In March of the sixteenth year of orthodoxy, the new imperial examination system was announced to the world.

The new imperial examination system is still divided into five levels: the academy examination, the prefectural examination, the township examination, the general examination, and the palace examination.

However, the content of the exam has changed dramatically.

In addition to the traditional Four Books and Five Classics, the first batch of reference books published added "Zhou Ji Sutra", "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic", "Lingxian", "Kaiyuan Zhan Jing", "Qi Min Yao Shu", "Ganshi Xingjing", "Yellow Emperor's Neijing", "Mojing", and "Mengxi Bi Tan", a total of nine books.

At the beginning, Zhu Qizhen's idea was to directly demarcate the content of the exam as "Yongle Canon", but there are more than 22,800 volumes in the Yongle Canon, which is too much.

After Yu Qian and others screened day and night, and considering the limited time of the students, the above nine departments were finally selected, which basically included arithmetic, medicine, astronomy, geography, architecture, engineering and other aspects.

Rao has simplified as much as possible, and the students are still complaining.

Since childhood, I have been studying hard, and I have read all the four books and five classics, and if I go to see something else, I will be said to be a miracle and not a good job.

Now, all of a sudden, a large number of books on Miraculous Yin Techniques have been added, and they are even more important than the Four Books and the Five Classics.

The holy decree has been issued, and it is useless to complain, so you can only sharpen your guns and make up for it overnight.

The questions of the college examination are relatively simple, after all, the first time to conduct a new imperial examination, it is too difficult and no one will know.

The students came to the examination room, and even with a group of curious mentality, the exam questions were very messy, such as the ninety-nine formula, the Pythagorean theorem, the causes of solar and lunar eclipses, the relationship between solar terms and farming, etc., all kinds of novel knowledge are dazzling.

However, when I answered the question, I felt much happier than Baguwen.

Because this method is simple and clear, it will be will, and if it will not be, it will not be, and there is no need to rack your brains to quote scriptures, and you also have to speak on behalf of the saints.

With the end of the college examination, it was time for the government examination in a blink of an eye, which was the subject of the children's examination for Xiucai.

This time, the questions were noticeably more difficult.

It turns out that not everyone is receptive to these novelties.

Especially those old boys and talents who are old, still unsuccessful in many imperial examinations, and who have been defeated and fought repeatedly, took the lead in holding back and breaking the defense.

On the streets of Nanjing, an old boy with gray hair rushed out of the examination room.

"The dynasty is based on Confucianism, follows the way of a gentleman, advocates virtue, and governs the country with benevolence and filial piety. Today's imperial examinations, preaching miracle skills and skill, students do not cultivate virtue, but do not know honor and disgrace, the virtue of a good gentleman, it is really a move to forget the ancestors! In the long run, if the officials do not cultivate virtue and the people do not know the etiquette, then there will be internal and external imbalances, and disasters will arise, and the country will be overthrown!"

Behind him, several order-keeping officers hurriedly followed.

"Quick, quick, get caught!"

These words are really a bit excessive, and scolding the new imperial examination so loudly can almost be determined as rebellion.

"Let go of me, state-owned female cadre, state-owned female cadre!"

Several officers hurriedly tied up the man and dragged him away.

…………

Jingshi, the Forbidden City.

Zhu Qiyu and Cao Nai came to the imperial study together.

"Ah, they're all here?"

Zhu Qizhen had just come back from outside, his hands and face were dusty, and Huaien hurriedly went to fetch water to serve the emperor to wash his face.

Behind him, there was another person, it was Belin of Qin Tianjian, who was also disgraced.

"Your Majesty, the airtightness problem must be solved as soon as possible, otherwise, it will be difficult to carry out follow-up work!"

"I know, didn't I just collapse and be covered in ashes?"

While washing their faces, the two were still discussing the issue of the steam engine, and besides, they didn't finish talking, as if they forgot that the king and the cabinet chief were still waiting.

Zhu Qiyu couldn't help it, and took advantage of the gap between the two of them to drink water, and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the results of the government examination have been summarized and reported by all localities, please take a look!"

"The results of the government test are out?"

Only then did Zhu Qizhen pick up the song and glance at it, as if he was quite surprised.

I thought that the new imperial examination, everyone must need an adaptation process, the first year,

Even the first three years can be used as a transition period, so that students all over the world can slowly have a buffer time.

Unexpectedly, the results of this government examination, those who won the fame of Xiucai were even higher than in previous years.

Zhu Qizhen thought for a while and said, "Is it that the questions in the college exam are too simple? What about Yu Qian, is Yu Qian here?"

