Chapter 133: The Emperor's Fairness

The affair concerning Xu Cunren had become the talk of the town. Even matters that ordinary people had no business concerning themselves with were now being widely discussed by the common folk.

Perhaps the common people did not quite understand what mathematics was, but gossip about high-ranking government officials locking horns was something everyone was eager to discuss.

When Zhu Biao brought up Xu Cunren, Zhang Yi couldn't help but laugh dryly.

"Many of my good friends' teachers happen to be close friends with Master Xu. Some of them have even written personal letters to Master Xu, formally severing all ties with him..."

Hearing Zhu Biao mention this, Zhang Yi sneered.

With the matter causing such a massive uproar, quite a few people had indeed publicly severed ties with Xu Cunren.

On the surface, the reason was that the inclusion of mathematics in the imperial examinations elevated the subject to the same status as the Confucian classics—a change that some people disliked.

Yet, the core reason was likely that this rule disrupted their comfort zone!

When an individual or a group held an absolute advantage in a certain field, what they detested most was change.

As Zhang Yi laid out this reasoning, Zhu Biao fell into deep thought.

"Little Brother Zhang thinks this has encroached upon the interests of which group of people?"

"Precisely. Clearly, the inclusion of mathematics in the imperial examinations is a change that affects everyone equally; there is no favoring one over the other. Furthermore, those regions renowned for producing talented scholars possess deeply rooted foundations. Even if mathematics is added to the imperial exams, their standing wouldn't change by much!

"Studying also requires resources and an environment. Wealthy regions are certainly much better than impoverished and bitter lands. Big Brother Huang, would you care to make a wager with me? Once the special imperial examinations are held, seventy percent of the empire's officials will hail from the South!

"Even so, they still fear and oppose change. And this is just as our Great Ming has freshly been established. If this trend continues, I'm afraid ninety-nine percent of the officialdom under heaven will consist of Southerners!

"If I were the emperor, I would have faced this issue squarely long ago..."

As Zhang Yi spoke, Zhu Biao's expression turned peculiar.

"Then how do you propose to change it? If you were the emperor..."

"Me? I would probably use various means to limit the number of Southern officials. For instance, separate regional ranking lists for the North and the South..."

The moment Zhang Yi uttered these words, Zhu Biao's expression shifted drastically.

A separate ranking system for the North and the South had never existed since ancient times.

What on earth was going on inside this brat Zhang Yi's head day in and day out?

"For a younger brother to do this would undoubtedly lack fairness. The so-called selection of talent by the state is based solely on merit..."

Zhang Yi immediately countered:

"What is called fair and unfair depends entirely on the perspective from which Big Brother speaks. From your perspective, your family is in the Wu region, your classmates and close friends are all Southerners, and you have been guided by renowned teachers since childhood. Once you successfully pass the imperial exams in the future, your colleagues will also be your fellow provincials. In the future, you will support one another and swim through the officialdom like fish in water...

"Under such circumstances, naturally you would not wish for any changes to be made!

"However, if you were a Northerner—after hundreds of years of foreign rule and the wars at the end of the Yuan dynasty, your hometown has long been battered into a state of utter devastation. You are very clever and excel at reading, but every single day you are forced to spend a vast amount of time simply trying to secure enough food and clothing. While others study peacefully at home, you cannot even afford a single candle or an oil lamp!

"Would you not feel that this world is unfair to you?

"Clearly, you possess wisdom no less than that of a Southerner, yet you can only use half—or even a fraction—of their time to study.

"When they stumble upon something they don't understand, they can simply ask a teacher and get a clear explanation, whereas you can only puzzle it out by yourself, never even knowing if you are right?

"One day, after finally passing the imperial examination with great difficulty, you discover that the officialdom is filled everywhere with Southerners. They speak a hometown dialect you cannot understand, and you find yourself isolated on the sidelines...

"When the opportunity for promotion arrives, officials who have their fellow provincials to pull strings for them always climb faster than you.

"You feel filled with indignation, because you know your colleagues are inherently inferior to you, yet their opportunities for advancement are eternally greater than yours...

"When you sit in your warm house in the capital, thinking of your fellow villagers back home who are still enduring hunger and cold, and you wish to do something for them, you discover that the resources allocated by the court always give priority to the South...

