Chapter 5024 The Dilemma of Confucianism
"Gongyuan?"
Xu Jingzong fully agreed with the construction of a new building for the imperial examination. After all, the organizer of the imperial examination was the Ministry of Rites. Naturally, he, the Minister of Rites, would benefit the most from the additional building. However, he was a little confused about the name "Gongyuan".
Fang Jun looked at the students who entered the examination room one after another after undergoing body searches: "Those who offer things from the world to the emperor are called 'tributes'. The imperial examination recruits talents from all over the world for the king's use. It is also a kind of 'tribute' and is the place for examination." Naturally it can be called 'Gongyuan'."
Xu Jingzong thought for a moment and was filled with admiration: "The Taiwei's words are thought-provoking! The Taiwei's insights are astonishing!"
When Emperor Taizong was facing the imperial examination, he once said, "All the heroes in the world have fallen into my trap." This shows that he regards all the students in the world as his own. Now Fang Jun regards students as "tributes" and presents them to His Majesty. This is another interpretation of "all the heroes in the world are in His Majesty's care", which immediately elevates His Majesty's status to the supreme position.
No matter what you think in your heart, whether "the world does not belong to one family" or "the interests of the country are above all else", such remarks as "the king is above all else" will make His Majesty feel valued and the imperial majesty will be displayed.
Simply talking about the level of "flattery", looking at the civil and military officials of the dynasty, Fang Jun is the only one.
There was actually a censor who angrily accused Xu Jingzong of being a "sycophant" and a "treacherous traitor". It was simply unjust! Compared with Fang Jun, he should stay away...
Fang Jun glanced at Xu Jingzong and warned: "The imperial examination is not only a national talent promotion ceremony, but also the foundation of our reforms. Don't try to do anything in it, otherwise once discovered, the consequences will be beyond your ability to bear." , don’t be confused for a moment and ruin your bright future before it’s too late!”
Although this guy is greedy for money and has low moral character, he is indeed a good knife when used. As long as he is given enough benefits, he really dares to kill people and kill Buddhas. He is courageous, capable, and has a low bottom line. He will do something he doesn't want to do. Nothing you do will be beneficial.
But it is precisely because of his boldness and low bottom line that he regards morality and laws as nothing. If he cannot be warned at all times, he may go astray.
It would be a pity if a handy weapon had its blade curled...
Xu Jingzong was shocked and said hurriedly: "The imperial examination has concentrated a lot of efforts by the Taiwei. I know that the Taiwei has high hopes for it. I wish I could go all out and serve you wholeheartedly. How dare I interfere with it and undermine the overall situation? Please also invite the Taiwei. Don’t worry, no matter how confused you are, you will never dare to use your brain in the imperial examination!”
"Haha," Fang Jun sneered: "You dare to say that no one came to you privately to ask you to tamper with the imperial examination?"
The night sky was dark and the cool breeze was blowing, but Xu Jingzong was sweating profusely. He swallowed his saliva and said, "Someone is indeed looking for me, but how dare I agree? I absolutely don't dare!"
Fang Jun patted his shoulder and said earnestly: "Not only must you stick to the bottom line, but you must also keep your eyes open and keep an eye on the people below, and don't let them play tricks. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, you, the examiner, will not be able to escape the blame. I can’t even wash it off.”
Since ancient times, cheating has been inevitable in any examination. How to prevent cheating and ensure fairness and justice is an extremely difficult task. Although he has come up with many ways to prevent cheating, it is still difficult to implement them in a hurry. In order for their children to pass exams and achieve good results, those aristocratic families not only cheat in endless ways, but also use money, beauty, power, etc. They use other means to win over and corrupt the invigilators, which is extremely difficult to guard against.
Xu Jingzong looked solemn, nodded and said, "Don't worry, Lieutenant Commander, your subordinates will know."
He gritted his teeth and vowed to keep his eyes wide open and stare up and down, so that no one would be able to take advantage of him!
If he receives a benefit that is hard to refuse, he will be willing to take risks. But if he does not receive any benefit but is cheated by a low-level official, then he will be so uncomfortable that he hangs himself!
Let him take the blame and others take advantage?
Absolutely impossible!
Not far away, there were officials outside the yamen who found cheating materials on the examinees. According to the rules, they were expelled on the spot and the documents were invalidated. Later, their names were recorded in the official records of the Ministry of Rites, banned from taking the exam for life, and affected three generations. Naturally, the examinees refused to accept it, and struggled at first. shouting, resisting He denied it, and then knelt down and begged and cried bitterly. However, the rules of the imperial examination were like mountains and could not be changed. Several Jinwu guards came forward and dragged him away. The sound of crying could be heard far away in the night, and his grief Wherever you feel sad, those who hear it will suddenly feel compassion.
Fang Jun said: "Did you see it? The imperial examination is the only way to become an official, and too many people take risks. After all, once you reach high school, it is like a carp leaping over the dragon's gate. Your career rise is just around the corner. No matter how big the risk is, you can bear it."
Xu Jingzong felt sad and reassured: "I will definitely not take it lightly. No matter who it is, once investigated and dealt with, there will be no mercy!"
"Just keep it in mind, don't let the small things cost you the big things."
