In a corner of the cafeteria of Jishi University in Hong Kong, Bai Enming, Sun Wen, and Hu Zhenguo are each holding a cup of coffee, sitting around a small Western-style round table, talking in a low voice in English.

Sun Wen said: "The emperor's imperial examination reform is a bit urgent, so students over the age of 28 should be allowed to take the exam once or twice, so that there will always be less shock." If it was placed in the former Qing Dynasty, the imperial court would definitely do it. ”

Of course, this Sun Wen will not know the Tao, and in history, when the Manchu Qing Dynasty abolished the imperial examination in 1905, it was also an edict, and he never let people take the exam once or twice, as a buffer. Now Zhu Jishi has only set the upper age limit for participating in the imperial examination at 28 years old, which is really to take care of the interests of the scholars to the greatest extent - if he can't get into Xiucai at the age of 28, it doesn't matter to those gentry and wealthy families if he goes on the exam, but for the rich peasants and middle peasants, it is a big burden. If you delay for a few more years and want to change your career to learn something else, I am afraid that your brain and energy will not be enough.

Bai Enming frowned: "If you don't delay for a few years, there must be a reason not to delay...... Although the emperor is a little radical in doing things, Zuo Zongtang, Luo Zenan and others are all scheming, and it must be reasonable for them not to stop it. ”

"What's the point?" Hu Zhenguo snorted, "I think it's a dizziness when I am the emperor!" ”

Bai Enming sighed, why is this Hu Zhenguo so prejudiced against Zhu Jishi? I really don't know where Emperor Zhu is sorry for him?

"Maybe it's because you're going to fight the Russians, right? Now the situation in Europe is becoming more and more tense, Russia and Turkey are preparing for war, and Emperor Zhu is also preparing...... Recently, there have been rumors that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom may become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty. The Bohai State is also to be removed. Emperor Zhu probably wanted to take advantage of the war in Europe to start a war with Russia on the Eastern Front, right? So he'd rather die a few nerds than get this reform done before the war broke out. Otherwise, it will be postponed until after the war. ”

Not to mention. Bai Enming really guessed Emperor Zhu's abacus. It is imperative to reform the imperial examination, but the possible shocks cannot be ignored. Behind Zhu Jishi's knowledge of the imperial examination system is not only the problem of Confucian scholars and doctors having hope of becoming officials, but also the problem of Confucian scholars becoming the rulers of rural China! Once some of them are deprived of the hope of becoming officials, they are also deprived of their gentry status, and it is difficult to say whether there is any artificial rebellion, but resistance is inevitable.

Now that the world is peaceful, the Ming court is naturally not afraid of this kind of resistance, and if it waits until the war between China and Russia will cause chaos. It's even more troublesome. Moreover, how long the war with Russia will last, Emperor Zhu himself does not have an end, what if it lasts for ten or eight years? Could it be that the reform of the imperial examination will drag on for ten or eight years?

"War with Russia? It may be ......" Hu Zhenguo's eyes rolled, as if he was thinking about something. Sun Wen said: "It's really an opportunity to do this!" ”

If it was before the Battle of Osaka Bay, Bai Enming would probably be excited when he heard this. But now Bai Enming has been discouraged by the anti-Ming Fuqing morning, and making money and accumulating fame are his top priorities.

He said seriously: "If there is internal instability, it seems like a faint move to start a war with the outside world, but if the war against Russia is won, the faint move will become a fairy move. Moreover, Emperor Zhu will not go to war with Russia alone, and will inevitably send troops together with France and England. The chances of being defeated are not very high.

Moreover, after the war against Russia, to put it bluntly, it is still a matter of silver, ammunition and rations. What Emperor Zhu has is that the munitions can now be produced in Daming's own factory, as for the soldiers' rations...... With the support of Northeast reclamation, it will not be too nervous. In this battle, I think Daming is undefeated. ”

Seeing Hu Zhenguo and Sun Wen frowning, he sighed with emotion: "You have to be calm to do big things, you are all young people, you will still be in the prime of life after ten or twenty years, and most of you will still be able to do business in thirty or forty years, and Emperor Zhu will probably be no longer alive by then." In the end, he is the founding emperor, China has had two generations of countries that have died since ancient times, but there is no founding son who cannot even maintain a dynasty after dominating the world. ”

