Seeing Cheng Jing's sudden change of expression, Xiao Bo suddenly realized that something was wrong. After hesitating for a moment, he still asked cautiously.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong with this test paper?"
Zhu Qiyu originally planned to continue reading the second paper, but when he heard Xiao Hao's question, he stopped moving and ordered the servant to deliver Cheng Zong's paper. Xiao Hao took a look, and his eyelids twitched as well. He had some clues. Not within reach.
The examination is a ceremony for the imperial court to recruit talents. Anyone who passes the examination will be awarded the rank of Jinshi in the first grade, the second grade will be awarded the Jinshi background, and the third grade will be awarded the same Jinshi background. This is the so-called official status. Only with this level of official status, can one Obtain an official position.
According to the imperial code, if a scholar wants to obtain an official status, he needs to pass five procedures: county examination, government examination, township examination, joint examination, and palace examination. However, generally speaking, as long as he passes the joint examination, he will be regarded as having obtained official status. The reason is that the imperial examination convention will not depose scholars.
No matter how bad his writing was, he could only get into the top three. However, among the eight big characters shining brightly in front of him, there was a dazzling "deposed"!
At that moment, Xiao Tan couldn't sit still, and he cupped his hands.
"Your Majesty, since the beginning of the imperial examination, there has never been a precedent of failure in the palace examination. Even if the article is not good, it will not be dismissed. I sincerely ask your Majesty to think twice."
However, in the face of Xiao Tan's advice, Zhu Qiyu did not waver in his thoughts and only said calmly.
"There is no precedent, so I am here to set this precedent. If I remember correctly, there is no rule in the ancestral teachings of our court that prohibits the dismissal of scholars in palace examinations, right?"
Of course not!
You must know that only the emperor has the right to grant official status. Even the selection of officials by the Ministry of Personnel is done on behalf of the emperor.
Therefore, scholars who passed the examination can only be called Gongshi, which means outstanding scholars recommended to the emperor by the examiners of the examination.
As for the so-called Jinshi, it can only be confirmed after passing the palace examination and being appointed by the emperor. This belongs to the category of imperial power, so naturally there is no such thing as the palace examination must not overthrow the ancestral precepts of scholars. Otherwise, the palace examination will have no meaning. .
However, the absence of explicit regulations does not mean that there is no such rule. As Xiao Fan said, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there has been no precedent for entering the imperial examination but being dismissed. This has become a common unspoken rule in the imperial examination.
Xiao Yan didn't expect that the emperor's words were so direct. For a moment, he seemed to be a little confused about what to say. So, at this time, Jiang Yuan came out and said.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, it is true that there is no rule in the imperial code that a scholar cannot be deposed during the palace examination. However, this is the practice of the imperial court. It is also to ensure that the scholars in the world will live in poverty for ten years so that their hard work will not be in vain."
"Those who can take the examination are all outstanding in talent and learning. If they are dismissed because of a mistake in one policy statement, it may chill the hearts of students all over the world and affect the imperial court's recruitment of scholars. Please think twice, Your Majesty."
Looking at Jiang Yuan who suddenly appeared, Zhu Qiyu narrowed his eyes and was keenly aware that something was not right about what happened today.
He just wanted to depose Cheng Zong, which was indeed a temporary move. However, the main reason was not the policy he wrote, but Zhu Qiyu knew that he was a sycophant with no virtue and incompetence.
If there is any redeeming quality about this Cheng Zong, it is that he is very good at maneuvering. However, if such a person enters the officialdom, it will be the common people who suffer.
When the imperial court recruits scholars, it wants people who can do things for the country and the people, not just an official.
Therefore, even though Zhu Qiyu knew that there was no precedent, he still made the decision to depose him. Of course, this was also Cheng Zong's own bad luck.
After all, there were more than 200 people participating in the palace examination this time. If his paper had not been ranked among the top ten and placed in front of the emperor, Zhu Qiyu might not have remembered him.
Regarding this decision, it is normal for Xiao Tan to stand up and raise objections.
After all, since it is placed at the beginning of the volume, it means that at least Xiao Tan himself is extremely satisfied with this paper, or in other words, he intends to take it under his sect, so he will naturally try his best to fight for it.
However, something was wrong when Jiang Yuan came forward at this time.
Logically speaking, if there are ten papers, each of the ten paper readers will recommend one to them. If Cheng Zong's paper was recommended by Xiao Hao, then what is Jiang Yuan doing at this time?
