Datang: Ten Years of Proton, Leading an Army of Millions to Return

Chapter 109: Changle, you are upset!

Imperial examination!

This was a plan that had already been set up when the school was established.

The time to hold the imperial examination will be evaluated based on the learning status of the students in school.

And this assessment will be very low.

This is mainly because Yanyun City, including Liaodong City, has too few grassroots personnel among its own people.

The imperial examination can effectively screen talents and fill grassroots units with public office vacancies.

Taking a closer look at the entire Yanyun City, there are more than 3000 vacancies at the grassroots level.

These more than 3000 positions were previously outsourced and paid for to be done by capable people.

But this is not a long-term solution after all.

Stable grassroots personnel are needed so that the instructions transmitted by the empire can be implemented at their level, and then they can continue to implement them.

in other words.

An idea originated from him, Li Kuan, and it was decentralized to a few points in the court, turned into dozens of points in the middle-level branches, and turned into hundreds or even thousands of points in the grassroots level.

In this way, if one thing is divided into so many positions, the burden on everyone will not be too heavy, and more people can be fed with public food.

And this also gives the school an output position for why we study.

for….
Study to build an empire, become an official, etc.!
In addition, the imperial examination was set up so that officials from poor families could rise to the top. This was far different from the Tang Dynasty's concept that only people from aristocratic families could become superiors.

The overall model is similar to that of later modern cities.

The imperial examination was established.

Li Kuan did not answer Guo Shoujing immediately, but kept thinking deeply.

His position is different from Guo Shoujing. Guo Shoujing was the proposer. The establishment of the imperial examination was beneficial to scholars and was considered unilaterally. However, Li Kuan was the decision-maker and needed to consider more aspects.

such as.

Will the establishment of the imperial examination affect middle-aged people, the elderly, and those working in the workplace, etc.?

All walks of life need to be considered.

No matter what kind of big decision it is, it will harm the interests of some people, but in the case of the imperial examination...
Li Kuan thought for a long time and was almost certain that the current political system in Dayan was very suitable for carrying out the imperial examination, so he nodded and said: "Then, let's carry it out."

"The time is set in four months."

"All issues in the imperial examination must be based on practical issues, rather than just the paper talk of the Tang Dynasty."

"Of course, we also want what Datang did, but the proportion should be at most one-quarter, and the other three-quarters must be pragmatic."

Guo Shoujing excitedly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I understand!"

He backed away quickly.

………………………….
The next day.

A piece of heavy news swept through the entire Yanyun City.

Yanyun City!
No, the entire Great Yan will have imperial examinations!
All of a sudden, all the scholars in Yanyun City were excited.

actually….
There are not many scholars in Yanyun City.

Scholars are worth a lot of money, and the treatment given by Datang is very good.

Coupled with the locust plague, the people who fled Youzhou had to travel through mountains and rivers from Youzhou to Yanyun City, which was so difficult and dangerous that many hungry scholars were scared to hear it.

After all, how could this guy with thin arms and legs dare to travel such a long distance to Dayan?

Therefore, the hungry scholars in Youzhou basically fled towards Chang'an City.

And because they are scholars, they are treated much better than ordinary refugees in Chang'an City.

Today, a large proportion of the scholars in Yanyun City were originally captured by Turks, Goguryeo, Liang, etc.

That is, once a slave.

These scholars have suffered from being slaves and have long since given up hope of getting ahead in their studies. It is good enough to be alive.

Therefore, they regarded Dayan, who saved them, as the real leader. After Dayan was established, many scholars were recruited by the government to become teachers.

Therefore, the news of the imperial examination came out on this day.

The teachers in Yanyun City were the most excited.

They didn't expect that the ideal they had lost after being enslaved, studying and getting ahead, could actually appear in this land!
Imperial Examination…Imperial Examination!

If we want to trace back to when it was last opened, in the entire history of the Han people, it was more than ten years ago.

Time flies.

No one thought that when the imperial examination was reopened, the Sui Dynasty would be gone, and it was not the Tang Dynasty that started the imperial examination, but the new empire under their feet, Great Yan! !

This makes the teachers completely excited!

And Zhao Yang is one of them.

He was originally the master of the magistrate of Daicheng County, but due to the locust plague in Youzhou, the court issued an order to punish several officials, and the magistrate of Daicheng County was among them.

When Zhao Yang heard the news, he had already left quietly for fear of being blamed.

He did not go to Chang'an or other places in the Tang Dynasty. Instead, he chose to go north and followed another refugee team heading to Dayan.

When he came, Dayan had a total of one city, Yanyun City, and its six towns.

He originally lived in Tamsui Town, but because of his experience as an official, Zhao Yang knew very well that a person should go to higher places, so he naturally came to live in Yanyun City.

There are always more opportunities in Kyoto than in other places.

