A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 138 This is the world of Juanbi (Part )
As long as Song Xuan doesn't incite the people to rebel, he will be able to make a living in officialdom in the future because of his good public speaking skills.

Therefore, Zhang Shide pointed at Yan Shu meaningfully.

He could actually guess a little bit why Yan Shu supported Yingtian Academy so strongly.

But there are some things that I don’t want to say out loud.

Just like in the court struggles, the person who speaks for you may not necessarily have good intentions for you, and the person who opposes you may not necessarily want to harm you.

The older Zhang Shide gets, the more he realizes that being an official is a complicated business.

Not everyone can grasp it.

Even the cautious child prodigy Yan Shu had to retreat to the third level in order to protect himself!

Among the crowd below the stage.

Wang Congyi glanced at the stunned Wang Tai:
"Now you believe that Dou Chou's defeat was not unfair, right?"

Even though Wang Tai, the prime minister's son, had seen big scenes before, he did not expect that Song Xuan's speech would arouse the enthusiasm of so many students.

Regardless of the reputation Song Xuan had accumulated before, or what he said today, Wang Tai felt that the position of Wang Yaochen, the representative of Yingtian Academy, would have to change hands in the future.

After all, after the Song brothers passed the exam, Wang Yaochen was the only prominent figure left.

Wang Tai has always regarded Wang Yaochen as his main target.

"Let's talk about it after Song Xuan passes the exam in three months."

Hearing Wang Tai's stubborn words, Wang Congyi just smiled and didn't want to argue.

The results will be out in three months anyway, so why rush?

What does it matter if I’m stubborn now?
Wang Congyi now suddenly has more goals. If he wants to keep going for a long time, he must not do nothing and wait for death.

Things are getting more and more interesting now.

Because Wang Congyi doesn't want to die so early!

Song Hao sighed again:

"Over the years, neither you nor I have known Twelve, so he seemed so strange standing on the stage."

The seventh brother, Song Ming, looked at his fifth brother in surprise.

After all, he is your half-brother.

Even if you were adopted out, the relationship between you two brothers shouldn't be so stiff!

But Song Ming is no longer the person who believed whatever Song Hao said.

He also had his own thoughts, so surprisingly he did not agree with him at this time, nor did he continue talking about this topic.

When Song Xuan came down from the stage, he naturally attracted a lot of attention.

Zhang Fangping laughed and said:

“Twelve Brother, you are really amazing. If you let me go up there, I will definitely not be able to tell.”

"Hey, thanks to my early years chatting with people on the street, I developed this skill."

Wang Yaochen was a little unconvinced at first, but after hearing what Song Xuan said, he admitted that he could not win the argument with Song Xuan and would only become a background figure.

Now Wang Yaochen even admired Master Fan for making such an arrangement and not doing anything to go against it.

Otherwise, Wang Yaochen felt that he would be embarrassed.

When he said in public that he wanted to be the top scorer in the imperial examination, he was already setting a flag for himself.

If your faith is broken before you even start preparing, you might not even be able to pass the imperial examination!

Besides, what Song Xuan said just now was not wrong. Everyone has his strengths and weaknesses.

It’s impossible for students like me to know everything, but if we can play to our strengths, we will be much better than others!

Zhu Yu looked at Song Xuan's confident look and felt a little envious of him for being able to speak so well in front of so many people.

So he returned the folding fan to him.

"Thank you."

Song Xuan took the fan, thanked him, and sat down.

Fan Zhongyan commented on Song Xuan's previous remarks, which were all very relevant, and then asked the former headmaster Qi Shunbin to make the final summary.

Qi Shunbin was very moved and was supported by Fan Zhongyan as he walked onto the stage with his crutches.

He hopes that Yingtian Academy will become better and better, and that the students studying there will study well.

Don’t forget the instructions of your ancestors, and don’t forget your ambition to study hard here far away from home.

He had been the dean for so many years, but he had not done his job well, so much so that no one had candles to read at night.

I hope everyone will study hard. President Fan is young and strong, and he will definitely allow everyone to study with peace of mind in the future.

Qi Shunbin burst into tears.

Three generations of the Qi family have devoted themselves to this academy, and he is extremely reluctant to hand it over today.

However, for the better development of the academy, he had to step down and let others take over.

Yan Shu in the audience couldn't stand it any longer:

"Mr. Qi is already quite old. If he is left to work hard at the academy, I'm afraid he won't live many years."

Zhang Shide has been recuperating from illness, and he can understand Qi Shunbin's feelings.

I have devoted my whole life to this, and my hair has turned from black to white. Now I always feel reluctant to let go.

