White-robed Minister

Chapter 242 0240 [Selection of Talented Individuals by Ranking]

Even Zhao Xu was taken aback and quickly said, "Let's discuss this matter later. Today, let's only talk about the matter of the Deputy Privy Councilor."

Xu Lai, however, wouldn't let go.

Today is the first time he has put forward his political views in the imperial court. He doesn't know how many officials from Beijing he will offend.

Xu Lai, holding his official tablet, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, in this imperial examination, those from Kaifeng and the Imperial Academy combined may account for more than 60% of the successful candidates. Are the scholars from other regions not citizens of the Great Song Dynasty?"

"Scholars from remote prefectures and counties travel three to five thousand miles to the capital, barely getting any rest, only to compete with scholars from Kaifeng, and their quotas are far lower. Is this fair?"

"Many scholars, in order to qualify for the exams, have no choice but to register under false names in Kaifeng. Isn't this like tempting scholars to become disbelievers even before the exams have begun?"

"I have heard that during the Tiansheng era, a scholar named Wang Ji from Luzhou, in order to obtain household registration in Kaifeng, actually recognized his own elder brother as his father. This was simply because his brother had bought land in Kaifeng and thus obtained household registration there. This act of recognizing one's brother as one's father is utterly devoid of human morality!"

Zhao Xu asked in surprise, "Is there really someone who would falsely claim his elder brother as his father just to register his residence in Kaifeng?"

Xu Lai did not answer, but continued, "There was also a scholar named Wang Yu, who was not related to Wang Ji, who had recognized his brother as his father. In order to falsely register his residence in Kaifeng, Wang Yu actually recognized Wang Ji as his brother and claimed Wang Ji's ancestors for three generations as his own!"

Zhao Xu was speechless with astonishment.

Xu Lai said, "The case of Wang Ji and Wang Yu impersonating others caused a great uproar back then. Emperor Renzong therefore decreed that only those who had lived in Kaifeng for seven years could participate in the imperial examinations with Kaifeng household registration. However, this decree did not have much effect, and there were still countless people impersonating others."

Su Shi, who had not yet left the capital, stood quietly in the crowd.

The three members of the Su family, father and sons, did not falsely claim to be registered; they were recommended through official channels.

Scholars who lost their original household registration (due to war, family decline, etc.) or who had been away from their original place of residence for too long and were unable to return home to take the exam could take the exam directly in the capital with the guarantee of one official in the capital and three successful candidates.

Su Shi and his son were simply exploiting loopholes in the policy, engaging in fraudulent practices that were entirely legal.

This loophole is specifically reserved for the children of mid- to low-ranking officials who are not from Kaifeng but hold official positions or reside in the capital, while the children of high-ranking officials are not particularly needed.

However, this is needed by the relatives, friends, protégés, and former subordinates of high-ranking officials.

"His Majesty!"

Xu Lai said, "If this continues, what will the scholars in remote areas think? Their resentment towards the court will grow, and they will become increasingly alienated from it! As for those who falsely claim official status, will they truly be loyal to the emperor and serve the country after they become officials? If they had other choices, would they deliberately seek out trouble by falsely claiming official status?"

"Scholar Xu, you are mistaken!"

Lü Gongbi stepped forward and said, "Our dynasty is strong in the trunk and weak in the branches, not only in the military system but also in the imperial examinations. Furthermore, the capital city is home to many renowned teachers, and Kaifeng is the foundation of the nation. The Imperial Academy and the National University are both located in the capital, which is crucial to the cultural heritage and the national system, so naturally, the number of candidates selected from Kaifeng is high. Now, the number of candidates selected from Kaifeng has been reduced without reason. Does this mean that there is no talent in the capital? Is it that the capital is inferior to the border prefectures and counties?"

Lü Gongbi's ancestral home was Shandong, but his current residence was Huainan. However, his family had settled in the capital for many years. His descendants held official positions through patronage and favoritism.

The routes included the Lock Hall, the Imperial Academy, and the National University.

Both of the latter two paths require the removal of the embankment in Kaifeng.

