On May 20th, the third year of Emperor Zhangwu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Liu Bei set up a ceremony to recruit scholars in Chang'an.
Because this time the selection of scholars is a strange thing, the scale and questions of the examination are also quite random and not systematic at all.
For example, Qin Mi believed that since the examination is to be used to select scholars, the first step is to confirm that the candidates taking the examination are all people who are familiar with the classics. If you can't even read the classics and take the exam, if you still become an official in the end, That's a joke.
Although it is said that every scholar who took the exam this time was recommended by a local celebrity or official, it is not unheard of these days for scholars to be selected without knowledge of their studies.
Therefore, Qin Mi believed that the first test of the exam must be the "Ming Jing" test, which means that the scholars' familiarity with the classics must be tested. If they cannot even memorize the classics, or there is a deviation in their understanding of the saint's words, Taken out of context, how can such a person be an official and run a good place? !
This is why Qin Mi must wait until he borrows the Confucian classics annotated by Zheng Xuan from the Zheng family in Beihai before starting the exam - you must have an authoritative answer.
But Huang Quan said that if you only know how to recite classics and study hard, how can you govern a country well? !
Those who are officials do not know how to calculate, do not understand the farming season, and do not know the hearts of the people. If they rely solely on the classics to govern the country, they are just talkers, and they may not be of great use.
Therefore, it is necessary to take a practical exam so that students who take the exam can put forward their own opinions on local governance.
This is a practical policy, a bit policy-theoretical.
Then Zhang Xi intervened, saying that these alone are not enough. Don’t forget that we are still in troubled times, and the world is divided into three parts. When selecting officials, you must at least be responsible and have military strategy. Especially when you are an official in Guanzhong, you can be considered a frontline. If you encounter If you don't fight and flee when the enemy attacks, it's better not to do anything.
Yes, Zhang Xi doesn't want to elect a bunch of officials like Hao Pu and Liao Li.
These people have outstanding talents and have no problems in governing the place, but their cowardly and irresponsible behavior in the face of war is really frustrating.
Such people, no matter how good local governance is, are just wedding clothes for the enemy. They don't even have the courage to fight, so how can they talk about protecting the country and the people? !
The three people got together and discussed for a long time. In the end, Pang Tong really couldn't listen anymore.
Because Pang Tong thinks that what these three people said is reasonable. In this special period, to serve as a land official, the above three aspects are necessary conditions.
Then simply divide it into three questions and take the exam together? !
As a scholar, and a scholar who wants to serve in politics, if you can't even do the above three points, how can you still have the nerve to take the exam and apply for an official position? !
As soon as Pang Tong said this, Zhang Xi and the other three stopped discussing. The three of them looked at Pang Tong speechlessly at the same time.
You, Pang Shiyuan, have the confidence to say this. After all, you can really understand both classics and practice, and at the same time you can make suggestions and lead the army in battle. But the question is, how many Pang Shiyuan can there be in the world? !
If we really take the exam together, will you choose the county magistrate, the prefectural and county magistrate, or the "wolong" or "phoenix chick"? !
And to be honest, even among the so-called celebrities in the world, how many of them can do the three things we discussed, and who of those who can do these things are not the pillars of the country and have been recruited into official positions early on? Already? !
Not everyone is a genius like you, Pang Shiyuan.
Another thing, from one exam to three exams in a row, we don’t have the energy and time.
In order to prepare for this exam, Ma Youchang has not slept for several days. He finally put this framework together. When you say this, it is equivalent to dividing one exam into three exams. You know Ma Youchang can fight with you. No? !
But after Pang Tong listened to the three people's complaints, he looked at the three people with contempt and said that you are stupid, but you still refused to admit it.
When did I say I would take three exams in a row? !
What I am talking about is that there are three questions in one exam, and the three questions are tested together. The candidates will be selected based on comprehensive consideration of their knowledge, affairs, and military strategy.
In three aspects, as long as two of them are evaluated as average or above, you can be awarded an official.
To put it simply, it is a comprehensive score evaluation based on the test paper.
As soon as this plan was proposed, Qin Mi and Huang Quan suddenly realized it, while Zhang Xi remained silent.
Actually, Zhang Xi somewhat disagrees with this model of official selection. It is too subjective and cannot be fair and just.
But looking back, unless there are very quantitative evaluation standards, subjectivity will always be an important evaluation factor in any examination in this era and cannot be avoided.
