The Imperial Guard soldiers in charge of invigilating the examination began to distribute examination questions!
Different subjects have different test questions.
After getting the test questions, the students who participated in the imperial examination began to answer the questions.
…
After a whole day, almost everyone turned in their papers before dark.
The students left the examination room in groups and returned to their residences to wait for the next exam.
According to the previous imperial examination system, the examination would take at least several days and nights to complete.
You are not allowed to leave the venue midway!
However, this time the imperial examination held by the Ming Dynasty was reformed.
Zhu Hongyu tried his best to shorten the examination time and allowed candidates to leave the venue to rest at night.
After three consecutive days of examinations, the first imperial examination after the restoration of the Ming Dynasty finally came to a successful conclusion.
No surprises!
The candidates left the examination room with excitement, returned to their respective residences, and began to look forward to the day when the results would be released.
After a good night's sleep, many candidates began to go out with their friends to play, to bring warmth to the young ladies on the Qinhuai River who had left their hometowns, and to provide targeted poverty alleviation.
In the days after the imperial examination, the business of restaurants and brothels in Nanjing skyrocketed.
…
However, these candidates can rest and wait for the results to be released, but Zhu Hongyu cannot.
He was accompanying the examiner, correcting the examination papers for this imperial examination all night long.
The examiners take turns to review the test papers and give their own evaluations. Under cross-marking, most of the test papers can receive fair evaluations.
Exam papers that are more prominent or controversial will be handed over to the examiner for cross-review.
The examiner has the right to finalize the winning places and the qualification to submit outstanding examination papers to Zhu Hongyu.
Zhu Hongyu personally marked the selected test papers with the best quality!
Then he selected the test paper that he was more satisfied with!
…
At the same time, in the capital, inside the Forbidden City of the Qing Dynasty Palace!
As the 800-mile rush sent from Guanzhong arrived in the capital, the news of Obai's defeat in Guanzhong also reached the capital.
In an instant, there was panic inside and outside the capital!
Countless nobles of the Eight Banners were worried about this extremely bad news.
Mr. Borzigit didn't have any idea. Faced with the sudden bad news, he panicked and didn't know how to deal with it.
We can only follow the past practice and summon all the adults from the Qing cabinet to the palace to discuss it together!
After everyone had gathered, Borzigit finally spoke.
"Everyone must already know the outcome of the Battle of Guanzhong, right?"
While speaking, Mr. Borzigit's eyes wandered over everyone in the room.
The depths of his eyes were filled with deep fear and uneasiness.
The leader of the red flag, Aixinjueluo Jieshu, who was kneeling below, stood up and asked.
"This son of Ao Bai suffered a new defeat in Guanzhong, lost his master and humiliated the country, causing heavy losses to our Qing nation. It is a crime that cannot be punished!"
"Please also ask the Queen Mother to order that Ao Bai be captured and punished!"
Jie Shu originally disapproved of Obai's rashness in sending troops, so he hurriedly led his troops to fight against Wu Sangui without sufficient preparation.
Is Wu Sangui an easy character to get along with?
Now that Ao Bai was defeated, in order to attack his political opponents, Jie Shu naturally had to step forward and add insult to injury.
Suk Saha stood up and said.
"What are you talking about, Your Majesty? Is there any general who is always victorious and undefeated in this world?"
"Victory and defeat are common matters for military officers. How can we, the Qing Dynasty, take down and convict Aobai, a veteran minister with outstanding merits, just because of a single defeat?"
"If we, the Qing Dynasty, take down and punish Obai this time, then from now on, among the generals of the Manchu Dynasty, who will dare to lead troops into battle?"
Jieshu said with a sneer.
"What you said is correct, but you are changing the concept!"
"Obai has indeed made great contributions, but we, the Qing Dynasty, have never treated him badly. We should give him no less than the reward he deserves."
"Since the merit has been fulfilled, how can it be used to atone for sins again?"