Xu Lai sneered: "Does the imperial examination system also involve strengthening the central government and weakening local officials? Are they afraid that scholars in the border regions will rebel? Kaifeng is indeed the center of the nation's literary tradition, but that tradition doesn't grow on the walls of Kaifeng; it resides in the hearts and minds of every scholar!"

Xu Lai raised his voice: "Your Majesty, when all the talents of the world gather in the capital, it is indeed a sign of a prosperous era. But if all the talents of the world originate from the capital, then the world is sick!"

"Whether it's the miasma-ridden lands of Lingnan, the desolate villages on the Hebei border, or the loess hills of Guanzhong—no matter where in the Song Dynasty a scholar is, as long as he studies diligently for ten years, he can walk proudly into the capital and compete with the talents of Kaifeng. That's what a true golden age looks like, that's what it means for the best talents of the world to gather in the capital!"

These words invigorated Zhao Xu.

Lü Gongbi retorted, "Aren't you from the malaria-ridden land of Lingnan? The imperial court has not prevented scholars from Lingnan from taking the imperial examinations."

Xu Lai questioned, "How many Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) are there in Lingnan? How many are there in Hebei? How many are there in Shaanxi? How many Jinshi are there in your ancestral home of Shandong? How dare you return to your ancestral home and face your elders after saying such things?"

The last sentence was a scathing remark, and Lü Gongbi's face turned extremely ugly. He angrily said, "Each time, nearly a hundred people from Guangdong go to the capital to take the imperial examinations, but only one or two can pass. Is it because the quota is too small? Even if we give a hundred more quotas, in the end, only one or two people will pass."

Xu Lai questioned, "Why did you fail the exam? Because the scholars of Kaifeng knew the preferences of the examination officials in advance, could guess how they would set the questions, and knew what kind of articles they liked!"

Wang Gui's situation was similar to Lü Gongbi's; he had also settled in the capital and had not returned to his hometown of Chengdu for many years.

Before Lü Gongqiang could continue speaking, Wang Gui stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Kaifeng has a population of one million. In addition to the local good families, those who take the imperial examinations each year include scholars from all over the country, sons and grandsons of officials from various departments, and relatives of officials awaiting appointment. The population is so diverse that it is difficult to investigate them all."

"If the quota for the examinations is drastically reduced, tens of thousands of scholars who have studied diligently for ten years will suddenly lose their support. They have lived in the capital for a long time, either renting houses or relying on relatives for a living. Once they are desperate, they will inevitably gather in crowds to make trouble, either blocking the emperor to cry out for justice or submitting anonymous petitions. The government offices are already exhausted from dealing with cases of fraud and lawsuits every day. If this major change is added, I really cannot guarantee the order of the capital."

"Furthermore, after the quota is reduced, what will encourage the students of the Imperial Academy and the Imperial College? What if some scholars abandon their studies to go into business or join the army and flee far away? Wouldn't that be a failure of the court? I am truly worried about this and dare not fail to report the facts."

Wang Gui's objection was more ingenious; he presented Xu with a major problem to solve.

Xu Lai questioned, "Scholars from remote border regions can travel thousands of miles to the capital to take the imperial examinations, but can't those people you mentioned return to their hometowns to take the local examinations? If you're worried about them gathering and causing trouble, you can hold separate examinations. If there aren't enough places in Kaifeng, they'll leave on their own."

Zhao Xu was quite interested and asked, "How will the rankings be divided?"

Xu Lai replied, "We can divide the country into four lists, with a set number of places for each list. Scholars will write their names on their answer sheets, and the officials in charge of the imperial examinations will review the papers and select the best candidates."

"The first is the list from the capital. Students from Kaifeng and the Imperial Academy are all on this list. They can be given 30% of the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations)."

"Second place is the northern region. This includes areas like Beijing, Hebei, Hedong, and Shaanxi. They can allocate 15% of the spots."

"The third is the middle-ranking list. Jingxi, Jinghu, Lizhou, Kuizhou, and Liangguang can be given 10% of the spots."

"The fourth is the Southern List. This includes Zhejiang, Jiangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, Huainan, Chengdu, and Zizhou. They can be allocated 45% of the spots."

