Seeing Cheng Jing's sudden change of expression, Xiao Bo suddenly realized that something was wrong. After hesitating for a moment, he still asked cautiously.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong with this test paper?"
Zhu Qiyu originally planned to continue reading the second paper, but when he heard Xiao Hao's question, he stopped moving and ordered the servant to deliver Cheng Zong's paper. Xiao Hao took a look, and his eyelids twitched as well. He had some clues.
Not in time.
The examination is a ceremony for the imperial court to recruit talents. Anyone who passes the examination will be awarded the rank of Jinshi in the first grade, the second grade will be awarded the Jinshi background, and the third grade will be awarded the same Jinshi background. This is the so-called official status. Only with this level of official status, can one
Obtain an official position.
According to the imperial code, if a scholar wants to obtain an official status, he needs to pass five procedures: county examination, government examination, township examination, joint examination, and palace examination. However, generally speaking, as long as he passes the joint examination, he will be regarded as having obtained official status.
The reason is that the imperial examination convention will not depose scholars.
No matter how bad his writing was, it was nothing more than getting into the top three, but among the eight big characters shining brightly in front of him was the dazzling "deposed"!
At that moment, Xiao Tan couldn't sit still, so he cupped his hands and said.
"Your Majesty, since the beginning of the imperial examination to recruit scholars, there has never been a precedent of failure in the palace examination. Even if the article is not good, it will not be dismissed. I sincerely ask your Majesty to think twice."
However, in the face of Xiao Tan's advice, Zhu Qiyu did not waver in his thoughts and only said calmly.
"There is no precedent, so I am here to set this precedent. If I remember correctly, there is no rule in the ancestral teachings of our court that prohibits the dismissal of scholars in palace examinations, right?"
Of course not!
You must know that only the emperor has the right to grant official status. Even the selection of officials by the Ministry of Personnel is done on behalf of the emperor.
Therefore, scholars who passed the examination can only be called Gongshi, which means outstanding scholars recommended to the emperor by the examiners of the examination.
As for the so-called Jinshi, it can only be confirmed after passing the palace examination and being appointed by the emperor. This belongs to the category of imperial power, so naturally there is no such thing as the ancestral precepts of the palace examination that cannot depose scholars. Otherwise, the palace examination will have no meaning in existence.
.
However, the lack of explicit regulations does not mean that there is no such rule. As Xiao Fan said, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there has never been a precedent for entering the palace examination but being deposed. This has become a common unspoken rule in the imperial examination.
Xiao Yan also didn't expect that the emperor's words were so direct. For a moment, he seemed to be a little confused about what to say. So, at this time, Jiang Yuan on the side came out and said.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. It is true that there is no rule in the imperial code that a scholar cannot be deposed during the palace examination. However, this is the practice of the imperial court. It is also to ensure that the scholars in the world will live in poverty for ten years so that their hard work will not be in vain."
"The people who can take the examination are all outstanding in talent and learning. If they are dismissed because of a mistake in one policy statement, it may chill the hearts of students all over the world and affect the imperial court's recruitment of scholars. I beg your Majesty to think twice."
Looking at Jiang Yuan who suddenly appeared, Zhu Qiyu narrowed his eyes and was keenly aware that something was not right about today's events.
He just wanted to depose Cheng Zong, and it was indeed a temporary decision. However, the main reason was not the policy he wrote, but Zhu Qiyu knew that he was a sycophant with no virtue and incompetence.
If there is any redeeming quality about this Cheng Zong, it is that he is very good at maneuvering. However, if such a person is allowed to enter the officialdom, it will be the common people who will suffer.
When the imperial court recruits scholars, it wants people who can do things for the country and the people, not just an official.
Therefore, even though Zhu Qiyu knew that there was no precedent, he still made the decision to depose him. Of course, this was also Cheng Zong's own bad luck.
After all, there were more than two hundred people taking part in the imperial examination this time. If his paper had not been ranked among the top ten and placed in front of the emperor, Zhu Qiyu might not have been able to remember him.
