vstars Chapter 331 The Provincial Examination Ends, Turbulence Begins
Chapter 331 The Provincial Examination Ends, Turbulence Begins
I left the exam hall on the third day and went back to tidy up.
The third exam was the final exam of the provincial examination, which mainly tested students' knowledge of policy essays and covered practical matters such as politics, economics, and people's livelihood.
The system provided several large boxes of relevant official gazettes, which Jiang Xiaoqi read the most.
The more important and potentially testable points were selected and compiled into a separate book, with each of the Chiang brothers receiving a copy.
During the month of intensive study before the exam, most of their energy was focused on this three-inch-thick booklet.
I felt more confident about the third exam.
The exam papers for the third session were handed out quickly. Jiang Xiaoqi didn't rush to answer the questions. Instead, she laid out the draft paper and ground the ink.
After washing and drying my hands, I finally unfolded the exam paper.
The questions are as follows:
The way to govern a country is to first enrich its people. When the people are wealthy, the country is secure; when the people are poor, the country is in danger. Now, if we wish to enrich the people, what methods should we prioritize? Let us not conceal or hide anything, but do so to benefit the country.
The question says that test takers shouldn't hold back and can speak freely as long as it benefits the country and its people. But if you actually believe that completely, you're doomed!
If the examiners and question setters are polite to you, it's because they are well-mannered. If you accept everything they say, then you're just being tactless.
Some things can be said, some things need to be carefully thought out before being said, some things need to be said only halfway, and some things cannot be uttered at all.
This was true during the imperial examination process, and even more so for those who became officials later in life. Otherwise, one might know how one became an official, but not how one died.
After careful consideration, he wrote a few words on the draft paper.
Answer:
The way to govern a country is to enrich its people.
The people are the foundation of the nation; wealth is the lifeblood of the people.
Therefore, those who govern a country well must first focus on the fundamentals; once the fundamentals are established, the way forward will naturally follow.
If we wish to make the people prosperous, we should take agriculture and sericulture as the foundation, industry and commerce as supplements, practice frugality and care for the people, reduce taxes and levies, and allow the people to recuperate and thrive. Then the national treasury will be self-sufficient, and the prosperity of the people can be expected.
Agriculture and sericulture are the source of food and clothing.
If farmers do not miss the farming season, there will be more grain than can be eaten; if silkworms and silkworms are not neglected, there will be more silk than can be clothed.
When grain and silk are plentiful and the people are free from hunger and cold, the country will be at peace.
Commerce and industry are the flow of goods and wealth. When commerce is promoted and industry is benefited, goods and wealth will circulate widely, and the people will not lack necessities.
However, the profits of industry and commerce should not be given equal importance to agriculture and sericulture, for when industry and commerce prosper, agriculture and sericulture decline, and when agriculture and sericulture decline, the foundation of the nation will be shaken.
Frugality is the way to generate wealth. If the rulers are not extravagant, the nation's expenditures will be regulated; if the people are not wasteful, the people's wealth will not be squandered.
If the government's expenditures are regulated, taxes can be reduced; if the people's wealth is not depleted, reserves can be accumulated.
Light taxes and levies are policies that nourish the people. Light taxes and levies allow the people to be less burdened, and light levies allow the people to be wealthy.
When the people are well-off and the economy is abundant, then life and education will flourish.
Therefore, those who wish to enrich the people should prioritize agriculture and sericulture, supplemented by industry and commerce, practice frugality and care for the people, and reduce taxes and levies. If these four aspects are implemented in tandem, the people will prosper and the nation will be secure.
If we neglect the fundamentals and pursue the trivial, emphasizing industry and commerce while neglecting agriculture and sericulture, indulging in extravagance and imposing heavy taxes and corvée labor, then the people will be impoverished and the country will be in danger.
With flowing strokes and bold ink, he wrote with great skill and flair.
He wrote down a policy essay that he didn't entirely agree with, then put down his pen, not in a hurry to copy it.
Some unspoken thoughts were not immediately written down, as he did not know the examiner's temperament.
Although there is a lot of information provided by the system, this student from the University of Political Science and Law is quite different from others, rarely publishing political opinions.
Regarding enriching the people, he also wanted to say that different situations require different analyses. Different national conditions, eras, cultural backgrounds, etc., will all become factors that affect national income and career choices.
For example, countries with highly developed agriculture should develop secondary industries in due course, turning agricultural products into higher-value, more easily marketable derivatives through industrial processing.
For example, if a region is rich in wheat, besides selling wheat and flour, can it also produce snack foods such as "biscuits, bread, and instant noodles" through industrial processing?
In modern society, this is certainly possible; many wheat-producing regions have their own food processing plants.
With the development of the express delivery industry, you can even buy roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), hot dry noodles, liangpi (cold skin noodles), and naan bread online.
In areas where agricultural and industrial development is saturated, developing the tertiary sector, such as tourism, can be considered.
Ancient and modern times are indeed very different, but what they have in common is that people like to go from places they are tired of to places others are tired of.
The corn in other people's fields is sweeter, the moon in other people's fields is rounder, the wives in other people's fields are... well, cough cough, I'm getting off-topic.
In short, the development of tourism can greatly increase the income of local people and create more jobs.
Ideally, agriculture should not be abandoned, industry should develop alongside it, and tourism should join hands with both.
However, if these points were included in the policy essay, there might be no hope of making the list of successful candidates this time.
There's no other reason than that it simply doesn't fit the current national conditions of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Twenty years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, many ordinary people were still poorly clothed and starving. Apart from those who fled famine with their families, they had no time to travel far and wide to wander around aimlessly.
Nowadays, roads are difficult to travel, and ordinary people basically rely on walking to get around. Only literati, officials, and nobles have the leisure and elegance to roam freely among the mountains and rivers.
Because only they could afford to buy carriages, keep horses, and have servants and guards escorting them on their journeys.
Ordinary people at the bottom of society have already exhausted all their strength just to survive.
Sightseeing? Haha, it's more practical to think about what to eat for the next meal first.
Ugh……
As darkness fell, Jiang Xiaoqi did not light any candles.
The draft was spread out on the table, held down only by a paperweight.
"Come out?"
"Not yet, Butler Wen. Don't worry, I've been keeping a close eye on the gate. I'll be the first to spot the young masters when they come out."
The servant, his face covered in freckles, made a solemn promise, not even turning his head as he spoke, his eyes still fixed on the examination hall door.
Seeing this, Butler Wen was relieved. The boy had good eyesight; he had been in charge of keeping watch at the gate for the first two sessions.
He was still carrying a food box, still serving yam and chicken congee, and a large pot of honey chrysanthemum tea at the perfect temperature.
However, this time the porridge and tea had gone cold, and the exam hall doors hadn't even been opened.
Butler Wen had someone keep the pottery stove warm, but he felt a little uneasy.
This is the last game, we can't afford any unexpected problems, right?
The examination hall doors finally opened slowly, past noon.
A few candidates emerged, their faces pale and unwell. This was understandable, given that it had been nine days and everyone seemed to have had most of their yang energy drained away by a female ghost.
Some had sunken eyes and chapped lips, while others had bloodshot eyes and messy hair; none of them looked very good.
After moving a little further away from the exam room, someone finally couldn't take it anymore and collapsed. Luckily, there were people around to help them up, otherwise they might have bumped their heads and bled.
If this disfigures one's face, it will hinder one's career.
"Ugh, what bad luck! Why did those people end up forming a bond with that guy? Of all people to choose, they had to pick someone who's not quite right in the head."
"What a pity, what a pity!"