Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 639: Chapter 316: Imperial Examination_3

The Emperor naturally noticed the expressions of the officials and once again said to them, "You did not hear wrongly, I am announcing the cancellation of recruitment and selection."

Cancel recruitment and selection?!

Does the Emperor know what he is saying?

The officials were in shock.

Duke Zhen immediately glanced at Prime Minister He and Xue Taichang, seeing their calm demeanor without a trace of surprise, he knew they were aware of this matter long ago.

Could it be that, during this period, the Emperor was discussing with Prime Minister He and them about canceling recruitment and selection?

The officials whispered among themselves. On the first day of the new year, the Emperor announced the cancellation of recruitment and selection; did they wake up startled?

As the Imperial Censor came forward, preparing to say something, the Emperor raised his hand to stop him.

"The second matter, I announce that starting from this year, we will hold the imperial examination to select officials from it." The Emperor’s voice was very loud, "From now on, whether it is officials of the court or local government officials, they must be selected through the imperial examination."

Imperial examination?

What is this?

The officials were hearing about it for the first time and had no idea what it meant.

"Prime Minister He, Xue Taichang, explain in detail to everyone what the imperial examination is about."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Prime Minister He and Xue Taichang stepped forward to face the officials.

"The imperial examination is..." Prime Minister He first told the officials what the imperial examination was, then what subjects it tested.

Currently, the Great Zhou has not specified which books constitute the Four Books and Five Classics. Previously, when Zhao Yao proposed the imperial examination to the Emperor, he casually mentioned what the Four Books and Five Classics were. At that time, he thought the Four Books and Five Classics were too few, and also mentioned the other Nine Classics, which makes up the Thirteen Classics.

Prime Minister He explained in detail to the officials which books made up the Thirteen Classics, and then clarified that the imperial examination would test these.

Next was Xue Taichang, who meticulously explained to the officials how to conduct the imperial examination.

The more the officials listened, the more alarmed they became, their expressions becoming increasingly shocked.

Eighty percent of the court officials came from aristocratic families, only twenty percent from humble origins. Upon hearing that officials would be selected through the imperial examination in the future, beyond shock, there was more panic. They knew clearly that once the imperial examination was implemented, their prospects would be doomed.

After spending the entire morning, Prime Minister He and Xue Taichang finally finished explaining the matters related to the imperial examination, causing an uproar in the court.

Before dismissing the court, the Emperor announced with a stern face that the imperial examination was imperative and would not accept any opposition. If anyone opposed, they would be dealt with as traitors.

Treasonous punishment?!

The officials gasped in fright.

The Emperor knew that the aristocratic families would definitely unite to oppose the imperial examination, so he warned all the officials that he would not mind cleaning the court as he did over a decade ago. Furthermore, he declared that no matter who opposed it, he would punish them severely, with consequences not bearable by them.

Before the court was dismissed, the Emperor summoned some officials to the East Warm Pavilion. Next, they would discuss the test questions for this year’s three rounds of provincial examinations.

Before the court was dismissed, the matter of the imperial examination had already been announced throughout the capital.

Scholars in the capital were naturally thrilled and delighted to learn of this. The vast majority of scholars supported the imperial examination, but a few literary figures certainly opposed it because they came from aristocratic families.

The aristocratic families could not accept the imperial examination and viewed it as a conspiracy by the Emperor to exploit and weaken them.

Within just half a day, the uproar caused by the imperial examination in the capital was like a mountain roaring and a sea shouting. Everyone was discussing the imperial examination, except Zhao Yao, who was busy packing his things.

The next morning, he would take a boat to Jinling to visit Mr. Meng. His mind was entirely focused on this, completely indifferent to the matter of the imperial examination.

At this moment, he was having lunch in Kunde Hall with Lady Liang and others.

During the meal, Yu Meiren and Lady Pan kept reminding Zhao Yao to be careful, take care of himself, and eat well...

Zhao Yao did not find them annoying, listened very attentively, and assured them he would write back every few days to reassure them.

After the meal, Yu Meiren and Lady Pan called Tong Xi over repeatedly to check what items he had brought. Only after confirming that he had not forgotten anything were they assured.

They knew Lady Liang had something to say to Zhao Yao, so they did not linger and soon left.

Lady Liang had said everything that needed to be said. She was reluctant in her heart and uneasy about her son going to Jiangnan, but she could not stop him from going.

"Behave yourself in Jiangnan, don’t make trouble." Lady Liang wasn’t worried about her son’s safety, believing that the Hidden Guards sent by the Emperor could protect him well. However, she knew her son’s temperament well enough to know that it was impossible for him not to cause trouble in Jiangnan. Even if he didn’t actively seek out trouble, he would act chivalrously and get involved in affairs.