Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

Chapter 1482: Are the Four Books and Five Classics no longer tested?

“It’s better to have something unprecedented,” Zhu Qiwu said. “Those who pass the old imperial examinations only know how to sit in the government office and write. The people I want to produce must know how ordinary people live.”

Liu Bowen looked at Zhu Qiwu, and there was something new in his eyes.

Zhu Qiwu smiled but did not answer.

When the three people came out of the house, it was already broad daylight. The streets of Yingtian Prefecture were bustling with activity, breakfast stalls were steaming, and peddlers carrying loads were calling out their wares as they walked through the streets and alleys.

Zhu Qiwu was about to walk towards the examination hall when he suddenly saw a crowd gathered in front of him.

He went over and saw that it was Sun Tiezhu.

Sun Tiezhu stood on an open space, carrying a hammer, with a pile of iron in front of him. He was surrounded by a dozen or so people, all villagers from Liujia Village. They were all thin and sallow-faced, but their eyes shone with light.

"Young Master Qi Wu!" Sun Tiezhu shouted upon seeing Zhu Qi Wu, "You've come at the perfect time! I drilled eight drill bits all night, and we can start drilling wells today! How many wells do you want to drill?"

Zhu Qiwu used his talent assessment technique to examine the dozen or so villagers—Loyalty: Superior. Diligence: Superior. Talent: Average.

They are all honest people.

“Drill five wells first,” Zhu Qiwu said. “Three in Liujia Village and two in the south of the city. The wages for drilling the wells will be calculated daily, ten copper coins a day. Three meals a day will be provided, all you can eat.”

Sun Tiezhu slapped his thigh: "Ten copper coins? That's too little! These people are all very capable workers."

"Ten copper coins is quite a lot," Zhu Qiwu said. "After the special imperial examination, those who pass will have to go to Liujia Village for internships. They'll be paid a lot more for building irrigation canals and roads for Liujia Village."

Sun Tiezhu thought about it and agreed, nodding.

"Alright, let's do it that way. Brothers, let's get to work!"

A dozen or so villagers immediately sprang into action, some carrying iron, some mixing mud, and some digging pits. Sun Tiezhu swung his sledgehammer and began striking the ground with a clanging sound, sparks flying everywhere.

Zhu Qiwu stood by and watched for a while. Just as he was about to leave, a villager ran over.

"Young Master Qi! Young Master Qi! Something terrible has happened!"

Zhu Qiwu was taken aback: "What's wrong?"

"The experimental fields in Liujia Village... have been destroyed!"

Zhu Qiwu's expression changed instantly.

He followed the villager all the way to Liujia Village outside the city, and from afar he could see black smoke rising from the direction of the experimental field.

When he ran up to it, the sight before him made his blood rush to his head.

Ten acres of experimental fields were turned upside down overnight. The newly planted rice seeds were all dug up and scattered all over the ground. The field ridges were trampled down, and the irrigation ditches were blocked.

He Wenchang squatted by the field, clutching a handful of trampled rice seedlings in his hand, his expression as if he wanted to kill someone.

“Seventh Young Master,” He Wenchang stood up, his voice trembling, “it happened last night. I came to see it this morning, and it's already like this.”

Zhu Qiwu squatted down and picked up a crushed seed. The talent identification technique activated automatically, but there were no suspicious people within a ten-foot radius.

The vandals have already escaped.

"Who did this?" Sun Tiezhu also arrived. Seeing the terrible state of the experimental field, he almost crushed his hammer.

Zhu Qiwu didn't speak, but instead walked around the field. He found something—a short knife stuck in the ridge of the field.

He drew his dagger and looked at the words engraved on the blade.

The character "张".

Zhang Shicheng's men.

Zhu Qi put away his short knife, stood up, and looked at the destroyed experimental field.

"He Wenchang, how many seeds are left?"

He Wenchang took out a cloth bag from his pocket, opened it, and found a small half-bag of seeds inside.

"I took the remaining seeds with me when I left last night. These are all that's left."

Zhu Qiwu took the cloth bag, counted the contents, and estimated that it was enough to plant about two acres of land.

Two mu of land. Ten mu turned into two mu.

“That’s enough,” Zhu Qiwu said. “Two mu it is. He Wenchang, you replant those two mu today. Sun Tiezhu, you send two people to guard them, taking turns tonight, and don’t allow anyone to come near.”

Sun Tiezhu nodded: "Don't worry, if anyone dares to come, I'll smash them to death with this hammer."

Zhu Qiwu glanced at the character "Zhang" on the short knife again and sneered.

Zhang Shicheng, you destroyed ten acres of my land, so I'll show you what a miracle can be achieved from two acres of land.

He turned and walked towards Yingtianfu. After a few steps, he suddenly saw a person squatting by the roadside.