Regarding this decision, it is normal for Xiao Tan to stand up and raise objections.
After all, since it is placed at the beginning of the volume, it means that at least Xiao Tan himself is extremely satisfied with this paper, or in other words, he intends to take it under his sect, so he will naturally try his best to fight for it.
However, when Jiang Yuan came forward at this time, something was wrong.
Logically speaking, if there are ten papers, each of the ten paper readers will recommend one to them. If Cheng Zong's paper was recommended by Xiao Hao, then what is Jiang Yuan doing at this time?
However, even though both people stood up to advise him, Zhu Qiyu remained unmoved, shook his head slightly and said.
"In today's world, there are so many poor readers out there. Some people are stopped in the government examination, some are stopped in the provincial examination, some are stopped in the general examination. Some people have been busy with scientific examinations and worked hard from childhood to gray-haired.
Everyone knows it, so why should you abuse your status as a court official?"
This statement seems to make sense, but in fact, it is a secret change of concept.
There are many people who have been stopped in the government examination, provincial examination, and general examination. However, there are only one or two hundred people who can enter the general examination. They are all very valuable. How can they be compared with those who failed?
Jiang Yuan hesitated for a moment, and when he was about to speak, he saw the Emperor taking the lead and intercepting his words, saying solemnly.
"Mr. Jiang, there is no need to persuade you anymore. The imperial court selects talents based on virtue and ability. I test the tributes with the moral merits of ancient sages to test their knowledge and knowledge. I do not need people who are flattering and in vain."
"Cheng Zong's paper states that only by possessing moral principles and talents can one return to the age of sages and sages. It seems reasonable, but in fact it is full of empty talk and plays both sides."
"Moreover, there are many flattering words and few pragmatic words in this article, which shows that he has neither the talent to govern the country nor the character of character. What is the use of such a person?"
The emperor said these words seriously, but the ministers below felt helpless.
Because, this is completely arrogant.
It is true that Cheng Zong's paper may be a bit of a double-edged sword, but from a theoretical point of view, it cannot be wrong to pursue the way of sages, seek truth, seek virtue, and seek merit.
It's just that no one has been able to achieve this state since ancient times, but this does not prevent it from being explained in the article as a model for the saintly king.
Therefore, it may be true to say that Cheng Zong's paper is a bit empty talk, but it is really hard to accept that it shows that he has no talent for governing the country and no character.
You know, the question that Emperor asked this time was actually a bit strange.
It is true that one can be called a sage if he has one of Tao, Virtue, and Gong. However, it is obviously beyond the scope of their ability to let ordinary scholars who are involved in officialdom judge which one is better and which one is worse, which one is easy and difficult, and which one is easy and difficult.
Even the big guys in the court may not dare to draw conclusions easily.
In other words, even if they have such thoughts in their hearts, they may not dare to write them down on such an important occasion as the imperial examination. Sometimes, it is better to stand out than to stand out. This is a long-lasting principle in the officialdom.
Therefore, in fact, among the papers collected this time, at least about half of the people gave conservative and vague answers like Cheng Zong. If the emperor said this, then at least he would be deposed in this scientific examination.
Half of the people are gone.
However, just when Jiang Yuan wanted to continue speaking, he found that someone behind him gently pulled his sleeve. Turning around, he saw that it was Zhang Min, another minister of the cabinet, who was looking at him invisibly.
shook his head.
As a result, Jiang Yuan immediately calmed down.
There is absolutely no point in arguing with the emperor at this time!
To be honest, Cheng Zong's paper was not very good in writing. It was just because of the "scoring standards" that it was listed at the top of the list.
From the current situation, it is obvious that the emperor is very disgusted with this kind of paper that does not offend both sides, and more importantly, at this point, Cheng Zong's fate has actually been doomed.
Even after fighting for it, the emperor withdrew his appointment and re-registered Cheng Zong, but with the emperor's name, how can he have a good life in the future, not to mention that the old guy Wang Wen is now in charge of the official department.
.
