Xiang Zujiang and Shi Minghui were waiting in the wing room of Yingtianfu Station, with all their faces of nervousness. Their test papers had been put forward separately and were directly given to the emperor for review. Although they tried their best to express all their lives in the articles when they wrote the articles, they all knew very well that the emperor was a hero of a generation, wise and knowledgeable. Even if they tried their best to write the articles they thought were the best, it was really hard to say whether they could get into the eyes of the emperor.

The articles of the provincial examination were directly reviewed by the emperor. This situation has never happened. It was impossible in the past. The ministers in the court would definitely make a fuss. The emperor violated the rules, the sacredness of the imperial examination should not be violated, the emperor could not overstep his authority, etc. However, this situation does not exist now. The emperor has absolute authority in the court. Moreover, those ministers who used to show off in the limelight would either stay in the capital forever, or they were repaired and dared not speak casually.

Less than half a year after the emperor ascended the throne, there was a huge change in the court. Everyone felt this change. The emperor praised Zhang Juzheng, the chief minister of the cabinet during the Wanli period, and asked all civil and military ministers to do practical things, not to complain without any illness, and not to seek trouble without any trouble. If you have any opinions and suggestions on the government, you can raise it after clear evidence, and it doesn't matter if you have any heated debate. As for the trend of hearing the news, it was severely stopped.

Xiang Zujiang and Shi Minghui didn't know if this was correct, but one thing was that what the court and the cabinet decided to do was to be done quickly. Slack officials were easily punished and even directly removed from their official positions. Diligent and hard-working officials were taken seriously and promoted in a very short time.

The best example is the maintenance of ditches and dams. The Ministry of Works is directly responsible for this matter. The court allocated nearly five million taels of silver and asked local farmers to recruit farmers for repairs and provide certain financial subsidies. The purpose of this is obviously to allow farmers who suffer from famine to obtain a certain income and overcome the difficulties of spring famine. The spring plowing in the next year will be smooth and the grain will be harvested. If such a thing is implemented in the past, more than 60% of the money will be corrupted by officials at all levels, and farmers will not be able to get silver. Moreover, the Ministry of Works lacks prestige and local governments will disobey the situation and will not be honest in repairing ditches and dams.

Just three months passed, the ditches and ponds in various parts of the south were well maintained, and farmers also received the silver allocated by the court. Ma Shiying, the Minister of Works, and Ruan Dacheng, the Right Minister of Works, went to various parts of the south to supervise the work. Follow them to supervise the inspection office. Local officials from several provinces reached out to greed for money and were directly investigated and punished, and their property was confiscated and beheaded. No one had any help in mercy.

The system established by the court and the cabinet is also clear and clear, requiring officials at all levels to do what they should do, what they cannot do, and there is no nonsense. The court's assessment of officials directly extended to the magistrates in various places, making it clear to everyone.

In just a few months, the atmosphere in the officialdom has changed dramatically.

Of course, the emperor and the court also directly increased the salaries of officials, and the salary of the magistrate increased from the original sixty taels of silver per year to one hundred and twenty taels of silver per year, which doubled. It is said that the emperor and the court were still not satisfied and wanted to continue to increase.

Xiang Zujiang and Shi Minghui could see these situations clearly.

In comparison, the Later Jin court had a very obvious gap in this regard. At least the privileges possessed by the human and the powerful made everyone dissatisfied. As for the Dashun court established by Li Zicheng, the privileges of officials were even more exaggerated. The farmers changed from the original support to the desperate opposition.

"Brother Shi, I don't know what the emperor will evaluate the articles you and I have written."

Shi Minghui looked at Xiang Zujiang with a slightly pale face and sighed slightly.

"Brother Xiang, don't think so much. Your and my articles have been written and it is impossible to modify them. Anyway, we have done our best. As for whether the emperor can catch his eye, it is useless for us to think about it here..."

Before Shi Minghui finished speaking, Qiu Zhizhong came out.

Seeing Qiu Zhizhong walking out, Xiang Zujiang and Shi Minghui hurriedly clasped their fists and bowed their heads.

"Mr. Xiang, Mr. Shi, follow our family to meet the emperor."

Xiang Zujiang and Shi Minghui followed Qiu Zhizhong honestly and headed towards the recreation garden. Perhaps they had figured it out, their expressions calmed a lot. They also knew that no matter how much they had done their best, they would have no effect.

