Chapter 55

  On the afternoon of October 12, 1905, Mr. Gu Hongming led the way in front, and Chen Ke walked into the auditorium of Beijing University. There were already not a few people waiting in the auditorium. Chen Tianhua was very clever in doing things, he had already entered the auditorium ahead of time and sat down in the last row. When other students saw the two enter, almost all turned their heads to look at Chen Ke.

  "Is that the Chen Ke who wrote books?" The whispers among them were filled with surprise, astonishment, and admiration.

  Everyone was a cultured person, so their voices weren't loud either. So, Chen Ke also heard the following faint voice very clearly.

  "How can someone so young write something like that? I'm not too convinced."

  "There are mistakes galore in the book."

  So-called literati belittle each other, Chen Ke listened to those lectures on TV, he himself was also listening and mocking against the TV. For such treatment, Chen Ke didn't mind at all. His face still had a habitual smile, looking at the students on both sides. Gu Hongming briefly introduced Chen Ke, then let him go on stage to give a lecture.

  The result of the popularization of compulsory education is that students' ages are almost the same. The longer the compulsory education has been popularized, the smaller the age difference among students in the same grade. Chen Ke had already gotten used to this situation in the early 21st century. He started school a bit earlier, and as a result, he was always one step behind, from elementary school to university, his age was either the oldest or the second oldest in class, until he went to college and changed this ranking. In the auditorium of Beijing University, Chen Ke looked at the students below, and the age difference made him feel quite uncomfortable. There were people in their 20s to 30s, and several uncles who didn't know whether they were students or teachers, all looking like they were over 40. Beijing University was formerly known as the Imperial Academy of Beijing, so it's not surprising that there are some older students here.

  Chen Ke scanned the students below again, with more than 50 people in total. Everyone's appearance gave Chen Ke a good impression. Among these people, more than 60% had short hair, and those with braids mixed in didn't look out of place at all. "Hello everyone, my name is Chen Ke. Today I came here to share some personal thoughts, please correct me if you think they're wrong." Chen Ke's opening remarks were quite ordinary.

  However, the people below were not so polite. Those who could study at the Imperial University were all elites from various places. Everyone was proud of themselves. But then a young man about Chen Ke's age stood up, he had short hair and wore a western suit. "Mr. Chen, I've read your book, actually everyone here today has read it too. After reading Mr. Chen's book, I have a question. I don't know how Mr. Chen views the imperial examination."

  On September 2, 1905, a group of high-ranking officials including Viceroy of Zhili Yuan Shikai, General of Shengjing Zhao Erxun, Viceroy of Huguang Zhang Zhidong, Viceroy of Liangjiang Zhou Fu, Viceroy of Liangguang Chen Baochen and Governor of Hunan Duan Fang jointly petitioned the imperial court, explicitly stating that "the country is in a state of emergency, every moment counts... to rescue the nation from its predicament, we must start by promoting education; and to promote education, we must first abolish the civil service examination system." They strongly requested that the emperor "take immediate action" to "abolish the civil service examinations". In response to this joint petition by these powerful officials from both the north and south, the imperial court could no longer ignore it. On the same day, September 2, an edict was issued in the name of Emperor Guangxu, announcing to the whole nation that "all provincial and metropolitan examinations are hereby abolished". This edict marked the end of China's ancient civil service examination system.

  Chen Ke didn't know how this young man came up with such a question, and seeing the people sitting next to him staring at him intensely, Chen Ke felt that this question couldn't be answered lightly. He asked: "In my book, I highly praise the imperial examination system. If this brother..."

  Ke heard someone snort in derision. Most of the students' faces didn't look very appreciative of Chen Ke's words.

  "Let me conduct a small survey, how many people support the abolition of the imperial examination system, please raise your hands."

  Classmates looked at Chen Ke, but no one expressed their opinions. Chen Ke felt strange, "Could it be that these people all support the failure of the imperial examination?" he thought strangely.

  The young man who stood up raised his hand, and only then did others follow suit. In the end, out of more than 50 people, over 40 people raised their hands in agreement. It seems that those who refused to express their opinions earlier were just too proud of themselves and didn't think much of this young Chen Ke.

  "Please put your hands down, everyone," Chen Ke said. "And you, brother, please sit down."

  The scene returned to its original state, and Chen Ke asked: "Who supports the imperial examination system, please raise your hand."

