Since ancient times, the New Year has been a good opportunity for relatives and friends to get closer.
Regardless of whether we are close or distant, on this day of universal celebration, everyone will smile and say Happy Spring Festival.
As the saying goes, don’t hit the smiling man!
Of course, if you can have a few drinks, the relationship will be even better.
Not to mention, men's friendships are usually made over drinks at the wine table.
Because he was forced to be grounded by Li Er, Yang Fan could not openly visit relatives and friends, so he only asked his servants to send New Year's gifts to close relatives and friends.
Of course, although Yang Fan is young, he is still considered to have a high position and is favored by the emperor. Not just ordinary people are qualified to pay him New Year greetings, which also makes Yang Fan feel a lot more relaxed.
For those officials who had sent New Year gifts but were not qualified to meet in person, Yang Fan had his servants send some return gifts to express his attitude, and the relationship was maintained.
This is the ancient etiquette. Even if Yang Fan is very helpless, he still knows how to exchange favors.
Therefore, just after Wang Xuance finished his report, Cheng Chumo and others came to visit together.
After a few people first paid New Year's greetings to Empress Xiao, a large group of people gathered in the main hall to chat, brag and spank.
Because they were all young people and familiar with each other, no one was surprised.
I saw Li Jinghuan leaning back on the chair leisurely, sipping the tea gently and saying: "It's better for the Yishan brothers to enjoy it. This tea is really unforgettable."
"My father sent me a message a few days ago, saying that he was in Tubo and was suffering from a dry mouth. He wanted some tea leaves to moisten his throat. If you have any more, please send me a few kilograms."
Cheng Chumo also quickly nodded in agreement: "Yes, brother Yishan, my father also said that there are many people visiting for the New Year, and there is no tea to entertain. I also want a few pounds."
After saying that, he looked eager and anxious, as if he was afraid that Yang Fan wouldn't give it.
Looking at this living treasure, Yang Fan rolled his eyes, covered his head and said helplessly: "You all carried dad out, dare I say you didn't?"
"If you really don't give it, the Prince of Jiangxia County will have nothing to do, but Duke Lu's security guards are not allowed to come to kill you tomorrow."
"However, there is really not much Tegong Longjing tea left. Let me give each of you a pound first. As spring begins, new tea will be picked. Then I will leave some for you."
Nowadays, Li Daozong serves as the governor of the Southwest Protectorate in Tubo and cannot leave easily. The weather there is cold and extremely dry. It is normal to want to drink some tea to warm up.
But when he thought of Cheng Yaojin, the devil in the world, with his face trembling and his big beard stroking his beard, elegantly drinking tea, Yang Fan felt that the style of his painting was really unbearable to look at.
Fang Yiai pretended to take a sip of tea, but felt it was not enough, and shouted: "Brother Yishan, just have some tea, but wine is indispensable. My father was afraid that I would cause trouble, so he banned alcohol. These days, my mouth The birds are about to fade out."
"If there is no wine, what's the point of celebrating the New Year? Hurry up and make some jars of your Erguotou and let us enjoy it."
Yang Fan had no choice but to tell his servants to get the wine, otherwise these guys would never stop.
Du He looks rough in appearance, but in fact he has a steady temper. He sips tea and drinks it with gusto.
As if he remembered something, he said to Yang Fan: "Brother Yishan, Li Siwen is coming too, but he seems to have been sent out by the British government and has not yet returned. Let me wait to say sorry, and he will come to visit later."
Yang Fan felt a little ashamed, clasped his fists and said to several people: "Thank you, brothers, I am worried about you, because I have been grounded by His Majesty until the end of the New Year's holiday. I cannot go to my house to congratulate you on the New Year. You can go back and convey this to my uncles."
Li Jinghuan sighed with a wry smile: "Brother Yishan, we have heard about it too!"
"Hey, I don't know whether to call you stupid or praise you for being courageous. What you did was too reckless. You were the only one who offended both Buddhism and Webster!"
As soon as he mentioned this, Yang Fan became very upset. How the hell do you think I am willing?
If it weren't for the purpose of scheming against the family, Yang Fan wouldn't want to be in the limelight like this.
Who doesn’t want to live a stable life?
What's the point of jumping around for three days?
Who doesn’t want to have one more friend and one less enemy!
But there are some things that must be done by someone, there is no way!
But Cheng Chumo intervened at this time: "My father said last night that Brother Yishan did a good job."
"Although Brother Yishan is honored as the Minister of Lilang and presides over the imperial examination, it is actually a thankless job."
"Brother Yishan has lost the respect of Buddhism and Webster, but it can serve as a warning to the monkeys."
"However, those shady guys in the court are all staring at Brother Yishan's mistakes with red eyes. They will rush in at any time when they get the opportunity. At that time, you must pay attention."