"Here."
Even though he was an honorable minister of Zhenguan and one of the eighteen bachelors of the Prince of Qin's palace, few people in the Manchu Dynasty could compare with him in terms of qualifications, but in front of Fang Jun, Xu Jingzong was respectful and respectful and did not dare to slack off in the slightest.
Chu Suiliang, who dared to go against Fang Jun in the academy, where is he now?
As the most beloved confidant of Emperor Taizong, the famous Confucian scholar and calligrapher in the world was forced to return to his hometown to take care of his old age...
The sky is getting brighter, and the white fish belly is exposed in the east. The grass blades under the wall are covered with dew and are crystal clear.
All candidates have entered the examination room.
Kong Yingda came quickly surrounded by officials from the Ministry of Rites, nodded slightly to Fang Jun and Xu Jingzong who were standing in front of the door, then entered the yamen, walked to the examination room, and took out the exam from the bamboo tube he carried with him. The test questions are posted on a wooden board.
There is an examiner holding a wooden board and walking in the opening, allowing many candidates to see clearly.
"Dang Dang Dang" the gong rang, the doors were locked, Jinwu guards isolated the inside and outside, sealed the doors, and the exam began.
A red sun broke through the clouds, shining brightly and majesticly.
In a duty room, Fang Jun, Kong Yingda, and Xu Jingzong were holding bowls for breakfast. After the doors were locked, no one was allowed to enter or exit during the three-day exam period. All food and accommodation were in the yamen, otherwise the test questions would be leaked. to prevent examiners from colluding with outsiders to commit fraud.
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Kong Yingda was drinking porridge and eating side dishes, and praised Fang Jun: "Some of the methods you suggested to prevent cheating are really unbelievable but reasonable, especially the 'aliasing' and 'transcription', which have basically eliminated the biggest fraud." The possibility of cheating, coupled with the separation of exams, prohibition of entry and exit, etc., makes it extremely difficult to cheat.”
What is the biggest disadvantage of the imperial examination? Naturally how to prevent fraud.
After Fang Jun's advice, various means of cheating can be eliminated to the greatest extent through a series of methods such as setting questions, transporting test questions, body searches, examination room discipline, anonymity, transcription, etc., and ensure the fairness and impartiality of the imperial examination to the greatest extent possible.
As long as the people of the world recognize the fairness and impartiality of the imperial examination, this method of selecting scholars for the country will definitely become a permanent system.
Confucianism does not reject imperial examinations, they reject imperial examinations that cannot be conducted in accordance with their interests...
Fang Jun put down his job, took the handkerchief and wiped the corners of his mouth, shook his head and said with a smile: "The Tao is as high as the devil, and the defense is always passive. There will always be people with some fantastic ideas to try to break through the layers of defense we have set up. , so we should not be complacent about the temporary results, but we should always remain vigilant and never let up, so that the road to progress for thousands of candidates can be ensured smooth. ”
Any society must ensure a path for promotion and give the bottom class a chance to leapfrog, so that harmony and stability can be achieved. If there is no such road, the children of farmers will always be farmers, and the children of princes will always be princes. Anger and resentment will inevitably accumulate and explode, overturning everything.
In the vast sea raised by the people, any royal power will be overthrown to the ground.
Kong Yingda swallowed the last mouthful of porridge in the bowl and said happily: "This is natural! Times have changed and we have to keep pace with the times! This imperial examination was well organized and ran smoothly. The various systems were prepared perfectly in advance. If there are no accidents , it can be called the most perfect class since the imperial examination system! Thousands of years later, we will definitely be recorded in history and be famous in history!”
Since ancient times, literati have attached great importance to their names. As long as their name can go down in history, even a great scholar like Kong Yingda will inevitably be extremely excited.
Fang Jun took the tea from Wannian County Magistrate Li Anqi, took a sip, shook his head and said: "The establishment of the imperial examination system provides a relatively fair way to obtain scholars, but it still has many unreasonable features. in the process of implementation Only through continuous improvement and perfection can we recruit as many people as possible who are useful to the country, instead of holding on to a family of stubborn nerds. If so, the imperial examination system may become the tragedy of the Tang Dynasty. "
The imperial examination was actually a great feat of China, with a profound impact on humanities, country, society, literature, etc.
However, due to the control of Confucianism, various shortcomings could not be concealed. Its essence of "emphasis on classics and neglect of science" was deeply criticized by later generations. Especially in the Ming and Qing dynasties, Confucianism carried out "self-castration" in order to cater to the rulers, and even deviated from the core of Confucianism. The "eight-part essay" greatly poisoned the innovation of the Chinese nation.
Seeing Kong Yingda's thoughtful look, Fang Jun continued: "Scholars all over the world must have a consensus, that is, what kind of talents need to be selected from the imperial examinations in order to better govern the country, and they cannot be regarded as a simple A tool to stabilize society since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty "deposed all schools of thought and only respected Confucianism". Now, Confucianism is self-centered, which is actually not a good thing, because Confucianism only cares about maintaining its own rule, but has already lost its advantage of advancing with the times and pioneering. In the long run, Confucianism can only become a tool of the ruler, but loses "I have learned my core academic knowledge," Kong Yingda was convinced.