  About seven or eight people raised their hands. Looking at their expressions, they seemed to be somewhat excited. It seems that the attitude of supporting Keju is still very firm.

  "We are all book lovers, and as the saying goes, 'state affairs, family affairs, and world affairs are all interconnected.' If we're talking about the pros and cons of the imperial examination system itself, I think everyone has their own reasons. But today, I want to talk about my book, so I have to discuss some political aspects. From a political perspective, I am opposed to abolishing the imperial examination system."

  A buzz sounded, and various reactions erupted from below. Some people's faces showed a look of disdain, while others had an excited expression as if they had "met a comrade".

  "It seems Mr. Chen is quite fond of the eight-legged essay?" The young man from just now said with a sneer.

  "Excuse me, brother, I don't know about the curriculum of the university, but may I ask if you have studied mathematics?"

  "You've studied it." The young man said with an obvious tone of sarcasm.

  Chen Ke didn't respond, he turned around and picked up a piece of chalk, starting to write on the blackboard with a flourish. Everyone took a look, they were all simple math problems, such as 1+1=? or 4*=16. Such simple questions were naturally child's play for these students from the Imperial University. Someone had already started snickering quietly. "Are these questions for testing little kids?"

  As Chen Ke-yue wrote more and more, the mocking statements became more and more obvious, but as the discussions below interacted with each other, the sarcastic voices gradually decreased.

  Chen Ke turned back, and many people below had already understood Chen Ke's meaning. Their expressions became serious.

  "The eight-legged essay is indeed out of touch with modern trends and needs. However, standardized tests will never go out of style." Chen Ke said, pointing to the topic on the blackboard.

  These students are not those who do not learn or practice, Chen Ke wrote simple content on the blackboard, but Chen Ke was not trying to test everyone, the key is the classification of exam questions. Fill-in-the-blank questions, multiple-choice questions, multi-select questions, short-answer questions, and large calculation questions. Chen Ke simply wrote down his own era's examination papers.

  "I must first explain to everyone, I've only read a little bit of eight-legged essay. I myself don't even know how to write eight-legged essays." Chen Ke didn't want to pretend to understand. "However, I've always thought that without rules, there's no square or circle. Eight-legged essays are after all a kind of standardized test format. That's what I value."

  After hearing these words, the pot under the stage immediately opened. Some people supported Chen Ke, while others opposed him. It seemed that those who supported Chen Ke had a slight advantage.

  "Mr. Chen, these are all new school courses, what does it have to do with imperial examinations?" The young man continued to ask.

  "The imperial court has abolished the imperial examination, I'll say it bluntly, it's a self-inflicted destruction." Chen Ke retorted sharply. As soon as he spoke, the audience fell silent instantly. Chen Ke calmly put down the chalk in his hand and brushed off the chalk dust on his fingers.

  "No matter how you say it, the imperial examination system has this problem and that problem. However, the significance of the imperial examination system itself lies in providing a relatively fair promotion model. Even with all sorts of cheating going on, most people who passed the imperial examinations at various levels and achieved official titles were still ordinary scholars. I think everyone should acknowledge this point."

  No one opposed, everyone looked at Chen Ke with their own emotions, wanting to see what Chen Ke meant.

  "So, abolish the imperial examination and promote new-style schools. Should we maintain this fairness? If we want to maintain fairness, we can increase the content of the imperial examination. Mathematics, physics, chemistry, these subjects can be gradually added to the imperial examination. If it is necessary to increase the number of educated people, can we incorporate new-style schools into the imperial examination system? I strongly disagree with overthrowing the imperial examination."

  "What does this have to do with what Mr. Chen said about the imperial court bringing about its own downfall?" Another brother in his forties asked, frowning. It seems that he didn't understand Chen Ke's carefree remarks.

  Chen Ke turned around and picked up the chalk again, only to feel that his previous pretentious calmness was quite unnecessary. However, it's too late now, Chen Ke wrote down a line of big characters in a flash, "A king enriches the people, a hegemon enriches his officials, a surviving state enriches its grandees, a doomed state enriches its treasuries." The people below were all literati, they knew that this was a quote from the "Wang Zhi Pian" chapter of Xunzi, and not a few quick-witted individuals nodded slowly.