"Brother Yishan, my father said, no matter what you do, you can't leave us this time. If you have anything to do, just let me follow you."
Hearing this, Yang Fan felt warm in his heart and said, "Thank you brothers for your trust!"
However, I also lamented that Cheng Yaojin was worthy of being an old fox for his keen observation.
Although Cheng Yaojin usually looks careless, he can still see some clues. No wonder he was able to survive several dynasties in the original history.
Du He said angrily: "What's so great about the Wei family is that they just rely on Concubine Wei to blow the wind at the bedside."
"But what Brother Cheng said is good, let's handle it together if anything happens. Although I don't know what brother Yishan's intention is in doing this, it shouldn't be a reckless move."
These words made Li Jinghuan, who was a little worried, light up. He seemed to have thought of something, patted his thigh and said, "Oh, it seems that I am really worried in vain!"
At this time, the servant brought a small clay jar, a few wine glasses, and a hot pot to go with the wine, which was very suitable in the winter.
After Yang Fan asked his servants to place the wine and food, he waved them away, opened the seal and filled the wine glass himself.
A rich and mellow aroma of wine instantly filled the main hall.
Fang Yiai is the best wine. She took a sip from the wine glass, exhaled a long breath, and praised: "This is the wine. The stuff I drank in Jiangnan last year is not even as good as horse urine, or... Follow Brother Yishan and take the lead."
After boiling a spoonful of thinly sliced mutton, putting it in his mouth to eat, and taking another sip of old wine, Fang Yiai said in a low voice:
"Don't doubt Brother Shan's reasons for doing this. Don't you all know that Brother Yi Shan is capable? We just need to follow him!"
"My father also said that Brother Yishan has won the trust of His Majesty. With His Majesty's support behind him, what are we afraid of? As a minister, what is most important is that Jane is in the heart of the Emperor!"
Jane is in the heart of the emperor. This sentence comes from "The Analects of Confucius": "The emperor and his ministers are not concealed, and simplicity is in the heart of the emperor."
The general idea is that God’s servants dare not be deceived. This is all known to God.
"Emperor" was the title given to the king after his death in Xia and Shang Dynasty, but in Zhou Dynasty it specifically referred to the Emperor of Heaven and God.
With the deification of imperial power, later generations also referred to the emperor as Emperor for short, and then used Jane in the Emperor's heart to express the Emperor's trust.
Jane in the emperor's heart is the standard to measure a person's heart in the emperor's heart.
If Jane is in the emperor's heart, it means that the emperor already knows your abilities and notices you, then you are just a few steps away from becoming famous.
To put it simply, it means that the emperor likes you!
Fang Yiai didn't know the context of this sentence, but he had a prime minister father who was smart!
As a result, several people said something to each other, either comforting or analyzing, which surprised Yang Fan.
Who said these brothers have strong limbs but simple minds? If you really dare to underestimate them, you will really capsize in the gutter.
However, the fewer people knew about his plan, the better, so Yang Fan did not tell the whole story.
But he still reminded me tactfully: "I will bear in mind the concern of all brothers, but there are some things that are not suitable to be disclosed right now..."
Cheng Chumo and the others also drank a sip of wine and continued: "Brother, there is no need to explain. If you have anything to do, just give us instructions. Let those guys who look down on us know how good we are. We can just follow our brothers..."
Yang Fan was a little speechless. He had just praised these people for their cleverness, and suddenly his generous character emerged again. No wonder they were called the Four Pests of Chang'an!
…
There was another heavy snowfall during the New Year holiday, and the city of Chang'an was shrouded in extremely low pressure.
On this cold winter day, there was a strange thing that became the talk of everyone in Chang'an City after dinner.
It is said that as the biggest troublemaker in Chang'an City, Yang Fan, a fool who specializes in picking on nobles and noble families, is going to publish a book.
Moreover, it was jointly reviewed and approved by the bachelors in Chongxian Hall, which simply subverted everyone's perception.
Although Yang Fan usually writes some poems and songs, writing books and preaching is not something that ordinary scholars can do.
But Yang Fan, a young boy, did it, and everyone was surprised and a little curious at the same time.
You must know that an imperial edict was issued, which designated "Yang's Enlightenment" and "Yang's Arithmetic" as the enlightenment of the Tang School.
At the same time, it was decided that the imperial examinations would be restructured starting from the spring examination this year, and detailed rules were formulated.
This time the imperial examination reform mainly has the following aspects.
First, the imperial examination was changed from once a year to every two years. In other words, students who failed this year will have to wait until the third year to take the next imperial examination.
Second, candidates who are accepted in this exam will have the official assessment section cancelled, and the emperor will directly conduct the palace exam for ranking.
Third, this year’s Spring Science Examination does not require anyone’s recommendation to participate, and the test papers will be anonymous.
