On the afternoon of October 12, 1905, Mr. Gu Hongming led the way, and Chen Ke walked into the auditorium of the Beijing Normal University Hall. There are already quite a few waiting in the auditorium. Chen Tianhua is very smart, he himself has entered the auditorium in advance and sat down in the last row. When the other students saw the two of them coming in, they almost all turned their heads to look at Chen Ke.

"That's the Chen Ke who wrote the book?" There is surprise, astonishment, and perseverance in such ear-to-ear exchanges.

Everyone is a cultural person, so the voice is not loud. So, Chen Ke also heard the following subtle voices very clearly.

"To write something like that at such a young age? I don't believe it. ”

"The book is full of errors."

The so-called literati are contemptuous, Chen Ke listened to those lectures on TV, and he himself listened to it while mocking the TV, Chen Ke didn't care about this kind of treatment at all. He still had a habitual smile on his face and looked at the students on either side. Gu Hongming gave a general introduction to Chen Ke, and then asked Chen Ke to give a lecture.

One consequence of the universalization of compulsory education is that there is little difference in age among students. The longer compulsory education is universal, the smaller the age difference between students in the same grade. Chen Ke has long been accustomed to this situation in the 21st century, he went to school a little early, and the result is that he did not keep up with the step, step by step, since elementary school, his age in the class is either the first to the bottom or the second-to-last, until he went to college to change this ranking. In the auditorium of the Beijing Normal University Hall, Chen Ke looked at the students below, and the age gap between them made Chen Ke quite uncomfortable. There are people in their 20s and 30s, and there are several uncles who don't know whether they are students or teachers, no matter how you look at them, they all have to look like they are in their 40s. The Jingshi University Hall was changed from the former Beijing Guozijian, and it should not be unusual for there to be some older students here.

Chen Ke glanced at the students below, there were about fifty people, and their appearance made Chen Ke quite impressed. More than sixty percent of these people have short hair, and those with braids are mixed in, which makes them look surprisingly unannoying. "Hello everyone, my name is Chen Ke. I have some humble opinions about coming here today, so please correct them. Chen Ke's opening remarks were also decent.

However, the people below are not polite, and those who can study in the hall of Beijing Normal University are all elites from all over the world. Everyone is pretentious. I saw a young man about the same age as Chen Ke standing up, he had short hair and was wearing a suit. "Mr. Chen, I have read your book, and in fact, all of you who are here today have also read it. After reading Mr. Chen's book, I had a question. I don't know what Mr. Chen thinks about the imperial examination. ”

On September 2, 1905, Yuan Shikai, the governor of Zhili, Zhao Erxun, the general of Shengjing, Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, Zhou Fu, the governor of Liangjiang, Cen Chunxuan, the governor of Liangguang, and Duanfang, the governor of Hunan, and a number of high-ranking officials, jointly went to the imperial court, clearly stating that the country's critical situation is a thousand dollars, and "if you want to remedy the difficulties, you must start from the promotion of schools; If you want to promote the school, you must start with the suspension of the imperial examination. The rhetoric vehemently pleaded for "vigorous and resolute action" and "suspension of the imperial examination". On September 2, in the name of Emperor Guangxu, an edict was issued in the name of Emperor Guangxu, announcing to the whole world: "All township and meeting examinations will be stopped." The issuance of this edict announced the end of the imperial examination system in ancient China.

Chen Ke didn't know how this young man could think of asking this question, seeing that the few people sitting next to him looked at him with burning eyes, Chen Ke felt that this question could not be easily answered and ended. He asked: "In my book, the imperial examination system is very respected. If this brother has read my book, he should know. ”

"Hmph." Chen Ke heard someone sneer. Most of the students didn't have much appreciation for Chen Ke's look on their faces.

"Let me do a small survey, how many people support the abolition of the imperial examination, please raise your hand."

The classmates looked at Chen Ke, until no one expressed their position. Chen Ke felt strange, "Could it be that all these people support the imperial examination?" He thought strangely.

The young man who stood up raised his hand, and at this time, someone catered to him. In the end, more than 40 of the more than 50 people raised their hands in agreement. It seems that those people just now don't want to express their position, they just think very highly of themselves and don't buy the account of Chen Ke, a young man.

"Please put your hands down. And this brother, please sit down too. Chen Ke said.

