jdhmnovel Chapter 265 Li Shanchang: Magistrate Yang's words make sense
Chapter 265 Li Shanchang: Magistrate Yang's words make sense
Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen were not really interested in talking to Zhu Chongba at the moment.
Li Shanchang, in particular, felt extremely wronged.
I, Li Shanchang, have already betrayed you and taken the throne!
Ever since that madman Yang proposed the Wangtian system, I, Li Shanchang, have distanced myself from those gentry and scholars. From now on, I will wholeheartedly serve you, Emperor Zhu, like a slave, just so that you and your crazy son-in-law will cause me less trouble!
But now?
Your son just came back from Ningyang County, and you, Zhu Chongba, have gone mad and insist on establishing state and county schools, and even want to work on the teaching materials.
That's really going too far!
Just as Li Shanchang was secretly displeased, Emperor Zhu turned to Zhu Biao and instructed him, "Biao, tell Brother Shanchang and Mr. Qingtian about the shortcomings in that teaching material."
What are the shortcomings?
Li Shanchang could no longer dwell on his complaints about Zhu Chongba and Magistrate Yang; instead, he quickly tried to recall what shortcomings might exist in the teaching materials.
Liu Bowen also frowned, carefully pondering what problems might still exist in the teaching materials.
These teaching materials will be distributed to state and county schools throughout the Ming Dynasty. They are currently being printed in large quantities. If there are any problems, wasting paper is a minor matter, but the crime of misleading students would be a major one.
Just as Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen were pondering this, Zhu Biao cupped his hands towards them and said, "Lord Li, Lord Liu, when I was in Ningyang County, I heard Magistrate Yang say that although these teaching materials are sufficient for primary school use, they are missing a very important part, namely how Hu Yuan oppressed the people, how my father, Lord Li, and Lord Liu resisted Hu Yuan's rule, and how Minister Xu and Chang Pingzhang led troops to fight against Hu Yuan."
"Magistrate Yang said that the absence of this content will not have any impact on the people today, but the students in elementary schools will gradually forget this history, and naturally they will forget the efforts and contributions made by Li Gong, Liu Gong, Xu Xiang, Chang Pingzhang and other officials and nobles to restore the Han Dynasty's land and clothing. This is wrong."
"Therefore, Magistrate Yang asked me to return and ask Lord Li and Lord Liu to compile some short stories so that the children in the primary school can learn these things from a young age."
"In addition, Magistrate Yang also said that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun had been under the control of the barbarians for four hundred years, and the people had long forgotten that they were also Han people. A simple and easy-to-read general history should be compiled so that primary school students could learn history and learn from it."
“Magistrate Yang, both of these books, whether they are short stories or general history, should be included in the curriculum of our county and tested every year to prevent students from forgetting them.”
As Zhu Biao finished speaking, Li Shanchang nodded in agreement without hesitation: "Xiu! Magistrate Yang is right. Primary school students should also study history and learn from it. Only in this way can we avoid the situation where the Qin people had no time to mourn themselves, but later generations mourned them, and later generations mourned them without learning from them, thus causing later generations to mourn again."
Liu Bowen really wanted to open Li Shanchang's skull to see what kind of things were inside.
Could those words just now have come from that crazy Yang?
Judging from the memorials that Yang the Madman had submitted in the past, he only knew how to write what kind of books needed to be revised and how to revise them. At most, he would add a few sentences explaining why they needed to be revised, but he would never say anything about not letting the world forget our contributions to driving out the Tartars.
Therefore, what His Highness the Crown Prince just said was clearly embellished and processed, and could not possibly be Yang Dianfeng's original words at all!
Besides, even if some short stories were to be compiled, the focus would be on Zhu Chongba's great achievements in the anti-Yuan process. How much space could Li Shanchang possibly occupy?
If one day Emperor Zhu takes a dislike to you, you will most likely disappear completely from all kinds of books. Even if you don't disappear, what you leave behind will probably not be a good reputation. The so-called idea of having students learn from you from a young age and remember your contributions is pure nonsense.
However, with Li Shanchang having already agreed, Liu Bowen could only helplessly follow suit, bowing and replying, "Your subject seconds the motion."
