A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 205 Officials’ Little Habits
"I forgot to introduce myself."

Song Qi snorted and laughed:
"Let my twelfth brother know that we are distant relatives. My name is Song Qi, the second son. I am here on behalf of my nephew Xu Zheng to deal with the matter he did."

"Song Qi?"

Song Xuan looked him over and then nodded:

"Oh, I remember now. I wonder what Brother Song wants to do here this time?"

Song Qi glanced at Song Hao.

It seems that he did not take out the top scholar notes, otherwise Song Xuan would not call him so unfamiliarly.

"Just let Xu Zheng come and apologize to you. This matter was his fault."

"So that's what happened!"

Song Xuan smiled and glanced at Xu Zheng who lowered his head:

"Are you trying to use our relationship as a threat to seek my forgiveness?"

"no no."

Xu Zheng waved his hands quickly. To be honest, he was a little afraid of Song Xuan.

"Then there's nothing more to say."

Song Xuan looked at Song Qi and said formally:

"Brother Song has passed the imperial examination and won the top prize, so he naturally knows how important the imperial examination is to children of common people like us."

"If this matter were to become a big deal, it would be a joke on my future as Song Xuan, so I don't think this is a simple matter."

"After the incident became a big deal and the court investigated thoroughly, do you think Xu Zheng is still qualified to take the imperial examination?"

Xu Zheng felt more and more ashamed and quickly looked at Song Qi, wanting him to give him a positive answer.

"It won't be good for anyone if the situation gets out of hand."

Song Qi felt that it was quite normal for Song Xuan to be so hostile.

Xu Zheng stood there in a daze, and even his uncle did not speak up for himself.

"I don't forgive them easily. It's for their own good. I want them to remember this lesson and not hurt themselves and others in the future, not to mention their families."

"Twelfth brother is right."

Song Qi naturally agreed with Song Xuan's words. He felt that this boy was so eloquent that he actually left him speechless.

Previously, he was the one who left others speechless.

The most important thing is that Song Qi discovered that Song Xuan’s elder brother Song Hao did not have any authority over Song Xuan.

Instead, he stood aside silently, acting as an introducer.

"I will let Xu Zheng personally give you an explanation for this matter, instead of just a few words of apology."

Song Xuan glanced at Song Qi and saw that he was a smart and eloquent person.

They can also understand other people's thoughts. People who have the ability to become the top scorer are not just good at studying.

"That's good."

Song Qi immediately handed Xu Zheng aside to talk, leaving the two brothers to communicate.

He hoped to tell Song Xuan some news through Song Hao's mouth.

really.

Song Hao did not disappoint Song Qi's plan and told Song Xuan the news that he was coming to Songcheng to serve as the magistrate.

Song Xuan raised his eyebrows slightly. He was transferred to Songcheng in a short time. It seemed that someone in the court was opposing Empress Dowager Liu. Was this compensation to him?
Otherwise, the lucrative position of magistrate of Songcheng would not have been his.

Even though the Song Dynasty experienced serious public security incidents and the perpetrators of the attack and robbery of Dou Han were never caught, people's livelihood was thriving under Yan Shu's governance.

Whoever comes here to gain experience will be able to move up in the future.

"I see."

Song Xuan lowered his voice and said:
"Fifth brother, if you easily agree to a request from a proud man like Song Qi, it will only make him look down on you in his heart."

"Besides, they got two top scorers in the imperial examinations. It's obvious that our family is trying to curry favor with them. How can they have a good impression of you?"

"After all, it will help you and me academically."

Song Hao still couldn't bear to part with his top scholar notes, and even more so, he couldn't bear to be taught by the real top scholar Song Qi in the future.

This is a very important thing for him.

Because Song Hao also wanted to be on the high school list and become a Jinshi, and didn't want to stay in this small place.

Song Qi was the only opportunity he could seize to have more advantages than others in the examination room.

Upon hearing this, Song Xuan realized that they were not the same kind of people.

But he wouldn't blame Song Hao either.

Because there are really not many opportunities to be taught personally by such a "famous teacher"!
If anyone encounters this, wouldn’t they seize the opportunity and lick it?

At this time, I can learn more from others, and I will have greater hope of passing the imperial examination.

"Fifth brother, just get along with him. I'm not particularly interested in the top scholar's notes."

