The Xuanwen Museum was originally formed from the merger of the History Museum and Liyuan. Later, after several expansions, it was renamed the Xuanwen Supervisory Office, and now it has become the department in charge of the literature and art of the Tang Dynasty.
The Xuanwen Prison is divided into an outer courtyard and an inner courtyard. The predecessor of the outer courtyard was the early History Museum, and all officials and clerks were men; while the predecessor of the inner courtyard was the Liyuan, and the office staff inside were all women and chamberlains.
This feature was unique in the organizational structure of the Tang Dynasty and had never been seen before in all dynasties.
Lu Lun took the official notice and was standing in front of the gate of the outer courtyard.
Looking at the plaque above his head and then at the deep and dark courtyard gate, Lu Lun mustered up his courage and walked in.
Different from ordinary imperial departments, the Xuanwen Hall was more like a literary club where literati gathered than an official office.
There are no guards at the gate, and there are no sentries to check.
There are rockeries and pavilions everywhere in the museum, and in the quiet corridors and halls, there are poems and paintings by countless celebrities.
Lu Lun stood in the courtyard, closed his eyes, and could faintly hear the sound of poetry being recited not far away.
What surprised him the most was that the Xuanwen Museum never lit the clock. If officials had official duties, they could come to the museum to work on their own. During the rest of the time, they could go out to enjoy the scenery, which was euphemistically called - serving as civil servants.
Lu Lun was naturally fond of making friends and did not want to be constrained by his official position. For him, the Xuanwen Museum seemed to be a place tailor-made for him.
After chatting with a group of civil servants, Lu Lun learned about the position of the chief official of the outer courtyard.
After passing through a stone forest and walking along a cobblestone path, Lu Lun finally came to the entrance of a villa.
Stretching his head and looking inside, Lu Lun saw an old man at a glance.
The old man was wearing an undershirt, with white beard and hair, a wine bottle hanging on his waist, and a collection of poems in his hand. He was chatting and laughing with the literati around him, and he looked like a fairy.
Lu Lun recognized the old man's identity and was excited. He quickly came to the courtyard, bowed to the latter and said, "Lu has admired the banished immortal for a long time. It is truly a blessing to meet him today!"
Li Bai put down the collection of poems, turned around, and looked Lu Lun up and down: "The east wind blows the rain across the green mountains, but the thousands of doors are covered with green grass?"
When Lu Lun heard Li Bai reciting this poem, he looked happy and said modestly: "A certain person with little talent and little knowledge makes you laugh."
Li Bai: "A good poem is a good one. How can you be ridiculous? Don't be afraid of strength in martial arts, and don't show weakness in literature. Before a young man opens his mouth, his momentum will be reduced by three points. This is a taboo in literary practice."
When Lu Lun heard Li Bai's reproach, a slight cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he said, "I've learned a lesson."
Li Bai: "Today the saint has summoned me to announce something important. Officials of rank five or above from the outer courtyard of the Xuanwen Hall will go to the meeting hall to wait. Although your rank is low, as a scholar of Jixian, you are also an official in the hall.
, of course you have to attend. You should be more prepared now. If the saint asks you later, don’t make any mistakes."
Lu Lun had heard about Li Bai's temper.
Li Bai acted unconventionally and did not like the worldly etiquette, so he found it boring to those who were rigid.
It seems that Lu Lun did not leave a good impression on Li Bai on the first day he took office.
Lu Lun felt a little uneasy and followed Li Bai towards the meeting hall.
In the meeting hall, Lu Lun thought about how he should answer if the emperor asked him about Wen Dao when he met him later.
Half an hour later, a servant's voice came from outside the door, saying that His Majesty had arrived.
Lu Lun was startled, and hurriedly followed other officials, knelt on the ground, and shouted "Long live" again.
Zhou Jun, dressed in royal robes, entered the hall with Du Fu, the Minister of Rites.
Sitting on the innermost seat, Zhou Jun said quietly.
Du Fu saluted Zhou Jun, and then ordered the accompanying officials from the Ministry of Rites to fetch many books and put them on the desk in the hall.
