I studied in modern times

Chapter 1018 Results Announcement (4)

As the civil service exam candidates began to refute the claims, the originally heated and indignant scene instantly cooled down.

Even some of those who were initially indignant and echoed Li Changning's clamor have quietly fallen silent.

The decibel levels of the remaining people also began to decrease.

Even the most bookish person who can pass the imperial examinations in Bianjing (Kaifeng) isn't necessarily stupid.

They all knew that if a single person caused trouble, even if they were scholars, the government would only crack down hard.

Only by sticking together can we protect ourselves.

However, if they band together, it would raise suspicions of opposing the government and the emperor.

Benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and filial piety are the foundation of a scholar!

It's fundamentally unshakable; it doesn't even qualify as a human being!
Once the charges are proven, everyone will become a sinner without father or ruler.

Let alone passing the imperial examinations and becoming an official, even surviving was probably a luxury.

Therefore, in each imperial examination disturbance, scholars would repeatedly raise the banner of "treacherous officials causing trouble" and "unfairness in the imperial examination."

They must seize the moral high ground.

This was to tell the court, especially the Emperor Zhao in the palace, that we have absolutely no intention of opposing the court or the emperor.

We are simply indignant that treacherous officials are in power, and we hate the unfairness of the imperial examination system.

To put it bluntly, he just wanted to take this opportunity to vent.

By the way, try to get some compensation from the imperial court.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Therefore, when dissenting voices arose among the scholars.

It's a deterrent to everyone!
Before any trouble even started, divisions began to emerge within the group itself, with dissent and opposition voices emerging.

This means that the two trump cards of 'treacherous officials' and 'unfairness in the imperial examination' are beginning to falter.

Li Changning's eyes immediately turned red, and he glared fiercely at those guys in the crowd of scholars who were loudly reciting the articles of Ouyang Xiu and Su Shi.

He quickly found these traitors!

"You mother and servants! You have betrayed the scholar-officials!" Li Changning cursed viciously in his heart.

In the next instant, Li Changning's eyes widened.

The clothes worn by those scholars were too easy to identify.

He wore a blue round-necked robe with narrow sleeves, a soft turban on his head, and black leather boots on his feet.

Hey!
Kaifeng Prefecture is holding a civil service examination for officials!
Nowadays, only the civil servants of Kaifeng Prefecture wear such official robes.

The official robes worn by civil servants during the Tang Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty were worn by selected officials—those of the ninth rank and above wore blue, those of the seventh rank and above wore green, those of the fifth rank and above wore scarlet, and those of the third rank and above wore purple.

However, as time went on, after Emperor Renzong, civil officials of the ninth rank and above refused to wear their original official robes.

Because of the advancement and development of printing and dyeing technology, blue clothing has become inexpensive.

Many merchants and even small landowners put on blue robes.

How can it be acceptable for officials of the imperial court and merchants of the marketplace to wear clothes of the same color?

As a result, everyone began to wear green robes as official attire—originally, it required a special imperial decree for officials below the seventh rank to wear green robes.

However, the law does not punish the masses.

When all the lower-ranking civil officials began to wear green robes.

Even the Emperor Zhao had no choice but to accept it.

By the time of Emperor Yingmiao at the latest, the official robes of the imperial court only had three colors—green, scarlet, and purple.

Blue became the color of clothing for ordinary people.

Until the current emperor began to hold public examinations in Kaifeng Prefecture to recruit officials.

The imperial edict then decreed that the blue robes worn by civil officials of the ninth rank and above should be used as the official attire for civil service examination officials.

As the emperor said, "The civil servants are all scholars; how can we humiliate them by wearing black robes (the color of a clerk's uniform)? They should wear blue robes instead!"
When Li Changning heard about it, he praised the emperor's magnanimity and divine prowess!
Yes!

We scholars and officials are superior to others!
But he never expected that these were the very people who had received the emperor's favor and should have joined him in condemning the treacherous officials and protesting the unfairness of the imperial examinations.

But he stood on the opposite side!
They betrayed the scholar-officials!

"A despicable person! A despicable person! A despicable person!"

