Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty: In the beginning, Li Qingzhao and Li Qingzhao made a private decis

"Imperial Examination Fraud Case!"

After this news reached Kaifeng City, the entire political arena of the Song Dynasty couldn't help but be shocked. You must know that the imperial examination was a tool for selecting talents for the Song Dynasty, and the court said it attached great importance to it.

In order to prevent fraud in the imperial examinations, all imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty implemented a name-blinding method to prevent anyone from seeking personal gain with power and nepotism.

However, anonymity did not prevent imperial examination fraud. Some people deliberately made marks on their examination papers, or the special handwriting could be seen at a glance, so stricter transcription and recording began. After the candidates' names were anonymized on the examination papers, they were then allowed to The clerk would copy it and make corrections at the end.

As for the confidentiality of test questions, multiple sets of test questions are randomly selected, which is a routine operation.

The imperial court of the Song Dynasty thought that it was extremely strict with the imperial examinations, but it did not expect that there would be fraud in the imperial examinations in Liangzhe Road. How could this not shock the imperial court.

"Impossibly increasing the number of candidates to become an official!"

When the investigation results came out, all the ministers could not help but be stunned.

"Imperial examination fraud is pervasive!"

Fan Chunli couldn't help but sigh.

The officials of the Manchu Dynasty nodded with concern. They thought they had already solved the problem of imperial examination fraud, but they did not expect that speculators like Zhang Ruzhou would find loopholes in the imperial examination again.

Zhang Dun snorted coldly: "I am reporting this to the officials. We sincerely request that Zhang Ruzhou and the others be severely punished! At the same time, we should abolish the policy of recruiting several people into official positions!"

"Of course! If you pass the imperial examination, you will pass it. If you fail, you will fail. People like Zhang Ruzhou are officials and worms to the country! We sincerely ask you to abolish this policy!" Su Shi also wrote a letter in agreement.

The Ministry of Etiquette has always been responsible for the imperial examinations. Admission to officials was originally a favor given by the court to those who failed, but now it has become a way for those who failed to take advantage of loopholes.

"No! Do you know Zhang Yuan's mistakes?" Su Song shook his head.

Everyone knows that recruiting officials is to prevent failed scholars like Zhang Yuan from surrendering to other countries. The harm caused by literati surrendering to the enemy is really too great, and the Song Dynasty also suffered greatly.

"Of course! Now it's just a matter of increasing the number of exams. Zhang Ruzhou and others were admitted to the Jinshi by virtue of their literary talents, not by fraud. From the perspective of the veteran, we only need to strengthen strict investigation of this policy in the future." Fan Chunli also objected.

Su Shi snorted coldly and said: "You gentlemen do not know. Although the imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty ranked the highest among all dynasties, the literary style of the Song Dynasty was at its peak. Too many people failed every year. There were countless officials who met the number of failed exams. The Ministry of Rites It’s already overwhelmed!”

Su Shi was originally very dissatisfied with the policy of recruiting people into official positions. Therefore, the Ministry of Rites had to spend a lot of manpower and material resources every year. Now that a case of fraud in the imperial examination was finally revealed, Su Shi took the opportunity to abolish this policy.

“The Ministry of Rites is overwhelmed!”

When Su Shi gradually increased the number of scholars who met the number of failed candidates, the entire court suddenly fell into silence.

The literary style of the Song Dynasty was at its peak, and the number of scholars increased year by year. Coupled with the emergence of movable type printing, which greatly reduced the cost of reading, and the promotion of universal education in the Song Dynasty, the number of scholars in the future will surely increase geometrically. Not only The Ministry of Rites cannot afford it, and even the various government offices cannot afford such a terrifying number of scholars.

The ministers of the Manchu Dynasty were speechless. After Su Shi broke out the data one by one, the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty understood that the shortcomings of the method of recruiting officials into officials have become obvious. If it is not abolished, the court will be overwhelmed in the future.

Zhao Xu looked at the silent ministers and said decisively: "Since it is only a matter of time that the road to officialdom will be abolished sooner or later, it is better to make an early decision than to have bad governance break out in the future. This imperial examination fraud case is an opportunity."

"The officials are wise!"

