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If you are accepted by the examination, you can be called a tribute scholar.
When the tributes take part in the palace examination, they will only be judged on their rankings and will not be eliminated. Once the gold medal is published, they will be considered as new scholars.
As early as the Ming Dynasty, the palace examination did not test stereotyped essays. Instead, it gave questions that were relevant to the current situation and asked the tributes to write down policy strategies. For example, if there happened to be a peasant uprising, the candidates would be asked how to quell the rebellion. Or if the national treasury was empty, the question
How can candidates increase revenue and reduce expenditure?
If you look at an emperor's imperial examination, you will know the changes in the current situation of that dynasty.
Take Jiajing as an example.
The first palace examination discussed how to carry out reforms.
The second palace examination discusses how to implement the king's way and make the world have enough soldiers and food.
The third palace examination discusses how to protect the country and the people.
The fourth palace examination discusses how to face natural disasters and ensure that the people have enough food and clothing.
…
In the 10th Palace Examination, it has been my twenty-ninth year (since I ascended the throne). I have always worshiped God, worked diligently and loved the people, but why have I encountered constant border troubles, floods and droughts, Miao uprisings, and people’s livelihood suffering? Is it because I am not sincere enough? Candidates please explain,
How can the corvee be stopped, the borders be peaceful, civil strife be subdued, the people be prosperous, and all industries be prosperous.
Compared with the early Jiajing years, the style of the imperial examination questions at this time had changed drastically, and the questions contained a hint of emperor's resentment.
In the next few palace examinations, Jiajing has gradually become hysterical:
"I am a competent emperor, so why do all the ministers deceive the superiors and deceive the subordinates, slandering the emperor and harming the people? Candidates, please come and tell me the truth."
"The emperor regards the ministers as his confidants, but the ministers regard the emperor as his enemy. As an emperor, I really do not know how to recognize people and cannot appoint talented people to serve as officials. You candidates, who are bystanders, should be able to give me answers. Don't lie.
Tell me quickly!"
"After I came to the throne, I worked hard, worked hard and loved the people, and was a good emperor. Now there have been successive years of disasters, people are hungry and cold, border troubles are constant, and uprisings are everywhere. How can I get the ministers to be of one mind with me, and the king and the ministers can jointly govern the country?"
"I issued various edicts, and the ministers carried them out conscientiously and seemed to be very obedient. But after careful investigation, I found that they were all false. Those who serve in politics do not truly bring peace to the people, and those who offer advice do not truly save time. Those who claim to be benevolent to the people actually harm the people.
I take the blame. A famous minister who is famous all over the world has no integrity at all. Is it really so difficult to make the people respect and love the emperor? In ancient times, if the people were not rewarded, the people would listen to the emperor. If the people were not intimidated, the people would also respect the emperor.
.Why can’t the current scholar-bureaucrats govern the country like that? I want to solve this problem, but the problem lies with the officials. Candidates, please tell me what to do?”
In the last few palace examinations of the Jiajing Dynasty, it can be seen from the examination questions that the separation between the emperor and his ministers has become very serious, and the emperor has no trust in his ministers.
Zhao Han comes up with questions for the palace examination, and the content is always concise and does not involve a lot of nonsense.
The title of this palace examination only has one line: "On the King of Jin's Confession of Kingdom to Tianzhu."
In the past, the ministers would select the top three and read all the papers for the top ten to the emperor. Starting from the last palace examination, the ministers were deprived of the qualification to select the top three and had to lay out the papers for the top fifteen.
Zhao Han did not let them read it out, but spread out the answer sheet and read it himself.
The first place, Liu Zongdao, comes from Luling County, Jiangxi.
"My correspondent: The King of Jin entrusted the country to Tianzhu, and the emperor entrusted it to the world... The Zhou Dynasty had the world, split the earth, divided it, established five classes, and the princes rose up."
"Nowadays, there are mountains and rivers on the other side of the ocean. Today's Kyushu is like China in the Zhou Dynasty. Today's four barbarians have also changed: Beidi people are like Rakshasa people. Eastern barbarian people are like America. Southern barbarians are like Nanyang."