"No wonder the sage said: 'One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black!'"

"You have long been associated with petty officials and clerks, tainted by the stench of money; you are no longer among our kind!"

Enraged, Li Changning unleashed the ultimate weapon of the scholar-official class—expulsion of the other party's scholar-official status!
Since the Xining Reforms, this tactic has been overused.

When the old and new parties start fighting, they usually expel each other from the ranks of scholar-officials.

For example, Wang Anshi was dismissed at least hundreds of times.

The civil service exam candidates, attacked by Li Changning, immediately began to flare up in anger.

Someone who knew Li Changning immediately shouted from the crowd, "Li Anbang, whether we are scholars or not is not for you to comment on!"

“Shi Anguo!” Li Changning immediately recognized the man—it was Shi Gongzuo, the tax commissioner who had been sent to his hometown of Yanjin last year.

Although this man has only been in Yanjin for a few months, he has already gained considerable fame in the area—because he actually refuses bribes! He is even willing to do favors!

The people of Yanjin had never seen such a business tax ambassador.

Therefore, when this person returned to the capital to take the imperial examination, many small merchants actually burned incense and prayed to Buddha at home, hoping that he would not fail the exam.

pity……

The gods and Buddhas did not seem to accept this offering.

He still won!
Just now, Li Changning saw his name—fifty-eighth place.

That's not important. What's important is that he has an older brother who also passed the exam.

It was Shi Gongzuo, who ranked third on the list, a civil servant who was unknown in the literary world and whose poems and writings were almost non-existent.

and many more……

Li Changning took a deep breath.

Civil service exam for civil servants?!

He hit the nail on the head!

So, I immediately looked at the list.

On the list of 703 successful candidates in this provincial examination, each candidate's name is followed by a small print listing their place of origin, family background, and courtesy name.

First place...

Xie Qian, courtesy name She'an, was a civil servant in Kaifeng Prefecture, Jianchang Army, Fujian Province.

The third place went to Shi Gongbi, a native of Yuezhou in Liangzhe Road, whose courtesy name was Guozuo. He was a civil servant in Kaifeng Prefecture.

Fifth place: Yang Xie, from Jiangnan West Road, taking the civil service exam for clerks...

Ninth place: Chen Sidao, from Jinghu North Road... Public service examination for civil servants...

Behind every name, one can see the inscriptions of the hometown and background of those who passed the provincial examinations in the current year and became civil servants. All of them contain the words "civil servant".

At a glance, there are at least dozens of people!

Four of the top ten were civil service exam takers!
Li Changning's breathing suddenly became rapid.

He knew that he had caught someone red-handed in this year's imperial examination!
"Gentlemen! Gentlemen!"

"Look at the list!" Li Changning exclaimed, "Of the top ten in this year's provincial examination, four are from Kaifeng Prefecture, taking the civil service exam!"

"Among the scholars selected this year, at least several dozen were from the Kaifeng Prefecture's civil service examination system!"

"This is the biggest corruption scandal in the imperial examinations since the beginning of our ancestors' history!"

Accompanied by Li Changning's hysterical roar, countless people rushed towards the notice board.

Everyone's chest began to heave violently with excitement.

Was there any cheating in this year's imperial examinations?

It does not matter!

The important thing is that they actually recruited so many scholars who had come from the civil service examination system in Kaifeng!

This is enough!

that's enough!
From Zhang Heng, who was in charge of the imperial examinations, to Fan Bailu and Wang Zishao, who were acting as in charge of the imperial examinations.

Then came Qian Xie, the acting prefect of Kaifeng; Luo Kuo, the prefectural judge of Kaifeng; and Ye Zuqia, the prefectural judge of Kaifeng…

And that...

Jia Zhongmin of the Street Office...

They all have to die! They all have to die!
Because they cannot explain why there are so many provincial-level scholars who passed the civil service examinations and became civil servants!

Even if it could be explained clearly, would the court, the emperor, and the two palaces believe it?

As long as you don't believe it, as long as you have doubts.