Half a year later, when Jinshi Guanzheng finished the official selection, the emperor gave a casual order, and Cheng Zong would be sent to an unknown nook and cranny, never to see the light of day again.
To put it bluntly, even if they can fight for Cheng Zong now, they will not be able to do everything for him in the end. Therefore, the moment the emperor makes a conclusion for Cheng Zong, no matter whether he is finally listed on the list, his official career
All have reached the end.
Unless he can, like Yu Qian, make a great contribution that the court cannot help but reward, or, like Xue Xuan, have a long-standing reputation among scholars and change the emperor's perception of him, no matter which of these two paths,
, it is not possible for ordinary people to walk through it.
So, with a slight sigh, Jiang Yuan moved his lips, but finally said nothing more. Then, Zhang Min came out and said.
"Your Majesty, there may indeed be something inappropriate in Cheng Zong's paper, but after all, there is no taboo. If the article is not well written, it will be concluded that the person's moral character is lacking, which may damage the fairness of the imperial court's selection of scholars. Therefore,
I am brave enough to ask your majesty to be kind and grant Cheng Zong the same background as a Jinshi, so that the scholars in the world can feel at ease and benefit from the emperor's grace."
Born with the same Jinshi, he is in the top three!
Zhang Min's implication is that if Your Majesty is really dissatisfied, even if you rank this person at the bottom, don't depose him at least, otherwise it will not end well.
After hearing this, Zhu Qiyu also hesitated.
He had just deposed Cheng Zong, and he was a little impulsive. Of course, that didn't mean that he couldn't do it. It was easy for the emperor to depose a scholar.
However, he could not tell the real reason for deposing Cheng Zong, and the reasons presented were indeed somewhat unconvincing.
Although what Zhang Min said was pleading for Cheng Zong, it was indeed not unreasonable.
It is indeed a bit arbitrary to judge that a person's moral character is lacking based on a test paper alone.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Qiyu seemed to suddenly think of something. He lowered his head and opened the remaining papers. He read them all briefly and suddenly felt confident.
When he raised his head again, his face had darkened and he spoke.
"It turns out that the reason why the ministers interceded with Cheng Zong was because these remarks were not just from Cheng Zong's mouth, but from the mouths of the ministers, right?"
Seeing the emperor's expression like this, Xiao Ni suddenly felt distressed in his heart and quickly bowed down.
"I have insufficient talent and knowledge and have failed to understand the Sacred Heart. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Being a paper reader for the Imperial Examination is an easy job, but it is also a difficult job.
The good thing about doing it is that it has always been something you are familiar with. Things like reviewing test papers are not difficult for the old people who are all Jinshi. However, it can expand your network and has various benefits.
As for the difficulty, it is as it is now.
The Imperial Examination mainly tests policy theory. To put it bluntly, the test is about the strategy of governing the country. However, this kind of thing has always been divided into different opinions and it is difficult to reach a final conclusion.
So in essence, during the grading process of the palace examination, a very important point is to understand the Sacred Heart. To put it bluntly, we must figure out the emperor's intention of asking this question, and select the test paper that meets the emperor's intention.
On this basis, there is a game between the examiners.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, the imperial examination examiner should be a close servant who is most familiar with the emperor, so that there will be no mistakes.
In fact, Xiao Fan also had some doubts about these papers this time. However, based on his understanding of the emperor, he felt that his majesty might not care about it so much, so he took a risk. But who would have thought that such a
If you take a risk, something will happen!
As soon as he thought about this, Xiao Tan couldn't help but cast a dissatisfied look at Jiang Yuan who was standing aside.
However, when the matter was over, Jiang Yuan had already lowered his head and said nothing.
It is one thing to admonish the emperor, but it is another thing to really make the emperor angry.
In the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Qiyu's calm but sharp voice echoed. The readers below looked at each other in disbelief. They all lowered their heads and did not speak. However, if you look closely, you will find that there are a few people with a flash of light in their eyes.
Puzzled, half-hearted, he looked at Xiao Hao.
This chapter has been completed!