In the days after arriving, several schools were opened in Yanyun City. There were not enough classrooms to recruit scholars. Zhao Yang relied on his talent to quickly master the usage of Chinese Pinyin, passed the interview, and taught in a primary school.

There is food, drink, housing, and work. Looking at the neighbors, including the entire people of Yanyun City, they all look full of vitality, which is much better than the lifeless life in Daicheng County before.

I originally thought this was dreamy enough.

But I didn’t expect….
Surprisingly, there is also an imperial examination! !

Imperial examination... Imperial examination! !

That was the imperial examination, the best way for countless people from lower status to cross class!

I...can actually see this in my lifetime...
Zhao Yang's eyes were slightly moist.

He thought, he thought, he always thought...
The former Sui Dynasty died because of the imperial examination. Later emperors took it as a warning and it was impossible to hold the imperial examination again, at least in recent generations. Looking at it this way, I would never have the chance to see it in my life.

But... I saw it in this land.

This land, this emperor...
It seemed... as if a spark was igniting, trying to ignite the dark ideals of these scholars who had been dead for a long time.

No...it doesn't seem like the leaders of this land are constantly trying to ignite sparks and illuminate the darkness in their hearts.

Light up all the darkness!
They were refugees before, now it’s their turn to be scholars!
Imperial examination... Imperial examination!
This is something that countless scholars have dreamed about, but they didn’t expect it to actually happen like this.

Zhao Yang looked at the words on this red paper, line by line, sentence by sentence. To be honest, they were more important than gold in his opinion.

"Don't look at origin, don't look at gender, don't look at age."

"......."

"Even people from the Tang Dynasty can sign up, but! If they sign up, it will automatically be considered that the applicant has left the Tang Dynasty household registration. If he does anything to harm the Tang Dynasty in the future, he will be punished as treason."

Zhao Yang took a deep breath.

He could see that there were no restrictions on men or women in Dayan's imperial examination, and there were no other restrictions. There was only one important thing, and that was that you had to have something real in your belly!
After thinking about it, Zhao Yang continued to read.

"You don't need to examine the collection of historical scriptures, and you don't need to examine those who have done it. You only need to examine the understanding and handling of practical matters. Empty talk will harm the country, but hard work... will prosper the country!"

When Zhao Yang saw this, his eyes widened and he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Dayan, this is really looking for officials who are useful to the people, useful to the empire, and insightful to the people.

“It’s better to talk the country down with empty talk, but it’s better to make the country prosperous through hard work.”

"I dare to ask, how to register for this imperial examination?"

Zhao Yang immediately asked directly to the Self-Defense Army soldier next to him.

The Self-Defense Army soldier glanced at him and said calmly: "Just go to the Yamen directly. There is a special registration point there."

"If you don't know the Yamen, I can take you there."

Zhao Yang smiled and said: "I know, I know."

After thanking him, he turned around and headed towards the Yamen without stopping at all.

When he arrived at the Yamen, there was already a long queue.

By the time he finished signing up, it was already night.

It’s so hot!

Regarding the opening of the first imperial examination, the scholars in Yanyun City treated it with great enthusiasm.

After registering, Zhao Yang hurriedly ate some food outside and then returned to his residence to study hard.

Of course, before studying, he still had to review the lessons he would teach the students tomorrow. After completing his job, he began to read books about the possible imperial examinations.

The books he read were not Confucian classics, but subject books produced by major colleges, as well as history books from past dynasties and records from various places.

Here, some classic issues dealt with by many officials are recorded.

Very helpful in practice.

As he was reading, Zhao Yang suddenly stopped and looked towards the deep night.

This opportunity to take the imperial examination is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He waited for several years, and his ideals gradually faded away, and his enthusiasm gradually faded.

But today it was ignited.

Apart from him, all his former friends have been waiting.

but….
They were far away in the Tang Dynasty and did not know about the situation in Dayan and the upcoming imperial examination.

I...do you want to write a letter and tell them about this?
But...if they come, will the competitive pressure on me also increase?

Zhao Yang was in a dilemma.

But soon, his eyes became firm and he already had an idea.

"The friendship between gentlemen is as clear as water. If they pass the exam and I fail, it must be because I, Zhao Yang, am not as good as others. If that's the case... then I will accept the defeat!"

"Not to mention, I, Zhao Yang, hahaha! I am not weak in reading. If I don't have such confidence, I won't have to take the imperial examination!!"

Zhao Yang said to himself, he was so heroic.

He was not so confident before. As a scholar from a poor family, he had to be encouraged by the Tang Dynasty family to become an official. He had to walk on thin ice almost every step for fear of offending something.

Very humble and cautious.

And since coming to this city, he has become more and more confident, even...a little arrogant!

Yes!

Madness! !
Perhaps it was due to the influence of the respected Great Yan Emperor, or maybe it was because life was far behind before, or maybe it was the successive victories in the war, etc.

