and talent, and anyone who could understand the classics, be knowledgeable in politics, and be good at writing could enter officialdom.
Furthermore, Chen Huai'an also revealed that his determination to reform the imperial examination system was originally intended to recruit talents without being bound by convention, select virtuous and capable individuals for the use of the country.
He knew that this reform of the imperial examination system would inevitably be met with resistance from powerful local families, and that they might even secretly sabotage the fair, open, and just conduct of the examinations.
Therefore, he specifically ordered that the first imperial examination of the new dynasty be led by the Ministry of Rites, with the Ministry of Personnel and other government departments responsible for coordinating and organizing the implementation of the examination, striving to be fair and impartial, and selecting truly talented people to serve the country.
"I hereby proclaim to the world that all those who aspire to learning and possess literary talent should enthusiastically register for the imperial examinations to serve the country and bring happiness to all people."
"I look forward to working with all of you students to create a prosperous and glorious future!"
"So be it—"
As Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, finished reading the last two words, "By Imperial Decree," in the "Letter to the Students of the World," the vast Golden Palace fell into a deathly silence, with only the breathing of the civil and military officials rising and falling.
On the dragon throne, Chen Huai'an remained calm and composed, awaiting the advice of the court officials.
He knew that, since ancient times, any reform that touched the interests of the established powers would inevitably face numerous difficulties, and might even come at the cost of bloodshed and sacrifice.
He was already prepared to receive advice and remonstrances from the court officials!
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Suddenly, a voice as loud as a bell rang out from the deathly silent Golden Palace.
The phrase "Your Majesty is wise" struck like a thunderbolt, causing the previously silent civil and military officials to turn and look in the direction of the voice.
To everyone's surprise, Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning, one of the eight princes of the previous dynasty and a highly respected figure in the new dynasty, was the first to step forward and declare, "Your Majesty is wise!"
"The reform of the imperial examination system was a great achievement for the present and will benefit future generations!"
Liu Xinwu said, word by word, "If Your Majesty does not mind, I am willing to personally oversee the first imperial examination of the new dynasty in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, to ensure its fairness and impartiality, and to select virtuous and talented individuals for Your Majesty and the country!"
brush!
These words shocked the court and the public.
In this imperial court, whether they were former officials and generals who had surrendered, or military and civil officials who had followed the new emperor Chen Huai'an in raising an army in Longcheng to quell the rebellion, everyone knew the status of Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.
It is no exaggeration to say that every civil and military official in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun who is qualified to attend court today was recommended by Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning, so that he could hold a high position in the previous dynasty and thus occupy a place in the court of the new dynasty.
For Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning, the system of selecting officials through recommendation was the only way for him to cultivate his own power in the court!
A group of former court officials, led by Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, were just thinking that if the emperor wanted to implement the imperial examination reform, he would first have to get past Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning.
This move directly impacted the interests of Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning, and directly resulted in a weakening of the voice of the civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, led by him, in the new dynasty's court.
It was thought that the reform of the imperial examination system would provoke strong opposition from Prince Wu Ning.
Unexpectedly, Prince Wuning was the first to stand up and express his support for the emperor's reform of the imperial examination system, and he volunteered to be in charge of talent selection in the Youyun region.
This left the court officials, who were prepared to echo Prince Wu Ning's opinion and advise the emperor to withdraw the imperial edict on reforming the civil service examination, somewhat at a loss.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Immediately afterwards, the emperor's wisdom was proclaimed once again from the court.
This time, it was Liu Zhixin, the King of Chu and Xiang, who stepped forward.
Liu Zhixin said, "Your Majesty, this old minister also agrees with Your Majesty's reform of the imperial examination system to select virtuous and talented individuals for the country. This move will maximize Your Majesty's recruitment of the nation's best talents, laying a solid foundation for the establishment of a new and prosperous dynasty."
"Although I am a prince of a different surname from the previous dynasty, I still retain some influence in my fiefdom. The powerful families and local officials there are all willing to give me face."
"Your Majesty's grace has been bestowed upon my family, and we have no way to repay it. If Your Majesty does not abandon us, I am willing to follow the example of Prince Wu Ning and protect Your Majesty in promoting the imperial examination reform in Jingchu!"
As soon as the King of Chu Xiang finished speaking, Du Bo, the King of Jiujiang standing beside him, hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister is also willing to contribute to the implementation of the new dynasty's imperial examination reform in his fiefdom!"
"Your Majesty, I am also willing—"
Next, Prince Changxin, Deng Junjie, also stepped forward to express his support for the new dynasty's reform of the imperial examination system.
These former princes were all shrewd men. Seeing an opportunity to show their loyalty to the new emperor Chen Huai'an, how could they possibly miss it?
At yesterday's court assembly, when the various military commanders and their deputy commanders voluntarily relinquished their military power, these few "lone" princes missed the opportunity.
Today, in their respective fiefdoms, they must all stand up and show their stance on the matter of Emperor Chen Huai'an's implementation of the imperial examination reform!
Regardless of whether the implementation of the imperial examination reform can ultimately gain the support of local powerful families, it is always right to first demonstrate one's absolute loyalty to the new emperor.
Seeing that the previous dynasty's legacy was almost gone, the respected princes of different surnames in their respective fiefdoms rushed to stand up and express their support for the emperor's implementation of the imperial examination reform.
In the court, those civil and military officials who were originally in a neutral position no longer dared to stand up and say a word against it.
Led by Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, a group of civil and military officials knelt down and shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"
"We, your humble servants, are willing to dedicate ourselves to the reform of the imperial examination system in the new dynasty, even unto death!"
brush!
When Chen Huai'an suddenly saw that all the civil and military officials in the court were kneeling in the hall, showing their strong support for his proposed reform of the imperial examination system, he could hardly believe his eyes.
Thinking to himself, "I've already prepared myself for a verbal battle with all of you, yet not a single one of you has offered any objections?"
However, seeing that his actions to promote the imperial examination reform could be carried out without any resistance in the court, Chen Huai'an was somewhat moved. There were still many reasonable people in the court!
At the same time, Chen Huai'an also knew that the support of the entire court was only the first step in promoting the imperial examination reform, and also the easiest step.
The real obstacle is the powerful clans that have controlled the local economy and politics for many years.
The road to reforming the imperial examination system is long and arduous!
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