Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 170 Examination of Qualifications for Imperial Examinations in the Tang Dynasty
"The imperial examinations for the powerful are really abstract."

Walking out of the palace city and onto Zhuque Street, Fang Chongyong looked at the bustling crowd on the street and couldn't help but sigh.

The wide Suzaku Street at this moment is like this world.

The narrow "carriage path" in the center is paved with gravel and sand. There will be no splashing of mud and water on rainy days. People in the carriage do not have to walk or endure the wind and sun.

The "sidewalks" on both sides are dusty when walking on sunny days, and muddy when walking on rainy days, and horse-drawn carriages, ox-carts and bicycles are not allowed.

People of whatever status follow a certain path, and the rules of the world are strict.

It is naturally easy to turn from the carriageway to the sidewalk, but it is difficult to turn from the sidewalk to the carriageway.First of all, you must have a car and be "road qualified".

Otherwise, he will either be arrested by the Jinwu Guards and fined, or he will be killed in the middle of the road!

"Fang Shijun, just hope you're okay!"

While Fang Chongyong was in a daze, a cordial greeting suddenly came to his ears.He took a closer look and saw that the people who had just spoken were Du Fu and Yuan Jie, who were carrying their luggage.They were walking in a hurry, their clothes were a little messy, and they looked a little embarrassed.

Fang Chongyong suddenly felt something in his heart, and said with a smile: "It's better to choose a day than to hit it. You two did a great favor to someone and protected someone's beautiful concubine. Why don't you go and have a glass of wine at my home now. I live in Yongjiafang, It’s not far from here and it’s not too much trouble.”

"No, no, we have to go to the office set up by the Ministry of Etiquette up front, and they will review the reference qualifications for the scientific examination. This matter cannot be delayed. After today, there will be nothing we can do."

Yuan Jie politely declined Fang Chongyong's warm invitation.

"Yes, Fang Shijun is a fourth-grade governor, so naturally he doesn't know about these nonsense. The Ministry of Rites uses various small rules to brush out the reference scholars, and does everything possible to embarrass us scholars who are out of town rushing to take the exam. The qualification review is today, expired Don’t make up for it.”

Du Fu, who was beside Yuan Jie, said angrily.

Need a qualification review?So many rules?Why haven't you heard Li Linfu say it?
Fang Chongyong was a little surprised. Not only had Li Linfu never said this, but he had never heard of it before.Thinking about it, these routines are deliberately created to embarrass those who "shouldn't be here".The first to bear the brunt are those who passed the state examination and were recommended to take the examination in the capital.

The other side of the government office was not among those being scrutinized.

Du Fu was born into a wealthy family, but now his family has encountered changes and his family has fallen into decline.Moreover, although his family is a branch of the Du family, it is quite far away from the prominent Jingzhao Du family, and no longer enjoys the special benefits of the bureaucratic class.

The poem "I will be at the top of the mountain and see all the small mountains at a glance" is indeed awesome, but so what?Can I make a living or work as an official?

This is an era of fighting father!

Of course, if you don’t have a good father, you can try to be a godfather; or you can try to be an uncle or a grandfather. Anyway, you have to have one of these relationships.

"The two of us have a merciless request..."

Yuan Jie suddenly asked with some embarrassment, and Du Fu had the same expression. The two of them lowered their heads like young ladies who had not left the palace, looking very ashamed.

Fang Chongyong had a strange look on his face, waved his hand and said, "You two hit it off immediately. If you have any requests, as long as I can help, it's a trivial matter, no need to say thank you."

He laughed heartily.Yuan Jie and Du Fu were overjoyed when they saw this. They quickly took out a stack of crumpled papers from their respective bags and specially strung them together with hemp rope.It was in terrible condition and had obviously been turned over many times.

"The two of you are..."

This scene made Fang Chongyong look confused.

"No exams, no imperial examinations. Although some people know that this is to follow the trend, we are officials to benefit the people, and we don't care about such small details.

