Chapter four hundred and ninety-ninth scientific research
In the Imperial Study Room of Qianqing Palace, a figure was crouching.
"Phew... finally finished approving these memorials!"
Stretching lazily, Pang Gang moved his eyes to the thick stack of memorials in front of Long's case. It looked like there were more than 100 memorials, if not two hundred. This was the work that Pang Gang spent a whole morning completing.
Today is Saturday, the third day of September in the first year of Dahua Yongwu. It is a day when there is no need to go to court. Pang Gang got up early to approve all the memorials sent today. He just planned to accompany his wife and children to the Imperial Garden in the afternoon. The emperor has not visited the imperial garden for a long time. I heard that the flowers in it are still growing very well.
Putting down the quill pen in his hand, Pang Gang rubbed his wrist. Well, it was already a little numb. Speaking of which, when Pang Gang just used this quill pen to approve the memorial, many ministers objected. For those who had been using the quill pen for most of their lives, To put it bluntly, writing with a quill pen is disrespectful to the ancestors. To put it more seriously, it is called treason.
But there is a saying, what is good above is what is good below. The world will never lack people who take pictures of the emperor's horses. Things that the emperor likes, let alone writing with goose feathers, even if it is written with toes. Some people would applaud. And the officials below were curious and after writing for a while, they were surprised to find that although the words written with a goose quill were not as majestic as those written with a brush, they were not entirely useless, at least. It also looks cool and stylish, has a neat frame, and looks pretty good. And the most important thing is that it is convenient. You only need to carry a bottle of ground powder and a goose feather, and you can write it wherever you go. Which? It's very convenient, and the cost is also very low. It's just a goose feather. It can't be expensive even if you want. It can be used up and you can still use it without feeling distressed. So the quill pen is quietly there. It spread slowly below. Finally, it got to the point where not only some officials used it at home, but also when writing in the office. If someone said something wrong, they would retort confidently. Before you talk to me, please advise me. Please advise the emperor.
After stretching, Pang Gang stood up slowly. Several palace maids who had been waiting beside him hurriedly came over and handed them ginseng tea. Pang Gang drank the ginseng tea and felt a warm heat coming from him. It rises in the belly and sweeps away the fatigue accumulated all morning.
"Well. This ginseng tea is really a good thing. It not only dispels fatigue, but also has the effect of nourishing the skin and replenishing qi. However, the price is a bit expensive. Regardless of the ancients who said that it is easy to move from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to move from luxury to frugality. If Once you get used to drinking it, it will really cost you a lot of money in the future.”
Pang Gang, who had given up his thoughts, couldn't help but start to have some random thoughts. At this moment, a palace maid quietly walked in and knelt down in front of Pang Gang and said: "Your Majesty, Mr. Wei Ge, Mr. Hua and Mr. Wen are asking for an audience!"
"Oh. What are they here for?"
Pang Gang couldn't help but feel a little strange in his heart. Ever since he became the boss of the cabinet, he, a cheap father-in-law, seemed to have become a workaholic. He wanted to spend twelve hours a day working in the cabinet. It seemed that he wasted his first forty years. As if snatching back his time, Pang Gang, who was afraid that he would tire out his body, had to forcibly issue a decree, ordering him to work no more than five hours a day, otherwise he would be forcibly removed from the yamen. Could it be that something big happened today that made him, Wen Renjun, and Hua Yan, the official, come together at the same time?
"This slave doesn't know."
When the palace maid said this, Pang Gang couldn't help but laugh. He just asked the question casually, but the palace maid answered him so politely.
Pang Gang smiled, waved his hand and said, "Okay, please step aside and let Mr. Wei Ge, Mr. Hua and Mr. Wen come in."
"yes!"
The young and beautiful palace maid bowed slightly and left. Soon there was a sound of footsteps at the door. Wei Tongnian and Wen Renjun appeared at the door of the imperial study at the same time. After seeing Pang Gang sitting behind the dragon case,
They all bowed down and praised in their mouths: "I am the same year as the Wei Dynasty, I heard about the emperor, and I came to see the emperor in all his glory. May my emperor live long and live forever!"
"Okay, come back and bow down once. If you don't feel tired, I feel tired."
