Chapter 73: The ministers received the order!
"Ministers, please accept my order!"
Xiao Yan raised the imperial edict high above his head. All the ministers were stunned for a moment, and then they all knelt on the ground.
"Your Highness, I accept your order!"
"By the order of Heaven, the Emperor of Great Zhou decrees."
"The Great Zhou Dynasty has been established for more than a hundred years, and has been following the old rules. Many drawbacks have been exposed. We must break them before we can build them again!"
"The Crown Prince has proposed reforming the official selection system. I have thought deeply about it and think it is a good idea."
"Although the ancestral precepts of the Great Zhou still exist, they cannot be followed step by step. The ancestral precepts are not suitable for the development of the Great Zhou today."
"Therefore, from now on, our Great Zhou will implement the imperial examination system. All officials must pass the examination before they can be appointed!"
After saying this, he took back !
"Everyone, this is my father's intention, not just my own. You can say that I am arbitrary or that I do not follow the teachings of my ancestors, but this matter has been decided and cannot be changed!"
"If anyone disobeys, he will be regarded as a traitor and must be executed!"
This is different. Disobeying the order is a capital crime!
"Your Highness obeys your order!"
Hu Zhenghe knew that he was powerless to change the situation and could only accept it.
But even in the imperial examination there is room for manipulation, and there are still ways to recruit talents if one wants to.
"The Ministry of Personnel and the Hanlin Academy jointly led this matter. The Hanlin Academy set the questions, and the Ministry of Personnel organized the examinations in various states."
"All participants must act impartially. If anyone manipulates the system behind the scenes or assists in cheating, their entire clan will be killed!"
Xiao Yan was well aware that the imperial examination system had its drawbacks, but only such a system was suitable for the current social form.
This is also the best way for Da Zhou to select officials at present.
"Your Highness obeys your order!"
The matter was thus settled by Xiao Yan.
"Everyone, you may feel a little unconvinced, but there is no other way. This path is the most suitable for our Great Zhou."
"Only when the people are the foundation can the world be at peace. If all officials are from the aristocratic families, the people will be in chaos!"
"I don't want my Great Zhou to go down a path of destruction. Do you understand?"
Even if the ministers don’t understand this matter, they must understand it.
"I understand!"
Xiao Yan nodded with satisfaction. This was the result he wanted. It was useless to object!
"The Ministry of Personnel and the Imperial Academy, please stay, the rest of you may leave the court!"
After Xiao Yan finished speaking, he left the court. Several adults looked at each other and immediately became hesitant.
This system can be said to have changed the course of the Great Zhou Dynasty, jumping from the recommendation system to the imperial examination system, which was a qualitative leap.
East Palace.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."
Xiao Yan nodded and said, "Please don't be polite, everyone, please take a seat!"
"If there is anything you don't understand about what I said in the court today, you can ask now!"
Xiao Yan naturally understood that it was impossible for some people to fully understand his meaning in a short period of time.
"Your Highness, I would like to ask, what is the scope of the questions set by our Hanlin Academy?"
"We can't just come up with random questions, right?"
Xiao Yan smiled and said, "The imperial examination system selects the Four Books and Five Classics as the subjects, so there is no need to consider this."
"In addition, after the provincial examination, all candidates must write an eight-part essay. The topic of the eight-part essay can be discussed by you all!"
"It is intended to examine the students' understanding of the words of the sages, and also to examine their understanding of government affairs."
"The words of the sages can test students' abilities, and the eight-part essays can test students' ability to govern. Both are indispensable."
After Xiao Yan's explanation, several people in the Hanlin Academy understood how to set questions.
"The format of the eight-part essay is strict. I will give you a sample essay to judge later. Eight-part essays that do not meet the standard will not be criticized and will be considered invalid."
"Understood, I understand!"
Xiao Yan looked towards the Ministry of Personnel. He knew very well that these people were Hu Zhenghe's people, so he had to talk about it.
"Everyone, I have no control over how you arranged the positions of officials before, but from now on, all the positions of officials selected through examinations must be reviewed by me."
"If anyone recruits an official without my permission, I will punish you as well!"
"Do you know what collective punishment means?"
The people in the Ministry of Personnel all shook their heads and said, "We don't know!"
Xiao Yan watched with a smile. He didn't know what was the best way, so he might as well give them a warning.
"Collective punishment means that if one person makes a mistake, all will be punished. Of course, you have the right to report, and anyone who reports will be exempted from the blame."
Xiao Yan's move divided them from within. After all, not everyone followed Hu Zhenghe wholeheartedly.
More people became Hu Zhenghe's disciples under his coercion, so this move will greatly divide his power.
"I understand!"
Xiao Yan looked at Niu Hong and said, "Sir Niu, you are the Minister of Personnel. You should take more responsibility and not do nothing."
"If there is any mistake in this matter, you will definitely be the first one to be punished!"
"No matter who among you makes a mistake, you are responsible and you are not allowed to shirk your responsibility!"
Only when the responsibility system is deeply rooted in people's hearts can the efficiency and accuracy of work be greatly improved.
"Yes, I obey your order!"
"Do you have any questions?"
Xiao Yan glanced at everyone and saw that no one spoke. Xiao Yan immediately said, "Okay, since there is no doubt, the Ministry of Personnel will directly issue a notice to the whole country today to announce this matter to the world."
"We will not recruit officials this year. All senior and old officials will be postponed for one year, and the vacant positions will be filled by people from various departments."
"We will fill the vacancies in various positions after the imperial examination next year."
"During the concurrent term, the salary will be doubled, which is considered as compensation for everyone."
If you want the horse to run, you have to give it grass to eat. Xiao Yan understood this principle.
Although these officials look down on this salary, it is a token of their appreciation.
"Your Highness obeys your order."
Xiao Yan's action greatly restricted the functions of the Ministry of Personnel, making it more difficult to handle some things.
In particular, the final recruitment of officials must be approved by Xiao Yan, which will nip any factional activities in the bud.
"Everyone, this concerns the foundation of our Great Zhou Dynasty. Please be careful, please !"
"Your Highness is wise!"
"Okay, go back and prepare. Half a year is enough time for these students to prepare."
Niu Hong also had some changes in his mind towards Xiao Yan at this time. Before, Xiao Yan was the regent and killed people everywhere.
At one time, I thought he was just a reckless man who used killing to intimidate his ministers. Now, after seeing this series of measures, I understand that Xiao Yan is not only brave but also wise.
If such a person were to take the position of regent, he would definitely bring the Great Zhou to a new height.
But he was timid, and since he had already followed Hu Zhenghe, he would not change his mind, because he knew Hu Zhenghe's methods.
If I really betrayed Hu Zhenghe, I would never see the sun the next day.
But Niu Hong also knew that he could not go against Xiao Yan in this way, otherwise he would be in a very difficult situation.
As for how to make the decision, just leave it to time!
