"Fifty-one Jinshi, there is not a single northerner!"

"Tell me, is this because the imperial court has not set up an official school in the north, or there is no one in the north!"

In the Wuying Palace, not long after Zhu Yunwen, who had just finished the early dynasty, returned to the Wuying Palace, Ding Chouke cheated, and the news that the northern people ran to the Ming Dynasty officials to complain about their grievances reached his ears through Song Zhong's reminder.

Faced with this news, his first reaction was impossible, because all the examination papers were personally reviewed by him and the imperial grandfather, and there was no possibility of fraud in the palace examination.

However, when Song Zhong reminded him that the tributes who participated in the palace examination this time were all southerners, Zhu Yunwen finally realized it.

It's not that northerners can't win the southerners in the temple test, but that northerners don't have the opportunity to go to the temple test at all.

After reacting, he immediately summoned all the ministers of the Six Metropolitan Procuratorates.

Looking at this group of ministers of the six ministries, Zhu Yunwen was full of energy, and his expression did not change, but his voice revealed a chill.

He set his eyes on Tyrant Zhao and the others, as if he wanted to see something on their faces.

When he saw the actions of Tyrant Zhao and the others lowering their heads, he immediately remembered what his imperial grandfather had said.

"I am not a family with you, ...... minister"

Recalling this sentence, Zhu Yunwen was able to understand the actions of Bang Zhao and others to conceal themselves.

They wanted to bet, but they couldn't protect the heroes in Jiangnan, so they could only do things on their own to test the emperor's mind.

"It's just an illness, can't you help it?"

Zhu Yunwen clenched his fists hidden under the table, his face was still calm, and he wanted everyone to give him an answer.

"This matter needs to be thoroughly investigated!"

In the crowd, Tobe Shangshu Yuxin was the first to stand up.

After he stood up, some officials also expressed their positions, such as Zhang Xin, the champion of the Jiaxu Branch, who said bluntly: "In the previous imperial examination, candidates from the north could occupy thirty percent of the Jinshi quota, but this time no one entered, there must be a cat, please order a thorough investigation!" ”

"Please give the order of the grandson to investigate thoroughly!!"

More than a dozen officials bowed down, and when Zhu Yunwen saw this situation, he also questioned Du Ze, the official of the palace:

"Du Shangshu, didn't you find any problems before the list?"

Zhu Yunwen questioned Du Ze, but Du Ze's eyes were silent at the moment, and he slowly said in the face of Zhu Yunwen's questioning from the grandson: "Back to the grandson, the minister just released the list after His Majesty's approval and truthfully published the list, the imperial examination is a vague name, and I can't see the candidate's hometown, how can I cheat and cheat......"

In just a few hours, Du Ze seemed to be a different person, and he actually began to prevaricate.

In the face of Du Ze's prevarication, Zhu Yunwen clenched his teeth, and his qi cultivation kung fu was almost broken.

He didn't understand why Du Ze, who was still that loyal and upright yesterday, became a stealing villain today.

"You ......"

"Your Majesty is blessed and healthy!!"

Before Zhu Yunwen's words were finished, there was a singing sound outside the hall, and when everyone heard the singing, their hearts were shocked.

Zhu Yunwen stood up, and the ministers of the six departments in the hall and the Metropolitan Procuratorate also turned around and looked at the palace gate.

Under their gaze, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was only diagnosed with a cold by the imperial doctor yesterday, miraculously stood at the door.

Although his face was still sallow, his gaze was as sharp as a knife, almost cutting open the chests of all the officials present to see what kind of heart they had.

"Grandpa!"

"Your Majesty is blessed and healthy......"

Zhu Yunwen walked down the golden platform, and the ministers knelt down five times and bowed three times.

When Zhu Yunwen walked to Zhu Yuanzhang's side, Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him and walked straight to the golden platform, standing and overlooking the kneeling ministers.

"I heard that the Jinshi recruited this time are all southerners, and there is no northerner, Du Ze!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice suddenly rose, making Du Ze, who was still prevaricating, want to bury his head in his chest.

