Chapter 273: Hereditary Clowns, Imperial Examination Heroes
“Today we start early, the ice and snow melt, railways span both shores; machinery turns on both shores, accustomed to the morning shift bell, accustomed to the power plant’s white mist…” Xuan Chong hummed a little tune.
Xuan Chong pulled some strings to obtain exam materials from some scholars and began self-studying and memorizing texts. — Xuan Chong couldn’t help but sigh; only at this age could one shoulder work responsibilities while still finding time to take exams.
Since it was a “memorization exam,” Xuan Chong could openly shirk a series of unnecessary social engagements.
Of course, there were colleagues who secretly speculated in their hearts: “It’s just a young man’s whim, following the trend; he won’t pass at all.”
In Xian Han, not to mention scholars, there were no juren from poor families.
In the Jiangnan exam halls, for nearly a hundred years, the juren from the proper imperial examination channel were all those who had been cultivated for at least five generations in their clans, constantly inviting famous teachers and experts for free instruction, before they could stand out and become one of the two thousand elites across the nation each year.
The imperial examination system does not look at bloodlines; a juren’s son is not necessarily a juren, but among the hundreds of disciples a juren takes, there is a high probability one will become a juren.
For a scholar to pass the juren exam, “physical strength, energy, and intellect” are all indispensable.
Since it is not just testing eight-legged essays, but also involves mathematics, criminal law, and a large amount of logical theory; this means the scholar must, before the age of twenty-five, absorb into his brain disciplines like astronomy, geography, natural philosophy, and humanities that involve a lot of rigorous logic and complex calculations.
It is not difficult for someone of average talent to comprehend a certain discipline before twenty-five; but to master all theories and their connections? That requires building a “understanding of nature and society” mindset system. And this way of thinking and understanding is unique to each juren.
Unlike some bizarre liberal arts papers from Xuan Chong’s previous life, which carried fallacies in constant emotional outbursts of short essays, messing up logic;
Xian Han’s “Neo-Confucianism” is a complete set of interconnected logic.
For example, the “Great Han Code.” Each article in it is, by later standards, very lenient, seeming to leave sufficient discretionary power. But it is not truly “free discretion.” When applying a law to the people, it must conform to the Neo-Confucian explanation. That is, if a scholar (with official status) present believes the county magistrate’s application of criminal law does not conform to Neo-Confucianism, he can refute him.
Note: In the courtroom, there will be no situation of “this is the rule,” “I control the rules,” “you must obey.” In commerce-dense areas like Zhuguang City, scholar status is highly valued. Because many rulings require scholars to debate principles.
The people of Xian Han revere juren masters, believing them to be incarnations of the God of Literature. After deeply understanding with the scholars, Xuan Chong also gradually became serious about the abilities of this group of imperial examination talents.
…Xuan Chong: Han Confucians have performance…
In October of the same year, Xuan Chong sailed again, arriving at Zhuguang City with the fleet.
Xuan Chong gazed at the continuous factories in this “Rome of the swamp sea region,” and the groups of railway bridges spanning the rivers.
The Guangzhu Sea Estuary area is the Rome of the entire Southeast Asia.
Other areas around the swamp sea, such as Champa and Giaochi, also have cities on the scale of hundreds of thousands of people; their upper-class city centers imitate the big cities of Xian Han’s Zhuguang area, building wide roads separated by vegetation. But this is the difference between a gaudy rooster and a true phoenix.
City construction can be imitated, but industrial industries cannot.
Xian Han maintains a technological advantage; over these hundred years, there have been no shortage of capable local vassal kings and merchant groups trying to introduce new technology to catch up. Over these several hundred years, all overseas heroes (heaven-sent tough guys) who attempted it ultimately despaired!
Industrial competition is not about cheap labor; labor cheap? No amount of cheapness can beat advanced machinery.
Large mechanical cranes at docks can replace over a hundred dock workers. But how to make the cranes operate safely? This requires the top of industrialized society to expend dozens of times the effort of feudal tops.
