I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 398 Where there are people, there are leeks. Bianjing businessmen are professional in cutting leeks.
On the tenth day of November, the weather is getting colder.

Under the tough attitude of Zhao Zhen and Zhu Xianggong, the implementation of "Xingwu Policy" has become the general trend.

No one can stop it anymore.

This policy.

Not only can it boost the morale of soldiers all over the world, but it can also strengthen the initial beliefs of good men who plan to join the army.

Good men can also be soldiers, and warriors can also enjoy the qualifications of Linxuan roll call.

As for whether hidden dangers will arise in the future, it all depends on the court's control ability.

at this time.

News came from Yu Jing, the appeasement envoy and acquaintance of Guizhou on Guangnan West Road.

Nong Zhigao was captured by Dali half a month ago and has been transferred to Guizhou. It is expected that he will be escorted to Bianjing by the end of the twelfth lunar month.

Under absolute force.

At that time, the imperial court can verify his true identity and formally question and execute him.

With the help of Su Liang, Wang Anshi and others.

As people become richer and richer, hedonism becomes more prevalent.

The two sat in a corner, ordered a pot of tea, and looked at a scholar wearing a gray gown on the high platform in front of them.

With just one mouth, he can easily feed himself and his family.

Another day, night falls.

Someone needs to spread some ideas about "cherishing time, working hard, competing, and self-salvation".

King Li Dezheng of Cochin sent a reply.

A big bowl of tea costs two cents, and a pot of tea only costs more than ten cents. Although profits are small but quick turnover, its popularity has always been very low.
but.

Since the scholar in gray shirt came here as a speaker and changed the name of the shop to Duren Teahouse, the business has been getting better and better.

Su Liang received a letter from Cao Hu.

……

……

The scholar in gray shirt was talking on the stage and was spitting. From time to time, there were bursts of applause from the audience.

Su Liang and Wang Anshi appeared quietly in a teahouse called "Duren" in the south of Bianjing City.

under his operation.

He said that Jiaozhi was very satisfied with the punishment decision of the Song Dynasty, and was willing to continue to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty as a vassal state, and would do its best to protect the peace of the southern border of the Song Dynasty.

now.

Su Liang defeated 30% of Jiaozhi's troops in one battle, and he was satisfied even if he was not satisfied.

I am afraid that Li Dezheng will not have the courage to take another half step into the Song Dynasty in his life.

Fang Zhongyong at this time.

at the same time.

in a blink.

Nong Zhigao was captured.

The Song Dynasty was able to increase the sales market on the border of Jiaozhi and promote the flow of commerce, which was considered to be the most benevolent and righteous.

The amount of gold, silver, and sulfur that the Song Dynasty caravan can obtain is greater than last year, and the price is much lower.

It means that the southern border issue has been completely resolved, and Zhao Zhen and the officials in the court are completely relaxed.

Someone needs to hammer them down.

It is almost always packed every day.

Cao Hu is expanding his power step by step and working hard to become the "King of Japan".

The scholar in gray shirt is none other than Fang Zhongyong, who was inspired by Su Liang.

In the teahouse.

The noisy and impetuous city of Bianjing also needs this kind of people who spread positive energy.

Has become an excellent folk speaker.

recently.

He talks about his regrets in the first half of his life, his scrawled life, and who he is now.

Fang Zhongyong regained his confidence, read a lot of books, and wrote a lot of articles on life insights.

This teahouse was called Liu Sanlang Tea Shop half a year ago.

He told stories about when he was called a child prodigy, about the time he spent farming in his hometown, and about his experience of being ridiculed by countless people for his article "Shang Zhongyong".

He has taken root at sea and has basically adapted to the role of "pirate".

It's mid-November.

Bianjing City is becoming more and more lively, and more and more outsiders are pouring in.

Except the New Year is approaching.

The main reason is: the big exam is coming.

This provincial imperial examination will be held in February next year.

Students from various prefectures who have qualified for provincial examinations, as well as scholars who want to experience the academic atmosphere of Bianjing, all come to Bianjing.

Although due to the Sanshe method, the number of people admitted to the imperial examination this time has decreased.

But the imperial examination was still the biggest event for scholars in the Song Dynasty.

In addition, the format of "abandoning poems and poems and only studying policy theory" was implemented for the first time, which attracted the attention of countless people.

