After tea was served in the room, the laughter and laughter stopped for a while, and Emperor Liu's expression became serious. He held the jade on his finger and said slowly to Liu Chengxun: "I heard that in the selection of scholars in this subject, Liu Chun was originally planned to be the fifth Jinshi.
, I was suppressed by your words."
The Jinke Examination was a bit special. Liu Chun, the crown prince of King Yong, also participated. There was a lot of discussion. Although there were few blatant accusations, gossip was inevitable.
The dignified Prince Yong, why should he lower his dignity and compete with the world's scholars and petty officials? Nowadays, scientific examinations are becoming more and more difficult. The more people refer to it, the fewer the number of scholars. The huge pressure of competition, in addition to letting
In addition to a large number of scholars choosing side subjects such as agriculture and medicine, some aspiring people were also forced to take the martial arts exam.
At this time, hearing Emperor Liu mention this matter, Liu Chengxun shook his head and explained: "I don't agree with Liu Chun's reference and fishing for fame. Regardless of whether he is truly talented or learned, it will inevitably lead to criticism and only cause trouble. What's more, he is a Jinshi.
Five admissions..."
Liu Chengxun did not shy away from this matter. He answered frankly and admitted the matter.
"Of course I understand your concerns! However, you should have more trust in our chief examiner. Lu Duan and Li Hang are both famous officials in the court. Lu Duan is cautious and Li Hang is upright. They presided over the tribute examination and also
Are you afraid that they will use scholars for personal gain, attract criticism, and ruin your reputation?"
In the 20th year since the beginning of the imperial examination, Emperor Liu used two "young people" in the selection of the examiner team, Lu Duan, the official secretary of the Ministry of official affairs, Lu Duan of Tongping Zhangshi, and Li Hang, the scholar of Zhongshu.
By the beginning of the spring of the 21st year, after several months of turmoil following the fall of Lu Dosun, the imperial court had regained a new balance of power.
Zhao Pu still serves as the prime minister, assisting the king above and commanding the ministers below, but his authority is obviously not as good as before. The reason is simple: the number of people sharing power has significantly increased.
Needless to say, Zhao Kuangyi and Wang Zhu were transferred back to the court, and served as ministers, Tongpingzhangshi, and controlled the power to review and refute the imperial edicts; Wang You, the chief envoy to Hedong, served as the Minister of the Ministry of Households and Tongpingzhangshi.
The post of Pingzhangshi is located in the Zhengshi Hall.
Needless to say, the Privy Council has always been a self-organized system. As the military and political link between the Ministry of War and the Ministry of War, Zhao Pu also does not have much control. Those who can serve as ministers of the Ministry of War have always been meritorious officials and do not buy Zhao Pu's account.
For example, the current Minister of War is Han Tong. In terms of seniority, he is infinitely higher than Zhao Pu.
Of course, the one who had the greatest influence on Zhao Pu was Lu Duan, who was promoted from the Chief Envoy of Guangnan Province to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. This almost announced that Zhao Pu had been deprived of the personnel power that he had always held in his hands. Of course, as the Prime Minister, he could still intervene.
, but it will never be as driven as in previous years.
Regarding the rise of Lu Duan, it is somewhat unexpected, because he defeated old ministers such as Li Fang and Shi Xizai. In the past, many people criticized Lu Duan. He had a good temper and mediocre performance.
When he took office, he was always stable and had no outstanding political achievements or achievements.
Even when he took the imperial examination, his grades were not high. In the past, many people only regarded Lu Duan's promotion step by step as being related to the late Prime Minister Lu Yin.
However, Lu Duan's resume can only be described as rich and solid. He was an official, a high school scholar, a county magistrate, a governor, a central minister, and a chief official in Gyeonggi such as Kaifeng Prefecture.
After many years, there is naturally no shortage of Taoist officials.
Based on his ability and qualifications, there is no doubt that Lu Duan became the prime minister. However, this person's governance was too plain and his conduct was too low-key.
Others can underestimate Lu Duan, but Emperor Liu will not ignore him. After all, Lu Yin once told him that he was ashamed of his younger brother Lu Duan. Emperor Liu valued Lu Yin very much and believed in him.
Judgment, not to mention, the name Lu Duan always felt familiar to him. Coupled with so many years of observation, he confirmed that this would be a famous minister.
Lu Duan, who had always been regarded as a backup prime minister by Emperor Liu, was promoted naturally. Although his position in the political affairs hall was considered to be the last one, but just from the point of being the minister of the Ministry of Personnel and worshiping the prime minister, no one would
Dare to underestimate him. At any time, personnel affairs are one of the most important powers. Otherwise, how could the Ministry of Personnel become the head of all ministries?
