Chapter 182: Summer turns to winter, bees and scorpions are worried
Autumn of the seventh year of Wanli.

Henan Provincial Administration Commission Guide Prefecture, Yucheng County.

……

Autumn is crisp and clear, with no clouds in the sky.

In the county town, a horse-drawn carriage came hurriedly, surrounded by fifth-rank ceremonial guards, demonstrating the visitor's status as one of the best in the prefecture.

The chief officials of Yucheng County followed behind the carriage, being extremely respectful and following closely.

It seemed that due to the sudden arrival, the local magistrate had no time to clear the pedestrians on the road and evacuate the roadside vendors in advance.

At this time, passers-by hid under the eaves of the street, or took shelter in the shops, tacitly joining in the fun with their eyes.

The carriage stopped outside a mansion.

It is a mansion that is home to a family of scholars. It is not imposing and majestic, but has the restraint and maturity of a century-old family.

On the high hanging plaque were inscribed the words "A Family of Good Deeds", but it was slightly covered by a white cloth.

The bamboo slips standing on the left and right sides of the gate once again emphasized that an elder had passed away in this mansion.

The curtain of the carriage parked outside the mansion was slowly opened, and a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in official uniform, stepped down.

The man stopped the accompanying officials, walked quickly to the gate, pressed the door knocker himself and knocked several times.

The posture is extremely humble.

There were many curious people in the taverns along the road who had not been driven away, and naturally there were many who knew the visitor.

"It seems to be the co-magistrate of this prefecture?" Because of the distance, there was uncertainty in his tone before he spoke.

The so-called prefect is the one who governs a prefecture.

The Tongzhi, of course, governs together and can be regarded as the deputy prefect.

"Don't be so vague. In our Guide Prefecture, the only one who can use the fifth-rank ceremonial guards is Sima Tongzhi." Someone made a positive judgment based on the ceremonial guards and official uniforms.

Many people who were looking out from the tavern were gently waving their folding fans and nodding in agreement.

"Is Sima Tongzhi here to offer condolences at the Shen residence? It's been three months since the funeral. Even if he's a new official, there's no need to be so flattering, right?"

Some students from the county school shook their heads in disdain at the behavior of such high-ranking officials trying to curry favor with them.

Suddenly someone refuted: "Climbing up? Brother, you are too slow. Sima Zhi is a man who has always been famous for his ruthless methods among the Jinshi in the second year of Wanli."

"After he took office as the magistrate of Zhenyang County, he was well-behaved at first and did not interfere with the local officials. But for some reason, he suddenly became violent a few years later, punishing his subordinates, destroying families and killing people, and doing whatever he could."

"It may not be easy for such a cruel official to find the Shen Mansion today."

The people around really didn't know that the new official had such a resume, and they couldn't help but take a second look at Sima Zhi who was knocking on the door.

Seeing that he was very polite and didn't look like he was looking for trouble, some people couldn't help but wonder: "The Shen family helps the poor and needy in the county and treats people kindly. Not to mention killing the people, they haven't even done anything against the rules. How could Sima Zhi just start a fire just because he's a new official?"

"Besides, although Mr. Longjiang Shen Li has been at home on sick leave since the second year of the Wanli reign, he has never been dismissed from his official position. Last year, he was even promoted one level in salary for his contribution in completing the compilation of the 'Veritable Records of Emperor Sejong'."

"The Zuo Zhongyun, who is a sixth-rank official, is more than one level higher than the Zhifu Tongzhi, who is a fifth-rank official."

"How dare Sima Tongzhi act rashly?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone felt that they made sense and nodded.

The man who spoke earlier shook his head and said meaningfully: "The Shen family is naturally honest and upright."

"But as a century-old wealthy family, the leader of the eight great families in Guide Prefecture, it is impossible that they accumulated their wealth through salaries."

As he spoke, he shook his head and said nothing with an expression that said, "There are a lot of things involved here. Those who understand will naturally understand, and those who don't understand don't need to be explained."

The people in the tavern were scratching their heads.

At this time, a man dressed as a businessman suddenly took over the topic: "I just came back from the capital this month, and I heard rumors along the way..."