Su Shi breathed a sigh of relief.

Fan Chunli frowned and said, "Officials should think twice. If the official recruitment process is abolished, I am afraid that the hearts of the world's scholars will be unstable."

Recruitment was an escape route left by the imperial court for those scholars who failed to pass the test, in case those scholars failed in repeated trials and surrendered to other countries in despair. However, rashly rejecting recruitment would eventually make the world's scholars The child is heartbroken, if he is not careful, it will lead to catastrophe.

The three prime ministers nodded one after another, this matter was very involved.

Zhao Xu looked around and said: "Yes, if we completely abolish the official recruitment system, it will definitely cause dissatisfaction among the scholars. If we abolish the official recruitment system and start from the two Zhejiang roads, it is logical. Fan Zheng, who happened to be transferred to the two Zhejiang provinces, once again wrote a reform letter." What do you think of the imperial examination policy?"

"Start from Liangzhe Road!"

"Evil doctor Fan Zheng once again submitted a letter to reform the imperial examination!"

All the officials in the dynasty could not help but frown. The sudden increase in the number of candidates for official positions in Liangzhe Road was indeed an opportunity to abolish the number of candidates for official positions. However, reforming the imperial examinations could not be easy.

"County test, government test, solution test!"

"Tongsheng, scholar, and scholar!"

However, when they saw Fan Zheng's reform strategy for the imperial examination, they were shocked!
"It's really wonderful! Such layered selection will share the pressure of the imperial examination to various roads, prefectures, and counties. Even if the number of people taking the imperial examination in the Song Dynasty increases in the future, the imperial examination can still be carried out leisurely!" Su Shi exclaimed.

Under the existing imperial examination system of the Song Dynasty, there were only two levels. Scholars from the entire government gathered together to participate in the examination. Too many people would inevitably cause chaos.

Dividing the examination into three and selecting each level is enough to divert the number of people who take the imperial examination and control the number of people who take the imperial examination within a certain range in each prefecture.

"What's more important is that the court gives preferential treatment to candidates and scholars, so that even if they fail to pass the imperial examination, they can still enter the dormitory and become a master, which is enough to replace the preferential treatment of being an official by increasing the number of examinations." Su Song also nodded in praise.

"This traitor finally found a way to be right!"

Fan Chunli snorted coldly.

However, the official Manchao couldn't hear the strong sense of pride in his mouth, and he couldn't help but feel sad.

This time, Fan Chunli's daughter-in-law personally discovered the imperial examination fraud case, and his son Fan Zheng wrote a letter on how to reform the imperial examination, which greatly increased Fan Chunli's face.

The other officials thought for a moment and nodded slightly. Fan Zheng's policy of reforming the imperial examination was indeed correct. It not only solved the shortcomings of the imperial examination in one fell swoop, but also gave preferential treatment to scholars.

"Pass a decree to severely punish Zhang Ruzhou and others involved in the fraud case! Agree with the policy of transferring envoys between Zhejiang and Zhejiang, and use the two Zhejiang roads as a pilot to reform the imperial examination system!"

Zhao Xu waved his hand.

"The officials are wise!"

All the officials took orders one after another.

........................

"There was an official decree, and Zhang Ruzhou arbitrarily increased his promotion to an official position, bribed academics and administrators, and deceived the emperor. He deserved the death penalty. However, the Song Dynasty had never punished officials, so he was exempted from the death penalty. His reputation as a Jinshi was removed, and he was dismissed from his official position. Liuzhou!" Fan Zheng solemnly pronounced the verdict in the transfer envoy between Zhejiang and Zhejiang.

Under the lobby, Zhang Ruzhou felt as if he was struck by lightning when he heard this. He did not expect that for the sake of fame, he wanted to step on the evil doctor Fan Zheng to become famous. However, he did not expect that even the evil doctor Fan Zheng did not take any action, and he was defeated miserably at the hands of Li Qingzhao.

"Other officials involved in the case will be dismissed from their posts. All scholars who want to increase their number of examinations will not be allowed to take part in the imperial examination within five years. The policy of recruiting officials by increasing the number of examinations will be abolished in the two Zhejiang roads!" Fan Zheng said again.