Cao Nai said: "Back to the emperor, Yu Qian is now the leader of the township examination proposition group, and before the township examination questions are announced, he cannot leave the tribute courtyard without special circumstances."

"Yes, yes, I forgot about it!"

Only then did Zhu Qizhen remember that Yu Qian, the team leader, was personally appointed by himself to prepare for the township test in three months.

The township test is a talent test, which is already a relatively important one.

Under the new imperial examination system, everyone is groping forward, and Zhu Qizhen only trusts Yu Qian, so he asked him to pick this pillar.

In addition to Yu Qian, the one who is better at natural science is Belin.

"Belin, have you read the exam questions?"

Belin replied, "Go back to the emperor, I've seen a few."

There is naturally more than one question in the college examination, but the content is similar, and the proposition group mainly controls the difficulty of the questions, and the difficulty of all test papers is required to be similar.

"What do you think, is it difficult?"

"It's not difficult, it's just that it feels very complicated, astronomy and geography, literature, history and arithmetic, everything, and it covers a wide range."

"Then do you think it's much easier than the previous college exam questions?"

"Back to the emperor, if it is compared to the previous college examination questions, instead of being simple, it will be difficult!"

"Oh?" Zhu Qizhen suddenly became interested, "How do you say this?"

Zhu Qiyu and Cao Nai were also puzzled, waiting for Belin to continue.

Bei Lin said: "In the past, although the questions of the college examination are also eight, but the examiner should take into account the difficulty and depth of the questions, usually in the Four Books and Five Classics, looking for some simple and easy-to-understand words and sentences, nothing more than learning, benevolence, etiquette, etc., these topics have long been familiar, only need to prepare a few sample essays before the exam, and then write them out silently, as long as the theme of the essay does not deviate too much, it can be passed."

Zhu Qizhen understood that because the difficulty of the imperial examination would increase step by step, therefore, in order to retain the difficulty of the township examination and the general examination, in the selection of topics in the stage of the hospital examination and the government examination, he could only choose some relatively simple and simple words and sentences.

And these contents are basically used by people.

Therefore, the examiner can only reuse it, and as a candidate, he can target the question.

In fact, in the 270-year history of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial examination was held every four years, not to mention the previous hospital examination, government examination, and township examination, even if it was a meeting examination topic, in the future, it could only change flowers.

For example, one year's examination question was the words "the Tao is not passable".

However, these four words are not a sentence at all, but a pit!

This kind of topic is typical in the later stage of the imperial examination, and I really can't find a suitable topic, so I can only dig a hole in the text.

To what extent?

This sentence is from the "Analects of Gongzhi", the full text is: Zi said, the road is not good, and the sea is floating. From me, what is the reason for it? Zilu was delighted. Zi said, you are also brave to me, and there is nothing to learn.

Regardless of the meaning of this sentence, the four words "the Tao does not work", taken from the phrase "the Tao does not work, take the pole to float in the sea", is a hard patchwork of four words, and there is no specific meaning at all.

Then let you take this as the topic, write me an article, this article must also meet the norms, and it must conform to the sage's principles, by the way, every format, whether it is a problem, or a topic, you must also meet the norms, not more than a word, not less than a word!

From here, it reflects the disadvantage of the eight shares.

Not only is the scope of the question limited, but the writing format is also strictly regulated, which restricts the reader's vision more and more.

In the early days, there was nothing to see, but as time went on, this disadvantage would become more and more obvious, and if it was not drastically reformed, it would be impossible for the Ming Dynasty to progress.

Under the new imperial examination, the encyclopedia topics are refreshing to everyone, and some people like these miscellaneous books on weekdays, but now they have become the content of the exam, and they are suddenly like a fish in water.

Since it is the first year of implementation, the difficulty of the questions is relatively low, so that many candidates can answer well after a period of bad compensation.

After all, young people are still very receptive to new things.

Only those old children who are bored with their heads and do not want to accept new things will feel struggling.

And the reason why Zhu Qizhen improved the imperial examination was to replenish fresh blood for the Ming Dynasty.

As for those who can't keep up with the times, they should be eliminated, there is nothing to regret!

"King Yu, Cao Qing's family, I will tell the students of the world a book, and I will say that I am very pleased to see that all the students are sensitive and studious, the new deal has begun, and the court is at the time of employing people. But to make it clear, what I want is the real ability to apply what I have learned, not the rhetoric!"

Zhu Qiyu saluted and said, "Brother obeys!"

Cao Nai didn't like it in his heart, and secretly thought about it, the previous imperial examination was empty talk, and the new imperial examination was practical, how could these words seem to be scolding us......

