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Chapter 557 Teachings

After playing a role-playing game for a day, Zhu Cihong returned to the Governor's Mansion and chased Chen Xie and asked, "Wasn't the previous imperial examination system bad?" Why change? ”

How can this question be answered? Chen Xie thought for a while, and carefully organized the wording, hoping to use the simplest language to instill some ideas. Zhu Cihong is the future king, and his cognition and influence on these things are inevitable.

"That's a good question, let's start with the imperial examination. Under normal circumstances, if a scholar wants to be admitted from a child to a jinshi, how can it take 20 years to pay for the phone, right? Assuming that this person starts to enlighten at the age of six and reaches the age of thirty-five, this is faster than most people. During this period, he only needed to read the Four Books and Five Classics and learn how to make the Bagu Wen. It can be said that the best study time in a person's life is spent on the Four Books and Five Classics. So after he became a jinshi, he started from the county order of Qipin, and at this time he didn't know much except for the four books and five classics. Then you have to learn government affairs in office, you can't help but underestimate a county order, in the Ming system, a county's affairs, the county order can be in charge. Taxation, adjudication, local education, water conservancy, bridge construction and paving, and so on. At this time, it is a little late to learn these things. Then before he learned, in fact he was already an official, holding the supreme power of a county. I don't understand anything, I have to learn now, and in my position, do you think he can manage this county well? So why do you want to study arithmetic? In people's daily life, everything is inseparable from arithmetic. For example, when His Royal Highness was shopping in Huating, you bought so many things, did you pay? How much to pay, do you understand? Another example is bridge repair, road paving, water conservancy and so on. All these things have to be done with arithmetic and agriculture. Looking back now, is it better to know some common sense before becoming an official, or to learn it if you don't know anything? ”

Speaking of which, Zhu Cihong understood a little, but he didn't understand it very well. Chen Xie had no choice but to continue: "In this way, suppose that a fellow jinshi goes to a county to make a county order, and the general term of office is six years (Jingcha). During this period, because I don't know much about government affairs, why do I have to spend one to two years to get familiar with government affairs, right? Well done. By the time he became familiar with government affairs, at least a year had passed. In the past year, the government affairs of this county have actually been in a situation where the county order has not played much role. Suppose that this county magistrate, who doesn't know anything, likes to enforce his rights very much, and he wants to decide everything. Then think about the decision he made in the past year or so. How much trouble can it bring to the people of this county? Putting aside this qiē, I will sue you again. In fact, under the Ming system, the decrees of the county orders did not play a big role in many cases. Know why? ”

Zhu Cihong shook his head, and Chen Xie smiled: "There are not more officials in the Ming Dynasty, but less." Why? Let's start with the lowest level of the people, the beginning of this dynasty. With the Lijia system as the grassroots system, and later joined the armor protection system, although the Lijia system has not been canceled, it has existed in name only. These grassroots officials have power in their hands. But not officials. Together with the folk clans and squires, these people are the actual holders of the grassroots power of the Ming Dynasty. And the county order, high above, can actually play not many rights, it's not that he doesn't have this right, he has only one person, he can't manage so many things, and he must rely on the officials below to assist him in managing the affairs of the entire county. In this case, it is easy for a county order to be united by the people below because they are not familiar with government affairs, especially those who have just taken office, and these problems are more likely to occur. In many cases, even if the county magistrate has the heart to manage government affairs well, he has the heart to do so. Why? Just because he was in the best learning stage of his life, he devoted himself to the Four Books, Five Classics and Eight Strands. ”

Zhu Cihong listened in a daze, this is related to his position as emperor in the future. "The county order can't grasp the grassroots power of a county, so how can the auxiliary ministers of the central cabinet control the power of the empire?" Chen Xie made up another knife, and Zhu Cihong reacted a little flustered: "In this case, the most monarch will not be able to understand the real situation of this country through his ministers." No wonder Taizu wants to set up Jinyi Wei, and Chengzu wants to set up the East Factory. ”

Chen Xie was thundered by his answer, but he didn't want to say anything now, this matter still had to let him slowly figure out how he should look at this matter. What Chen Xie has to do is to guide, or teach.

"After the township test, there is the election of the Advisory Bureau, and you can also follow this matter to see. Don't talk, look on the side, and think about what's going on? Chen Xie changed the topic, but Zhu Cihong was not easy to fool, and immediately said: "Brother-in-law, if there is a decree in this regard, I'll take a look first." ”

Chen Xie was happy to see him do this, and immediately took him to the study, took a booklet and handed it to him, "Look at it, this is the rules for the establishment of the Consultative Bureau, and the detailed rules for the rights and duties of the councilors. ”

Although he is only a half-old child, his identity determines what he cares about. As a crown prince, he was instilled from an early age that he was the one who wanted to be the emperor and manage the affairs of the country. Naturally, he is very concerned about these things. I went back to the yard where I lived, and after a hurried freshening up, I began to read.

