kingnovel Chapter 1473 Dislikes Your Low Social Background
Chapter 1473 Dislikes Your Low Social Background
The moment the two met, swords flashed. Zhu Qiwu nimbly dodged the general's attacks while searching for an opportunity to counterattack. He seized the moment, suddenly raising his musket and pulling the trigger towards the general's chest. A deafening bang echoed as the musket's flames illuminated the entire battlefield. The general screamed and fell from his horse. Zhu Qiwu seized the opportunity to rush forward and decapitate him with a single stroke.
Upon seeing their general killed, the Yuan army's morale plummeted, and they began to flee in disarray. Zhu Qiwu's troops pursued their victory, routing the Yuan army. In no time, the entire Yuan camp was completely captured by Zhu Qiwu's forces.
After the battle, Zhu Qiwu stood in the center of the camp, gazing at the devastation around him, his heart filled with mixed emotions. This victory was not solely his achievement, but the result of the combined efforts of him and his brothers. He recalled his fourth brother's words: "Qiwu, with the system's help, and extraordinary wisdom and courage, you will surely achieve great things in the future." Now, he had proven his brother's words true through his actions.
At this moment, Zhou Dexing rushed over, his face beaming with excitement: "Brother Zhu, you're amazing! We won a great victory in this battle. The Yuan army suffered countless casualties, but our losses were minimal." Zhu Qiwu smiled and nodded: "This is all thanks to everyone. However, we cannot be complacent. There is still much to be done."
Zhou Dexing nodded: "You're right. Now that we've captured the Yuan army's camp, what should we do next?" Zhu Qiwu pondered for a moment and said: "Let's first take stock of the spoils of war and comfort the wounded brothers. Then, we need to meet up with Brother Xu's navy as soon as possible to discuss the next steps."
Just as they were speaking, a dazzling light suddenly flashed across the sky. Zhu Qiwu looked up and saw that the light of the Purple Star was growing stronger, as if it were foreshadowing something. A thought struck him: could the light of the Purple Star be related to his mission? He decided to study this matter carefully after meeting up with Brother Xu.
A few days later, Zhu Qiwu led his troops to the Yellow River estuary and successfully rendezvoused with Brother Xu's navy. Brother Xu, seeing Zhu Qiwu, excitedly approached and grasped his hand tightly: "Brother Zhu, you truly did not disappoint me! You fought brilliantly in this battle, making a great contribution to us." Zhu Qiwu humbly replied, "Brother Xu, you flatter me. This is the result of everyone's joint efforts. Now that we have completed the main quest, what should we do next?"
Brother Xu pondered for a moment and said, "Although we have achieved some victories, the Yuan army's power is still immense, and we cannot let our guard down. Next, we must continue to expand our gains, unite with other anti-Yuan forces, and jointly overthrow the Yuan dynasty's rule." Zhu Qiwu nodded: "I agree with your view. However, we must also be wary of the Yuan army's counterattack and make full preparations."
Zhu Yuanzhang put the brush in his hand on the table, and a few drops of ink splashed onto the rice paper. He didn't wipe them away, but just stared at Zhu Qiwu opposite him, with a rare hesitation in his eyes.
"Seven-Five, that thing you mentioned yesterday... the imperial examination, can it really select talented people?"
Zhu Qiwu held his teacup, slowly blew on it, and a slight smile played on his lips: "Fourth Brother, when have I ever lied to you?"
"How many times have you lied to me?" Zhu Yuanzhang snorted, but there was no real anger in his tone. Instead, it carried the helpless indulgence of an elder brother towards his younger brother. "Last time you said that sweet potatoes could yield a thousand catties per mu. I had someone test it, and they did survive, but the yield wasn't as miraculous as you said."
"That's a problem with the soil and fertilizer, not the sweet potatoes." Zhu Qiwu put down his teacup and leaned forward. "Fourth Brother, think about it. Who do we rely on to fight now? We rely on Xu Da, Tang He, and the other brothers who fought alongside you from Haozhou. But what about the future? If we want to govern the country, will relying solely on our brothers be enough? Can our brothers fight battles, but can they manage the civil affairs of a county? Can they adjudicate a case? Can they accurately calculate the taxes of a prefecture?"
Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent.
He certainly understood this principle. Over the years, he had risen from a beggar to the King of Wu, his generals had grown in number, and his territory had expanded, but the number of people who could truly get things done with a pen could be counted on one hand.
