Chapter 315 The highest quality imperial examination
The triennial Qionglin Banquet is another cultural event. This matter has already been experienced. Under the proper arrangements of the responsible officials, everything went on in an orderly manner.
The reputation of Qionglin Banquet has spread, and scholars are all yearning for it, and the scholars who refer to it are all proud of Qionglin Banquet. Although becoming a Jinshi is just the starting point of their career, they are all excited. At this time, we have to admit that most literati's respect for the royal family, reverence for the system, and maintenance of etiquette can easily win the favor of the supreme ruler.
Therefore, even with the lessons of "Zhao and Song", Liu Chengyou never viewed civil servants with contempt and disgust. Instead, he made a lot of appointments in the process of building the country. The only difference was Liu Chengyou's attitude towards employment. and method.
Liu Chengyou is also doing this by using culture to control military force. This is a very necessary measure for a country. After being emperor for fifteen years, Liu Chengyou has fully understood the psychology of "Taizu of the Song Dynasty" and is developing and prospering and consolidating the country. In terms of governance, the role of literati is greater than that of military men, especially in terms of ideology.
There is a saying that the Northern Song Dynasty's emphasis on literature and restraint of military force, and the use of literature to control military force, really had little to do with Emperor Taizu! As for who the problem was, history will have a fair say.
The number of Jinshi in various subjects recorded in Jinke exceeds 100. Of course, the proportion of Jinshi is the largest, exceeding 70%. Some of the most conspicuous are the five medical Jinshi. The emperor's strong support for the construction of medicine and medical administration, although it caused There were some disputes, but in the end there was not much opposition. Birth, aging, illness and death were the normal course of life. Who could be free from illness, and who would dare to look down on the doctors who treated illnesses and saved lives. It was just that the emperor's policy of raising the social status of the medical class made people a little uncomfortable.
In fact, over the past ten years or so, a special force has emerged in the bureaucracy of the Han Dynasty, which is the medical bureaucracy. A complete medical system has a central hospital, local medical posts, and military doctors in the army. , although generally speaking, the level is not high, the strength is still very weak, and the organization is loose, but after all, it is a political force that can exert a certain influence.
The medical scholars who were awarded the title this time are all very young, the youngest ones are in their thirties. Liu Chengyou also paid special attention to two imperial medical students, two medical disciples, and a famous folk doctor...
Liu Chengyou looked at the Jinshi who were admitted this time with a detached attitude. They were all kinds of people, old and young. Some were excited, some were nervous, some were happy. In the solemn royal garden, under the scrutiny of those in authority, most of them seemed He was at a loss as to what to do, he didn't dare to raise his head, he just sat silently and stiffly agreed, not daring to make any big move, so as not to lose his etiquette and be disrespectful.
Liu Chengyou was curious about how many of these newly promoted scholars could be worthy of great use, how many could become officials, and how many could be honest and good officials?
The most eye-catching ones are the top three: Zhang Quhua, the top pick, Ma Shi, the top pick, and Zhao Kuangyi, the top pick.
Zhang Quhua was born in an official. His father Zhang Yi was also a learned literary talent. He was a Jinshi in the later Tang Dynasty. He also served as an official in the Han Dynasty and was a member of Zhongshushe. He had both family background and family education, and Zhang Quhua himself. Diligent and studious, he had already made a name for himself at an early age. During the Northern Expedition, Zhang went to Hua and traveled to Hebei. He had an overview of the people's sentiments and saw that the people were suffering from military service and bearing the heavy burden of the war. He expressed some emotion and wrote "Northern China". "Recruiting Fu" and "On Governing the People", when Liu Chengyou was returning to Beijing for inspection, he actually stopped him to present his strategies.
At that time, Zhang Quhua was not yet twenty-one, and Liu Chengyou was surprised. Many people knew about the damage caused by the war, but few could clearly list it and understand the suffering of the people, and they were still so young.
Liu Chengyou was very interested in this energetic young man. He sat on the ground with him on the bank of the canal and discussed how to govern the people. With some appreciation, after returning to the court, Liu Chengyou ordered the staff to arrange an official position for him, and specially instructed him to give him a small position. That’s it.
The Ministry of Personnel quickly made arrangements and went to the Ordnance Supervisor to serve as the chief clerk. Liu Chengyou did this because although he was talented and knowledgeable, he was too arrogant and sharp-edged. He was a bit like the original Lu Duoxun, who wanted to sharpen his skills. .
However, Zhang Quhua obviously did not realize his good intentions and just felt that he was jealous of others. Naturally, the official was not happy with what he did and said that he should not be the one to do the job.
He originally wanted to resign his official position, but was persuaded to do so. The reason was that if he abandoned his official position because he was dissatisfied, it would be a sign of contempt for the imperial court. If he still wanted to be an official in the imperial court, display his talents and realize his ambitions, he must not do so. Abandoned his official position. Zhang Quhua listened to this, and then resigned from his official position and went home to continue studying on the grounds that he was young and short of talent.