Pang Gang waved his hand with some dissatisfaction. For Pang Gang who came from a later generation, he was secretly happy when he saw someone prostrating himself when he first became emperor, but after seeing it for a long time, he felt strange in his heart.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Pang Gang didn't care, but the three people in the same year as Wei had to care. The new dynasty had just been established and its foundation was still unstable. The three of them were close ministers of the emperor, one was equivalent to the Prime Minister of the State Council in later generations, and the other was the Central Organization Department in later generations.
The minister and the other are equivalent to the minister of finance. They are all high-ranking officials with high authority. Therefore, they walk on thin ice in both life and work, and they also want to set an example for the courtiers below.
"Please sit down!"
As soon as Pang Gang finished speaking, three eunuchs moved three round stools with yellow silk cushions behind them. After the three people thanked them again, they only sat down with their buttocks halfway up. This was also a sign of respect.
attitude.
Seeing the three of them sitting down, Pang Gang asked: "Okay, why did you come here today?"
Wei Tongnian, Wen Renjun, and Hua Yan looked at each other and said, "Your Majesty, I am indeed coming here today because there are a few things that are difficult to decide. Are you here to ask for His Majesty's Holy Judgment?"
Upon hearing this, Pang Gang straightened his body and asked with interest, "Oh, what is it that can make the three of you feel troublesome at the same time?"
Wei Tongnian said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, since you came to the throne, you have been busy with state affairs, but you have not had time to care about some personal matters. This is understandable. Now it is time to take care of them. For example, the emperor left behind the previous dynasty.
Zhuang, how should you deal with it?"
"Imperial Mansion?"
Pang Gang couldn't help but be stunned when he heard the name. When Hua Yan saw Pang Gang's expression, he knew that Pang Gang didn't know much about Huangzhuang, so he explained it in detail.
The so-called imperial estate refers to the farmland directly operated by the royal family. In other words, it is the private land of the emperor. The distribution of imperial estates in the Ming Dynasty was mainly concentrated in Shuntian and other eight prefectures in North Zhili, especially Shuntian, Baoding, and Hejian.
The majority are in other provinces.
In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang's management of land was relatively tight. Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born in a poor family, had realized that annexing land would turn farmers into refugees, which would lead to serious social problems. Therefore, he once issued an edict to "farm the land."
Those who want to test the strength of their land and give it to them according to the number of acres will make the poor have capital, and the rich will not be allowed to annex. If the annexer takes over a large amount of land for his own property, and then transfers it to the poor to share the land with tenants, it will be a crime.
Therefore, during the Hongwu period, the old Zhu family's imperial estate was not many, with only tens of thousands of acres of land. However, in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, due to the lack of entertainment at that time, there was basically nothing except doing human-making exercises in the evening.
There were no entertainment activities, so that more and more descendants were born. The number of the old Zhu family's imperial estates gradually increased. By the Wanli period, the imperial estates had expanded to thirty-six locations, occupying 37,500 acres of land.
Ninety-five hectares and forty-six acres is more than three million acres.
This is only the emperor's imperial estate. If you include the imperial estates occupied by other emperors' relatives, there will be countless more. This is almost an uncountable number. According to their records in the same year of Wei Dynasty,
It is estimated that at least 20 to 30 million acres of fields have been occupied by Lao Zhu's borers.
This issue was a powder keg in the Ming Dynasty. No one in the civil and military circles of the dynasty dared to raise it. Anyone who raised it would be going against the old Zhu family. Even if the courageous people raised it, it would be in vain. But now
It’s different. Dynasties have changed. Your old Zhu family has been laid off and you still dare to occupy such a huge amount of rich land. Do you think this is still the previous dynasty?
In this world, there are not many people who offer help in times of trouble, but there are definitely many people who add insult to injury, especially those literati who have just become imperial censors and have just joined the company. Why are they still impeaching them? So these days, I ask the old man to
The Zhu family's return of the land was sent to the cabinet in piles. However, Wei Tongnian became a little worried after reading it. After all, his son-in-law had just peacefully handed over such a beautiful land from others. He would confiscate it when he turned back.
Regarding other people’s fields, was it too unkind to do this, and he was also worried about the Zhu family’s backlash, so Wei Tongnian decided to hand over this problem to his son-in-law to solve.
"Well, Wei Aiqing. Is this why you entered the palace?"
After listening to Wei Tongnian's words, Pang Gang was noncommittal. He just asked a question and then stopped talking. Then he said to Wen Renjun and Hua Yan: "Why did you two enter the palace for that?"
