Zhu Hongsan also felt embarrassed when he heard Zhang Huangyan say this, this battle is easy to fight, but the name is not easy to get, after all, now that he has become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang's Emperor Ming Zuxun has become his own mantra, and some things are very difficult to do.

But this is not difficult for Zhu Hongsan, Zhu Hongsan thought about it, it is better not to use the name of the Japanese Kou, isn't your Japan a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty? Now that the boss has something, you don't pay for it? Zhu Hongsan remembered that in the Gulf War in later generations, Japan took nearly half of the military spending for the United States.

After thinking clearly, Zhu Hongsan touched his chin and said, "In the name of joint resistance to the Qing Dynasty!" Let's just say that the Ming Emperor has changed, now it is Lao Tzu Zhu Hongsan who is the emperor, you Japanese people are few and the country is micro, but Lao Tzu is particular about people, don't care about the chaos of your previous Japanese Kou, now Lao Tzu is fighting with the Manchu Qing, since you are one of the fifteen countries that Emperor Taizu personally sealed and will never attack, then there is a vassal state, and Lao Tzu is provided with military salaries and military food! ”

This is probably the most rude and arrogant diplomatic document in the history of the Ming Dynasty, and Zhang Huangyan did not dare to refute it, so he could only translate Zhu Hongsan's words into classical Chinese and write them as holy decrees. Zhu Hongsan looked at it and saw that there was no problem, and sent it to Zhao Guoliang in Yangzhou after printing. If the decree is submitted to the Cabinet for approval according to the normal procedure, the Cabinet will approve it before it can be announced to the world and become a law. However, Zhu Hongsan's rules and military issues did not need to go through the cabinet, he could use the seal himself, so he avoided a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Seeing that this matter was over, Zhu Hongsan asked again: "Xuanzhu, what else is important?" ”

Zhang Huangyan said respectfully: "Your Majesty, it is now nearly August, and there are a few days before the Wuzi Year Township Examination, and the Ministry of Rites has come up to ask Your Majesty to arrange the chief examiner for this year's autumn year!" ”

After Zhang Huangyan reminded Zhu Hongsan, he remembered that there was such a big event this year, although the imperial examination system was different in Zhu Hongsan's eyes, there were still benefits, at least to ensure the promotion channel of up and down. The dynasty is Tian Shelang and the twilight of the Tianzi Hall, which is a true portrayal of this system.

When Zhu Hongsan first took power in Guangdong, he also thought about selecting cadres according to the system of later generations, but this touched the fundamental interests of the scholar group, and their reaction was not something that Zhu Hongsan could withstand.

Later, after Zhu Hongsan saw the operation of ancient officialdom, he found that the imperial examination system was irreplaceable until now. It is easy to abolish the imperial examination, but how to select talents? Is it still back to the inspection system of the Qin and Han dynasties? Or directly engage in a Wei and Jin Dynasty's nine-product Zhongzheng system? Isn't that a reversal of history? Even the college entrance examination system in later generations is not a variant of the imperial examination system?

Therefore, after careful consideration, Zhu Hongsan decided not to use the imperial examination system, or to follow the previous system, and as for what to do in the future, let's see.

Therefore, after Zhu Hongsan occupied Nanjing last year, he immediately released the wind to reopen the imperial examination in Nanjing in the second year, that is, in the year of Wuzi this year, and to hold the examination in the spring of the third year.

As soon as the news came out, Zhu Hongsan was appreciated by all the readers in the world, because since the last subject examination in Chongzhen's sixteenth year, the examination has not been held for five years, and readers all over the country are waiting eagerly.

However, in the past few years, all forces on the land of China have been in a state of flux, and they simply do not have the energy to engage in these things. Only Zhu Hongsan conducted a township test when he was in Guangdong, and hundreds of people were selected to respond to emergencies.

Therefore, when Zhu Hongsan occupied Nanjing, Qian Qianyi immediately proposed to reopen the imperial examination, and Zhu Hongsan also felt that this was a good opportunity to buy people's hearts, so he issued an order the next day to reopen the township examination on August 15 of the Wuzi year, and hold the meeting examination in March next year. There is another point that Ma Mingyuan proposed to add, that is, no matter the north, south, east and west, whether it is the territory of the Manchu Qing Dynasty or the territory of King Gui, as long as there is a talent in the former Ming Dynasty, you can go to Nanjing to catch the exam, and take the exam tomorrow in March.

As soon as this news came out, all the scholars in the world were boiling, and in May, there began to be scholars from far away to come to Nanjing to prepare for the exam, and now Nanjing is even more overcrowded, and the provincial capitals in the city have already been full.

This is also a helpless thing, the township examination period is in autumn and August, so it is also called autumn. The township examination is a local examination held by the southern and northern Zhili and the political envoys of each country. The location is in the south of Tianfu, the north of Shun Tianfu, and the residence of the political envoys of various provinces. However, it is easy to say in the south that the northern provinces are under the control of the Manchus, and the Xiucai of those provinces only need to cross the Yangtze River to Yingtianfu to take the examination.

The township test is mostly held in autumn, so it is also called "autumn puff", with three sessions per session and three days and nights per session. Since there are two changes in the middle, it is actually nine days and seven nights.

