Zhao Xuan ordered the attendants to distribute the newspapers which were just delivered back from Wu to the civil and military officials in the council hall of Zhao's royal palace. The newspapers are the February edition of Wen Wei Po and Nan Bao of Wu Kingdom, and most of the newspapers are reports about the contents of the promotion examination.
"What do you all think about the Wu Promotion Examination?" Zhao Xuan waited for the hundred officials to read the newspaper for a while before asking.
Zhao Xuan's words fell, the hands of the hundred officials in the hall, a moment later, Bo Yao out of the crowd took the lead to report: "Your Majesty, Wu promotion examination can recruit the world's talents, our country should follow suit."
Bo Yao is a close friend of Zhao Xuan and knows the purpose of Zhao Xuan's meeting today. Zhao Xuan saw from the newspaper that students from all the vassal states gathered in the capital of Wu King for reference, and he was very envious of them, so he had the intention to hold a similar examination in order to recruit knowledgeable people from all over the world to work for Zhao.
Zhao Xuan attaches great importance to talents and has already ordered Wenzai to start preparing for the establishment of an academy in the King's capital of Zhao. As for the primary and secondary schools opened all over Wu, Zhao's financial resources are limited, and Zhao Xuan has the intention but not the ability to do so.
Zhao Xuan nodded his head slightly as he gazed at the hundred officials in the hall, "What do you think of Wu Zai's words?"
Zhao Xuan so is to ask the hundred officials to Bo Yao's proposal feelings, in fact, the hundred officials know that Bo Yao said is Zhao Xuan intention. The essence of the promotion examination impacts on the hereditary privileges of the big families.
Zhao King's court if the future appointment of officials are like the state of Wu with the examination to select, on the big family nobles hereditary official position impact is the biggest, after all, no one can guarantee that their own son or daughter can be outstanding literary talent, in the promotion of the examination to venture.
Because the promotion examination involves the hundred officials' self-interest, not many officials came out to agree with Bo Yao's proposal.
"Wenzai, what is your opinion?" Zhao Xuan was disappointed that only a handful of courtiers agreed, and most of these courtiers were up-and-coming nobles, such as Wu Mian, who had just been promoted to the rank of Sima, and did not occupy the most important position in the royal court.
Zhao Wenzai was the important minister that King Zhao had left to his son, and he was loyal and respected to the Zhao royal family. Zhao Xuan had named Wenzai to speak because he wanted to rely on Wenzai's prestige to finalize the selection of talents for the examination.
Zhao Wenzai was already fifty years old, and after the King of Zhao's death, Wenzai felt that his energy was decreasing day by day. Because of his health problems, Wenzai began to think about his future. The move to endorse Zhao Xuan would offend many families, and Wenzai did not want to invite trouble for his children and grandchildren.
That was why Wen Zai knew Zhao Xuan's true intentions, but didn't step forward to respond. Now that Zhao Xuan was asking directly, not giving him room to evade, Old Manzai could only stiffen his head and step forward to respond.
"Your Majesty! I feel that it's a bit improper for Wu to conduct this examination to select talents without distinguishing between countries!" Hundreds of officials in the hall heard Wen Zai questioning about the promotion exam, many of them were energized, and they all pricked up their ears, ready to show solidarity with the old Wen Zai at any time.
"Oh! What's wrong?"
Zhao Xuan lowered his eyes, lost in his heart, he did not expect that the promotion examination would incur the opposition of half of the officials and nobles of the royal court, and even the trustworthy Wen Zai seemed to disapprove of this measure.
"Although the candidates are all subjects of the Son of Heaven, they are ultimately divided into the subjects of each vassal state, and the subjects grow up under the budding harbor of each monarch, and will only be grateful to their monarchs. Will the foreign bachelors selected by the state of Wu in the face of the whole world's open examination be loyal to the state of Wu?"
When Wenzai said this, the hundred officials enthusiastically agreed: "Yes, Your Majesty, it's just that the foreign students are not loyal, but if they have bad intentions, it will be a great disaster for the country!"
"What's the use of summoning such a talent if you can't be single-minded for Zhao?"
Zhao's right-hand man felt that Wenzai had hit the nail on the head.
Zhao Xuan held his breath, he looked at Wen Zai with disappointment, coldly said: ''Great Sage Gongsun Pan for the son of heaven are people, in the state of Wu as the director of the Department of Education for three years, the performance is remarkable, their own moves have never been in the state of Wu is detrimental to the state of Wu! Xu Guo famous scholar half life traveled around a dozen countries did not stay, but five years ago and disciples to stay in the state of Wu so far. Chu Yu Kui, for Duke Ming's inner circle, is now Wu's Deputy Prime Minister, a position equivalent to Wen Zai, and I have never heard of Yu Kui having a centrifugal relationship with the State of Wu!"
When Wen Zai saw Zhao Xuan's displeasure, he immediately shut up and didn't say anything. On the contrary, the right doctor was much bolder because of Wen Zai leading the questioning, and he spoke up to remind Zhao Xuan, "Your Majesty, that Yu Kui has a great enmity with the King of Chu, and his entire family was copied and decapitated by the King of Chu, and that's why he is ironically loyal to the Court of the King of Wu!"
