My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 429 I am going to cause trouble again~
Standing at the top of the long steps, he slowly walked down;

Looking at the imperial steps below, the examinees had different feelings - most of them were still in fear, while a small number of them frowned slightly. Liu Rong had a rough idea in his mind.

After the imperial edict was read, most people were relieved that Liu Rong was planning to suppress those candidates who voluntarily withdrew from the exam.

These people were basically labeled as "mediocre talents" by Liu Rong.

These people’s first reaction is that their interests have not been harmed.

To be precise, I almost got hurt, but luckily I didn't because of my correct decision.

As for the very small part - no more than thirty people in total, at this moment they all frowned slightly, looking as if they wanted to say something but hesitated.

It’s like thinking: Is there something wrong with doing this?

Do I want to be the first to speak out and persuade His Majesty to think twice?
These people were probably the true "talents" that Liu Rong wanted to select for the Han Dynasty through the imperial examination.

——Thinking pattern.

For bureaucrats, especially young officials, this is something very important and extremely difficult to cultivate.

When an emergency occurs, an official’s first reaction often reflects his or her quality to the greatest extent.

For example, in the autumn of a certain year, the price of grain in a certain place was soaring;
If at this moment, those candidates who were still frightened and even gloating were serving as officials in places where grain prices fluctuated at that time.

Their first reaction is most likely: What should I do?
Will he be held accountable?

Will he lose his job?
Oh my, how unlucky I am to be assigned to such a hellish place...

With this kind of thinking and cognition, the following series of abstract operations will be a natural progression.

Those with better character might be able to grumble, curse, and use some rough or even unpresentable means to settle the matter;

Those with worse character are very likely to become the first villain in Chinese history to summarize the concept that "the person who raises the problem is better at solving it than the problem itself."

Should we have such officials?
Liu Rong’s answer was: Of course.

But it cannot be reused.

It would be best to let them serve as 'shao li', that is, deputy of the department;
Rather than the 'Chief Official', that is, the head of a department with decision-making power.

As for direct elimination - as the saying goes: If you are not deaf or blind, you are not worthy of being the head.

For feudal dynasties, any bad official is better than having no officials at all.

To put it more bluntly, no matter how chaotic or dark the order is, it is better than chaos with no order at all.

Therefore, Liu Rong will still use these people as appropriate - as mediocre people and mediocre officials.

On the other hand, those who seem to be concerned about the country and the people, the first reaction is the possible impact of the incident itself, and the "very few" who think about how to deal with the incident;
Still using the same example, food prices in a certain place are skyrocketing.

If these outstanding people with more mature and less "self-defeating" thinking patterns were to be local officials, their first reaction would be: food prices are skyrocketing?

Then what will happen next will surely be starving people everywhere!

We must take action!

Provide porridge to relieve disasters!

Open a warehouse to store grain!
With such a mode of thinking, everything will naturally get on track.

To put it in the most straightforward and simple terms: these people - these outstanding ones, are born to face and solve problems.

On the contrary, the "mediocrities" who make up the vast majority of people instinctively hate problems and are extremely repulsive and unwilling to solve them.

But being an official means constantly facing and solving problems.

It is clear at a glance which one is better or worse - which one can be used and which one cannot be used, which one can be reused and which one can be used as a makeshift one.

In fact, this is also another important factor that led to the gradual decline of Huang-Lao school and its gradual withdrawal from the core of power decision-making in the Han Dynasty.

——There is really no difference between the Huang-Lao school’s approach and those mediocre people and officials who don’t want to care about anything, wish they would never have any problems to solve in their lifetime, and would rather just live a mediocre life until retirement.

Even though in reality, there is a difference between the two - even though Huang Lao's "wuwei" is followed by the phrase "do whatever is necessary";
However, the existence of the four words "Wuwei" of Huang Lao undoubtedly provides an excellent protective color for those mediocre officials who do not act, are unwilling to act, or dare not act.

what?
You say I don't do anything?
You know the shit!

I am governing by doing nothing and giving the people a rest!
Go wherever it’s cool!
Do you know what the ruling school is?

It is obvious that Liu Rong does not like - and even hates - this situation.

No matter mediocre or virtuous, they are all competing to see who is more leisurely and who can implement the "rule by doing nothing" more thoroughly?

You're leaving all the work to me, right?!
Then what use do I have for you?

The common people of the world have to hand over hundreds of millions of dan of grain every year just to support these Taoist priests who govern by inaction and follow the laws of nature?