  "When the country is poor today, it's not even possible to talk about enriching the people. In order to pay off debts, the court has been working hard to enrich the treasury, but this is extremely dangerous. It was because of the Opium War that the court increased taxes to pay off debts, and immediately there were responses from the people, with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom rising up in rebellion. Zeng Guofan led the Xiang Army to fight against the Taiping Army, burning, killing, and looting, but it was the Xiang Army of Hunan that got rich. It can also be said that they got rich. In the end, they managed to destroy the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The Westernization Movement enriched the Westernization faction, which also made the officials rich. The court seemed to have a revival like the Tongzhi Restoration. Now that the imperial examination has been abolished, whether it's officials or scholars, the originally fair opportunities for advancement in the system are gone. If mathematics and physics were added to the imperial examination, although those who read books would find it more difficult, at least there was still some hope. In order to pass the exam, they had to learn new knowledge, and the court's new schools could take advantage of this trend. Now that the imperial examination has been completely abandoned, how can these scholars look at things? The imperial examination was originally a narrow path for thousands of soldiers to cross, and only a few could pass. With the implementation of new education, not a single official position was added. Moreover, the sudden implementation of new education is equivalent to cutting off the path of those who read books. Those who can read are not poor people. They have extremely close relationships with local gentry. Now that the court has already offended the common people in order to pay off debts, they will also offend the scholars. The only ones who can be relied upon are these officials. In the year 1900, the southeastern provinces were self-governing, and the provincial governors of this world, can the court rely on them?"

  Chen Ke's words were loud and clear, and for a moment, no one, whether teacher or student, could immediately get up to refute them. After a pause, someone asked: "Isn't this going to implement new policies and establish a constitution?"

  "There's a saying in our hometown, 'No profit, no early rise.' Who are the main proponents of constitutionalism? Aren't they officials from the southeast and scholars from various places? Why do they want to establish a constitution? Isn't it because one important official can't bear the imperial court's extravagance and wants to enrich the treasury? If constitutionalism succeeds, these people still won't be able to defeat foreign powers, and they'll have to pay every penny of compensation. The gentry in power will certainly not be willing to contribute more money, but instead think of ways to pay less. Foreigners are like tigers and wolves, pressuring them, and in the end, these costs will still be passed on to the common people. Since some people have read my book, perhaps you've all seen that during the late Ming dynasty, the tea tax in the south was so heavy that it reached 12 taels per year. It was like that back then, and it's still like that now. If they pressure the common people too much, what will be the result? You're all knowledgeable and well-read, so I don't need to say more."

  No one dared to utter a word again, and those who could get into the Imperial University were all sensible people. Everyone knew that Chen Ke had not spoken nonsense. From then on, no one looked down on Chen Ke anymore. Originally, these people's evaluation of Chen Ke's book was similar to that of Yan Fu and Ma Xiangbo, thinking that Chen Ke's theory was quite "overbearing". Many people thought Chen Ke was just a "crazy scholar". The student who asked the question originally wanted to discuss with Chen Ke about the eight-part essay. But Chen Ke's focus was not on minor details, but rather from the perspective of national trends, and his analysis was very profound. Although some people still did not agree, they also did not dare to say anything easily again.

  "If everyone has no other questions, I will start the lesson." Chen Ke looked around and saw that no one else was going to speak up, his expression had returned to its usual gentle and elegant state.

  After finishing his lecture for the day, Mr. Gu Hongming insisted on inviting Chen Ke to dinner.

  "Mr. Guo said at the dinner table, "The words of Wen Qing are sharp and incisive, worthy of being a disciple of Yan Ji Dao."

  Yan Fu explicitly stated his master-disciple relationship with Chen Ke in this letter, and Mr. Gu Hongming did not suspect it either.

  "Wen Qing, I didn't expect you to be so well-versed in court politics."

  "Mr. Gu, I spoke a bit too freely today. Now that I think about it, I'm filled with regret. If I've caused you any inconvenience, please don't hesitate to tell me."

  "Wen Qing, your words today are all wise and statesmanlike. The imperial court is in need of people like you who can see through problems and are stable and reliable. Everyone else is muddled by party struggles and eager for quick success and personal gain. I didn't think much of it before, but after hearing Wen Qing's analysis, the more I think about it, the more I fear for the future. The imperial court is also in a precarious situation, and the new policies must be implemented as a matter of course. What does Wen Qing think about the new policies?"