Zhao Yang didn't know the reason, but the people in the inner city of this city had a sense of arrogance. They didn't take anything seriously and only thought that they and their empire were the strongest.

With such strong national self-confidence, Zhao Yang felt that it was bestowed upon him by Yang Kuan, the Great Yan Emperor.

Shaking his head, no more thought.

Zhao Yang directly took out pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

"Brother Bin Wang, seeing a letter is like seeing you in person..."

Zhao Yang slowly started writing, finishing in one breath, and then he couldn't wait to go out and send his heart.

Tonight, the letter station in Yanyun City was very busy.

Obviously, it was not only Zhao Yang who thought of this issue, many people sent letters, inviting close friends to come together to have a great future, and to fight for the imperial examination together!
"Empty talk will harm the country, but hard work will make it prosperous. Our Great Yan Empire has such a majesty. This is the hero that I, Zhao Yang, am willing to serve!!"

"Hahahaha... I, Zhao Yang, am willing to risk my life for the empire!!"

Zhao Yang laughed with great pride.

Taking advantage of the imperial examination, he said what he had always wanted to say but hesitated to say.

I am willing to shed my blood for the empire and that man!

End to death!

………………………….
Yanyun Palace.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Guo Shoujing hurriedly walked in.

At this time, Li Kuan was rocking the cradle with one hand. There was his daughter Li Yingying in the cradle, and he was playing Go with Princess Changle with the other hand.

This is his rare break.

But when he heard Guo Shoujing's voice, he stopped, looked at Guo Shoujing, who was running slowly, and asked, "What happened? Why are you so panicked?"

Guo Shoujing walked up to Li Kuan and said with a breathless smile: "Your Majesty, after the imperial examination was issued, something unexpected happened, but it was also... a good thing."

Guo Shoujing smiled from ear to ear.

Afterwards, he told many students to write letters to inform their friends and come to Dayan to register for the imperial examination, trying to make a fortune together.

Li Kuan was slightly stunned after hearing this.

The hands shaking the cradle froze.

This also made the little guy look at him with big eyes.

Li Kuan smiled and rubbed his daughter's little head, continued to rock the cradle, and said, "It is indeed a good thing."

"Principal Guo, go! Pass on my message and tell the people in the station that if they receive such a letter, they will be sent to Datang first!"

"Students from poor families in the Tang Dynasty are waiting for the opportunity of the imperial examination, and I am also waiting for talents like them. This can be said to kill two birds with one stone."

Li Kuan laughed.

The letter station was built and maintained by Dayan who invested a lot of effort.

Although Datang established diplomatic relations with Dayan Heqin, secretly, everyone knew that they were enemies. Their letters from Dayan could not be sent to the rightful people through the official channels of Datang.

The main task of their Dayan Letter Station was to deliver the letter to the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and then within the territory, the Zheng family... one of the five surnames and seven hopes, the Zheng family in Xingyang.

As their Dayan continued to win, they already had an extremely close cooperative relationship with the Zheng family.

Therefore, when the letter is delivered to the Zheng family, the Zheng family will use their own intelligence network to deliver the letter to the person it should be sent to.

"understand!"

Guo Shoujing quickly took the order and left.

Princess Changle on the side couldn't help but look bitter as she watched the two chatting and laughing and talking about the shocking news.

"Second brother, is this imperial examination really about to start?"

After a while, Princess Changle couldn't help but ask.

Li Kuan nodded without raising his head, focusing on the chessboard: "It's obvious."

When Princess Changle heard this, she felt very uncomfortable in her heart. She was worried about both the Tang Dynasty and her father.

As a member of the royal family, she knew very well what the imperial examination meant to those scholars from poor families.

To them, the imperial examination was like... deadly poison.

Yes.

poison!

In the pre-Sui era, even if they knew that participating in the imperial examination would risk being killed by aristocratic family members or even plagiarizing articles, they would still participate.

Because this is the only chance to get ahead.

Now, Great Yan has activated this deadly poison, but Datang has not yet...
Princess Changle opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but she hesitated.

"Changle, you lose."

The next moment, Li Kuan made a move, killing the entire chess game.

Princess Changle said helplessly: "Yes, I lost."

Li Kuan looked at her deeply: "I'm confused, otherwise I wouldn't lose so quickly."

"It seems that it is not suitable for us to continue playing chess today. Let's play another day."

Li Kuan didn't wait for Princess Changle's answer before carrying his daughter and walking away.

Princess Changle stared at the figure who looked like a nanny, her beautiful eyes twinkling.

Is your heart confused?…
She looked at the sky and sighed.

Maybe...that's really the case...
…….….….….….
Many days later.

Chang'an City.

Master Ma Zhou finished his day's work and dragged his tired body back to his residence.