Sorry - during the reign of Emperor Rong, the Han Dynasty did not allow Taoist priests to exist within the system.

Either you work honestly and earn your salary to support your family.

Either you go to the deep mountains and old forests in your dreams and practice alchemy or cultivating immortality, no one will care about you.

With this thought in mind, Liu Rong finally stopped and stood on a platform about halfway down the long steps.

As Liu Rong's figure gradually approached and appeared more and more clearly in the sight of the examinees, the atmosphere in the examination room became inexplicably solemn.

——Liu Rong, this looks like he is personally supervising the exam.

As Liu Rong took his seat, the three rounds of imperial examination papers that had been prepared long ago were distributed to the candidates in order.

But no one knows;

Even close ministers like Ji An and important officials like Prime Minister Liu She, no one knew that in Liu Rong's mind, the three rounds of imperial examinations had actually ended.

The thirty most dazzling candidates in this imperial examination have been successfully selected by Liu Rong with an imperial edict to "punish the scholars who withdraw from the examination without reason".

What remains is to see how many of the thousands of mediocre people are qualified to be "made do with".

As for the outstanding thirty?
——The test papers had just been distributed, and the candidates had not even finished filling in their personal information, but the names of these thirty or so people had already been recorded by Liu Rong and preliminarily drawn up as the 'A list' of this imperial examination.

Again.

In the third round of this imperial examination, the number of candidates was too small;

In order to maximize the passing rate, Liu Rong lowered the difficulty of the test questions to the maximum extent possible.

Although it still cannot be said that one can pass the test with eyes closed, at least for those outstanding people who are concerned about the country and the people rather than whether they can pass the test, completing such a test paper is no problem at all.

In fact, in the second round of the imperial examination that just ended four days ago, the scores of these thirty or so people were basically in the top 1378. -- More than people took the exam in the second round of the imperial examination, and people passed!
Being able to rank among the top 50 among so many people is enough to demonstrate the academic level of these thirty or so people.

As for the three or two accidents that caused them to fall out of the top 50, Liu Rong had no intention of fixing this small bug.

The written test score is just an additional item.

At least this was the case in the third round of the imperial examination.

For Liu Rong, an official who can instinctively start thinking about emergency plans and devote himself to the incident as soon as it happens - even if in the end, he can't even get 60 points in the third round of imperial examinations, is a talented person worthy of Liu Rong's efforts.

Thinking of this, Liu Rong's eyes were involuntarily attracted by the more than 30 young and confident faces, each with its own unique characteristics.

——There are many acquaintances.

Zheng Dangshi, the prince's attendant, was a big and strong man. Even when he was kneeling on the ground, he was still a head taller than others and was very eye-catching.

There was also Dou Pengzu, Marquis of Nanpi. Although he was not wearing court robes, the gold seal and purple ribbon around his waist, which symbolized his title of Marquis, still made the surrounding candidates instinctively move away in all directions with Dou Pengzu as the center.

At the same time, he also secretly complained: He is a dignified marquis, with thousands of households of fiefdoms, and he is in his thirties and almost forty years old, and he comes to compete with us young people;
The nobles of the Han Dynasty are really getting worse and worse with each generation, becoming more and more shameless...

There is also Gongsun Hong, a scholar in the first year of Emperor Taizong, who was of the same age and era as Jia Yi;

Now he is over 50 years old, with white hair. He kneels among a group of young people and leans over to answer questions, which is also eye-catching.

There are unfamiliar faces too.

But after the first two rounds of imperial examinations, those who looked decent were basically picked out by Liu Rong as the focus of attention.

——Lord Father Yan of Qi, who governs the Han Dynasty today, is a man who is even more skilled in the art of diplomacy than the Mohists!
Even if we put aside this person, the historical figure who has left his name in the history books - even if it is for the sake of preserving academic diversity, Liu Rong will definitely keep this only seedling of the strategist!

——Ni Kuan from Qiancheng, a Confucian scholar.

But it was not the Lu Confucianists whom Liu Rong disliked, or the Gongyang lineage who always made "big news" and made the Han emperor neither happy nor sad;
Instead, he studied under Ouyang Hebo, the only legitimate successor of Jinan Fu Sheng, except for the deceased Chao Cuo and the second-generation ancestor Zhang Yan, and he studied the most complete and authoritative edition of "Shangshu" in the world today.