"How would you feel?"

What Zhu Biao felt was the overwhelming despair of that Northern official depicted in Zhang Yi's words.

Zhang Yi continued:

"If you were the emperor...

"One day, the chief examiner of the imperial examinations hands over a list, informing you that this year's successful examination candidates are all Southerners, and not a single Northerner is among them!

"You ask why, and they tell you that Northerner scholars are dull-witted and belligerent, and therefore cannot be employed!

"Only then do you realize something is amiss. You calculate the numbers, and are horrified to discover that almost all the officials under heaven are Southerners!

"Moreover, ten years ago this situation was not yet severe, but the further along time went, the less one could catch sight of any Northerners.

"You roar in anger and question them, yet they look aggrieved and tell you that everyone passed through the imperial examinations fair and square...

"Do you believe it is truly fair?"

Zhu Biao's stance did not necessarily lean toward either Southerners or Northerners, but when Zhang Yi spoke of the emperor, he inexplicably felt a surge of terror.

If he were to become emperor and his officials were to address him in such a manner one day, Zhu Biao believed that even with his relatively pleasant disposition, he would undoubtedly fly into an uncontrollable rage.

Such a situation would signify that the emperor had, to a certain extent, been reduced to a mere figurehead.

For any emperor, that was something absolutely unacceptable!

"What you speak of—is this the future you have seen?"

With reddened eyes, Zhu Biao wanted to demand an answer.

Zhang Yi smiled without a word. Of course...

What he was speaking of was precisely the situation Old Zhu had encountered prior to the Northern and Southern Examination Lists incident.

As formidable as the Hongtai Emperor was, by that juncture, even he had been powerless to reverse the tide.

Although the Northern and Southern lists were eventually issued, the pattern of a strong South and a weak North permeated almost the entire Ming dynasty.

Back then, those individuals saw that Zhu Yuanzhang was aging and wanted to test the bottom line of the emperor. Although Old Zhu ultimately carried out another wave of purges, he still departed from this world with lingering regret.

"Everyone's stance differs, so the fairness in their eyes differs as well!

"As a Southern scholar, Big Brother, if your opportunities in the imperial examinations were cut in half, you would naturally feel it was unfair!

"Yet from the perspective of the realm as a whole, or that of the ruler, when one region possesses too many opportunities, it is likewise unfair to other regions!

"Such a tilt in resources is never a good thing for a dynasty!

"Therefore, there is no absolute fairness in this world!

"If you stand from His Majesty's perspective, the current so-called 'fairness' is unfairness to him—especially when he wishes to govern this country well. A tilt of resources toward the North is an absolute necessity.

"The North has long since been battered to pieces. I received a family letter sent by my father from the North; he is a man who has seen the world, and he told me that compared to the South, the North is simply like a ghostly realm...

"What is the situation in our South? How many prefectures and counties from the previous dynasty had to be demoted in rank due to insufficient population... Along my journey here, I have seen hunger-stricken refugees, dilapidated and ruined villages, and even desolate villages where not a single soul remains...

"I cannot imagine what the North looks like, if even Jiangnan is like this.

"Let us not even speak of such matters as uniting the hearts of the realm or bridging the North and South; purely from the perspective of national security, how can such a North block the iron cavalry of the Mongols for the empire?

"If the Mongols press all the way south, does our Great Ming currently possess any walled cities capable of holding them off?"

Zhu Biao shook his head. Although he had never been to the North—indeed, the so-called North had only recently fallen into the hands of Great Ming—he knew the answer was no.

Aside from demonstrating the valor of the Great Ming army, Xu Da's ability to push all the way through also indirectly proved that, apart from a few major military strongholds, most of the city defenses in the North were fundamentally useless.

"Therefore, supposing we do not move the capital, yet Great Ming wishes to safeguard the security of the imperial capital, is developing the North also imperative?

"Yet how is it to be developed? Development requires people, money, grain, and talent... If these are lacking, how can the North be revitalized?

"However, if you say the imperial court is filled entirely with Southern officials, can such a task be easy?"

Zhu Biao shook his head. Everyone has their own stance...

Only now did he deeply comprehend the wisdom behind Zhang Yi's words. As the future emperor, standing from his own perspective, he could never allow a weakened North to persist.

Since ancient times in China, formidable enemies have always come from the North.