"what?"

Officials in both Zhejiang and Zhejiang were in an uproar. The punishment of the officials and scholars involved in the case was not beyond their expectations. However, the abolition of official recruitment made them excited. Once this happened, it would be a huge blow to the scholars in both Zhejiang and Zhejiang. , will also have a profound impact on the officialdom of the two Zhejiang provinces.

"Master Fan, you have won the trust of the officials. Please intercede for the officials! Let me, the failed scholars from Zhejiang and Zhejiang, live."

Officials from both Zhejiang and Zhejiang Provinces wrote letters one after another. If this matter was spread, the scholars in both Zhejiang and Zhejiang would be in mourning.

Fan Zheng seemed helpless and said: "I am the transfer envoy between Zhejiang and Zhejiang, so I will naturally consider the scholars from Zhejiang and Zhejiang. However, there is a case of imperial examination fraud in Zhejiang and Zhejiang. The officials are furious, and I can't do anything about it!"

Officials in Liangzhe and Zhejiang could not help but sigh, and could not help but feel helpless. Just as Fan Zheng said, the imperial examination fraud case was discovered in Liangzhe and Zhejiang, and it was impossible not to punish him!
Fan Zheng changed his words and said: "However, misfortune lies where blessings depend, and misfortune lies behind. The fraud cases in the imperial examinations that increased the number of candidates for official positions broke out in Liangzhe Road, which is enough to expose the shortcomings of the number of candidates for official positions. The official has written to the court and decided to use the two Zhejiang roads as a pilot project and divide it into three parts. "

"County test, government test, solution test!"

When Fan Zheng revealed all his ideas for reform, all the officials suddenly felt moved.

Before that, the examination was held every three years. Within three years, all the scholars gathered in Hangzhou Prefecture to take the examination, and the number of participants increased year by year. This made Hangzhou Prefecture miserable. If the counties and prefectures could be divided into two Zhejiang Road shared the imperial examination pressure, which indeed greatly reduced the imperial examination pressure on the two Zhejiang Roads.

Fan Zheng continued: "The level of the candidates who take the exam every year is also uneven. If we adopt the three-level classification of children, scholars, and candidates, and select talents at each level, it will allow scholars to participate in the imperial examination without having to travel long distances and increase the burden on their families. , Secondly, we can also select the most elite talents to come to Beijing to take the exam to strengthen our officialdom in Zhejiang Province!"

Officials from both Zhejiang and Zhejiang Provinces thought that it was universally acknowledged that the imperial examination was a long way away. Officials from both Zhejiang and Zhejiang Provinces had participated in the imperial examinations, so they naturally had a deep understanding of it.

Leaving aside traveling to Beijing to take the exam, it is not an easy task for ordinary families to go to the prefectural city to take the exam. If they can take the exam in their own county, it will save scholars money, and help everyone share the pressure of the exam.

Tan Hong frowned and said: "Now there has just been an imperial examination fraud case in Liangzhe Road. If the imperial examination is divided among the counties, we will not have time to supervise it. If it happens again..."

As soon as Tan Hong said this, Liangzhe Road had just experienced an imperial examination cheating case. If the county examination was held again, given the greed of the people under the officials, if another imperial examination cheating case occurred, Liangzhe Road would probably lose face again.

Fan Zheng said loudly: "If we want to put an end to fraud in the imperial examinations, in addition to adhering to the traditional method of name anonymity and transcription, I have decided to use off-site invigilation, off-site marking, etc. for county examinations."

"Regarding the disadvantage of excessively increasing the number of candidates for official positions in this imperial examination, I have decided to use township promotion, mutual protection of students and officials, and official guarantees as the main methods to ensure that the county examination recommends Confucian students with both good character and academic performance to participate in the imperial examination. , and at the same time, prevent people who do not meet the qualifications from taking the exam, such as pretending to be registered, hiding in mourning, etc.”

Fan Zheng explained one by one how to deal with imperial examination fraud in later generations, which immediately amazed the officials from Zhejiang and Zhejiang.

Tan Hong frowned and said, "Is this matter too complicated?"

