The Ming Dynasty started with caution

"How many engineers have passed the exam in Liangxiang this time?"

Yan Chengjin thought about it carefully and said, "Not counting Xie Pi, there are only six people."

His Majesty was shaken.

For subordinate officials and refugees to participate in the imperial examination was an act that broke the ancestral system. Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that subordinate officials, refugees and children of prostitutes were not allowed to participate in the imperial examination.

The status of subordinate officials was lower than that of merchants.

Merchants could take the imperial examination. Liu Jian and Xie Qian were both sons of landlords and could also enter the officialdom.

By the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there were no longer any bullshit scholars, farmers, industry and merchants, and the status of merchants was much different from that of the early Ming Dynasty.

On the contrary, it is the subordinate officials who are not allowed to be elected, resulting in no one studying, and evil officials appear frequently in various places.

Yan Chengjin feels that it is this group of people who should receive ten years of compulsory education the most.

There were only six people, which was acceptable. Emperor Hongzhi did not look at the ministers kneeling on the ground and said: "I admire Song Jing. The court needs many people like Song Jing. If they are not allowed to apply, I can only appoint ministers." , let them be elected.”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yan Chengjin bowed.

Emperor Hongzhi was a courageous man after all.

After coming out of the palace, Yan Chengjin was about to return to the capital to inspect the Yamen. Xie Qian carried his clothes and stomped to catch up with him. Li Dongyang grabbed him from behind and kicked him with his legs.

"Yu Qiao, don't make trouble."

"Binzhi, you don't know that I, Pi'er... ugh, a good person, turned into a fool after studying science."

Why did this kid come over here? Li Dongyang wildly hinted to Yan Chengjin to leave the palace quickly to avoid being beaten by Xie Qian.

Yan Chengjin bowed slightly: "Your Majesty just said that engineers can take part in the imperial examination. Mr. Xie asked Xie Pi to go to Liangxiang. I believe that he will definitely pass the examination."

Xie Pi was the Jie Yuan who took the Shuntianfu Provincial Examination in the 14th year of Hongzhi. After studying science, he didn’t know...

Xie Qian sighed.

When he returned to his house, he saw his son sitting blankly on the desk, his eyes deep in thought. When Xie Qian walked in, he did not get up to salute.

"Go to Liangxiang. That bitch Yan Chengjin won't make things difficult for you."

Xie Qian let out a long sigh.

Xie Pi's eyes regained their vitality, he turned his head slightly and looked at his father: "Really...really?"

"If he dares to embarrass you again, dad will beat him."

The corners of Xie Pi's eyes were slightly wet and he choked with sobs: "Dad, it's not that I don't want to participate in Qiuwei, I'm just interested in science..."

"Dad understands."

"I will be filial to you from now on." Xie Pi stood up suddenly, packed his parcel and went to Liangxiang.

…

In the capital, the newspaper came out.

It was first passed to Shuntian Mansion. Liu Qing's eyes widened. All engineers from Liangxiang, regardless of subordinates or children of refugees, could apply?

The government officials in Class 3 and Room 6 were as excited as if they had seen a ghost when they saw the newspaper.

If you pass the exam, you can get certain tax exemptions.

But starting from the early Ming Dynasty, it was stipulated that subordinate officials were not allowed to participate in the imperial examination. They never dreamed that one day the conditions for participating in the imperial examination would be relaxed.

"Is it difficult to pass the Liangxiang Engineer exam?"

"I heard that only six people were admitted this time."

…

Liangxiang,

When Zhang Xian saw the Di newspaper, his shoulders trembled slightly with excitement. From the founding of the dynasty to the present, there was no such precedent. Only Master Yan had such courage.

"Master Yan has never said it with his mouth, but in his heart he pretends to be the common people in the world. He is ashamed."

The Di newspaper spread throughout Liangxiang and caused a great sensation.

The subordinate officials were so excited that they burst into tears when they saw the newspaper, especially the clerks in the sixth room. They were different from the police officers in the government office.

The police officer in the government office cannot read a word, so there is nothing to say about not being able to take part in the imperial examination.

But their civil servants are literate.

Just because of low status, one cannot take part in the imperial examination. How unfair is this.

Fan Li, a civil servant in the household, took leave and went home. He came in with his newspaper and said to his son who was studying hard in the room: "Son, look at what this is!"

