Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 727 Jiang Ge's Magical Physique
Seeing Cheng Jing's face suddenly changed, Xiao Ying immediately realized that something was wrong, hesitated for a moment, and asked cautiously.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong with this test paper?"

Zhu Qiyu originally planned to continue reading the second paper, but when he heard Xiao Yi's question, he stopped his movements, and ordered his servant to deliver Cheng Zong's paper. Not yet.

The general examination is the imperial court's talent ceremony. For those who take the intermediate test, the first grade will be awarded Jinshi and rank, the second grade will be awarded Jinshi background, and the third grade will be awarded the same Jinshi background. This is the so-called official status. Only with this level of official status can you Obtain an official position.

According to the imperial system, if a scholar wants to obtain an official status, he needs to go through five procedures: the county examination, the government examination, the township examination, the general examination, and the palace examination. However, generally speaking, as long as he passes the general examination, he will be deemed to have obtained the official status. The reason for this is that the practice of the palace examination will not dethrone a scholar.

No matter how bad the writing was, it was nothing more than entering the top three. However, among the eight big characters shining in front of his eyes, there was a dazzling "dismissed"!
At that moment, Xiao Ying couldn't sit still any longer, and cupped his hands.

"Your Majesty, there has never been a precedent for the court to fail the palace examination since the imperial court began to select scholars. Even if the essay is not good, it will not be dismissed. I beseech Your Majesty to think twice."

However, in the face of Xiao Yan's persuasion, Zhu Qiyu did not waver, but said calmly.

"There is no precedent, so I came to set this precedent. If I remember correctly, there is no rule in my dynasty's ancestral training that a scholar cannot be dismissed from the imperial examination, right?"

Of course not!

You must know that only the emperor has the right to grant such things as official status, and even the selection of officials by the Ministry of Officials is done on behalf of the emperor.

Therefore, scholars who have passed the examination can only be called Gongshi, which means excellent scholars recommended by the examiners to the emperor.

As for the so-called Jinshi, only after passing the palace examination can the emperor hand-pick for approval, which belongs to the category of imperial power, so naturally there can be no such thing as the ancestral precept that the palace examination should not dethrone a scholar, otherwise, the palace examination would have no meaning up.

However, the lack of explicit regulations does not mean that there is no such rule. Just like Xiao Yi said, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there has never been a precedent for entering the imperial examination but being deposed. This is already a common unspoken rule in the imperial examination.

Xiao Yi didn't expect that the emperor's words were so direct, and for a while, he seemed to be a little unsure of what to say, so at this time, Jiang Yuan on the side came out and said.

"Your Majesty, it is true that there is no rule in the court system that a scholar cannot be dismissed from the imperial examination. However, the court's practice is to make the world's scholars suffer from ten years of hardship, and their hard work will not be wasted."

"Those who can enter the examination are all outstanding talents and learning. If there is a mistake in a policy, they will be dismissed from use. It may chill the hearts of the students in the world and affect the imperial court's selection of scholars. I implore your majesty to think twice."

Looking at Jiang Yuan who suddenly appeared, Zhu Qiyu narrowed his eyes, keenly aware that something was wrong today.

Just now he wanted to depose Chengzong, it was indeed a temporary idea, but the main reason was not the policy theory he wrote, but Zhu Qiyu knew that this was a virtuous and incompetent sycophant.

If the only merit of this Cheng Zong is that he is very good at making money, but, if such a person is allowed to enter the officialdom, it will be the common people who will suffer.

When the imperial court opens a course to select a scholar, what it wants is someone who can do things for the country and the people, not an official.

Therefore, although Zhu Qiyu knew that there was no precedent, he still made the decision to depose him. Of course, this was Cheng Zong's own bad luck.

After all, there were more than 200 people participating in the palace examination this time. If his papers hadn't been ranked in the top ten and placed in front of the imperial court, Zhu Qiyu might not have remembered him.

Regarding this decision, it is normal for Xiao Yi to stand up and raise objections.

After all, since it is placed at the beginning of the paper, it means that at least Xiao Yi himself is very satisfied with this paper, or in other words, he intends to take it under his family, so naturally he must try his best to fight for it.

However, it was a little wrong for Jiang Yuan to come forward at this time.

Logically speaking, out of ten papers, each of the ten examiners would recommend one. If Cheng Zong's paper was pushed up by Xiao Yi, then why did Jiang Yuan jump out at this time?
However, even though both of them stood up to persuade, Zhu Qiyu was still unmoved, shook his head slightly, and said.