Hua Yan and Wen Renjun looked at each other, and Wen Renjun smiled and made an invitation gesture. He signaled Hua Yan to speak first. Hua Yan had no choice but to say first: "Wei Chen came here just to invite the emperor."
Purpose, our new dynasty has initially decided that the tax rate should be collected according to the tax rate we used to charge in Qingzhou? How should the tax money be distributed after it is collected? Can you please give me the emperor's advice? "
After listening to Hua Yan's words, Pang Gang thought for a while and said: "As for the tax rate, let's charge it according to the tax rate we set when we were in Qingzhou. The commercial tax is still 20%, and the agricultural tax is also 20%, but the commercial tax is charged up.
After that, 60% of it will be put into the national treasury, and local governments will be strictly ordered not to intercept it without authorization, and any offenders will be executed!"
Taxation in the Ming Dynasty is very interesting. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, believed that since the taxation was collected, it would be used in various places anyway, so why bother to escort the tax money to Beijing? Wouldn't it be better to put it in various places?
When you need it, you can just open the warehouse and use it directly. Therefore, in an emergency, there is very little silver in the imperial household treasury, which makes the Minister of household affairs in the Ming Dynasty look like a beggar.
But Pang Gang, a later man, knew that the greatest power of money lies in circulation. Only money that circulates is useful. Otherwise, just putting it in local warehouses can only be a waste, and leaving tax money in the local area can only be a waste.
Weakening the central government's control over local governments is something only a fool would do. That's why he said the bloody words above.
And this is also a major matter related to the prosperity of the country, so he cannot help but be cruel. Pang Gang knows very well that if many policies are not formulated at the beginning, the resistance to implementation in the future will increase hundreds or thousands of times, just like Lao Zhu
Home taxes are a good example.
Pang Gang's bloody words showed his determination. Hua Yan's face changed color slightly, and then he nodded heavily.
"Wen Aiqing, what's the matter with you?"
After settling Hua Yan's matter, Pang Gang turned his attention to Wen Renjun.
Wen Renjun bowed and said: "Your Majesty, now that the new dynasty has been established, it is the time when everything is renewed. However, since our dynasty has just been established, we cannot rely too much on the officials of the previous dynasty. I sincerely request your majesty to reopen the imperial examination as soon as possible so that our dynasty can
Select talents and recruit them into all prefectures and counties."
"this......."
Pang Gang began to ponder. In this era, scientific examination is a major event. At the least, it is to select talents for the court and the country. At the most, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is related to the stability and survival of the country and society. Whether it is
Emperors of all dynasties and generations must be treated with caution.
However, Pang Gang really has some disdain for the scientific research in this era. If you do well in eight-part essays, it does not necessarily mean that you can do well in governing the place.
The ancient Chinese imperial examination system first originated in the Sui Dynasty. After the Sui Dynasty unified the country, in order to adapt to the development and changes of feudal economic and political relations, to expand the requirements of the feudal ruling class to participate in political power, and to strengthen centralization, the power to select officials was returned to the central government.
, replaced the nine-rank Zhongzheng system with the imperial examination system. In the third year of the reign of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, the Jinshi department was established, and examinations were used to select Jinshi.
Shen Jiji, the Minister of Rites during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, made a pertinent evaluation of this historic change: "Previous dynasties selected them by all prefectures and counties... As for the Qi and Sui Dynasties, the disadvantages were too great... The power of setting up state capitals was given to the
The Ministry of Officials has been selected from outside since the Sui Dynasty. People from all over the world are recruited and gathered in the capital to live in spring and autumn, and the clouds gather together.'
After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty was established, and the imperial examination system entered its heyday. The rulers of the Ming Dynasty attached great importance to the imperial examination, and the methods of the imperial examination were more rigorous than those of previous dynasties.
But the scientific examination also has a very fatal weakness, that is, in the provincial examination of the Ming Dynasty, only eight-legged essay was tested in the first test. Whether you can pass the exam mainly depends on the quality of eight-part essay. Therefore, ordinary scholars often spend their whole life on eight-part essay.
In the text, the eight-part essay uses passages from the Four Books and Five Classics as the title. The meaning can only be explained according to the meaning of the title. The wording must use the tone of the ancients, which is the so-called speaking on behalf of the sages, and the format is also very rigid. Therefore, Gu Yanwu once said angrily
: "Eighteen chapters flourished while the Six Classics declined; eighteen branches flourished while the Twenty-one Histories were abandoned." He also said: "A fool thinks that the harm of eight-legged writing is worse than burning books."
