I studied in modern times

Chapter 985 Yuanyou Innovation (3)

"His Majesty the Emperor's Royal Palace!"

As the call to prayer was sounded at the door, the ministers in the quiet room stood up one after another.

Then, they all saw the familiar young man walking into the quiet room from the corridor on the other side.

"Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you to the palace!" Everyone bowed and saluted: "May your Majesty be blessed with great health!"

The young official walked to the throne and sat down: "My dear ministers, please don't be polite, please take a seat!"

"promise!"

All the ministers took their seats.

Then I just heard the emperor say: "I summoned all the officials here today to discuss this year's imperial examination questions!"

Everyone bowed their hands and said, "We are honored to hear your gracious message!"

"Today, the imperial examinations use the classics to select scholars. This is the long-cherished wish of our ancestors, the aspiration of scholars all over the world, and the method of our royal father. I have no intention of wavering on this matter!" As soon as the official opened his mouth, he spoke in a clear and righteous manner.

"Your Majesty is benevolent and filial, and the world is blessed!" All the ministers complimented in unison.

Zhao Xu listened to the ministers' compliments and just pursed his lips.

To be honest, he is no longer interested in the flattery of his subjects.

The truth is that in modern times, when he compliments others, he usually smiles on the outside but says "MMP" in his heart.

So, he pretended not to hear the compliments from the ministers and said, "It's just that... the current imperial examination system still has some problems and drawbacks in some details!"

"I have summoned all of you ministers today to discuss how to avoid the abuses of the imperial examinations and select virtuous people who are truly capable of governing the country and ruling the people!"

Zhao Xu placed extra emphasis on the word "talent".

He has been influenced by the modern market economy!

The market economy does not support idlers!
Market economy requires maximum efficiency!

The bosses Zhao Xu had met in modern times all wanted to treat women as men and men as animals.

Unless they are employees who can create great value for the boss.

All others will be regarded as consumables.

So, when Zhao Xu returned from the modern times to the medieval Song Dynasty, he saw the literati of his Song Dynasty.

These guys eat his salary, enjoy the generous welfare benefits and extremely high social status he provides, and spend their days either lying down and doing nothing, or singing with others in government offices, or visiting prostitutes in brothels.

He even colluded with local powerful people (the powerful people in the Northern Song Dynasty were not only landlords and wealthy people, but also big workshop owners and mine owners) to steal the emperor's favor.

He feels uncomfortable all over!
Can this be tolerated?

I can't stand it!

If the ministers don't roll up their sleeves, how can Emperor Zhao take in more concubines, give birth to more princes, and create more wonders at the end of the year?
However, it is not so easy to get the ministers to roll up.

roll?
That also requires an economic foundation and institutional encouragement.

If you don't believe me, why don't you ask an African black uncle to roll it up and see?

Just like modern enterprises, they want to roll up the cattle and horses.

We have to give cattle and horses an expectation and a role model.

otherwise……

Workers work 996 every day and earn less than yuan a month, but their bosses have mistresses who are always busy and buy villas and luxury cars every year.

Which worker is willing to roll up his sleeves?
He will definitely slack off until he dies!
It's the same here in the Song Dynasty.

If Emperor Zhao had only let the literati and officials roll up their sleeves with words.

But in reality, they are still the lower-level people who are selected like cattle and horses, and they are not allowed to be promoted for more than ten or twenty years.

The sons of the prime ministers and nobles would drink wine, sing songs and hug young ladies, and in three to five years they would collect all the necessary documents and easily become officials in Beijing.

What fool would roll?

However, this system of appointing and examining officials is too complicated and cumbersome.

Moreover, it has become a part of the Xiangshan code of the Song Dynasty.

It was really difficult for Zhao Xu to move for the time being.

Because acting rashly could be disastrous!

Maybe this Super Xiangshan from the Song Dynasty will just blow himself up in front of him!

The consequence is likely to be - even if he is not blown to death, at least he will be covered in shit and will stink for the rest of his life!
There was no other way but to manually micro-manage and try his best to promote those capable officials he remembered in his previous life, as well as the wise ministers he knew from modern history books.

Therefore, at this stage, the only thing he could do was the imperial examination.

First use the imperial examination to add a group of talents who are able and willing to take the exam into the system.

Let the creaking old machine of the Song Dynasty regain some vitality and have some spare space.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xu looked at the ministers firmly and continued, "So, I summoned all the ministers today to ask you to speak freely about the shortcomings of the current imperial examination system!"

"Just like Fan Wenzhenggong back then!" "Please, everyone, please tell me in detail the shortcomings of the current imperial examination selection process!"

The change of the imperial examination from selecting candidates based on poetry and prose to selecting candidates based on the interpretation of classics began with the New Policies of the Qingli Period initiated by Fan Zhongyan.

It was written in the programmatic document of the New Policies of the Qingli Period - "Ten Suggestions in Reply to the Imperial Edict" written by Fan Zhongyan to the Emperor Renmiao.