Xirong people, Europe, Persia, Tianzhu, the Western Regions..."
"In the time of the three kings, vegetation and animals were everywhere, and people could not fight them. People pretended to be like things, and protected the fur, feathers, and scales. They built walls with earth and people lived in them. The saint king was born, the ritual and music system was established, and the feudal Kyushu
, the king came to dominate the world, and then the Shang and Zhou Dynasties discussed China..."
"The Qin and Han Dynasties established prefectures and counties, and the theories of the scholars were abolished. The prefectures and counties were enfeoffed by dynasties, turning the country into prefectures, and controlling and guarding the governors for the princes. The chaos of the princes cannot be changed; the diseases of the countrymen cannot be cured; the officials are disobedient, and the troops are restrained and swept away
It means that once the country is unified, even if the saint is resurrected, it cannot be changed..."
"Why did counties and counties enfeoff? Why did the Holy Emperor of today initiate the policy of enfeoffment again? Times have changed!"
"In the three generations, a country was no more than a hundred miles away, and its transportation was difficult to reach hundreds of miles. The eldest son could not control the nine states without enfeoffment. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, China flourished, and the kings were conquered all over the world. The world is vast, and enfeoffment will inevitably lead to chaos among the princes and counties.
Only then can we stabilize the inner world."
"Today, there are great changes that have not been seen in four thousand years. There are many foreign countries in the four seas, and people can be seen in the sails thousands of miles away. How is this different from the Three Dynasties in Kyushu? In ancient times, the eldest son was entrusted to the sea. In today's world, the eldest son is enfeoffed overseas.
.A few generations later, overseas will also be China, and this enfeoffment is of great utility!"
"Tianzhu can be the Jin, America can be the Qin, and Nanyang can be like the Baiyue. Today, the Holy Emperor divides the eldest sons, and perhaps wants to reshape the world and decide on Jiuzhou, so as to create a legacy that China will never let go of forever..."
Zhao Han couldn't help but laugh after reading the paper that was temporarily ranked first.
This is not a groundbreaking statement, because Zhao Han has already made a similar argument in the "Datong Constitution". But it is relatively rare to be able to draw on the past to discuss the present and combine it with the world situation.
Whatever the emperor likes, ministers and scholars will follow him, and his ideas will slowly spread.
It's just that the examinee named Liu Zongdao didn't understand what Siberia was like. He thought that Siberia was Russia's inherent territory, so he compared Russia to Beidi.
The second place, Chen Chun, is from Nanhai, Guangdong.
This candidate also talked about dividing the world, but he focused more on discussing current affairs.
Chen Chun believes that the current situation is more similar to the era of various schools of thought.
China is just one of the countries in the world. There are countless countries in the world, just like they were competing for hegemony during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
China took the lead in reform, just like the powerful Jin State. But the reform must continue, otherwise other countries are likely to catch up, such as the sudden rise of Qi, Qin, and Chu.
If China hesitates to move forward and does not think about making progress because it is temporarily strong, it may be divided into three kingdoms. And those European countries, or the Ottomans, Persians, and Mughals, may rise like Qi, Chu, and Qin.
As for the King of Jin's enfeoffment of the country in Tianzhu, there are advantages and disadvantages. It is conducive to expanding the territory and spreading Chinese civilization, but there are hidden dangers, and he must be careful not to follow in the footsteps of the Emperor of Zhou.
Chen Chun also wrote that the King of Jin entrusted Tianzhu instead of Nanyang to be wary of this hidden danger. Nanyang was too close and would be regarded as the mainland of China in the future and could not be enfeoffed to any of his eldest sons.
Zhao Han continued to look through the test papers at the back, and Zhao Kuangping, King of Chu, ranked fifteenth.
The ranking ministers spent a lot of time on this ranking.
Because there is no need to re-copy the palace examination paper, as long as it is the handwriting of an acquaintance, you can recognize it at a glance (there are also subtle differences in the palace style). Ranking the King of Chu too high would be a bit of a flattery; ranking the King of Chu too low would be a sign of flattery.