That is to say, his family had land and property, which gave him the opportunity to be willful. When Liu Chengyou heard about Zhang Quhua's resignation, he just smiled and said nothing.
After studying for nearly three years, he was also very quiet and restless. In the spring of this year, Zhang Quhua decided to refer to it again. As soon as he entered Kaifeng, he wrote several popular poems and essays, and was praised by Li Fang, a guest of the prince. This made him famous. Of course, if it were just poetry and articles, it would not arouse praise from others. This person could also analyze and talk about current affairs and practical matters in detail.
Before the exam started, some people said that Zhang Lang was worthy of being the number one scholar. Now, as expected, the high school students at the Qionglin Banquet were in high spirits. If Liu Chengyou thought according to Liu Chengyou's ideas, young talents like Zhang Quhua should still be beaten, but This time, this was probably the first time that Liu Chengyou did not interfere too much. Since Liu Wensou and others were recommended and he really excelled in the palace examination, Liu Chengyou also named him the number one candidate.
As for Tanhua Lang Zhao Kuangyi, he is considered to be the highest-born among the scholars of this generation, and he has inherited the title of Zhao Hongyin. And his reputation is not at all inferior to that of Zhang Quhua. At first, he declined the emperor's reward and promotion and took the initiative to give it to his father. He stayed in the house for three years and earned a great reputation. After the expiration of his term, he did not rely on his position to become an official, but prepared for a reference.
There is a saying that Zhao Kuangyi is a scholar, and he is also a scholar with outstanding talents. With his knowledge, experience, and talents, he also has the qualifications to be the number one scholar. Perhaps to avoid suspicion, he was eventually selected as the No. 3 pick. However, although Zhao Kuangyi is not very young, he has great bearing. , his horizons have obviously been broadened. Compared with Zhang Quhua’s infinite glory, he seems very calm.
For a long time, except for Wang Pu and Li Fang, the top scholars of the Han Dynasty did not seem to have developed very well in their official careers. Hu Zai died young; Dong Chun also followed Xue Juzheng to compile history; as for the others, they were also insignificant. .
In comparison, it seems that Tanhua was more favored by the emperor. Like Lu Duoxun and Zhang Ji, they were able to serve in the imperial court, making their official careers far better than others.
Of course, Liu Chengyou no longer planned to do this. Otherwise, the third overall pick would receive more attention than the top pick, which would weaken the status and significance of the top pick.
As for the second place Ma Shi, he is probably the one with the most humble background among the three people in Toujia. He was originally from Jiangxi. After the Huainan War, his family was moved to Jiangbei and he became a Han citizen. He is diligent and studious, and after several local examinations, he became a Han citizen. They all ranked among the best, and now, they have won the second place in the ranking. From the source of the imperial court's selection of materials, we can already see the trend of unification!
In addition to the top three, undergraduate Jinshi, there are also many people with special backgrounds, such as Lu Duan, Wang Pu's two sons, Hu Yanke's grandson, and the late prime minister Su Yugui's grandson...
Even though he left his name with the emperor, Lu Duan still didn't get into the armor.
At the same time, there are indeed many candidates with official backgrounds this year. Although the emperor did not interfere too much, there is no guarantee whether the examiners' admissions will be without favoritism. For example, Wang Pu's two sons, under his personal guidance, The ability of Jinshi is actually more than enough.
At the same time, it can be said that the scholars enrolled in this subject are of very high quality, higher than any other class in previous years.
"This year, the imperial court has admitted a lot of talents!" Therefore, Liu Chengyou raised a glass to Liu Wensou, who was in charge of the Jinke tribute examination, to affirm their work.
Liu Wensou breathed a sigh of relief. After the release of the list this time, it caused a lot of criticism because there were too many children of powerful officials and bureaucrats. If Liu Wensou's reputation as a pure and upright person was not widely known, I am afraid that some people would shout Cheating. Even so, the noise coming from below still made Liu Wensou feel quite stressed, but Liu Chengyou's attitude was also reassuring.
"Promoting talents for the country is both a duty and an honor. I would like to thank Your Majesty for your trust!" Liu Wensou also had a smile on his face and felt relaxed.
"Regarding the whereabouts of this group of scholars, the Ministry of Civil Affairs should implement arrangements to monitor government affairs as soon as possible, and we must train a few talents who can be of great use!" Liu Chengyou then ordered Dou Yi, who had only been serving as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs for two years.
"Yes!" Dou Yi said ably.
After the former Shangshu Shen Wenbing passed away in office, Dou Yi was remembered by Liu Chengyou and transferred back to Tokyo to take up the post of official. To be honest, there are always times when he is unhappy with such a strong minister, but he also likes to use it. Liu Chengyou is in this kind of situation. In a conflicted mind.
Fan Zhi left and Dou Yi came. It seemed that the Han Dynasty never lacked upright ministers.
Of course, this reflects Liu Chengyou's will. Although he doesn't like his ministers to remonstrate directly, he still has a certain respect for those who have dared to argue with reason over the years, and the court does need some different voices.