"Back to Your Majesty, it is true that the people recorded in this imperial examination are all southerners, but the imperial examination won with talent, this is ......"

Du Ze still wanted to fool him, but Zhu Yuanzhang squinted his eyes and asked: "It's strange that I am, since the first year of Hongwu, the imperial court has organized five imperial examinations, and this is the sixth one!" ”

"When the first imperial examination was held that year, the war in the north had just ended, and the northern land was still in a miserable situation of a hundred ruins waiting to be rebuilt and no roosters crowing for a hundred miles, but even so, the northern scholars that year still accounted for twenty percent of the quota!"

"Since the four imperial examinations, although the northern scholars are not as good as the southern scholars, they can also firmly occupy thirty percent of the quotas, why can't they even get a quota this time?"

"Is this this year's southern scholar with superhuman talent, or is there someone who favoritism and corrupted the imperial examination!"

The words that Zhu Yuanzhang said in his mouth were heavier than one word, and every sentence was like a hammer, hitting the hearts of the ministers.

They were still prevaricating in front of Zhu Yunwen a moment ago, but now they are obediently prostrate on the ground, such a contrast makes Zhu Yunwen's face gloomy.

He hadn't figured out who was playing favoritism, but he saw Song Zhong walk into the hall all the way, walked to the golden platform and knelt down five times and bowed three times, and then said:

"Your Majesty, hundreds of scholars in the north of Ding Chouke besieged the entrance of the official department, sued the examiner Liu Sanwu, and Bai Xinyi favored the southerners."

"On the streets of the inner city, dozens of candidates from the north shouted grievances along the road, and even stopped the carriages of some officials from the Fifth Government and the Sixth Ministry to petition for complaints."

As soon as Song Zhong's words were finished, there was a dense sound of footsteps outside the hall.

More than ten civil officials appeared outside the hall, and they walked to the door of the hall angrily, but they didn't want to see Zhu Yuanzhang standing on the golden platform, and immediately knelt down:

"Your Majesty is blessed and healthy!!"

Their singing attracted everyone's attention, and while everyone looked back, they secretly said that it was not good in their hearts.

These more than ten civil officials are all from the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and this situation is something that everyone did not expect.

"Your Majesty! Yan Zhen, the imperial history of the minister's right capital, is straightforward, please ask Your Majesty to strictly investigate the fraud of the Ding Chou Imperial Examination! ”

It's this guy......

When Yan Zhenzhi's voice came, everyone looked at Yang Jing, the left capital of the Imperial Palace, who was still kneeling in the palace.

It is also the imperial history of the Imperial Palace, but Yan Zhenzhi of the imperial history of the right capital is the founding minister, the founding year of the Ming Dynasty, it was he who donated more than 10,000 stones at home to raise grain and grass for the Northern Expedition for the army, and his status is not high.

Although he is too deeply involved with some nobles in Huaixi, he is an upright person and loves to fight unevenly, so when he was in the Ministry of Industry and the Criminal Department, he did a lot of things.

Others can bribe everyone, but only Yan Zhenzhi can't be bribed.

Yan Zhenzhi appeared here, which also means that this time the matter of Ding Chou's imperial examination is a big trouble.

Thinking of this, Tyrant Zhao and the others were embarrassed, and all their actions were under Zhu Yuanzhang's nose.

Looking at this group of people who were timid, Zhu Yuanzhang knew in his heart that this incident was not just something that could be organized by one party and one faction.

This matter may be related to the relocation of the world's wealthy......

"Please Your Majesty thoroughly investigate the fraud of the Ding Chou Imperial Examination and give justice to the northern scholars!"

Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't figured out how to deal with this matter, but he saw more than ten supervisors at the entrance of the palace singing loudly.

Facing more than a dozen northern scholars who were investigating the imperial history and the turmoil in Nanjing, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Liu Sanwu and Bai Yixin, who were standing in the palace at the moment.