Zhu Qizhen saw that he was stunned, so he asked, "Cao Qing's family, is there anything wrong?"

"Oh, no problem!"

Cao Nai hurriedly replied, "It's just that this imperial examination, there is still some chaos in individual examination rooms."

"What kind of mess?"

"Some candidates have been studying hard for more than ten years, or even decades, and seeing the changes in the content of the exam, it is difficult for them to accept it for a while, and they speak out against it......

"Leave them alone!"

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said, "I didn't change the exam questions for him alone, all the students have changed, why does he complain? Such candidates should be directly handed over to the local yamen for disposal!"

Cao Nai thought about it, it seemed to be such a reason, so he saluted and said, "The old minister obeys the order!"

Zhu Qizhen nodded, then got up and walked outside, and said as he walked: "You must find a skilled carpenter, make a wooden model first, and wait until the theoretical problem is solved before further experiments."

Belin followed behind and said, "If you talk about carpentry skills, the minister will nominate one."

"Who?"

"Cai Xin, the director of the Ministry of Works, can the emperor still remember that when he appointed Lord Li to build the Martyrs' Shrine, all the carpenters in it were led by Director Cai......

The two of them talked and walked towards the makeshift test site.

Zhu Qiyu and Cao Nai glanced at each other, and said in their hearts, let's go too!

The two of them first came to the Wenhua Palace, and immediately a eunuch made tea and brought it.

Cao Nai took a sip and asked, "Your Highness, what do you think of the new imperial examination?"

Zhu Qizhen thought for a moment and said, "I've been thinking about what Brother Fang Cai said, perhaps, the previous imperial examination really restricted the development of the Ming Dynasty."

"Your Royal Highness, the imperial examination was set by Emperor Taizu......

Cao Nai really wanted to remind him to pay attention to proportions when speaking, whether it was good or not, it was left by your ancestors, and it should not be discussed.

Zhu Qiyu shook his head and said, "When Emperor Taizu formulated the imperial examination system, the Ming Dynasty had just experienced war and chaos, and everything was prosperous, but in the past hundred years, it has long been different from what it used to be, but we are clinging to the ancestral system and do not want to forge ahead, is it our own problem?"

Cao Nai was speechless for a while, so it seemed that it was really like that.

Zhu Qiyu said: "Throughout the 5,000-year history of China, which dynasty did not rise out? Zhou Li on behalf of Shang, Hu Fu rode and shot, Shang Yang changed the law...... Let's not talk about it from afar, let's just say that when Emperor Taizu fought the world, he paid special attention to the use of firearms, isn't it a kind of improvement?"

"What Your Highness said is extremely clear, any system is time-sensitive, and we should not rely too much on the ancestral system."

"It's not what I said, it's what the imperial brother said, Daming needs to develop, and this step must be taken!"

Cao Nai nodded and said, "Judging from the results of the new imperial examination, things are developing in a good direction, which shows that we are taking this step

That's right."

Zhu Qiyu said suddenly: "Over the years, I have been following in the footsteps of the imperial brother, I will do whatever he says, although at the beginning, I didn't understand many of his words, but now I understand, the world is changing, people are also changing, perhaps, I should also change!"

Cao Nai was puzzled: "Why did Your Highness say this?"

Zhu Qiyu smiled faintly and said, "I don't want to sit in the Forbidden City all the time, I also want to go out for a walk and have a look."

"Your Highness...... Where are you going?"

"The ends of the earth!"

"What...... What?"

Cao Nai doesn't understand, what the hell is this, the emperor is crazy enough, he runs away without a shadow at every turn, what are we counting on you, why are you starting to go crazy too?

You brothers, can you make people save some snacks!

Zhu Qiyu said, "Where is the southernmost point of my Ming Dynasty?"

"Southernmost words...... Roughly in Lianzhou."

"What about south of Lianzhou?"

"South of Lianzhou, you will enter the country of Annam."

"I wonder what happened to the war between Annam and Champong?"

"His Royal Highness the King of Jing'an County and Princess Zhancheng and his party are still in the Qianguo Mansion, and it is said that a messenger has been sent to negotiate with Annan."

At the beginning, the Champa sent the princess to ask for help, and the Ming Dynasty promised to send troops, and Zhang Fu, the king of Jing'an County, led the team all the way south.

Wei Guogong, who was the garrison of Nanjing at that time, sent troops to escort people to Yunnan, but he did not intend to conquer Annam, and returned with soldiers and horses.

Next, Zhang Fu temporarily stayed in the palace of the Duke of Qianguo and sent an envoy to Annan to negotiate.