The first important task of Lu Duan when he took office was to serve as the examiner of the Jinke Examination. Of course, it was just a name. Even so, Emperor Liu's biased intention should not be too obvious.
As for Li Hang, he was indeed a young man. At the age of thirty-four, he participated in the Kaibao Eighteen-year Regular Examination and won the first prize in one fell swoop, becoming famous all over the world. Of course, due to Emperor Liu’s employment habits and the Han-made science and technology that lasted for more than thirty years,
Examination, Li Hang also has the common characteristics of being a Jinshi in recent years.
That is, before referring to it, I did not just read and write essays blindly. I had nearly ten years of experience in government affairs in my hometown of Mingzhou, and was highly valued by Shangguan. Even if I did not take the scientific examination, I was qualified to leave the official position and join the government.
.
However, Li Hang still chose the "difficult" road of Longmen. Three years ago, he was recommended by Zhang Lin, the magistrate of Mingzhou, and went to Beijing for reference, and won the crown in one fell swoop.
Due to his solid grassroots experience and outstanding administrative abilities, Li Hang naturally did not have to endure hard qualifications in the court like most Jinshi, but was directly reused.
After being favored by Prince Liu Yang, he was transferred to the East Palace as an attendant, and later transferred to Zhongshu Sheren.
The last person to have such an experience was Song Zhun, and now Song Zhun is the chief envoy of Jiangxi. Although he is not a wealthy man, he is also a high-ranking official in the border areas, and his promotion rate is as fast as a rocket.
Therefore, some people in the court had long regarded Li Hang as the second Zhun of Song Dynasty. And Li Hang did not disappoint in terms of his conduct, character, and ability.
Three years ago, he was one of the many scholars taking the National Higher Education Examination. Three years later, he became the invigilator. Such an encounter and such change in status are quite touching.
With Lu Duan and Li Hang as the principals and invigilators, they can basically guarantee the fairness of the talent selection for this subject. At least on this point, they can convince Emperor Liu and convince the courtiers.
On the other hand, even if we do not mention their personal qualities, both of them are in the ascending stage of their career, so it is unlikely that they will do anything to destroy their futures.
However, because of the reference of Liu Chun, the crown prince of King Yong, there was some commotion. The examiners unanimously approved the ranking and selected the scholar in fifth place. Lu and Li also recognized this ranking after personally reviewing the answers to the examination paper.
However, such a decision was interfered by King Yong Liu Chengxun. He was very concerned about the matter and used some means. He hoped that Liu Chun would be defeated, so he just participated. There was no need to show off, and he could just wait and inherit the title of King Yong.
However, Lu Duan and Li Hang were a little bit uninterested and insisted on keeping their rankings unchanged. However, due to the pressure from Liu Chengxun, they still moved their rankings down.
However, even so, it is still eye-catching enough. The eleventh name is not low at all. This result is dissatisfactory to all parties, and everyone has their own feelings. Emperor Liu also understands that there is no positive response to this matter.
, and finally acquiesced.
However, acquiescence does not mean approval, and he will inevitably have more knots in his heart. When he mentioned this matter in person, although he said it lightly, the meaning of beating was very strong.
Emperor Liu took a sip of tea, looked at Liu Chengxun, and said slowly: "Even if you can't trust Lu and Li, you should still have confidence in the tribute system that the imperial court has implemented for many years. In terms of selecting scholars, I also believe in myself."
It is considered to be the most perfect, fair and practical one in history!
If Liu Chun has talent, he will take it. If he lacks it, he will lose the position, that's all. You care about your reputation and are afraid of causing criticism, so you interfere arbitrarily. Don't you know that this will only cause greater controversy.
This time, you were modest and let Liu Chun's ranking drop. However, if you can let him drop, will you be able to get him promoted next time?"
Liu Chengxun had noticed something was wrong in Emperor Liu's words. However, after hearing these words, his expression finally changed and he realized that he had really violated the taboo.
I noticed Emperor Liu's face, he looked very calm, but the more he looked like this, the more uneasy he felt.
Liu Chengxun had always been honest with Emperor Liu. This was also his way of protecting himself. Therefore, he did not panic too much. He thought about it for a moment, then with an embarrassed face, he cupped his hands and said, "My second brother's words made me sweat! Now I think about it."
Come on, it’s true that I didn’t think well. In this matter, I acted inappropriately and broke the rules and regulations of the imperial court. Please punish me. I am willing to be punished and will never complain!”
Liu Chengxun's attitude was so sincere, what could Emperor Liu do? It was impossible for him to just stare at this matter, so he looked at him deeply, waved his hands, and said in a neutral tone: "It's okay if you understand. If you care about me, it will be chaotic."
, this matter has been exposed, you should take it as a warning and never do it again!"