These words immediately shocked the imperial court.

Despite the large size of the Northern and Central Lists, they only allocated 15% and 10% of the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) slots, respectively. This was actually far more than the number of Jinshi who could be passed in the current examinations.

Wen Yanbo immediately stood up to support him: "Your Majesty, this method is extremely appropriate and fair."

Wen Yanbo was from Shanxi, and at this time, his parents' graves had not yet been moved. He wholeheartedly agreed with Xu Lai's idea.

Even if his descendants cannot obtain official positions through imperial favor or participate in the provincial examinations, they can still utilize the educational resources of the capital and then return to Shanxi to take the examinations, hoping to obtain the provincial and metropolitan examination slots. After the results are announced, their chances of becoming a metropolitan scholar will greatly increase.

Moreover, once this method is implemented, he will also gain the praise of his hometown elders.

Lu Gongbi and Wang Gui, who had previously voiced their opposition, now seemed to be deep in thought. Since neither of them had changed their place of origin, they could have done the same as Wen Yanbo.

Lü Huiqing immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty, this method is feasible!"

Of course it's feasible. Xu Lai allocated 45% of the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) slots to the Southern List. This Southern List consisted entirely of regions that were heavily involved in the imperial examinations, but due to the quota issue, they couldn't compete with Kaifeng.

Because the rebellion in Kuizhou was quelled smoothly, Zhang Dun, who had not left the capital, praised it, saying, "There has never been such a fair method."

Zeng Bu, Cai Que, Deng Wan, and other key figures of the reform faction stood up to support them. They all came from the Nanbang area mentioned by Xu Lai.

Which group truly suffers the loss?

He's a person who passed the imperial examination!

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable!" Xiang Cong, the grandson of Xiang Minzhong, stepped forward and said.

More people emerged one after another, but none of them were particularly influential. This was largely thanks to Wang Anshi, who demoted all the famous officials from Kaifeng to local posts.

But Wang Anshi was not happy.

From a personal perspective, he supported Xu Lai's separate examination system. However, he was now the leader of the reform faction, which included many people from Kaifeng, including some powerful local officials.

Xu Lai's actions today will only exacerbate the divisions within the reform faction!

Regardless of whether the emperor adopted Xu Lai's suggestions, Xu Lai's actions had already accelerated the split within the reform faction.

Wang Anshi didn't even know how to respond.

Do you oppose Xu Lai's proposal?

Most of the key members of the reformist faction supported it, and Wang Anshi had to take their opinions into consideration.

Do you agree with Xu Lai's proposal?

An Tao, Zhao Ji, and other high-ranking local officials were all from Kaifeng.

Zhao Ji, in particular, was willing to fall out with his uncle Han Qi in order to support Wang Anshi's Green Sprouts Law, and was a key promoter of the Green Sprouts Law.

If Wang Anshi supported Xu Lai's separate examination list, there was a high probability that he would fall out with Zhao Ji. Even if they didn't fall out, Zhao Ji would still be unhappy.

Wang Anshi, who had spoken forcefully in court in the past two years, remained silent today, because whatever he said would be wrong.

Zhao Jing discovered that most ministers remained silent, but many others expressed their support, and among the supporters were reformists.

There were quite a few opponents, but they were all officials with little influence.

"What does Mr. Wang think?" Zhao Xu asked Wang Anshi directly.

Wang Anshi was unable to express his opinion and could only say, "This matter needs to be discussed further."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dun, Lü Huiqing, Zeng Bu, Cai Que, Deng Wan, and others expressed their disappointment with Wang Anshi's attitude.

Wen Yanbo, Lü Gongbi, and other opponents of the reforms had now realized the situation and were pleased to see Wang Anshi caught in a dilemma.

Feng Jing couldn't help but look at Xu Lai, thinking to himself that this kid was really too wicked.

Zhao Xu vaguely sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he said, "Then let's adjourn the court."

Xu Lai's proposal to divide the list quickly spread throughout the scholar circles of Kaifeng.

The angry people were only locals from Kaifeng.

