jdhmnovel Chapter 232 Where are the scholars in Ningyang County?
Chapter 232 Where are the scholars in Ningyang County?
If Little Zhu wants to take the pot away, I, a mere sixth-rank official, certainly can't keep him here. Besides, Ningyang County is too small and too poor. It would be a waste to keep those promising talents in Ningyang County. It would be better to let Zhu Biao send them to the capital to study.
As for the so-called minor officials, just listen to those words and don't take them too seriously. After all, they are just teenagers. How heartless must Zhu Biao be to actually let them become minor officials?
Thinking of this, Yang Shaofeng sighed softly, "The few promising talents we painstakingly cultivated have all been taken away by His Highness. Alas~"
Wang Qiong couldn't help but smile and said, "Brother Yang, don't just feel sorry for him—if this were anyone else, they would probably break their heads trying to give the best talents they've nurtured to His Highness."
Yang Shaofeng snorted and said, "If there were scholars in Ningyang County, I would be willing to put a few more good talents around Your Highness. But where are there any scholars in Ningyang County?"
After Yang Shaofeng said that, Wang Qiong immediately felt that Xiao Zhu's actions were a bit unfair.
As Magistrate Yang said, there was not a single scholar to be found in the entire Ningyang County. The positions of Assistant Magistrate and clerks in all departments were vacant, and Magistrate Yang had to shoulder all the responsibilities. Now, he had finally cultivated a few promising young scholars who were about to fill the vacant positions in the county government, but then Xiao Zhu came and dismissed them all. How could Magistrate Yang not feel heartbroken?
But then Wang Qiong realized something was amiss.
First, I only said that His Highness the Crown Prince sent a few teachers to Ningyang County, but I didn't say exactly how many. So Magistrate Yang probably thought there were only three or four.
Secondly, I just said that His Highness the Crown Prince wanted to select a few students from the school in Ningyang County to go to the capital, but I didn't specify how many.
Thinking of this, Wang Qiong couldn't help but chuckle and began to comfort Magistrate Yang: "Brother Yang, you've misunderstood. First of all, His Highness isn't just sending three or five teachers to Ningyang County. Secondly, the selection of promising students to study in the capital doesn't mean taking away all the promising students from Ningyang County."
Yang Shaofeng waved his hand and said, "Even if Your Highness is generous, how many schoolteachers can you send to Ningyang County? All the assistant officials and clerks in Ningyang County are vacant. Do you think Your Highness can send more than a dozen scholars?"
"Besides, there are only three or five promising students in Ningyang County School. If Your Highness wants to select more, I'm afraid there aren't enough promising students in Ningyang County School."
Wang Qiong said mysteriously, "Brother Yang is mistaken. His Highness sent not just a dozen scholars to Ningyang County, but three Xiucai (successful candidates in the county-level imperial examinations) and more than twenty Tongsheng (successful candidates in the county-level imperial examinations)!"
Yang Shaofeng stared at Wang Qiong with a bewildered expression and asked, "How much?"
Three scholars who passed the county-level imperial examinations, plus more than twenty students who passed the preliminary imperial examinations?
Generally speaking, a person who has studied but has not yet passed the imperial examination can be called a "child scholar". However, more than 2,000 people in Ningyang County can read, and the most can even recognize more than 1,000 characters. Does that mean that the entire Ningyang County is full of children scholars?
Therefore, not everyone who could read and studied could be called a "Tongsheng" (a student who had completed a certain level of education). At the very least, one had to pass an examination organized by the county government to be considered a Tongsheng. Although they did not enjoy any special privileges, they were qualified to study at the county school. Those who achieved excellent results could participate in the higher-level prefectural examination.
As for those who didn't do well, there were many who, even with white hair, were still called "child scholars." The story of "The Cricket" says, "There are those in the town who have become famous, but they are still children." "Being a child scholar" means not having obtained the qualification of a scholar, not having official rank, and not being considered a scholar.
However, even if a student who has passed the preliminary examination is not considered a scholar, that is only in a relative sense. At the very least, they have passed the examination before becoming students, so they must have no problem with basic writing and arithmetic.
Given the Ming Dynasty's severe shortage of officials, to the point that they practically wanted to recruit every commoner into the government, Zhu Biao's act of sending three scholars and over twenty students to Ningyang County at once goes beyond mere "generosity."
To put it simply, when Yang Shaofeng was captured by Chang Yuchun to serve as a county magistrate, he did not have the academic degree of a student.
Even now, many of the bigwigs in the Ming Dynasty court are only scholars.
However, Wang Qiong still smiled and nodded, saying, "Three scholars, plus twenty-six students who have passed the imperial examinations."
Yang Shaofeng looked at Wang Qiong with suspicion and asked, "Does the imperial court not need any more officials now?"
Wang Qiong chuckled and said, "A shortage of officials? The shortage of officials was a problem a few months ago. Since the early rice harvest in July, the court has gradually stopped lacking officials."
At this point, Wang Qiong couldn't help but laugh out loud again, saying, "Speaking of which, this matter is inextricably linked to you, Brother Yang."
Upon hearing Wang Qiong's explanation, Yang Shaofeng immediately understood what was going on.
Ever since Wang Qiong told Emperor Zhu about the excessive preferential treatment given to scholars and the corresponding solutions, Emperor Zhu has been playing an extremely ruthless game.
First, the Ming Dynasty recognized the academic titles and honors of those scholars from the Yuan Dynasty.
Secondly, the Ming Dynasty abolished preferential treatment for students who were not in school.
In other words, if you were a student during the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty would recognize you as a student; if you were a scholar during the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty would also recognize you as a scholar.
However, because you are neither an official of the Ming Dynasty nor a student in the Ming Dynasty's schools, you cannot enjoy the preferential treatment that the Ming Dynasty gives to those students in the schools.
For example, you could be exempted from taxes on a certain amount of land, or from corvée labor, or you could be exempted from bowing to officials. You didn't get any of these miscellaneous preferential treatments. You had to pay every penny and every grain of rice in taxes, and you had to perform every day of corvée labor. You also had to bow and pay respects to officials.
At first, these scholars who "had their hearts set on the Yuan Dynasty" didn't feel anything.
Paying taxes and performing corvée labor?
We'll see when the time comes; it's not certain whether the official will accept it or not.
Should one bow and scrape before an official?
It's no big deal. As long as I, a scholar, don't go to see those officials, I naturally don't need to bow or beg them.
But when the summer harvest of the second year of Hongwu arrived, these scholars truly experienced what it meant to suffer.
Because they avoid the local officials, the local officials like to come looking for them—weren't you always so arrogant? Now I'm standing right in front of you, try not to bow and pay your respects! As long as you don't want to be an official, I don't need to give you any face!
What these scholars found even more unbearable was that the officials who used to be polite to them and never bothered to ask whether they paid taxes now seemed to have changed their tune. Not only did they actively hang around in front of them, but after hanging around, they would also remind them: "Remember to pay the autumn tax this year. I see that the crops in your fields are growing well. You must pay more this year."
This...this is practically cutting flesh off us scholars!
That's utterly disgraceful!
It’s his mother’s fault!