The death of Mr. Wang and the funeral of the head of the powerful family entrenched in the capital had an impact on all industries in the capital. Because of face and personal relationships, few children of powerful families went to taverns and other places to relax during the funeral as they did not want to make enemies.
The people in the capital were extremely careful when going out, for fear of displeasing the nobles.
The old man's funeral gave the children of southern noble families time to save themselves. The annual tributes from some officials are not received in vain. Don't think that everything will be fine if you ignore them. If they make them angry, they have the ability to pull you down from your official position.
During this period, Zhou Shuren went to Wang's Mansion once more, but did not go there again in the last few days. In the last few days, only minor officials went to Wang's Mansion to pay homage.
In the palace, the emperor pondered for a while and said, "Marquis Zhou seems to have lost a lot of weight."
Zhou Shuren has indeed lost weight. The old man means a lot to him. In his life in ancient times, the first person to protect him was old man Wang. "I have a poor appetite recently."
"It would be strange if you could have a good appetite if you were a vegetarian every day."
Zhou Shuren, "Meat is greasy."
The emperor said quietly, "Listen to these words, the people should cry."
Zhou Shuren choked and didn't want to say anything, so he drank his tea silently.
The emperor narrowed his eyes and said, "Your fourth son has been staying in the Hanlin Academy. How about I let him go out for a walk?"
Zhou Shuren, "Hmm?"
The emperor motioned the prince to bring a secret memorial over and handed it to Zhou Shuren, "Take a look."
Zhou Shuren opened it with doubt, his pupils slightly constricted, "Why?"
The emperor continued, "You want to ask why you are only intervening now when you know there is a problem?"
Zhou Shuren felt bitter, "Yes, the imperial examination is a ladder for poor students to climb to heaven. If someone takes their place, all their efforts will go to waste."
It's a replaceable life. A poor family spends all their efforts to support a scholar. Those who can be replaced are all talented.
The emperor's voice was heavy. "You also know that the emperor is far away. I need to sort things out bit by bit. Only by rooting out the problem can I completely solve it. Can I indeed receive a secret report and solve it, and then find a scapegoat?"
What's the use of this? The imperial court cannot keep an eye on a few states. The fundamental problem remains unsolved.
Zhou Shuren, "You want Changzhi to go to Chuanzhou to serve as the chief examiner for this year's autumn exam?"
The Emperor, "Well, your fourth child is more than just a scholar."
Zhou Changzhi had never made a mistake since he entered the palace, and he knew his steps very well when chatting with him. He privately hinted that Zhou Changzhi was like someone who had taken root in the Hanlin Academy, which made him satisfied but also a pity, but it was okay to use him.
Zhou Shuren looked at the secret memorial and selfishly did not want his son to go, because Sichuan Province was too complicated and dangerous. The replaceable lives were related to the candidates taking the provincial examinations in the entire province. The investigation list on the secret memorial was stained with blood. If the candidate was replaced, he would never pass the examination no matter how many times he took the exam in the future. The unlucky ones would even have their families destroyed just to silence them.
Zhou Shuren sighed inwardly, "I thank the emperor on behalf of Changzhi."
The emperor turned the beads and said, "This time I am determined to clean up Chuanzhou. I will send people to follow you. When the provincial examination is over, your fourth son will return safely."
Zhou Shuren breathed a sigh of relief. The emperor is far away and no one cares whether you are the son of a marquis. If you endanger the lives of the entire family, they will show no mercy.
Well, Zhou Shuren didn’t need to dwell on the death of Mr. Wang. Now he was eager to find out about the situation in Chuanzhou. Whenever he thought about the list on the secret letter, he felt a chill down his spine.
In recent years, some of those who replaced others to become Juren knew their own worth and still remained Juren and sought to become minor officials, while others had some ability and luck and became Jinshi and have become officials.
At night, Zhulan heard Shuren sighing since he came back, which made her panic. "What's going on?"
