SFS Chapter 497 Scholars from all nations are eligible to take the exam
Chapter 497 Scholars from all nations are eligible to take the exam
At this moment, the sails of the "Qin Gu" and "Tong Ji" ships were clearly visible in Langya Port. The dock instantly became lively. King Qin personally stepped forward and watched as the hatch of the "Qin Gu" opened, and bags of millet rolled out, each grain plump and without a trace of mold. Wei Zhuang grabbed a handful of millet, rubbed it in his palm, and laughed, "Your Majesty, you see, the loss rate is less than 10%, much better than land transport!"
As night fell, bonfires roared in Langya Harbor. The artisans of the Imperial Workshop surrounded the King of Qin, presenting him with newly drawn ship plans, the prow of the "Lingcang" now featuring a sharper curve. A letter from Old Zheng, sent from Chu, circulated among the officials, reading: "At the Shouchun ferry, Chu people eagerly try out the new plows, and those seeking to buy them wear out the ship's planks."
Gazing at the ship's silhouette illuminated by the campfire, the King of Qin suddenly said to Ying Wuyou, "Starting tomorrow, have the shipyards recruit more craftsmen. Carpenters from Qi and Lu, boatmen from Chu—anyone with skills, we'll take them." He paused, his voice exceptionally clear in the night wind, "I will build one hundred ships, so that the Yellow River will have 'Qin Gu' to transport grain, the Huai River will have 'Cheng Wei' to protect its course, and the East Sea will have 'Ling Cang' to hoist its sails—let the world know that the ships of Great Qin carry the world."
Ying Wuyou gazed at the distant sea, where moonlight spilled onto the shimmering water, creating a silver waterway. She seemed to see countless sails departing from Langya Port, some heading towards Liaodong, others towards the South China Sea. Wherever the sails passed, provisions took root, and books flourished.
The sea breeze, carrying the ashes of the campfire, swept across the dock, bringing with it a fresh scent—the aroma of sea salt from Shandong, the fragrance of rice blossoms from Chu, and the aroma of tung oil freshly brewed by the artisans. Ying Wuyou knew that these sails would eventually weave a net, capturing not land, but the hearts of men.
The Age of Exploration for the Qin Dynasty had only just begun.
The colossal ships of the Qin Dynasty seemed to have emerged from mythology, instilling not only deep fear in the surrounding nations but also an indescribable sense of powerlessness. The Qin Dynasty's development was as swift as lightning, catching everyone off guard.
In the courts of Chu, Qi, and Wei, opinions on the attitude towards Qin were varied and constantly debated. Some believed that Qin should be befriended to avoid being threatened by its powerful strength; while others advocated taking a hard line against Qin and preventing it from expanding recklessly.
Amidst this heated debate, a startling piece of news suddenly arrived like a thunderclap from a clear sky—the Qin state was actually holding the imperial examinations again! This news caused a huge uproar in all the states.
The imperial examination system was a major initiative launched by the Qin state the previous year. However, this system met with strong opposition from some within Qin, particularly Wang Wan and Li Si. They believed that the system would weaken the power of the nobility and disrupt Qin's traditional social order. Nevertheless, the King of Qin remained unmoved by their arguments and insisted on implementing the system.
As a result, Wang Wan and Li Si, due to their opposition to the imperial examination system and the state of Xinzheng, lost their struggle against Princess Jiayang, Ying Wuyou, and were thus demoted. One became an insignificant instructor in the Imperial Academy, while the other was reduced to a mere scribe. This event caused any opposition to the imperial examination system within Qin to vanish instantly.
Therefore, when the Qin state announced the holding of the imperial examinations again this year, almost no one in the country raised any objections. After all, the lessons of Wang Wan and Li Si were there for all to see, and no one wanted to follow in their footsteps.
However, the other states had completely different views on Qin's civil service examination system.
In Linzi, Qi State, at the Jixia Academy, under the shade of locust trees, Qi officials sat around a stone table, their fingertips repeatedly stroking several copies of proclamations that had been passed down from Qin State; the edges of the pages were already worn and frayed.