When they walked into the rest garden, they saw Zhu Cilang next to the stone table. The two of them quickly knelt down.

"Xiang Zujiang, Shi Minghui, let's flat. I have read all your articles and they are all well written."

Zhu Cilang's words made Xiang Zujiang and Shi Minghui breathe a sigh of relief.

"You can participate directly in the next year's examination. The articles of the two of you have different focuses. Xiang Zujiang's article focused on how to handle local government affairs, and Shi Minghui's article focused on how to expand the intelligence network. I think the biggest highlight of your article is to tell the truth and put forward good suggestions."

"I appreciate the fact that I can make suggestions and opinions based on the eight-legged essay in the provincial examination."

"It will definitely not be possible to just praise you, I will still warn you."

"You are all the fame of students in the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the rank of the

"You are doing things by my side and your ability to observe words and expressions has been preserved. I do not object. Anyone who wants to do good things and succeed must have the ability to observe words and expressions. Rude men are not welcome."

"Xiang Zujiang mainly participated in local construction, put forward opinions and suggestions, and also participated in many matters in the military. Shi Minghui mainly participated in the collection of intelligence. He was in danger and always had to be vigilant. However, there is one thing that you two are the same, that is, you must stand at a certain level when doing anything you do."

"For example, local construction, how can local governments really do things for the people, how can people live and work in peace and contentment, such as collecting intelligence, how can intelligence be accurate and play its greatest role, how can they analyze the collected intelligence, remove the exaggerated or false parts, and let the facts be displayed in front of you."

"I have some suggestions for you in this regard."

Shi Minghui and the others bowed their heads to Zujiang, their faces became solemn and their eyes became focused. Not everyone has such an opportunity to receive such teachings from the emperor.

"I think it's not very difficult for you two to take high school. You are different from other Jinshis in high school. You are already doing things in the court, and what you do is very important, so you must look far and deep, not limited to the surface, be sure to go deep into it."

"The disadvantages of local governments doing things are obvious. Local officials are the parents of the people's food and clothing, but they are in the yamen all day long and have little contact with the people. How can they know the sufferings of the people? If they cannot enter the people, how can they gain real support from the people?"

"It is a difficult problem to eliminate false information and retain the truth. I also know that it is difficult to achieve the blue sky, but there is no way. Many times, restaurants, teahouses and people's jokes can help you distinguish the authenticity of information. Anything that the government does is always closely related to the people. If you are completely separated from the people, then the court will not be able to maintain it. Therefore, as long as you truly understand the people's calls, you can make a general judgment on the information you obtained."

"In general, I'm just saying that you must stand at an extraordinary height and look at everything you do. When you figure out the causes and consequences of everything you do, there will be no big deviation in the decisions you make."

"It's not just you, but me, you must have such an attitude and idea when doing things."

Speaking of this, Zhu Cilang waved to Xiang Zujiang and Shi Minghui.

"Okay, I just experienced the provincial examination. You go back and have a good rest for a while. While preparing for the annual examination, don't forget what you should do. If you think it through, report it to me at any time."

Walking out of the rest garden, he looked at Shi Minghui at Zujiang.

"Brother Shi, I don't plan to stay in Nanjing. I will set off for Huguang in a few days. I have figured it out. Huguang and Henan are facing the most things. I can still do some things. Henan is a bit far away and is still in turmoil. It doesn't work if I go there. If I can help Lord Han do something, I can try how to write articles and I will have a clear idea in my heart."

Shi Minghui clasped his fists at Xiang Zujiang.

"What I said to you is that I am going to Shandong to follow Shandong Governor Yang Wencong and Shandong Governor Chen Hongmi to do things. Dezhou is the best position for collecting information. I stay in Dezhou and can do a lot of things."

Nodded vigorously to Zujiang.

"Okay, Brother Shi, after you and I have thought it through, I will immediately write a memorial to the emperor. The emperor has too many things to do, and it is impossible to spend so much time for you and me. As long as your memorial is approved by the emperor, you can leave."

Shi Minghui sighed long.

"What I said to you is that the emperor is the heroic and wise ruler of the world. It is a great blessing for you and I to follow the emperor to do things..."
Chapter completed!