The so-called policy theory.

That is, discussing various political issues existing in the court and writing articles and countermeasures.

The content direction covers: punishment and reward, taxation, imperial examination, deposed, water conservancy, commerce and trade, military system, historical theory and a series of topics.

The past.

Those literati who only study hard may still be able to gain fame.

But after the scientific examination reform.

Those rotten scholars who can only recite poems and compose poems are destined to lose their reputation.

in short.

It will become more and more difficult after the provincial examinations are removed from the scriptures, ink meanings, and poems.

And studying behind closed doors is not enough.

Not only must we cover a wide range of topics, but we must also understand the biggest problems facing the court today and the various new strategies being implemented.

Based on.

Booksellers in Bianjing City printed a large number of annotated articles on good reform strategies and excellent policy theories of past dynasties.

Among them, the best-selling one.

In addition to the annotations of articles by officials of the Reform Department such as Fan Zhongyan, Su Liang, and Wang Anshi.

These are the articles written by Jia Yi of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Zongyuan of the Tang Dynasty, and contemporary Su Xun and Su Laoquan.

Jia Yi's "On Guo Qin", Liu Zongyuan's "On Feudalism", and Su Xun's "On Six Kingdoms" can be studied as templates for policy articles.

same.

The shopkeepers of restaurants, teahouses, and inns in Bianjing City are also very smart.

Set up a debate desk in the store.

Many Confucian scholars were invited to debate current affairs and guess the content of the examination questions.

For a while.

Such shops are crowded and candidates flock to them.

What a businessman earns in a few days can last a full month.

A debate suddenly broke out in Bianjing City.

Even at the entrance of the Daxiangguo Temple, under the wall of the Imperial College, and in the hook railings of the Sangjia tiles, there are debate desks for scholars to debate political affairs.

Someone guessed.

One of the current affairs policies for this imperial examination must involve military affairs.

Because the most important events that happened this year were the privy councilor Di Qing's suppression of the Nong Zhigao rebellion and the promulgation of the "Xingwu Policy" by the Reform Department.

Some people think so.

After four years of reform throughout the Song Dynasty, the reform of the Tianfu Commercial Law has become stable.

This will inevitably be used as a question, allowing candidates to summarize their experiences and analyze the pros and cons.

Some people think it is the floods in the Yellow River, some people think it is the Dangxiang Rebellion in the northwest, some people think it is the maritime trade in the east...

On the streets of Bianjing, tabloids are flying all over the place, covering everything.

Literary Debate.

The happiest people are actually the lower class people around Bianjing City.

These days.

As long as you are not lazy, even if you sell hot pear water on the streets of Bianjing, you can make as much money in one day as you did in the past ten days.

Such an atmosphere.

Zhao Zhen and the scholar-bureaucrats all liked it.

Since the Song Dynasty implemented the Song Dynasty Reform.

The best habit to maintain is to allow all people to discuss state affairs and encourage all people to contribute their opinions and suggestions.

As the saying goes, experts are among the people, and the discussions among scholars are still very useful.

The Reform Department buys a large number of tabloids every day, extracts the best of them, and tries to incorporate them into the subsequent political reforms.

……

November 23, afternoon.

Chui Gong Hall.

Ding Du, the Prime Minister of the Imperial Academy, had a smile on his face.

He reported to Zhao Zhenhui: "In the official family, perhaps due to the influence of "Xingwu Ce", the status of warriors has improved, which has made the literati have a sense of crisis. The candidates of this year are particularly motivated, and everyone has a desire to serve the country. The enthusiasm for making plans!"

"Every day at midnight, you can still hear the voices of scholars debating on the streets of Bianjing. This scene is really a good omen for the Song Dynasty to enter its prosperous age."

"However... there are also reactions from candidates in remote places. They are far less familiar with court affairs and reform strategies throughout the Song Dynasty than the candidates in Kaifeng Prefecture. They hope that officials can spread more information to make the exam fair and everyone You can also use your talents better." Zhao Zhen nodded.

"Indeed, those candidates in remote areas have relatively little information and are at a disadvantage. Do you have any good ideas?"

Ding Du cupped his hands and said, "I suggest that several officials be sent to the streets to debate political affairs with the candidates."

