flstandardbreds Chapter 152 Imperial Examinations and College Entrance Examinations
Chapter 152 Imperial Examinations and College Entrance Examinations
"That concludes the account of the struggle for succession among the nine princes and the reign of Emperor Yongzheng. However, I would like to add that although the Kangxi-Qianlong era was not closely associated with the Yongzheng reign, the Qing Dynasty that Kangxi left to his fourth son was made possible by the diligent and tireless efforts of the thirteenth and fourth princes, which resulted in a full national treasury."
"Putting everything else aside, just ask yourself, which of you could be as diligent in your duties as him? Would you be willing to offend landlords and gentry without any hesitation?"
"Think about it from another angle. How bad could the children raised by your father, Emperor Kangxi, be? Although the fourth prince is a bit petty and unpredictable, he's passable if he doesn't nitpick and find fault with everything!"
Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty: I really don't know if you're praising me or belittling me!
"Moreover, the fourth prince is indeed good at domestic affairs, but his military and diplomatic affairs are terrible. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been entrusted with the thirteenth prince. Rather than fighting each other to the death for the throne, it's better to work together properly!"
"For example, the eldest prince is good at martial arts, the third prince is good at writing, the fourth and thirteenth princes need no further explanation, the eighth prince is good at social maneuvering, which is suitable for diplomacy, the ninth prince can make money and is also good at translation, the fourteenth prince is good at military affairs, and so on."
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: I've noted it down!
"To understand why the later Qing Dynasty was called the 'Slave Qing,' it was because it signed many unequal treaties in its later period, paying more than a billion taels of silver in reparations. Not only that, it also ceded over a million square kilometers of land."
"I think you can also see from these figures how miserable the people were back then, it was practically like hell! And the most hateful thing was that the Empress Dowager Yehenara, who was in power at the time, lived a very extravagant life. It is said that her banquets consisted of more than a hundred exquisite dishes, and her other expenses were even higher!"
All the people of Wanchao: Seize! ? Seize less?
Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty
Upon hearing this, Kangxi staggered a few steps, as if his heart had been struck hard, and he could barely stand.
In an instant, his face turned ashen, his eyes became bloodshot, and a fire within him seemed ready to burst forth at any moment.
Hahahaha, excellent! An empress dowager has taken control of the Qing Dynasty. Which unfilial descendant has done this?!
My ancestors are still fighting here, and their unworthy descendants are taking shelter under the big tree!
I want to kill that wicked empress's ancestors!
……
The Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty
Yongzheng's face was ashen, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his chest heaved as if it were about to explode.
His eyes were wide with anger and despair. His ten years of diligent service were not for the sake of seeing such a Qing Dynasty!
This wicked empress is a hen crowing at dawn! Even I dare not be too extravagant for the sake of the country, yet she dares to do such a thing!
Needless to say! She gave away most of the Qing Dynasty's silver and land!
I will cut off her future at its root!
……
The Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty
By this point, Emperor Qianlong had already vented his anger, but he never expected that the Qing Dynasty would ever have allowed a woman to wield such power!
The more Qianlong thought about it, the angrier he became. He kept breathing heavily, his hands clenched so tightly that he didn't even notice his nails digging deep into his palms!
His teeth were grinding together, and despite his efforts to calm his anger, he slammed his fist on the table and roared: ".../%?...This is infuriating! I'll chop up her whole family!"
……
"The Jingkang Incident of the Song Dynasty makes people hate the inaction or even incompetence of the Song Dynasty emperors, and also feel sorry for the Song Dynasty generals. In fact, it was just a fight between our own people. But the history of the Qing Dynasty was an invasion by foreign countries, which is completely different from the history of the Han and Manchu people."
"Back then, the Central Plains were like a piece of fat meat, and everyone wanted to take a bite. What would a group of bandits do if they broke into someone's house?!"
Lin Ke's face showed resentment, and her eyes were filled with anger. Even after a hundred years, she still felt hatred for that period of history!
She sighed, then continued, "Actually, during the Kangxi era, they studied various Western subjects, but unfortunately, they didn't delve into them deeply."
"No matter what, we need to develop these weapons and cannons, otherwise we'll only be able to passively take hits!"
The people in the entire dynasty were furious. What kind of dynasty could have fallen into such a predicament?
What's infuriating is that this damned Empress Dowager is still indulging in luxury, but it's all exploited from the common people!
Emperors like the Dragon and Phoenix Pig, as well as other emperors, officials, and common people, felt extremely indignant!
A great nation has been robbed by a group of foreign tribes!
