My father is Emperor Wu of Han, how can I be different from him?

Chapter 242 Talented people emerge from generation to generation

The first imperial examination of the Han Dynasty was divided into two tests. First, there was an initial examination at the Imperial Academy of the Guanglu Temple. The outstanding candidates could enter the Weiyang Palace and take the second examination presided over by the emperor.

Once you enter the palace, it means that Jian is in the emperor's favor, and your future career will be promising.

Even if they fail to enter the palace, the Guanglu Temple will select talented people based on their performance in the examination. Generally speaking, these people should be candidates for official positions.

But this year is special.

Along with the implementation of the imperial examination system, official schools were also set up in various places. When there was a shortage of officials, they could directly appoint officials.

Actually.

The first imperial examination of the Han Dynasty, from the issuance of the imperial edict to recruit scholars to the subsequent arrangements for successful candidates, was extremely crude.

Like the examination process, local areas must be selected at least once before gathering in the capital.

There were also irregularities in the examination venues, marking methods, and even the way in which candidates taking the imperial examinations traveled to the capital.

"Many counties and states in Guandong and Southern Xinjiang are too far away from the capital. Many poor children are too poor to even afford the money to go to Beijing to take the exam."

Between the palace walls and corridors.

The emperor and the prince walked in front, with a group of attendants following behind them.

"When the next imperial examination is scheduled, after the examinations are completed in the counties and states, the scholars can be sent to the capital together with the grain taxes paid by the localities." Liu Ju suggested: "There will be a guarantee along the way, and the travel expenses of the scholars can also be borne by the court."

"feasible."

The emperor held his sword in front of him and nodded, saying, "If we select only the rich and powerful, wouldn't it be a waste of my efforts?"

As he spoke, Liu Che pointed to the person behind him and said, "Write this down."

"Yes."

Shang Shu Pushe Huo Guang folded a book in half and took notes quickly with a pen.

While walking, Liu Ju thought for a moment and said, "This year and even in the next few years, before the official schools are established, most of the candidates are from the private sector or family education."

"But after a few years, when the government schools are spread out, it will be better to distinguish between government-run candidates and private school candidates."

"Why?" the emperor raised his eyebrows.

"After classification, we can count the education level of official schools in each county, as well as the local learning style and folk customs. For private school candidates, it is not necessary to prohibit or restrict them."

Liu Ju said solemnly: "Since the threshold of recommendation has been abolished for the imperial examination, it should be completely abolished, and anyone can participate regardless of their status."

"Ah."

A smile appeared on the emperor's face, "This is a bit of a great way to govern the country."

"The preparations for this imperial examination were rushed, and the people who came to Beijing to take the exam were of all kinds of backgrounds, including merchants, jailers, children of good families, and sons of officials..."

After turning a corner, the emperor suddenly sneered: "Someone came to advise me before that the prince and the peasant boy are mixing together, which is a violation of etiquette."

"Humph!"

"Is this the corruption of etiquette? If so, then they probably don't know that I like the corruption of etiquette!"

Liu Che said coldly behind him, "Remember this, as long as you are a citizen of the Han Dynasty, no matter what your status is, you can participate in any imperial examination."

"Great generals can emerge from among the cavalrymen, and good ministers can emerge from among the merchants. Who can't I employ? Write this sentence in the imperial edict, and let everyone in the world remember it!"

Yes.

Dahan is such a magical place.

Wei Qing was born a slave, but he was able to reach a high position second only to the emperor; Sang Hongyang was born a merchant, but he was able to become the chief financial officer of the court and be ranked among the Nine Ministers!

There are so many identity transitions like this.

Compared with them, what does the imperial examination system that allows all kinds of people to participate mean?

Compared with the 21st century, the Han Dynasty was undoubtedly a very bad era, but compared with the later dynasties with serious class solidification, the Han Dynasty was the best era...

Outside the Xuanshi Hall.

When the emperor and his entourage arrived, the eunuch came forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the scholars are waiting in the palace."

"Well, let's go into the temple."

In the Xuanshi Hall, the place where the dignitaries used to stand was replaced today with desks arranged from the center to the two sides, with a scholar sitting behind each desk.

There are more than twenty people in total, most of whom are young scholars who have not yet reached adulthood. They are the best ones selected after the initial examination of the Guanglu Temple.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Although the eunuchs had arranged for someone to teach in advance, when the emperor entered, the sounds of the scholars standing up to greet him were still a little chaotic.

If you listen carefully.

It is not difficult to hear that some people's tone is nervous and their expressions are tense.

"Hahaha, please stop being so polite!" The emperor walked all the way to the imperial steps, supporting others as he walked, and his demeanor was extremely rare and kind.

After he sat down on the dragon couch, he smiled gently again and said, "Everyone present here today is the pillar of our Han Dynasty. I have high hopes for you all."

"Don't be shy."