Fan Qin read the Di newspaper and exclaimed: "Can subordinate officials also take part in the imperial examination?"

Fan Li nodded excitedly. He had been counting on his son to inherit his job all his life. When he saw the Di newspaper, he suddenly gained hope again.

From now on, officials can also take part in the imperial examination and be qualified to serve as officials.

"Is it difficult for an engineer who doesn't know his hometown to take the exam?" Fan Qin asked.

"If you don't pass the exam, just try again. Dad heard that craftsmen can pass the exam. Why can't you pass the exam?"

Fan Qin nodded and prepared to go to Liangxiang to borrow books.

Liangxiang Library,

Suddenly more and more people were borrowing "Mechanics", "Arithmetic", and "Chemistry".

The Liangxiang Shipyard was very busy. A wealthy businessman came from the south of the Yangtze River. He wanted twenty canoes, large yellow ships, and miscellaneous boats each.

He also asked if there was any big treasure ship that could go to sea.

"Who in Jiangnan would want so many ships, Prince Ning?"

Yan Chengjin fell into thinking. The Dabao Ship was Zheng He's voyage to the Western Ocean. It was about 150 meters long and 60 meters wide, like a large cruise ship.

Ordinary businessmen would not buy such a big ship.

Because water transportation does not allow such ships to be taken away, it will hinder the court's grain ships.

The imperial court had clear requirements for the specifications of water transport ships, and there were fixed numbers for how much cargo a ship could carry.

“Who’s buying the boat?”

"My name is Luo Pu, a porcelain businessman from Jiangnan." Zhang Xiandao.

I have never heard of this person. Maybe it was a random bastard that Prince Ning found in order to deceive others.

To be cautious, Yan Chengjin decided to sell the ship to him and then follow the clues to see if it was Prince Ning.

Xie Pi came to Liangxiang again and was extremely grateful to Yan Chengjin. He followed Song Jing day and night for fear of missing important knowledge.

"Master Song, can you teach me how to make a Song telescope?" Xie Pi felt that it could be made more sophisticated and see beyond the moon.

"You don't have to call me Master Song. Making a Song telescope is easy. You can find out by going to the workshop and seeing the craftsmen."

In order to prevent Jiangnan's copycat products from imitating too quickly, Yan Chengjin did not allow anyone other than craftsmen to enter the workshop, except Song Jing.

Xie Pi has been staying in Zhongguancun, Liangxiang, for the past few days.

The bed here is very strange. It is an iron bed. One person can sleep on it and another person can sleep on the bottom.

From the conversation, we learned that except for him, he was the only one who came from an official family.

The remaining five people are either children of subordinate officials or craftsmen.

When they learned that they could take part in the imperial examination, the five of them could not suppress their excitement. They held their books at night and prepared to go to the hut area where the refugees lived.

"Where are you going?"

"There is a gentleman in the thatched hut, his name is Cheng Qingshan. He is very knowledgeable. Let's go and listen to him. Will you go?"

Seeing that all five people were going, Xie Pi put down the original astronomical telescope and followed them to the grass shed area.

There was a dimly lit hut, and someone was giving a lecture.

Suddenly, I realized that the person giving the lecture was Uncle Cheng, wasn't he?

"Uncle, how did you end up like this?"

"Sit down and listen." Cheng Minzheng blushed.

…

Yanfu,

Yan Chengjin was a little surprised. Wang Busui sent someone to send a message back that the refined salt shipped to North Korea had been hijacked, including people and goods.

"Is this the order from Lord Yanshan?"

"The younger one didn't know that it was North Korean officials who took away my boss. My boss lied and said that I was his son and asked him to stay for an hour before he could come back."

Lord Yanshan was even weirder than Zhu Houzhao. He beheaded more than thirty ministers and turned the Imperial College into a brothel. There was nothing he wouldn't dare to do.

However, he thought that Wang Busui was an ordinary caravan, and if he was robbed, it would be a robbery, and he would not alarm the court.

As everyone knows, this refined salt has the influence of Emperor Hongzhi.

Back in the study, Yan Chengjin wrote his advice in a book, drew a mental map on a white paper, and thought about it from his perspective. If someone opposed sending troops to North Korea, what would he say?

Half an hour later, Yan Chengjin walked out of the study.

"Prepare the sedan chair, I am going to the palace."