Just how incompetent has the Qing Dynasty become? This time, we absolutely must wipe out the ancestors of these foreign tribes!
……
In another timeline, the First Emperor and Zhu Zhu, besides being filled with resentment, were quite interested in the cannon that Lin Ke could speak of!
I just don't know if they'll ever be able to understand this weapon!
If such a divine weapon existed, the Qin/Han Dynasty might have gained even more territory!
The ancestors of those foreign tribes were also all killed!
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
Lin Ke paused for a moment before continuing, "Alright, let's get back to the main topic and talk about the dangers of consanguineous marriage."
"Compared to the age of marriage in later generations, men and women in ancient times generally married at a younger age, usually around 15 years old."
"Take King Goujian of Yue for example. He once stipulated that men should marry at the age of 20 and women at the age of 15. During the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, the standard was lowered to 15 for men and 13 for women. The same was true during the reign of Emperor Taizu of Ming, except that the age was increased by about one year."
"As mentioned before, Emperor Kangxi married even earlier, at the age of twelve, while his empress was also only twelve years old. In later generations, that age would be equivalent to graduating from elementary school!"
A young woman from a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: My goodness, she got married before she even reached the age of marriage!?
A skilled farmer in the Song Dynasty: Didn't he have kids quite early?!
A spoiled brat from the Tang Dynasty: At an age when others are fathers, I'm still chasing cats and walking dogs! Hahahaha!
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: ...
"Since we've brought this up, let's talk about the imperial examination system and the education system of later generations."
"First of all, the ancient imperial examination system was established in the Sui Dynasty, inherited and improved by the Tang Dynasty, and lasted for more than 1,200 years until the last imperial examination in the 31st year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty."
"The imperial examination system began to decline after the Song Dynasty, especially during the Yuan Dynasty. In order to protect the ethnic status of Mongols and Semu people, the difficulty of the examination papers for Han people and Mongols was different."
“Even if you, as a Han Chinese, pass the imperial examination and become an official, you will be of lower rank than the Mongols or Semu people who also pass the examination, and your political future will be very bleak. Under these circumstances, most of the Mongol nobles are uncultured, and the lower-ranking Han Chinese officials are excluded from the officialdom. Therefore, such a rule will not last long.”
"The eight-legged essay of the Ming Dynasty was of no use except for the imperial examination. It only allowed candidates to use rigid essays and prohibited the use of ornate poetic language or quotations from any books other than the prescribed classics."
"How rigid is it? For example, in the Analects, it says, 'He stopped Zilu for the night, killed a chicken...and fed it...and his two sons were there.' If an exam question asked you to kill a chicken...and feed it..."
"So if you write the word 'stop' in the previous sentence, it's considered disrespectful to superiors; if you write the word 'two' in the next sentence, it's considered disrespectful to inferiors. Moreover, you have to write a piece by rambling on and on about a few words from the Confucian classics under such rigid rules. How easy is that?"
"Therefore, the so-called eight-legged essay completely restricted and constrained students' ability to think independently, and lacked innovation and expression. For students from poor families, the imperial examination was very important, after all, it was not easy for a poor family to support a scholar."
"This requires students to spend a lot of time memorizing and reciting these templates. Can they become officials just by using these so-called words of sages? Aren't you afraid that the Ming court will only be filled with empty talkers and mediocre people?!"
"So in my opinion, the Ming Dynasty is not selecting talents for the country, but rather looking for scholars for itself, or scholars who only know Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism!"
"As for the Qing Dynasty, it simply borrowed and imitated the Ming Dynasty's imperial examination system, so we won't go into too much detail!"
All the emperors of the Qing Dynasty: ? ? ? We won't even talk about our turn! ?
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: The eight-legged essay of the Ming Dynasty is truly speechless!
Cheng Yi/Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty: ...How come reading our books makes you a person who only knows empty talk?!
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: I... never expected... this to happen!
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: No wonder there was a civil official group in the late Ming Dynasty!
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: So, we have to thank Zhu Yuanzhang for his eight-legged essays, otherwise how would my ancestors have had the opportunity to rule the Central Plains!
General Judy, the Conqueror of the North: What the hell did you say?! ...? %…… (swearing)
……
Lin Ke glanced at the comments section and saw that the people from the Ming and Qing dynasties were arguing. Helplessly, she tried to smooth things over, saying, "Stop arguing, stop arguing. Now that you know the drawbacks, why not just correct them?"
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: Fine, we'll give Miss Lin some face! Otherwise, the Jurchens, we'll see if we don't slap your ancestors!
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: Hmph, I'm only refraining from arguing with you out of respect for Miss Lin!