Then he raised his eyebrows and said, "You are jumping out of the gang now, and you may not be in his arms." Now that he has started the reform of the imperial examination, he may have the intention of luring the snake out of the hole. If you rebel and make trouble, just let his people arrest and kill him!" Are you really not afraid? ”

Hu Zhenguo sighed and said: "Now is the beginning of the world, the people's hearts are not attached, Emperor Zhu does not know that the people are resting, and he blindly tosses and turns, how can it be impossible to die in one life?" If there is a benevolent monarch in the second generation, maybe it will be able to settle down. ”

Bai Enming shook his head: "Zhenguo, did you really grow up in Europe and the United States?" How can this brain be the same as that of a scholar in China? Today's world is not for us to play behind closed doors, and a large number of powers outside are eyeing each other, which cannot be solved by a single benevolent character. In my opinion, Emperor Zhu is actively preparing for war with Russia...... For Chinese patients, it must be for Russia! If we can take advantage of the opposition between Russia and Britain and France, and unite Britain and France to cripple Russia, China will have no external troubles within a hundred years. ”

He had been in Russia for a long time, and had come into contact with Russian politicians and military strategists such as Crown Prince Alexander and Governor Muravyov, so he naturally knew how belligerent Russia was! To be a neighbor in such a country of tigers and wolves, can't you stab yourself a few times at the first opportunity?

Hu Zhenguo and Sun Wen were both a little stunned, Bai Enming sighed again, and said with a wry smile: "It's still not appropriate to be ambitious now, you should do something in a down-to-earth manner, or start with propaganda and education first." I think it is feasible to open Lanxiang Academy, but now Guangdong and Nanyang need a large number of generals, lawyers, and doctors, and the salaries are very high, and they can't hire people...... This is the opportunity of Lanxiang Academy! Now Mr. Li and "Qingliu Bao" have a very high status in the minds of readers, and if Mr. Li and "Qingliu Bao" come forward, they will definitely be able to recruit many students. If a student charges 1,000 yuan for tuition and miscellaneous fees, 1,000 students are 1,000,000 yuan! If you can train 10,000 students, there will be at least five or six million net profits! ”

Hu Zhenguo, who has a lot of money, is not very interested in money, so he hummed twice and did not speak. However, Sun Wen, who was in danger of sitting on the mountain, was extremely interested.

"1,000 yuan tuition...... Who can afford this? ”

"Why can't you afford it? After they learn it, they can get a salary of at least 200 yuan, and they will be out of the book in 5 months. And we can also lend money to students...... Students can guarantee each other, ten students jointly guarantee, so that the risk of the loan is minimized! Yes, that's it, and a bank that specializes in lending money to students! ”

Seeing that Hu Zhenguo was not interested, Sun Wen hurriedly said: "We can also instill the idea of republican democracy into those frustrated scholars, and maybe we can find more like-minded people among them." ”

Hu Zhenguo bowed his head and said: "This is not bad, you can not only make money, but also publicize...... However, where is the school located, how much capital is needed, and how much is the first batch of students ready to recruit? ”

"The academy is located in my Lanxiang Building, which is my new villa in the Tai Tam Reservoir, and I can't live for a few days a year. How much does it cost to run a school...... It doesn't cost much, just buy some tables, chairs, benches, blackboards, print some teaching materials, and build some dormitory buildings. The capital is all paid by me, and the shares are divided equally between us, and you only need to invite some students from Jishi University to work part-time. The teacher's salary is calculated according to the hourly salary, and the class of the previous hour is 10 yuan and 20 yuan. As for the students, I think the first phase can recruit 1,000 people, and they can recruit students through the distribution points of "Qingliu Bao" in various places, and they have the influence of "Qingliu Bao", so they are not afraid of not being able to recruit people! ”

The same thing is seen in the eyes of people from different positions, and the opportunities are completely different. Bai Enming is now completely discouraged by the Qing Dynasty, he has little interest in republican democracy or anything, he recently got a mixed-race son, which can be regarded as a queen (he also had a son, but lost contact in the war and chaos, Lian Sushun and Guerjia. Yuan Bao didn't know their whereabouts, most of them were dead), naturally cherished it, and wanted to leave a rich family business for his son.

But in the eyes of some people, this time Emperor Zhu's "faint move" is their most desperate opportunity. (To be continued......)