The rice paper was snow-white, with seven layers of fine mounting. As it was slowly unfolded, the scent of ink mixed with a faint sandalwood scent was refreshing. The exquisite and neatly printed fonts came into Zhu Ping'an's eyes:
I have inherited the throne in compliance with the will of Heaven, and will rule over the eight wildernesses and govern the myriad poles, shepherd billions of people, and protect the world. I shall ensure that they all have a place to live and a way to support themselves. Only then shall I fulfill my duty as Heaven's shepherd and the people, and do not feel guilty about it.
In order to keep the people safe, they must have land for farming, land for silkworms and mulberry trees, food for food and clothes for clothing, so that they will not suffer from hunger and cold. In addition, the land must be safe and free from thieves, robbers, bandits and war, so that they can be free from the suffering of displacement.
Without the people working the land, how can we eat? Without silkworms and mulberry trees, how can we wear clothes? Without a safe land, how can we survive? These three are also what I am thinking about and worrying about. However, today, there is little arable land, but many people need to eat; there are few silkworms and mulberry trees, but many people need clothes; there is little peace in the country, but many people are in chaos! Floods and disasters are endless, and severe droughts are not uncommon. Bandits are endless in the country, and the barbarians in the north are disturbing the border. The Japanese pirates in the southeast are increasingly invading, starting from Shandong in the north, Fujian in the south, and Jiaozhi. They are constantly looting, and the Japanese invasion is getting more and more serious.
I lament the hardships of people's lives and the worries of the country. I am not a great ruler. I cannot participate in the transformation of the world, nor can I manage the country and work hard from morning till night. Today, I can only make changes and find good strategies to ensure the stability of the country. The people have land and clothes, and the world is peaceful. How can we not follow the way and return to civilization
I am not ignorant. You are all candidates who are wise in reason, knowledgeable about current affairs, and well-read. I have been waiting for the day of the imperial examination for a long time. You can speak frankly about what you see and know, and write it down in the book. I will personally read it. Do not be afraid or hide anything.
The full text consists of more than 400 words, which is the entire content of this palace examination.
Zhu Ping'an rubbed his forehead slightly. The farewell banquet at Zhuangyuan Building yesterday and the sleepless night had exhausted him too much energy. He was a little refreshed when he first entered the Western Garden, but he seemed to have exhausted all his energy when he met Emperor Jiajing. At this moment, his forehead was throbbing and he felt tired and dizzy.
Zhu Ping'an rubbed his forehead, closed his eyes for a moment, and looked over the test questions again.
This is the test question of Emperor Jiajing. It is translated as follows:
I, Jiajing, inherited the throne of the Ming Dynasty in accordance with the will of heaven and became the master of the billions of people in the world. To protect the whole world, I must ensure that the people of the world have land to cultivate and jobs to support their families. Only in this way can I fulfill my responsibility to protect the people in accordance with the will of heaven and have a clear conscience.
If you want to stabilize the people, you must give them land to cultivate and mulberry fields to raise silkworms. They must have food to eat and clothes to wear, so that they will not have to suffer from hunger and cold. In addition, you must pacify the whole world and bring peace to the four seas. There must be no thieves to harass the people, and they must not be exposed to the dangers of war. Only in this way can they live in peace and not worry about being displaced.
If the common people don't have land, how can they grow food? What will we eat? Without mulberry fields to raise silkworms, what will we wear? Without peace and stability, how can we live a stable life? These three points are what I, Jiajing, am very worried about. But now, there are fewer and fewer fields, but more and more people are eating, fewer and fewer people are raising silkworms and weaving cloth, but more and more people are wearing clothes, and the country is not stable. There are floods, droughts, and rebellions in the kingdom. Bandits are emerging in an endless stream, and the barbarians in the north are also restless and often harass our Ming Dynasty. The Japanese pirates on the southeast coast are also restless, from Shandong to Jiaozhi. It's getting worse and worse.
I feel bitter. I know that I, Jiajing, am not a great ruler. I cannot participate in the secrets of heaven, nor can I govern the country. I often can't sleep late at night worrying about these state affairs. I think I have to be flexible now. I have to find a good way to govern the country. If the people have food, clothing and shelter, and the whole Ming Dynasty is peaceful, how can there be thieves and rebels
I am not an ignorant person. You, the tribute scholars, are also knowledgeable and aware of current affairs. You have read so many books just to help me, Jiajing. I have been waiting for you for a long time. So, you should tell me what you know and think directly, and write it on the examination papers. I will read it myself. Don't be afraid at all, and don't hide anything.
The ruler of the restoration of the country actively accepted advice and seemed to be working hard to govern the country. This was Zhu Ping'an's first reaction after reading the test questions.
The palace examination questions totaled more than 400 words, and I finished reading them quickly. Soon, there was a burst of noise in the hall, mostly excitement and excitement, with only a few people expressing their surprise... ...
The purpose of this article is to propose good policies for governing the country to Emperor Jiajing! You can put forward your own opinions, strategies and methods on governing the country, ensuring the safety of the people, eliminating Japanese pirates and barbarians, and controlling floods and droughts.
The scholar's passion and the ability to express his ideas with great vigor and determination, isn't this what all scholars are good at
To learn both literary and martial arts and serve the emperor, isn’t this what all scholars dream of
How can I not be excited! In the imperial examination, His Majesty took the initiative to accept advice and worked hard to govern the country. This is what a famous and wise emperor would do. Long live the emperor! I have a lot of money and strategies in my mind!
Most of the tribute scholars in the hall were very excited and were almost willing to sacrifice their lives for Emperor Jiajing. They were all trying hard to come up with a good plan for governing the country.
"Silence, no noise!"
An official from the Ministry of Rites gave a timely reprimand. After being reprimanded, all the tribute candidates sat down in an orderly manner, their faces full of excitement but not daring to make any more noise. The hall returned to silence again.
Soon, officials from the Ministry of Rites handed out answer sheets. The answer sheets for the palace examination were also made of snow-white rice paper. The written test questions were much larger. This was an octave of rice paper, a long sheet that could be folded into eight pages. There were horizontal lines drawn with a red brush on each sheet of rice paper. No, it was vertical lines, a total of 12 vertical lines.
This is the answer sheet for the palace examination. All the candidates touched the answer sheet excitedly and nervously, unable to control themselves for a long time. This roll of paper carries the future of their official career and it has to be presented to the emperor for his review!
Restraining their excitement, the candidates began to pick up their pens and grind ink to write. They did not answer the questions but wrote down their personal information such as name, age, appearance, and place of origin on the answer sheet according to the requirements of the palace examination.
After finishing their resumes, the candidates put down their pens and devoted themselves to outlining their strategies for governing the country.
After Zhu Ping'an finished writing his resume, he could not help but rub his forehead again. He was so tired that his eyelids were fighting. If this was the palace examination, Zhu Ping'an would have wanted to lie down for a while before answering. However, this was a palace examination, and lying down to rest was too disrespectful to the emperor. If someone pointed it out, it would be disrespectful. So Zhu Ping'an had to stay awake.
How to answer, what good strategies to come up with, what suggestions to make, from which aspects, how to be the best, the top scholar is not someone who can be the best by just being good enough. Extremely exhausted, his mind was in a mess, Zhu Pingan shook his head vigorously, but his brain was still a mess, and he didn't know where to start.
Ouyang Zishi sat in the first seat on the west side of the hall, full of energy and confident. Looking at Zhu Pingan, who was sitting opposite him with no energy, a smile of confidence appeared on his face. (To be continued.)