Chapter 2814 2816 [Enke obtains a scholar]

   Once the Enke reform system was launched, all the nobles, elites, and high-ranking officials knew that they were in trouble.

  Unified examination, sealing, transcription, palace examination...every link has greatly compressed and restricted their privileges.

   In this way, their children will be forced to take the exam with the students of the common people.

  The children of the noble family, the powerful, and the high-ranking party are in the minority after all, and many of them are gangsters. Once the imperial examinations pass the real talent and learning, they are finished.

   In this way, they will not be able to be officials, and they will have no power in their hands. At that time, if they want to monopolize power and domineering, it will become empty talk.

   So naturally they are trying to oppose it.

   However, today is different from the past.

   Today's rich state treasury is full, things are prosperous and the people are prosperous, and there are no strong enemies at the border. It is the time when the national power is at its peak.

   And Li Xi destroyed Danchi and opened up the territory, which is a rare feat in history, and it has also won him the praise of thousands of people.

   Therefore, today's royal family of the rich dynasty has strength and popular support. Even if those elites, gentry, and high-ranking officials want to oppose it, Li Wei has the ability to suppress them all.

  Besides, Li Xi is now using [sausage cutting tactic].

  He just reformed the imperial examination. We have neither waged war against these elites or high-ranking officials, nor have we tried to clean them up in large numbers.

  So their will to fight a decisive battle is not strong, and they don't want to turn against the royal family for the time being. Therefore, after he opposed it on the upper fold, but was forced to press down by the emperor Li Xi, he had no choice but to surrender.

  …

   Enke officially started in the autumn of 2026 in Tiantong.

  The original imperial examination was only divided into the provincial examination and the general examination. The provincial examinations are held in various provinces, while the general examinations are held in the capital.

   Today's Enke has added a children's test, which is taken at the county government. After passing the exam, you are eligible to be called a child student. Tongsheng passed the provincial examination and became a scholar; a scholar passed the general examination and became a juren; a juren passed the palace examination and became a Jinshi...

  After rounds of auditions, when it was time for the general examination, thousands of talents from all over the country had already gathered in the capital. And their files were placed in front of Li Xi early on.

  Their birthplaces, backgrounds, mentorship, relatives and friends, works, etc., the information is also considered detailed.

   Li Yu’s imperial examinations are for the purpose of suppressing the elites and high-ranking officials. Therefore, the selected talents must naturally get rid of the elites and high-ranking officials, and try to choose poor scholars.

  Because the humble scholar has no foundation and no party members in the court, so he will be loyal to him, the emperor, and will be willing to be used by him.

   "Yin'er, your idea is really good." Li Xi looked at the information and said to Xiang Nan with a smile.

  After listening to Xiang Nan's reform opinions, 60% of the scholars selected for this opening examination are the children of the common people.

   Unlike the previous examinations for candidates, 90% of them are powerful and high-ranking officials. The well-done imperial examinations have become like pork.

   "It's my honor to be able to relieve my father's worries." Xiang Nan bowed and smiled.

   Afterwards, after passing the general examination and the palace examination, Li Yu selected nearly 300 people, of which more than 70% were from common people, and only 30% were from nobles and officials.

  Following the children of the common people, they are assigned to various positions, such as walking, giving, and managing in the six departments; local officials, Tongzhi, county magistrate, county magistrate...

  As for the children of nobles and officials, they were assigned to Hongwen Museum, Taichang Temple, Guozijian and other departments. It sounds like they stayed in the capital, served by the emperor, and they were quite noble, but in fact they were put on the shelf and kept at a distance.

  Through this method, Li Yu gradually replaced the family and cronies with the children of the common people, and further consolidated his rule.

  Although it will take a long time to do so, it will not cause major turmoil and will not harm the foundation of the country.

  …

  Li Zhen passed the imperial examination, using the children of the common people to replace the children of the noble family step by step.

   This is a top-down approach.

  Xiang Nan introduced farm tools such as Quyuan plow and deep plow to facilitate agricultural production.

  The economic base on which the aristocrats and gentry relied was the manor economy. They wantonly annexed land, raised tenant farmers, farmed, grazed, weaved, brewed, etc. in the manor, and were completely self-sufficient in production and life, just like a small imperial court.

  Because they have strong financial resources, they often have private armed forces. Thousands of people, hundreds of people, together, is a very strong force.

  When the productivity is underdeveloped, the manor economy does have its advantages. On the one hand, it can concentrate human, financial, and material resources, as the so-called "concentrate strength to do big things", and have a higher ability to resist risks.

  Secondly, in troubled times, the manor also provided a shelter for common people.

  During the period of the Three Kingdoms, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the current situation was turbulent and conquests were endless, but those aristocrats and gentry could rely on their influence to protect their manors from the invasion of war, so they attracted a large number of refugees to vote.

  Now Xiangnan has introduced farm tools such as Quyuan plows and deep plows, which have promoted the development of agricultural productivity, improved the production efficiency of owner farmers and small landlords of the common people, and broken the advantages of the manor economy of the gentry.

  With the loss of political advantages and no economic advantages, the speed of the downfall of the gentry would naturally be greatly accelerated.

  …

   It has been 27 years since I came to Tiantong.

  Xiang Nan placed a big golden clock in front of Li Xi.

   "Father, please take a look~" he said with a smile.

   "What is this?" Li Xi looked at the magnificent clock and asked suspiciously.

   "This is a clock." Xiang Nan explained, "It can accurately display the time. For example, it is nine thirty, which is six o'clock."

  In ancient times, the time was calculated through sundials, moon dials, and engraved leaks, so it was not very accurate. In the thirteenth century, England produced the first mechanical clock.

  Xiang Nan's watch making was learned from Western craftsmen in the world of "Sword Rain". Originally, I just wanted to learn more skills, but now it has come in handy.

  When Li Xi saw this clock, he couldn't help being very surprised, "Yin'er, is the time really so accurate?"

  Xiang Nan nodded, "The daily error will not exceed one minute."

   "Oh, it's really exquisite." Li Wei exclaimed.

  For timing tools such as sundials, moon dials, and engraved leaks, the error is usually about a quarter of an hour. Fortunately, the pace of life of the ancients was slow, so a ten-eighth difference is nothing.

   Subsequently, after a week of testing, the accuracy of Xiang Nan's clock was recognized by everyone. Therefore, it replaced sundials, moondials, engraved leaks, etc., and became the only timekeeping tool in the palace.

  What is good at the top will be worse at the bottom.

   Because of this, the fetish of clocks and watches quickly became popular in Beijing, and everyone yearned for it. I don’t know what it is.

   And at this time, Tiangongfang launched twelve golden clocks for auction in due course.

   This move was immediately sought after by powerful families, princes and ministers. They did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to buy these gorgeous and practical clocks back home.

  In the end, a clock was sold for 50,000 guan, but its cost was less than 500 guan, so expensive is actually technology. Xiang Nan also made a fortune as a result.

  Subsequently, clocks and watches have also become Tiangongfang's flagship products, and the supply is simply in short supply.

  …

  (end of this chapter)