Zhao Xuan stood up, he held the King's Sword in one hand and stood on the throne's high platform looking down at the ministers, "It's true, Yu Kui has a grudge against Chu, but he didn't serve anyone in his five years of seclusion in Wu, but he served Prince Ming, who has returned from overseas, why is that?"
Zhao Xuan's eyes scanned his courtiers.
"It's because Duke Ming uses talent in an unconventional manner! It was only because Yu Kui, who was so high-minded and proud, was willing to serve! It's only because Mr. Ming is so generous in his use of talent that the Kingdom of Wu is flourishing today! The growing strength of Wu is obvious to all, isn't it due to this?"
After Zhao Xuan finished his words, the royal court was silent, and only Zhao Xuan's loud voice continued to echo.
"Do the ministers know who else is going to participate in the Wu Promotion Examination this time?" Zhao Xuan took a newspaper and flung it around, pointing to the list of the top fifty in the promotion exam published on the newspaper.
"Forty-sixth place, Shen Lu, is a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Xu!"
Zhao hundred officials have to their hands on the newspaper to look for, and sure enough, Shen Lu's big name is listed, Shen is the royal family name of Xu, Great Qin only this family.
"Shen Lu is the nephew of King Xu's king, and for the other king's prince, Prince Ming is still reused as a county governor. These many people have great talent, but they are not allowed to be reused by their own king, and are wasted in the court. Wu state promotion exams do not care about the origin, only talent appointment. In the long run, all the talents in the world will go to Wu, if our country does not open the door to attract talents, how can we compare with Wu?"
Zhao Xuan's words made half of the hundred officials bow their heads, and only Bo Yao and Wu Mou a group of emerging nobles had a gleam of adoration in their eyes.
"If Zhao does not open the door to welcome talent, the country's power will sooner or later be reduced to the ninth stream, and it is imperative to select talent by examination!" Zhao Xuan set the hammer for this deliberation!
After the deliberations were over, the hundred officials came out from the great hall and walked together in twos and threes to discuss. Wen Zai did not walk and discuss with his colleagues, and only wanted to return to his residence as soon as possible.
"Lord Bunzai! Please stay!" The right doctor came rushing after him from behind.
Fumizai frowned and reluctantly slowed down to wait.
"What does the Right Honorable Doctor want with the old man?"
"The late king regarded you as his backbone, and entrusted you with the gods of earth and grain. Now that the king is young and vigorous, he acts a bit arbitrarily, for the sake of the gods of earth and grain, your honor should strongly advise ah!" The Right Honorable Doctor was clearly disgusted with the promotion exam.
Wen Zai stared at the right doctor, his face serious: "The right doctor is wrong! If the king acted recklessly and arbitrarily, how could the late king be assured of handing over the power during his reign? Examination selection of talents for the benefit of our country, beneficial to the country's action, we should still support the good!"
Zhao Xuan had already made his decision, and Wen Zai would be in favor of Zhao Xuan's reforms as long as he didn't bear the reputation of offending people.
Wen Zai did not wait for the right doctor to speak, so he bowed his hand and left in a hurry.
The right doctor looked at Wen Zai's distant back and couldn't help but stomp his feet in hatred: ''Old fox! What is favorable to the country? At the beginning of the deprivation of our fiefs also said that it is beneficial to the country, with the country is beneficial, but the loss of our great benefit! The promotion exam is a precedent, and the next step is to abolish hereditary positions, does Zhao Xuan's son think I don't know?"
The right doctor's brain is more bright, he also must read every issue of the newspaper of Wu, the more he reads the more alarming, the more he reads the more pity for the big families of Wu. Wu's descent and feudal system is a deprivation of the privileges of the big families, the children of the family if you can't get ahead in the promotion examination, two or three generations later, will fall into the general public, the family is weakened.
The Right Honorable Doctor believes that the princes and nobles of the Kingdom of Wu, after the Ripple Rebellion a few years ago and being cleansed in succession, those who survived are bloodless and have long since become unhealthy, and that is why they have allowed Duke Ming to do whatever he wants.
The State of Zhao abolished fiefs in the hands of Zhao Xuan's father, but did not abolish the hereditary titles. Zhao Xuan's move today was clearly an attempt to learn from Duke Ming of the Kingdom of Wu, and to gradually open the door to the privileges of the big families of power and nobility.
The right doctor understands this, how will not be anxious, his two first son can be no good, the son and not when the successor serious training. If the examination to take talent, right doctor family no one can ask the list. Right doctor can predict, in his hundred years later, his own family will immediately fall.
Zhao Xuan back to the harem, the mood is still good, in the bedchamber just by the maidservant service to take off the crown, change into regular clothes, the queen has come to the bedchamber outside to ask for an audience.
The original Crown Princess, now Queen Zhao was still dressed in a gorgeous outfit. Zhao Xuan was not disgusted by his wife's extravagant attire this time, but instead, he talked gently with his wife who was saluting him.