Some students did shout, "We only recognize you as the dean."

Hearing this, Qi Shunbin immediately wiped away his tears:

"From now on, Fan Zhongyan will be the dean of Yingtian Academy. You students come to the academy to study, not to compete over trivial matters. Since you think I am good, you must remember my teachings and refrain from causing trouble."

As Qi Shunbin grew older, he became more and more sentimental, and he left immediately after finishing his words.

Fan Zhongyan didn't say much, he just said that today's ceremony was over and you would start classes tomorrow.

"If you learn quickly, you can take the Fajie exam in less than three months. Everyone should give it a try to see how good they are, so they can identify and address any gaps in their abilities in the future."

Fan Zhongyan inspired many freshmen, especially since the passing rate of the Fajie test was higher than that of the other two levels of exams.

Then everyone took it back to the classroom and remembered to move their own wooden stool.

At this time, the team goes from the end to the front, and Class A still goes first.

Song Xuan looked at Zhu Yu's thin arms, panting even after moving a wooden stool:
"Brother Zhu, do you need any help?"

"No, no thanks."

Song Xuan was known as a timely rain, so he immediately reached out and grabbed the wooden stools, walking forward with one in each hand.

Zhang Fangping followed behind and asked quickly:

"Twelfth brother, do you want to take part in the hair removal test in three months?"

"Just take part. Whether you pass or not, it's still experience. We're still young, and there are plenty of opportunities. Why would we wait a year in vain just because we're afraid?"

Song Xuan blurted out, "I'll take the exam in three months. What's so difficult about that?"

Wang Yaochen also said: "The test is relatively simple. If you work hard, there is at least a 50% chance of passing."

Send a test.

This is the first level examination for scholars to take the Jinshi examination.

Because the exam is held in autumn, it is also called the "Autumn Exam".

There are many types of Fajie exams, and there are certain political and geographical restrictions on the candidates.

Among them, the prefectures and counties sent the largest number of scholars to take the examinations, and the levels of the examiners varied, making it difficult for the imperial court to control them.

The hair analysis test is the most complicated and most prone to malpractice among the three-level examinations.

Before the autumn examination, the county chiefs would examine the local talents and recommend them to the prefecture. The prefectural chiefs would then verify the results and recommend them to their own provinces.

The administrative system of the Song Dynasty was composed of prefectures, counties, and districts.

"Oh, then I feel much more relieved."

Zhang Fangping smiled when he heard this.

Song Xuan poured cold water on him again: "Fang Ping, don't take it lightly."

"In the Song Dynasty, where 'there were countless writers and candidates seeking elections,' competition for the imperial examinations was extremely fierce."

"As far as I know, some prefectures and counties have as many as ten thousand scholars who should be sent to the examination. Yingtian Prefecture has a smaller population, with seven counties under its jurisdiction, but I estimate that there must be several thousand people."

This kind of exam does not have the same requirements as those for fresh graduates.

In short, it is the accumulation of students over the years.

As long as you fail and someone vouches for you, you can take the first level of the imperial examination until you pass. "What Twelve Lang said is correct."

Wang Yaochen also nodded:
"In fact, I took the test twice before I successfully passed it. There were a lot of people participating, and the environment was not at all the intensity of the entrance exam."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have given up on taking the palace exam and returned to the academy to calm down."

In the early period of Taizu's reign, the military reform in the country had just been settled and the reform of the imperial examination had just begun. The number of candidates participating in the provincial examinations each time was only about 2,000.

With the deepening of the imperial examination reform and the development of the imperial examination system, by the first tribute examination during the reign of Emperor Taizong (977), the number of candidates had increased to .

The first imperial examination during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong (998) saw nearly candidates, far exceeding the peak period of the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty.

It became even more popular after that, mainly due to Emperor Zhenzong's poems encouraging learning.

Confucius' disciple Zixia once said: "If you are good at being an official, you should study; if you are good at studying, you should be an official."

In the past, people regarded this sentence as the origin of the "study hard to become an official" theory, but it is actually not correct.

This political correctness was not publicly promoted until Emperor Zhenzong.

Studying has a direct connection with becoming an official.

From then on, the saying "Leaving your son a basket full of gold is not as good as leaving him one copy of the classics" appeared in the Song Dynasty.

This is the end.

The imperial examination had become the most influential and attractive career for scholars in feudal society.

This directly promoted the popularization of culture in the Song Dynasty.

More than a decade ago, more than 100,000 people across the country took the test.

Because there are too many people.

Too curly!

This brought great difficulties to the examination.

By the time of Emperor Renzong, the Song Dynasty had been around for almost a hundred years.