Xuan Chong reviewed the experiences of the main historical line: the success factors of a nation’s rise cannot be narrated as “cheap labor,” but as successful management.
The Eastern Confucian system can mass-produce “excellent cheap managers.”
One large mechanical crane can match the labor efficiency of dozens of people; but to manage such a large mechanical crane without major accidents, without deaths, without worker groups harboring resentment and sabotage. Management posts must attend to hundreds of regulations.
What drives managers to familiarize themselves with the related meanings behind every regulation is a set of moral responsibility education.
In his previous life, industrial management work posts in the West had salaries from big companies at least four times, even eight times, those in East Asia.
Xuan Chong previously thought: to develop manufacturing, one must select the top performers from science and engineering exams as leaders, because they have “meticulous thinking.”
After competing in the same hall with these academic top students, Xuan Chong realized that during their test-taking process, they rarely missed details; whereas a poor student can’t even grasp the many elements on the exam paper, yet in a factory leadership position, could grasp many elements?
Xian Han’s imperial examination content, upon close inspection, besides involving physics, chemistry, and other traditional science and engineering projects, also covers criminal law, medicine, and such. These are also professional domains needed to solve issues that arise in worker teams during production.
In a certain sense, the talents cultivated by Xian Han’s imperial examination system are even more intense than the science and engineering subjects in Xuan Chong’s previous life.
Xian Han’s Confucian scholar-officials may not match the acuity of frontline industrial tech elites from Xuan Chong’s previous life, but in big enterprise management, they absolutely surpass those “pigs that fly on the wind” from his previous life.
And the previous life’s Eastern “science and engineering” selection system allowed Western rich second-generation inheritors who obtained finance degrees through “donations” to crash the industrial companies that originally had first-mover tech advantages they mastered.
On this timeline, the “first-mover tech advantage” is in Xian Han’s hands. Barbarians outside the Central Plains are suppressed to the point of ecstasy and agony.
…The hardest circle to enter in Xian Han…
Xuan Chong planned his future path; without doubt, his current highest-value identity is heir of Dongtu.
Xuan Chong: As the son of the King of Dongtu, this identity now allows him to become a high-ranking navy officer, able to mobilize considerable high-level resources. But to achieve more, he must not cling to this identity!
Southeast Asia also has many vassal kings, all of whom have attempted industrialization! The result was a mess (Historically, Britain criticized serf factories in the Tsarist Russian period, saying the massive inefficient labor in such factories could be avoided. This is probably like Xuan Chong in the internet era seeing jokes about African country workers slacking off.)
The vassal kings undoubtedly poured in massive real gold and silver, but ultimately all relied on scholars sent by the Xian Han imperial court to do raw materials industries, to scrape by in the industrialization wave.
These Southeast Asian vassal kings have tried every trick. For example, seventy years ago, the former Luzon vassal king tried to bribe heroes to kidnap juren; a few years later, this vassal king was stripped of his fief.
Dian Continent and Eastern Shu have been dispatching bandits for the past fifty years to abduct high-achieving Xian Han imperial examination talents; the continuously occurring major cases intensified contradictions between the two countries, developing to the level of impending great war.
But juren and scholars are actually overhyped. What is truly powerful is the imperial examination system. It forms an organization centered on scholars and juren from a large number of scholars.
Within this organization, scholars, elementary scholars, and juren have standardized cognition on certain “management” and “science” foundational knowledge. And industrialization is a standardized process; in development, it requires millions of people to be unified on certain ideological concepts.
Xuan Chong: Lord noble disciples without systematic education forging have many cognitions not forming unity, and regard their maverick nature as “personality advantage.” However, mastering industrialization requires fitting into group thinking.
Xuan Chong upholds “industrialization is absolutely correct,” so skips the liberal arts and science debate. No matter which circle masters industrialization, he must enter the industrialization circle.
In Zhuguang City, in many people’s eyes, Xuan Chong as an imperial clan scion, though mocked as “idle and meddling with the God of Literature,” is still gnawing on books and not entering the city to enjoy “Buddhist kingdom women”‘s flavors.
