Ming Dynasty Strategy Notes [Transmigration Book]

As winter goes to spring and time flies, Yingtian in Hongwu's 17th year is more lively than usual.This year, the imperial court resumed the imperial examination. It has been 12 years since Hongwu abolished it in five years, and the students who have been depressed over the years and cannot serve the country can be said to be a blowout this year.Although it is said that the examination will be held in the spring of next year, many students from other provinces rushed to Yingtian as soon as the results of the provincial examination were released to avoid delays in the journey.

Perhaps it was because the Hu Weiyong case and the Kongyin case killed too many people, and there was no one available in the middle school for a while, and many officials were not allowed to wear shackles to work in the yamen.Emperor Hongwu also did something unbelievable this year-ordered all learned monks to go to the Ministry of Rites to take the exam, and those who were admitted were appointed officials.

So, this autumn, candidates and their families, as well as monks from all walks of life filled the imperial city, and the entire Yingtianfu Inn was already overcrowded.

By the Crescent Lake, a young man in Tsing Yi and an old man on crutches stood side by side.In autumn, the wind is strong, the city wall is towering, the lake is cool, the climate and scenery are pleasant, and the young man in Tsing Yi is also a talented person, like a dragon and a phoenix, like a scholar who is rushing for an exam.It's a pity...the conversation between the two seems not so harmonious——

"Master, say it again!" Xia Ziling asked through gritted teeth.

"I want you to pretend to be a monk to take the examination of the Ministry of Rites." Wu Zhen looked very old, lazily repeating what he had just said.

"...Why should I pretend to be a monk?!" After coming to the Ming Dynasty for more than 12 years, under Wuzhen's strict teaching, Xia Ziling has gradually integrated into this era, and has cultivated the cultivation of not showing emotions, but This matter was beyond his tolerance.

Wuzhen taught him starting from martial arts, but after achieving the goal of strengthening his body, he focused on cultural education.After all, his physical foundation is there, and it is not easy to train to become a eight-foot martial artist.

Xia Ziling Chuchu thought that Wuzhen was cruel enough in terms of martial arts, and that cultural lessons would be better, but unexpectedly, it was not much better.Wuzhen's own education, adhering to the requirement of "everything candidly said by a hundred schools of classics and history since the book contract, as for the words of astronomy, geology, yin and yang, medicine, divination, monks and Taoism skills, all learn from them", read every morning when you get up, and rest at Haishi, every night It also depends on the astrology in the first half hour.

One test every seven days, if you fail to pass, one-third of the ration will be reduced for each meal; if you fail the one-month test, in addition to halving the ration, you will be punished to sleep in a hut.Xia Ziling felt that his master's two moves were really ruthless.I think he is also a foodie in the 21st century. It is a pity that he has no good food. Being hungry is completely inhuman torture. In addition, the conditions of the ancient huts are much worse than modern bathrooms. Although he is not a clean freak, Couldn't sleep there either.

Under Wuzhen's high-handed policy, Xia Ziling's studies have improved by leaps and bounds. I dare not say that he is full of knowledge, and he is worthy of a well-educated person.Therefore, he always thought that he would enter the imperial court through the imperial examination, so as to get close to the king of Shu.

"Don't you think it's shameful for you, a Taoist priest, to let your apprentice pretend to be a monk?" Xia Ziling's voice couldn't help raising his voice a few degrees.

"Oh, your voice should be quieter," Wu Zhenxu coughed, "Now monks can be seen everywhere in this city, and if they hear you, you can't finish eating and walk away. The monks and Taoists are originally a family, and besides, you didn't follow them. I will be a priest together."

"..." That's true, although Wuzhen accepted him as a disciple, he only taught him literary and martial arts, and did not let him become a monk.In fact, what he is most reluctant to part with is his black hair. Although he does not have the concept of parents who have body, skin and skin like the ancients, some ideas have gradually seeped into his blood in the past 12 years. Even in modern times, shaving his head is still the treatment of a prisoner. Calm down.

"If you take the imperial examination, I have a lot of talents. Among the thousands of students who have been suppressed for 12 years, are you sure that you will be able to enter the top ten?" Wu Zhen asked, "Even if you can pass the exam, as long as you can't become a commoner Ji Shi, you can’t stay in the Imperial Academy, but will be sent out to be an official, how will you meet the King of Shu then?”

Wu's truth made sense, Xia Ziling was speechless for a while.Although he has studied hard for 12 years, he has mostly studied miscellaneous subjects with strong practicality, but the scientific examination is biased towards the subset of classics and history. People compete, and the odds of winning are slim.But his level is different among monks. Although there are learned people among monks, they are a minority after all.

Seeing this, Wuzhen continued: "This time, when selecting monks, the top ones will stay in Taichang Temple and other five temples, or the monk record department. Every month, people will go to the palace to give lectures, and the kings will also come here from time to time. Worship in the temple, and then you will have a chance to meet the prince."

Although this sounds reasonable, but...Xia Ziling still has some psychological resistance.

"Furthermore, Master's life is not long," Wuzhen took advantage of Xia Ziling's wavering, and went on the emotional offensive, "If I don't see you on the right track, I won't be at ease after all."