"In today's world, there are countless hard-working readers. Some people are stopped in the government examination, some are blocked in the rural examination, some are blocked in the general examination, and some are always busy on the scientific examination from childhood to gray-haired. Everyone will come down, so why abuse the court's official position?"

These words seem to make sense, but in fact, they are secretly changing the concept.

There are too many people stopped in the government examination, rural examination, and general examination. However, there are only one or two hundred people who can enter the general examination, and all of them are very expensive. How can they compare with those who failed?
Jiang Yuan hesitated for a moment, and was about to speak, when he saw the emperor cut off his words first, and said solemnly.

"Mr. Jiang, there is no need to persuade. The imperial court selects talents only by virtue and ability. I test the tributes with the moral merits of ancient sages. The intention is to test their insights and talents. It is not necessary to flatter and respond."

"Cheng Zong's paper claims that one must have morality and talents in order to return to the world of sages and sages. It seems reasonable, but in fact it is full of empty talk and has both ways."

"What's more, there are many flattering words in this sub-strategy's theory, but few pragmatic words. It can be seen that he has neither the talent for governing the country nor the virtue of character. What is the use of such a person?"

The emperor said these words seriously, but the ministers below felt helpless for a while.

Because, this is completely preposterous.

It is true that Cheng Zong's paper may be a bit of double-headedness, but it is not wrong to pursue the way of sages, seek Tao, seek virtue, and seek merit.

It's just that no one has been able to reach this state since ancient times, but this does not prevent it from being explained as a model of a sage in the article.

Therefore, it may be good to say that Cheng Zong's paper is a bit empty talk, but it is really hard to agree with him if he does not have the talent for governing the country and the virtue of character.

You know, the question the emperor asked this time is actually a bit strange.

Dao, virtue, and merit, one can be called a sage if one gets one, which is good, but it is obviously beyond their ability to let ordinary scholars involved in officialdom judge which is better, which is easy to master, and which is difficult. Even the bigwigs in the court may not dare to draw conclusions lightly.

In other words, even if they have such an idea in their hearts, they may not dare to write it on such an important occasion as the palace examination. Sometimes, it is better to be in the same dust as the light. This is the long-term principle in the officialdom.

Therefore, in fact, among the papers collected this time, at least half of the people answered conservatively and ambiguously like Cheng Zong. Half the people are gone.

However, just when Jiang Yuan wanted to continue speaking, he found that someone behind him gently tugged on his sleeve, and when he turned his head, it was Zhang Min, another minister of the cabinet, who was ignorant of him. shook his head.

So, Jiang Yuan immediately calmed down.

Arguing with the emperor at this time is meaningless!
To be honest, Cheng Zong's paper was not extremely well-written, but it was only in the light of the "grading standard", so it was listed at the top of the list.

As for the current situation, it is obvious that the Son of Heaven is very disgusted with this kind of non-offensive paper, and more importantly, the matter has come to this point, Cheng Zong's fate is actually doomed.

Even after fighting for it, the emperor withdrew his order and re-recorded Cheng Zong, but if he has a name with the emperor, how can he have a good life in the future, not to mention that the old guy who is in charge of the official department now is Wang Wen .

After half a year, when Jinshi observes politics and ends the selection of officials, the emperor will send Cheng Zong to some corner, and he will never see the sun again.

To put it bluntly, even if they can fight for Cheng Zong now, they will not be able to do everything for him in the end. Therefore, from the moment the emperor made a conclusion to Cheng Zong, no matter whether he is on the list or not, his official career will be determined. It's all come to an end.

Unless he can be like Yu Qian, make such great achievements that the court has to reward him, or like Xue Xuan, he has a long-standing reputation among scholars and changes the emperor's perception of him, but these two paths, no matter which one , are not something ordinary people can pass.

So, with a light sigh, Jiang Yuan's lips moved, but he didn't say anything after all. Afterwards, Zhang Min came out and said.

"Your Majesty, Cheng Zong's paper may indeed be inappropriate, but after all, he did not commit any taboos. If the article is not well written, it will be concluded that this person is lacking in virtue, which may damage the fairness of the court's selection of scholars, so I have the courage to ask Your Majesty to be lenient and give Cheng Zong the same background as Jinshi, so that the scholars of the world can feel at ease and enjoy the emperor's grace."