Xuan Chong: Even if he doesn’t pass, getting to know a few good-studying classmates means in the future, when arranging oil refining industry for his own Dongtu, he can find more connections.
…Ship returns…
Two months later, the ship returned. In the Qiantang Ship Department, Xuan Chong bowed to the ship administration official of juren origin.
Xuan Chong referred to himself humbly as a youngster; when introducing his “old ship refit” plan, he prioritized the cost; the refit funds needed for this light cruiser now are forty thousand silver dollars (full ship construction cost is six hundred thousand silver dollars).
He then elaborated the effects: after magnetic layer refit, the forward turret and rear tail magnetic layer thickness drops to three meters, density increased fourfold. Now from external observation, only the middle hull remains a flaw.
Finally, thanks to the evaluators for coming to assess amid their busy schedules.
And this Ship Department Lord Wang main officer put on glasses, boarded the warship, had the fleet deploy the refit modules, and began acceptance inspection.
When the ship maneuvered left and right in the harbor like a model on a runway; Lord Wang confirmed that this project enhancing the old ship’s combat power to seventy percent for “forty thousand” silver dollars is real. Thus he began detailed inquiries.
“After activating magnetic layer, how much does the power system drop?” “How is the system operation stability?”
This Lord Wang’s expression was initially stern; but after three days of testing, he became increasingly amiable toward Xuan Chong.
Originally he thought Xuan Chong was just casually doing a project to consume national funds; as a censor origin, he was not optimistic about prince’s offspring, but after investigation confirmed the project has great potential, and Xuan Chong’s work is traceable.
Just as those studying can tell who is diligent; this Ship Department professional can also tell if certain tech R&D is faking for funds or really doing things.
The data Xuan Chong submitted is not perfect, but this imperfection embodies authenticity.
The “highlighted” data records in the operation manual correspond to partial crew outages and power failure incidents; also findable in the ship’s log as “adverse wind and wave weather impact” correspondences.
Lord Wang was very satisfied, saying to Xuan Chong: “Rare to have someone as motivated as you in the imperial clan.”
Xuan Chong followed up smoothly: “My lord, I wish to seek your teachings!”
Lord Wang stroked his beard and nodded slightly.
Xuan Chong had prepared the apprenticeship gift; after inquiring this teacher’s preferences, he presented a calligraphy and painting by a famous master from three hundred years ago.
Ordinary poor family disciples apprenticing do not need to send such expensive gifts. Xuan Chong: “But for our level, if apprenticing empty-handed like poor families with just tea, that would be ignorant.”
Masters accepting disciples emphasize returns. Poor family disciples not sending gifts is because they have none now; once they gain status, they will naturally repay the master. And poor family disciples are accepted only after rigorous screening. Xuan Chong, due to his noble status, starts with energy. The gift means: “If there’s something now, you can find my dad! I’m a pay-to-win player, just lead me in the door!”
This Lord Wang put away the calligraphy and painting. He gave one sentence: “You can come walk around Lingjue Academy.”
…Auditing, achieved…
On the other side, in Hangzhou’s music conservatory, Qin Tianyi was quietly following Xuan Chong’s progress.
No other reason; as fellow Wei School students, this female classmate had some curiosity toward a male from the same school!
Beep beep beep, the ultra-era communicator beside rang; Qin Tianyi pressed it, and Xu Xi’s projection appeared.
Xu Xi is now in Southeast Asia, his body in a flat deep-sea submarine. This submarine codenamed “Crystal Palace” is sailing twenty thousand li under the seabed in the Pacific. This submarine carries three hundred people, investigating the Southeast Asia archipelago situation. Now this Crystal Palace is floating on the surface, communicating with Qin Tianyi via long-wave radio.
Xu Xi had just returned from the submarine deck; in the distance, the special troops he dispatched were lying low toward the coastline.
Back in the submarine’s narrow officer quarters, Xu Xi explained the current mission: “So far, no origins of ‘war missions’ discovered in various Southeast Asia areas.”