Heh heh, inciting people to rebel is still called right way?Xia Ziling was noncommittal to Wuzhen's words.He thought that his master was so powerful that he couldn't escape life, old age, sickness and death.However, after all, he is not a cold person.In the past 12 years, the two have lived together. No matter what the purpose is, the master has taught him the ability to protect himself. Wuzhen's emotional strategy is still in the right place.

Xia Ziling sighed, and said: "Master, you are so powerful, you are in control of everything, why do you need my help to assist..." He said that, in fact, he had accepted Wuzhen's arrangement up.

Wuzhen usually just laughed and didn't answer this question, but today for some reason, he said lightly: "Do you think it's so easy to intervene in the emperor's dispute? A fairy bone like Jiang Shang can only turn into a mortal."

Xia Ziling stared at Wuzhen, but the latter returned to his muddy and sleepy appearance, and kept silent.

So, half a month later, Xia Ziling stood outside the examination room of the Ministry of Rites in a monk's robe.After Emperor Hongwu ascended the throne, the household registration system was strictly enforced, but most of the monks were refugees and they were highly mobile, so it was very easy to forge a monk's identity.

The hair that had been on the top for more than ten years suddenly disappeared, and the chilly feeling on the head still felt a little uncomfortable.Some of the monks who filed in around him had short hair growing an inch or two, and Xia Ziling was suddenly speechless.Presumably these monks were determined to return to the vulgar and become an official, so they simply grew their hair in advance.If I had known him earlier, I would have cut him a neat and unrestrained short. Why would you still shave your head so stupidly?

However, it doesn't matter anymore. Holding the number plate, Xia Ziling checked the number and found the room he was assigned to in the northwest corner. The light was dim, and the smell of mildew and damp was tangy. He smiled mockingly, and could return to the ancient experience A long-standing prestigious imperial examination room is not in vain.

Unlike the three-day imperial examination, the monk's examination only lasts for one day.Holding the test paper in his hand, Xia Ziling looked at the test questions——

"The way is not far from people. People are for the way and far away from others, so you can't be the way." This is a sentence in "The Doctrine of the Mean", which means: The basic condition for discussing the way is people. A road welcomes everyone to walk. If only If you walk by yourself and push others away from the way, the way has no meaning of existence.Using such a relatively simple and easy-to-understand sentence as a topic obviously reduces the difficulty in consideration of the limited level of monks.

Combining the current situation of the imperial court recruiting monks, using this sentence as a topic, most people should think of the way of being an official, and any person of insight can do it, and then make a fuss about the imperial court recruiting talents from all over the world.But such an entry point is a bit shallow. Xia Ziling pondered for a while. In fact, the fundamental reason for the Tao to be able to stay close to others lies in its own design.Proceeding from reality, a system that is compatible with different people and different situations, has the universality of "one size fits all" and can adapt to the particularity of different individuals, is scientifically feasible.

Extending from this point to the current system in the early Ming Dynasty, it is natural to first affirm it, and then compare it with the Tang and Song Dynasties, and discuss some issues that are not painful but do have drawbacks. Easy to shine.

After making up his mind, Xia Ziling started to write a draft, wrote four pages profusely, and then copied it onto a clean roll paper. He didn't hand in the answer sheet until the exam time was almost over and there were not many candidates left in the school.

It might not be a big deal to put my answer sheet in the Shilin, but Xia Ziling was still a little excited after observing the sad faces of the monks around him just now. It should be a sure thing to be among the best in this test.

When walking out of the examination room, a young monk came over and said, "Brother, you seem to have a well-thought-out plan. I'm afraid that No. 1 in this test must be you."

Xia Ziling looked up and saw that it was the monk who was sitting in the cubicle next to him just now, with thick brows and big eyes in Chinese characters, and his age was estimated to be around 30 years old.He talks to himself as "brother", not "poor monk", it seems that he is determined to return to vulgarity.

Xia Ziling said politely: "Where is it? It's just letting go of a worry and having fun."

This monk, it was fun to say, broke the writing brush not long after the exam questions were handed out, and asked himself to borrow it.Fortunately, he brought a few more in case of emergency, which can be regarded as a solution to his urgent needs.Xia Ziling thought to himself that this guy must be a Shaolin monk. He could break his pen when he wrote a word, which was a bit funny at the time.

"Well said! I'm happy and relaxed after the exam." The monk laughed, and he seemed to have a cheerful personality. "I don't know where brother lives? I borrowed the pen just now, why don't we have a meal together to express our gratitude."

"It's a trivial matter, you don't need to be polite. I live in Tongfu Inn in the west of the city, which is far away from here. It's better to go back earlier."

"Tongfu Inn, coincidentally, I also live there. Today, I met up with a few senior brothers to have a drink at Zuixian Tower. Brother happened to go with me. After eating, we will go back together."

"...How embarrassing." Xia Ziling wanted to evade, but the monk grabbed his arm familiarly.

"Let's go, today we are destined, we must have a drink, maybe we can be officials at the same court in the future." The monk said while tugging, pulling Xia Ziling's arm and walking in the direction of Zuixian Tower.

Xia Ziling struggled twice, but did not break free.He can be regarded as a person who has practiced two moves. It seems that this guy is really a monk?

"Haha, by the way, I forgot to introduce, my name is Peng Qi, and I was originally a disciple of Shaolin Temple in Songshan."

"..." It turned out to be true.Xia Ziling, who had black hair, was forced to go to the dinner party with him.