The failure of the New Policies of the Qingli Period was also somewhat related to this. In the fourth year of the Qingli Period, the imperial court promulgated new regulations for the imperial examinations, abolishing the two examinations of pasting scriptures and writing essays on calligraphy.

At the same time, the focus of the imperial examination was adjusted.

The importance of poetry and prose was reduced to the lowest level - in the imperial examinations of that time, the first test was on policy essays, then on essays, and finally poetry and prose.

Candidates will be eliminated one by one, and finally the best candidates will be admitted based on a comprehensive evaluation of the three exams.

Under this system, the status of poetry and prose has become dispensable.

If it weren't for the New Policies of the Qingli Period, which simultaneously affected the interests of the bureaucratic group, the nobles, the royal family and the relatives of the emperor, it would have led to a fierce counterattack from the vested interest groups.

Lian Ren Miao didn't dare to support it anymore.

Otherwise, the practice of selecting officials based on poetry and prose would have become history long before Xining.

Even so, the Qingli New Deal and the subsequent Qingli Education Movement/Ancient Chinese Literature Revival Movement were launched.

It was still the death knell for selecting officials based on poetry and prose.

Now, it has become the source of legitimacy for Zhao Xu to continue to reform and change the imperial examination procedures.

Today, the New Policies of the Qingli Period have become a common memorial tablet for both the old and new parties.

Everyone said that we should uphold the spirit of the New Policies of the Qingli Period and revive the Song Dynasty.

After hearing what Zhao Xu said, the ministers looked at each other.

Pu Zongmeng, the right prime minister, was the first to speak: "I respectfully obey your instructions and report the drawbacks of selecting officials through the imperial examinations..."

As a person who is generally considered by the public opinion of the literati to have "no scholarly justice" and "completely lost the character of a scholar".

The prime minister had long been put on the list of sycophants and villains.

Since Pu Zongmeng became prime minister, his strategy as prime minister can be summed up in one word: lick!

Try every possible means and create all conditions to flatter the government.

Facts have also proved that if you lick the dog to the end, you will get everything you want!
Just look at last year’s corruption case involving clerks in the prefecture, and he benefited the most.

By now, he has shown signs of becoming a master of his own school - an article titled "A trickle of water can help to save the vast ocean."

Until now, it is still a great article highly praised by the wealthy families in Bianjing and supported and passed down by the powerful people all over the world.

As a result, Pu Zongmeng's reputation among these groups changed from the past embarrassing situation.

He is almost comparable to the late Sima Wengong.

It is called the 'conscience of the country' and 'the red flag of the nation'.

Of course, there is also noise.

For example, Cheng Yi, the storyteller in Jiying Hall of the contemporary dynasty, has always been Pu Zongmeng's biggest critic.

Targeting the trickle-down economics invented by Pu Zongmeng.

Cheng Yi and his students were criticized and whipped almost every day.

Pu Zongmeng thus replaced Deng Wan and Lu Jiawen and became what Cheng Yi called a "flattering minister", and was also "the one who caused the most harm to the country and the people".

But Pu Zongmeng said: Please whip me hard! Uncle Zheng!
He has become accustomed to being scolded and criticized.

If one day no one scolds him, Pu Zongmeng will even reflect on himself - has he not seriously studied and implemented the official's moral instructions recently, so that no one comes to scold me!

We should reflect on this!
Naturally, Pu Zongmeng spent almost all of his free time studying Zhao Xu's imperial edicts, oral instructions, and handwritten edicts.

He pondered and observed carefully day and night.

Sometimes when he woke up in the middle of the night, he would wonder - what exactly does the government mean?

no way!
Pu Zongmeng now has a wolf (Cai Que) in front and a tiger (Zhang Dun) behind.

And he really wants to improve!
Especially after he witnessed with his own eyes the extremely high-level retirement treatment that Han Jiang enjoyed, his desire for progress became even stronger.

At this moment, he boldly began to put his speculations and guesses of the past few days into action.

"Since our ancestors, the imperial examinations have been conducted with the principle of 'Books that are not holy should be abandoned to the world', so the rules and regulations were clearly enacted and procedures were established, so that the questions for the imperial examinations were not outside the classics, and at most they were referenced from official history!"

"Whether it is the old way of selecting scholars based on poetry or the current way of selecting scholars based on the interpretation of classics, it is generally the same!"

"This is what Zhang Wenjie (Zhang Zhibai) said: The books of various philosophers must be supplemented by the classics and in line with the Tao. Anything beyond this should be rejected!"

"Although this makes the scholars and officials all hold the general idea of ​​governance accountable, it also has some flaws..."

"For example... scholars will no longer be involved in other things, will not know astronomy and geography, or the gains and losses of the past dynasties, but will only know the classics of the saints..."

"There are also those who study to death, who are ignorant and stubborn, and only follow the teachings of the saints, without the opportunity to change..."

"I am terrified. I do not think this is a good way for the country to recruit talented people and maintain long-term peace and stability!"

(End of this chapter)