Please take a look at our masterpiece. If you have the chance, it would be great if you could say a few words of praise in front of the examiner.

A certain person and Du Zimei are almost penniless now. When they get rich in the future, they will definitely make up for the expenses of traveling documents. "

Yuan Jie bowed deeply to Fang Chongyong and made a big salute!Although Du Fu beside him didn't speak, his movements and expressions were the same.

Almost everyone knows that there is a fee for filing papers, but this is the first time Fang Chongyong has heard of it.

But it’s normal when you think about it. The powerful use their interpersonal relationships to ask for help from examiners, and not all of the people “seeking support” are relatives and friends. It’s normal for people to accept money to do things!If you think that if you write good poems and essays, you can "whore" the connections of powerful people for nothing, then you are truly naive.

Taking over the "collection of works" from the two of them, Fang Chongyong flipped through it casually and saw Du Fu's song "Wang Yue".

"You will be at the top of the mountain, and you will have a panoramic view of all the mountains. What a great poem, what a great poem! This poem will be remembered for generations to come!"

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but admire.

It’s not easy, seeing the original manuscript.He carefully collected the two's collections and did not intend to return them.

The nervous faces of Yuan Jie and Du Fu relaxed, knowing that their examination papers were almost certain to be settled.

"Then where is the qualification examination? Let me go with you!"

Fang Chongyong enthusiastically "invited".

Yuan Jie and Du Fu were overjoyed. They were originally worried that the imperial examination qualifications might be rejected "inexplicably". There are such unlucky people every year.For example, three generations of a person's family have been in business, and they spend money to bribe the examiners of the local state government and then pass the state examination.

After arriving in Chang'an, didn't the Ministry of Rites, which organized the examination, conduct a "qualification review" on these students?

In terms of emotion and reason, this is what it should be.This can eliminate those who pretend to be false and cheat by referring to qualifications, thus ensuring the relative fairness of the imperial examination.

But this is the way of life in the Tang Dynasty. Policies are often good when they are formulated, but when they are implemented later, they are completely out of shape.

The "qualification review" of the Ministry of Rites now not only fails to achieve the function of "isolating reference qualification fraud", but from time to time, it will exclude candidates who are fully qualified to take the exam, becoming an accomplice of the powerful and powerful in cheating!
Those who are involved in fraud can naturally complete the process, and the Ministry of Etiquette will not embarrass them in the review.However, it is difficult to say that some people are powerless and qualified to take the exam.

Yuan Jie and Du Fu have both been studying for many years and have traveled abroad. They are not ignorant children. They naturally understand these methods very clearly.

Of course, knowing these ways does not mean there is a perfect way to deal with them.

This is the same as those people in Fang Chongyong's previous life who knew they had cancer but could not cure it.

"Although many officials in the Ministry of Etiquette are guilty of illegal activities, they still have the right skills to make you here. Come to think of it, they don't dare to do anything wrong!"

When he thought of some bad things, Du Fu complained angrily from the side.

"Brother Zimei, please tell me. Fang Shijun is the governor of Shazhou and a fourth-rank official. I don't believe those dog officials in the Ministry of Rites dare to be presumptuous in front of Fang Shijun!"

Yuan Jie was more tactful than Du Fu, and he patted Fang Chongyong's ass quietly.

Fang Chongyong originally thought that the booth where the Ministry of Rites was working was far away from here, but he didn't expect that it was right next to the wall of the imperial city. A shelf was supported by bamboos, covered with linen and turned into a simple shed, with two desks placed underneath.

The official sitting in front of one desk is responsible for reviewing, and the official sitting in front of the other desk is responsible for recording, that's all.

In less than half a stick of incense, the three of them had already reached the back of the queue.

It is difficult not to be noticed here, because there is already a long queue of old people, all of whom are dressed as Confucian scholars. Fang Chongyong, who is tall and strong, with dark and red skin, has become a different kind.

