The Ming Dynasty started with caution

In the hall, Emperor Hongzhi stood up from the throne, but his eyes did not leave Yan Chengjin.

"Let's not talk about it. The imperial examination has set up the topic of psychology, which is a reform. How can you let the students of the Imperial College participate in the imperial examination fairly?"

The students of the Imperial College have been studying in the prison for a long time.

The students are divided into four levels. The freshmen who have just entered the Imperial College study the "Four Books". If they pass the examination, they will enter the Zhengyi Hall, Chongzhi Hall, and Guangye Hall to study.

After one and a half years of study, the superior students can enter the Xiudao Hall and Chengxin Hall to study.

After another year and a half, the outstanding students can enter the highest Ratexing Hall to study.

Ratexing Hall uses the credit system to assess, and you must accumulate eight points within one year to graduate. The university system of later generations has a great relationship with the Imperial College.

Therefore, the students of the Imperial College are too busy to take care of other things. There are also people who cannot graduate for forty days, let alone contact with psychology.

Yan Chengjin bowed slightly and saluted: "So, I just said that the questions are not difficult. If you spend a month studying the philosophy of mind, you can answer them."

The principles of the philosophy of mind are very simple, and the questions he asked are also very simple.

The imperial examination is a good policy for the Ming Dynasty.

It allows people like Qiu Jun and Li Dongyang who are struggling at the bottom to break through the class and participate in governing the world.

But the eight-part essay also has its imperfections. The knowledge it covers is too single, and it is necessary to answer questions from the perspective of Zhu Xi and Cheng Yixue.

In addition to arguing about the principles of the saints, civil officials rarely dabble in other things.

Emperor Hongzhi's eyes were meaningful: "You dare to come to advise without any preparation? What's in your sleeves? Take it out."

Hand in hand, your majesty is actually familiar with the road. It seems that future memorials cannot be put in the sleeves.

Yan Chengjin took out the memorial: "It is a Confucianism topic. If Your Majesty does not allow the School of Mind, I will give a Confucianism topic."

Emperor Hongzhi frowned and snorted: "You moved the mansion to advise the School of Mind?!"

"Yes."

Yan Chengjin was afraid that if the School of Mind was included in the imperial examination, it would be retaliated and resisted by scholars, so it would be safer to move the mansion.

Wang Shouren's School of Mind had a great influence on the governance of the Ming Dynasty, such as it is easy to defeat the thieves in the mountains, but it is difficult to defeat the thieves in the heart.

This simple truth found the root cause of the repeated suppression of bandits in the Ming Dynasty.

In military affairs, he bowed his head to Yangming all his life, and Wang Shouren won many battles.

This is the application of the School of Mind in governing the world.

It can be used in educating the people and leading troops on the border. It is a practical knowledge.

"You are so bold that you dare to advise me to rectify the imperial examination."

Emperor Hongzhi's voice was faintly suppressed with anger.

Yan Chengjin was frightened.

The reform of the imperial examination system was a bit bold. Fortunately, it was His Majesty who summoned him alone.

I wanted to wait until the essay papers were sealed before submitting them to His Majesty.

But I didn't expect that the scholars in the capital would run back to their hometowns to participate in the imperial examinations. This is exactly the same as running to Xinjiang for high heat in later generations.

When Emperor Hongzhi saw this guy lowering his head, he was afraid that he would not dare to advise again in the future, and his expression eased a little.

"Do you know how big a shock it would be if the study of the mind was included in the imperial examinations? That would be equivalent to the court recognizing the study of the mind, and it is also orthodox!"

The third level was seen through by His Majesty.

But Yan Chengjin still pretended to be confused: "I have not considered it carefully."

Emperor Hongzhi had only heard of the word "the study of the mind", but he had not actually heard of the study of the mind.

"You go out, don't mention this matter in the court."

After Yan Chengjin responded, he bowed slightly and left the hall.

If the study of the mind is included in the imperial examinations, its implementation will become a natural outcome.

Emperor Hongzhi ordered him to stop talking for the sake of peace in the court. This was against the ministers in the court. The ministers in the court were already disgusted with the School of Mind. If it was set up as a question for the imperial examination...