Zhou Shuren sent the maids away and told them about Chuanzhou. Zhulan was silent for a moment and said, "Even with advanced modern technology, there are replacements. Not to mention ancient times, it's not just Chuanzhou, other states also had it, but they weren't so bold and reckless."
Zhou Shuren slammed the table, "They are all cancer."
Zhu Lan comforted him, "The emperor is removing the cancer, you should be happy."
Zhou Shuren pursed his lips and said, "What really needs to be reformed are some of the systems of the imperial examination."
There are many drawbacks to the imperial examination system, and the master-disciple network he was talking about is one of them. The master and the disciple are connected in interests, just like father and son serving as officials in the same court. The factional struggles in the court and the disputes among the aristocratic families make it difficult for students with outstanding ideas to succeed!
Whenever the provincial examination begins, it is the time for the wealthy families to invest. How many of the children from poor families can be brave enough to do this
His journey was an unrepeatable legend. Sometimes he wondered if the Rong family was protecting him!
Zhulan turned the cup in her hand, "The emperor also knows that he doesn't want to change, right?"
I just think that the issues behind this are too deep, and even a single move could lead to turmoil in the imperial court. It's impossible to change it just by saying so.
Zhou Shuren's anger faded a lot, "I understand."
The emperor's thinking was slowly changing under his influence. Talent was the foundation, not people who occupied positions but did not bear responsibilities. The officials from the Ministry of Revenue he selected were proof of this, and the emperor saw it all.
The couple talked a lot, discussing how to change slowly, and then Zhou Shuren forgot to inform Changzhi.
I only remembered it when I went out to attend the morning court the next day, but then I changed my mind and let it go.
The emperor looked normal when he arrived. Zhou Shuren's mind was racing. The emperor wanted to hide something and no one could detect it. If he hadn't read the secret memorial yesterday, he would have known that people who often saw the emperor had not sensed his anger.
Looking at the court from a broader perspective, Zhou Shuren felt that the emperor was mostly just watching the show during the morning court sessions. He didn't know how to complain in his heart, but he had to pretend that he was listening carefully.
Zhou Shuren felt that he was exceptionally calm today. He discovered that everything the emperor said was on point, with a hint of fanning the flames. Then the two parties, which had been quiet, started arguing again.
Zhou Shuren, "..."
The prince discovered that Marquis Zhou was particularly energetic today. In the past morning court sessions, Marquis Zhou was only energetic when money was involved, and seemed to be asleep at other times.
Zhou Shuren felt the prince's gaze and smiled. Alas, the prince is also very outstanding, but he is still far worse than when the emperor was the prince.
Prince, "?"
What does Zhou Shuren’s eyes mean
The Emperor noticed the quarrel between the Crown Prince and Marquis Zhou and raised his eyebrows. He didn't want to continue watching them arguing. They wanted to argue for several rounds on something that could be decided during the court.
After the morning court session ended, Zhou Shuren and Lord Gong left the government hall together. Lord Gong asked, "Shall I invite the Marquis to have tea today?"
Zhou Shuren, "My stomach hurts."
At the beginning of the year, he didn't want to see the wealthy people in the Ministry of War who were embezzling money. He felt uncomfortable in his stomach every time he saw them.
Mr. Gong, "..."
The Minister of Industry came over and said, "Don't forget to approve the silver."
Zhou Shuren, "Don't you have money in the Ministry of Industry?"
The Minister of Works said, "But you can't deduct the money that the Ministry of Works deserves."
Zhou Shuren thought of the list he saw yesterday, and his expression eased a lot. At least the Ministry of Industry has selected a lot of talents from all over the country for research in recent years. "Send someone over this afternoon."
The Minister of Industry stopped and met Lord Gong's envious eyes, "Did I hear correctly? You agreed so readily?"
Lord Gong said sourly, "You heard it right."
The Minister of Industry looked up at the sky and said, "The sun still rises in the east!"