Even students from other provinces might not object, because after the rankings are divided, they can receive high-quality educational resources in the capital and then compete with scholars from their hometowns based on their place of origin, which would actually increase their chances of passing the imperial examinations.

It could even be said that, aside from scholars from Kaifeng, most people were more inclined to support Xu Lai. Even officials from other regions who had settled in the capital shared this sentiment. It was all about self-interest!

Sima Guang, who was serving as an official in Chang'an, responded immediately upon hearing the news, writing a memorial of several thousand words in support of Xu Lai.

As early as the first year of the Zhiping era, Sima Guang submitted a memorial entitled "Petition to the Imperial Examination Hall to Select People from All Roads".

Sima Guang's view at the time was to group the examination papers of candidates from Kaifeng, the Imperial Academy, and the Lock Hall into one category, and the papers of candidates from other regions into another. Instead of a unified ranking, the number of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) would be allocated proportionally.

This is very similar to Xu Lai's method of selecting officials through separate examination lists.

At the time, Ouyang Xiu strongly opposed it and argued with Sima Guang for a month or two.

Why did Sima Guang's proposal fail?

He shouldn't have grouped the candidates for the Imperial Examination and the National Academy with those from Kaifeng (because it caused them to suffer losses). This is because all the candidates for the Imperial Examination and the National Academy were sons of officials.

Sima Guang's approach was tantamount to standing in opposition to all officials!

Xu Lai's method, though not much different in content, united everyone except those from Kaifeng.

Sima Guang's memorial supporting Xu Lai sparked a major debate in official circles. Many ministers in the capital and local areas began submitting memorials to discuss the matter, with the number of supporters significantly exceeding that of others.

The atmosphere at Wang Anshi's home was somewhat awkward.

Wang Pang said, "My lord, Deng Wan and Zeng Bu invited me to drink today and asked about the matter of selecting officials through the separate examinations."

Wang Anshi said, "I must consider Zhao Ji's thoughts."

What is Zhao Ji doing now?

Fu Bi obstructed the implementation of the Green Sprouts Act in Haozhou. Zhao Ji, under pressure from his uncle Han Qi, wanted to remove Fu Bi from his post and forcefully promote the Green Sprouts Act in Huainan.

Given that Zhao Ji was such a crucial figure at such a critical juncture, Wang Anshi was afraid that he might abandon his post.

Wang Pang said, "But most of the core members of the reform faction are not from the capital's examination list; they all hope to be selected through separate examinations."

His son's words gave Wang Anshi an even bigger headache.

The separate ranking system for selecting officials was still under discussion, and the son had already used the ranking system of the capital city to determine who would be selected. This was an unconscious behavior; as soon as Xu Lai's list was released, everyone couldn't help but try to identify themselves.

Wang Anshi muttered to himself, "What exactly does Xu Lai want to do?"

The imperial court has just promulgated a reform plan for the imperial examinations, which, based on the reforms of the previous examinations, has thoroughly determined the content of future examinations.

At this juncture, it seems perfectly normal for Xu Lai to step forward and propose reforms to the imperial examination system. It wasn't necessarily a deliberate attempt to cause trouble for Wang Anshi.

Moreover, Wang Anshi's reforms were already quite radical, and Xu Lai's separate examination system for selecting officials was even more radical. This led Wang Anshi to believe that Xu Lai was also a reformist.

Wang Pang suggested, "Sir, why don't you write a letter to Zhao Ji and probe his attitude and thoughts?"

"He must be against the separate ranking system." As Wang Anshi spoke, he picked up a brush and began writing a letter.

Xu Lai also wrote a letter, asking Pianpian's third brother, Yu Shuying, to come to Beijing to help edit the magazine that was in the process of being prepared.

At the same time, he was writing to Ouyang Xiu, hoping that Ouyang Xiu could provide some manuscripts, preferably articles written in the last two years.

The emperor personally ordered the casting of movable type and recruited one hundred craftsmen to carve the master type. In practice, the requirements were naturally increased at each level, with the capital's mint directly recruiting five hundred craftsmen.

Extremely fast!

It won't be long before we can print the magazine.