Song Xuan pointed at the teacher in his class:

"Although my teacher is not the top scholar, he is still ranked fifth in the first class. He has enough ability."

"Besides, I think he has a lot on his mind and has experience as an official. He is definitely not someone you and I can control."

Song Hao wanted to persuade them again and subconsciously glanced at the uncle and nephew, but Song Qi was looking at him.

He was thinking about what to say when Song Xuan walked into the classroom.

Song Qi heard a version from Fan Zhongyan, so he also wanted to hear one from his nephew Xu Zheng.

Why put the blame on Song Xuan?

Xu Zheng talked a lot, and Song Hao was standing aside and couldn't come over.

But the more Song Qi listened, the more his brows furrowed.

Because he found that he had underestimated his distant relative Song Xuan!

From ranking third in the entrance examination, to publicly forcing the Hanlin scholar Dou Chou to death, to being assassinated, and using all kinds of means to save people, his medical skills are also extremely good.

He wrote The Story of the Stone, Journey to the West, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but in fact he did it to sell his lottery tickets.

Song Qi had heard about the lottery.

Isn’t this a kind of rush buying?

This kind of transaction was a very common thing during the reign of Emperor Renzong.

Then I heard that Song Xuan had defeated all the ruffians in Songcheng, and now the public security is very good. There are no cases of extortion on the streets, and the ones that do happen are from other places.

Not understanding local rules.

Song Qi's brows furrowed more and more. He didn't believe that this was something a young man could do.

"You said so much just because he's famous?"

"Yes, Songcheng is a timely rain, who doesn't know it?"

Xu Zheng admired Song Xuan deep down in his heart, and he also wanted to achieve such great things at such a young age.

However, I really don't have Song Xuan's ability, so I can only think of doing things in his name.

"okay."

Song Qi waved his hand and said, "Study hard in the academy and don't get into trouble again. If your father finds out about this, I'll break your legs to prevent you from bringing shame to the Xu family!"

When his father was mentioned, Xu Zheng subconsciously lowered his head.

Because he really couldn't afford to offend, and in order to escape his father's supervision, he left the private school at home under the pretext of studying with his two uncles and came to Yingtian Academy to study.

"get out."

Xu Zheng waved his hand and then motioned Song Hao to come over.

"The relationship between you and your brother doesn't seem to be very good."

"Twelfth brother takes good care of me."

After Song Hao said this, he felt something was wrong.

No matter what, he knew that Song Xuan would protect him in front of outsiders.

"Sure enough."

Song Qi understood, but he still asked unwillingly:

"After Song Twelve failed the exam, did you show him my notes?"

"Twelfth brother doesn't want to watch."

Song Qi understood.

How could someone like Song Xuan, who is capable of doing so many extraordinary things, bow his head and do such a thing?
"Forget it. You go back to study first. I will go to take up my post. We can communicate more in the future. If you have any questions about your studies, you can come to the county government office and ask me."

"Thank you, Song Erlang."

Song Hao hurriedly expressed his gratitude. With this promise, he believed that he would have a great breakthrough in the provincial examination.

As long as you pass the provincial exam, you won’t have to take it again from the beginning. This will allow you to avoid many risks and get closer to becoming a Jinshi!

After Song Xuan returned to the classroom, he didn't say much, but studied hard.

Now that the examination is just around the corner, we cannot afford to slack off.

Yan Shu is preparing the content for this exam.

There will be more students taking the exam, so it is necessary to make the questions more difficult so that most of the unqualified students can be actively screened out.

The remaining small group will be ranked again and then the best ones will be selected.

"Your Highness, Prefect Yan, the new magistrate of Songcheng, Song Qi, requests an audience."

Yan Shu had received the transfer order from the court and was surprised for a long time when he knew Song Qi was coming.

"Bring him in."

Song Qi, sitting aside, politely replied to Shangguan's question. Yan Shu had also heard of Song Qi.

Compared to his brother Song Yang, he seems to be more tactful.

"There's nothing to do right now. I'm just preparing for the upcoming exam. There are over 10,000 students taking it this year."

Yan Shu put down the brush in his hand:
"We still need great patience to avoid any mistakes. Otherwise, we will lose the trust of many students and the court."

Song Qi also understood that the imperial examination was an extremely important matter for both the court and the people.

"Just give your instructions, Prefect Yan. I will take care of it carefully."

