Good son-in-law of the Ming Dynasty

The time has come to the sixth day after the end of the college examination, and tomorrow is the day when the list will be released, that is to say, the list of Chinese candidates must be pulled out within today, and the list should be written, reported, and published.

The papers that have been accepted have all been selected by the examiners, and the only thing left is to be determined by the chief and deputy chief examiners.

Contrary to what most people imagine, the examiner does not work in the lobby, but in the row of bungalows on the left behind the lobby.

There are five bungalows in total, all of which are green bricks and blue tiles, which look simple and solemn. This is the Sipu Hall where the examiners mark the papers.

It was already night, and the northern night sky was full of stars as usual.

There are lamps in the five rooms, illuminating every detail.It was full of papers, and the examiners came in and out, constantly sending the selected papers to the room in the middle according to the county.Although busy, but silent.

The room in the middle is much larger than the four rooms next to it. In the hall, a huge plaque with gold letters on a blue background hangs "Four Churches".The four teachings refer to the quality education of people in the four aspects of "literature, conduct, loyalty, and trustworthiness".It is a place where officials come back here after finishing their official duties in the lobby to consider their own gains and losses, and look for remedies, so as to improve their political skills.

There were two people sitting inside, and one of them had a serious face. It was Han Xuezheng, the vice-examiner, the official of Baoding Prefecture.

As a local academic and political official, such an examination of this level has to be conducted twice every three years. Normally, there is no need to worry too much, as long as it is done according to the process and the system of the imperial court.

But this year's exam was different from the previous ones. The chief examiner sent by Beizhili had a strong background, which made him a little worried.I'm afraid that if one of the details is not good, it will make each other unhappy.

He picked up a stack of papers and handed them to the middle-aged official on the main seat, and asked: "He Xuetai, the scholars who should be admitted have been screened out. This is from Qingyuan County, can we start?"

"Oh, I've already been selected. Okay, thank you for your hard work." The official on the chief seat was about forty years old, with three long beards and very delicate facial features.Coupled with his height and long arms, he has a good appearance.He also speaks in a soft voice, which seems very kind.

He wore a gauze hat on his head and a red official robe on his body.A peacock is embroidered on the patch on the chest, and Huo Ran is a senior official of the third rank.

This person is He Jingming, the chief examiner of the Baoding Court Examination.

He was a Jinshi in the Renxu year of Hongzhi, and he was admitted to the Imperial Academy. After three years, he was appointed as the vice envoy of Beizhili Admiral Xuezheng, and recently got the post of Shaanxi Xuezheng.

This was Han Xuezheng's first meeting with He Jingming, so he shouldn't have been so careful.However, Han Xuezheng is a disciple of Neo-Confucianism, while He Jingming inherited the mantle of Lu School of Mind-School, and this man is a celebrity, he writes poems very well, and has a very gentle temperament. He is a well-known gentleman. No matter how you look at it, this They are all very nice bosses.

However, the so-called differences in Taoism do not conspire with each other, and the disputes among Confucian schools were particularly fierce in the Ming Dynasty.

In this hospital exam, it's easy to say who will take it or not, anyway, the following examiners will make the choice.However, in the matter of ranking, it is inevitable that there will be disputes due to the different tastes of the chief and deputy examiners. This dispute may involve the issue of who is orthodox and who is heresy.

Thinking of this, Han Xuezheng felt a little worried.

He also complained in his heart: As the saying goes, it is difficult to be an official in Beijing. Although Baoding is not the capital city, it is the largest city in Hebei.According to the rule of the imperial court, every year in the courtyard examination, the superior will send a Deputy Envoy of Tixue down to take the main examination.Unlike other prefectures, the chief examiner is only editing and reviewing the seventh grade.

If the chief examiner within the editing department encounters disagreements, he can still compete.But a deputy envoy, a third-rank official, is different from top to bottom, so how can he compete?

It turned out that the admiral Xuezheng of the Ming Dynasty was a senior official of the third grade, at the same level as the governor and the procurator, and was called Santai. His official position was second only to the governor, and he was in charge of a province's culture and education.

It can be said that all the scholars in Beizhili belong to him.

The management of culture and education in the Ming Dynasty is different from that of later generations. Scholars are the heads of the four peoples, and their responsibilities and obligations are an independent system. If something happens, the local officials do not have direct jurisdiction. Only after the government issues specific handling opinions can it be implemented.

For example, if a scholar commits a murder case, after the government arrests the prisoner, he is not allowed to interrogate him alone, but must invite a scholar and political officer to sit in on the hearing.After the trial of the case is over, the magistrate has the power to close the case after the academic and political officials have dismissed the prisoner.

If the school official does not nod, the case will have to go through a new procedure.

Therefore, the power of academic officials in the Ming Dynasty is beyond the imagination of future generations, especially the admiral of a province.

Han Xuezheng's heart skipped a beat, and then he shuddered again: I've read sage books for so many years, why am I so timid at this moment.The school dispute is a major event, if Mr. He does not do it properly, this official will naturally have to fight for it.

After receiving the papers, He Jingming glanced at them. They were all transcribed scrolls, every word and sentence, just like a new book just printed.Unconsciously nodded, very satisfied with the transcript officer of the Baoding government office, and asked: "How many places will be admitted this time?"

Han Xuezheng: "Reporting to Xuetai, Baoding has a total of 260 counties. According to the old rules of the North and South List, each county admits [-] students, and a total of [-] students have been selected."

The old system of the North and South List in this passage involves an imperial examination case in the early years of the Ming Dynasty. Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang founded the country and started courses to select scholars. This was originally a national examination.It is a pity that the north has been dilapidated after years of war.Unlike Jiangnan, it is still rich and prosperous, and its style of writing is at its peak.

In this test, how can the northern scholars pass the test of the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River.

By the time of the examination, all Jinshi quotas had been filled by Jiangsu and Zhejiang tribute students.

As a result, there was a great uproar among the scholars in the north, and troubles happened.

Seeing that the national unified examination was indeed unfair to northerners, Zhu Yuanzhang divided the imperial examination into two areas, the north and the south, and the policy also favored the five northern provinces.

When it comes to examinations at the level of college examinations and rural examinations, the number of admissions in northern provinces is larger.

He Jingming looked at the papers in hand again, and asked: "It seems that there are more than twenty papers in Qingyuan County?"

Han Xuezheng replied: "Qingyuan is the capital of Baoding, and its culture and education are much more developed than those in remote counties. Therefore, the Provincial Office of Education and Administration has increased the number of them to forty as appropriate."

He Jingming nodded: "Master Han, let's add two to five of these papers first, each person will review them first, then turn around the table, pick three papers each, and decide on the top three."

Han Xuezheng: "What He Xuetai said is very true, and it should be so."

The two divided the test paper into two according to the region, and He Jingming handed the test paper from Qingyuan County to Han Xuezheng: "I used to be a visitor. Han Xuezheng has presided over Baoding culture and education for more than ten years. I will give you the test paper from Qingyuan County first."

This involves a rule of officials. Generally speaking, because local officials have been in politics for many years and are familiar with the local situation, it is inevitable that they will not be entrusted with others, hoping to show their respect in the examination room.

And just because they are familiar with the examinee's writing style, the examiner is also very likely to select the favor paper from them.

As the deputy envoy of the provincial admiral, He Jingming naturally knew what was going on below, so he just pretended not to see it.