They are all guilty!
And who was this great family that brought down so many treacherous and wicked officials?
A model scholar, and a trusted confidant of the emperor!
If we can seize the opportunity, we can make a name for ourselves in this upheaval for the prime minister, the emperor, and the two palaces.

How could one not rise to prominence and achieve great success?

Hahahaha!

Countless people were overjoyed, but their faces were streaked with tears.

They looked at Jia Zhongmin as if he were a walking medal of honor!
Fame and fortune are all in this thief's hands!
Li Changning, who reacted the fastest, had already knelt down facing the direction of Xuande Gate, crying and bowing his head, saying, "Waaah..."

"Official!"

"There are treacherous officials and villains in the court!"

“They formed cliques and secretly passed on state secrets to each other…”

"If their treacherous schemes succeed, the country will never have peace!"

"Having received the nation's grace and been blessed with its favor throughout my life..."

Now that we have discovered the treacherous scheme, how can we sit idly by?

As he spoke, he suddenly stood up and looked at the group of Imperial Guards.

"Gentlemen!" he shouted, "The nation has nurtured scholars for 150 years, and now that the country is in peril, how can we sit idly by?!"

Jia Zhongmin, standing behind the human wall, looked at Li Changning with the same gaze one would give a dead man.

"Greed blinds one's judgment!" Jia Zhongmin commented softly.

Before him, the fervent scholars were like a steamer on a raging fire, their anger barely contained.

Jia Zhongmin, completely unafraid, simply raised his hand and ordered his men: "I am here by imperial decree to post the results. Anyone who dares to disobey will be arrested!"

"Yes, sir!" The imperial guards on either side drew their swords from their waists.

Although their swords were ceremonial swords, they were not actually lethal.

But it's still quite intimidating.

In particular, the Imperial Guards they commanded were all fully armored.

Although they were only wearing leather armor with some paint on the outside, they looked very imposing.

But no matter how well armored soldiers are equipped, they can still easily defeat unarmed soldiers.

Seeing the appearance of the Imperial Guards, and then looking at the drawn swords that gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Li Changning subconsciously took a step back.

Then, Li Changning burst into laughter: "Gentlemen!"

"This thief is feeling guilty!"

The others looked at the wall of Imperial Guards in front of them, shrank back, and then started chattering amongst themselves.

"go!"

"We're going to the Dali Temple, the Censorate, and the Dengwen Drum Court!"

"Call for justice! Appeal!"

"Go together! Go together!"

……

The surrounding area, on and under the state bridge, was filled with onlookers.

Looking at the lively scene before them, everyone was all smiles and overjoyed.

"Let's go!"

"Hurry up! Hurry up!"

"You knew it! There would be a good show today! It was definitely worth the trip!"

For the general public, as long as there's juicy gossip to be had, they're happy.

Normally, even the young wives in the neighborhood would find it fascinating to watch each other pulling hair or tearing clothes, let alone such a big spectacle as this.

The general public has only one response: Go big! Go big! Go fast! Go fast!
I'd love to see it all at once!

……

Zhao Xu sat upright on the Xuande Gate, gazing into the distance at the bustling scene before the Zhou Bridge at the end of the imperial road.

Although he was very far away, he could only see blurry figures, let alone hear them.

But Zhao Xu knew that the area below the list would be very lively.

He's the kind of person who's never stingy with sharing excitement with others.

Therefore, two officials dressed in scarlet robes appeared on the Xuande Gate tower, led by Tong Guan.

"Sentence the Imperial Academy Minister to Tenancy..."

"Mr. Lu, you may rise!" Zhao Xu smiled and looked at Lu Dian, Zhao Xu's shadow clone at the Imperial Academy.

In recent years, Lu Dian has made great contributions to the Imperial Academy.

It was thanks to Lu Dian's cooperation that Zhao Xu was able to gradually expand the territory of several new disciplines, including the study of natural sciences, within the Imperial Academy.

At the same time, it was thanks to Lu Dian that Zhao Xu was able to implement the internship system for imperial college students.

It can only be said that no wonder Lu You was born into this family.

A true loyal minister!
Therefore, Zhao Xu always gave Lu Dian face whenever he met the emperor.