Zhu Chongba smiled with satisfaction and said, "That's right. As these books are gradually distributed, it will not only speed up the process of the northern people returning to the Ming Dynasty, but also allow us, the emperor and his ministers, to make our names in history. It's definitely a win-win situation."
Li Shanchang cupped his hands in response and then continued, “Your Majesty, I believe that it is not enough for me and Brother Qingtian alone to compile such short stories. We should call upon the Ministry of Rites, the Imperial Academy, the Imperial Observatory, and many meritorious officials in the capital to work together and recall what events were worth compiling into short stories.”
"The same applies to the compilation of a comprehensive history; it cannot be accomplished without the collective efforts of many people."
"Furthermore, I believe that events from the Song Dynasty should be written in more detail, especially those from the Jin and Yuan Dynasties."
Only in this way can we truly live up to the saying "learn from history".
Emperor Zhu smiled and nodded, replying, "Agreed."
As far as Emperor Zhu was concerned, as long as Li Shanchang didn't cause trouble for him, and could produce a decent little storybook that would teach scholars from a young age the dangers of the country falling into the hands of barbarians, he didn't care whether Li Shanchang messed with the Ministry of Rites or the Imperial Academy.
As for the need to clearly document the messy affairs of the Song Dynasty when compiling history, that is even more important. At the very least, scholars should know from a young age what kind of mess the Jin and Yuan dynasties had done.
After a moment's thought, Emperor Zhu instructed Zhu Biao, "Also, tell Mr. Shanchang and Mr. Qingtian about the matter of primary school grading."
Zhu Biao readily accepted the offer, then said to Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen, "Lord Li, Lord Liu, the matter of classifying primary schools was also proposed by Magistrate Yang."
Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen were not surprised at all.
After all, Vice Emperor Zhu went to Ningyang County, so how could that scoundrel surnamed Yang not come up with some new tricks?
I just don't know how this elementary school grading system works.
Just as Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen were pondering this in their hearts, Zhu Biao continued, "At that time, Magistrate Yang said that an age standard should be set for children to enter primary school, for example, seven years old. All children who are seven years old should enter the community school or the county school to study."
"The so-called graded system means that a seven-year-old child enters the first grade after starting school, and enters the second grade after completing the first grade curriculum and passing the exam."
"The first-year curriculum can include the 'Hongwu Zhengyun' and 'Hongwu Suanfu', and in the second year, students can begin to learn the 'Three Character Classic' and 'Hongwu Suanjing'."
“After studying for several years, once these children have thoroughly understood the Zheng Yun and Suan Jing, and have also learned the Four Books and Five Classics, they can then participate in the preliminary examinations for the imperial examinations.”
"If a student fails the preliminary examination three times in a row, he should be advised to return home directly from primary school."
"As for other schools such as county schools, state schools, and prefectural schools, they should also follow this model."
"Because this involves a lot of things, especially the preferential treatment given to scholars by the imperial court. If it is not restricted, even if the national treasury has a lot of money and grain, it will not be able to support it."
Li Shanchang smiled and stroked his beard, thinking to himself, "Isn't this just nonsense?"
What is the situation in Ningyang County?
What about the situation in other prefectures and counties?
If primary schools were to be established according to the model of Ningyang County, not only would the national treasury be empty in the early Ming Dynasty, but even if it were full of money and grain, it would not be able to withstand the massive subsidies given to the people like Ningyang County.
As for preferential treatment for scholars...
What the hell does this have to do with me? I'll just leave it to the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy to deal with later.
Having made up his mind, Li Shanchang smiled and agreed, "What Magistrate Yang said makes sense. Primary schools in various places should have a grade system, and other schools such as prefectural schools should also follow this system. Otherwise, the imperial court really cannot afford to support so many students."
"If a tiered system could be implemented, and the examination rules could be set as Magistrate Yang said, at least some mediocre people who are not suitable for studying could be screened out."
Emperor Zhu smiled and nodded again, then smiled and instructed Zhu Biao, "What other knowledge have you learned in Ningyang County? Why don't you tell Brother Shanchang and Mr. Qingtian about it?"