On the 16th day of the first lunar month, the atmosphere of the New Year had not yet dissipated. Xu Guangqi, Bi Maokang and Zou Weilian came to the palace together to discuss matters related to the imperial examinations with Taichang.

The previous cabinet chief and the Minister of Rites would not be so diligent.

Because the imperial examination will not start on the ninth day of the second month, and the original candidates will find ways to arrive in the capital by themselves.

The original Ming Dynasty court did not care how the candidates arrived in the capital, even if they were walking for several months or even half a year on the road to the exam, no one would care about it.

It's different now. Taichang stipulates that a boat must be sent to pick up the candidates, so as not to waste too much time and energy on the way to the exam.

Therefore, every sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites will organize ships to pick up candidates.

After all, the farthest provinces are all 70,000 or 80,000 miles away. If the New Year holiday is over, it will probably be too late to send ships to pick them up on the 22nd or even the 23rd of the first lunar month.

Of course, it was when the Dragon Warship was not yet developed, and it was used to pick it up with the Wolf Tooth Warship, ASCHS and even the Dreadnought.

Now it’s different with the Dragon Battleship.

Taichang took the three of them to the imperial study room with a relaxed face, and ordered people to bring the seats and let the three of them sit down. Then he smiled and said, "Don't be so anxious this year. I'll lend you all fifty dragon warships. Even no matter how far away it is, it won't take ten days to fight back and forth."

Well, the Dragon Battleship is indeed fast, so there is no need to hurry to pick up people.

However, the three of them came to find Taichang for this.

Zou Weilian thought about it carefully before asking carefully: "Your Majesty, can we start the imperial examinations in various overseas provinces?"

Taichang really never thought about this question.

Because all the imperial examinations were in the Ming Dynasty, that is, the original two capitals and thirteen provinces to select talents, it seems that even the boy exam and the college exam are not available in all overseas provinces.

He thought about it carefully for a while, and then solemnly said: "The Ministry of Political Envoys and the Ministry of Political Envoys of the South East Cheng announced that the Ministry of Political Envoys can establish an imperial examination system. If someone can pass the college entrance examination and the provincial examination, they can also be taken over to participate in the provincial examination in the next session.

Because the Southeast Camp and the Nanyang Camp have proved their loyalty through the Mughal Battle, and those who are loyal to the Ming Dynasty will give them the opportunity to become officials.

As for the Southern Cheng’s announcement of the Political Envoy Department and the Eastern Cheng’s announcement of the Political Envoy Department, we must be cautious.

Because the Southern Cheng announced that the Ministry of Political Envoys were mostly captured Jiannu and the remnants of the Mongol Yuan, if these people were allowed to enter the officialdom through the imperial examination, there would be hidden dangers.

We should be even more cautious when the Dongyang Cheng announced the Political and Envoy Department. Japanese pirates need to be more careful than the remnants of Jiannu and the Mongolian Yuan."

Uh, this one.

Zou Weilian explained carefully: "Emperor, what I am considering is mainly the military households in the Ming Dynasty, because most of the military households in the Ming Dynasty were transferred overseas.

If we don’t hold imperial examinations in overseas provinces, they will not have the chance to enter the official path.”

The military households in the guards!

Many people in later generations mistakenly thought that the military households in the guards could not participate in the imperial examination.

Actually, it is not the case.

Sun Chuanting was born in the military household of the Tunwei, and Li Dongyang and Zhang Juzheng, the most famous cabinet chiefs in the history of the Ming Dynasty, also came from the military household of the Tunwei.

The military households in the Tunwei, farmers, craftsmen and merchants, can also participate in the imperial examinations.

Moreover, the general military households in the Tunwei will receive certain care after passing the Jinshi exam.

After all, they worked hard and made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty, and of course they had to give certain preferential treatment.

This question is quite important.

The military households in the Tunwei Army were the basis of the rule of the Ming Dynasty. Without these military households in the Tunwei Army, where did they recruit so many elite soldiers and generals in the Ming Dynasty?

When Taichang heard this, he couldn't help but pat his forehead and said, "Oh, I have indeed ignored this problem.

Dehui, you reminded me too timely.

We must give all the children of the military households in the garrison a chance to participate in the imperial examination!

Let’s do this. After this imperial examination, the Ministry of Rites immediately organized people to establish tribute schools in Dongdaying, Xidaying, Nandaying, and Beidaying, which was considered as the place for provincial examinations.

As for the examination room of the college, you must also organize personnel to go to the examination room. Wherever there are more than 10,000 military households in the guards, a college must be established.

In addition, all garrisons must establish schools to facilitate the study and participation of children of the garrison families in the garrison."