However, even though both people stood up to advise him, Zhu Qiyu remained unmoved, shook his head slightly and said.
"In today's world, I don't know how many poor readers there are. Some people are stopped in the government examination, some are stopped in the provincial examination, some are stopped in the general examination. Some people have been busy with scientific examinations and worked hard from childhood to gray-haired. Everyone knows how to do it, so why should we abuse our status as a court official?"
This seems reasonable, but in fact, it is a secret change of concept.
There are so many people stopped in the government examination, provincial examination, and general examination. However, there are only one or two hundred people who can enter the general examination. They are all very valuable. How can they be compared with those who failed?
Jiang Yuan hesitated for a moment, and when he was about to speak, he saw the Emperor taking the lead and intercepting his words, saying solemnly.
"There is no need to persuade Mr. Jiang. The imperial court selects talents based on virtue and ability. I test the tributes with the moral merits of ancient sages and sages to test their knowledge and knowledge. I do not need people who are flattering and vain."
"Cheng Zong's paper states that only by possessing morality and talent can one return to the age of sages and sages. It seems reasonable, but in fact it is full of empty talk and plays both sides."
"Moreover, there are many flattering words and few pragmatic words in this article, which shows that he has neither the talent to govern the country nor the character of character. What is the use of such a person?"
The emperor said these words seriously, but the ministers below felt helpless.
Because, this is completely arrogant.
It is true that Cheng Zong's paper may be a bit of a double-edged sword, but from a logical point of view, it cannot be wrong to pursue the way of sages, seek truth, seek virtue, and seek merit.
It's just that no one has been able to achieve this state since ancient times, but this does not prevent it from being explained in the article as a model for the saintly king.
Therefore, it may be true to say that Cheng Zong's paper is a bit empty talk, but it is really difficult to agree with it to say that it can be seen from it that he has no talent for governing the country and no character.
You know, the question that Emperor asked this time was actually a bit strange.
It is true that one can be called a sage if he has one of Tao, virtue, and merit. However, it is obviously beyond the scope of their ability to let ordinary scholars who are involved in officialdom judge which one is better and which one is worse, which one is easier to learn and which one is more difficult. Even the big guys in the court may not dare to draw conclusions easily.
In other words, even if they have such thoughts in their hearts, they may not dare to write them down on such an important occasion as the palace examination. Sometimes, it is better to stand out than to stand out. This is a long-lasting truth in the officialdom.
Therefore, in fact, among the papers collected this time, at least about half of the people gave conservative and vague answers like Cheng Zong. If the emperor said this, then at least he would be deposed in this scientific examination. Half the people were gone.
However, just when Jiang Yuan wanted to continue speaking, he found that someone behind him gently pulled his sleeve. Turning around, he saw that it was Zhang Min, another minister of the cabinet, who was looking at him invisibly. 's shook his head.
As a result, Jiang Yuan immediately calmed down.
There is no point in arguing with the emperor at this time!
To be honest, Cheng Zong's paper was not very good in writing. It was just because of the "scoring standards" that it was listed at the top of the list.
The current situation is obvious that the emperor is very disgusted with this kind of paper that does not offend both sides, and more importantly, at this point, Cheng Zong's fate is actually doomed.
Even after fighting for it, the emperor withdrew his appointment and re-registered Cheng Zong, but if he had his name with the emperor, he would not be able to live a good life in the future, not to mention that the old guy Wang Wen is now in charge of the official department. .
When Jinshi Guanzheng finished the official selection half a year later, if the emperor gave a casual order, Cheng Zong would be sent to an unknown nook and cranny, never to see the light of day again.
To put it bluntly, even if they can fight for Cheng Zong now, they will not be able to do everything for him in the end. Therefore, the moment the emperor makes a conclusion for Cheng Zong, no matter whether he is finally on the list, his official career We have all reached the end.
Unless he can, like Yu Qian, make an extraordinary contribution that the court cannot help but reward, or, like Xue Xuan, have a long-standing reputation among scholars and change the emperor's perception of him, no matter which of these two paths he takes, , it’s not something ordinary people can get through.
So, with a slight sigh, Jiang Yuan moved his lips, but did not say anything after all. Then, Zhang Min came out and said.
"Your Majesty, there may indeed be something inappropriate in Cheng Zong's paper, but after all, there is no taboo. If the article is not well written, it will be concluded that the person's moral character is lacking, which may damage the fairness of the imperial court's selection of scholars, so I am brave enough to ask Your Majesty to be kind and grant Cheng Zong the same background as a Jinshi, so that all the scholars in the world can feel at ease and benefit from the Emperor's grace."