Many officials nodded slightly. Although the examination was divided into three, Fan Zheng added preventive measures, which also increased the workload of the imperial examination.

Fan Zheng said unceremoniously: "An imperial examination fraud case just occurred on our Liangzhe Road. We cannot be too cautious."

"What your lord said is true!"

The officials finally nodded. Agree with Fan Zheng's policy.

Tan Hong still questioned: "If Liangzhe Road loses its way to become an official, I am afraid it will cause dissatisfaction among the scholars."

Fan Zheng sneered and said: "Those who fail are those who fail in the examination. It is still difficult for scholars who pass the examination to pass the Jinshi examination. What's more, there is only one Zhang Ruzhou in the two Zhejiang roads in these years. After failing many times, He passed the Jinshi exam, but was also exposed to fraud in the imperial examination."

Many officials immediately nodded. They were successful in the imperial examination, so they naturally knew how difficult the imperial examination was. It would take thousands of years to get a high school Jinshi after failing the examination.

Fan Zheng changed his words and said: "Of course, for those who have failed, although they have lost the preferential treatment of the imperial court, but they can get certain preferential treatment if they know the two Zhejiang roads."

"Does Liangzhe Road give him preferential treatment?"

The eyes of the officials from Liangzhe and Zhejiang lit up. If Liangzhe Road gave preferential treatment to scholars, their resentment for not being able to get promoted to official positions would be greatly alleviated.

"Please give me a clear explanation, Master Transshipment Envoy!" Tan Hong asked.

Fan Zheng said loudly: "Anyone who succeeds in the examination and chooses the outstanding ones can enjoy six buckets of rice per month to encourage the children to study hard and reduce the burden of livelihood. Of course, the number of places is limited, and only twenty people can do it in each county." enjoy."

"Six buckets of rice a month to encourage children to study hard?"

Many officials nodded slightly. Six buckets of rice was enough to feed and clothe a child and allow him to concentrate on his studies. Moreover, even though there were only twenty people, it was probably among these twenty who would be admitted as scholars in the future.

Fan Zheng said again: "Once an outstanding child is admitted as a scholar, he will naturally receive more preferential treatment. First, he can meet officials without kneeling; second, he will be exempted from corvee; third, he will be qualified to serve as a wife and gain a livelihood. ”

Later generations of scholars had the privilege of being exempted from land taxes, which often caused many local people to donate land to evade taxes, resulting in the loss of court taxes. Fan Zheng's reform and imperial examination naturally took the essence and discarded the dross, only exempting himself from corvee, and then added The quota of being a master is enough to make up for the loss of land tax.

"Xiucai!"

The hearts of all the officials were moved. In this way, the value and status of the scholar will be greatly increased. Even if he fails to pass the examination, he can still live a very prosperous life. It is much better than joining the official position by applying for an official position. After all, if he can get enough No matter how many times you fail, it would be in vain to fail to pass the Jinshi exam.

"The final examination is organized by Liangzhe Academic Affairs. All scholars in Liangzhe Road can participate. After passing the examination, the scholars have entered the ranks of officials. In addition to enjoying all the privileges of scholars, they can also go to Beijing to take the examination. "

………………

Fan Zheng came up with the imperial examinations for the reform one by one, and all the officials in Liangzhe Road nodded.

The imperial examination system newly enacted by the Liang Zhejiang Road, although it reduced the privilege of being elected to the official position, it gave a lot of preferential treatment to a number of talents and candidates. It also selected at all levels and avoided imperial examination fraud. It can be said that it is the most perfect imperial examination at present. The system is enough to quell the complaints of scholars in the two Zhejiang provinces.

What's more important is that once the two Zhejiang Roads succeed in reforming the imperial examination system, they will definitely be the best in the world. They will definitely be able to make meritorious deeds and turn bad things into good things.

"The fortune brings great joy to my lord!"

All the officials expressed admiration.

Upon seeing this, Tan Hong lowered his head helplessly. Fan Zheng successfully resolved the crisis of the imperial examination fraud case. He not only appeased the scholars of the two Zhejiang provinces, but also convinced the officials of the two Zhejiang provinces. Fan Zheng will definitely stick to his word on the two Zhejiang roads in the future. (End of chapter)