On the first day of October, at Imperial College, south of Luoyang City.
In the morning, inside Jixian Hall.
The Jixian Hall, which was previously empty, is now a bit crowded.
In its first year, the Imperial College enrolled 500 students and graduated 100.
The next year, the enrollment was still 500, and the number of graduates was still 100.
In the third year, another 500 people were recruited, but those who had completed three years of study in the first term but had not yet graduated still had to leave the Imperial College and return to their respective counties.
There is nothing we can do about it. Talents matter more because of their quality than their quantity.
The original intention of establishing the Imperial College was to find great talents, not to serve as a training course for officials.
Those who failed to meet the standards returned to their hometowns. With their study experience in Luoyang, they would be looked up to when they returned to the county.
Facing the expectant eyes of 1,300 scholars from the Imperial College, Cao Rui spoke many encouraging words about his bright future.
Under the leadership of Dr. Zheng, an important daily learning content in the Imperial College was loyalty to the emperor and patriotism.
Imagine that as a young scholar who had to learn how to be loyal to the emperor and patriotic every day, when you graduated, the emperor personally came to the Imperial College to give a public speech.
How much of a frenzy would this cause?
Basically, every few words Cao Rui said, applause would break out spontaneously from the audience, so much so that the speech had to be interrupted several times.
After Cao Rui finished his speech, Dr. Zheng Cheng shouted loudly: "Your Majesty has finished his speech. Now let's start the Imperial Academy's political questioning. Three questions, three answers, as usual."
As soon as Zheng Cheng finished speaking, the students raised their hands in a rush.
It is already the third year of Taihe. Who doesn't know that it is easiest to shine and most likely to be noticed by the emperor when asking questions about government affairs?
Everyone has a discriminatory mind, and the emperor is no exception.
Since there are so many people and we can’t see the faces of the people in the back clearly, we will choose from the students sitting in the front row and in Class A.
Sima Zhao had just raised his hand to join in the fun, but when the emperor pointed and Dr. Zheng shouted his name, Sima Zhao stood up with his head completely dizzy.
Zheng Cheng continued to control the process: "Students bow and introduce themselves."
Sima Zhao bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am Sima Zhao, a student from Wen County, Hanoi, and I am eighteen years old."
As soon as Sima Zhao stood up, almost all the scholars in the hall stared at the back of his head.
Sima Yi was also a little surprised. Why did they choose my family?
Cao Rui looked at Sima Zhao's reserved look, laughed twice, and then looked at Sima Yi: "You are the second son of the Sikong family, right? I recognize your appearance, and today I will test your talent."
Sima Yi cupped his hands and said, "My son is dull and ignorant. I don't know what he can ask. I hope Your Majesty will not blame me."
"No problem." Cao Rui turned around and said, "Sima Zishang, right? I know you. You can start asking questions."
Asking questions about government affairs had become a fixed procedure in the Imperial Academy. Before graduation, young scholars would often gather together to guess the questions and the people asking them.
Sima Zhao had naturally heard some of it, and after bowing again, he asked, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask you, the professors at the Imperial College said that Your Majesty once said, 'Prime ministers must rise from the prefectures and counties, and brave generals must rise from the ranks.'"
"The first two batches of students from the Imperial Academy went to Longyou and Yongzhou to manage military farming. What else can the students from the Imperial Academy after this batch do for the Great Wei?"
Cao Rui nodded: "I did say this. Master Sima, can the students in the Imperial College understand the true meaning of my words?"
Sima Zhao bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the doctors said this because they mean that officials need to be familiar with common affairs and understand the sufferings of the people, so that they can be competent and proper when governing the country."
Cao Rui said: "What the doctors taught is correct. But I want to say a few more words to the students today."
"I was just wondering, how many of the students in the Jixian Hall today will become officials of the rank of 2,000 stone? Will there be provincial governors, ministers, or ministers of the six ministries and nine departments?"
"My expectations for you and the students of the Imperial Academy are limitless. This is another meaning of 'the prime minister must rise from the state'."
As soon as Cao Rui finished speaking, more than a thousand young scholars in Jixian Hall were encouraged and applauded enthusiastically and rapidly.
Listening to the applause, Cao Rui did not become complacent because of the students' support, but was impressed by their vitality and passion.
Young is good.
Spending the whole day in the palace and in the court, getting along with this group of sophisticated ministers in their fifties, sixties, and seventies, is not as easy as getting along with students.
Zheng Cheng raised his hand and the applause stopped instantly.
Cao Rui added: "Just now you asked where we can serve the Great Wei. Today I will tell you clearly."
"All students who graduate from the Imperial College are required to serve in various places for three years in the fields of farming, water conservancy, and agriculture."
“Without this, we cannot understand the difficulties of agriculture and sericulture, the source of national strength, and the aspirations of the people.”
"After three years, if they pass the assessment, the Imperial College students will be promoted to 500-stone officials and sent to various government offices and prefectures in Luozhong to serve. Others with the same conditions will be given priority for promotion."
