Song Xiu

Chapter 142 The New Imperial Examination Policy Clarifies Injustice
The next morning, Zhao Guangyi, dressed in his official robes, entered the office of the Consultative Province with his head held high.

With the implementation of the Kenryu New Deal, the status of the Consultative Ministry in the central government was constantly rising.

Many officials even privately referred to the "Hall of State Affairs, Privy Council, and Consultative Council" as the Three Offices.

In terms of the distribution of government offices, the Council of State Affairs was located to the east of the Imperial City, the Privy Council to the west, and the Consultative Council was located right between the two offices.

Gradually, "Zhongfu" became the respectful title used by the court for the Consultative Province.

Zhao Guangyi was skilled in political strategy, and with his political vision, it was not difficult to see that in the near future, the Consultative Province was likely to become the head of the three ministries.

Realizing this, Zhao Guangyi secretly mobilized his political forces and successfully entered the Consultative Province.

In addition to his status as a member of the imperial family, Zhao Guangyi became the Right Minister of the Consultative Council as soon as he entered the Consultative Council.

The Right Minister of the Imperial Secretariat was a fourth-rank official, considered a high-ranking official in the central government.

Of course, Zhao Guangyi didn't care much about the rank; what he cared about was the power represented by the title "Advisory Right Minister".

According to the edict announced by the State Council yesterday, the main duties of the Right Consultant Minister are to assist the Consultant Director, lead the remonstrance officials in the province, and have the right to participate in the deliberation of the new policies of the court.

Upon learning that he had been appointed as the Right Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Zhao Guangyi got up before dawn.

The defeat in the Battle of Huainan did not discourage Zhao Guangyi; on the contrary, it inspired another side of his fighting spirit.

Since military action was not feasible, he then devoted his talents to political affairs.

They used their outstanding political achievements to wash away the shame of the Battle of Huainan.

Zhao Guangyi, harboring ambitions of advancement, wanted to be the first person to work in the Consultative Province.

His good reputation for being "diligent in government affairs" could help him rebuild his image in the hearts of the court officials.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Zhao Guangyi stepped into the Consultative Province, a figure appeared in his eyes.

Having just finished washing up, Zhao Dexiu was sitting in the honored seat of the advisor, eating pastries sent by Li Duoruo while watching the progress reports on land administration submitted by various prefectures and counties.

To be honest, the moment Zhao Guangyi saw Zhao Dexiu, the word "rise" involuntarily popped into his mind.

On that day, Zhao Guangyi was still able to sit in front of Zhao Dexiu, relying on his status as the commander-in-chief.

Today, Zhao Guangyi could only bow and approach Zhao Dexiu, bowing and paying his respects.
"Your subject, Zhao Guangyi, Marquis of Donghai and Right Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, pays his respects to Your Highness Prince Jin."

Whether in terms of noble title or official rank, Zhao Dexiu today is more than capable of completely suppressing Zhao Guangyi.

Zhao Guangyi's arrival first surprised Zhao Dexiu.

After Zhao Guangyi finished his greetings, Zhao Dexiu picked up a piece of pastry and asked:
"Your Excellency has arrived so early. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"The pastries were made by the Queen herself and taste delicious. Why don't you try them?"

When Zhao Dexiu handed out the pastries, he looked relaxed. He looked at Zhao Guangyi no differently than the imperial guards outside the government office.

At this moment, the gesture of superiors bestowing gifts upon inferiors is clearly revealed.

Hearing Zhao Dexiu's assessment that he had arrived early, Zhao Guangyi felt somewhat ashamed.

Even if he came earlier, he couldn't compare to Zhao Dexiu.

Zhao Guangyi wondered to himself, could it be that Zhao Dexiu had moved directly into the Consultative Province?
Although he had his own suspicions, Zhao Guangyi maintained a very respectful demeanor on the surface.

"I have had breakfast. Thank you, Your Highness."

Seeing that Zhao Guangyi refused his good intentions, Zhao Dexiu smiled faintly.

After swallowing the pastry, Zhao Dexiu gestured with his eyes to the desk on his right and said:
"That's the case of the Right Minister."

After saying this, Zhao Dexiu continued to bury himself in reading the memorials from the prefectures and counties, and said no more.

Then Zhao Guangyi walked to his desk and sat down.

The sheer volume of official documents laid out on the desk surprised Zhao Guangyi.

Before coming to the Consultative Province, Zhao Guangyi had some guesses in his mind.

Zhao Guangyi guessed that Zhao Dexiu, as the chief official, might initially prevent him from participating in the affairs of the Consultative Province due to the bad impression left by the Huainan War.

Unexpectedly, he was judging the crown prince by his own petty standards.

All government affairs were laid out openly on the table, welcoming his participation.

With his worries put aside, Zhao Guangyi didn't hesitate and picked up the official documents on the table to examine them carefully.

It must be said that Zhao Guangyi was indeed quite capable in politics.

While reviewing the transcribed official documents, Zhao Guangyi made marks on them with a pen.

Most of those markings were places that Zhao Guangyi believed local officials had exaggerated.

