eurekapd Chapter 913 The Imperial Examination Begins
Chapter 913 The Imperial Examination Begins
Li Che's actions were by no means a spur-of-the-moment decision.
The establishment of the Legislative Affairs Department is not simply a matter of adding another government office.
In his vision of the future political structure of Daqing, the legislative, executive, and judicial powers should be held by different agencies, allowing them to operate independently while also checking and balancing each other.
It sounds familiar; in fact, this is the prototype of the 'separation of powers', except that in the Great Qing Dynasty, there were still aristocratic families and imperial power involved.
He knew better than anyone that the separation of powers was by no means the ultimate answer to democracy.
In the political practice of the West in the past, the separation of powers was almost never truly realized, and the mutual penetration among the three powers was very common.
The president has the power to veto legislation and can also exercise legislative power by delegating legislative parts; the Supreme Court can participate in policy-making by the executive branch through its power of constitutional interpretation; and Congress can participate in executive decision-making by using its power of appropriation.
In this era deeply rooted in feudalism, how deeply the separation of powers could take root and how effective it would be remained to be seen.
However, it can at least pry open a crack in this monolithic old order, allowing a ray of sunshine and space for the budding of democratic ideas.
Li Che had pondered countless times why feudal dynasties were so stable.
In fact, during the late Qing Dynasty in its previous life, it also sought to establish a constitutional monarchy and move towards democracy.
However, progress was extremely difficult and fraught with obstacles, and the constitution was ultimately overthrown before it could be established.
In reality, given the state of the Qing Dynasty, even if it hadn't been overthrown, it would never have been able to become a 'constitutional monarchy'.
Ultimately, the problem lies in the lack of public awareness; the vast majority of the people have been oppressed for too long and remain in ignorance.
To enlighten the people, we must vigorously promote education and break the monopoly of knowledge held by powerful families and clans.
In addition, there was an even more crucial step: to weaken the rigid and powerful feudal bureaucratic system that had been in place for thousands of years and to stop the oppression of hundreds of millions of ordinary people by the scholar-official class.
The term "upright and honest official" sounds like a beautiful phrase, carrying the people's boundless expectations for honest officials.
But if the people always have one or even a group of "upright officials" hanging over their heads, and they rely on them to make decisions and seek justice for them, then they will be in trouble.
In that case, independent civic consciousness would never sprout, and true democratic thought would be out of the question.
The people will never learn to take responsibility for themselves, and will never truly stand up.
This is what is known as "knee weakness," and this condition has not been completely eliminated, not only in ancient times but also in later generations.
Therefore, Li Che's implementation of the initial separation of powers was, in essence, intended to buy precious time for the common people to grow and mature.
Only by first dividing and weakening the unchecked power in the hands of bureaucrats can more rights and space be ceded.
Only by establishing a sound political structure in Daqing can the public be guided to gradually participate and learn self-governance.
Looking at Wen Zaiyin, who was visibly shocked, he explained in a deep voice, “Elder Wen, the current court actually has two sets of leadership: the Grand Secretariat is one, which oversees all important matters; the Six Ministries of the court are another, which are responsible for specific government affairs.”
"I need them to check and balance each other to prevent one from becoming too powerful, but it seems that their checks and balances are far from sufficient at present."
"Leaving aside others, take yourself, Mr. Wen, for example. You are in charge of legislation, yet you still want to return to the cabinet."
"In this way, although the court has two sets of officials, the power is ultimately held by the same group of people, and the social class is ultimately solidified."
Li Che's words were very straightforward, unlike what an emperor would say to his ministers, but Wen Zaiyin was different; he was a gentleman in the traditional sense.
Upon hearing Li Che's words, Wen Zaiyin's first reaction was to show a look of shame: "Your Majesty, this old minister..."
Li Che waved his hand: "I'm not blaming you. I know you didn't think of this aspect either."
He paused, his gaze sharpening: "Therefore, I need to establish a Legislative Affairs Commission."
"Legislation is by no means a one-time thing. It does not mean that if you compile a 'Great Proclamation of Heaven' today, your descendants can only regard it as the golden rule and not change a single word."
"Laws have a time limit. Laws that seem perfect today may become flawed and hinder progress decades or even centuries later due to changing times."
I'm talking about you, Zhu Chongba!
Zhu Yuanzhang's "Great Proclamation" is a typical example. Everyone knows that Emperor Hongwu allowed people to file lawsuits with the "Great Proclamation" in hand, and officials were not allowed to obstruct them. In fact, those who had the "Great Proclamation" at home could even have their sentences reduced.
However, what they did not know was that the content of the "Great Proclamation" was overly idealistic and the management of the people was too harsh.
Some of these legal provisions, not only outdated in later generations, would have been impossible to implement even in Zhu Yuanzhang's time.
In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang's original intention was good. He was able to give the people the right to appeal, but he ignored the drawbacks of it. The fact that every household had the "Great Proclamation" also gave some lawless people the courage to take risks, since there was still the possibility of reduced sentences.