The first test is the Bagu Wen, which is based on the selection of materials from the Four Books and Five Classics. The second test is the application of officialdom, which is divided into two types: official documents exchanged from top to bottom and judicial judgments written based on the provided cases. The third test question involves specific issues of the national economy and people's livelihood, and requires candidates to give countermeasures and methods. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the examination, the number room will be locked after the examination, and no matter what happens during the period, even if there is a fire, the candidates cannot be unlocked.

In ancient times, there were many rules for the imperial examination, and it was quite complicated, and the complete procedures included the township examination, the meeting examination, and the palace examination, that is, the local, central, and emperor examinations. The township test is also known as the township test, and passing the township test is "lifted" and becomes a lifter.

In terms of form, the township examination can be regarded as the "national unified examination for ordinary colleges and universities" in ancient China. The Zhongju person is equivalent to being admitted to a prestigious university in later generations, and the examination is a bit like the civil service examination in later generations, and if you win the examination, you will be qualified to become an official. The palace examination is somewhat like the selection of leading cadres in later generations, and those who do well in the examination will stay in the central ministries and commissions, and those who are not good can only go to the local government to become county commanders.

After Zhu Hongsan had an in-depth understanding, he found out that the imperial examination was not to go down to become an official after the examination. In later generations, many people thought that these scholars would go to the county magistrate without knowing anything, could they do a good job? In fact, this is a distortion of later generations, the complete imperial examination system is only a part, after the palace examination is over, these preparatory officials have to go to the central ministries to observe the government, that is, as interns, to learn how to handle government affairs.

Usually the study period is one year, but it is not absolute, and there are some that end in a few months. After the end of the exam, the study of the good into the Hanlin Academy, that is, Shu Jishi, this is the prime minister's preparatory class, this is the place where the big cattle stay, the Ming Dynasty many first auxiliary scholars such as Xu Jie, Zhang Juzhong, Yang Tinghe are all from Shu Jishi.

The rest of the unlucky children are going to go to the local government to become officials, and those who do well in the examination can be appointed as low-level officials in various parts of the central government, and they will go to the local area to become a seven-grade magistrate again.

Of course, this is a normal official channel, if you are a hard man, no matter how awesome Lao Tzu is, you can also enter the Guozijian. It's a bit like a preparatory course for adult education, where you don't need to be born in the imperial examination to become an official, but the opportunities are quite rare.

Because the officials who were born in the imperial examination in ancient times are much more faceless than the descendants of later generations, they think that only the imperial examination is the right way, and their children and grandchildren will go through the imperial examination as long as they have a glimmer of hope.

Even Zhang Juzheng, who was in power during the Wanli period, was scolded to death by cultural people just to get a background for his son, and even after his death, this was one of several major crimes, and his eldest son Zhang Jingxiu was humiliated and finally hanged.

Therefore, after Zhu Hongsan's detailed study, he felt that in this era, there was no safer, equal, and fair mechanism for selecting talents than the imperial examination, so Zhu Hongsan was ready not to resist the imperial examination system, but to use the imperial examination to select talents for himself.

Zhu Hongsan heard Zhang Huangyan mention this matter, nodded heavily and said: "Xuanzhu is right, the imperial examination is a national canon of talent, and there must be no mistakes. ”

The township examination is different from the general examination, the township examination is conducted by the provinces themselves, and generally speaking, the central Ministry of Rites selects officials to serve as one main examiner, and then the academic administration of each province serves as the other main exam. Because the examination is a national examination, one or more people must be selected from the cabinet scholars to serve as the main examination, and the emperor will naturally serve as the main examination for the palace examination.

Zhang Huangyan thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, although this township examination is held in Yingtianfu, but the people from the northern provinces have to rush over to take the exam, and this township examination is the first imperial examination that His Majesty has returned to the old capital, so the minister thinks that this candidate for the main examination should choose a mature and stable person to serve!" ”

"Xuan Zhu is right, what good candidates do you have?"

"Your Majesty, the minister recommends Huang Zongxi, a bachelor of Hanlin, to be the chief examiner!"

Zhu Hongsan frowned when he heard Zhang Huangyan say this, Huang Zongxi knew too well. At the court meeting the year before last, Huang Zongxi offended Zhu Hongsan over the issue of whether Zhu Huai, the king of Chu, should attend, and has now been imprisoned in Jinyiwei Prison for almost ten months.

Huang Zongxi and Zhu Hongsan also have a headache for this thorn head, Huang Zongxi is talented, but he is also arrogant. Back then, he sold his wealth to organize a righteous army to resist the Qing Dynasty in eastern Zhejiang, which can be regarded as a great contribution to the imperial court, but this guy has a deep affection for Zhu Yihai, the king of Lu, and he heard that he also wrote a Lu Jian State Unified Calendar in the edict prison, and probably didn't say anything good about himself on it.

But Huang Zongxi was born in eastern Zhejiang, his teacher is Liu Zongzhou, the boss of Donglin, and his father is Huang Daozhou, a master of Confucianism, even Zhu Hongsan does not dare to do anything to him in this identity. Even in the edict prison, Zhu Hongsan also ordered Jinyiwei to treat Huang Zongxi well, not to embarrass him, so that Huang Zongxi was completely the uncle in the edict prison, and there was a special person to serve him every day.

Zhu Hongsan recruited Huang Zongxi to serve as an official in the name of using his signboard to attract those intellectuals in eastern Zhejiang for his own use. But everything has side effects, and the intellectuals in eastern Zhejiang are now entering their own Shenwu Dynasty as officials, but Huang Zongxi's hard bones also give Zhu Hongsan a headache.