Fourth, this examination increased the assessment of professional knowledge such as agriculture, and increased the punishment for cheating in the imperial examination.
Candidates who cheat are investigated and punished, and depending on the seriousness of the case, they will be banned from taking the exam or even serve in corvee. Examiners who cheat are investigated and punished, ranging from dismissal from office to beheading in serious cases.
fifth……
Each paragraph is written clearly, and it is posted to the world through the imperial list.
Once this reform edict was issued, countless poor scholars were ecstatic, and many even bought firecrackers to celebrate.
The entire city of Chang'an turned into a boiling ocean, and as the edict spread throughout the world, a wave swept across the entire Tang Dynasty.
It can be said that all the measures taken in the reform of the imperial examination this time are beneficial to students from poor families.
Although it has just begun to be implemented, proportionally speaking, the admission rate for the children of distinguished families may still be relatively high.
But as long as this set of reforms continues to be implemented, it will surely gradually overthrow the monopoly of noble families.
The imperial examination will be held every two years, which is good news for students living far away from home.
Especially for students from poor families, it may take about a year for them to come to Chang'an.
This is a great test for both financial resources and physical fitness.
Now that the test has been changed to once every two years, students from disadvantaged backgrounds have enough time to prepare for the test.
The abolition of the recommendation system and the assessment of civil servants, and the replacement of the palace examination by the emperor, not only enhanced the emperor's understanding of students, but also broke the tradition of nepotism in the civil servants!
In fact, these reforms have only one purpose, which is to create a relatively fair and just examination environment.
In the past imperial examinations, few students from poor families were recommended, except for the fact that students from poor families had very few talents.
Another reason is that students from poor families have no chance to contact officials, which greatly dampens the enthusiasm of students from poor families to study.
After all, before this, the examiner had too much power, and the examiners were all officials from aristocratic families.
These examiners will admit whoever they like or who has come from a noble family.
But now, the names of the candidates are directly pasted, and finally the emperor personally conducts the palace examination, which reduces the chance of favoritism and fraud.
Everyone can be on the same starting line, which improves the enthusiasm of disadvantaged students in learning.
How can these series of reforms not make those from poorer families ecstatic?
Yang Fan, who presided over the reform of the imperial examination, was pushed to the forefront.
The emperor was even regarded as a mentor by countless students from poor families, while those from aristocratic families cursed Li Er endlessly.
This is simply too much of a deception. The emperor is trying to take advantage of the aristocratic family, and is trying to get rid of the Peerless family's retreat.
The Five Surnames and Qi Wang are some of the most powerful aristocratic families in this era, and there are countless other large and small aristocratic families.
As representatives of the aristocratic families, the Cui family of Qinghe, the Cui family of Boling, the Li family of Longxi, the Li family of Zhaojun, the Lu family of Fanyang, the Zheng family of Xingyang, and the Wang family of Taiyuan... these seven aristocratic families all have a heritage of thousands of years.
Even though the Central Plains dynasty has changed for countless generations, these aristocratic families are still standing, which shows their strength.
The most important thing is that these aristocratic families intermarry with each other and have intricate relationships. They even dare not to take the royal family seriously.
His Majesty Li Er once wanted Prince Li Chengqian to marry the daughter of the Cui family, but was flatly rejected by the Cui family. This also strengthened His Majesty Li Er's determination to weaken the family's power.
It turned out that these aristocratic families looked down on Li Er, who had Hu ancestry, but now they felt the danger from this imperial examination reform.
There are five surnames and seven looks, and the family's ancestral land is scattered everywhere, but each of them has a large property in Chang'an City, and has an important direct descendant of the family.
Their mission is to always pay attention to the trends in the court, so that when something unexpected happens, everyone can communicate in a timely manner and formulate the best response plan.
After the decree on the reform of the imperial examination was issued, all the major families, except the Li family, took notice and immediately sat down together to discuss countermeasures.
The place where they gathered this time was in a courtyard of Cui Mansion, and Cui Yonghui was also the leader of this incident.
At this time, Cui Yonghui, who was sitting in the main seat, said: "The emperor's skills are really good. This reform of the imperial examination is clearly aimed at our family."
"The emperor is obviously going to destroy the foundation of our family. We must find a way quickly."
Taiyuan Wang Lun continued: "Yes, only the children of our aristocratic family, most of whom are officials in the court, can control the situation."
"Once a child from a poor family is allowed to control the court, then the emperor will no longer have any scruples, and our family will probably be in danger."
Lu Benwei sighed: "Now that the imperial list has been posted, what can we do about it?"
"If we dare to openly oppose them, we will definitely arouse the anger of those mud-legged people. Although we are not afraid of them, we cannot turn a blind eye."
"If these ignorant people are used by the emperor, they will also be a serious problem for us."
Indeed, there was a surprise attack this time, which caught these families a little unprepared.