“This is the role of the Legislative Affairs Department.” Lee Cheol looked intently at Moon Jae-in. “You do not directly participate in daily government affairs, but you have the sole power to interpret, revise, and improve the law.”
"What you need to do is to constantly review the existing laws and regulations, eliminate the unreasonable parts, and fill the loopholes so that they can keep up with the pace of the times."
Upon hearing this, Wen Zaiyin was filled with turmoil.
He possesses considerable political acumen and can clearly perceive the immense power granted to the Legislative Affairs Commission.
It stands apart from daily administration, yet it holds the yardstick that defines all behavioral norms, and can even change ancestral laws passed down through generations!
This is simply... in some ways, even surpassing imperial power.
Seemingly seeing through Moon Jae-yoon's concerns, Lee Cheol smiled and softened his tone, saying, "Of course, the law is not a game; it cannot be changed at will."
"The Legislative Affairs Department needs to have internal review and verification mechanisms, and there must also be corresponding external checks and balances. For example, the final decision-making power is still in my hands, and major amendments must also be discussed in court."
"What I want is not yet another government office with unlimited power, but a rigorous, independent legislative body that can keep pace with the times."
His gaze fell on Wen Zaiyin, filled with expectation: "Among my ministers, Elder Wen is the most upright and incorruptible, and he acts with principle and adheres to the bottom line."
"That is why I am willing to entrust this important task concerning the foundation of the nation to you."
Li Che stood up, walked to Wen Zaiyin, and said in a gentle tone, "Lord Wen, this matter is of great importance. You don't need to reply to me immediately."
"Go back and think it over carefully. Whether you can take on this task and whether you are willing to do so, think it through before giving me your answer."
Having said that, he placed the draft of the law back into Wen Zaiyin's hands.
When Wen Zaiyin held the draft of the law, he felt it was both light and heavy, as if it were a mountain.
"Your subject takes his leave." He took a deep breath, bowed, and slowly withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Watching Moon Jae-in's retreating figure, Lee Cheol remained silent for a moment before returning to his desk.
He didn't know if he had taken the right step, or if he had taken too big a step.
Li Che was well aware that democracy was not something that could be achieved overnight; it required the continuous efforts of several generations.
Perhaps the next generation of monarchs will develop ambitions, and the next batch of courtiers will become the privileged upper class, detached from the people.
Therefore, Li Che needs true allies, a group of truly insightful people.
And these people all had to be obtained through the imperial examination.
Li Che continued to look at the examination papers. After the sutras and the interpretation of the classics, what remained were the poems, the interpretation of the classics, and the policy questions.
He did not intend to include poetry in the exam papers, not because he disliked it, but because poetry was useless for governing the country.
Of course, it wasn't because Li Che disliked poetry; no one dislikes poetry, as it is the crystallization of human romantic emotions.
However, this kind of romance cannot save the country.
Li Che also liked Li Bai very much, even to the point of worship, but as much as he liked him, if he were Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, he would not have used Li Bai.
The questions on classic texts and policy questions are those that can be included in exam papers.
The so-called "classical interpretation" is equivalent to today's argumentative essay, but its content is limited to Confucian classics.
The examiners would select a sentence or a proposition from the Four Books and Five Classics and ask the candidates to elaborate on its profound meaning and explain the Confucian thought and philosophy contained within.
The study of classics is a further examination of the students' knowledge, which belongs to the comfort zone of orthodox Confucian students, but not to Li Che's comfort zone.
Although Li Che possessed the original owner's memories and had some understanding of the Four Books and Five Classics, he was far from being a master of Confucianism.
Therefore, the interpretation of the classics should still be left to great Confucian scholars such as Tao Qian and Wen Zaiyin.
Policy questions, on the other hand, are different; they are equivalent to later essays or policy analysis papers.
The examiners posed practical questions about classics, history, current affairs, and governance strategies, requiring candidates to express their opinions and propose solutions.
For example: how to manage the Yellow River floods, how to rectify official corruption, and how to defend against border threats.
The purpose was to examine the candidates' political views, governing abilities, problem-solving skills, and breadth of knowledge; it was also the highest level of questions in the imperial examinations.
After a moment's thought, Li Che picked up his pen and wrote down the question: "How can we enlighten the people?"
Thus, a supplementary volume was compiled.
Li Che reviewed it and was very satisfied. He felt that this set of papers was better than the main set, and it would be fine to use this set of papers a month later.
He rolled up the scroll, sealed it with ink, and then got up and hid in a hidden compartment of the bookshelf behind him.
“Huai En”.
"The servant is here."
"Keep an eye on this bookshelf. When the people below come in to clean the Hall of Mental Cultivation, they are not allowed to touch the bookshelf."
"Here."
January passed in the blink of an eye.
Spring has not yet completely faded away, but summer has already quietly arrived, and the capital city has been ignited by crowds and noise.
As dawn broke, the main roads leading to the examination hall were already teeming with people.
Students from all over the country, regardless of their humble origins or privileged backgrounds, whether young and ambitious or with graying temples, all shared the same trepidation as they formed a vast crowd and took to the streets.
Today is the day of the first special imperial examination of the new dynasty.