Well, to a certain extent, he is indeed the "monster" inside.

Different from the trepidation on the road to the imperial examination, this time, Yuan Jie and Du Fu believed that they had succeeded in "taking advantage of the opportunity".At this moment, I was full of confidence. I wished that the queue would move faster, finish my work earlier, go to Fang Chongyong’s house for a drink earlier, and use all my strength to get close!
Du Fu had already prepared the "beauty poem" written for Fang Chongyong's beautiful concubine, Anaye!
Hum!If an official from the Ministry of Rites dares to play tricks on the governor of a fourth-level state with real power, he must have considerable courage!This trip is a crushing game!

Du Fu and Yuan Jie were both secretly proud and very happy!

Many times, people in the world have mixed views on those powerful people who do whatever they want.

When I was not a powerful person, I wished that all the powerful people in the world would die and watch them wail and struggle in the flood.

But when you become a powerful person, or become a person who works for a powerful person, and you have many opportunities to climb up.Their thoughts will undergo a 180-degree turn, and they will become staunch supporters of the aristocratic system, completely forgetting their previous attitude towards it.

Simply put, this is the so-called "butt determines the head"!What kind of identity a person has will determine what kind of thoughts he will have.

In fact, it is not surprising at all.

The number of people waiting in line for review has shrunk quickly, but the news coming from the front is not all good.

Many people lowered their heads and left in a hurry, looking as if they had been brushed off.Some people even argued with the officials from the Ministry of Etiquette who were responsible for the review, and then were beaten wildly with sticks by the Jinwu guards who maintained order. They were beaten until they were running away with their heads covered!

Yuan Jie and Du Fu looked nervous, but when they saw Fang Chongyong looking calm and confident, they were immediately relieved!

Haha, in front of the fourth-rank Shazhou governor, these low-level officials still want to play tricks?

Don’t even think about it!This kind of red line, whoever touches it in the officialdom will die!

Ever since Zheng Shuqing told Du Fu and Yuan Jie about Fang Chongyong's true identity, they knew that this "brave act of justice" was indeed a good thing for good people!

It feels really good to have a powerful person escort you all the way!Both of them couldn't help but sigh in their hearts, and they understood the beauty of power.

People who really criticize those in power do it just because they don’t have the power.

However, when they reached the queue, Yuan Jie and Du Fu watched helplessly as Fang Chongyong, who was standing in front of them, actually walked up to the review officer and accepted the review!My heart was in my throat immediately!
"Name?"

"Fang Chongyong."

"Nation."

"My ancestral home is Dunhuang County, and I later moved to Chang'an. I am considered a native of Chang'an County and live in Yongjiafang."

"My ancestral home is a remote state..."

The green-robed official from the Ministry of Etiquette in front of him pondered for a moment. He felt that Fang Chongyong's identity was considered a "short-shirt gang wearing long robes" among the scholars. A group of people from remote state capitals.

A little bit unsure.

So he continued to ask: "What is your father's name?"

If you can’t spell your place of origin, try spelling your father’s name.Under normal circumstances, once this process begins, the scholar under review will add a combination of region + official position in front of his father's name, and form a "Pin Dad entry" together with the name.

For example: My father is XXX, the magistrate of Heyin County, and my uncle is XXX, the magistrate of Chang'an County.

If there is no title, it means... this person is from the lowest group of scholars, and you don't know how he will be treated.

"My father is virtuous."

Fang Chongyong said calmly.

"Don't you have an official position? Why do you always feel that this name sounds familiar..."

The green-robed official from the Ministry of Etiquette murmured to himself.

At this moment, the green-robed official who was taking notes next to him was so frightened that his face turned pale. He hurriedly pulled his sleeves, then walked over to the other party Chongyong, crossed his hands and saluted respectfully:
"Greetings to Mr. Fang! Shangguan has had a hard time traveling back from Shazhou. I will take you to a nearby wine shop to have a glass of water and have a seat. It's not respectful, it's not respectful!"