When the venue returned to its original appearance, Chen Ke asked, "Who supports the imperial examination, please raise your hand." ”

Seven or eight people raised their hands. Looking at their expressions, they were quite excited. It seems that the attitude of supporting the imperial examination is still very firm.

"We are all scholars, and the so-called national affairs, family affairs, world affairs, and everything is concerned. If you talk about the merits of the imperial examination itself, I think everyone has their own reasons. But I'm going to talk about my book today, so I can't help but talk about politics. From a political point of view, I am against the abolition of the imperial examinations. ”

There was a buzz, and various reactions erupted from below. Some people have a look of disdain on their faces, and some have an excited look of "meeting a comrade".

"It seems that Mr. Chen likes Baguwen very much?" The young man said mockingly.

"This brother, I don't know the tutorial of the university hall, I want to ask the brother if he has studied mathematics?"

"I've learned it." The young man said in a distinctly targeted tone.

Chen Ke didn't answer, he turned around and picked up the chalk and wrote on the blackboard. At first glance, they are simple math problems, such as 1+1=,4*()=16. Such a simple topic is naturally pediatrics for these students of Beijing Normal University. Someone had already laughed lowly. "Are these questions for children?"

As Chen Ke wrote more and more, the ridicule increased significantly, but as the discussion below began to turn ear-to-ear, the various sarcastic voices gradually decreased.

Chen Ke turned his head, and many of the people below had already understood what Chen Ke meant, and their expressions became solemn.

"Bagu Wenzhishi is indeed not in line with modern trends and needs. However, standardized tests are never outdated. Chen Ke pointed to the title on the blackboard and said.

These students are not those who do not learn and have no skills, the content of what Chen Ke wrote on the blackboard is simple, but Chen Ke was not supposed to test everyone, the key to these things is the classification of the questions in the exam. Fill-in-the-blank questions, multiple-choice questions, multiple-choice questions, quiz questions, calculation questions. Chen Ke simply wrote down the exam papers of his time.

"I'll have to explain to you first, I've only read a little bit of the eight-strand text. I don't know how to write an eight-strand essay myself. "Chen Ke doesn't want to pretend to understand." However, I have always believed that there are no rules. Baguwen is also a standardized test model. That's what I value. ”

Hearing these words, the pot immediately boiled under the table. Some people support Chen Ke, while others oppose it. It seems that those who support Chen Ke actually have a slight advantage.

"Mr. Chen, these are all new school courses, what does it have to do with the imperial examination?" The young man continued to ask.

"The imperial court is now abolishing the imperial examination, and I can't put it mildly, it is self-defeating." Chen Ke replied-for-tat. As soon as these words came out, the audience was silent. Chen Ke calmly put down the chalk in his hand and slapped off the chalk shavings stuck to his fingers.

"No matter what you say, the imperial examination system has such a problem, that kind of problem. But the significance of the imperial examination system itself is that it provides a relatively fair model for promotion. Even if all kinds of frauds emerge in an endless stream, most of those who have passed the imperial examinations at all levels and become famous are still ordinary scholars. I think you have to admit it. ”

No one objected, and everyone looked at Chen Ke with their own emotions, wanting to see what Chen Ke meant.

"Then abolish the imperial examination and advocate a new type of school. Should this fairness be maintained? If fairness is to be maintained, the content of the imperial examination can be increased. Mathematics, physics, and chemistry were gradually added to the imperial examinations. If we want to increase the number of people receiving education, then can we put the new school in the imperial examination system? I don't agree with the overthrow of the imperial examination. ”

"What does this have to do with what Mr. Chen said about the self-destruction of the imperial court?" The other brother who looked at his forties asked with a frown. It seems that Chen Ke said such an elegant statement, he didn't understand it very much.

Chen Ke turned around and picked up the chalk again, and then he felt that it was superfluous for him to pretend to be calm. But now he can't manage so much, Chen Ke brushed down a line of big characters, "The king is rich and the people are rich, the overlord is Fuji, the only remaining doctor of the country's wealth, the dead country is rich in baskets, and the real treasury." The people below are all readers, and knowing that this is the words in "Xunzi - The King's System", many astute thinking people have slowly nodded.