"Ah."

……

Inside the Imperial Palace in Tokyo City.

Zhao Zhen has grown up and now looks more and more like an emperor.

But all government affairs were still left to Empress Dowager Liu.

Or perhaps Liu E was reluctant to give up power.

At this time, Cao Liyong was reporting the rebellion of the Western Qiang.

Cui Jie'en, the governor of Huanzhou, acted on his own initiative and forced the settled households in the border areas who had surrendered to the Song Dynasty to buy food and fodder. He also sent people into the areas where these settled households had surrendered to the Song Dynasty to urge them to do so.

However, the households in Huanzhou had no idea about the specific amount of grain and fodder they needed to buy, and the Song Dynasty officials in charge of supervising the collection deceived the Qiang people and doubled the tax.

Whenever the Qiang people were not satisfied with something, they would start fighting, causing chaos among the Qiang people.

At this time, Si Duolun, the leader of the Jingzhou Fan tribe, returned to his hometown after fleeing for committing a crime.

Zhou Wenzhi, the commander of Jingyuan Road, and his lieutenants Wang Qian and Shi Chongxin jointly discussed how to kill Si Duolun and receive the reward.

The Qiang tribes were confused and had to take risks. They passed arrows to each other to unite and plunder the border areas of the Song Dynasty.

The Qiang people surrounded the cities where the Song army was stationed, such as Pingyuan, Dingbian, Hedao, and Shichang.

Chief Supervisor Zhao Shilong, Chief Commander Du Cheng and others died in battle.

Zhou Wenzhi and others acted on their own and prepared to suppress the Qiang people's resistance by force.

As a result, the Qiang tribes responded and united to fight against the Song army, causing serious border unrest.

Liu E was the first to speak: "Let's discuss what to do first."

Obviously, the riots in the west were something she had not expected.

"I believe that Fan Yong, the Shaanxi Transport Commissioner, should be appointed as the pacification commissioner to handle this matter."

Lu Yijian immediately pushed forward Fan Yong, who was close by and also under his jurisdiction.

Liu E looked at Wang Qinruo and saw that he didn't react. Then she asked, "Anyone else to recommend?"

"Your Majesty, I think the person recommended by Lü Yijian is excellent." Cao Liyong also learned how to praise others.
"Although Fan Yong has experience in governance, if the situation becomes more serious, there is a high possibility of war. I personally think that Cao Yi can assist Fan Yong as his deputy envoy."

Cao Yi was the grandson of Cao Bin, a famous founding general. He was a son of a general and had certain combat experience.

Even Wang Zeng and others could not say anything about this arrangement.

In fact, they found that Cao Liyong had changed a lot. He was no longer as arrogant and domineering as before. Instead, he thought that any suggestions made by others were good.

Only on military matters will he express his opinions.

This left everyone at a loss.

They didn't understand what was going on with Cao Liyong. Why did he suddenly change his personality?

Could it be that the Queen Mother had secretly warned him?
Cao Liyong is now arrogant and domineering because no one can suppress him.

There is currently no one in the court who is suppressing this, and I really don’t understand.

Cao Liyong, however, vigorously implemented the advice given to him by Song Xuan and acted as a good man in the court.

The seating order is no longer important.

From now on he will be able to be enshrined in the Taimiao.

With such a more ambitious goal, Cao Liyong disdained to argue with them.

Neither Liu E nor the prime ministers serving in the same palace could understand why Cao Liyong suddenly changed his temper.

But it doesn’t matter. At least Cao Liyong’s attitude made them feel comfortable, and he also gave them emotional value.

They are very satisfied with this.

Zhao Zhen, who was sitting on the throne of emperor, saw it clearly.

Cao Liyong went to Songcheng and met Song Xuan. After returning, he controlled his bad temper and was no longer arrogant.

Zhao Zhen was extremely satisfied with this matter.

Otherwise, the discord among his prime ministers would really give Zhao Zhen a headache, and he would have no way to reconcile them for a while.

Only when the prime ministers work together for the Song Dynasty can the people of the world suffer less.

"Do you have any objections to what Lü Yijian and Minister Cao said?"

Everyone agreed with Liu E's question.

Then Fan Yong was appointed as the chief envoy and Cao Yi as the deputy envoy, and they immediately set off to the northwest to deal with the matter.