"Once the autumn harvest is finished, the central government will probably measure the fields and check the population."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone turned around and looked at the businessman.

"really?"

"Why didn't you tell me such a big thing earlier!?"

"Measuring the land is fine, but checking the population might cause a big mess..."

Some students realized it later and suddenly responded: "Didn't we harvest the autumn crops last month?"

He cast a questioning look at everyone.

Someone touched his chin and nodded slowly: "So... Sima Zhi found the head of the famous family of Guide Prefecture, the head of the eight great families."

Everyone realized something and looked at Sima Zhi, the seal-holder of Guide Prefecture, with a look of surprise and doubt.

I saw him being welcomed into the gate by people from the Shen residence.

Disappeared from everyone's sight.

……

"In reply to Sima Tongzhi's words, my name is Shen Jian, and my courtesy name is Jicheng."

Shen Jian walked in front and extended his hand from time to time to invite Sima Zhi into the mansion, responding in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.

Sima Zhi was not as vicious and ferocious as people said he was.

He smiled amiably and asked, "Does the nickname your father gave Jicheng contain the word 'butterfly'?"

Shen Jian was stunned.

He felt that this Tongzhi had come with ill intentions, as he even knew the identity of his stepson very clearly.

He couldn't help but become more alert: "Yes, my junior name is Dieyun."

Seeing that the junior had no idea why he asked this question, Sima Zhi shook his head lacking interest and simply stopped talking.

He came here to look for Shen Li, the Japanese lecturer who had taken sick leave in the second year of the Wanli reign.

I don't have much interest in other people in the mansion.

He followed Shen Jian through the courtyard and into the hall, looking around.

"Please wait a moment, my father will be here soon after changing his clothes."

Shen Jian respectfully invited Sima Zhi to take a seat, gave him some instructions, and then turned around to leave.

Sima Zhi would naturally not force him to stay: "Jicheng can go on his own."

He Shishiran sat down.

He straightened his clothes and closed his eyes to rest.

More than four years have passed since Sima Zhi was selected as a Shujishi and sent out in the third year of Wanli.

He served as the county magistrate for four years, and fought with his superiors, local gentry, local officials and wealthy families in the county for four years.

The Ministry of Personnel said that he was dedicated to his duties and capable in governing, and this year he was promoted to the position of Tongzhi of Guide Prefecture.

From the seventh rank to the fifth rank, it is already a promotion of four levels. Even if he is demoted from a hall official to a deputy, it is still a big promotion.

But it's still too slow.

According to previous regulations, a Jinshi who was sent to serve as a county magistrate would often be promoted to a provincial councilor within three to five years, and it was even possible for him to be directly promoted to a provincial councilor in the second year.

If the central government continues to take this over-correction approach.

Sima Zhi might never get to wear a scarlet robe until he retires.

You have to take risks without taking any risks!
Just as I was thinking about this, I heard footsteps outside the house.

Sima Zhi interrupted his thoughts and looked outside.

I saw a tall and slightly thin middle-aged man, dressed in mourning, slowly appearing outside the hall.

When Sima Zhi saw his handsome appearance, he secretly sighed in his heart that he had a good appearance. No wonder he had heard that the emperor favored him.

He quickly stood up to greet him: "Mr. Longjiang."

Sima Zhi is 42 this year, and Shen Li is 49. Neither of them is considered old, and the gap between their age and official rank is not too great, so they are not called officials.

Shen Li responded in a serious manner, without any arrogance: "If Sima Tongzhi is on official business, please address me by my official rank. If it is a private matter, just address me by my courtesy name."

Sima Zhi smiled and said ambiguously: "It's both public and private. You and I are both from scholarly families, so we should just call each other by our courtesy names."

Shen Li's courtesy name was Zhonghua and his pseudonym was Longjiang, which means a carp turning into a dragon.

The stepson just now was also Shen Jian, with the courtesy name Jicheng and the nickname Dieyun. He was obviously of average talent and was entrusted with the wish of breaking out of the cocoon and emerging as a butterfly.