Under Zhao Guangyi's careful scrutiny, more and more official documents were marked as problematic.

As time went on, more and more provincial advisors arrived.

When Shen Yilun, Xue Juzheng, Lü Yuqing and others entered the government office, they saw Zhao Guangyi busy with political affairs, and their faces showed surprise.

They arrived at the government office quite early, but Zhao Guangyi, as a direct descendant of the imperial family, was able to arrive even earlier than them.

But their surprise vanished before it could even turn into admiration.

Only then did the ministers look at Zhao Dexiu with admiration.

Compared to Zhao Guangyi's earlier arrival, Zhao Dexiu, as the crown prince, resided directly in the Consultative Province.

And Zhao Dexiu wasn't just staying for a day or two, just to put on a show.

A comparison of the two reveals the obvious difference in quality.

Some officials even thought that Zhao Guangyi was influenced by Zhao Dexiu, which was why he was so diligent.

Upon noticing the arrival of the assembled officials, Zhao Dexiu put down his vermilion brush:

"You all should be aware of the court's punishment of Qingzhou."

His Majesty's determination to implement new policies is unmatched by any previous emperor; all of you should understand this.

As soon as Zhao Dexiu spoke, all the officials turned their attention to him.

Yesterday, through the Hall of State Affairs, all the officials learned of Zhao Kuangyin's severe punishment of Qingzhou.

Such severe punishment was enough to make it difficult for many people in the court who colluded with local officials to harbor any treacherous intentions.

After admonishing his ministers, Zhao Dexiu continued:

"Today, gentlemen, let us discuss the new policies of the imperial examination system."

In Zhao Dexiu's original plan, the new land policy and the new imperial examination policy should complement each other.

There are three key points that complement each other.

Firstly, once the new land policy is implemented, it will inevitably expose many corrupt officials in local areas.

Clarifying official conduct was an important part of the new land policy.

The corrupt officials who are exposed will be punished according to their crimes by the imperial court.

However, one person must fill one position; when one falls, another must take over.

Previously, the remonstrance officials had discussed sending central government officials to local areas to become new local officials.

This measure can both address the trend of excessive bureaucracy in the central government and prevent local governance from becoming paralyzed.

It must be said that the measures proposed by the remonstrating officials were indeed good.

However, Zhao Dexiu believed that the remonstrating official had overlooked a crucial point.

The officials in the central government were mostly descendants of those from the Five Dynasties period. There were many capable people among them, but there were also those who sought to protect themselves or who were corrupt and lawless.

If central government officials were directly sent to local posts, Zhao Dexiu felt that many prefectures and counties would soon fall into chaos again.

The measure of "appointing officials outside the central government" is feasible, but it must be done selectively. To ensure that the new land policy does not go astray in its early stages, fresh blood should be injected into the prefectures and counties.

Those fresh blood are especially good from those from poor families.

Only with the injection of fresh blood can prefectures and counties regain their vitality, and once they regain their vitality, the national strength of the Song Dynasty can steadily improve.

To achieve this goal, launching a large-scale imperial examination system was an essential measure.

Second point: The Han dynasty system was originally a mixture of hegemonic and kingly ways.

For local powerful figures unwilling to cooperate, the iron fist will naturally be used.

However, with the central military power currently at its peak and the bloody example of Qingzhou remaining, it is likely that many local powerful families will be willing to respond to the new policies.

For local powerful figures who support the new policies, it's important to know how to win them over with incentives.

While land can no longer be given to local powerful families, this does not mean that local powerful families cannot profit from the new policies.

The sons of local powerful families, who were innocent, could enter officialdom openly and legitimately through the imperial examination system.

After entering officialdom, the court treats everyone equally. If the sons of local powerful families are truly capable and have political achievements, the court will not resist granting them official positions.

In this way, the sensible local tyrants, though they lost their land, would gain a better future.

Throughout history, including the Song Dynasty and later periods, many local powerful families successfully transformed themselves through this method.

Furthermore, in reality, the sons of local powerful families, due to their affluent backgrounds, were inherently more likely to pass the imperial examinations than those from poor families.

The fact that the imperial examination system was implemented for a hundred years during the Tang Dynasty, yet the court still had very few candidates from humble backgrounds, is a case in point.

The best political approach is to first divide the local powerful families, then win over one faction and fight against the other.

By using the imperial examination system to win over some local powerful families, it was also possible to help various prefectures and counties recover quickly after the initial turmoil and enter a period of development.

Thirdly, in order for the new policy to truly take root throughout the country, the most important thing is to cultivate an interest group that supports the new policy.

Any political ideal should be built on a foundation of sustenance.

Implementing the new imperial examination system within the broader context of the new policies makes it easier to cultivate a group of officials who are favorable to the new policies.

Furthermore, incorporating the new civil service examination policy into the Jianlong New Policies would make future officials aware of:

"They are the beneficiaries of the new policy."

Once this idea takes hold in the minds of students entering officialdom, they will attack anyone who criticizes the new policies in the future.

Those who enter officialdom place the greatest importance on their family background.

If someone opposes the new policies, isn't that opposing the legitimacy of their entry into officialdom?