The residence is Datongpu where the servants live.

Extremely shabby.

The smell is also extremely foul.

But for children from poor families like Ma Zhou.It’s already a very good environment.

It is really good to be able to take root in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Empire, with a poor body.

Not to mention….
He was just the lowest groom in the mansion, so Ma Zhou was really satisfied to live in Chang'an.

Moreover, what satisfies Ma Zhou the most is that after each day's work, there is still some time before he blows out the candles when he returns to his residence. During this time, he can read a book without worrying about running out of candles.

Before, when he was at home, half a candle had to last for a month, so he could read a book. He was so poor that he couldn't bear to light a candle, so he always used light.

Therefore, Ma Zhou was very satisfied.

residence,

When Ma Zhou arrived, many of his colleagues had already returned.

The sound of chatter, the smell of stinky feet, the sound of snoring...

An extremely complex and chaotic environment.

However, Ma Zhou had already developed a habit of reading only the books of sages, and he could automatically ignore these messy voices.

He took out a book of poems and stood in front of the candle as usual.

"Ma Zhou."

But at this moment, the housekeeper from the mansion walked in.

Ma Zhou stood up quickly.

The servants around him also stood up quickly and licked it with a smile.

For them, the housekeeper is a person who can determine their future in life.

This is an existence that must not be offended.

Ma Zhou also quickly put down the book in his hand.

"Butler Liu."

He quickly called out: "Steward Liu, it's so late, what can I do?"

He and Butler Liu could still exchange a few words on weekdays.

There is no other reason than that Butler Liu also likes to read.

Occasionally the two can have a little chat.

However, Ma Zhou did not dare to show his true talent. He always coaxed Butler Liu. For example, if the other party wrote a poem, he had to praise it. Even if he felt disdainful, he did not dare to say anything more.

He always praises Butler Liu to the point of ecstasy.

Sophisticated.

For children from poor families, years have already polished them off.

There is also a saying that has been passed down from ancient times to later generations and is still timeless.

Children from poor families should become masters early and become sensible early.

"Ma Zhou, I have a letter from you."

"Just in time, I was about to go back to rest and sleep. When I passed by, I saw a letter for you, so I sent it to you."

Butler Liu put the letter in his hand on the table.

Ma Zhou was shocked.

letter?
How can I believe it?
He was a little surprised.

His eyes flickered and he kept thinking.

Who would write to themselves these days?

He even suspected that someone else had sent it by mistake.

However, when he saw his name written on the envelope, Ma Zhou gave up his worries and picked it up.

"Steward Liu, this is indeed my letter. Thank you for making the trip for this."

"Would you like... to come inside and have a glass of water?"

Ma Zhou asked.

Butler Liu has been covering his nose since he came to this place.

The smell was so bad even outside the house. How could Butler Liu dare to go in? He quickly shook his head and said, "No, don't bother."

"I'm quite sleepy, let's go first."

"By the way, Ma Zhou, I wrote another poem. I'll read it to you tomorrow."

Butler Liu didn't pay much attention to the letter. He came here mainly to tell Ma Zhou that he shouldn't forget to listen to him read poetry tomorrow.

Ma Zhou agreed.

After seeing off Butler Liu, he sat in front of the candle again.

"Ma Zhou, who sent the letter? Are you a good friend?"

"Yes, Ma Zhou, which girl has fallen in love with you?"

There were a few people joking around.

Ma Zhou smiled and dealt with it casually, without any urgency.

Subsequently.

He opened the letter directly and read it.

He is not worried that his colleagues will peek at him, for no other reason than that there is no other literate person here except him.

"Brother Bin Wang, seeing a letter is like meeting..."

Ma Zhou took advantage of the candlelight and read word for word, cherishing it very much.

In this life, he has received only a handful of letters.

The arrival of this letter made him miss his hometown and family.

Ma Zhou watched with melancholy, but as he watched, his face became more solemn and his breathing became more rapid.

Finally, he saw it, saw it!

Clearly, both eyes, the whole body, and even every cell saw it! !
The sender is my friend Zhao Yang.

And what he said was shocking!

Great inflammation!

Imperial examination!

No matter which one of these two words appears, it is taboo in the Tang Dynasty.

So even if the people around him were illiterate, Ma Zhou quickly hid the letter and then stared at it.

At this moment.

It can be said that there was a huge wave in his heart, and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably.

Dayan, that Han Chinese country that was extremely mysterious to countless people in the Tang Dynasty, started the imperial examination?
For a moment, Ma Zhou's thoughts were in chaos.

Unexpected news, unexpected ecstasy.

What do these poor scholars look forward to most?Isn't it just the imperial examination?

Isn't it just a matter of changing one's identity?

As long as he succeeds in the imperial examination, he no longer needs to continue to be a low-class person here!

(End of this chapter)