Outside of Fang Yuan?
Suddenly, Yuan Jie and Du Fu were shocked!
The so-called "Yuanwai" title here can make the officials of the Ministry of Rites "arrogant at first and respectful at the end" in an instant, and that can only be Yuanwailang of the Sixth Department.If we consider the specific circumstances, we can only be "a member of the Ministry of Etiquette"!
The immediate boss of the two officials in front of me!

Unexpectedly, Fang Chongyong actually has several practical jobs!And there happens to be an official who can strangle the neck of the official of the Ministry of Etiquette!
In fact, although this kind of thing that has both central and local official positions seems incredible, it is actually not strange at all.

This was the case many times in the Tang Dynasty, and there were many examples.Not only was this not a pragmatic act by the Tang government, but it was an expression of extreme pragmatism.

This type of official often has great power, far more powerful than ordinary local officials of the same level!And with an officialdom buff of 1+1 greater than 2, you will enter the fast lane for promotion!
For example, a certain state in Sichuan wants to build the Leshan Giant Buddha!Such a large project will take more than five years to complete. Can it be completed by a single state?
Obviously not.

Therefore, for large projects like this, there is usually a specialist at the central level who is responsible for overall management.

In order to avoid the situation where bureaucrats at different levels blame each other, the court will make such appointments, namely:

Let this central official retain his position, and then go to the local level to oversee the advancement of the project, and at the same time hold local positions such as state governor.

At the same time, the actual government affairs of the state are handled by the second-in-command Sima or Changshi, while the governor does not handle specific matters.On weekdays, when a major event has been completed and results have come to fruition, Sima or the chief minister can just report it to the governor.

This central official who is also the governor, the reason why he is the top leader of the state is just to facilitate the coordination of the project progress. He does not have to discuss with the top leader of the state for a long time when he needs to allocate manpower and material resources of the state capital!

Obviously, Fang Chongyong was originally a mid-level official in the Ministry of Rites of the imperial court, and was then sent to Shazhou to build Buddhist caves, so he was also the governor of Shazhou!

Yuan Jie and Du Fu both came from official families and had a good understanding of the rules of officialdom. The two of them immediately made up Fang Chongyong's officialdom experience completely in their minds, and they felt that their logic was self-consistent and rounded.

They suddenly felt admiration for each other Chongyong!Like a surging river that stretches endlessly!
See how people become officials at such a young age?
The center has a position and local training experience!After finishing the work at the local level, first report on the work and then select officials, then can't you get a job as a minister of the Ministry of Rites?
This is called professional!

"Except Member Fang, we are all officials of the Ministry of Etiquette, so please don't tease your subordinates. Please wait here for a while, and after these chores are taken care of, the two of us will take care of you!"
One stick of incense, one stick of incense time, and we’re done! "

The official from the Ministry of Rites who "reviewed" Fang Chongyong quickly nodded and bowed, his unruly attitude just now falling to the ground.It can be called a classic case of being arrogant at first and respectful at the end.

A Shazhou governor may not be able to do anything to them.

But the Minister of Rites, Yuan Wailang, is his immediate superior!

Fang Chongyong used his power to kill the two of them without spending any time, which was just a sentence.There is indeed a Yuanwailang in the Ministry of Rites who is not seen at all on weekdays. I heard that he has been on business in Shazhou and serves as the governor of Shazhou.

Unexpectedly, it was this tall and tall young man in front of me, with quite a Qiu Ba temperament!

Not only is he a county magistrate, but he is also a current administrator!

You are so awesome as a horse rider, why don't you say something in advance? Is it fun to play like this now?

The two officials from the Ministry of Etiquette were so flustered that their legs were weak, and they were also uneasy, fearing that Fang Chongyong would find an excuse to wear small shoes for them!

This scene happened to him, and Fang Chongyong was suddenly confused.Because the experience was so magical, it really felt like experiencing all kinds of things in the world!