  "Mr. Gu, heaven's fault can be forgiven, but one's own fault cannot be survived. As for the new policy, what I said today is that the imperial court is fundamentally seeking its own destruction. No matter how the new policy is implemented, it will only be a struggle for interests among the imperial court, officials, and local authorities. Looking at the current situation, no matter which side gains the upper hand, the ones who will suffer are still the common people. Once the hearts of the people are lost, it's all over."

  After hearing this, Gu Hongming frowned and didn't say a word. Chen Ke was also straightforward and started eating loudly. After eating until he was half full, he heard Mr. Gu ask: "You wrote books and gave speeches, I suppose you think that the new politics constructed in your book can save the country and its people?"

  Ke's answer was decisive and firm.

  "Wen Qing, in a few letters to me, mentioned that he had written a letter introducing you to Yuan An Ting. As the Minister of Beiyang and an intelligent person, I was thinking, could Wen Qing write an article about the new policy? I will personally take you to meet Yuan An Ting."

  "This is not easy to write. It will take some time to finish."

  "It doesn't matter. You can come to the school to teach in the afternoon and write at other times."

  "After I finish writing it, Mr. Guo, you must help me revise it."

  "This is natural."

  After dinner, Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua returned to their residence together.

  "You're so straightforward, Wen Qing, it's beyond my expectations."

  Chen Ke didn't pick up on that and was concerned about something else. "Xing Tai, what kind of feedback are the students giving me on my class?"

  "It seems like a good response. What's wrong, literary youth, are you planning on developing comrades at the Imperial University?"

  "As for the Imperial University of Peking, I am like Jiang Taigong fishing. There is no need to spend so much effort on them. On the other hand, it's necessary to get along well with the Western Affairs Party. After the year of Gengzi, the strength of the Western Affairs Party was greatly damaged. They are most dissatisfied with the imperial court, and it's possible to develop this."

  "How exactly does a literary youth prepare?"

  The two walked and talked, it was already October, and the sky got dark early. When they returned to their residence, the sky had completely darkened. Chen Ke reached out to touch the lock, but touched nothing. He was startled, wondering if his place had been robbed? He pushed open the door, only to see that both the main house and the wing were lit up inside. Several silhouettes were cast on the bed sheets. Hearing the noise, a tall figure stood up first. Chen Ke let out a sigh of relief, and in an instant, Wu Xingchen walked out from the main hall. Chen Ke closed the courtyard door, turned back around, and on the stone steps in front of the main house, aside from Wu Xingchen, there were several other people. One of them was surprisingly Pang Zi.

  Everyone bowed and returned to the house. On the table inside, a heap of wine and meat was placed, but it hadn't been touched much, apparently the banquet had just begun. Chen Ke didn't expect Wu Xingchen to bring Pang Zi to Beijing. While guessing the purpose of Pang Zi's visit, he saw Pang Zi get up and pour wine for Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua, then holding his own cup, "Two Mr. Chens, I didn't treat you well in Xingtai, this cup of wine is to make amends."

  Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua hastily stood up with their wine cups, everyone clinked glasses and downed their drinks in one gulp. Only then did they sit back down.

  "Wen Qing, you and Pang Lao Di are both straightforward. Especially you, your words are not pleasant to hear. Pang Lao Di told me about what happened between you two, I think it's not right for everyone to part ways like this. Pang Lao Di also feels quite regretful, that's why he came all the way to Beijing to apologize to you."

  Having heard this, Chen Ke hastily got up to pour wine for Pang Zi and the others. He raised his cup, "I'm a man who speaks like this. If I've offended Brother Pang in any way, I must ask Brother Pang to forgive me."

  Everyone also stood up and said a few words of courtesy, then everyone drank their wine.

  After sitting down again, Pang Zi said: "Mr. Chen, the thing you mentioned last time, after you left, I thought about it many times. And Wu Dage also talked to me specifically about it. Wu Dage said a lot of reasonable things, but there are still some places that I don't quite understand. This time coming to Beijing is specifically to ask Mr. Chen for advice."

  "Brother Pang, I don't understand your situation. Can you please tell me about it first? If I don't even know the basic facts, what I say will definitely be wrong."

  Pang Zi's eyes flickered for a moment, and his vigilant expression became apparent. "As for Pang Mou, I don't know what Mr. Chen wants to know exactly?"

  Chen Kehan didn't mind Pang Zi's expression and said calmly, "Big Brother Wu hasn't told us how you two know each other, let's talk about that first."

  The 55th