Born with the same Jinshi, he is in the top three!
Zhang Min's implication is that if Your Majesty is really dissatisfied, even if you rank this person at the bottom, don't depose him at least, otherwise it will not end well.
After hearing this, Zhu Qiyu also hesitated.
He had just deposed Cheng Zong, and he was a little impulsive. Of course, that didn't mean that he couldn't do it. It was easy for the emperor to depose a scholar.
However, he could not tell the real reason for deposing Cheng Zong, and the reasons presented were indeed not convincing enough.
Although what Zhang Min said was pleading for Cheng Zong, it was indeed reasonable.
It is indeed a bit arbitrary to judge that a person's moral character is lacking based on a test paper alone.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Qiyu seemed to suddenly think of something. He lowered his head and opened the remaining papers. He read them all briefly and suddenly felt confident.
When he raised his head again, his face had darkened and he spoke.
"It turns out that the reason why the ministers interceded for Cheng Zong was because these remarks were not just from Cheng Zong's mouth, but from the mouths of the ministers, right?"
Seeing the emperor's expression like this, Xiao Ni suddenly felt distressed in his heart and quickly bowed down.
"I have insufficient talent and knowledge and have failed to understand the Sacred Heart. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Being a paper reader for the Imperial Examination is an easy job, but it is also a difficult job.
The good thing about doing it is that it has always been something you are familiar with. Things like reviewing test papers are not difficult for the old people who are all Jinshi. However, it can expand your network and has various benefits.
As for the difficulty, it is as it is now.
The main test of the palace examination is policy theory. To put it bluntly, the test is about country governance, but this kind of thing has always been divided into different opinions, and it is difficult to reach a conclusion.
So in essence, during the grading process of the palace examination, a very important point is to understand the Sacred Heart. To put it bluntly, we must figure out the emperor's intention of asking this question, and select the test paper that meets the emperor's intention.
On this basis, it is the game between the examiners.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, the imperial examination examiner must be a close servant who is most familiar with the emperor, so that there will be no mistakes.
In fact, Xiao Tan also had some doubts about these papers this time. However, based on his understanding of the emperor, he felt that his majesty might not care about it so much, so he took a risk. But who would have thought that such a If you take a chance, something will happen!
At this thought, Xiao Tan couldn't help but cast a dissatisfied look at Jiang Yuan who was standing aside.
However, when the matter was over, Jiang Yuan had already lowered his head and said nothing.
It's one thing to admonish the emperor, but it's another thing to really make the emperor angry.
In the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Qiyu's calm but sharp voice echoed. The readers below looked at each other in confusion. They all lowered their heads and did not speak. However, if you look closely, you will find that there are a few people with a flash of light in their eyes. Puzzled, half-hearted, he looked at Xiao Hao.
How could I not mention it below, but after reading the test paper, Zhu Qiyu already understood in his heart that this time it was not Cheng Zong's fault alone.
If nothing else, there must be an exchange of interests involved. As far as the ten papers in front of me are concerned, none of them are the best.
Among this batch of candidates, Zhu Qiyu was impressed by a few, such as Li Yan, Qin Hong, and Wang Yue, all of whom were well-written and had outstanding abilities.
If we only talk about Ce's literary talent and insight, Ke Qian, the number one scholar he appointed in his previous life, may be said to be a bit rigid and unsophisticated, but his writing is unparalleled.
Moreover, Ke Qian's character is upright, straightforward and outspoken. With his talent and learning, he could be included in these ten papers, but he is not included in the ones in front of him.
It seems that some bad habits in this conference really need to be changed!
Looking at the examiners who were kneeling on the ground, Zhu Qiyu snorted lightly, ignored them, turned to Cheng Jing and gave instructions.
"The decree is sent to the Wenhua Palace to send all the test papers for this palace examination to be counted and reviewed again. In addition, the six ministers, the censor of Zuodu, the first assistant of the cabinet, and the second assistant are summoned to the palace. This time Let them read the papers themselves and let them do it themselves!"
Seeing the emperor's solemn expression, Cheng Jing also knew the seriousness of the matter, bowed, and immediately went down to make arrangements.
At the same time, the ministers kneeling below, especially Xiao Hao who was kneeling in the middle, couldn't help but look a little pale, and they couldn't help but regret in their hearts.
Now, things are really getting serious...
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