After the two and Zhu Yuanzhang looked at each other, they stepped forward one after another:

"Your Majesty, there is no possibility of favoritism and fraud in this imperial examination, and the minister asks His Majesty to order someone to review the examination papers, so as to return the innocence ......of the ministers and the others."

Liu Sanwu and Bai Yanxin's confident appearance made many people hesitate, but they also knew very well that it was impossible for none of the northern candidates to be admitted, so they kept silent and waited for the emperor to speak.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at everyone, only Zhang Xin came out and said, "Your Majesty, the courtiers are willing to read Zhang Xin and are willing to check the examination papers of this meeting!" ”

"Good!" Zhu Yuanzhang knows Zhang Xin, although this person is a little showy and stubborn, but he is more fair, and it is also fitting for him to check the papers.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered without thinking:

"Summoning the waiter to read Zhang Xin, the waiter to talk about Dai Yi, the right Zanshan Wang Junhua, the Si Zhilang Zhang Qian, the school secretary of the Si Economic Bureau Yan Shuzai, the orthography Dong Guan, the long history Huang Zhang, Ji Shan, Zhou Heng, Xiao Yi, and Chen, Yin Changlong, Liu Shimo and others who were admitted to the court examination checked the papers, and gave the world's scholars a justice!"

"I want to see if it's the southerners who are superhuman, or if there are people who are playing favoritism!"

"The ministers receive the order......" Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, the ministers responded one after another, and their hearts sank.

Not long after, the twelve officials who were summoned by Zhu Yuanzhang began to read the papers, and Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the golden platform, watching all this with a cold face.

At the same time, various rumors about the fraud in the imperial examination were spreading.

In the streets and alleys, some said that the examiner Liu Sanwu collected money, and some said that the examiner discriminated against northerners, and all kinds of statements made the examiners unclear.

In the next three days, Liu Sanwu, Zhang Xin and others all checked the files in Wuyingdian, and they were carried out under the supervision of Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Gaochi, and Zhu Jixi.

When the news came out of the palace, many northern scholars were angry and gritted their teeth and waited for an answer.

Three days passed in a flash, and when Zhu Yuanzhang dragged his sick body to the Wuying Hall on the eighth day of the third month, the Wuying Hall at this moment was already full of ministers.

The officials of the Sixth Ministry, the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the civil officials and yamen were present one after another, and with the end of the singing ceremony of pushing the gold mountain and pouring the jade pillar, Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the golden platform with a golden knife, waiting for the answer of Zhang Xin and others.

"The courtiers read Zhang Xin, and there is something to play......"

"Say!"

Not surprisingly, this early dynasty held in the Wuying Hall began with Zhang Xin's opening.

With Zhu Yuanzhang's permission, Zhang Xin began to play the results of the examination papers: "Your Majesty, the ministers and others reviewed it, the examination papers submitted by the Northern Gongsheng Institute are not good in literature and science, and there are taboo words......"

"Judging by the level of the candidates, the fifty-one tributes in the south who were admitted were all admitted on the basis of talent and learning, and there was no problem!"

In front of Zhu Yuanzhang's nose, Zhang Xin and others reached the conclusion of the investigation after a three-day review, which made everyone dumbfounded.

"The so-called poor texture, what are the taboo words, so many northern scholars, is it possible that even a person with no problem with the content of the article can't find it......"

On the golden platform, Zhu Yuanzhang tried his best to suppress his temper and questioned Zhang Xin, the waiter who answered.

It was someone he had trusted once, so it was impossible for him not to see what he meant.

I don't want to pursue this matter, all I want is to add the names of some northern candidates to the Ding Chou Emperor list.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were deep, but Zhang Xin pretended not to understand, and presented a stack of notes with both hands:

"Back to Your Majesty, this is the review of the list of Jinshi given by the twelve people this time, please read it for Your Majesty."

After he finished speaking, Zhu Yunwen walked off the golden platform, took the twelve books with both hands, and presented them to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang took these twelve books and read them one by one.

Zhu Yunwen and the ministers, Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Jixi and others looked at him, watching his expression change from calm at the beginning to patience, and finally to calm.