It was an old man, around sixty years old, with gray hair, a scraggly beard, and wearing a tattered long gown. His shoes had his toes sticking out. He was squatting by the roadside, with a tattered piece of paper in front of him, on which were written a few words: "Letter writing service, one letter per person."

Zhu Qiwu hadn't intended to pay him any attention, but his talent assessment technique activated automatically.

Name: Han Shangu. Occupation: Former Hanlin Compiler of the Yuan Dynasty. Literary Talent: Top-tier. Political Ability: Top-tier. Character: Average. Temperament: Arrogant. Loyalty: Inferior. Abilities: Top-tier.

Top-quality.

Zhu Qiwu stopped in his tracks.

He turned around, walked to the old man, and squatted down.

"Sir, would you write one letter for me?"

The old man raised his head, glanced at Zhu Qiwu, his eyes were cloudy but there was a light in them.

"One article, one letter. To write or not to write?"

“Write,” Zhu Qiwu said. “But I won’t write a letter; I’ll write down the exam questions. Copy one for me, and I’ll give you one tael of silver.”

The old man's eyes changed.

"One tael of silver? You, a mere youth, have you come up with one tael of silver?"

Zhu Qiwu took out a piece of silver from his pocket and placed it in front of the old man.

The old man stared at the piece of silver for a long time before slowly standing up.

"What do you want me to copy?"

"The questions for the special examination," Zhu Qiwu said. "The questions for the third practical exam. I want you to copy them out in your best handwriting and post them at the entrance of the examination hall."

The old man took the silver, weighed it in his hand, and then asked, "Are you Zhu Qiwu?"

"Yes."

"The King of Wu's younger brother?"

"Yes."

The old man suddenly smiled, and there was something indescribable in that smile.

"My name is Han Shangu. I used to be a compiler in the Hanlin Academy during the Yuan Dynasty. Later, I couldn't stand the way the Mongols behaved, so I resigned. After resigning, I realized that there was no place in the world that would tolerate someone like me."

Zhu Qiwu looked at him and asked, "Old sir, would you be willing to help me with the special imperial examination?"

Han Shangu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Help you get into the special imperial examination? You're just an eighteen-year-old brat, and I, a sixty-year-old man, should help you get into the special imperial examination? What makes you think you can do that?"

"Based on this." Zhu Qiwu took out the practical exam questions from his pocket and handed them to Han Shangu.

Han Shangu took it and looked at it, his smile slowly fading away.

He read the question once, then again, and then looked up, his eyes completely changed.

"Did you come up with this question?" "Yes."

"The third test is on governing the county? It tests how to fight against corrupt officials?"

"Yes."

Han Shangu remained silent for a while, then carefully folded the paper and put it into his pocket.

"I'll take the one tael of silver. I'll copy the questions. But I have one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"After the exam, you appoint me as a county magistrate. It doesn't need to be a very big county, just one where I can try out the questions from this set of questions."

Zhu Qiwu laughed.

"make a deal."

Han Shangu followed Zhu Qiwu toward the examination hall, saying little along the way, but his eyes were always on the move. He looked at the pedestrians on the street, the roadside stalls, the guards on the city wall, and the military camp in the distance.

“Yingtian Prefecture is better than I expected,” Han Shangu suddenly said.

"What's so good about it?"

"Fortunately, I have you," Han Shangu said. "I've traveled most of the country and met many officials. But someone like you is a first."

Zhu Qiwu didn't reply, but felt a warmth in his heart.

When the two arrived at the examination hall, Han Shangu saw the pile of questions and began copying them without saying a word. His handwriting was indeed excellent; each stroke was neat and tidy, just like a printed copy.

Zhu Qiwu, who was watching from the side, suddenly remembered that there was a sign-in reward on the system panel that he hadn't claimed yet.

He opened the system and clicked to check in.

Ding, check-in successful. Reward: One megaphone, capable of amplifying sound within a radius of 100 feet for one hour. Bonus: A roster of candidates for the special imperial examination, containing the names, hometowns, and academic assessments of all registered candidates.

Zhu Qiwu took out the roster and flipped through it. Hundreds of names were densely written on it. He scanned it with his talent assessment technique; most were of average ability, but a dozen or so were of superior ability.

One name caught his attention—Lu Wenzhao, from Suzhou, with an academic assessment of top-tier talent.

Lu Wenzhao?

Zhu Qiwu frowned. This name was different from Zhao Bulan, Zhang Shicheng's strategist. Zhao Bulan was there to negotiate, while this Lu Wenzhao was there to take an exam?

He continued reading and found a small note in Lu Wenzhao's notes: "This person is very likely a spy sent by Zhang Shicheng. Please treat him with caution."

System notes.

Zhu Qiwu closed the roster, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Zhang Shicheng sent spies to test the imperial examination? Interesting.