All Zhang Xi can do is to increase objectivity factors as much as possible, such as copying without naming names.
However, Zhang Xi's suggestion was opposed by Qin Mi.
On the one hand, Qin Mi felt that doing so would increase the workload for nothing. The exam time was already very tight, and there was no time to do such an anonymous copying thing again.
On the other hand, there is no need to make a temporary appointment so complicated unless you want to make it permanent.
If we look at the content just discussed at the beginning, it can be explained by the necessity of selecting qualified officials. After all, the shortage of officials in the Guanzhong region is too large. Without this, production in the Guanzhong region cannot be quickly restored.
However, there is no need for the name-blinding system, which is a system to ensure the fairness of the examination, because there will be no next similar examination to obtain a bachelor's degree.
In this regard, Qin Mi must strictly guard against it.
As soon as Qin Mi objected, Pang Tong and Huang Quan also understood the truth. Although they felt that Zhang Xi's idea was not necessarily wrong, their own aristocratic attributes made them maintain a default attitude towards Qin Mi's statement.
Zhang Xi suddenly became a little anxious. If there was no name-blinding system, why would the children of poor families compete with the children of aristocratic families?
During this period, even Zhang Xi received many requests and greetings from people. Zhang Xi did not believe that there would be no favors from Qin Mi, Pang Tong, and Huang Quan.
Putting all candidates' hopes of admission on the examiner's personal ethics. Zhang Xi really didn't dare to think that way, even if the objects of his suspicion were celebrities like Pang Tong, Huang Quan, and Qin Mi.
Zhang Xi also gave Qin Mi a hard answer and told Qin Mi clearly that it didn't matter how many times the name system was used, even if it was only used once, it would ensure the fairness of the exam.
The implication is that I just can't trust you guys who come from aristocratic families.
This made Qin Mi very angry.
The aristocratic families these days are more or less proud, and they are not as shameless as they were in the late Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Therefore, Qin Mi is absolutely unacceptable to Zhang Xi's behavior that clearly questions his personal moral integrity.
Really, Qin Mi was so angry that he would have drawn his sword on the spot. If Pang Tong and Huang Quan hadn't stopped him.
But no matter what, after this, Qin Mi and Zhang Xi completely fell out, and the matter of anonymity was put in front of Liu Bei, and it was up to Liu Bei to make the decision.
There is no way, there are reasons on both sides.
Qin Mi is the Minister of Rites, and he firmly disagrees with the adoption of a name-blinding system in the examinations organized by the Ministry of Rites. This matter is his right.
But this time Zhang Xi was clearly at odds with Qin Mi. He wrote a letter suggesting that the name system be added to the exam to ensure fairness. This is also his duty as a minister. It doesn't matter if the Minister of Rites doesn't agree, the emperor is still here. Well, let the emperor decide everything.
Liu Bei was also in trouble.
To be honest, Liu Bei cannot fail to see the benefits of the name-blinding system. It can indeed ensure fairness.
But the problem is, Liu Bei can also see that the emergence of this system clearly shows his distrust of the examiner and the system of selecting scholars.
This involves not only issues of personal morality, but also issues of interests. In these days, no matter how the system of recruiting scholars is changed, it will be beneficial to the family.
Liu Bei didn't want to offend the family over such a trivial matter, nor did he want Zhang Xi's fair proposal to fail. After thinking for a long time, he came up with a compromise.
Liu Bei said that he was old and his eyesight was weak. Reading too many test papers would waste time. It would be better to give it to Huangmen Shilang, who would read it once.
As for when Huangmen Shilang recited, whether to read the article first or the candidate's name first was decided by Liu Bei.
In this way, there is no need to engage in any name-obfuscation system, but it can also achieve the effect of name-obfuscation system, which is the best of both worlds.
Qin Mi had nothing to say about this, but Qin Mi was worried about this matter after all.
The matter of name-blinding itself does not matter. What really matters is the attitude of the emperor on this matter.
The emperor's attitude seemed to be to take care of his own emotions and the interests of the family, but in the end he changed his direction and adopted the anonymous system.
Originally, Qin Mi thought that although the selection of scholars in Chang'an seemed to be a fool's errand, Liu Bei finally let go of his guard against the aristocratic families, which could be seen as a way to ease relations with the aristocratic families.
But now it seems that the emperor's attitude towards the aristocratic family is still the same as before.
(End of chapter)