With Jinshi background, he is the top three!
The implication of Zhang Min's words is, if you are really dissatisfied, Your Majesty, even if you put this person in the last place, at least don't dismiss him, otherwise, it will not end well.

Hearing this, Zhu Qiyu also hesitated.

He was a little impulsive when he just dethroned Cheng Zong. Of course, it doesn't mean that he can't do it. It's easy for the emperor to depose a scholar.

It's just that he can't say the real reason for deposing Cheng Zong, and the reason he presented is indeed not convincing enough.

Although what Zhang Min said was pleading for Cheng Zong, it was indeed not unreasonable.

It is indeed somewhat arbitrary to judge a person's lack of virtue based on a single test paper.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Qiyu seemed to suddenly think of something, lowered his head and opened the remaining papers, read them roughly, and suddenly had a bottom line in his mind.

When he raised his head again, his face had already darkened, and he spoke.

"It turns out that the reason why the ministers pleaded with Cheng Zong is because these remarks are not just from Cheng Zong's mouth, but from the ministers' mouths, right?"

Seeing the emperor's face like this, Xiao Yi suddenly cried out in pain, and hurriedly bowed down.

"The ministers are not talented enough to understand the Sacred Heart, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Being the examiner of the palace examination is an easy job, but it is also a difficult job.

It is easy to do because it has always been a familiar thing, such as judging test papers, for the bosses who are all Jinshi backgrounds, it is not difficult, but it can expand the network, which has various benefits.

As for the difficulty, it is as it is now.

The main examination of the palace examination is about strategy theory. To put it bluntly, the test is about the strategy of governing the country, but this kind of thing has always been opinionated, and it is difficult to reach a conclusion.

So in essence, in the process of grading papers for the palace examination, it is very important to observe the Sacred Heart, to put it bluntly, to figure out what the emperor's intention for this question is, and to choose the test paper that meets the emperor's wishes.

On this basis, it is the game between the examiners.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, the examiner of the palace examination is usually served by the minister who is most familiar with the emperor's close servants, so that there will be no mistakes.

In fact, Xiao Yi also had certain doubts about these papers this time, but based on his understanding of the emperor, he felt that His Majesty might not be so fussy, so he took a risk, but who would have thought that such a Once you take a risk, something will happen!
Thinking of this, Xiao Yi couldn't help casting a dissatisfied look at Jiang Yuan who was beside him.

However, the matter has come to this point, Jiang Yuan has already lowered his head and said nothing.

It is one thing to remonstrate with the emperor, but it is another thing to really anger the emperor.

In the Wenhua Palace, Zhu Qiyu's calm but sharp voice echoed, and all the readers below looked at each other, each of them lowered their heads and did not speak. However, if you observe carefully, you will find that there are a few of them with a flash of light in their eyes. Puzzled, seemingly absent, he looked at Xiao Ying.

Why don't I mention it below, but after reading the test paper, Zhu Qiyu already understood in his heart that this time it was not Cheng Zong's business alone.

If there is no accident, there must be an exchange of interests in the process. As far as the ten papers in front of me are concerned, none of them are the best papers.

Among this batch of candidates, Zhu Qiyu was still impressed by a few, such as Li Yan, Qin Hong, and Wang Yue, all of whom were well-written and capable.

If we only talk about literary talent and insights, Ke Qian, the number one scholar hand-picked by him in the previous life, although he said that he was a bit rigid and ignorant of the world, his writing was unmatched.

Moreover, Ke Qian's character is upright, outspoken and outspoken. With his talent and learning, he can be included in these ten test papers, but he is not among the ones in front of him.

It seems that some bad habits in this test really need to be changed!
Looking at the examiners who were kneeling all over the floor, Zhu Qiyu snorted softly, ignored them, and turned to Cheng Jing to give instructions.

"The decree is to send all the test papers of this palace examination to the Wenhua Palace, and review them again. In addition, six ministers, Zuodu Yushi, the first assistant of the cabinet, and the second assistant will be called into the palace. Let a few of them do it by themselves!"

Seeing the solemn expression on the emperor's face, Cheng Jing also knew the seriousness of the matter, bowed his body, and immediately went down to make arrangements.

At the same time, the faces of the ministers kneeling at the bottom, especially Xiao Yi who was kneeling in the middle, turned pale, and they couldn't help regretting in their hearts.

Now, things are really getting bigger...

(End of this chapter)