Qin Tianyi: “Southeast Asia’s industrial strength is insufficient, lacks foundation as war origin ground.”
Xu Xi: “But Xian Han internally is a land lord social structure, in a very stable state, also lacks civil war possibility. (In their discussion, current Xian Han resembles the first half of the 21st century American Empire; despite internal divisions, hegemony makes its parts muddle through.)”
Qin Tianyi: “This world should have been altered by multiple rounds of transmigrators. Xian Han has many situations similar to the Second Red Dynasty’s ocean situation; could it be?”
Xu Xi used a “reading-type AI” to search 24th century works depicting transmigration back to ancient times.
AI analyzed the “ideological quality” behind such works in each era, giving prompts one by one.
Xu Xi glanced at the screen, nodded, confirming: “This historical line was most likely altered by 23rd century transmigrators.”
Then Xu Xi’s thoughts diverged: “Oh right, how is that person?”
Qin Tianyi propping her cheek: “Very serious and modest, very reliable. Has a classical boy’s sense of responsibility.”
Xu Xi: “I mean, can you confirm his ‘original timeline’ origin.”
Qin Tianyi: “At least before the 23rd century. He hasn’t heard of brain regeneration technology, because in some of his dialogues, his concept of life is only ‘a century’.”
Xu Xi pondered: “So you think he comes from the ocean generation?”
Qin Tianyi: “Do you have other guesses?”
Xu Xi: “Could it be before the 22nd century?”
Qin Tianyi: “You mean even earlier generations? School recruitment shouldn’t have spots from such ancient periods. Usually concentrated in our 26th century generation. 24th century ones are already few.”
Xu Xi paused, silently reciting a name in his heart “Xie Ming”;
Wei School summons from pre-big nuclear conflict era are few but exist.
Qin Tianyi chattered guesses: “His mind is very delicate, very gentle; if ocean generation, could he originally have been a girl who gender-swapped?”
Xu Xi curled his lip: “Heh, would those ‘Immortal Palace fairy maidens’ of that time have such hardworking character?”
…Era notes…
After the 2.2k era, artificial womb technology appeared.
Initially for livestock production. But just as Eastern drones became killing tools in European regions, technology in morally unbound barbarian lands would be “demonic path” developed and exploited.
Then this technology was privately modified by the third world for population cultivation. (Mainly before regeneration tech perfected, resource-holding free indulgence groups in Mediterranean civilization spawned huge organ industry demand.)
And after decades of trial-and-error innovation in the third world, artificial womb tech matured, used by first-class civilizations for new citizen generations.
The result was that at that time, the original pleasure-seekers no longer needed to consider their losses in birthing new ones. The hardworking providers who output effort were also finally freed, entering the prodigal era.
However before that, Han family field workers had heartbreaking endurance. Facing failure, they wouldn’t complain, only grit teeth and bear.
Currently Xu Xi and Qin Tianyi also unclear what the endpoint is for Wei School recruiting from past timelines.
But they know: the school seems to recruit from the “past,” and they themselves are part of the “past.”
In Wei School, their lives are far slower than Xuan Chong’s. Because half a semester they encountered dozens of transmigration missions, almost every class has transmigration.
As for why Wei School recruits from the past? Xu Xi once heard a high schooler say a key phrase: “To acquire consciousness unpolluted by spirit infusion,” but the specific meaning is unknown.
…End of exchange…
Xu Xi hooked a fish from the waves: “How is your musical score entry? Or give a round of ideological enlightenment to people around him (Xuan Chong).”
Qin Tianyi alert: “Don’t you have your own ‘exercise field’? Why covet my ‘musical score’.”
Xu Xi: “My ‘exercise field’ has already reached ‘top three grades’ level, what about your musical score? Academic credits still not enough, right.”
Qin Tianyi muttered: “Still, still, a bit short. You, how about helping me?”
Xu Xi: “Don’t be like the ‘millennial fairies’ of the only-child era.”
Thus teased Qin Tianyi bristled back: “Who are you talking about? Be polite, don’t curse!”
