Zhou Jun sat in the hall, looked at Fan Jinian aside, and asked: "Is this really what the imperial doctor said?"
Fan Jinian frowned: "Our family has confirmed it several times, and there should be no falsehoods... Ever since news came from Jiangnan that Prince Li Heng died, His Majesty's condition suddenly became serious. He must have been suffering from worry.
."
Zhou Jun: "Your Majesty is seriously ill and there is no improvement after taking medicine?"
Fan Jinian shook his head: "The imperial doctor said that this disease is caused by mental and physical exhaustion. Coupled with the long stroke, Your Majesty is about to reach the end of his life."
Zhou Jun: "How long can your Majesty last?"
Fan Jinian sighed: "They are all using medicine to prolong their lives. Your Majesty is sometimes awake and sometimes faints. He said the word "time", maybe only a month or two."
Zhou Jun can understand the deterioration of Li Longji's condition.
Li Longji was trapped in the palace, and the Tang emperor had little power, and all power fell into the hands of Zhou Jun.
Under such a premise, the Southern Tang Dynasty, located in the south of the Yangtze River, became Li Longji's hope to continue the Tang Dynasty.
However, Li Heng died and the Southern Tang Dynasty was in danger under the attack of Yan State. When Li Longji heard the news, he would naturally become seriously ill and unable to return.
Fan Jinian looked at Zhou Jun's face and said carefully: "Mr. Zhou, you and I are old acquaintances. Let's talk about it. The news that His Majesty is seriously ill has spread throughout Liangcheng. Everyone is panic-stricken. Everything is still the same.
It’s better to be careful.”
Zhou Jun understood Fan Jinian's implication and nodded lightly.
After Fan Jinian left, Zhou Jun sat alone in the hall. After thinking for a long time, he invited Feng Changqing.
After Gao Shi went to Chang'an, Feng Changqing took over the work of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Education.
When Zhou Jun saw Feng Changqing, the first thing he asked about was the imperial examination.
Zhou Jun: "After the provincial examination, can the Jinshi who make Keke be placed as usual?"
Feng Changqing replied: "In the spring of this year, a total of 355 people were selected as Jinshi. They were all awarded official status and all were properly placed."
Zhou Jun: "Among these people, what is the proportion of industrialists, businessmen, scholars, and farmers? What about their origin areas?"
Feng Changqing: "In terms of origin, 20% are industrial and commercial, and 80% are scholars and peasants. In terms of region, 70% are Jinshis from the Central Plains, and 30% are Jinshis from the Anxi area."
Zhou Jun was not surprised at all by this result.
This spring palace in the third year of Tianyou (760) was the first spring palace after the Northern Tang Dynasty implemented the order to promote the virtuous.
It is very common for students of business and miscellaneous scholars to be unable to compete with those students from prominent families in terms of collections of classics and history, policy questions and textual research, etc.
Moreover, Anxi is located in a remote area, and most of the population is composed of refugees, with varying cultural quality. For the first time attending the Spring Festival, one can occupy 30% of the seats. This is not so much due to luck, but in fact there are already more or less
Some "black box" operations were performed.
Therefore, among the Jinshi admitted in this spring period, students from scholar-farmer families and students from the Central Plains region finally accounted for the majority.
Zhou Jun was helpless in this situation.
Previously, the Anxi Protectorate promoted many civil servants from among the refugees in order to manage the people under its rule. However, these officials had not entered the official position through the imperial examination and were all exiled officials. Even if they were promoted to the court because of their outstanding political achievements, they could not reach a certain level at most.
The rank can no longer be raised.
After all, in the current political environment of the Tang Dynasty, apart from Zhou Jun's unparalleled experience, other officials who wanted to climb up had to pass the imperial examination and work one step at a time to get to the top.
Zhou Jun actually wanted to promote talents with industrial and commercial backgrounds and re-employ officials from the Anxi area, but the Classics and History Collection was there, and students who wanted to become officials could not avoid these most basic imperial examination systems.
Unless Zhou Jun makes up his mind to carry out a huge and earth-shaking change in the entire imperial examination, but at this juncture, it is unrealistic.
Zhou Jun asked Feng Changqing again: "This time the Guanzhong gentry and the Tang clan colluded with the puppet dynasty and were arrested and convicted in Chang'an. What happened here in Liangcheng?"
Zhou Jun first asked about the imperial examination, and then asked about the arrest of clan members and nobles in Chang'an. Feng Changqing had followed him for many years, so he naturally understood the hidden meaning behind this question.
Feng Changqing replied to Zhou Jun: "Prime Minister, in the first year of Tianyou's reign, there was a mutiny in Liangcheng, and in the third year of Tianyou's reign, there was a sea arrest in Chang'an. Although these two incidents were both attacks on the clan, they were completely different in nature."
Zhou Jun: "Oh? Tell me about it."
Feng Changqing: "In the first year of God's blessing, the Liangcheng clan led an army to rebel. This move cut off their livelihood, and they were all slaughtered afterwards. It was their own fault. In the third year of God's blessing, Prime Minister Hai captured the Chang'an clan and nobles, and demoted the former to common people.
, and deposed the latter as an official slave. This move made the world know that the Northern Tang Dynasty did not tolerate nobles, not because they were rebellious, but because they wanted to break the political structure and re-decentralize power in the world."
Feng Changqing's words implicitly pointed out the essence of change.
Zhou Jun was silent for a moment, not intending to hide anymore, and asked Feng Changqing: "Your Majesty is critically ill, and I am afraid that there is not much time left. If the situation changes at this time, what should we do?"
Feng Changqing stared at Zhou Jun and asked softly: "If you want to change the situation, there are different ways."
Zhou Jun: "What can I do?"
Feng Changqing: "First, the Prime Minister selects a submissive one from among the kings and makes him the prince, and then drafts an imperial edict to help him ascend the throne; Second, the Prime Minister can also follow the example of Queen Ze Tianshun, change the title of the country, and establish a new dynasty; third,
The Prime Minister is a king with a different surname and is also a prince-in-law. He can ask His Majesty to take the throne, change his surname and clan, and enter the clan genealogy without changing the country's title. This is also a method."
After listening to Feng Changqing's words, Zhou Jun fell into deep thought.
The first way is to find an obedient son of the clan to inherit the throne, while he controls everything behind the scenes. In history, the most famous person who did this is probably Cao Cao.
The representative of the second method is Wu Zetian. But there are prerequisites for Wu Zhao to do this. She seized the throne from her husband and son, and in order to become emperor, she prepared for thirty years and eliminated all her opponents.
He took all precautions. Even so, he was still stolen by Li Tang in his later years, and his success fell short.
The third method mentioned by Feng Changqing has many examples in history. For example, Emperor Cao Rui of Wei Ming ordered his adopted son to change his name to Cao Fang and then inherit the throne.
However, the most famous example of a king with a different surname inheriting the throne without changing his country's name occurred in the Later Zhou Dynasty in 954 AD.
Zhou Taizu Guo Wei died of illness. After his death, his adopted son Chai Rong succeeded to the throne and became Zhou Shizong.
These three methods, viewed individually, each have their own merits.
But in fact, when it comes down to one point, the key is whether to change the country's name.
If you want to change the name of the country, whether it is to obtain the throne through Zen, or to overthrow Li Tang through a coup, it is essentially destroying the Tang Dynasty and establishing a new one. The acceptance of the new dynasty by the ministers and the people is a big problem.
But if Li Tang's banner is still maintained, then whether he is presiding over the situation behind the scenes or proclaiming himself emperor, his actions will be subject to etiquette.
How should this be done?
Zhou Jun sat in the hall and fell into deep thought for a while.