Zou Weilian nodded repeatedly to show his understanding, and then asked carefully: "Prince, where are the civilians from overseas provinces?"

Taichang thought: "As the same thing, the Southeast Cheng announced that the Political Envoy Department and the Nanyang Cheng announced that the Political Envoy Department could establish an imperial examination system. Jiannu, the remnants of the Mongolian Yuan, Japanese pirates, civilians of the Mughal Empire, and European barbarians were not allowed to participate in the imperial examination!"

This regulation was not without it before the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty also had regulations before that no one was allowed to participate in the imperial examination if he was a low-ranking official.

And Jianji refers to those hostile forces that once opposed the Ming Dynasty.

Jiannu, the remnants of the Mongol Yuan, the Japanese pirates, the civilians of the Mughal Empire, and the European barbarians should indeed be included in the lowly family.

Zou Weilian bowed without hesitation: "I understand."

After everyone made up the plan, they sent the wolf-tooth warship and the flying dragon warship to pick up the candidates, and candidates from all over the country also rushed to the capital one after another.

This time, the number of candidates broke the record again, reaching more than 30,000!

Because the admission rate of the provincial examination doubled a few years ago, the number of juren naturally increased.

What does it mean to have so many candidates gathered in the capital?

The candidates from several provinces in the distance have not yet taken over. All the guest rooms in the inns and temples in Beijing are already full, and the candidates who are late have no place to stay.

After receiving the news, Zou Weilian rushed to the palace to ask for advice.

The capital is very cold now, so I dare not let the candidates sleep on the streets, otherwise I would have to send someone to collect the body the next morning.

Taichang was also a little stunned when he heard Zou Weilian's report.

He didn't consider this issue either.

I didn't have to consider this issue before.

Because there were only a few thousand candidates who took the imperial examination in the past, the inns and temples in Beijing could be easily accommodated.

This time there are more than 30,000 people. Where do so many inns and temples come from in the capital?

Could it be that welcoming hotels are specially built for candidates?

This is obviously a bit unrealistic because there are too many candidates, and there will be more and more candidates.

If the imperial court built a special welcoming hotel, it would have to be at least tens of thousands of people, and in the future, there would be a new welcoming hotel with tens of thousands of people staying in each session.

This is a serious waste!

The imperial examination is only one year after another, and candidates can only stay in the capital for two or three months in total. At other times, it is impossible for so many people to suddenly flood in the capital. Is the welcome hotel for tens of thousands of people so empty?

That would be a bit ridiculous. In three years, it would probably be that the welcome hotels would either become moldy or grow grass.

Besides, it’s too late to build a hotel now!

Taichang frowned and pondered for a while, then asked, "Dehui, what about asking the people in the capital to open a homestay?"

B&B?

Zou Weilian was stunned for a moment, then asked carefully: "Your Majesty, do you want the candidates to live in the homes of ordinary people?"

Taichang nodded slightly and said, "Yes, the homestay is actually very simple. If you have extra rooms at home, just set it up and add some home items.

Such a room will not be wasted. You can stay in a guest or something at home.

More importantly, this is beneficial to candidates and the common people.

Candidates can avoid the pain of sleeping in the streets, and ordinary people can also gain personal connections.

Those candidates who live in homestays will always be good for them if they are on the list of the exams."

Upon hearing this, Zou Weilian hurriedly bowed: "I understand. I will let the prefect of Shuntian inform all neighbors and try to let the people in the capital open more homestays."

At this moment, the houses and quilts in Beijing were sold out soon.

Fortunately, Wubei City is close, and there are so many private factories that produce these daily necessities from Wubei City to the canal line in the capital, with tens of thousands of sets of houses and quilts, which can be filled in less than a few days.

There is a reason why the people in the capital are so active.

Because this is a great opportunity!

It is difficult for them to meet a juren master, let alone a master who is expected to become a Jinshi.

Now the people in the capital have money, and adding some household items and quilts is nothing to them.

They were so active that before the home was even arranged, they went out to recruit people.

Any scholar who wanders on the street nods and bows, trying his best to invite others to stay at home, without paying the accommodation fee.

If the juren does not dislike him, they can even cook for others for free.

Later, this also became a wonder in the capital.

Every year of the imperial examination, ordinary people would gather at the docks in various capitals. When they saw candidates taking the imperial examination, they would rush up and invite these juren home in a verbal manner.

If they weren't for their high status, they would even pull people to run home.

Some families not only gained this rare popularity, but also gained a more rare marriage.

These are all later stories, so I will not mention it for now.

After the capital was bustling for more than half a month, the imperial examination finally began.
To be continued...