"You mean, we should establish imperial examinations to select officials, giving everyone in the country the opportunity to take the exams?"
“It’s not just about exams.” Zhu Qiwu stood up, walked to the map hanging on the wall, and drew a line on it with his finger. “Fourth Brother, look, we now occupy Yingtian and eastern Zhejiang, but to the north there’s Zhang Shicheng, to the west there are Chen Youliang’s old troops, and further north is the Yuan Dynasty’s heavy army. Conquering the world relies on military men, but ruling the world relies on scholars. You have to make those scholars feel that following you, Zhu Chongba, is a promising future before they will be willing to work for you.”
Zhu Yuanzhang tapped his fingers lightly on the table a few times, a habit he had when he was thinking.
"But those scholars, they all look down on us peasants, how could they possibly respect us?"
Zhu Qiwu laughed: "That's why we need to change it. What kind of system was the Yuan Dynasty's imperial examinations? Mongols, Semu people, and Han people took separate exams. Han people and Southern people could only take the simplest exams, and there were frequent breaks of ten or eight years. If we follow that path, who would bother taking the exams? We need to allow everyone, whether you're a farmer or a blacksmith, as long as you have the ability, to take the exams. If you pass, you'll be given an official position; if you fail, it's not shameful. In this way, all the scholars in the land will know that our Zhu family's rule is based on reason."
A loud, rough laugh suddenly came from outside the door, and then the door was pushed open. A burly man with a dark face strode in, followed by two other people.
"I've been listening outside for ages!" Xu Da plopped down in a chair, making a creak. "Seven-Five, what kind of sweet talk are you trying to give Fourth Brother this time?"
Tang He, following behind Xu Da, chuckled, carrying a roast chicken in his hand. He wiped his greasy hands on his clothes and said, "Brother Da, you know what, that imperial examination thing Qi Wu mentioned, I find it quite interesting. If I, Tang He, could read and write, I wouldn't have been swindled out of my entire fortune back then."
Zhou Dexing was the last to enter. He was thinner than Xu Da and Tang He, but his eyes were sharp. He closed the door as soon as he entered and said in a low voice, "Fourth Brother, there's news outside. Zhang Shicheng's men are recruiting scholars all over Suzhou, saying they're going to hold some kind of literary gathering. They're making quite a show of it."
Zhu Yuanzhang's brows immediately furrowed.
Zhu Qiwu, unperturbed, took the roast chicken from Tang He's hand and tore off a leg: "Zhang Shicheng, all he knows is spending money to buy fame. What's the use of him trying to win over scholars? He wouldn't dare let them really take charge. No matter how lively the literary gathering is, in the end, it's still his group of salt merchants who call the shots."
Xu Da slammed his fist on the table: "Seven-Five is right! That Zhang Shicheng, clinging to his meager possessions in Suzhou, acts like a miser every day. What great things can he accomplish? Fourth Brother, let's ignore him and take care of our own business first."
"What is it?" Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Xu Da.
"The imperial examinations!" Tang He wiped his oily hands on his trousers again. "Didn't Qi Wu say he wanted to hold the imperial examinations? I, Tang He, am the first to support it! We're good at fighting and killing, but if you ask me to govern the people of a county, I'll drive them all away. We need to find some eloquent people."
Zhou Dexing suddenly interjected, "Tang He, the reason you can't manage the people isn't because you can't speak properly, it's because you drink and make mistakes."
"Zhou Dexing, you're talking nonsense!" Tang He glared.
"Alright, alright." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, his expression more relaxed than before. "Seventh Five, continue. How exactly is this imperial examination conducted?"
Zhu Qiwu put down the roast chicken and said seriously, "Fourth Brother, I've come up with a method, a three-part exam. The first part will test your knowledge of the classics, specifically the Four Books and Five Classics—this will remain unchanged, and every scholar must know them. The second part will test your political strategy; you'll be given a topic and asked to write about how to govern a country—this is the key. The third part will test your understanding of current affairs; you'll be presented with practical problems, such as what to do when a county suffers a disaster, or how to collect taxes in a region, and you'll have to write down specific solutions."
Xu Da was stunned: "What... what can this possibly teach us?"
“It can test your true abilities,” Zhu Qiwu said. “Those who can only memorize will pass the first round, but they’ll be exposed in the second and third. But those who are truly capable, even if they don’t know the books so well, as long as they are quick-witted and can solve practical problems, they can still pass. Fourth Brother, you don’t need bookworms, you need people who can get things done.” Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes lit up.
