The deterrent power of Li Zhi's letter is so amazing that the civil officials seem to have been dug up by someone, and their faces are pale, and they kneel on the ground and are speechless. For a long time, no one stood up against it.

The foundation of Confucianism in the world is the imperial examination.

It is precisely because of the imperial examination that Confucian scholars have gained meritorious status. In general, it is precisely because of the imperial examination that there are civil officials of Jinshi and the first rank who are in charge of the society as a great Confucian, and manage from the imperial court to the Li people. To put it mildly, it was the imperial examination that turned Confucian scholars into gentry with great fame, and became a superior person in the local area.

The imperial examination system is the starting point for the gentry to control the Ming Dynasty. Without the imperial examination system, there would be no civil bureaucracy, and there would be no gentry.

Li Zhi is no longer asking for the lives of civil officials and gentry, Li Zhi is trying to fundamentally exterminate such a class.

Even Zhu Youzhen was extremely surprised, as if he heard a thunderbolt on a sunny day.

The abolition of the imperial examination system was not the same as the expropriation of tax exemptions from the gentry. The tax-free privilege of the gentry was never used as an official system of the Ming Dynasty, and was always an act of "theft" by the gentry and civil officials. Zhu Youzhen's restriction of tax evasion by the gentry for the sake of the country and the people was a follow-up to the trend without any psychological obstacles.

However, the abolition of the imperial examination is different.

From the hands of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, this system of imperial examination is the official system of the Ming Dynasty. All the bureaucratic mechanisms of the Ming Dynasty were built on the basis of this imperial examination. Officialdom origins, promotions, the "same year" and "seat-teacher" relationships between bureaucrats, everything is determined by the starting point of the imperial examination.

Without the imperial examinations, the Ming Dynasty would have been governed by a different group of people. The whole society will undergo earth-shaking changes, and the court and people of the Ming Dynasty will be reshuffled.

Li Zhi wanted to abolish this fundamental system and use the standard of public morality to select officials.

Zhu Youzhen did not speak, but subconsciously looked at the officials kneeling on the ground.

The officials on the ground were prostrate on the ground, but they were silent one by one, as if they were frightened, as if they had been forced by the soldiers of King Qi with guns.

The entire Imperial Palace fell into a suffocating silence.

Cui Changwu looked at the Son of Heaven and the ministers kneeling on the ground, frowning.

After a long time, Hu Yongnian, a scholar of Dongge University, bravely raised his head and looked at Zhu Youzhen.

He found that Zhu Youzhen was also watching him.

Hu Yongnian read something from Zhu Youzhen's eyes, lowered his head, seemed to think for a while, and suddenly was not afraid. He flicked his sleeves and got up, and said loudly: "Holy Lord, you must not cut off the way of the world's scholars, and you must not abolish the most holy avenue, the saint whispers!" ”

Hu Yongnian looked at Cui Changwu and said, "Yes, according to King Qi, what Confucian students learn every day is private virtue. ”

However, the saints, it is precisely because Confucianism learns private virtues, and because Confucian students are students who are immersed in private virtues every day, that there will be grace and revenge. Only then can they know how to be loyal and filial, know how to repay the emperor's grace, know how to be grateful to the Ming Dynasty for their status, and only then will they maintain the court and the royal family from the bottom of their hearts! ”

"The so-called loyal ministers have been out of the door of filial piety since ancient times, and only those who pay attention to loyalty and filial piety will truly be loyal to the monarch without hesitation."

"The public morality propagated by the King of Qi in Tianjin does not talk about loyalty and righteousness, but only about right and wrong and public interests. The minister couldn't help but ask, if the master violates right and wrong and harms the public interest, should the courtier raise an anti-flag to crusade against the monarch? ”

"If the person who is the master of the house is not capable and cannot sweep the Liuhe for the benefit of the country and the people, will the people have to replace this monarch? Push a more virtuous one up? ”

"Let me ask, if you follow the rules of King Qi, are there any rules in this world?"

Hearing Hu Yongnian's words, Zhu Youzhen closed his eyes and said nothing.

Cui Changwu looked at the Son of Heaven and secretly said that it was not good.

Unlike the abolition of the gentry's right to tax exemption, the abolition of the imperial examination was not only a sword against Confucianism, but also a sword against the foundation of the Son of Heaven's rule.

The Ming Dynasty lasted for hundreds of years, and the reason why it was able to experience so many ups and downs was that in the final analysis, it relied on the loyalty and filial piety of the people of the world. It is precisely because thousands of people are immersed in the Confucian theory of monarchs, ministers, fathers, sons, and sons, that no matter which descendant of the Zhu family is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, no matter how corrupt and shameless the scribes used by the emperor are, the world is still loyal to the royal family and the imperial court.

Although this Confucianism does not emphasize public morality or right and wrong, it is very effective in maintaining the stability of the ruling order.

Jun did not see that Qin ruled the world with severe punishment, and chased the Xiongnu in the north and the barbarian Yue in the south, but the second died. The Han Dynasty overthrew Confucianism and respected Confucianism, and the country lasted for four hundred years.

Theoretically, for people who don't talk about public morality and only private morality, the Son of Heaven gave you the title of Ronglu, and you should abandon all public morality and even conscience from now on, and only protect the interests of the Son of Heaven and the interests of the royal family.

This is why the emperors of all dynasties have greatly promoted Confucianism, and have used Confucianism to govern the country, and even decided whether they can become officials by learning Confucianism well or not, that is, by imperial examinations.

The last level of the imperial examination system in the Ming Dynasty was the palace examination, which was presided over by the emperor himself. Those who passed the palace examination to become Jinshi all claimed to be protégés of the Son of Heaven, and from then on the Son of Heaven became the teacher of all civil officials.

In other words, the imperial examination system not only selects Confucian scholars who have learned loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness well, but also ensures that the meritorious status of all officials is determined by the Son of Heaven himself. This is the design of the system to ensure that the Son of Heaven is supported by the scholars.

Cui Changwu has read the books of sages for more than ten years, and of course understands the importance of Confucianism to the entire Zhu Ming Society.

Cui Changwu knows, and Zhu Youzhen also knows.

Cui Changwu was not at all sure about King Qi's recital, and he was really not sure if the Son of Heaven could make up his mind to abolish Confucianism and truly strengthen the country with public virtue and right and wrong.

Cui Changwu took a step forward and said, "Shengshang, the reason why the new law has not made achievements at the local level is precisely because the private moral system of Confucianism still rules the locality. Although there are courts to uphold justice, officials still believe in private morality, and the people are still suppressed by private morality. What public morality do you dare to talk about? ”

"Without the merits, there is no guarantee that those who contribute will be rewarded, and the people will not have the courage to forge ahead."

"Only by adopting the advice of the king of Qi to abolish the imperial examination and to win scholars with public virtue can we truly build a prosperous and powerful country."

When the civil officials kneeling on the ground heard Cui Changwu's words, they didn't dare to refute, and they all looked up at Zhu Youzhen, the son of heaven.

Zhu Youzhen opened his eyes and looked at the civil officials, and did not answer Cui Changwu's words, but took a deep breath.

After being silent for a few seconds, he said slowly: "I'm tired, that's it for today, let's retreat!" ”