As soon as Cao Rui finished speaking, there was another wave of warm applause, which made Cao Rui a little aesthetically fatigued.
Today, Guanglu Qing Yang Fu also came to the scene. Cao Rui and Zheng Cheng looked at each other and pointed at Yang Fu. Zheng Cheng immediately understood, stopped the applause, and said loudly: "Dear students, Guanglu Qing Yang Gong will now announce the destinations of this year's Imperial College students."
Yang Fu walked forward slowly from behind, and the Jixian Hall suddenly fell silent. Guanglu Qing Yang Gong was known for his strictness. Facing this man who controlled the future of all the students in the Imperial College, no student dared to offend him.
Yang Fu said in a clear voice: "According to the court's decision, all the students who graduated from the third term of the Imperial College will go to Xuchang to be responsible for the farming work after becoming Imperial College Lang."
"Tomorrow, the Imperial College instructor will notify all students to report to the Guanglu Temple. Students just need to follow the instructor's instructions."
The students stopped clapping.
These are just the destinations of about a hundred graduates and have nothing to do with most people.
Yang Fu publicly announced that his destination this year was Xuchang. As the capital of Yingchuan County and one of the five capitals of Wei, Xuchang did not sound as far away as Longyou and Guanzhong, nor as likely to produce results.
Sima Yi, who was standing ten feet away from the emperor's left, was surprised at this moment.
Last night at the mansion, Sima Yi and his son guessed Huainan.
Sima Yi's reason for inferring this matter was also very simple.
The two groups of scholars who served in Longyou and Guanzhong were responsible for managing the military farming of the naturalized Qiang people.
The Qiang people refused to submit to the king's rule, and governing them required prestige, methods, and human relations. This was much more difficult than ordinary military farming, and it was a good place to train these young scholars.
Now, apart from Longyou and Guanzhong, only the military farming in Huainan is being vigorously developed by Jiang Ji.
Instead of going to Huainan, you went to Xuchang. Could it be that Your Majesty wanted to go to Xuchang at the beginning of the year and put the military farming affairs in the counties of Yuzhou before Huainan?
It seems that the emperor is very concerned about his visit to Xuchang.
Zheng Cheng announced the end of the first question, and Sima Zhao bowed and sat down again.
After Sima Zhao, the emperor appointed two other scholars, He Jue and Xiahou Hui, to ask questions.
Just as Xiahou Hui was asking the question, the attendant Xin Pi was called outside the door. After receiving a document, he quickly stepped forward and handed the document to the emperor.
Cao Rui just opened it and took a look without any reaction, and continued to answer Xiahou Hui's questions.
Xiahou Hui is also the son of Xiahou Yuan, but his behavior does not have the slightest trace of a military general. He acts like a scholar in every way.
According to Zheng Cheng, Xiahou Hui was extremely skilled in literature and his talent was highly praised in the Imperial Academy.
With the end of Xiahou Hui's problem, the third batch of Tai students officially graduated.
After finishing his journey here, the emperor walked out of the gate of the Imperial College and rode on a white horse. But before he set off, his expression suddenly changed from calm to sad.
Sima Yi witnessed this moment, and a warning signal suddenly rose in his mind. He turned his head to look at Xin Pi, and found that Xin Pi also had the same sad expression.
Sima Yi didn't have time to think about it. He approached the emperor and asked, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what happened?"
Cao Rui suppressed his sadness and handed the document to Sima Yi: "Two days after Cao Qi set out, the Grand Marshal died in Shouchun."
"I won't go to martial arts school this afternoon."
"Let's go back to the palace first. I want to be alone for a while."
"Make arrangements for the West and East Pavilions."
After saying this, Cao Rui shook the reins and galloped off. The Tiger Guard Cavalrymen behind him also followed suit, but Sima Yi, Xin Pi, Yang Fu and other attendants were left behind.
Sima Yi held the document, looked at everyone and sighed: "The Grand Marshal passed away in Shouchun. Your Majesty will return to the palace first."
"The Minister and I will return to the palace with the ceremonial guards. His Majesty has no plans for the rest of my colleagues, so please return to your offices."
Unlike the emperor's sad reaction, the ministers standing here were quite calm.
They are all old ministers who have been with the emperor for a long time. What kind of storms have they not seen?
We have all seen the fall of the Han Dynasty, and we have all seen the deaths of Cao Cao and Cao Pi.
Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, Xiahou Shang, Jia Xu, Wang Lang...Are there not enough important generals and ministers of the country who have died?
These ministers who stood close to Sima Yi had experienced the change of dynasties from Han to Wei and the political ups and downs of three generations of the Cao family, and had long been almost immune to such things.
So what if Cao Xiu died?
Of course, you still have to do some superficial work.
They sighed a few times to express their regret, recalled the great achievements of Sima Cao, and some even raised their hands to wipe away non-existent tears.
That's enough.
Sima Yi, accompanied by three attendants and the emperor's entourage, headed towards the North Palace.
Cao Xiu went to discuss posthumous titles, succession of titles, and arrangements for the Yangzhou army... They still had a lot of things to do. (End of this chapter)