"On the one hand, this move will allow the world's literati to see that although the imperial court emphasizes military force, it will not take literature lightly; on the other hand, this imperial examination is different from the past, and it will also help the candidates to perform more by asking officials to talk more about political affairs. Maybe there will be many excellent reform strategies this year!”

"It's feasible, it's feasible!" Zhao Zhen said with a smile, "Do you have anyone in mind?"

"I suggest that we select some young officials who are high on the Jinshi list and are knowledgeable about reform strategies."

"I recommend Han Jiang, the supervisory censor, Wang Anshi, the salt and iron judge of the third division, Sima Guang, the inspector of the imperial court, and Feng Jing, the bachelor of the Hanlin Academy."

These four people all ranked well when they took the imperial examination.

Han Jiang ranked third in the Jinshi list in the second year of Qingli, Wang Anshi ranked fourth in the Jinshi list in the second year of Qingli, Sima Guang ranked sixth in the Jinshi list in the first year of Baoyuan, and Feng Jing ranked first in Sanyuan and Huangyou in the first year. Number one scholar.

The four of them exited.

No one would be unconvinced based on his ranking in the imperial examination.

When Zhao Zhen heard the list, he asked with a smile: "Why is there no Su Jingming? Do you dislike him for being the twelfth one on the Jinshi list, and his ranking is a bit low?"

Ding Du smiled helplessly.

"Officials, you know that if Su Jingming engages in private debate, no one will look at the other four!"

"His brilliance is too great, and his understanding of the reform is very advanced. His mind moves too fast, and most candidates may not be able to understand his ideas quickly."

In Dingdu's eyes.

Han Jiang, Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, and Feng Jing were not at the same level as Su Liang at all.

"It makes sense, then let's do it!" Zhao Zhen nodded.

……

November 24th.

Han Jiang, Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, and Feng Jing ended up appearing on the debate platform on the streets.

The debate between these four people and the scholars was a complete dimensionality reduction attack.

Han Jiang is good at reasoning and speaks rigorously, like a gentleman.

Wang Anshi is good at giving examples and has a wealth of data analysis during the reform period.

Sima Guang was better at using history as a mirror and analyzing the pros and cons of the current dynasty's policies from historical books.

Feng Jing knew a lot about everything from farmland water conservancy to military system and trade.

These four people.

It's like a walking bookcase with a very large capacity.

Less than two days.

They raised the debate atmosphere in Bianjing to a higher level again.

Especially Wang Anshi.

Energetic, clear logic, and clear with all kinds of data.

One person can argue with five people at the same time.

The other person who could still speak was speechless, and even made him burst into tears on the spot.

The four people came out to debate for three days.

Some candidates felt that they benefited a lot from the exam and gained a lot.

There are also candidates who feel that there is a big gap between themselves and these four people. They were originally full of confidence, but after the debate, they felt that there was no possibility of them being on the list.

……

It didn't take long for the scholars to stop humiliating themselves.

The debate platform turned into a large platform for four people to answer questions and resolve doubts.

Han Jiang, Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, and Feng Jing also realized that it was too serious, which affected the self-confidence of some candidates.

They even heard about it.

Some candidates who feel that they have no chance to be on the list have already begun to look for work.

For example: writing scripts, fortune telling, and storytelling.

These are all popular jobs for those who have not passed the exam and are re-employed.

The four of them thought for a while and finally decided to write a policy paper each from the four major aspects of military, taxation, commerce, and punishment and rewards.

It is intended to give candidates a reference.

The candidates were all overjoyed, and everyone was willing to stand on the shoulders of their predecessors.

And this time.

Businessmen in Bianjing City sensed business opportunities in the candidates.

They hired a group of old Confucian scholars.

After a detailed analysis of the strategies and writing styles of the four Han Jiangs, a set of rules for writing policy papers was compiled.

The so-called rules are actually high imitations.

For example, if you study Wang Anshi, you should start from Wang Anshi's word choice and sentence construction, focusing more on reasoning and examples; if you study Sima Guang, you should start with historical events and focus on inferring from the deeds of his predecessors...

But it has to be said.

The strategy imitated in this way is quite full.

For a time, many candidates were copying the four people's style of writing policy papers.

Followed by.

Unscrupulous businessmen have begun to follow suit.

Private lessons from Master Wang worth 999 yuan, 20 lectures by Sun Daru about getting your money back if you don’t get Jinshi, and the sprint method for policy writing with full coaching for seven days and seven nights...