……
"From the Qing Dynasty to my present era, we have experienced a century of turmoil, so the imperial examination system no longer exists, and it has been replaced by the college entrance examination."
“In our time, all children go to kindergarten around the age of three, which is probably similar to what you call early childhood education. They start primary school around the age of six or seven.”
"The primary school period is six years, followed by middle school at around age 12, then high school three years later, and finally the college entrance examination."
The nine years of primary and junior high school education are free of charge; everything is covered by the state. This is what is known as nine-year compulsory education.
"There will be a middle school entrance exam before high school. If you don't pass, there are some vocational colleges or similar schools to learn skills. If you pass, you can continue to high school."
"As for the college entrance examination, it is an exam held after three years of high school. Its significance is comparable to that of the imperial examination. After the college entrance examination, students can enter higher education institutions to study. Before that, they have to choose a major, such as medicine, finance, etc."
A skilled farmer in the Song Dynasty: Women can also read and write, just like them taking the imperial examinations!?
Emperor Qin Shi Huang: Nine years of compulsory education! Everyone has access to education! What kind of world is this?! I still haven't done enough!
The Qin Dynasty officials in Volume Four: ...Is Your Majesty about to have another idea?! I'm exhausted!
Liu Zhuzhu of the Great Han Dynasty: Everyone should have access to education! I also wish for the Great Han Dynasty to advance further!
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: If our Ming Dynasty could ever be like that, I, Zhu Baba, would die without regret! Unfortunately, our Ming Dynasty is still in a state of disrepair, with many things to do and very poor!
When the people of Wanchao heard that both boys and girls could enroll in the school for free, they all wished they could be reincarnated in the next life!
Women at that time, in particular, never imagined that in the future women would go to school like men!
If only they could do that too, I'm sure they wouldn't be any less capable than men! But what chance do we even have?
……
During the reign of the two emperors of the Sui Dynasty
Since taking care of Li Shimin, Dugu Jialuo and Yang Jian have been in a better mood every day!
Yang Jian and his wife were truly amazed by Li Shimin's talent. He was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and also had a tolerant heart. Although he was a bit too emotional, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing!
Thanks to Miss Lin's reminder, they were able to bring Changsun Wuji and Guanyinbi together. I wonder what these childhood sweethearts, Shimin and Guanyinbi, will look like when they grow up!
Dugu Jialuo expressed her anticipation, knowing the joy of shipping young couples!
As for what Miss Lin said about both men and women being able to study, her Great Sui Dynasty was still in a period of national prosperity and peace. There were women involved in politics in previous dynasties, so there wouldn't be too much resistance to opening girls' schools. However, it still needed to be carefully considered.
Compared to the imperial examinations, which were dominated by men for many years, she felt that the women's examinations might bring her a different kind of surprise!
……
"The subjects tested in later generations are also very different from those of the imperial examinations. For example, we only select a small part of the Four Books and Five Classics, and we also study the poems of poets such as Li Bai, Su Shi, and Du Fu!"
“I get really excited when I talk about this. First of all, Li Bai. Almost everyone knows his name. It’s something we have to learn from childhood. For example, ‘The Road to Shu is Hard’ and ‘Bring in the Wine’.”
Li Bai, a top poet: Why does it feel like Miss Lin harbors a lot of resentment!
"You could say his poems permeated my entire adolescence, especially when I saw a line of poetry during an exam that expressed Li Bai's emotions!"
"Besides that, you also have to constantly memorize and copy! Other poets like Su Shi, Bai Juyi, and Du Fu also have this problem; some of their poems are really hard to memorize! I'd like to mention 'The Song of the Pipa' and 'The Road to Shu'..."
The optimist Su Dongpo: ...I feel a little embarrassed!
Li Bai, a top poet: ...I never expected that this would be tested in later generations!
"But when I was young, I really didn't understand why these poets were always demoted, and why they had to write poems and I had to memorize them!"
The exiled poet (quietly): I'm so sorry!
"The recitation team during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty also caused great resentment among students in later generations, especially the imperial examination in the second year of Jiayou, which required students to memorize and recite from memory!"
"That year's imperial examinations were a constellation of stars, including Su Shi, Su Zhe, and Zeng Gong, three of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties; Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao, the founders of Neo-Confucianism; Lü Huiqing and Zeng Bu, among others."
"And Zhang Zai, who uttered the words, 'To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations!'"
"Therefore, some people say that Emperor Renzong of Song, Zhao Zhen, may not be a very famous emperor, but he was a man who gathered a group of people who could recite the classics. His ministers were much more famous than him!"