Many officials in the Xuanwen Hall did not know the purpose of the emperor's move and couldn't help but look at each other in confusion.
Zhou Jun: "Before we get down to business, I have a question."
When the officials heard this, they pricked up their ears.
Zhou Jun: "You all took part in the imperial examination and got on the list, and then you got the official status. What I want to ask is, how did you get into the literary world when you were children?"
How did you learn literature as a child?
The emperor's question was strange.
In Liangcheng's court, there are not many officials from aristocratic families, and many officials are from poor families. Some even have both parents dead, and it is not uncommon for their families to live in poverty.
Lu Lun is one of them.
When Lu Lun was a child, his father died early and his family declined.
Lu Lun had to follow his mother and go to his uncle's house, living a life of dependence on others.
At that time, Lu Lun had to help out at his uncle's house and had no way to go to a private school. In order to study, he could only borrow books from his cousins or go outside the private school to eavesdrop on classes.
Relying on perseverance and talent, Lu Lun worked step by step and eventually became famous in the literary world, with literary friends all over the world.
After listening to the stories of those poor people studying hard, Zhou Jun said in front of the officials: "No matter how gifted or talented a person is, if you don't give him a chance to learn and work hard, then this person will be
He will never succeed, and his talent will eventually be buried among the crowd."
Hearing this, Lu Lun thought deeply.
In the beginning, if his uncle had not been willing to take him in, if his cousins had not been willing to lend him books, and if his private school teacher had not deliberately cultivated him, Lu Lun would never have been where he is today.
Zhou Jun: "You are lucky because you have the opportunity to read and write, and you can eventually take part in the imperial examination and become court officials of the Tang Dynasty. But there are thousands of children in the world who, although talented and intelligent, come from poor families and will never be able to study in their lives.
Qi Shu. For these children, the court has an obligation to help them, and I also have an obligation to help them."
Li Bai heard this and asked: "Your Majesty wants to send envoys to select talents across the country?"
The title of "Ji Xian Envoy" was a conferment in the early Tang Dynasty. He was mainly responsible for selecting talents from all over the country for the court and recommending them as officials.
Zhou Jun shook his head and said: "The Tang Dynasty has a vast territory, and recommending talents is like finding a needle in a haystack. Besides, the officials sent out to find talents are equivalent to having power in their hands. Countless families who want to be officials or push their children to high positions will
Bribing officials at any cost. In the end, the so-called talent selection will turn into selling officials."
Li Bai nodded slightly when he heard this.
The emperor is right. The talent recommendation system of past dynasties has always failed in the end. The reason behind it is only two words - favoritism.
Zhou Jun: "I have discussed it with the Ministry of Rites. In order to give the young people in the world a chance to make progress, and also to give the imperial court an opportunity to recruit talents. Starting from June, the Tang Dynasty will launch compulsory education in all prefectures and counties under its jurisdiction.
The Act of Education.”
Lu Lun was stunned: "Your Majesty, what is compulsory education?"
Zhou Jun: "All children over the age of five, regardless of gender, family background, or origin, must attend a school supervised by the government. No one or any family may prevent, shirk, or delay children's enrollment for any reason."
Li Bai: "Some families are poor and may not be able to pay for school fees."
Zhou Jun nodded to Du Fu, who said: "All expenses for the school, including the venue, teachers, paper and ink, charcoal fire, repairs, etc., are all borne by the government. In addition, all students who come to school will be borne by the government.
You can also receive a meal every day. Of course, the cost of the meals is also paid by the government."
When Li Bai heard this, he was already a little startled: "All the expenses are paid by the government? Your Majesty... this expenditure is not a small amount."
Zhou Jun: "The talent plan is related to the future of the country and must be carefully considered. Compulsory education has a long history. I have made up my mind and will definitely implement it to the end!"
From the moment he entered the hall to now, Li Bai, who had always looked calm and calm, showed emotion for the first time on his face.
He opened the hem of his robe, and regardless of his old age, he bowed to Zhou Jun and said, "Your Majesty is a wise man. I would like to express my gratitude to you on behalf of all the students in the world!"