When the foundation of power is attacked, intellectuals will be so desperate that they will pick up a knife and fight to the death.

Officials in the advisory provinces all supported the new policies.

Before them, Zhao Dexiu stated the three major necessities for implementing the new imperial examination policy.

After explaining the necessity, Zhao Dexiu continued:

"The imperial examination system originated in the Sui and Tang dynasties."

The previous dynasty had established rules, and our dynasty should have simply followed those rules. But what is this new policy on the imperial examinations, and where will our dynasty's imperial examinations be "new"?
Today I can clearly tell you all that the "newness" of our dynasty's imperial examination system lies in its fairness!

As you all know, the previous dynasty had its Huang Chao, and I do not wish for a second Huang Chao to emerge in our dynasty!

After speaking, Zhao Dexiu looked intently at the assembled officials.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, there was an imperial examination system.

However, the imperial examination system at that time was full of injustices.

The unfairness of the imperial examination system during the Tang Dynasty can be seen from one example: the prevalence of bribery and favoritism.

In the first year of the Changqing era of the Tang Dynasty, Qian Hui, the Vice Minister of Rites, was in charge of the imperial examinations. He accepted bribes, which aroused dissatisfaction in the court and among the people.

Emperor Muzong of Tang ordered a "re-examination," and as a result, 11 of the 14 sons of officials who had been admitted were rejected!

Besides the prevalence of bribery, the Tang Dynasty's imperial examinations also had many other conventions such as "public recommendation" and "submission of examination papers".

Those conventions, ostensibly designed to ensure the flexibility of the imperial examination system, actually became a way for aristocratic families to seize privileges.

Under the imperial examination system of the Tang Dynasty, a negative phenomenon gradually emerged in the court:
"Some fathers, sons, and brothers successively held high office, some families were prominent for generations, and some families did not cease to exist throughout the Tang Dynasty."

The imperial examination system was originally intended to be a fair way for the country to select talent, but it became a fig leaf for the hereditary privileges of the five surnames and seven clans.

Even today, the imperial examination system remains rife with injustice.

For example, Wei Renpu failed the imperial examinations repeatedly and was even criticized by ministers for it, which Wei Renpu kept in mind.

Knowing that the existing imperial examination system was full of injustice, Zhao Dexiu was determined to reform the system and give justice to poor scholars.

All the officials could sense Zhao Dexiu's determination from his tone.

Seeing that the officials were all moved, Zhao Dexiu spoke first:

"I once heard Wei Gong say that examiners in the imperial examinations could often recognize candidates based on their names and handwriting, and thus show favoritism."

I plan to implement a sealing and transcription system during this year's scientific expedition.

From this dynasty onwards, all information on each examination paper in the imperial examinations, including the candidate's name, place of origin, and age, was sealed.

No examiners are allowed to have contact with them.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Rites should have designated personnel responsible for transcribing all candidates' exam papers.

After the candidates' exam papers have been transcribed, they are then sent to the examiners for review.

After explaining these two systems, Zhao Dexiu turned his gaze to Xue Juzheng.

"Minister Xue, these two things should not be difficult to implement."

Xue Juzheng, who was being stared at by Zhao Dexiu, suddenly panicked.

Xue Juzheng comes from a prominent family and currently serves as the Vice Minister of Rites.

The reason why Zhao Dexiu kept an eye on Xue Juzheng was not only because Xue was in charge of the imperial examination, but also because Xue Juzheng had entered officialdom through the "public recommendation" among aristocratic families.

Zhao Dexiu's gaze was both questioning and warning.

Realizing Zhao Dexiu's intention, Xue Juzheng jumped to his feet and bowed deeply to Zhao Dexiu, saying:
"Your Highness's determination to clear up the injustices of the imperial examinations is enough to make all the scholars in the world extremely grateful!"

What are the difficulties in implementing these two systems?

Despite the difficulties, I will lead the officials of the Ministry of Rites to overcome all obstacles and assist Your Highness in restoring justice to the students of the world.

From this day forward, I swear I will never forgive the injustice of the imperial examination system!

As Xue Juzheng made his promise, he raised one palm to the sky as if swearing an oath.

In fact, making the imperial examination system fair is not difficult in essence; it simply requires addressing each of its flaws one by one.

The reason why the imperial examination system has been unfair for hundreds of years is simply that the rulers did not want to change it.

Xue Juzheng's strong reaction stunned the officials in the consulting province.

Lord Xue, isn't your reaction a bit too extreme?

Despite the officials' confusion, Xue Juzheng dared not be negligent in the slightest.

What most people don't know is that after news spread in the court that the first imperial examination of the new dynasty would be held, many scions of prominent families sent him their calling cards.

How can you not be afraid if you have a guilty conscience?
Zhao Dexiu was quite satisfied with Xue Juzheng's reaction.

Zhao Dexiu vaguely knew about the constant stream of visitors to Xue Juzheng's residence lately.

But if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. If Xue Juzheng continues to defy the new policy after the imperial examination is promulgated, then his entire clan will have to go to Luoyang to dig the canal with the Ma clan.

(End of this chapter)