"How strange! How utterly bizarre!" Master Lu Xiuyuan of the Jixia Academy slammed the manuscript heavily onto the stone table, splashing a few drops of wine from the bronze goblet, wetting his white beard. "Last year, when Qin first implemented the imperial examinations, Wang Wan and Li Si were such important ministers! One was worthy of being prime minister, and the other was originally a candidate for the position of Minister of Justice! Just because they strongly advised against 'holding the imperial examinations for the poor and lowly, which might disrupt the order of the court,' they were demoted again and again! Now Wang Wan is relegated to the Palace of Scholars, teaching children to recognize seal script, and Li Si has been reduced to copying laws and decrees in the scribe's office—in any dynasty or era, such a situation would not have resulted in death? But Qin is different; after demoting the opponents, they still dare to hold the imperial examinations again!"
A scholar in a blue robe couldn't help but interject: "Sir, please allow me to speak. I have a fellow townsman who is studying in Xianyang. I've heard that many of the new nobles in Qin come from humble backgrounds. Among the hundred people who passed the imperial examination last year, there were those who had once slaughtered pigs and those who had once been peddlers. Now they are serving as magistrates and assistant magistrates in various counties in Guanzhong! The newly dug canal by the Jing River was built under the supervision of that magistrate who was once a butcher, and the construction was completed three months ahead of schedule!"
"You scoundrels! Do you even know propriety?" Lu Xiuyuan stood up abruptly, the wind from his robes sweeping away a few locust leaves. "Officials should uphold the virtues of their ancestors and continue the sacrifices in the ancestral temples! Butchers holding the reins and peddlers holding the seals of office—how is this any different from allowing commoners to enter the halls of power? With Qin acting so perversely, how can its dynasty last long!"
Before the words were finished, a student rushed over, holding a copy of the official gazette, his voice filled with unusual excitement: "Great Qin News! Urgent news! This time, the Qin state's imperial examinations... have actually allowed scholars from all other states to take the exams! Anyone who is proficient in the Qin laws and skilled in arithmetic, regardless of their origin or nationality, can enter Qin as an official upon passing the exams, and can even bring their families to Guanzhong, where they will be exempt from taxes for ten years!"
A deathly silence fell around the stone table. A sudden glint appeared in the young scholar's eyes, his hand instinctively tightening on the bamboo slips at his waist—he had studied diligently for ten years, yet, as a commoner, he couldn't even secure a minor official position like a village head in Qi. An older minister, his face ashen, slammed his fist on the table in fury: "Qin is undermining the very foundation of the world! We maintain our state through bloodline, while they use pen, ink, paper, and inkstones to attract desperate fugitives! If this continues, won't all the talented but impoverished scholars of other states flock to Xianyang?"
The commotion startled Tian Che, the headmaster deep within the academy. The old master, leaning on his cane, slowly emerged, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like an ancient well: "What good is all this chatter? Qin dares to reopen the imperial examinations not because it's mad, but because it has tasted the sweetness of success. Last year, Qin reduced taxes, yet grain production increased, resulting in a 30% increase in year-end taxes and over 100,000 refugees returning home—all thanks to those 'newly rich from humble backgrounds.' They have no family ties, and act solely according to the law, not personal feelings. Can the other states emulate this ruthlessness and decisiveness?"
For a moment, everyone was speechless. Indeed, the Tian clan of Qi was deeply entrenched, and even the ruler had to give way to them; in Chu, the Zhao, Qu, and Jing families controlled the court, making it difficult for outsiders to even cross the threshold. Qin dared to touch the lifeblood of aristocratic families, yet the other states didn't even have the courage to weaken their power—this imperial examination, seemingly a method for selecting officials, was in reality a radical overhaul, and while the other states wanted to emulate it, they lacked even the strength to lift the knife.
At this moment, in the Qi King's palace garden, Tian Jian was resting on a couch, a maid gently fanning him with a feather fan. The Prime Minister, Hou Sheng, presented him with a copy of the Qin state's examination proclamation, bowing respectfully. Tian Jian took it and examined it closely, his fingers repeatedly tracing the words "Scholars from all states may take the examination."
"King Xi of Yan is quite sensible," King Jian of Qi suddenly sneered, tossing the copy aside. "I've heard that after Prince Dan of Yan died, he demolished the Imperial Academy in Ji City and spent his days indulging in wine. When the Qin envoy passed by the Yi River, he actually personally held a wine jug and knelt to welcome him on the bank... But our Qi is different! There are still a thousand students at the Jixia Academy in Linzi. How can we just stand by and watch them... all flock to Xianyang?"