flstandardbreds Chapter 934 Proctor Li Che
Chapter 934 Proctor Li Che
Upon receiving the question, everyone was surprised for a moment, and then immediately began to rack their brains.
Li Che was also aware that this question was not simple.
When the decision was made to use this topic in the palace examination, many court officials objected.
After all, the questions in the palace examination were the signals that the emperor was sending. If the palace examination included questions about reform, it was to tell the outside world that Li Che wanted to implement reforms!
Therefore, the court officials were bound to oppose it, not because the reform was bad, but because the reform was too difficult.
Throughout Chinese history, most reforms have ended in failure.
Successful people invariably achieve remarkable results, sometimes even enough to change the world.
For example, Shang Yang's reforms made the Qin state a superpower, which ultimately led to the First Emperor's unification of China.
The contributions of the First Emperor need no further explanation. After Qin unified the six states, China avoided division and became a civilization disguised as a nation.
The essence of the reform was the redistribution of interests, and for Li Che, this was a path he had no choice but to take.
Daqing needs stability now, so it won't push for reforms yet. But once the political situation stabilizes, reforms will have to begin sooner or later.
Sitting high on the throne was eventually a bit boring, especially with more than six hundred students below engrossed in their studies. After a while, Li Che couldn't contain himself any longer.
He simply stood up, slowly walked down the steps, and personally stepped among the candidates to observe up close how they dealt with this difficult question that concerned the fate of the nation.
He got to experience what it's like to be a proctor in later generations.
Upon seeing this, the official from the Ministry of Rites moved his lips, intending to speak up and dissuade him, mentioning the emperor's majesty.
But thinking of His Majesty's uncompromising nature, he swallowed his words and could only lower his head helplessly.
Forget about etiquette and rules; our Emperor doesn't care about those things.
The Ministry of Rites' concession was not a big deal, but it caused great suffering for the candidates present.
"Reform and strengthening" is one of the most difficult issues in history. When answering the question, one must not only take into account the ancestral system and save face for the late emperor, but also address the current problems and offer insightful opinions.
Just as everyone was scratching their heads and racking their brains, they suddenly felt an invisible pressure approaching. When they looked up, they saw that His Majesty had already walked up to their side!
That dark black robe was like the gathering of darkness, the crown tassels swayed gently, and the emperor's face was close at hand!
In an instant, many candidates felt their scalp tingle, their breathing became rapid, and their hands holding pens began to tremble involuntarily.
His clear train of thought was interrupted, his mind went blank, and cold sweat poured down his back.
The atmosphere in the examination room grew increasingly tense.
Li Che paced a few steps, and seeing that his arrival had caused such fear among the people, he felt somewhat disappointed.
Just as he was about to turn back to the throne, his gaze fell upon a scholar in white robes not far away, none other than Lin Qingyuan.
Unlike the panicked candidates around him, this young man seemed oblivious to the emperor's approach, remaining focused and writing with flowing strokes.
Li Che immediately became interested, glanced at his nameplate, and confirmed his identity; he was one of the candidates from Yunmeng Mountain.
Li Che had already learned about the origins of Yunmeng Mountain and the Guigu Sect from his ministers.
Guiguzi's sacred mountain is the place that nurtured great sages such as Zhang Yi and Su Qin, who were strategists and military strategists.
Guiguzi was an even greater figure, whose teachings emphasized practicality, strategy, and adaptability, and whose influence was in no way inferior to that of Confucius.
Li Che naturally had extremely high expectations for the disciples of such reclusive masters.
He quietly approached and stood beside Lin Qingyuan, his gaze falling on the draft that Lin had already written hundreds of words, and he read it silently:
Your subject replies: I have long heard that when a sage king establishes laws, it is not to rigidly adhere to them, but rather to adapt them to the times. Now that I have received your kind inquiry, how dare I not offer my humble opinion?
In this world, it is like crossing a great river in a dilapidated boat; even if one wishes to sit comfortably, the situation cannot be maintained for long.
However, the difficulty of reform lies not in establishing new rules, but in eliminating long-standing problems. It is like an old tree in a garden; if you want it to sprout new branches, you must first prune the withered vines.
Your subject believes that three matters should be taken as the guiding principles:
Upon seeing this opening, Li Che nodded slightly, finding the metaphor apt and getting straight to the point.
It lacks the rigidity of later eight-legged essays, but possesses the air of a reclusive sage pointing out the direction of the world.
He continued to read:
The first principle is to clean up officialdom.
Nowadays, some clerks use old documents as a shield and their minor power as a weapon. Whenever a new policy is issued, they outwardly comply but inwardly defy it.
A performance evaluation system can be established, with both overt and covert investigations. Those who effectively implement new policies, even those of low rank, will be promoted; those who secretly obstruct them, even those of high rank, will be dismissed.
This section points out that poor governance is the key obstacle to implementing the new policies and proposes a clear reward and punishment assessment mechanism, demonstrating a clear line of thought.
This coincided with Li Che's own thoughts; he had long known that lower-level officials were key to the reforms.
The failure of Wang Anshi's reforms was inextricably linked to these petty officials.
Many of his new policies were fine, but when implemented by lower-level officials, they caused major problems and turned into bad policies.
Therefore, minor officials must be supervised.
Secondly, it is to understand the people's sentiments.
It is appropriate to order the officials of the prefectures and counties to gather the elders at the Minglun Hall on the first and fifteenth of each month, and to explain the new policies and regulations in colloquial language, allowing the people to speak frankly about their advantages and disadvantages.
Furthermore, they selected bright and intelligent young people to attend the New Policies Training Institute, so that the seeds of the New Policies could sprout from the people.
Li Che nodded slightly, showing even greater approval.
This is where the issue of implementation at the grassroots level comes in. Just because a policy is communicated doesn't mean everything is fine; we also need to see feedback from the public.
Lin Qingyuan raised the questions and provided solutions, which were quite practical.
This puts them ahead of 90% of the candidates, many of whom launched a fierce attack on the court during the policy questions, cursing everything in their path, but were unable to offer any solutions.
This is impractical.
Thirdly, emphasize practical results.
When people discuss reform today, they either vie to cite ancient laws or cling to ancestral systems, much like blind men trying to argue about the sun.
We should emulate King Wuling of Zhao by adopting nomadic dress and cavalry tactics, focusing solely on strengthening our army, regardless of the distinction between Chinese and barbarians.
For example, in river management, one might use bamboo cages or iron sluices, choosing only those methods capable of controlling turbulent currents.
This argument advocates pragmatism and a results-oriented approach, which coincides with Li Che's ideas.
It seems that this disciple of Guigu is a pragmatist.
Pragmatists are great; most Chinese people are pragmatists, even when they worship gods, they worship practical gods.
As for ensuring unity between superiors and subordinates and preventing officials from harassing the people, regulations should be simplified. In commercial transactions, overly complicated contracts can lead to fraud.
The various government offices should be ordered to compile the new regulations and post them in prominent locations so that even women and children can understand their meaning...
That's all for now. The rest is still unfinished, but it will most likely consist of specific measures.
As Li Che looked at it, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Truly worthy of being a descendant of Guiguzi!
It is well-organized and logically rigorous, with both a high-level framework and meticulous measures.
There are some specific methods that even he himself has not considered so thoroughly.
This young man's understanding of power politics, human nature, and practical matters is indeed far beyond that of ordinary people.
He nodded slightly, having already included Lin Qingyuan in his mind as a key person to cultivate.
He then composed himself and turned to walk toward Zhang Qian, the top scorer in this imperial examination.