"Today, there is no talk of enriching the people at all. In order to pay compensation, the imperial court worked hard to enrich the basket and the treasury. This is already extremely dangerous. It was because of the Opium War that the imperial court increased taxes in order to pay reparations. So the people immediately responded, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom rebelled. Zeng Guofan led the Hunan army to fight fiercely with the Taiping army, burning, killing and looting, but it enriched the Hunan army in Hunan. It's also considered Fuji. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was finally destroyed. As for the Westernization movement, if you are rich in Westernization, you can be regarded as a rich doctor. The imperial court also looked at the appearance of Tongguang Zhongxing. Now that the imperial examination has been abolished, whether it is a doctor or a scholar, there will be no chance of promotion that was originally fair in the system. If mathematics and physics are added to the imperial examination, although those who study find it much more difficult to take the imperial examination, there is still hope for it. In order to be admitted, they must learn new knowledge, and the new school of the imperial court can be implemented just in time. Now that the imperial examination is all aside, what do those scholars think and think? The imperial examination was originally a single-plank bridge crossed by thousands of troops, and only a few were admitted. With the establishment of a new type of education, there are not many official positions in the imperial court. Moreover, the sudden implementation of new education is tantamount to cutting off the path of those who study. Those who can read are not poor. They had a very close relationship with the gentry. Now the imperial court has offended the people in order to pay compensation, and the scholars have been offended again. The only ones who can rely on these doctors, that is, the officials. Gengzi year southeast self-protection has come out, this world's feudal officials, can the court be reliable? ”

Chen Ke's words were loud, and no one who came to listen to the class, whether it was a teacher or a student, could immediately stand up and refute it for a while. After a pause, someone asked, "Isn't this going to implement a new policy and establish a constitution?" ”

"There is a saying in our hometown, it is called no profit, no early riser. Who is the main promoter of constitutionalism? Aren't they the officials of the southeast and the gentry of various places? Why a constitution? Isn't one of the important officials just because the imperial court wants to enrich the basket and the real treasury, and they can't stand it? If the constitution is successful, it will be impossible for these people to defeat foreign countries, and the money they should lose will not be missing. When the gentry were in power, they would definitely not pay a penny more, but would try to pay less by all means. The persecution of foreigners like tigers and wolves, the money will eventually be passed on to the people. Since someone has read my book, then you may have read that at the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was actually a matter of paying 12 taels a year for the tea tax in the south. It was like that then, and it will be the same now. If the persecution of the people is too much, what will be the result, everyone is a well-informed talent, so I don't need to talk about it. ”

No one said anything anymore, those who could be admitted to the Beijing Normal University were all people who understood, and everyone knew that Chen Ke was not talking nonsense. Everyone looked at Chen Ke's eyes and no longer had any contempt. Originally, these people's evaluation of Chen Keshu was similar to that of Yan Fu and Mr. Ma Xiangbo, and they all felt that Chen Ke's theory was very "domineering". Many people think that Chen Ke is a "madman". The student who asked the question originally wanted to discuss the issue of Baguwen with Chen Ke. However, Chen Ke's focus is not on small details at all, but from the perspective of the country's general trend, and the analysis is very profound. Although some people are still not convinced, they don't dare to say anything easily.

"If you don't have any other questions, I'll start lecturing." Chen Ke saw that no one jumped out to speak again, and his expression had returned to his usual gentle appearance.

After the lecture of the day, Mr. Gu Hongming must invite Chen Ke to dinner.

"Wen Qing's words are sharp, and he is worthy of being a disciple of Yan Jidao." Mr. Gu said at the dinner table.

Yan Fu's letter this time stated the mentor-apprentice relationship between himself and Chen Ke, and Mr. Gu Hongming did not doubt it.

"Wen Qing, I didn't even see that you know so much about the government."

"Mr. Gu, I am a little shy about speaking today. Now that I think about it, I regret it, and if it causes inconvenience to Mr. Gu, please let Mr. Gu say it directly. ”

"Wen Qing, what you say about Bagu today is all the words of Lao Cheng and seeking the country. Now there is a shortage of people like you who can see the problem and are stable and reliable. Everyone is full of party strife, and they are eager to achieve quick success. I didn't think about it that much, but after listening to Wen Qing's words, the more I thought about it, the more scared I became. The imperial court is now also difficult to ride a tiger, and the new policy will inevitably be implemented. What do you think about the New Deal? ”

"Mr. Gu, it is especially possible to do evil in heaven, but you can't live if you do it yourself. As for the New Deal, or as I said today, the imperial court is simply self-defeating. No matter how the new policy was carried out, it was the court, the gentry, and the feudal officials who competed for interests. For now, no matter which side has the upper hand, it will be the people who will suffer. As soon as the hearts of the people in this world are lost, they will wait for those two people. ”

Hearing this, Gu Hongming frowned and remained silent. Chen Ke was also not polite and let go of the munch. When I was half-full, I heard Mr. Gu ask: "Wen Qing wrote a book and said that he must have thought that the new deal constructed in your book could save the country and save the people." ”

"Yes." Chen Ke's answer was categorical.

