Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 198: Ranking with Humiliation

If it were in the past, the ranking would be determined on the day the rankings were released, and the winner would be determined.

But even in high school, even the number one scholar is not qualified to be an official. He needs to go to the Ministry of Personnel for internal testing in person.

Those who are on the list can choose one day to go to the Ministry of Personnel to undergo the test.

If the test is passed, it will be registered by the Ministry of Personnel and then wait for use.

Those with connections can wait three to five days before being assigned. Those without connections, even if they get the top prize, will be in vain.

Therefore, before Li Zhi promoted officials who came from the imperial examination, the number one scholar was really not worth much.

Because of this, Chen Qingsi suggested that Li Zhi cancel the final re-examination of the civil service and instead select talents for the country in person. This would not only show the emperor's emphasis on talents, but also buy horse bones with a lot of money, so as to better promote the imperial examination and improve the efficiency of the imperial examination. proportion.

In early March, this was the time for the imperial examination proposed by Chen Qingsi.

This day does not have any special meaning. Chen Qingsi just wanted to determine the ranking before March [-]rd so that the Jinshi could do some special things on the Shangsi Festival, such as the formal deer-crowing banquet, horseback riding, and wild geese. There are meaningful special activities such as pagoda inscriptions, less formal groups of prostitutes, and geishas singing and drinking water.

Don't underestimate these special activities. Compared with the serious propaganda of the court, this so-called elegant thing among literati is the most popular topic among scholars.

Li Zhi had no other ideas. The imperial examination was all planned by Chen Qingsi, so there was no need to pay too much attention to the time of the imperial examination.

Chen Qingsi did not know the situation of the palace examination, but he had an estimate of the results of the palace examination when the provincial examination form came out.

Unless Zhang Jianzhi performs abnormally in the palace examination, there is a high probability that he will be the top pick.

Zhang Jianzhi came from a humble background and was a student of the Imperial Academy. He was talented and steady, and fully met Li Zhi's standards for being the top scholar.

Xu Hong, Xu Yanbo will have a good ranking, and Guo Daifeng will also have a good ranking.

Then there are Li Yuanyu and Cui Dongri. It is impossible to get Jinshi. Being able to enter the top ten is considered a great mercy of Li Zhi.

Others just look at their own improvisation.

Cui's house in Chang'an.

Cui Xinming, Li Xiaoqing and Lu Renzhen were drinking tea under the peach tree.

The atmosphere was a little silent.

These three people were the fathers of Cui Dongri, Li Yuanyu, and Lu Zhaolin. How could the Guandong gentry know the ultimate purpose of the imperial examination, but they had always been aloof and thought they had the right to speak, so they looked down upon it.

However, with Li Shimin's reforms and Li Zhi's promotion of scholars who passed the imperial examination, the Guandong gentry smelled something unusual and began to pay attention to the imperial examination. Some far-sighted people in the clan began to suggest paying attention to the imperial examination.

So last year in the imperial examination, they gave Li Zhi a big-eared melon seed.

They used their connections to monopolize the quota for Jinshi in the second year of Xianqing's reign, and admitted 21 people. They were either Guanlong nobles or nobles from Guandong and Jiangnan. There was not a single commoner from a poor family, and they were completely monopolized.

I thought that Li Zhi would calm down after suffering a loss, but who would have thought that he would actually suffer a big one next year.

The imperial examination system was completely overturned, the bad habits of writing papers and conducting interviews were eliminated, and Chen Qingyi was appointed as the chief examiner. The momentum of the imperial examination was far greater than before.

If this happens, the imperial court will open a door for the poor families of the common people in the world to enter the officialdom.

Even though it is just one door, it can shake the outstanding status of the five surnames in Guandong.

The Guandong nobles have today's reputation because of their cultural heritage accumulated over thousands of years, but more importantly, they control the channels for cultivating and exporting talents.

People who read books well may not necessarily know how to be an official or how to govern the world and bring peace to the people.