This is the trace that can be seen everywhere in a scholarly family, which cannot be compared with that of a nouveau riche.

Shen Li bowed again before taking the main seat: "I wonder why Jingfu came to visit?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Zhi suddenly straightened his back and sat up straight.

In an instant, this man looked like an official in charge of a place, with a majestic aura without even getting angry.

The atmosphere also became a little solemn.

Sima Zhi stared at Shen Li, speaking each word with great emphasis, and said seriously: "I came here today to give some advice to Zhonghua..."

He paused, his eyes somewhat stern as he said, "The general trend of the world is like a river backflowing and a mountain falling. The Shen family had better not try to stop a chariot with a mantis arm, or they will be crushed into dust."

The oppression and hostility in the tone were obvious.

Shen Li naturally felt this tense atmosphere.

But he didn't look angry.

Instead, he was stunned for a long while.

He frowned in confusion: "What does Jingfu mean?"

Sima Zhi saw that Shen Li's reaction was completely different from what he expected.

I couldn't help but think that this person was very difficult to deal with.

I deliberately acted defiantly, hoping to provoke him to reveal his true nature, but he didn't show any sign at all.

He was at a loss for words.

Seeing Sima Zhi's reaction, Shen Li seemed to come to his senses a little.

He pondered for a moment and then explained, "In the second year of the Wanli reign, the doctor said that I was overthinking, exhausted, and my heart and brain were weakened. There was a risk of death."

"So, after your majesty allowed me to return home due to illness, I began to think carefully and not think much. I never paid attention to the situation in the world or the major and minor events in the clan."

"Either practice Taoist scriptures to calm your mind, or recite Buddhist scriptures to pray for your deceased father."

"So, I have never understood what Jingfu is talking about, the general situation of the world, or the Shen family. Please speak frankly, Jingfu."

After hearing these words, Sima Zhi suddenly felt at a loss as to what to do with Shen Longjiang in front of him.

He had already made plans for a conflict with Shen Zhongyun on this trip.

Or, agree to his conditions and both sides shake hands and make peace.

Or, he used Shen Zhongyun as a stepping stone to solidify his reputation as a cruel official.

But Shen Li directly said that he didn't know, which made him hesitant.

The Shen family has a very dirty record. He would never believe that Shen Li, the boss, didn't know about it.

Even though Shen Li has a good reputation in the officialdom and among the scholars in Guide Prefecture, he is still the head of the Shen family after all.

In particular, the reputation of the scholar-officials is just that.

It's simply that being an official can only govern one generation, but fame can be passed down for ten generations - this is especially evident from the fact that he is the sixteenth generation grandson of Sima Guang and can still benefit from his fame today.

So in Sima Zhi's eyes, Shen Li has no halo.

He looked at Shen Li with a calm expression and observed him for a long time.

After a while.

Sima Zhi shook his head secretly and decided to change his strategy.

He pondered for a moment, then went straight to the point, staring into Shen Li's eyes: "Zhonghua, the two capitals and thirteen provinces will start to survey the land and check the population after winter!"

Measure the land and check the population! ?

Shen Li looked at Sima Zhi in surprise.

Then suddenly it dawned on me!

No wonder!

No wonder the tribesmen have been deliberately avoiding me these days.

As a close minister of the emperor and a former lecturer in the Eastern Palace, he naturally knew what new policies the emperor and the cabinet were planning at the turn of the Longqing and Wanli periods.

Whether it was the reorganization of the Beijing camp or the performance evaluation system, they were all just preparations for shaking the foundation of the world in the future.

Land measurement, tax law, restructuring...

These are the tough nuts to crack.

So, it was just that the wind and rain were coming, and just a drop of water fell in front of me.

As for Sima Zhi...

Shen Li didn't take the other person's temptation to heart.

He also understood why Sima Zhi looked so aggressive.

The Shen family is the leader of the eight great families in Guide Prefecture.

He didn't know how much land his own people had annexed under his name.

He had never counted how many clerks he had stuffed into the government offices and county yamen.

