Chapter 138: Mediocre and Corrupt Officials
Early that morning, Zhao Xing changed into the prince's regular clothes and went to the palace.
After meeting their father, the father and son took a carriage, left the palace and took the carriage to Qionglin Garden.
The Qionglin Banquet was not held in the palace, but in Qionglin Garden.
Qionglin Garden is a royal villa located in the west of Bianjing City.
Emperor Taizu stipulated that after the results of the palace examination were released, a banquet would be given to celebrate.
The first banquet given by Emperor Taizu was held in Qionglin Garden, so it was called Qionglin Banquet.
From then on, a banquet was given here after every imperial examination.
In fact, except for Emperor Taizu, who would personally attend every banquet after the palace examination, subsequent emperors only came once in a while. The rest of the time, they would either send the prince to host it, or send the grand minister to host it.
However, today's officials strictly abide by the ancestral system. After the palace examination, the officials personally give banquets. This is set by Emperor Taizu. It is the ancestral rule, and he will naturally not violate it.
Therefore, since he ascended the throne, he will attend every Qionglin banquet.
Zhao Xing did not ride in his own carriage, but took the emperor's carriage with his father.
This is Zhao Xing's first time riding in the Emperor's car. It's not that his father doesn't allow it, but that his father usually doesn't leave the palace at all.
It is indeed an emperor's car, very spacious, like a moving palace.
Zhao Xing remembered that in history, Zhang Juzheng's sedan chair required thirty-two people to carry it. He heard that it had two rooms, one living room, one kitchen and one bathroom, but he didn't know whether it was true or not.
If it were true, it seems that the emperor's driving and driving skills really couldn't compare with his father's.
Zhao Xing looked at it for a while and then lost interest. He withdrew his gaze and said, "Father, the imperial examination is over, is it time to hold the system of examinations?"
The system of examinations is also called the great examination. , Special subjects are irregular and non-routine examinations held to select extraordinary talents.
The Tang Dynasty was the first to implement the system of education in order to select talents in extraordinary times.
For example, if the court wants to go to war and lacks talents, it will organize a system to select talents based on this theme.
If you want to reform, select talents based on the theme of reform.
The system does not limit the origin of the reference person.
But in the Song Dynasty, the subject system became the exclusive domain of officials.
As we all know, there were a lot of officials in the Song Dynasty. Only a small number of people who passed the imperial examination were awarded the official title.
The rest can only be appointed prose officers and wait for opportunities.
Many people who pass the Jinshi examination may never actually become an official until their death.
In order to appease these people, the subjects that were not part of the regular system were made regular.
The imperial court held regular training courses for those who had not been awarded officials and those low-level officials to participate.
If you perform well, you will be awarded an official, and those who have an official will also get the opportunity to be promoted.
"What, do you want to invigilate the exam or come up with questions?" the official said with a smile.
"My son is about to serve as the governor of Kaifeng, so there is no time. I want to ask my father to let me select a few talents for this training." Zhao Xing said with a smile.
After all, the people selected by the imperial examination were still newcomers, so Zhao Xing focused on the examination system.
There are many people in the system department who have been officials for several years and already have certain experience.
Such people have experience, but they have not entered the officialdom for a long time, so they can still be put to use.
"Sure, when the time comes, I will send you the articles with good scores, and you can choose."
Of course, the officials would not refuse this. The most important thing in the Song Dynasty was scholars.
Not many people will be selected for each examination. It is nothing more than giving hope to those who have not been awarded the official title.
“Thank you, father!” Zhao Xing smiled.
…………
No one knew about him for ten years, but he became famous all over the world in one fell swoop.
This sentence is the most true portrayal of the students who were named on the gold list.
In the main hall of Qionglin Garden, nearly a hundred new scholars stood behind a desk, facing the direction of the chief executive, waiting for the arrival of the officials.
It is worth mentioning that only those in the first or second class can participate in the Qionglin Banquet, and those in the third class are not eligible.
These people have different clothes and different ages, but their mental outlook is almost the same.
Smug and high-spirited.
"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
A chamberlain sang loudly, and the standing Xinke Jinshi all bowed and saluted, saying: "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince is here!" The official and Zhao Xing left. He stopped in front of the main seat on the high platform.