It is not giving face to the emperor and the king of Chu.
Since the papers for the top fifteen are to be submitted, it would be appropriate to rank fifteenth.
To be honest, Zhao Kuangping's answer sheet can be ranked among the top three!
This prince had excellent literary talent, and wrote colorful strategies. He had been exposed to it for a long time and knew what the emperor's father was thinking.
"Where are the articles by the female Jinshi?" Zhao Han asked.
Xiao Huan, who had already returned to the court with Ding You, replied: "The last one."
Zhao Han asked the minister to bring all the papers and go directly to read the articles of female Jinshi. The writing was really good, and the top ten were no problem. He probably suffered from gender discrimination.
After taking a look at a few more top 100 papers, Zhao Han found no more problems. Now the ministers judged the papers completely according to the emperor's wishes. Unlike the first imperial examination of the new dynasty, the ranking given by the ministers relied on the former.
Most of it was changed by the emperor, which made the scoring ministers lose face.
After careful consideration, Zhao Han swapped the top two, with Chen Chun as the top pick and Liu Zongdao as the second pick.
The paper of Zou Huaiyu, a female Jinshi, was ranked from the last place to the fifteenth place.
As for the King of Chu, Zhao Kuangping, no ranking will be given, but the answer sheet can be posted as a model essay, allowing scholars all over the world to evaluate their own quality.
This adjustment gave enough face to the reviewing ministers.
In fact, the grading standards of the ministers have turned into the shape of the emperor. There is no need to look for trouble in this situation.
Palace examination answer sheets are generally not released to the public.
Otherwise, once the test questions and palace examination answer sheets of the Jiajing Emperor in his later years are released, wouldn't it be a joke for the world's scholars to see the emperor and his ministers laughing?
When we arrive at Zhao Han, the top 15 candidates in the palace examination papers can be announced. Moreover, the palace examination papers of the number one, second and third overall candidates will be published in the "Datong Monthly" and spread throughout the world.
After thinking for a while, Zhao Han said: "In the next issue of Datong Monthly, we will print an extra page and publish five articles on the palace examination. In addition to the first-class answer sheets, we will also include articles by Zhao Kuangping and Zou Huaiyu."
The gold list was posted, causing a sensation again.
The main reason is that the first female Jinshi in the dynasty actually got the fifteenth place in the examination. How many men were embarrassed by this?
Then, they tried to find the ranking of King Chu, but found that there was no ranking at all.
In order to take care of scholars in areas where the imperial examination was lagging behind, and to prevent officials from forming cliques for personal gain, Zhao Han also followed the example of the Ming Dynasty and formulated the North and South Ranking Lists.
Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Jinling Prefecture, these five provinces and one prefecture are Nanbang, and the proportion of Jinshi accounts for 55%.
Sichuan, Anhui, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangnan, Hunan, and Hubei are the eight provinces on the list, and the proportion of Jinshi is 35%.
The remaining provinces are all Beibang, and the proportion of Jinshi is 10%.
Don’t feel that the candidates from the North Ranking are too aggrieved. If admission is not divided into rankings, they will not even reach 10%!
Those who were really aggrieved were the scholars in Nampang, who seemed to account for 55%, but in fact they were inflamed like purgatory.
In addition, Guangnan Province was recovered late and has not yet established a university. The candidates in this province are mainly children of immigrants, who usually study in universities in Guangxi and Yunnan, and quotas have been specially formulated for Guangnan Province.
Entrance to the examination room for the general examination is based on provinces, and admissions are carried out according to the proportion of quotas. Candidates from all over the country have come.
However, there is no ranking list for the results of the palace examination, and everyone is treated equally across the country.
Among the top fifty in this palace examination, 70% were from the South Ranking, 26% were from the Middle Ranking, and only a pitiful 4% were from the North Ranking.
Pu Songling, a scholar from Beibang, was one of the best in the northern provinces, but he only got 28th place in the examination.