Then I'll let you take the exam. If you pass, I'll make you the most hard-working official, send you to the poorest county, and show you what it's really like to govern a county.

As he was thinking, a commotion came from outside the door.

Tang He's booming voice came from afar: "Seven-five! Seven-five! Something terrible has happened!"

Zhu Qiwu pushed open the door, and Tang He ran over, panting, followed by Zhou Dexing.

"What's wrong?"

"Zhang Shicheng's men have opened a recruitment center opposite the Imperial Examination Hall!" Tang He said breathlessly. "It's three times bigger than the last one! There's even a banner hanging at the entrance that reads—'The Wu King's Imperial Examination is a scam; Zhang King's recruitment is the real deal.'"

Zhou Dexing added from the side, "Not only did they open a recruitment hall, they also distributed food at the entrance. Five catties of white rice per person, you could get it by queuing up."

Five catties of white rice per person. Zhang Shicheng was going against him.

He grants 100 catties of grain for the special imperial examination, while Zhang Shicheng grants only 5 catties. He exempts people from taxes for five years, while Zhang Shicheng exempts them for three years. Now that he is holding a special imperial examination, Zhang Shicheng is opening a recruitment hall right across the street.

This is a direct confrontation.

“Let’s go take a look,” Zhu Qiwu said.

The three of them left the examination hall and walked towards the street opposite. Before they even arrived, they could see the Hall of Recruitment in the distance.

It was indeed three times larger than the last one. It was three stories high, with red lanterns hanging at the entrance, and a dozen or so neatly dressed servants standing on either side. A long queue stretched out at the entrance, filled with people who had come to collect their grain.

In the very center of the Hall of Recruitment, stood a person.

The man was in his early thirties, dressed in a white long robe, holding a folding fan in his hand. He had a handsome face and bright, star-like eyes. Standing there, he stood out from the surrounding commoners dressed in coarse cloth, yet everyone's attention was drawn to him.

Zhu Qiwu used his talent assessment technique to take a look.

Name: Lu Wenzhao. Position: Zhang Shicheng's chief strategist. Literary Talent: Top-tier. Political Ability: Top-tier. Moral Character: Inferior. Loyalty: Superior. Abilities: Top-tier. Danger Level: Extremely High.

Extremely high.

This Lu Wenzhao is ten times more dangerous than Zhao Bulan.

Lu Wenzhao seemed to sense something, turned his head, and his gaze pierced through the crowd, landing precisely on Zhu Qiwu.

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

Lu Wenzhao smiled slightly, raised the folding fan in his hand, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Zhu Qiwu.

There was no hostility in that smile, but there was something unsettling about it. It was like a cat watching a mouse, not in a hurry to eat it, but wanting to play with it first.

Zhu Qiwu neither smiled nor bowed. He turned and left.

Tang He followed behind, lowering his voice to say, "Seven Five, who is that guy? He doesn't look like a good person."

“Lu Wenzhao,” Zhu Qiwu said, “Zhang Shicheng’s most capable strategist. Ten times more capable than Zhao Bulan.”

Zhou Dexing's expression changed: "Then what do we do? He's opening a recruitment center across the street; won't our candidates be poached?"

Zhu Qiwu thought for a moment and said, "No."

"Why?"

"Because he gives five catties of grain, we give one hundred catties. He exempts us from taxes for three years, we exempt us for five years. He gives us official positions, we give us land. What he can give, we can give. What he can't give, we can also give."

Tang He chuckled, "Then let's just wait and see."

“It’s not about stalling,” Zhu Qiwu said. “It’s about showing him what real talent recruitment looks like.”

Back at the examination hall, Zhu Qiwu posted the questions that Han Shangu had copied on the door.

As soon as the question was posted, a crowd gathered around it.

"If you were the magistrate of a county, and the county's granaries were empty, taxes couldn't be collected, and the people were rioting, what would you do?"

"Here's a chance. You've discovered a river in the county that can be used for irrigation, but it requires organizing three hundred villagers to work on it. How would you manage to get them organized?"

"A corrupt official has come from above and wants you to help him extort money from the land. Will you cooperate or not?"

The scholars looked at the three questions and their discussions grew louder and louder.

"What...what kind of test is this? It's not testing the Four Books and Five Classics anymore?"

"How can one become an official through an exam? That's outrageous!"

"But I think... that's real skill. I studied at home for ten years, and I've never even seen what the county's granary looks like."

Fang Zijing squeezed to the front of the crowd, and after reading the questions, turned to Zhu Qiwu and said, "Young Master Qiwu, these questions... are excellent. This is exactly what scholars should be tested on."

Zhu Qiwu patted him on the shoulder: "Study hard. If you pass, you'll become the village head of Liujia Village."

Fang Zijing nodded vigorously, his eyes shining.

Just then, a voice came from behind the crowd.

"Make way, make way." (End of Chapter)