"Wen Qing, a few letters to me said that he wrote a letter to Yuan Weiting and introduced you to meet him. Yuan Weiting, as a minister of Beiyang, is also a smart person, and I wonder if Wen Qing can write an article about the new policy. I will personally take you to see Yuan Weiting. ”

"That's not a good thing to write. It's going to take a few days to finish. ”

"It's okay. You come to the school in the afternoon to give a lecture, and you can write the rest of the time. ”

"Then after I finish writing, Mr. Gu, you have to give me an axe."

"This is natural."

After eating, Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua went back to their residence together.

"Wen Qing, you are so straightforward, but I didn't expect it."

Chen Ke didn't take this stubble, he cared about something else, "Xingtai, you see how the students reacted to my class." ”

"I think the response has been good. What's the matter, Wenqing, are you going to develop comrades in the Jingshi University Hall? ”

"Yes to the Jingshi University Hall, I am Jiang Taigong fishing. There wasn't that much effort spent on them. It's a Westerner, and you need to make good friends. After the year of Gengzi, the strength of the Westernists was greatly damaged. They are the most dissatisfied with the imperial court, but they can develop it. ”

"What are you going to do?"

The two talked while walking, it was October, and it was getting dark early. When the two returned to their accommodation, it was completely dark. I raised my hand to touch the lock, but I felt empty. Chen Ke was taken aback, could it be that there was a thief in the place where he lived? When I pushed open the door, I saw that the lights were on in the main room and the side room. Several figures were cast on the bed paper. Hearing the voice, a tall figure stood up first. Chen Ke breathed a sigh of relief, and after a moment, he saw Wu Xingchen walking out of the main hall. Chen Ke closed the courtyard door, and then turned back, on the stone steps in front of the main house, in addition to Wu Xingchen, there were several other people. One of them turned out to be Pang Zi.

When they had seen the salute, they went back into the house. There was a pile of wine and meat on the table in the room, but it didn't move much, and it seemed that the crowd had not been sitting for a long time. Chen Ke didn't expect Wu Xingchen to bring Pang Zi to Beijing. was guessing Pang Zi's intention, and saw Pang Zi get up and pour wine for Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua, and then held his own cup, "Two Mr. Chen, I didn't entertain well in Xingtai, and this glass of wine will make amends for the two of you." ”

Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua hurriedly stood up with the wine, and everyone clinked glasses, and they all drank it all. Then I sat down.

"Wen Qing, you and Brother Pang are both straight-tempered. Especially you, you just don't speak well. Brother Pang said about you, I don't think everyone should be so unhappy. Brother Pang also felt quite regretful, no, he made a special trip to Beijing to make amends for your sins. ”

Hearing this, Chen Ke hurriedly got up and poured wine for Pang Zi and the others. He raised his glass, "That's how I speak. If you offend Brother Pang, you must ask Brother Pang for forgiveness. ”

Everyone got up and said a few polite words, and then they all drank dry.

After sitting down again, Pang Zi said, "Mr. Chen, what you said last time, after you left, I thought about it many times. And Brother Wu also talked to me specifically. Brother Wu said a lot of truths, I think it's right, but there are many places that I don't quite understand. This time, I came to Beijing specifically to ask Mr. Chen for advice. ”

"Brother Pang, I don't know anything about you. I don't know if Brother Pang can tell me about you first. If I don't even know the basics, what I'm saying is definitely not right. ”

Hearing this, Pang Zi's eyes flickered, and his vigilant look was obvious, "About Pang, I don't know what Mr. Chen wants to know?" ”

Chen Ke didn't care about Pang Zi's expression, he said calmly. "Brother Wu didn't say how you met, I have to talk about this first."