Fang Chongyong pointed to Du Fu and Yuan Jie behind him and said: "They are the scholars who participated in the imperial examination this time. I think they are quite talented and should be qualified to participate in this imperial examination, right?"

There were hints in his words that even a fool could hear, but he didn't say directly: These two are my friends, so you don't need to go to trial if you give me face, right?
Of course there is no need for a trial!If you try again, your official title will be gone!There are no such official rules anywhere that seek death!

One of the officials from the Ministry of Rites was so straightforward that he pulled Du Fu and Yuan Jie aside for registration without asking any questions. The other one was very attentive and poured water for Fang Chongyong, which was just a hair away from kneeling down to lick them.

The scholars from all over the country who were waiting in line for review were stunned and couldn't believe that this scene was real.

They are all "vulnerable groups" in the imperial examination class.The qualification review for the graduates of the Imperial College is confirmed by the Imperial College. I can only say that anyone who understands the specific details.

To be able to queue up here and "get treated" can only be said to have been "disciplined" by the Ministry of Etiquette.

Have they ever seen an official from the Ministry of Etiquette kneeling and licking someone?
After the two officials from the Ministry of Rites recorded Du Fu Yuanjie's information, Fang Chongyong saw that the heat was almost over, so he coughed lightly and said: "Well, you two did a good job. I have something to do now, so I'll go there another day The Yamen of Shangshu Mansion will tell you in detail and take my leave."

He can no longer pretend, he has completed his debriefing, and now his biggest title is "General Qianniuwei of the Inspection School", which can only coax ordinary people who know nothing about officialdom.

Fang Chongyong's indifferent attitude of rejecting people thousands of miles away made these two green-robed officials of the Ministry of Etiquette accustomed to him.Well, because their superiors usually have this attitude!

After he took Yuan Jie and Du Fu away, these two celebrities who had left their names in the literary world felt as if they had lived in another world. They were flattered and quickly saluted Fang Chongyong, who had just helped them a lot, and thanked them.

"Let's go, I've finished my work anyway, now let's go to a certain house for a drink."

Fang Chongyong invited warmly.

"Isn't this... too disturbing?"

Yuan Jie, who has a slightly higher emotional intelligence, asked in a pretense of politeness, but in fact he was retreating in order to advance, refusing to welcome in return.

In fact, even if Fang Chongyong didn't invite him, they would still find a way to get close to him, not to mention that the other party had already spoken first.

"Hey, what are you talking about? How can it be a disturbance? Not long after I returned to Chang'an, there was only a good wife taking care of the house. It was so boring. You just go to have a drink. There are no outsiders or servants there. Not many, hahahaha!"

Fang Chongyong smiled heartily.

Really good people get rewarded!

Du Fu and Yuan Jie couldn't help but sigh, feeling that this trip to Chang'an was really the right one.

Sure enough, he did not hesitate to offend young Wuling and stood up for this high-ranking official of the imperial court, but now he immediately received a reward far beyond his imagination.The Xing family is not easy to mess with either. If the identities of those Wuling young men had been known beforehand, I am afraid they would not have come forward.

This was all thanks to Du Fu's impulsive anger at the time!
They encountered a lot of difficulties on their way to Chang'an. At that time, they felt unfair in their hearts, so they saw uneven roads.But I didn’t expect that things would take a turn for the worse after that!
The hard work is not in vain at all!

But it's normal to think about it. How could such a beautiful concubine with such stunning appearance be kept alive without Fang Chongyong's high-power official position nearby? I'm afraid she would have been taken away by the powerful a long time ago.

"I'm just going to be respectful, so it's better to obey."

Du Fu and Yuan Jie joined hands and bowed in thanks.

"If you want it, go ahead!"

Fang Chongyong laughed loudly, with no trace of guilt at all.

　This is a very long chapter, please vote, I believe the update quality will be excellent.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)