He also paid no attention to the frequent intermarriages within the clan and the ambiguous relationships with several major families in the surrounding areas.

He only knew that if he wanted to measure the land and check the population, the Shen family of Guide Prefecture was a hurdle he could not avoid.

Sima Zhi is acting as his own little Xu Jie.

Shen Li couldn't help but smile.

Unfortunately he is not.

After he smiled, he immediately restrained his expression, met Sima Zhi's gaze, and said solemnly: "My father passed away suddenly four years ago. My mother mourned until this year and also passed away. In the past four years, I have been recuperating and observing mourning. I have not had time to ask about the Shen family's ancestral property and land."

"Since the imperial court wants to survey the land and check the population."

"Sima Tongzhi might as well start with my Shen family."

He paused and said, "Just do business as usual. I will control the whole family."

It seems like he changed his official title.

Sima Zhi looked at Shen Li with some suspicion.

Then it turned into suspicion. He couldn't hold back and asked a nonsense question out of curiosity: "Is Zhonghua true?"

Ever since he entered the room, Shen Li's reactions always surprised him.

At this moment, I don’t know whether I should believe it or not.

After all, the Shen family is the most famous family in Guide Prefecture, so their current reaction is a bit too easy.

If Mr. Longjiang's personal integrity is really so clear and pure, and he is willing to be a traitor to the clan and cooperate with the court, then... when he dies in the future, I'm afraid no one in the clan will even be willing to bury him in a coffin.

Seeing Sima Zhi's expression of disbelief, Shen Li did not answer, but just called out to the outside of the house.

His stepson Shen Jian heard the noise outside and walked in quickly.

After Shen Li and his son finished their ceremony, he directly ordered, "Go and get the books of the clan's fields and tenants."

Shen Jian raised his head suddenly when he heard that.

Shen Li nodded calmly and waved his hand to drive him away.

Shen Jian had no choice but to respond. Soon, piles of account books were piled up in the middle of the room.

Sima Zhi, who saw this scene, finally believed that Shen Li was serious.

He was overjoyed: "Zhonghua is indeed a true gentleman who cares about the country!"

Praises like "high moral character, righteous voice and strong energy" come out of his mouth like crazy.

As he said this, he was about to imitate the emperor's trick as rumored and went up to hold Shen Li's hand.

Shen Li had no reaction to this kind of boasting.

He inadvertently broke free from Sima Zhi's hand and said, "Sima Tongzhi looks as if he is facing a great enemy. Did he encounter some fierce backlash?"

When Sima Zhi heard Shen Li's question, he suddenly fell silent.

At this time, he had already believed that Shen Zhongyun was really oblivious to what was happening outside.

After a while.

Sima Zhi sighed, and finally revealed his true feelings: "The court document arrived at Guide Prefecture at the beginning of the month, ordering us to start measuring the fields after autumn."

"That day, the prefect Xiao Yinggong resigned and returned home."

Xiao Yinggong was also a Jinshi in the second year of Wanli.

But his background was better than Sima Zhi's. He was in the top ten of the second class and was selected as a scholar. He was a county magistrate for two years and a magistrate for two years, and was directly promoted to a prefect.

Whether it is talent or skill, it is the best choice.

But even such a person, after seeing the land transfer document, did not even want the retirement treatment and simply resigned and returned home.

This incident caused a sensation in the Henan officialdom.

Shen Li could only remain silent - resigning from office was a good reputation in the literati circle, which showed that one was not greedy for power, but refusing an order that benefited the country and the people and running away was not a good thing either. Shen Li did not know how to comment on this behavior.

Sima Zhi continued, "That's all. I can handle the prefectural government by myself. Acting as the prefect is also a good thing for me to polish my resume."

"However, most of the clerks in the government office are connected to the wealthy families in each county."

"The news can't be kept secret."

Shen Li naturally knew all about this.

When his grandfather Shen Han was the prefect of Fujian, he easily arranged for his son to be the chief clerk in Shuntian Prefecture.

This is the unspoken rule in officialdom. You hire my son and I hire your son. Over time, the wealthy families will monopolize the local officials.