"Furthermore, if the defeated generals cannot be punished, wouldn't it be a joke that our Qing Dynasty does not reward meritorious deeds and punish transgressions?"
"..."
The ministers below were arguing fiercely, each expressing his or her own opinions.
Borzigit and Kangxi sat at the top, watching the quarrels among the ministers below, looking at a loss.
Ye Bilong opened his mouth and said.
"In addition to the defeat of Guanzhong, there is also the matter of the pseudo-Ming supervisory state in the south ascending the throne and proclaiming himself emperor, and restoring the Yuan Dynasty."
"For us, the Qing Dynasty, this will threaten the survival of our Qing Dynasty!"
When speaking, Ye Bilong's face was very serious.
After hearing this, everyone fell silent, and their expressions were quite ugly.
Ao Bai's matter has not been discussed yet, but now the situation in Ming Dynasty has been brought up.
The situation in the world has changed in the past few years, and the Qing Dynasty is really in trouble!
They lost one battle after another, losing most of the world, and suffered heavy losses in their troops and horses.
Everyone can't help but wonder, is this really destiny?
When the destiny of the Qing Dynasty was on the side of the Qing Dynasty, the autumn wind of the Qing Dynasty calmed down the entire world like falling leaves and took over the Central Plains.
Now the destiny of the Qing Dynasty is no longer with the Qing Dynasty. As a result, the Qing Dynasty quickly lost most of the world!
Defeat after defeat, first losing the southeast, then the southwest, Guanzhong fell...
The Eight Banners, which the Qing Dynasty relied on, suffered even more heavy losses!
The young Kangxi couldn't help but speak in a clear milky voice.
"If we, the Qing Dynasty, can no longer defend the Central Plains, we will retreat outside the customs!"
"Beyond the Pass is the escape route left for me by our ancestors for the Qing Dynasty!"
Kangxi's words suddenly awakened many people.
A group of people spoke one after another.
"What the Emperor said is true!"
"It makes sense, retreating outside the customs is indeed the best choice for me in the Qing Dynasty!"
"That's right, that's right!"
"..."
Jieshu stood up and asked.
"How to deal with it inside the customs?"
Suksaha said.
"Find a former Ming Dynasty clan, support him to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor, then establish the Ming Dynasty, then let him recognize me, the Qing Dynasty, as the clan leader, and pay tribute every year!"
"In this way, it may be feasible!"
As for how many coins you have to pay every year?
Of course, you should pay as much tax as you can collect!
Even, in order to meet the needs of the Qing Dynasty outside the customs, this puppet regime supported by the Qing Dynasty must have to break the bones and suck out the marrow of the people below.
It is not impossible to extend taxes to a hundred years later!
As for the consequences of saying such a thing?
Haha, no matter what the consequences are, it's none of my business.
After all, it is Ming Dynasty that collects taxes!
I don’t know how to carry this pot!
Suksaha's move was first to allow the Qing Dynasty to retreat outside the customs in a dignified manner.
And it supported a puppet regime and helped the Qing Dynasty continue to exploit the people in the pass.
The second is to disgust Zhu Hongyu!
Didn’t you, Zhu Hongyu, ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor under the pretext of expelling the Tartars and restoring China?
Aren’t you going to restore the Great Ming Dynasty and recreate Zhu Yuanzhang’s achievements?
Now that I have recovered it for you, I would like to ask you if you are embarrassed?
"The former Ming Dynasty clan..."
"Where did I get the former Ming Dynasty clan from the Qing Dynasty?"
After Jiashen, there were many members of the Ming Dynasty clan who fought bravely to fight against the invaders, and even their whole families died for the country.
But there are many cowards who are greedy for life and afraid of death, who have lost the face of their ancestors and chose to surrender to the Manchus in order to survive!
However, although these people surrendered to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the Manchu Qing Dynasty did not let go of these former clan members.