After discussing this matter, the focus returned to the issue of reform of the imperial examination.

News came back from all over the country that students were begging for the new policy to be revoked.

Several prime ministers discussed it again, but failed to reach a consensus.

But Liu E still refused to give up testing Cao Liyong and threw the question to him again.

"My father entered the government as a Jinshi, but I entered the government as a military officer. I don't know much about the imperial examination system."

"But what Wang Zeng said is also reasonable. The Song Dynasty has more and more officials, so we need to select the best from the best."

Wang Zeng glanced at Cao Liyong in surprise. After all, in this small group, Wang once thought that Cao Liyong regarded himself as his biggest opponent.

I never thought that after asking him questions for so long, he felt that what he said was right.

"But what Lü Yijian said also makes sense." Cao Liyong pulled the argument back and did not take sides:

"The sudden reform hasn't made it easy for many students to adapt, and I'm afraid it will cause trouble."

Liu E suddenly wanted to give up the idea of ​​testing.

Cao Liyong thinks that whatever everyone says is right, but he doesn't express his own opinion.

Moreover, the reasons given were quite consistent with what he, the Privy Councilor, had said.

If he really gave advice during the imperial examination, he would definitely be targeted by the group of literati prime ministers.

How dare you, a stinky soldier, give suggestions for the imperial examination?
Therefore, in such matters, everyone just asks to maintain face.

"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, this matter must not only be implemented swiftly, but also implemented in next year's Spring Examination, with policy essays as the main subject, rather than poetry."

Wang Zeng further accelerated the pace of reform and listed the benefits and reasons for focusing on policy discussions.

For example, in selecting practical talents, policy essays require candidates to propose solutions to real-world problems, which can better examine the candidates' ability to govern the country and their practical talents.

To reduce the style of extravagance, policy essays should focus on content rather than form, which can reduce the extravagant style of writing in the imperial examinations and promote a pragmatic style of study.

This was actually the beginning of Ouyang Xiu's advocacy of the ancient prose movement, opposing the gorgeousness and emptiness of parallel prose.

Because the Xikun style is really too empty.

After becoming an official, he would write poems to interact with his colleagues at drinking parties, which was of no benefit to the officialdom or the court.

The most important shortcoming of poetry and prose is that it caters to the examiner's preferences.

Poetry exams can easily lead candidates to try to guess the examiner's preferences and take shortcuts, rather than truly improving their knowledge and abilities.

Every examiner has a highly subjective opinion when reading poetry and prose.

Unlike policy essays, at least most people can see what the students are thinking.

The outstanding students selected at that time are not the talents needed by the court.

What good would that do to the Song Dynasty!
Wang Zeng and Lu Yijian had a fierce dispute over the reform of the imperial examination system.

Cao Liyong stood aside and watched the show.

Since he withdrew, the civil servants' unanimous attempt to exclude him from the small group became ineffective, and they turned to attacking each other internally.

No one is willing to give in, and everyone wants the other party to formulate policies according to their own ideas.

Cao Liyong was a little tired of watching plays.

He just secretly thought that it was time for Song Xuan to take the Fajie test.

I just don't know if he can really get the top scorer in the exam this time and make me, his future father-in-law, proud.

When Liu E saw that the prime minister was at odds with her, she was actually somewhat happy.

Only in this way can the stability of the court be maintained and she can better control the court.

If all the ministers under her were of one mind, she would be the one who couldn't sleep.

After arguing for a long time without any result, Liu E could only announce that the matter would be discussed later.

Let's wait for the test results from various places to come out before we discuss it.

Gentlemen, it’s time to take a rest, and it’s time to eat.

Zhao Zhen did not feel sleepy at all. He was more energetic than everyone else in the room. He listened carefully to the arguments between the prime ministers and gained more knowledge.

What they said made sense, but for the future of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Zhen wanted to support Wang Zeng and make some changes to the imperial examination.

He also really disliked the Xikun style of poetry because it was too empty and pretentious!

When Zhao Zhen returned to his room to rest, he immediately looked up the information about Song Xuan that was continuously sent back to him by the Imperial City Bureau.

Zhao Zhen signaled all the servants to go out and close the door. He wanted to take a closer look at where the Romance of the Three Kingdoms ended.

And what bad things has Song Twelve done recently?

(End of this chapter)