At this time, the three prime ministers had left. Everyone was very busy and could not chat with the emperor here. Only such a big event as the Western Turks coming to envoy did they need to be summoned to discuss it together.
In fact, there are not many opportunities for the top officials of the three provinces to meet. Except for the big court meeting, the presence of one person in the small court meeting usually means that important government affairs are being discussed. The presence of two people means that something big will happen in the court.
The three of them gather together to set the pace for major national policies.
This time Xiao Yu stayed a little longer, mainly because the Tang Code was in the stage of being ready to be published, and many articles had been sent to Menxia Province for review.
Before this, Xiao Yu, as the Secretary of the Central Committee, wanted to communicate with the emperor, saying that the Tang Code was drafted in a hurry and there would definitely be many shortcomings in it.
But we can’t delay it any longer. For example, the Ministry of Punishment is waiting for the Tang Code to be used as a basis. Fortunately, this year it will be implemented in all counties and counties. This can better appease the people and suppress the rebellion. Naturally, the sooner this is done, the better.
It will be implemented this year, and the next two years will be a period of stability. Yang Gongren, the Minister of Punishment, has been urging the criminal law to be finalized first, and other things can be postponed. It seems to be a bit urgent.
But other ministries don't think so, and the household department is also waiting eagerly.
As the head of the six ministries, the Ministry of Personnel must also conduct official performance appraisals in accordance with established laws. What's more, this year's official exams will be conducted in Jingzhao and other places. Last year, it was a trial in Chang'an. This year, it will be promoted, but it is still a trial.
Pei Shiqing, the Minister of Civil Affairs, plans to carry out the official examination throughout the country within five years. Although the time limit is relatively loose, in fact, it is necessary to check for deficiencies during the period. It is very difficult for officials to take the examination honestly.
Moreover, whether the official examination should be held every few years or once a year needs to be determined by Tang Dian.
The Tang Code is a comprehensive code of law of the Tang Dynasty, covering all aspects. There is no first-come-first-served rule. This is also the most important government affairs in Zhongshu in the past two years, and almost no one is mentioned one by one.
At this time, it was almost the first time to finalize it. Xiao Yu gave it a rough outline. In fact, the meaning was very simple. Subsequent revisions and completions would take time. Now it is being released in a hurry. If there is something wrong, please don't blame everyone.
Li Po can understand this, and he doesn't want to settle it once and for all. No law in the world is unchangeable. He has been warning Xiao Yu and others to adapt to the current situation, not to be too ambitious, to seek perfection, to blame, not to mention that the laws of the previous dynasty cannot be followed.
Wait for all kinds of reasons to revise the Tang Code.
As long as it is reasonable and well-founded, the laws of the former Sui Dynasty can be completely preserved.
These words were enough, and Li Po didn't want to mention them anymore. He just affirmed Xiao Yu's current work. Of course, if Zhongshu makes too many mistakes in the future, Xiao Shiwen will still be blamed.
In addition, Xiao Yu also talked about the imperial examination. In fact, this must also be included in the Tang Dynasty...
In fact, both the emperor Li Po, the ministers of Zhongshu, and even the courtiers who participated in revising the Tang Code all had great aspirations and ambitions.
In their eyes, the Tang Code must be a directional comprehensive code, which must be distinguished from the Sui Code. They must study the Tang Code to get the answer to everything, which was definitely not possible in the Sui Dynasty.
Li Po's intention was to go further, to ensure that counties and counties in the world have laws to follow in their governance, to ensure the basic standards of officials, and to prevent things like confusing officials from making unclear cases.
Of course, this must be wishful thinking. There were so many confused officials later on, and now there is no need to count on it. It’s just a rough idea.
……………………
The date for the imperial examination has been roughly set. It will be at the beginning of July this year. Before then, all counties in the country will be notified. In July, scholars from all counties will gather in the county to take the examination. This is the rural examination.
Those who pass the provincial examination will have to wait until early April next year, that is, in the late spring, to go to the capital to take the Beijing examination. After the Beijing examination, those with outstanding results will enter the final palace examination.
It still sounds a bit rough, but because Zheng Shanguo is in front, people from the Zhongshu and the Ministry of Rites no longer dare to neglect it. At that time, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel will send people to the newly divided lanes to monitor.
He also explained to the emperor that this time it was just a trial run and to see how things went, a primary election for the lowest level would be held at the county level next year. In fact, it mainly depends on the number of people participating in the imperial examination.
If there are too few people, the court will definitely fall into the same embarrassing situation as in the former Sui Dynasty.
Therefore, setting up academies in various places is a must-do to lay the foundation for the imperial examination, and select some smart boys to enroll. After two years, the problem of enrolling students for the imperial examination will no longer be a problem.
The former Sui Dynasty had done this before, but it was firmly resisted by the powerful families, and finally gave up halfway.
The situation in the Tang Dynasty has improved. Even if the nobles are not very supportive, they don't have the strength to bother anymore. If the imperial examination can be successfully held two or three times, watching other people's children get promoted, it will ignite the nobles.
their enthusiasm.
Today's imperial examinations are actually created for the nobility. This is an indisputable fact, so it must obtain the support of the nobility in order to continue.
Xiao Yu acted very firmly. In addition to complaining to the emperor, he also expressed his determination to the emperor.
He didn't just talk about it verbally. He had already kicked out a few guys who had harsh words in Zhongshu. As far as Zhongshu was concerned, he was indeed much more practical than Zheng Shanguo and was actively implementing the emperor's intentions.
What he was worried about was that the imperial examination was not new in the south, and it was true that there was much less resistance. However, because of this, and the cultural atmosphere of the south, the opening of the imperial examination would definitely be extremely beneficial to the southerners.
If there is a huge difference in performance between scholars from the north and the south during the Beijing Examination next year, it will inevitably lead to criticism.
At the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, this kind of controversy would greatly affect the hearts of the north and the south. If there were still people who were interested in adding fuel to the flames, it would not be impossible to cause rebellion.
Therefore, Zhongshu still needs to discuss this matter carefully.
After hearing this, Li Po smiled and said: "You can think of these, it shows that you really put your heart into it. I am very happy, and you don't have to worry too much. People who are thoughtful... Ha, I just wanted to see what they look like.
…
As for the difference between the north and the south, that is a fact, and no one can change it. If I see that the difference is too big, I can make some adjustments, but I have said it first, don't do too much on this.
In particular, fraud must be severely punished. There were rumors about this in the official examination last year. Some of the stories I heard were incredible. I thought it was just a trial and there was no in-depth study. The imperial examination should learn from this.
Furthermore, there are too many subjects. Let’s reduce one. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if no one takes the exam for so many subjects?”