It’s great that a commoner from a poor family can study and become famous. Where can he learn how to govern the world and bring peace to the people?
The gentry had a wide network of contacts and resources. They could arrange for experienced officials to teach their descendants the experience of serving as officials, and they could also introduce their descendants or the poor families who relied on them to serve as clerks under the county magistrate or governor.

Therefore, the quality of the talents cultivated by the gentry is that they are more capable and capable than the talents who have learned on their own from poor families of the common people.Over time, the gentry relied on this method to control most of the subordinate staff resources.

Individual outstanding figures could indeed rely on their own talents to escape the control of the nobles and stand tall above the imperial court.

But the vast majority of relatively mediocre people cannot escape...

The main purpose of selecting scholars through the imperial examination is to break this monopoly. Once successful, the poor families of the common people will no longer rely on the gentry, and the influence of the gentry will inevitably be affected.

Faced with this situation, Cui Xinming, Li Xiaoqing, and Lu Renzhen came to encourage other noble families to participate in the imperial examination, and also brought the three most outstanding people of this generation to participate.

As a result, the results were far less than they expected. Cui Dongri was fourth, Li Yuanyu was second, and Lu Zhaolin dropped to 21st.

Today's palace examination is hosted by Li Zhi personally. I don't know what the situation is like.

Cui Xinming and Li Xiaoqing were indignant and felt that they had been greatly wronged.

Lu Renzhen was somewhat enjoying it, but of course he didn't show it.

Cui Xinming and Li Xiaoqing are both direct descendants of the Cui and Li families, and are naturally superior to others.

However, Lu Renzhen was born in a side branch and did not receive many resources. The highest official was only Linying County Cheng. Now he is famous in the family because he gave birth to a good son, Lu Zhaolin.

Lu Zhaolin's poems and parallel prose are unrivaled in the world, they are clear, light, and emotional.If Chen Qingsi had not appeared, he would have been the pioneer general who together with King Luo Bin held high the banner of anti-Southern Dynasty, and one of the four heroes of the early Tang Dynasty.

When someone like Lu Zhaolin appeared in the family, Lu Renzhen's status rose and he gradually became one of the stewards of the Lu family.

However, because Lu Zhaolin came from a different branch, he did not receive the education of the Lu family. When he was ten years old, he left his hometown and went to the south of the Yangtze River to study with the literary great Cao Xian and the classics and stone expert Wang Yifang.Therefore, his cultural foundation is profound, but his policy and questioning skills are average.

In this imperial examination, his scores in both classics and essays were all first-class, and because the highest score was first-class, his talent was unmatched among the candidates, and it was only Ce Wen who held him back.

If it were any other examiner, Lu Zhaolin would at least be in the top ten. When it comes to examiners who attach great importance to scripture writing, the top three is not a problem. But Chen Qingsi's most important thing is policy questioning, and he can only be ranked 21st.

Lu Renzhen knew his son's weaknesses and was satisfied with this achievement.

Of course, the more important thing is that there are also radicals and conservatives among the five surnames.

Cui Lizheng was a radical, and King Lu was a conservative among them.

The radicals feel that they should counterattack appropriately and cannot just give in.

However, King Lu felt that as long as he survived Li Zhi and waited until the next emperor who would not resist them appeared, it would be fine.

With their background, they can rise quickly as long as they are not suppressed.

Lu Renzhen was the first to break the deadlock and said: "The imperial examination arson is too much."

Cui Xinming immediately said: "It's true, who is so confused?"

Li Xiaoqing also said: "It's extremely stupid."

No one admits it anyway.

There was another moment of silence until the palace examination was over.

Li Zhi appointed the top three Jinshi: Zhang Jianzhi, the number one scholar, Guo Daifeng, the second best scholar, and Xu Yanbo, the third best scholar.

As for Li Yuanyu, Cui Dongri, and Lu Zhaolin, they are 25, 33, and [-] respectively...

(End of this chapter)