If the Northern lands do not possess a sturdy barrier, it spells absolute disaster!

This was probably one of the reasons why his future self and his imperial father would wish to move the capital to the North.

With the capital in the North, many resources would likewise shift upward, thereby driving the development of the Northern economy!

Yet an undertaking like moving the capital was, after all, too distant; it could not possibly be set in motion within the next ten or twenty years under normal circumstances.

However, this did not prevent laying out the layout for the future starting right now.

First of all, the hidden danger pointed out by Zhang Yi—the issue concerning the proportion of official selections—was unquestionably a monumental problem!

"Northern and Southern Examination Lists..."

Zhu Biao engraved these words in his mind, determined to speak of them to his imperial father the very moment he returned to the palace!

"Very well, I understand. Thank you, little brother, for your guidance. By the way, about those mathematics textbooks..."

"Here you go!"

Zhang Yi handed over a pre-prepared compilation to Zhu Biao. Zhu Biao was stunned—how could he already have ready-made textbooks?

Seeing Zhu Biao's puzzlement, Zhang Yi chuckled.

"Once the inclusion of mathematics in the imperial examinations is finalized, I figured the Emperor would start worrying about mathematics textbooks. After all, that subject has fallen into disuse for so long, and producing a clear and accessible textbook is no easy task!

"This matter will, in all probability, fall upon the shoulders of my teacher. I have already prepared it in advance for him. However, this alone is still not enough; the matter of mathematics entering the exams remains somewhat troublesome..."

"Little Brother Zhang, you don't strike me as such a kind-hearted person...?"

Zhu Biao knew Zhang Yi quite well. While Zhang Yi's relationship with Xu Cunren might be good, Zhu Biao certainly wouldn't believe he could be so considerate without an ulterior motive.

Zhang Yi grinned broadly and said:

"I am a most considerate student to my teacher, alright? Very well, let me speak the truth...

"Ever since I realized that the inclusion of mathematics in the imperial exams was genuinely being pushed forward, I spotted a business opportunity. If utilized well, I might just turn a tidy profit..."

"What business opportunity?"

Zhu Biao was consumed with curiosity regarding the get-rich-quick scheme Zhang Yi mentioned.

"Hehe, once the mathematics textbooks are published, I imagine quite a few people will be tortured to utter agony by mathematics. I was thinking that if some clear and accessible supplementary teaching materials were to appear, many people would surely treat them like prized treasures..."

"Little Brother Zhang, you're planning to sell books? Don't forget, you are a Daoist priest! Besides, you're the only one with the skill to write such a book—who would buy a book written by a Daoist priest?"

"Can a scholar's affairs be called mere buying and selling?"

Zhang Yi widened his eyes, feigning absolute innocence. "Am I not simply sympathizing with those fellow disciples of mine who are being tormented by mathematics, and offering them a helping hand? Oh, and by the way, I will find a good business partner; there's no need to worry about branding..."

"Alright, Big Brother, if you have things to attend to, be on your way..."

As soon as Zhang Yi finished speaking, he made motions to chase him out. Zhu Biao reminded him parting:

"Do keep the matter of allicin on your mind..."

"Nonsense, even if you didn't remind me, I'd keep it on my mind! We'll chat more about this another time..."

Zhang Yi escorted Zhu Biao out, then skipped out merrily.

...

"Northern and Southern Examination Lists—this was the matter Zhang Yi left unsaid!

"The fairness of an emperor, the hidden perils of an empire!"

Zhu Yuanzhang carefully chewed over Zhang Yi's words, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Connecting Zhang Yi's mention of the Northern and Southern lists with his previous remarks about bridging the North and the South and winning the hearts of the Han people, Old Zhu finally pieced together a relatively complete answer.

"That desperate emperor he spoke of—I'm afraid it cannot be anyone other than the two of us, father and son!"

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao exchanged glances, and a sense of crisis instantly welled up within the father and son.

"The matter of the Northern and Southern Examination Lists shall also be incorporated into the imperial examination reforms! Since those people feel I have touched their interests, then we might as well touch a few more!"

Without a second thought, Zhu Yuanzhang made his decision!

Zhu Biao fell silent, feeling as though he could already foresee the turbulent waves that would engulf tomorrow's imperial court!