The only people who really supported the School of Mind were probably the scholars in Liangxiang.

Li Dongyang and his men were waiting outside the palace.

When they saw Yan Chengjin coming out, they surrounded him and asked, "What did your majesty say to you?"

"What topic do you want to come up with?"

"Your majesty does not allow me to mention it again." Yan Chengjin responded.

The ministers looked stern. If they wanted to be officials, they had to go through the imperial examination. The imperial examination was a major event for scholars all over the world and also a major event for the family.

Xiong Xiu looked at him with a stern face and said calmly, "If you have no topic to give, you can resign from your majesty. Why bother to take questions from outside Confucianism?"

The imperial examination had lasted for nearly a hundred years. The questions had to be from the Four Books and the Five Classics, and the Four Books only had a total of 170,000 words.

Even if a sentence was used as a question, it would have been exhausted in the past hundred years.

The questions became a headache for the examiner.

Liu Jian and the other two had not left yet, waiting for the summons from Emperor Hongzhi.

But the palace door was closed, and His Majesty did not seem to want to summon them.

Yan Chengjin was lost in thought as he walked back to the Censorate.

The Ming Dynasty's Xinxue was roughly divided into eight schools, the Taizhou School, the Jiangyou School, the Zhejiang School, the Northern Wang School...

Even Xu Jie was a student of Xinxue, but only Wang Shouren really put Xinxue into practice.

It was not very useful for the court.

If His Majesty promotes Xinxue, it would be good, but if he gets angry and takes off his hat as the examiner, it would also be a good thing.

Whether it succeeds or not, it is all calculated by this official.

In the hall, Emperor Hongzhi sat for a while and looked at Xiao Jing: "Wang Shouren is teaching Xinxue in Liangxiang?"

Xiao Jing nodded: "Yes, he teaches Xinxue for an hour every day, it seems to be a regular practice."

Emperor Hongzhi thought about it and didn't pay attention to the relationship between Song Jing, Xie Pi and others and Xinxue.

He stood up and changed his clothes in the side hall.

Xiao Jing knew what to do next and hurriedly ordered people to prepare the carriage.

Half an hour later, Emperor Hongzhi appeared in the Liangxiang Library.

The scholars sat cross-legged. There were no tables or chairs to accommodate more people, so the readers all sat on the ground.

Wang Shouren saw Emperor Hongzhi. Why did His Majesty come here today to listen to his lecture on Xinxue?

"Wang Shouren greets Master Zhu."

"You don't have to be polite. Continue your lecture." Emperor Hongzhi nodded, his face calm as usual.

Wang Shouren returned to the stage again and continued to lecture: "Knowledge is the idea of ​​action, action is the effort of knowledge, knowledge is the beginning of action, and action is the completion of knowledge..."

Emperor Hongzhi only understood half of what he said.

Whether to establish Xinxue as the orthodoxy of the court, we should not listen to Yan Chengjin alone.

Suddenly, he thought of a question, but he could not find the answer after thinking for a long time.

The next day, when it was almost time to go off duty, he ordered people to summon the cabinet and the six ministries.

"Why does the court select scholars based on the Four Books and Five Classics?"

Li Dongyang and others were stunned by the question.

Liu Jian thought about it carefully and said, "Since the Tang Dynasty, the Confucian classics have been used as questions. Although the Tang Dynasty tested the Nine Classics, it was generally the Five Classics. Why does Your Majesty ask this?"

The imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty tested a wider range of the Nine Classics.

"Do you know where Yan Chengjin got the questions from?"

Li Dongyang was fully focused. This guy must have told Your Majesty?

Zhang Sheng and others listened wholeheartedly.

It can be felt that His Majesty is not right today. It is said that he also visited Liangxiang.

When everyone listened attentively, Emperor Hongzhi fell into deep thought and did not speak for a long time.

"Your Majesty, where did this guy get the questions from?"

"Wang Shouren's Mind Learning."

Mind Learning has only been out for a few years, and Confucianism has been passed down for more than a thousand years. He wants to enter the hall as a scholar's knowledge in a few years?

This guy Yan Chengjin wants to come up with a knowledge of Mind Learning!