Since the eight-part essay is so unsatisfactory, does Pang Gang want to cancel it immediately? Of course not. The scientific examination system has existed for so many years, and it certainly has its reasons. Pang Gang will not cancel it at will until there is no better system to replace it.
System, therefore, Pang Gang came up with another way.
After thinking about it, Pang Gang said: "Looking at the previous dynasty, they only focused on the two subjects of Jinshi and Mingjing, but turned a deaf ear to Mingfa (law) and Mingshu (arithmetic). I am determined to change this phenomenon and Mingjing.
The two subjects of Fa and Ming Suan must also be included in the scientific examination. Dahua Law has also been established. In the future, if you want to work in the Ministry of Punishment or Dali Temple, you must be from the Ming Fa Department. If you want to work in the Ministry of Households, you must be from the Ming Su Department.
, Otherwise, you will not be allowed to serve in the Ministry of Household Affairs."
As soon as Pang Gang finished speaking, everyone in the royal study was stunned. Hua Yan stammered: "Your Majesty, this... this... if this gets spread, I'm afraid it will
The whole country is in an uproar!”
Wen Renjun also advised from the side: "Your Majesty, I hope you will think twice!"
Wei Tongnian also frowned and said nothing. The Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Punishment, and Dali Temple were important departments of the imperial court. They were equivalent to the Ministry of Finance, Courts, Ministry of Public Security, and Ministry of Justice in later generations. According to Pang Gang, in the future, the personnel of these departments
You have to choose between Mingfa and Mingshu. Since then, the status of Jinshi and Mingjing has been greatly weakened.
However, their shock was not over in the same year of Wei. Pang Gang then dropped another bombshell, "Also, I plan to build a Royal Army Academy of Dahua in Beijing and a Royal Naval Academy of Dahua in Qingzhou."
, I will personally serve as the dean and select military generals and scholars to teach their courses in the academy. From now on, those who have not graduated from these two academies will not be allowed to hold military positions above the seventh rank in the army!"
"Hiss..."
If Pang Gang's suggestion just now that people with non-Ming Law and Ming Shu majors are not allowed to serve in the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Punishment, and Dali Temple shocked them, then Pang Gang's suggestion that people who are not graduates from these two colleges are not allowed to serve as seventh-level officers in the military.
This shocked them so much that they were speechless.
At this moment, Wei Tongnian and the other three were so stunned that they didn't know what to say. If this is true, the students who graduated from these two colleges can really be regarded as the emperor's disciples. Does the emperor intend to re-employ military personnel and those with miscellaneous knowledge in the future?
?
Looking at the stunned three people, Pang Gang couldn't help but shook his head, "Don't be surprised, I will have to open a Gewu Department in the future, and people who are not from the Gewu Department are not allowed to work in the Ministry of Industry."
"Crazy...The emperor must be crazy!"
This is the common thought of these three people at this time...
Looking at the dull faces of the three people, Pang Gang couldn't help but laugh. How could these three people understand their painstaking efforts? The biggest drawback of the imperial examination system is that it requires rote memorization, which is also its basic requirement for candidates. Its reason is that the ancients
I have said all the truths about the world and life. "Today's people" only need to keep them in mind. When they need to use them, they can just pick out a few to solve all the problems in reality. This is also a reference to "Today's people".
"The complete negation of wisdom.
In addition, limiting the examination to only Confucian classics is another basic feature of the scientific examination. Regardless of the ideological value of the Confucian classics themselves, it is impossible to engage in cultural dictatorship based on the idea of advocating the only thought.
It is a closed and obscurantist thought, and its consequence is that for thousands of years, Confucianism has been at the top, and there is a vast emptiness below. Although there are still people who are studying and inventing various ideas and doctrines, they are all crawling at the bottom.
Those who cannot get on the stage, not to mention the slightest carelessness, will be suppressed by force from the imperial court, so China is multi-literary. As for the fact that law, arithmetic or other subjects are not permanent, it shows that China has never attached great importance to science, resulting in China's inability to form scientific and technological ideas.
The traditional situation caused China to fall behind and be on the verge of collapse thousands of years later.
And what Pang Gang wants to do today is to break this monopoly...
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