"Ma'am, how is Duke Ming's place to stay prepared?"
Zheng Yuming would come to the King of Zhao Capital by mid-April, and Zhao Xuan had instructed his wife to prepare a residence for Zheng Yuming since February.
"Your Majesty, the residence of Prince Ming is ready. Concubine is precisely here to report this!" Queen Zhao was smilingly inviting credit.
"Oh, it's already set up?" There was satisfaction on Zhao Xuan's face.
"Not bad, following the Great King's wishes, all the utensils in the compound have been chosen to be the best." Queen Zhao looked at her handsome and dignified husband with fascination, Zhao Xuan seldom went to his wives and concubines since the Spring Festival, and Queen Zhao could not see her husband without important matters as an excuse.
"Lone will go and take a look." Zhao Xuan was very interested and ordered people to prepare a car to go to the southern part of the royal capital.
Zhao Xuan did not arrange Zheng Yuming's stay in a post house, but in a luxurious palace in the south city of the royal capital. The palace was very large, with exotic flowers and plants, and there was a small mountain, beside which there was a spring with clear water. The rare thing is that the water temperature is always in the teens.
This palace was originally the favorite residence of Zhao Xuan's mother, and when Zhao Xuan's mother passed away, the palace was left vacant. Zhao Xuan took power a few years ago, the palace will be renovated, the weather is hot will go to live. However, Zhao Xuan's residence is to go alone, his concubines have not been in the residence, the Queen Zhao received the task of arranging the room, before being able to patronize the palace.
Zhao Xuan's face immediately sank after looking at the room his wife had decorated.
"Great King! Is it wrong for my concubine to arrange things like this?" Queen Zhao realized that her husband's face did not look good, the things in the room were chosen to be the most expensive, even the animal skins used to spread the seats were the finest white tiger skins.
Zhao Xuan glanced at his wife, pointing at the tiger skin on the seat and fuming, "Does the lady think that it will still be snowing from the sky on a nearly May day?"
Queen Zhao was dumbfounded and immediately knelt down to apologize: "Your Majesty, please don't be angry, this is an oversight on my part, I'll have someone replace it!"
Yan is located in the northern part of the country, even in the month of May, it is still relatively cool, Queen Zhao used to use the animal skin mat to make a futon all year round. This time, when arranging the cushions for the seats in Zheng Yuming's room, Queen Zhao didn't think much about it and used animal skins according to her habit. She had forgotten that the temperature after mid-April in Zhao was more than twenty degrees.
Zhao Xuan turned around in the room, looking at Queen Zhao with contempt in his eyes. "Madam has made this room glitter with gold, living in it, I'm afraid that Duke Ming's eyes won't be able to stand it!"
The utensils placed on the mahogany lattice shelves in the room were all gold-based, and what made Zhao Xuan furious was that the quilts spread on the beds were also woven with gold silk, and thinking of how incongruous a picture it would be for the jade-like porcelain Ming Gongzi to stay in a room of gold, Zhao Xuan really wanted to give his wife two slaps.
"Your Majesty, my concubine will rearrange it now!" Queen Zhao heard the anger in her husband's voice and answered with a trembling voice. Yan was located in the north, and was one of the most recently enlightened vassal states, and had always had the most vulgar tastes in the country. Queen Zhao was in a vulgar atmosphere, so of course her taste could not be high.
Zhao Xuan closed his eyes, raised his hand and waved, "No need, you go back to the palace, here I have my own arrangements."
When Queen Zhao withdrew, Zhao Xuan ordered the attendant to summon your daughter's Ji.
"Does Your Highness know Duke Ming of Wu?"
Your daughter Ji was a bit haggard as she carefully observed Zhao Xuan's face, "Your Majesty, my concubine heard something from the merchants of Wu."
Your daughter had been punished by the Queen of Zhao because of her love for Wu goods, and she had taken advantage of Zhao Xuan's boycott of Wu goods to take advantage of the opportunity to punish her, and since then, your daughter had not dared to buy Wu goods until the last year, when Zhao Xuan's attitude toward Wu changed.
Zhao Xuan's face cleared slightly. "Does Consort Ai know that Duke Ming is a favorite?"
Your daughter Ji thought for a moment and said with deliberation, "I have heard that the Duke's paraphernalia does not like luxury and is mainly comfortable, only the food is more elaborate and fine and delicious."
Zhao Xuan recalls, feel Zheng Yuming life is so, the body clothes are not fancy, simple jewelry, only eating is very delicate, red wine necessary crystal glazed cups to hold.
"Mr. Ming will come here next month to live, since the consort is familiar with Mr. Ming's hobbies, the lone will be here to set up the delivery, hope that the consort arrangement can get Mr. Ming like."
Your daughter's heart was beating wildly, this was Zhao Xuan's regard for her, "Here! I will do my best!"
That night, when Queen Zhao heard that Zhao Xuan had ordered your daughter to redecorate Prince Ming's temporary residence, she broke the objects in the room and cried in bed all night. The next day, she was bedridden with a cold and flu, and until Zheng Yuming's visit, Queen Zhao was still unable to get up from her bed.