"Bad thing......"

Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang's expression, everyone sighed in their hearts.

"Twelve books, why do Dai Yi and Yin Changlong have the names of northern scholars in the notes, but the other ten of you don't?"

"Back to Your Majesty......" Zhang Xin and Liu Sanwu stood up and replied separately, and the answers they answered did not satisfy Zhu Yuanzhang:

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that there are many taboo words in the northern candidates' papers, such as 'the king is not virtuous, and the minister can abandon it' is mentioned many times."

"If such remarks are elected as Jinshi, then the people of the world will surely follow suit in the future, and the atmosphere will be corrupted!"

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks so too......"

There is nothing wrong with what Liu Sanwu said to Zhang Xin, after all, since Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Liu Sanwu to delete and change the content of "Mencius", the phrase "the king is not virtuous, and the minister can abandon it" has become disrespectful remarks.

It is reasonable for them to reject the examination papers of the northern candidates.

"Your Majesty! The Ministry of Ministers and Ministers Meng Chao impeached Zhang Xin and Hanlin Liu Sanwu in collusion, and deliberately presented His Majesty with an ugly scroll, so as to interfere with His Majesty's holy hearing! ”

"Your Majesty, Wang Xie, a member of the Ministry of Rites and Rites, seconded the proposal!"

"The ...... of the Minister's Metropolitan Procuratorate"

When the Meng dynasty began to impeach Liu Sanwu and Zhang Xin, many officials came forward.

It is not difficult to hear from their accents that most of them are northerners, and it is clear that this imperial examination has changed from a simple battle for places to a battle between the north and the south.

But I have to say that Zhang Xin and Liu Sanwu used Zhu Yuanzhang's rules to attack him, and the means can be described as wonderful.

If it was placed ten years ago, Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely work hard and fight them to the end until they relented.

But at the moment, Zhu Yuanzhang can feel that his body is deteriorating, and what he wants to do is not to entangle with this group of rotten Confucians in Jiangnan, but to hand over the authority of the Son of Heaven to his grandson as soon as possible.

Therefore, in the face of the ministers, Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Liu Sanwu and Zhang Xin again:

"Pass the decree, and then review the examination papers, I don't believe that there are so many northern scholars, everyone has committed a taboo, and I don't believe that hundreds of northern tribute students will not even be able to find a few jinshi!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's words have been said very explicitly.

Re-reading the examination papers is no longer just a simple academic issue, but a political issue.

Regardless of whether the truth of this incident is that the north can't test the south, or the south uses means, in short, Zhu Yuanzhang doesn't want to pursue it, what he wants now is for Liu Sanwu and Zhang Xin to select a few northerners and occupy a few jinshi places, so as to calm the dispute between the north and the south.

Thinking of this, he took a deep look at Liu Sanwu, Zhang Xin and the others.

At the same time, the results of the first review also spread to the Forbidden City, and many northern scholars scolded Liu Sanwu and Zhang Xin after hearing that their articles were taboo.

Liu Sanwu is the third elder of Jiangnan and has a very high reputation in Jiangnan Shilin, so when the northern scholars began to abuse Liu Sanwu, many southern scholars who couldn't listen to him also began to reply.

The two sides went back and forth, and soon escalated from a quarrel to a fist.

Hundreds of people fought at the Xihua Gate in the Forbidden City, but they all had meritorious fame, and the lowest was also lifted.

Therefore, the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division did not dare to manage it at all, and in the end, it was Li Jinglong of the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies who led the troops to quell this farce.

However, this farce did not end, and soon fermented in the correspondence of the scholars.

However, within a few days, the scholars of Zhili, Huguang, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Shandong, Henan and other places learned that no one in the north had been admitted this year, and that the scholars from the north and south were fighting in Xihuamen.

All of a sudden, scholars from all over the country began to go to the imperial court, and they flew into Nanjing City like snowflakes, and at the same time, the kings' mansions in the north also got this jaw-dropping news.

"This group of people is obviously testing my father!"