He suddenly stood up, took a couple of steps around the room, then turned around: "Good! That's a good idea! But there's still one problem: who will set the questions? Who will grade them? With our men, if you send Xu Da to grade them, can he even read?"
Xu Da retorted, unconvinced, "How can I not know how to read? I recognize at least several hundred characters..."
"Alright," Zhu Qiwu interrupted him with a smile, "Fourth Brother, I've thought about this too. We need to find a few real scholars to oversee this. I already have a few candidates in mind."
"who?"
"The first one is Li Shanchang."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "Shanchang is indeed a capable man. Over the years, he has managed the rear for me without making a single mistake in the accounts. But after all, he is in charge of finances and provisions. Letting him manage the imperial examinations..."
"I'm not putting him in charge of the imperial examinations, I'm putting him in charge of the examination administration," Zhu Qiwu said. "Those tasks of setting questions and grading papers should be handled by true Confucian scholars. The second person I mentioned is Liu Ji."
The room fell silent.
He forgot to eat the soup and the roast chicken leg in his hand, mumbling, "Liu Bowen? The one who lives in Qingtian Mountain? He can come?"
"Yes," Zhu Qiwu said confidently. "I've already sent someone to invite him; he should arrive in the next couple of days. Liu Bowen is a man of substance, and like us, he was forced into extinction by the Yuan Dynasty. He won't look down on us."
Zhou Dexing frowned: "Seventy-five, Liu Bowen is quite famous. What if he comes and thinks our temple is too small, and refuses to come out of seclusion?"
Before Zhu Qiwu could answer, a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Who said I'm unwilling to leave the mountain?"
Everyone turned their heads at once and saw a middle-aged man in a blue robe standing at the door. He had a thin face, a long beard, and held a folding fan in his hand. It was Liu Bowen, Liu Ji. Behind him was a young scholar carrying a large book box, who looked travel-worn.
Zhu Qiwu's heart skipped a beat, and the familiar notification sound in his mind rang out.
Ding! Host detected in an important decision-making scenario. Check-in successful. Rewards being distributed.
Without changing his expression, he stood up to greet him: "Mr. Bowen, you've finally arrived! Please come in, please come in!"
Liu Bowen smiled slightly, stepped in, and glanced around the room before finally settling on Zhu Yuanzhang. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, Prince Wu, Liu Ji is late."
Zhu Yuanzhang quickly stepped forward and took his arm, saying, "Sir, you are too kind. It is my honor that you have come. Please, have a seat."
Liu Bowen didn't stand on ceremony. After sitting down, he turned his gaze to Zhu Qiwu and said meaningfully, "Young Master Qiwu, I heard on the way here that you're going to give the King of Wu a suggestion on holding a civil service examination?"
Zhu Qiwu secretly cheered in his heart. This Liu Bowen was indeed well-informed. It seemed that he had already figured out the situation on the way here.
"What do you think, sir?"
Liu Bowen did not answer directly. Instead, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "The imperial examination system has existed since ancient times. However, the flaws of the imperial examinations in every dynasty lie in one word."
"Which word?" Tang He couldn't help but ask.
"Privately," Liu Bowen put down his teacup, "the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty were all about connections with powerful figures. The Song Dynasty was a little better, but later it also became a tool for forming cliques. The Yuan Dynasty was even worse; they divided people into Mongols, Semu, Han, and Southern people—it wasn't about selecting talent, it was about classifying people."
Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened: "What you say is right, sir. That's why I wanted to make changes. But I'm unsure how to change them, which is why I invited you here."
Liu Bowen glanced at Zhu Qiwu, a slight smile playing on his lips: "I considered the three tests you mentioned, Young Master Qiwu, on the way here. This method is indeed superior to that of the previous dynasty. But there's still one major problem; have you considered it?"
Zhu Qiwu's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm: "Please speak, sir."
"How can you guarantee that those who pass the exam will genuinely serve your Zhu family, and not just run off to Zhang Shicheng after the exam, or simply go back to live as hermits?"
The room fell silent again after the question was raised.
Xu Da scratched his head: "Well... if you pass the exam, you'll get an official position and a salary. Who would run away then?"
Liu Bowen shook his head: "General Xu Da, you underestimate scholars. Some scholars are more principled than knives. Give them an official position, and they'll complain it's too low. Give them a high position, and they'll complain you don't respect them. Give them respect, and they'll complain about your low social status." (End of Chapter)