The long-term stable situation and the rulers' strenuous advocacy finally ushered in the golden age of imperial examinations in the Northern Song Dynasty.

The ratio of the Southeastern State Army to be released is "one out of every hundred people", and the ratio of the Northwestern State Army to be released is "one out of every ten people".

The number of students taking the first-level exam has now more than doubled.

By the middle of Renzong's reign, the number of students taking the first level of the imperial examination alone exceeded 400,000.

The imperial court also limited the number of candidates who passed the pre-examination and could participate in the provincial examination.

From the imperial court to the common people, scholars were highly respected.

Then the number of people who study and take the exam is increasing.

This road to imperial examinations.

That is getting more and more exciting!
It just so happened that the place where Song Xuan was located was the area with the most intense competition.

A highlight of Henan, a province with a large number of exams.

It really has been like this since ancient times.

Song Xuan nodded slightly. He knew that the imperial examination was too competitive.

Students like Wang Yaochen who are determined to concentrate on preparation for three years.

They were everywhere in the Song Dynasty.

As for the old failed students Liu Sanbian and Shi Yannian whom Song Xuan came into contact with.

These students work hard on their studies but they just can't perform as well as others in the exams.

There are even more people who failed the exam.

This kind of exam is not like the ones in later generations, where there is a standard correct answer. Many times it depends on whether the article you write can pass the examiner's consideration.

In the case of Yingtian Prefecture, one person is selected from a hundred people.

Thousands of people signed up.

In the end, no more than a hundred people will be able to pass successfully.

All students must pay attention to it.

When he returned to the classroom, Song Xuan put down the stool and sat inside against the wall.

Because teaching in this era was mainly oral, copying classics, discussion and question-and-answer.

There is no such thing as a blackboard.

The teachers also don’t know how to write on the blackboard.

So Song Xuan didn't have to worry about staying in the corner and ending up with strabismus from looking at the blackboard for a long time.

"Thank you."

Zhu Yu, a classmate, thanked him again, and Song Xuan waved his hand:

"We'll be together for a long time, so there's no need to keep saying thank you. I'm tired of hearing it since I was a kid."

Facing such a generous Song Xuan.

Zhu Yu didn't know what to say, so he just nodded.

After a while, Teacher Wang Zhu brought over a box of candles and asked Zhang Fangping to distribute them.

I advise everyone to use them sparingly. You are lucky to have come at a good time. In the past few months, they had no candles provided by the academy at night.

Song Xuan didn't say he didn't need it, after all it was a school benefit.

Later he can send Bao Zheng, the boarding student, back.

Bao Heizi is a "curly guy".

I often read by candlelight at Song Xuan's house.

Bao Heizi makes a lot of money every day.

He led Song Xuan and Zhang Fangping to roll up unconsciously.

It can be seen how great the "harm" of the volume ratio is!

But the imperial examination is like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge. If you don’t roll up your sleeves, you’ll be rolled down by others!

Especially many people may not be able to pass the exam.

For example, the prodigal Su Xun, although he was old, he just started to study day and night, and he didn't even notice that he ate ink as a dip.

But even if Su Xun wrote the paper like this, he still could not pass the imperial examination.

Whether it is active rolling or passive rolling, if you want to stand out and live a good life in this era, you must roll up.

If you succeed, it's fine. If you fail, your life will be in vain. You can only hope that the next generation will be able to have a bright future in the imperial examination!

After school, Song Xuan just put the candle in his desk pocket and didn't care.

Zhu Yu also stood up and prepared to go home.

He is also a local.

"Twelfth brother, you don't hold a candle?"

Song Xuan put all his books in it:

"If I need to study at night in the academy someday, it will be useful."

Mainly because Song Xuan understood what Fan Zhongyan meant in his speech, he also wanted to organize a large-scale "evening self-study" to encourage the students of Yingtian Academy to study on their own initiative.

Even if you don't want to roll, he will pull you.

Otherwise, Fan Zhongyan would not have found a way to raise money to distribute candles to the students in the academy.

But one candle is usually not enough to study until midnight.

But where can the money come from?

"I see."

Zhang Fangping also put the candle in his desk pocket, said goodbye to Wang Yaochen and others, and followed Song Xuan out of the classroom.

There are not many wandering students like Song Xuan in Yingtian Academy.

When the two of them walked out of the academy gate, they happened to see Yan Shu and Song Shou walking side by side.

Zhang Fangping immediately rushed forward happily and greeted Song Shou.

Then Yan Shu inevitably saw Song Twelve walking slowly towards him.

(End of this chapter)