They no longer address him as "Qing" (卿), but directly call him "Sir" (先生).

"Mu, the Minister of the Imperial Academy and Assistant Minister of the Court of Prince Yang and Prince Jing..."

"Respectfully wishing His Majesty the Emperor a long and healthy life!"

Zhao Xu looked at the old minister beside Lu Dian; this was the first time Zhao Xu had personally summoned him.

However, Zhao Xu had long heard of him.

He smiled and said, "Mr. Zheng, please don't stand on ceremony!"

The visitor was none other than Zheng Mu, who had been used as material for a joke by Liu Ban last year after his request to retire was rejected by the governor.

However, Liu Ban had no idea that the reason Zhao Xu did not approve the old man's request to retire was not because of Wen Yanbo at all.

Rather, this old gentleman was a sacred relic passed down to Zhao Xu by his father, the emperor. As early as the Xining era, this gentleman had been appointed by Zhao Xu's father as a lecturer in the princes' palaces and a professor at the Imperial Academy.

His main task was to teach the princes, especially Zhao Xu's good uncle, Prince Yang Hao!

After Zhao Xu ascended the throne, he immediately remembered his father's special attack on Prince Yang, so he specially summoned the old gentleman, who had already retired, back to the court and appointed him as the advisor to Prince Yang and Prince Jing and concurrently the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

Let him continue to serve King Yang and King Jing, teaching the princes the proper conduct of brotherly love and respect, and the hierarchy of seniority.

The slightest mistake would result in a severe deduction of the princes' performance bonuses (a form of reprimand).

At the same time, this old gentleman was also the head of Zhao Xu's Imperial Academy "re-education" institution.

Several sons of nobles and officials, including the former imperial son-in-law Guo Xianqing, who were sent to the Imperial Academy by Zhao Xu to receive further education and edification in the classics, mechanically studied the classics under the old gentleman's watchful eye every day.

Great results!

Because Mr. Zheng Mu was the most rigid and traditional scholar-official.

His words and actions were all guided by etiquette.

Legend has it that he treated all children equally, whether they came from peasant families or wealthy and powerful families—he would beat or punish them as they pleased.

Scholars praised him highly—they respected his virtue and followed his teachings.

Even the great Confucian scholars of our time held him in high esteem, considering him a true Confucian scholar in the world.

For example, the late Mr. Gu Ling, Chen Xiang, once said to others with heartfelt admiration: "Master Zheng was deeply versed in the Way, had a kind and upright heart, was courageous in upholding justice, and was learned and magnanimous!"

When Zhao Xu entrusted this old gentleman with the task of correcting the academic style of the Imperial Academy and re-educating and reinforcing the sons of powerful and wealthy officials who had made mistakes or committed crimes, he was in charge of this task.

Mr. Zheng was overjoyed—this is exactly how it should be to promote positive social values ​​and cultivate a virtuous character!
Therefore, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to his work, daring not to slack off in the slightest.

Under his tutelage, a miracle actually occurred—Guo Xianqing, the former Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant, actually learned to behave well!

Princess Baoshou was in tears—this man is truly a great Confucian scholar!
Therefore, even though Guo Xianqing had already graduated from the Imperial Academy, Princess Baoshou would still frequently send someone to visit him or bring Guo Xianqing to her door in person to offer her greetings.

The young masters of Bianjing City were all terrified at the mere mention of this old gentleman's name.

They all became much more restrained, afraid of committing a crime and being sent to the Imperial Academy to become monks.

In response, Zhao Xu could only sigh – modern capitalists are indeed very powerful.

Indeed, there are no useless people in this world.

As long as people find their place, even the most stubborn conservatives can contribute to the country's reforms.

Mr. Zheng is the best example.

Looking at the two ministers who were respectively in charge of the highest educational institution and the academic atmosphere and ethics of the time, Zhao Xu instructed Tong Guan: "Tong Guan, quickly offer the two gentlemen seats!"

"promise!"

Tong Guan quickly led his men to bring over two chairs and placed them behind Lu Dian and Zheng Mu.

Lu Dian and Zheng Mu were naturally filled with trepidation and gratitude. Only after expressing their thanks did they carefully sit down.