"No courtesy!" the official said.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Everyone thanked him in unison, straightened up, and lowered their eyes.
"You have been selected at all levels, and the students who were finally named on the gold list are the elites among the scholars of the Song Dynasty, and they are also the future pillars of the imperial court. I hope that you can report to the imperial court and settle down in the morning." Guan Jia said.
"I will live up to His Majesty's expectations, devote myself to death, and die!" Everyone said in unison.
Zhao Xing listened a little boringly. These were obviously arranged, otherwise how could such unity be achieved.
The officials don’t know what Zhao Xing is thinking, otherwise they might get angry and kick him.
The official smiled, nodded slightly, sat down, and said, "Everyone, take a seat!"
"Yes!" Everyone responded and sat down.
Zhao Xing sat down on the side.
"Play music!" the official ordered.
Soon, the drums, harps and sheng were played in the hall, and a group of dancers walked into the hall and danced to the sound of music.
The officials sat for about a stick of incense, drank a few glasses of wine, and then left first.
"Everyone, please sit down and be casual, don't be formal." Zhao Xing said.
"Yes!" Everyone responded and sat down.
Zhao Xing waved off the dancing girl and said: "After the Mengjiao Jinban inscriptions in the Tang Dynasty, I left a poem after I was admitted to the imperial examination. Today, why don't you write a poem based on your mood after being admitted to the imperial examination, and accompany it with wine. ”
Everyone was overjoyed when they heard this. This gave them a chance to show off in front of the prince.
If their poems can attract praise from His Highness the Crown Prince, it will be of great help to them in their subsequent appointment.
Zhao Xing took a sip from the wine glass and looked down at the frowning student with a smile.
He asked them to write poems, but he just said it casually out of boredom.
It’s not to test them.
As the saying goes, talent does not necessarily mean virtue.
Compared with talent, Zhao Xing appreciates a person's virtue more.
There is a debate in later generations, which one is less harmful, one is an incorruptible mediocre official, the other is a capable corrupt official.
There are different opinions on this issue, and most people tend to choose capable corrupt officials.
The reason is that I am not afraid of being greedy, but I am afraid that you will not do it.
Competent officials, even if they are a little greedy, are better than incompetent and incompetent officials.
An example is that He Shen of the Qing Dynasty embezzled rice from the court and replaced it with chaff to provide disaster relief. This was actually good for the people, because no corrupt officials would embezzle the chaff, and the chaff would reach the hands of the people.
So, we came to the conclusion that corrupt officials have great wisdom.
This sentence is as ridiculous as "an official who embezzled 200 million yuan will not embezzle 2 million yuan".
In Zhao Xing's view, an honest and mediocre official, even if he lacks ability, will at least not harm the people.
Even if the interests of the people will be damaged because of his mediocrity, it is still much better than a corrupt official taking the initiative to harm the people.
Great greed is cultivated from childhood. After developing great greed, it is true that they will not harm the people. But those who are in the same faction as him, or who want to curry favor with him, will not harm the people?
So Zhao Xing will not look at someone differently just because they are good at poetry.
The students didn't know what Zhao Xing was thinking. Most of them were thinking hard and wanted to express themselves in front of Zhao Xing.
Yao Xingtian, who was ranked second in the new class, glanced at Pan Lun, the number one scholar who was not far away from him and had a dull expression.
Pan Lun, who was in his mid-twenties and smiling, noticed Yao Xingtian's gaze and nodded to him with a smile.
Yao Xingtian was very unhappy with Pan Lun who had suppressed him. Pan Lun nodded to greet him, but when he looked at the smile on Pan Lun's face, it looked like he was provoking.
So he stood up and said: "Your Highness, I am willing to show off my humiliation."
"Oh." Zhao Xing said with great interest: "It turns out that he is the second one, so you can read out the masterpiece. Let everyone enjoy it."
"Yes!"
Yao Xingtian thought for a while and said loudly: "The jade sky is a hundred feet high, and the blue clouds are as high as the sky. Live up to your time and live up to your glory.”
Thanks to Broken Fenghua and Book Friends 2024...0524 for the reward.
(End of this chapter)