"Once the big families learned about the matter of Dutian, they would not just sit there and wait for death."

"In the middle of the month..."

Sima Zhi looked up at Shen Li and smiled, "He went to the prefectural government office in your name to threaten me."

Shen Li remained indifferent.

He just shook his head expressionlessly and gave a brief explanation.

He was used to this kind of thing.

If it weren't for the fact that his people were flying under his banner, how could the Shen family have grown so rapidly in the past decade or so, like a swarm of locusts passing through a territory?
Sima Zhi continued, "Of course I can't retreat easily, otherwise wouldn't it bring shame to the Sima family?"

"After that, I kept a close eye on you...them, for fear that they would make things difficult for me in secret."

"as expected."

"The night before yesterday, from Zhaopi Village in Lanyang County to Lingjia Village in Yucheng County, gunpowder exploded on the dike, and flames shot up into the sky!"

Sima Zhi said it lightly.

Shen Li was startled, stood up suddenly, and said in horror: "Blow up the dam!?"

Even with his skill in cultivating his Qi, he couldn't help but become frightened at this moment.

Sima Zhi nodded, his face full of fear, and said to comfort him: "It was not blown up, just a crack, which has been blocked."

"It's a good thing that Zhang Shiluan, the deputy envoy in charge of the dike, didn't cut corners when building the dike. Otherwise, if something like this happened under my rule, even if I didn't send him to the capital, I would have to leave my post and wait for investigation."

Shen Li was still frightened and paced back and forth in front of Sima Zhi.

His face showed a look of deep thought - it was the first time he started to think deeply since he had been recuperating from his illness in the second year of the Wanli reign.

Perhaps it was because he hadn't thought about it for too long, and it took him a while to figure it out.

Shen Li let out a long sigh, sat down again, and said what he thought: "They shouldn't be so crazy. This section of the dam is more than 229 miles long and took 577,410 workers. Once it explodes, it will not be repaired in a short time."

"The Yellow River has burst its banks, and the whole prefecture will be affected. The rich and the poor, the fertile fields and the barren land will all be flooded! The court has investigated and found that it is another disaster."

"They would not do such a stupid thing, let alone have the courage to do it."

"This is forcing you, forcing you to sit down and negotiate, forcing you to make concessions!"

Sima Zhi had already figured out this principle, so naturally he didn't need Shen Li to remind him.

He spread his hands helplessly and said with a smile: "So today I found the Shen family."

I thought that behind these people there really was a big Buddha named Shen Li.

He also made countless preparations for this.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a false alarm.

But... this result is better than expected.

Shen Li nodded indifferently after hearing this: "My family has also annexed a lot of territories in the past hundred years. They are using my family property to sow discord between me and the court."

As he said this, he couldn't help but snorted coldly.

Who do they think he is? They want him to be involved in these petty matters?
One has to admit that Shen Li used to attach great importance to family property.

As for now...

His first wife had irregular menstruation and became pregnant eleven times in the past thirty years. Except for two daughters, all the fetuses died in the womb.

Nine is the extreme number, which annihilated his last hope.

He has resigned himself to the continuation of his bloodline.

Correspondingly, people have become less concerned about clans and family property.

Rather than his clan, he was more obsessed with the continuation of his spirit - that was why, even when his clansmen asked him every day to abandon his wife and take concubines and have children, he remained indifferent.

Family property?

Even if there are as many as Xu Jie, what’s the point.

It is better to pass on your own spiritual imprint and leave something useful to the world.

Sima Zhi glanced at Shen Li.

I couldn't help but look up to him in my heart.

At this moment, he has abandoned the ideas he had when he came here and has come up with new ideas.

Sima Zhi coughed lightly and slowly stood up.

He walked up to Shen Li and bowed deeply: "I'm sorry to ask Lord Longjiang to help me measure the land."

Having said that, he bowed deeply.

I am a temporary official and have only been in Henan for four years.

Since Shen Hanzhong became a Jinshi, the Shen family has been prosperous for a hundred years and has taken root in Guide Prefecture, becoming a homegrown powerful family.