After they sat down, Zhao Xu looked at the posting area in front of the state bridge and said to Lu Dian and Zheng Mu, "Back then, when Emperor Taizong of Tang saw the newly appointed scholars entering in single file, he exclaimed with delight: 'All the heroes of the world have entered my jar!'"

"Since the time of our ancestors, our Great Song Dynasty has valued literature and education, and treated scholars and officials with great respect. Thus, schools were established, morally upright individuals were honored, and education was widely disseminated to benefit those from humble backgrounds. As a result, even peddlers, farmers, and fishermen knew the teachings of the sages and understood the matters of honor and disgrace!"

"Upon my ascension to the throne, I inherited the legacy of my predecessors and carried forward the virtues of the sages. I took it upon myself to promote education, bestowing countless favors upon all schools, from the Imperial Academy to the prefectural and county schools, and granting them millions of strings of cash annually!"

When he said these words, Zhao Xu was extremely confident.

Because it's true!

In the past two or three thousand years since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, none of them were qualified to compete with the Song Dynasty in terms of education.

Even the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties that followed the Song dynasty could only kneel down and sing praises of conquest when it came to investing in education.

Thus, the Song Dynasty achieved a figure that other feudal dynasties could only dream of during this medieval period—a literacy rate of nearly 10% for the entire population.

The literacy rate in Bianjing City exceeded 30%!
During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, the Chongning Education Movement pushed this figure to an unprecedented peak—even Yazhou and Luzhou, which were traditionally considered barbaric places, saw the emergence of scholarly families who passed down their literary traditions!
As for why, despite such a high literacy rate, they were still thoroughly defeated by the Liao Dynasty and later swept away by the Jurchens...

This just goes to show that if you're going in the wrong direction, the harder you try, the more you fail.

After all, the country has spent huge sums of money to cultivate hundreds of thousands, even millions, of intellectuals.

They are almost all bureaucrats who are highly skilled at maintaining stability and are extremely adept at exploiting ordinary people, but who contribute almost nothing to the development and improvement of productivity.

What's even more problematic is that successive Zhao emperors have also crammed a large number of "Zhao Commissioners" into this bureaucratic system.

Even the modern-day beacon of the United States cannot withstand the tireless and meticulous work of Commissioners Smith and his team, day and night.

Let alone the Song Dynasty in the Middle Ages?

To be honest, the Song Dynasty, this dilapidated vehicle, has managed to stay in operation until now without falling apart.

It's truly a miracle!

This is also why Zhao Xu insisted on reforming the imperial examination system—he truly didn't need so many civil officials who only knew how to maintain stability.

Moreover, many of these civil officials are not even good at maintaining stability.

There were also many officials who were selected for their positions but were sidelined or even bullied by their subordinates.

Upon hearing Zhao Xu's words, both Lu Dian and Zheng Mu were filled with trepidation and offered endless flattery.

After they finished their flattery, Zhao Xu sighed, "Alas, although the sages valued literature and education and wished to enlighten the people with morality..."

"However, among the scholars, there is a mixed bag, with petty people and wicked villains hiding among them..."

“Often, there are lawless individuals, or even those with ulterior motives, who manipulate public opinion, coerce public discourse, and threaten ministers, even the emperor…”

"If this continues, I fear the country will cease to exist!"

"Please, gentlemen, instruct me!" Zhao Xu said, standing up and bowing to the two ministers, showing the respect due to a disciple.

Just then, a commotion arose from under the distant Zhou Bridge.

In the background, it seems that countless people are shouting "the imperial examination system is unfair" and "the state has supported scholars for 150 years".

The cheers of the onlookers, along with various other noises, rang out from the direction of Zhouqiao.

Both Lu Dian and Zheng Mu felt ashamed and helpless upon seeing this scene.

Which scholar in the Song Dynasty didn't cause trouble after the results of the imperial examinations were announced?

Left with no other option, the two could only apologize: "We are ashamed and beg Your Majesty to punish us!"

That's exactly what Zhao Xu wanted to hear.

(End of this chapter)