On the ninth day of the first month of March, when Zhu Di of Yanwangfu learned the news of Ding Chouke's fraud case, he immediately set his sights on Jiangnan Haoqiang.

Although he is only responsible for leading troops, his political vision is not short-sighted, not to mention that he has Yao Guangxiao by his side.

In the carrying hall of Yanwang Mansion, after Zhu Di finished speaking, he looked at Yao Guangxiao: "Old monk, tell me if this is something that the group of people in Jiangnan made up." ”

At the moment, there were only two people in the carrying hall, so Zhu Di had no scruples and asked directly.

In this regard, Yao Guangxiao counted the Buddhist beads in his hand, and responded without raising his head: "Your Highness has already thought of it, why bother asking the poor monk......

"Hehe...... Zhu Di laughed dryly: "I have to ask you, so that I can feel more at ease." ”

After laughing dryly, Zhu Di also slowly put away his smile, he knew very well that this time the southern heroes wanted to compete for the dominance of officialdom, and he also understood.

"The founding of the north is in ruins, except for Shanxi and Shandong, other places have to rely on the money and grain subsidies in the south of the Yangtze River."

"Now that so many years have passed, although my father has made money to deduct taxes, there are too few people who can benefit the people."

"In addition, my father has moved the wealthy households in Jiangnan many times, I am afraid that they have long accumulated grievances, this time in order to stuff enough fellow villagers into the court, so that they can control the court situation in the future......"

Zhu Di said his opinion, but as he spoke, he sighed: "This group of people doesn't take Yun Wei in their eyes at all." ”

"The southerners are grouped together and think that the clan is greater than the imperial court, so this is naturally the case." Yao Guangxiao whispered about the characteristics of the Nanren.

Indeed, huddling is an inherent feature of areas with strong clan power, and Zhu Di, who was born in Jiangnan, naturally understands how powerful the clan power in Jiangnan is.

Jiangnan huddles, this sounds fantastical, but it is indeed a common phenomenon in the early Ming Dynasty.

Standing in the context of the times, the "Nanren" political group originated from the Southern Song Dynasty and the Mongolian and Yuan dynasties is a very special group of people.

These people are different from the geographical distinction between southerners and northerners, but a political group in the south of the Yangtze River with the name of the southerners and the goal of the official economy, and its political attributes include Jiangxi, Huguang, Zhejiang, Lianghuai and Fujian.

Others, such as Guangdong and Sichuan, were excluded by them, not to mention the wild lands of Yunnan and Guangxi.

Although the Nanren political group collapsed after the end of the Yuan Dynasty and became factions such as Huaixi, Jiangdong, Jiangyou, Zhexi, and Zhedong, their character of holding together did not change at all.

This time, Ding Chouke's problem is not actually in the northerners and all southerners, but in the southerners' huddle temperament.

The southerners are a very special group, and their origin comes from the Northern Song Dynasty, after crossing to the south, they reached an agreement with the Jin State to return the northerners to the north.

In the agreement, the Southern Song Dynasty arrested all the northerners who crossed to the south and returned them to the Jin State, and the "northerners" included not only civilians, but also a large number of northern eunuchs.

At that time, Song Chenyu fell into the Jin State in a virtual way, and because he was worried about his family, he specially sent a special letter to ask the Southern Song Dynasty court not to send his family to the Jin State.

However, in the face of Yuwen Xuzhong's request, the Southern Song Dynasty still sent all Yuwen Xuzhong's family members in the south to the north according to the requirements of the Jin State.

Before leaving, Yuwen Xuzhong's son-in-law asked to leave Yuwen Xuzhong's second son behind in order to preserve his bloodline in the Han land, but he was sternly rejected by the Southern Song Dynasty.

In the end, because Yuwen Xuzhong tried to subvert the Jin Kingdom, the entire family was burned to death on the street, and thick smoke billowed to cover the sky.

This kind of thing is not just a matter of Yuwen Xuzhong's family, but something that happened to most of Song Chen.