If we can get Shen Li's help, we will be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort!
Upon hearing this, Shen Li was silent for a while.

Finally, he slowly opened his mouth and said, "My mother passed away only three months ago. I am still in mourning and cannot show my face in public."

"I will go to the government office with you first and instruct the clerks of my clan to assist Sima Tongzhi wholeheartedly."

Twenty percent of the clerks in Guide Prefecture were from his Shen family.

If he just said hello, at least Sima Zhi would no longer be stuck in a dilemma and have no one to turn to.

Upon hearing this, Sima Zhi did not dwell on whether he was a clerk from the Shen family or a clerk from the Ming Dynasty.

He just clapped his hands in joy: "Great!"

He stepped forward again, grabbed Shen Li's hand and tried to pull him out.

……

On the official road from Yucheng County back to Defu City, the guard of honor followed at a distance, trailing behind the carriage.

Shen Li and Sima Zhi squeezed into a carriage and sat opposite each other.

"What's the situation in the world like since I left Beijing?" Shen Li asked seriously.

The official roads in Henan are very different from those around the capital. They are full of potholes, making the two people feel very uncomfortable in the carriage.

Sima Zhi pondered for a moment and replied, "I will go to the government office later and show the official report and the new report to Mr. Longjiang. After reading them, I will know everything at a glance."

Shen Li was a little surprised: "The new newspaper is sold in Henan?"

He remembered that in the second year of the Wanli period, it was only sold around northern Zhili.

Sima Zhi nodded and said, "Now, except for Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan, all other provincial governments have news edition offices, which are directly managed by the Tongzhengsi and have newspaper printing factories under their jurisdiction."

"Together with the court bulletin, it will be urgently copied to each province, then printed by the printing house and distributed to each prefecture."

"It's about a month later than the capital."

Shen Li nodded thoughtfully.

In this way, the powers of the Tongzhengsi are likely to have increased again.

I'm afraid he really needs a status commensurate with the title of Nine Ministers.

Shen Li shook his head, shook off his thoughts, and continued, "Then Jingfu, pick something important to talk about."

In this case, Sima Zhi did not refuse.

The carriage kept shaking as Sima Zhi told the story: "After Mr. Longjiang retired, Xuanda led an army against the Tatar right wing Yi Duoyanwei. In this campaign, the governor Qi Jiguang killed Dong Huli, and Hu Shouren captured Chang Ang and brought him to Beijing to pay tribute."

"In November, the emperor selected a concubine and crowned her empress. In March of the following year, the wedding took place and she began to rule the country."

Hearing this, Shen Li was a little surprised: "So early? Is there an heir now?"

Sima Zhi sighed: "We are arguing about this matter."

"Your Majesty has no heir yet. The court has been debating for over a year whether to fill the harem again."

"Besides that, there are also accusations that the cabinet acted too hastily and hurt His Majesty's foundation."

Shen Li frowned: "Who said that His Majesty must have been injured?"

This is a bit too vicious.

Just because he has no heir, it doesn't necessarily mean that the foundation has been damaged. Couldn't it be that he is too old and hasn't worked hard enough?

Even if the root cause is really damaged, it cannot be announced so openly.

Otherwise, shouldn't the court officials consider who will succeed the throne?

Sima Zhi sighed: "It doesn't matter who said it. Now it's spreading from south to north."

"Even if the two palaces came out to explain that the emperor was too busy with state affairs and rarely slept together, officials and the people would not admit it, and privately, the rumors were getting more and more heated."

Shen Li sneered with an ambiguous meaning: "Except for someone with ulterior motives doing it on purpose, what else can it be? I'm afraid there are more tricks than just this."

Sima Zhi looked at Shen Li in surprise.

He felt that Mr. Longjiang was becoming more and more clever along the way.

Sima Zhi nodded calmly and said without hesitation: "Now that Prince Lu is twelve years old, he has become an adult. The Prime Minister has repeatedly petitioned for him to leave the palace and go to his fiefdom."

"But Empress Dowager Li and some court officials categorically disagreed."

"There were several arguments in the court, and it was heard that they were very heated."

