Chapter 439: Smyrna Square

The cool sea breeze blows in the port of Smyrna, and the docks are full of busy workers moving goods. Some of the goods from the East will land here and be sold, which has derived a large trade market. ₆₉ₛₕᵤₓ.cₒₘ

"Andre, we can buy everything we want in Constantinople, why do we have to come here?"

Plechev looked at his friend Simon speechlessly. This is a carefree young master. With his father and two brothers supporting him, he is naturally fearless. Of course, he also has a father and a brother, but Aragon, where they live, is a country of primogeniture. Their father's property has nothing to do with them. If they want to survive, they can only find something else to support their family. So he asked his family for some money and went to Rome to find a solution.

"You only know Constantinople. There are other cities in Romania that you can buy. Moreover, most of the things in Anatolia are sold and resold in Smyrna. Maybe there are opportunities here."

Plechev took Simon to the port. Raw silk, horses from Tabriz, and textiles from India were all found in Smyrna. The scale here is larger than the market in Barcelona, ​​and the variety of goods is also very rich.

"Andre, look, this cloth is much better than the one in Barcelona."

Simon looked like he had never seen the world, which made the vendor say that he was a country bumpkin in his heart, but he still introduced it to them with a smile on his face.

"This is cotton cloth from India. It is a good raw material for making clothes or anything else. There are also carpets and clothes. Do you want to buy one?"

"How much is this?"

Plechev asked the price of a piece of clothing, but the vendor directly said 30 lei per piece. When he asked about the carpet, he said 45 lei.

"Why is it so expensive? Even the one from Florence is only 20 florins."

Simon's words made the vendor impatient, "This is already the cheapest. Do you know how many days it takes for these things to get from India to Smyrna, not to mention processing, cutting, and making."

Hearing this process, the two were stunned. They didn't expect the distance from India to Rome to be so far. They apologized to the vendor and left.

When passing the square, they found a group of people gathering in front of the bulletin board, and they also joined in to see what was going on.

"Everyone listen, the examination date of the examination hall this year is set for the 15th of next month. Those who want to take the exam should pay attention to the time to go to Constantinople, and don't be late."

After hearing the street announcer's reading, the gathered people discussed.

"I have to tell Mussdorf quickly that his son has been preparing for a year and will definitely pass this year."

"One month, we have to book a hotel quickly, otherwise it will be out of stock. Prices will go up every time."

"I heard that the most places are available in Yerevan Province and Antioch Province this year. Do you want to take the exam here?"

What exam, what officials, these words made Plechev and Simon confused. They had never heard of this. Although they had heard of universities, they were basically established by churches or kings, and they taught Latin and art philosophy, etc. There had never been an exam for admission.

"Hello, what is the exam you just mentioned?"

The two stopped a person to ask, and the enthusiastic citizen also helped them answer questions and solve doubts.

"The Imperial University recruits students through exams every year. No matter what you want to study, you can be admitted to the school as long as you pass the exam. Different majors will have different questions, which will test your level."

Speaking too much at once made the other party breathe, and then said. "When you enter university, you can choose your major. Except for medicine, which takes five years, the others are basically four years. Then you can graduate from university. Of course, in addition to the university exam, you can also take the official examination."

"Official examination?" Plechev was puzzled. "What is this?"

"This is a new decree made by His Majesty the Emperor. Anyone who meets the requirements can participate. After passing the decree, you can become a local tax collector, judge or military officer. However, you must stay in this position for at least three years, otherwise it is impossible for you to take the next step."

You can become an official by taking an exam. This situation that they dare not even think about is actually very common in Rome. You must know that officials in Western European countries are basically hereditary aristocrats. Even if there are one or two ministers from the bottom, they rely on the will of the monarch to get promoted. (For example, Thomas Cromwell of Henry VIII was born in the civilian class)

And Rome can obtain a group of officials by relying on the examination system. Let's not talk about how efficient it is. Just say that this situation will unite the people around the emperor, and there will be no rebellion. (Venice, Croatia: I don't care)

"What are the conditions for taking the exam?"

Plechev was going to see if he met the conditions, and if possible, he would take the exam himself.

"Are you foreigners?"

"Yes, we are from Aragon."

The other party looked regretful: "Unfortunately, you can't take the exam. The Empire is very strict with foreigners."

After hearing this, Plechev still didn't give up, he wanted to hear how strict it was.

"First, foreigners must learn the Roman language and pass the language test set by the Examination Institute."

It was reasonable for the Empire to do this, "What else?"

"Second, you must convert."

When Plechev heard this, he couldn't help asking the reason. Who knew that the other party's answer was that His Majesty was worried about heretics causing trouble.

When he thought of Aragon and Western Europe's attitude towards heresy, he didn't have much temper. Then he asked if there were any other conditions.

"Third, you must live in Rome for more than five years and have not violated any laws. Otherwise, if you are found out, you will be expelled at the very least."

These three conditions can be eliminated. This is too harsh. It is completely for the service of the people of the country and has no international awareness.

"I can only say that if you want to take the exam, you must complete these conditions. Don't think about getting away with it. The Examination Institute will issue specific certificates to those who take the exam. And you have to start from the local level. This is a new order from the Examination Institute in the past two years."

The establishment of the Examination Institute did solve some problems, but because there were too many candidates and the quality was uneven, and there were foreigners pretending to be local citizens to take the exam, the Examination Institute made new policy adjustments.

All those who took the official selection exam need to take an exam in the local area. After passing, there will be a certificate issued by the Examination Institute. With this certificate, they can go to Constantinople to take the next exam. Local governments should not fish in troubled waters. If they are found to have issued multiple or forged documents, they will be exiled for life.

The Examination Yuan will carefully check the information of candidates to avoid mistakes. Of course, the easiest way is to recruit from universities, but it is assumed that some talents will be buried, so this special channel is provided.

However, at present, no one has gone to great lengths to forge documents, and there is no social atmosphere here that everything is inferior except for reading. Without taking exams, you can still do business, join the army, and go to the colonies to become a member of the upper middle class of society. And if you have prepared for several years and failed the exam, wouldn’t it be in vain? Except for the landlords and citizens, how can others have so much money to take the exam? Basically, taking the exam two or three times is considered a lot.