The Lucky Farmgirl-Chapter 2061 - 2036: Diverging Opinions

Manbao said, "I know this, the Crown Prince and Libationer Kong came up with it together."

Feng Zongping was taken aback and asked, "How do you know?"

"The Crown Prince and Libationer Kong just came to inspect the examination venue. We were sitting in the teahouse outside, and the Crown Prince mentioned it when we met."

By then, the exam was already halfway through, so knowing who set the questions was of no use.

No one expected the Crown Prince to set such a topic; it was really... too difficult.

With our brains running at high speed all day, everyone was tired, so after chatting for a bit, they each went home.

Old Madam Liu and Mr. Zhuang were already sitting in the carriage waiting for them. After Bai Shan greeted his grandmother and mother, he ran with Manbao and the others to sit with Mr. Zhuang.

Seeing how lively they were, Old Madam Liu figured they likely didn’t pass, and having already accepted it, she shook her head with a smile and let them go.

Bai Shan and the others discussed the exam question for the imperial scholars with Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang also didn’t expect the current affairs topic to be so difficult this time. After thinking about it, he said, "It seems I’ve heard the Office of Palace Affairs and the Crown Prince mention that some places can no longer continue with the equal-field system."

The four were puzzled, "Why?"

Mr. Zhuang thought for a moment and said, "There are more people and less land. Every year there are more adult males, and in some places, Yongye Fields and subdivided fields haven’t been sufficiently distributed for a long time."

Bai Dalang frowned, "Then do we have to replace the equal-field system?"

Mr. Zhuang asked, "What did you write?"

Bai Dalang said, "...I think the equal-field system is quite good; it’s just that the restriction on the trading of Yongye Fields is not good. I think we should allow the trading of Yongye Fields. Some people continue to use money for various purposes or want to migrate, but they are restricted because Yongye Fields cannot be bought or sold."

Bai Shan said, "My idea is the exact opposite of Dalang’s. Other things can possibly change, but the restriction on the sale of Yongye Fields absolutely cannot change."

He said, "Looking back at past dynasties’ changes, there have been popular revolts, partly due to intrigue by treacherous officials, but the revolting people were invariably displaced. Why did they become displaced? Apart from natural disasters, it’s because they lost land."

"Once the sale of Yongye Fields is opened, more people will lose land, and without livelihoods, the country will be in chaos."

Bai Dalang chuckled, "You’re just being alarmist. Opening the sale of Yongye Fields is merely to make it easier for some people to migrate and choose livelihoods more freely. They have hands and feet and will naturally consider the consequences of selling land."

Bai Shan said, "There are so many foolish people in the world, and even more greedy people. I’m afraid they won’t consider the consequences of selling land, so this must not be opened up."

Bai Erlang and Manbao also thought the same way.

Bai Shan, seeing himself being outnumbered by three, couldn’t help but pause for a moment, "So you three agree. Does that mean you two wrote the same thing?"

Bai Shan said, "I still wrote about the equal-field system, but I also guessed the reason behind the topic. I guess some people don’t like the equal-field system, and there’s also not enough land now, so I wrote about change and emphasized that Yongye Fields must not be sold."

Bai Erlang blushed and said, "I, I just wrote out the equal-field system as I know it and expressed some of my thoughts."

Mr. Zhuang became interested and asked, "What thoughts did you express?"

"I think the equal-field system is excellent, better than policies in the past."

The four of them: ...

Mr. Zhuang merely reached out to pat his head and then said, "While it’s still fresh in your memory, write down your essays once you get back."

The three of them softly agreed.

After returning, they washed up, ate, and then went into the study to write down their essays.

Manbao followed Mr. Zhuang around, reading the essays they had written. Mr. Zhuang read even faster than she did, handed them to her, and then asked, "What do you think?"

Manbao said, "Bai Shan wrote the best, and Senior Brother Bai’s is quite substantial, coming next."

Bai Dalang and Bai Erlang both looked up at her.

Manbao then handed Bai Shan’s essay over and said, "I am not being partial; this is the honest truth."

Bai Dalang reached out to take it and, upon reading, realized that Bai Shan had also written about the advantages and disadvantages of taxes related to the equal-field system.

Bai Dalang felt a bit regretful; why didn’t he think of this point?

Bai Dalang frowned, thought for a moment, and asked, "Shantang cousin, I remember you ranked eighteenth on the general list, right?"

Bai Shan nodded, "Yes."

Bai Dalang looked at Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang stroked his beard and pondered, "You might actually pass this time."

Bai Shan was surprised, "No way, my introduction and essay were not good."

The topic was too difficult this time, and the reason he was able to write so much was that he had seen a few mentions of the pros and cons of the equal-field system in some of the books Manbao had shared, but he hadn’t gone into detail about the current state and details of the equal-field system in this dynasty.

What he knew and sensed was quite superficial, so he wasn’t very confident.

You have to know, when writing essays given by their teachers before, they would need at least five days to prepare one essay, and then it would take two or three more days to write it.

They would have to consult ancient texts, and sometimes even go to the Six Ministries to inquire for relevant data.

No one expected the topic to be this difficult this time; none of them had detailed knowledge of the current equal-field system.

The equal-field system they saw in their lives... was still pretty good.

At least every autumn, the distribution of land to adult males in the village was quite lively, almost as joyous as the New Year.

So in recognizing the equal-field system’s pros and cons, the three brothers unanimously acknowledged it.

However, the reason the Crown Prince set this topic was to seek proposals. None of the three’s answers satisfied the Crown Prince, but Bai Shan’s essay was indeed stronger than Bai Dalang’s and Bai Erlang’s.

After seriously reading Bai Shan’s essay, the Crown Prince set it aside, his brows furrowed.

The examiners knew the Crown Prince was not very satisfied, but...

They showed the Crown Prince a few papers they had just reviewed.

After flipping through them, the Crown Prince’s brows furrowed even more. "Is there really no one with insight?"

Libationer Kong then took out a few papers to show him and said, "These are not bad."

After reading them, the Crown Prince’s frown slightly eased, but he was still not very satisfied.

Libationer Kong said, "Your Highness, these are still students. They have no experience in officialdom, so their understanding is quite good already. We cannot expect them to meet the demands of civil and military officials."

The Crown Prince, while looking down at a paper, said coldly, "Precisely because they are still students, they should have ambition and vigor. What insight is there in flattery and bootlicking? All such people should fail."

"There is no shortage of officials in the court. I want to know if there are any unnoticed talents out there."

Libationer Kong was satisfied with the Crown Prince’s current desire for talent but was not pleased with his attitude toward the ministers. However, in front of everyone, he did not admonish him and planned to mention it privately later.

So he changed the topic, "Your Highness, the results for poetry and classics have both come out, and once the results for current affairs are out, the rankings can be finalized."