"Your Majesty is caught between your mother, your brother, the cabinet, and the court officials. He feels very embarrassed and has difficulty making a decision. Even so, some people say that Your Majesty disregards the friendship between relatives and treats the royal family harshly."

Shen Li looked at Sima Zhi in surprise.

Unbelievably, he asked, "Has it come to this?"

The debate over whether his half-brother, Prince Lu, should be enfeoffed was essentially a discussion about the issue of the emperor's succession to the throne!
What's the difference between this and cursing the emperor to have no heir and interfering with the succession?!

What's up with this?

Sima Zhi lifted the curtain and confirmed again that there was no one outside the carriage.

Then he sat back in his original position and said, "The situation is just like this. Your Majesty has been too harsh in suppressing the situation, so the backlash is bound to continue."

"In July of the third year of the Wanli reign, the emperor established an examination system to recruit clerks for various departments under the News Publishing House."

"The content is basically some common sense such as the Four Books and Five Classics, mathematics, etc., with some logic and other miscellaneous things added in."

"In the fourth year of the Wanli reign, Your Majesty gradually dismissed the hereditary officials of the Imperial Observatory and recruited officials from the News Publishing Office as an old practice. Then he established an imperial examination to test astronomy and mathematics."

"Among them, the ninth-rank officials are the Five Organs Supervisor and the Five Organs Calendar Supervisor, and the ninth-rank officials are the Five Organs Morning Supervisor and the Clepsydra Doctor."

"At the annual meeting in December of the fifth year of the Wanli reign, a new system for selecting Shuntian Prefecture officials was set. No longer were they recommended by superiors, but they were selected through a unified examination."

"Last year it was the first subject, which tested the Four Books and Five Classics, mathematics, logic, and essays."

Shen Li opened his mouth and said, "We are making progress every day. Do we need to expand it?"

This has to be customized, and it's obviously not a whim.

Sima Zhi did not respond. How would he know whether this kind of thing would be promoted?

Shen Li murmured to himself: "No wonder the backlash keeps coming."

The emperor acted in a way that was ridiculous not only to the court officials but even to him.

As a result of all these things, the people who were offended were not just simple clerks.

How did the clerks come from? They were appointed by the officials!

Just like his uncle, who was not even a juren, was recommended by his grandfather to be the chief clerk of Shuntian Prefecture.

Just like why most of the officials in Guide Prefecture are from the Shen family? Because it's just a matter of Shen Li nodding his head, a piece of cake.

If the emperor and the cabinet were to follow their own method, how would court officials place their relatives?

How can local families continue to take root in the government and grow stronger?
If this continues...there will naturally be more and more people dissatisfied with the emperor.

Shen Li thought more deeply and couldn't help rubbing his eyebrows.

Sima Zhi saw that Shen Li had no intention of responding, so he continued, "In addition to this matter, around June of the second year of the Wanli reign, Wang Yangming was enshrined in the Confucius Temple."

"The Confucian tradition was also established, with Confucius and Mencius, Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, and the Seven Sages later."

Shen Li nodded.

He knew about this. After all, when he left Beijing, the emperor had already shown his power in public, and his purpose was obvious.

Sima Zhi continued, "In August of the third year of the Wanli reign, Li Zhi absorbed the emperor's teachings and based on the word practice, he gave the word 'progress' a new meaning - skill."

"The court has the obligation to promote skills, such as mechanical craftsmen, slash-and-burn farming, firearms, vehicles and ships... and so on."

"In March of the fourth year of the Wanli reign, Li Zhi used the word 'practice' as a basis and gave a new meaning to the word 'fairness' - distribution."

Sima Zhi only briefly touched upon this place and did not talk much about it.

"The court has the obligation to allocate resources."

"The balance between the two is determined by the evolution of the times, and there is a balance, just like the way of yin and yang."

After Shen Li heard what Sima Zhi said, he couldn't tell how many times he had shown a look of surprise.

He looked at Sima Zhi, speechless.

Sima Zhi met his gaze and nodded meaningfully: "This time, the land survey and population check is based on the latter theory."

(End of this chapter)