Reading until late at night, Zhu Cihong's mind could be said to have one question after another. First of all, why was the Advisory Council established? According to the previous understanding, it is a kind of inducement to businessmen, giving them some social status, so that they can pay taxes willingly. After reading this, he didn't think so. Because it is clearly written above, parliamentarians can monitor the financial expenditures of officials. That is to say, how the government spends money, parliamentarians have the right to know, and even the right to supervise. This one is completely different, and the essence has changed a lot. I really couldn't figure it out, so Zhu Cihong got up and looked out the window, the lights were already out upstairs, I don't know what Chen Xie and his sister are doing, they should be sleeping, right?

With a lot of questions, Zhu Cihong also fell asleep. I got up early the next morning, and after a casual freshening up, I hurriedly came to the front to find Chen Xie, but I didn't expect to see my sister only, and only after asking did I know that Chen Xie went out early in the morning, and specially explained that if he still wanted to see how to determine the ranking, let Han Shan lead him to the Gongyuan.

Of course, Zhu Cihong wanted to go and see, and he was impatient to leave, but he was stopped by Zhu Yujiao and forced to eat early before releasing him.

When he followed Han Shan into the place where the Gongyuan was revised, he happened to hear Chen Xie speaking unhurriedly: "The rules are set by me, and if you are not convinced, you can let you take the position of examiner." As I said before, no matter how good the Bagu text is, when reading the sage's article, you can't go up and down to understand its true meaning, and those who simply take it out of context are not qualified to become a lifter. ”

Zhu Cihong stood at the window and looked in, Chen Xie was talking to an old gentleman, this is probably a teacher, hearing this, his beard trembled and said: "The Eight Shares of Scholars is a system set by Taizu, and it is not about talents by articles, so what should be discussed?" ”

"In Taizu's system, there are still greedy fifty taels of skins and grass, Qin Jiaoyu, how many officials in Nanjing City do you think can survive? Taizu also stipulated that non-Shixun should not wear silk, you go to Nanjing City to see, how many people want to lose their heads? The rules that were laid down 200 years ago were appropriate and good at the time. But now, it may not be appropriate, and what should be changed must be changed. Taizu changed the system of the Yuan Dynasty, and there were fewer changes? In the "Edict of the Ming Emperor", have you read the "Edict on Proper Etiquette and Customs" in the "Edict of the Ming Emperor"? Do you know what this edict says? What's the point? ”

The old gentleman on the other side was really speechless, and Chen Xie said again: "You don't know anything except the Four Books and Five Classics, and you are embarrassed to come and talk to me about the ancestral system?" I am not afraid that Taizu will appear and accept you as a nerd, lest you be corrupt and ruin the Ming Dynasty. ”

The old man who said something was red-faced, and walked away. Seeing the stunned look of the crown prince Zhu Cihong standing outside the window, Chen Xie smiled, walked out and said, "I saw you sleep late last night, and I didn't call you when I got up in the morning." In front of the examiners, Chen Xie didn't treat him as the prince, and Zhu Cihong was not embarrassed to put His Royal Highness the prince on the shelf, and arched his hand and said: "Thank you brother-in-law for your concern." ”

Chen Xie waved at the examiner and said, "Let's go on, leave us alone, just follow the rules." ”

The two went to Chen Xie's special room inside, and Zhu Cihong couldn't wait to ask: "Brother-in-law, my father has always taken Taizu as an example, why haven't I heard other gentlemen talk about the two edicts you just mentioned?" ”

Chen Xie personally made him a cup of tea, and then said with a smile: "These two edicts are not simple, and the great deeds and achievements of Taizu's life are inseparable from the huge role played by these two edicts." From the contents of these two edicts, we must fully learn a truth, that is, as long as any system hinders the country's economic development and the development of the people's livelihood, we must make appropriate changes. This is what I learned from Taizu, you, you still have to learn. ”

Zhu Cihong was even more confused when he heard this, and said with a smile: "Brother-in-law, sir, you better talk about it carefully, I don't understand this." ”

Chen Xie actually deliberately didn't say it carefully, just wanted to pinch this kid. He was curious, and then led him the way he wanted him to go. Where is this kid Chen Xie's opponent, he was stunned for a while, but he didn't know that when Chen Xie was reasoning with him, many things were not Zhu Yuanzhang's original intention. Lao Zhu, a guy from the grassroots, how can he have such a long-term idea, he is completely aimed at the things at the time, and he thinks that what he did at the time will definitely work in the future. As a result, he died, his son rebelled against his grandson, Jingnan succeeded, and the emperor was replaced, which directly proved the failure of his vassal system.

(Note: Thanks to Mr. Zhang Yan for donating the book "The Ming Dynasty Was Like This", I was deeply inspired after reading it and used it in the book.) (My novel "Rise of Empires" will have more fresh content on the official WeChat platform, and there will also be a 100% lucky draw gift for everyone!) Open WeChat now, click on the "+" sign in the upper right corner to "add friends", search for the official account "qdread" and follow, hurry up! (To be continued......)