For such a person, even if he could not bear the face of Ouyang Hebo and Ni Kuan's own talent, Liu Rong should at least give some face to "Shangshu" and Jinan Fusheng.

——The stuttering literary giant, Sima Xiangru.

He once followed King Xiao of Liang, Liu Wu, and reaped all the benefits of King Xiao of Liang, Liu Wu, in that good old days when any scholar could enjoy a good life in the palace of King Xiao of Liang.

But judging from the fact that this person disappeared from the public eye and appeared in this year's imperial examination, it is not difficult to find that Sima Xiangru's life was not easy after losing his big financial sponsor, King Liang Liu Wu.

Therefore, even though Sima Xiangru gave irrelevant answers in the first two rounds of imperial examinations - he submitted an ornate essay each time, Liu Rong still opened a special talent green channel for Sima Xiangru, allowing him to pass the imperial examinations.

There is no other reason;

Sima Xiangru's fu is so beautiful...

It's not just the beautiful handwriting - the content itself is also incredibly beautiful!

Not to mention those that are not very familiar to people in later generations, let’s just talk about the most widely circulated one in later generations: "The Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix"!
There is a beauty, I never forget her when I see her;
I don’t see you in a day, thinking like crazy.

The phoenix is ​​flying high, and the four seas are seeking it;

Unfortunately, the beauty is not at the east wall...

When it comes to poetry, songs and the like, Liu Rong is indeed not that good.

However, Liu Rong still has basic judgment ability on whether a poem is beautiful or good.

Sima Xiangru, no doubt about it—the Minister of Propaganda appointed by Liu Rong!

Nor do we ask the future Sima Xiangru to follow the standards of "The Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix" and write a work praising Liu Rong's wisdom and bravery and flattering Liu Rong;

Write about the local customs and people~
It’s worth writing about the world~
Even writing about love between men and women is enough.

The cultural heritage of China is enough to support Sima Xiangru, who uses these seemingly "soap opera" works to help Liu Rong achieve his desired political goals and provide the united front value that Liu Rong wants.

In addition to the above mentioned people, there are also a few people that Liu Rong did not have a deep impression of, but he was very sure that they were "famous in history".

The cruel official Wang Wenshu;
The grandson of Marquis Gonggao, the former Shaofu Sheren Han Yan;
As well as the outstanding children of several old and close ministers.

Overall, Liu Rong is satisfied with the quality.

"Four hundred stones..."

"Um……"

"How about making some changes..."

While thinking, Liu Rong couldn't help but feel a little shaken.

——First of all, Liu Rong must "create a sensation" in this imperial examination so as to set a good start for every imperial examination in the future.

Since the goal is to get off to a good start, it is natural to allow as many candidates as possible to occupy decent, respectable, and preferably higher-ranking positions.

The original plan was to pile up numbers and appoint thousands, or even tens of thousands, of officials;

Taking this order of magnitude into consideration, Liu Rong even left himself a small way out - he did not say it as 'everyone gets 400 shi', but said 'the highest is 400 shi, the lowest is 100 shi'.

However, the current situation obviously cannot meet Liu Rong's planned pile quantity requirements.

Since the quantity is not enough, we naturally have to improve the quality.

- Let as many people as possible become officials, and let a group of outstanding people become "big" officials beyond everyone's expectations.

With this in mind, a plan that should not have been put forward so early appeared in Liu Rong's mind.

"Let's take advantage of this opportunity to establish the Shangshutai."

"The number of people sentenced to death on the first list is thirty, and the same will apply in the future."

"——The second list was appointed as a junior official of the 400-stone level, and sent to the local counties to polish and accumulate experience;"

"The thirty top candidates will be admitted to the Shangshutai first, and they will serve as trainees by my side..."

Shangshu was not a new official title invented by Liu Rong, but one that already existed in the existing system of the Han Dynasty.

——The so-called Shangshu is one of the six departments under the Shaofu, including the Shangchu, Shangyi and other subordinate departments, which are responsible for Liu Rong's daily life, that is, one of the 'Six Shangs of Shaofu'.

As one of the six Shangzhong of the Shaofu, in charge of the writing and document department, Liu Rong had the final say in the appointment and dismissal of officials in this department. Although he did not have absolute say, he at least had the final say.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of this imperial examination, he could stuff dozens of the most outstanding candidates into the Shangshu Tai, which would undoubtedly be a way to reveal his own intentions to the outer court in the most gentle way.

——See clearly~
——I~
——I’m going to cause trouble again~
(End of this chapter)