In the more than ten years after the Song and Jin Dynasty made peace, almost every day there were people and eunuchs who fled to the Southern Song Dynasty, but after they fled into the territory of the Southern Song Dynasty, they were all captured by the Southern Song Dynasty defenders and sent back to the Jin State without accident.

This kind of thing is simply like the people in the Japanese war zone who fled back to the war zone and were ensnared by the captain of the transport brigade and sent back to the Japanese war zone.

In order to reasonably drive away the northerners, the ministers of the Southern Song Dynasty once openly questioned that the northerners had no heroes, on the grounds that the northerners did not rise up to resist and drive the Jin country away.

This kind of 'political correctness' has sown the seeds of mutual discrimination between the North and the South.

The reason why Zhu Di doesn't like to study in the main hall is because the gentlemen in the main hall are mainly southerners, and although they try their best to hide it, they have always despised northerners in their hearts.

Before, Zhu Di only regarded them as self-proclaimed, but judging from this Ding Chou imperial examination, they were not pretending to be high, but they did not regard the northern scholars as human beings at all, even if many of these northern scholars were the children of military families who moved from the south of the Yangtze River to the north, they also regarded them as traitors.

"If this matter is not properly handled, I am afraid that the people in the north will be separated from the imperial court......

Zhu Di sighed, he knew very well how heavy the burden of the people in the north was.

In the eyes of those southerners, the northerners had to take a lot of money and grain from Jiangnan every year, but they didn't know that much of that money and grain was not used for the livelihood of the people in the north at all, but was used to maintain hundreds of thousands of troops along the border of the north.

If in the early years of Hongwu, the people in the north still needed money, grain, cattle and horses from the south to restore the economy, then there was very little shortage of money and grain in the north at present.

Not only that, but in terms of the contribution of taxes, the people of the north are not weaker than the people of the south.

Comparing Shanxi with Jiangnan, Shanxi, which is not at the top of the overall economy, bears the highest tax burden among the northern provinces, but the voice of Shanxi people complaining is far less loud than that of Zhili and Zhejiang.

The world's field tax is often five or three liters per mu, but Shanxi is one bucket per mu, and it is the grain of Shanxi that is unique in Jiangbei!

In an era when the economy was also growing on land and labor, the tax burden on the people of Shanxi was much heavier than in many provinces around the world.

For example, Zhejiang Province, which has a population of 10 million and cultivated land of more than 50 million mu, pays taxes of only more than 2.7 million stone in the summer and autumn, while Shanxi, which has a population of more than 4 million and more than 30 million mu of cultivated land, has to pay taxes of more than 2.8 million stone.

Even so, Jiangnan officials serving in Shanxi still talk eloquently, believing that the northerners are useless.

Thinking back to these things, even Zhu Di would feel angry, so he couldn't help but look at Yao Guangxiao and asked, "Old monk, do you think my father can subdue them this time?" ”

Zhu Di's question made Yao Guangxiao stop thinking about the Buddhist beads in his hand.

He slowly opened his eyes with a complicated expression: "I'm afraid that this time, Your Majesty will not be able to do what His Highness wishes......"

"What did you say?" Zhu Di was stunned, he couldn't believe that his father couldn't subdue Jiangnan.

"Your Highness didn't find out, has Your Majesty already handed over power to the grandson?"

Yao Guangxiao did not shy away from it, but reminded Zhu Di: "Your Majesty is seventy years old this year, the ancients are seventy years old, and Your Majesty has been sick and bedridden many times since last year, and Your Majesty's body, I'm afraid only he knows ...... himself."

"At such a juncture, does Your Majesty want to bet that he can subdue that group of people, or will he hand over the authority of the Son of Heaven to the grandson?"

"......" Zhu Di was silent, and Yao Guangxiao gave him a multiple-choice question.

Faced with this problem, Zhu Di thought about it for a while, if he was his own father, I am afraid that there would be no more important thing than a smooth transfer of authority at this moment.

seems to be the same answer as Zhu Di thought, the current Zhu Yuanzhang really has no energy to rectify the rich and scholars who organized this imperial examination case.

(End of chapter)