Hearing this, most of the scholars in the hall, who were dressed simply or even shabbily, suddenly blushed and looked excited.

Only a few people dressed in gorgeous clothes remained calm.

The emperor took in all the reactions, but did not comment on anything. He just gave a few more words of encouragement, which led to a burst of gratitude, and then he extended his hand.

Liu Ju, who was standing by the imperial steps, understood what was going on, looked around, and said kindly, "Three days ago, in the Guanglu Temple's preliminary examination, you were tested on classics, law, calligraphy, etc."

"Today's palace examination will not ask about classics, but about current affairs."

"First, the 'strategy' is made in court, and then it is put into writing."

Duice is a form of questioning in the Han Dynasty, in which questions were written on bamboo slips and given to candidates to answer.

Another one is: shooting strategy.

That is, the examinee shoots arrows and answers questions on the bamboo slips, which is similar to a random test by drawing lots.

As the name suggests, asking about current affairs is to test the current affairs of the court. In the imperial examination system of the Tang Dynasty, this form of examination was called: Current Affairs Policy.

"First question."

As the scholars held their breath, Liu Ju said, "Governing a country is inseparable from finance. He pointed out the current financial problems of the court and proposed strategies to correct them."

The question was asked in plain language and directly. Everyone in the hall listened...

very nervous.

Because what the prince just said was: Come up with a plan in court first.

Written answers can only show your knowledge reserves, calligraphy attainments and other aspects, but face-to-face questions will test your eloquence, quick wit, logical thinking and even courage.

After the prince finished speaking, the hall was quiet for a while, and no one urged him.

After a while.

After a brief thought, a voice came from the back right:
"The government's current finances mainly come from land tax, population tax, miscellaneous taxes, etc. In addition, the salt and iron industry is also a major source of income."

A thin young man at the back responded, "Taxes on land and population have been around for a long time and there is nothing wrong with them, but salt and iron have many drawbacks."

"The salt and iron officials are corrupt and even if the court investigates them strictly, money has always been a motivating factor for people. The hundreds of iron and salt officials are often as wealthy as dukes."

"I think that in addition to strict inspections, we should also appropriately liberalize salt and iron and make them part of the market tax instead of buying them exclusively."

Listen.

The eunuch standing beside the imperial desk raised his eyelids, but the emperor and the prince showed no expression. It was unclear whether their nodding gesture indicated approval or thought.

That’s all I have to say.

Another voice, wanting to show off in front of the emperor and the crown prince, said, "I don't know much about taxes, but I know a thing or two about the tax-related gao xian." "Since the implementation of gao xian, more than 100 hectares of land have been confiscated in small counties, and hundreds of hectares in large counties. The property and slaves are countless."

"Because of the denunciation, the merchants in the county were almost wiped out!"

The scholar who was standing near the right front row of the hall and looked mature beyond his years said in a deep voice: "People are already panicking, but local officials are under the intimidation of the court and are concealing or even not reporting anything."

"I dare to propose to abolish the system of reporting money!"

This statement came out.

Liu Ju's heart moved slightly. The emperor on the dragon couch looked normal, but he raised his fingers on the imperial desk.

Upon seeing this, the eunuch beside him took out a test paper from the stack and pushed it in front of the emperor.

On the front it says:

Bingji, a native of Lu, was a prison guard. He was well versed in legal science and familiar with laws and regulations.

The emperor glanced at him and did not respond. Because he and the prince had no expression on their faces, the scholars in the hall were confused.

After the first two people spoke, several more people answered questions related to finance, involving various taxes of the Han Dynasty.

To the end.

A scholar who studied Huang-Lao even suggested that we should follow the example of Emperor Xiaowen and exempt land taxes!

Forehead--

All I can say is that a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger and dares to say anything.

If all the officials of the imperial court were here today, there would be many things they would not dare to say out loud even if they were thinking about them.

But these scholars dared to do so, and even if they did, the emperor would not care, because they were young and their words were mostly out of public interest...

sincerity!

After the court had been advised on various taxes, others either had no new ideas or did not understand taxes and kept silent throughout the process.

At this moment, Liu Ju opened his mouth at the right time: "Second question, agriculture and sericulture are the foundation of the world. The court wants to find a strategy to promote agriculture. Do you have any suggestions?"

In comparison.

This second question is more difficult than the previous one because it is more biased.

Just like at this moment, after Liu finished speaking, the few people who spoke one after another gave general answers, and most of what they said were old-fashioned things, such as setting up agricultural officials and encouraging farming.

There are no outstanding highlights.

The emperor asked this question in order to convey his emphasis on agriculture, and he did not really expect a group of young scholars to come up with any practical ideas.

Unexpectedly.

Just as Liu Ju thought so and was about to ask the next question, a heavy and slightly hesitant voice sounded from the back of the hall:
"As for farming, the curved plow promoted by the imperial court in recent years is very good, but the quality of the farming tools is not the fundamental reason for determining the harvest. The key lies in the land itself."