The list goes on and on.

Some people even say that as long as thirty passes, some candidates can be trained into Wang Anshi style, Sima Guang style, Feng Jing style or Han Jiang style.

Such courses are all about cheating money to cut leeks.

But some candidates who have a lot of money and are stupid just believe it and feel that they can change their style in a short period of time.

For a while.

A group of figures such as Xiao Anshi from Tanzhou, Xiao Sima from Xiangzhou, Han Jiang from Shouzhou, and Feng Jing from Chuzhou emerged in Bianjing City.

They are indeed well-written, but unfortunately, they are only superficial but not meaningful.

Subsequently.

High imitation styles such as Tangzhou Xiao Jingming, Qinzhou Ouyang Xiu, and Yingtianfu Fan Zhongyan also emerged.

This makes the already lively Bianjing city even more lively.

Bao Zheng was busy catching profiteers who cut leeks, while Ding Du scolded the candidates who had been deceived eight times a day.

The two of them were so busy that they didn't even bother to eat.

After Su Liang learned the news, he just smiled.

Things in the world are full of strange things.

Some situations are always out of control.

As any seven-year-old knows, there is no quick fix.

Those who have the ability to become a high school Jinshi will definitely become a high school Jinshi. Those who fail will still fail the exam no matter how much they imitate Su Liang.

……

November 28, afternoon.

The Xianggong of the two prefectures and the third division, the chief officer of Taijian, and Su Liang, Zuo Zhengyan from the seventh rank, gathered together.

Discuss the candidates for the examiner for this imperial examination.

"In the official family, I think there is no other choice except Uncle Ouyang Yong."

"I object. Candidates all over the world are too familiar with Bachelor Ouyang's question-writing style, and they will definitely write according to his wishes, which will allow some candidates who use tricks to take advantage."

"I recommend Deputy Prime Minister Zhang." Wen Yanbo raised his voice.

On the side, Wang Yaochen, the envoy of the Third Division, stood up immediately.

"I object. If Deputy Prime Minister Zhang knows about the tribute examination, he will definitely focus on taxation. Even if he takes the wrong approach, the candidates will mistakenly think that he will focus on taxation, causing some people to fail the exam due to errors in judgment!"

……

In the current dynasty, the style of the people who knew the tributes meant the style of the test paper questions.

Nowadays, there are no more monotonous meanings, scriptures and poems, and the personal style of the test paper content will be more obvious.

Followed by.

The names of Fu Bi, Wu Yu, Ding Du, Wang Yaochen and others were all read out, and even Su Liang was mentioned.

But everyone has reasons to oppose it.

The reason for opposing Su Liang is that Su Liang's current official position is too low.

At this time, Su Liang stood up.

"For officials, I think that the ones recommended by everyone are inappropriate. There are too many familiar faces, and it is easy to induce the candidates to guess the questions. It is better to choose a new face!"

This is the first time to take the policy theory test, and with the crowds of "high imitation people" on the streets of Bianjing, it is undoubtedly best to find a fresh face.

However, there are very few officials whose official positions are not low, who know how to pay tribute, and who have no obvious characteristics.

"Su Qing, do you have anyone to recommend?"

Su Liang slightly cupped his hands and said, "I recommend Liu Chang to be the imperial edict."

Hearing this name, Zhao Zhen and all the ministers' eyes lit up.

Liu Chang was familiar with the Six Classics and Hundreds of Classics, ancient and modern biographies, astronomy and geography, divination, medicine and numerology, the theories of Futu, Lao and Zhuang, and the Spring and Autumn Annals.

He is a well-known all-rounder in the imperial court.

He was good but not excellent in all directions, and he was known for his comprehensive knowledge. Ouyang Xiu even called him Liu Quanquan with a smile.

If he knew about the tribute examination, the candidates would probably be dumbfounded.

Because it is impossible to guess which direction the policy theme will focus on, and it is likely to be very comprehensive.

The word "comprehensive" is a complete nightmare for most candidates.

"It's feasible, it's feasible. Since we are determined to reduce the number of places for imperial examinations, we might as well hold the most difficult imperial examination in history this time!"

"After the examiner is announced, the specific details and directions of the provincial examination and the palace examination will not be listed this time. Candidates who can show their uniqueness under such conditions are the real talents!" Zhao Zhen said with finality.

(End of this chapter)