"Coffin splitting is about people."
These six simple words made all the officials think deeply and made them realize that loyalty to the king was not simple.
Although the choice was the same as that of Zhao Heyun, King Zhong had almost no time to think about it, and he did not look for the basis for his actions in history. He seemed to be completely following his heart.
"Guanzi said, the beginning of the overlordship is to put people first. The basic principle is to strengthen the country, and the basic chaos is to threaten the country. Although Guanzi is also a sage, he is not a Confucian after all, and I am afraid it is a bit biased."
"You can't say that. The book of ministers also says that the people are the foundation of a country, and the foundation is strong and the country is in peace. So it's not too biased."
"I think the meaning of King Zhong may not be the same as these. It seems to be more pure and non-utilitarian."
In fact, what the ancients said about people and people often means the same thing. Many times it refers to the people as a group, rather than simply individual 'people'. Therefore, it should be understood as 'people-oriented', which is a people-oriented idea. In fact, it is more out of the needs of the interests of governing the country, with a certain degree of utilitarianism.
Of course, everyone has their own understanding and emphasis on this kind of thing, so officials discussed it a lot, but Zhao Mengqi never thought that much.
"Silence!" Uncle Xie Fang took control of the situation again, "The five answer sheets have been read out, and now the examiner will explain the original intention of the question."
Then Ma Guangzu stood up, but he was not in a hurry to explain. Instead, he asked Zhao Mengqi first, "Your Highness, the other four people all explained their understanding of 'ritual' in their answer sheets, but His Highness's questions and answers were too concise. In order to eliminate misunderstandings, I hope His Highness can explain his understanding."
Zhao Mengqi was a later generation, and his original understanding of "rituals" was more of a disapproval, because the four words "feudal ethics" were often criticized and denied.
But after listening to Ma Guangzu's words just now, he seemed to have some enlightenment, so he replied, "Xiao Wang believes that etiquette is rules, systems, standards, and order. It restrains and guides people's behavior, harmonizes interpersonal relationships, and alleviates conflicts. conflicts and maintain stability and harmony in the world.”
Hearing this, Ma Guangzu kept nodding his head with great satisfaction, "Your Highness's understanding is basically correct. Confucius said, 'Restraining oneself and returning to propriety is benevolence.' It can be seen from this that why we need to be polite is for benevolence, and benevolence is for benevolence. It’s about loving people. I think what Your Highness said about putting people first is benevolence and the foundation of etiquette.”
After a pause, he continued, "The original intention of this question is just to explore the original intention of the disciples, without considering right or wrong. As for which kind of mentality is more beneficial to the people of the world, everyone has their own judgment in their hearts. Please make your choice after careful consideration.”
When Zhao Mengqi heard this, he couldn't help but curl his lips, and kept talking, wouldn't this question be in vain? At least come up with a standard answer for comparison, but the result is tantamount to saying that people with the right to vote feel that whoever is pleasing to their eyes can Who to vote for.
In fact, Ma Guangzu didn't say it directly, but he made it clear that Zhao Mengqi's answer was the most in line with his wishes, which could be regarded as canvassing votes for him to a certain extent.
The voting ended soon, with a total of sixty-seven votes, and the results were counted in order of ranking.
Zhao Mengguan, twenty-five votes.
Zhao Mengqi, seventeen votes.
Zhao Mengqi, ten votes.
Zhao Heyun, nine votes.
Zhao Mengxi, five votes.
Zhao Mengqi had expected this result. After such a difficult question, the vote was completely idealistic. Naturally, those ministers who opposed him would not vote for him.
He even thought that it would be good if he could get three or five votes, but he didn't expect to be ranked third. It seemed that there were still some fair-minded people among the civil servants.
The other four people had their own joys and sorrows. Zhao Mengqi, the dark horse who finished second, seemed calm and composed, Zhao Heyun looked a little annoyed, and Zhao Mengxi was full of dissatisfaction.
The one who was most proud was naturally Zhao Mengguan. The far leading number of votes convinced him that Concubine Yan had paved the way to the crown prince for him, and that Zhao Mengqi would eventually be stepped on by him.
After checking, the three censors who were responsible for invigilating the examination found no objection to the voting results. Zhao Guanjia and other officials also had no objections, so the ranking was determined.
Next, everyone thought it was a test on 'Le', but unexpectedly Yang Dong stood up and said, "I came up with the questions for 'Le' and 'Shu', but since everyone has already written the answer sheet just now, they will use it directly." Let’s use it as a review of the ‘book’.”
When Baiguan heard this, he was a little surprised, but he also thought it was reasonable. Anyway, "shu" refers to the ability to read, write, and compose. It can also pass the evaluation of the previous paper, and it saves time.
However, the four candidates were cursing in their hearts. Just to answer the questions, there was nothing wrong with the composition, but the writing was naturally ignored. In the rush, they did not show their best calligraphy skills.
Zhao Mengqi, on the other hand, was calm and composed, with few words. When he wrote, he showed extraordinary performance. Thanks to the original owner, although his IQ was not high, he was still forced to practice writing.
The test papers of the five people were all posted, reviewed by Yang Dong, and then three examiners gave grades, which were divided into upper, middle and lower grades.
The first is Zhao Mengqi's paper, "The font is soft and the bones are clear. Although the writing is hasty, it is urgent and not chaotic. The article structure is rigorous and well-organized. Overall, it is pretty good."
Yang Dong's comments are very objective, and all officials basically agree with them.
Among the three examiners, Xie Fangshu gave "middle", Dong Huai gave "upper", and Cheng Yuanfeng gave "middle". If upper, middle and lower are understood as three points, two points, and one point, it would be seven points.
This result made Zhao Mengqi's eyes darken, but he remained calm.