Oops.

Another young talent has appeared, and in front of the prince who created the curved plow, he actually spoke down the prince's contribution?

Xiao Liu became interested, and Lao Liu also looked in the direction of the sound.

The man who spoke was wearing a small scarf, had wheat-colored skin, and was about thirty years old. He did not fit in with the other young scholars in the hall.

When other people looked at him, especially the emperor and the prince, the man in simple clothes suddenly felt a little embarrassed and said haltingly:
"The fields need to be left fallow to accumulate earth energy, and when sowing crops, attention should be paid to weeding, lodging, and drought resistance."

"Especially in dry fields, where there is little rain, it is difficult to retain moisture even if it is irrigated. I have been farming for many years and have observed fellow villagers sowing seeds. I think it is possible to implement ridge and furrow alternating cultivation."

"One year, sowing is done in the furrows. The ridges are high and the furrows are deep. This can prevent wind and retain water. When cultivating and weeding, the soil on the ridges can be dug to the roots of the crops..."

"In the second year, the ridges will be dug to form ditches..."

Listen, listen.

The emperor found that he couldn't understand, but it didn't matter. There were many professional things that the emperor didn't understand, and he didn't need to understand. He only needed to know how to identify and use people.

At this moment, Liu Che's ability to identify people was triggered.

He narrowed his eyes and tapped the table. The old eunuch beside him had expected this and pulled out a test paper with his hometown, name, and the comments from the Guanglu Temple written on it.

On the cover it reads:

Zhao Guo, a native of Beidi County, was from a poor family...

Seeing that line of words, the emperor's eyes lit up slightly, and he raised his hand and nodded calmly. The eunuch understood and put the answer sheet aside.

At this time.

Zhao Guo's answer in the hall was also coming to an end. After listening to the story, Liu Ju frowned and said in a deep voice, "You can write your questions on paper later, and the Sino-Agricultural Temple will check them."

Zhao Guo heard this, feeling a mixture of trepidation and excitement, and responded with a folded hand:

"Here."

Liu Ju nodded, glanced around, and confirmed that no one was answering the question about farming. He then asked, "The third question is, the most important affairs of the country are sacrifice and war."

"What do you think about the war, Xiongnu, Nanyue, and even the Western Yi countries?"

This is a very big question.

Because there is no limit on the direction and only opinions are asked, in this way, if it is right, there will be right suggestions, and if it is wrong, there will be wrong judgments.

If all the officials in the court were here today, there would be no option of "wrong" at all, and they would definitely flatter the "right" side!
However, the people present at this moment are not old hands, but young calves.

Again.

A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, and it is not afraid of a dragon either!

Coincidentally, the old dragon in the Xuanshi Hall wanted to hear the young people's opinions...

"It is true that the imperial court started the war to enhance the prestige of the Han Dynasty and expand the territory. However, when it comes to each family and each individual, there are many hardships."

A scholar in the front row said solemnly: "I am from Jiujiang County, Yangzhou. My fellow countrymen have never been attacked by the Xiongnu, let alone seen the Xiongnu."

"I only know that every time a war breaks out with a Xiongnu country, the imperial court's taxes and corvée labor will increase a bit..."

“The people are exhausted.”

Obviously, this person holds an anti-war stance.

As soon as he finished speaking, the fierce debate that appeared in the financial questions and answers but disappeared in the agricultural questions and answers resurfaced.

"This is wrong. We need to distinguish the order of events. The Xiongnu invaded the border every year, and the imperial court started the war later. It was not the imperial court's intention to start the war, but it had no choice but to do so."

A man sitting in the middle of the front row said loudly: "If we want to avoid being bullied by the Xiongnu, we can only mobilize the army. But once we mobilize the army, we will have to pay labor and taxes. This is reality."

“The people are exhausted and exhausted, and this cannot be denied as a reality.”

"I think that mobilizing troops is feasible, but after the fighting ends, we need to reduce taxes as soon as possible and provide relief to the people."

He just finished speaking.

A reasonable and sharp question was immediately asked: "When will the war end? Now? Or in a few years or decades?"

This is a good question.

Although it was not the emperor who asked the question, he also wanted to know. Liu Che squinted and looked at the person who spoke in the middle.

But when the emperor looked at him, he was neither humble nor arrogant. The young man had bright eyes and a handsome face. He bowed his hands and said lightly:

"Forgive me for being so bold, but Your Majesty is in power and the war is endless. To live in peace with the people, we need to wait for the Crown Prince..."

Well, you are really brave!
The scholars were horrified when they heard this. Liu Ju shook his head and smiled bitterly. The emperor on the dragon couch heard this and suddenly laughed out loud: "Hahahahahaha!"

"Finally, my clan has produced a horse that can run a thousand miles!"

"How joyful!"

(End of this chapter)