Chapter 7 The rotten scholar-bureaucrat class!
The banks of the Qinhuai River.
Xia Zhibai has found a place to stay.
He sat alone by the window of the guest room, looking at the willows swaying in the wind not far away, and listening to the rustling wind around him. In the brothel not far away, the sound of singing and dancing birds quickly covered up these wind sounds. .
I just checked in less than half an hour ago.
He saw many people who were referring to the exam and entered the nearby Goulan House.
The decline was so fast that he couldn't help but think of a text he had learned in the past, "Fan Jin passed the exam".
After Fan Jin passed the imperial examination, he was almost self-taught. He learned how to deal with officialdom and human relations, and was sophisticated in his dealings with the world. He also skillfully enjoyed the money, house, land, and servants he brought with him after passing the imperial examination.
Xia Zhibai sometimes has to admit it.
China’s successive scholar-bureaucrats seem to have always been like this.
The so-called gentry are a group of people who immediately and naturally join the rentier class once their class rises.
They can absorb the blood, sweat and grease of the people with peace of mind, without any thought of benefiting the people. They are officials just to make a fortune, to be the slaves of the imperial power, and to make their wives and children.
These officials are what the emperor calls the ministers of the country, they are the Qingtian lords sought after by the people, and they are the so-called Baili princes in the local area.
The literati and gentry in the Han and Tang dynasties still retain a bit of the romantic atmosphere of the literati. With the deepening of the restriction of the Ming Dynasty’s stereotyped scholarship, the literati and gentry in the world and the classes that came out of the stereotyped scholarship will all be in the already existing class. The corrupt scholar class was completely rotten.
It sucks!
Xia Zhibai took a sip of hot soup.
In just half an hour, he saw Huang Zicheng, Lian Zining and others talking and laughing, and crowded into it.
The number of candidates who went in this time is not very large. Only those who are very confident in themselves, or those who are not sure, will go. Wait for the government to announce the list of Jinshi and rank, and hang around. Only those who lift can reach the top.
Among these people are those who are being curried, some who go there on their own initiative, some who follow the crowd, and some who actively participate in it and try to cater to the flattery.
Xia Zhibai said: "Today's emperor attaches great importance to heroes, and through the ages, articles have taught you. Everything has always been inferior. Since ancient times, only reading has been good."
"The Scholars and Foreign Languages are really written thoroughly."
"On this soil of old ideas, everything in the world is rotten."
"The talented are in ruins. The virtuous are coaxed, and the villain is successful. Wu Jingzi saw the filth of the scholarly stereotypes, and also saw through the decadent end of the stereotyped pursuit of scholars and the prosperity of the gentry and bureaucracy."
"It's just that he didn't expect it. The solution is to create the so-called demotion, which can only rely on the self-awakening of a wise monarch."
"But is this possible?"
Xia Zhibai retracted his gaze and tightened his hand on the tea cup.
History has already given the answer.
Impossible.
In that rotten and dirty environment, he will only become more insensitive, cruel and cold-blooded. In the end, he was forced to make changes under the threat of foreign guns and cannons.
It’s just that the price is too high!
What he said before was actually meant for himself, don't give up the world to people you hate.
Zhu Yuanzhang is great.
But what he did was far from enough. The world asked of him far more than what he did in the contemporary era.
Zhu Yuanzhang, an emperor with a grassroots background, was supposed to be the most caring person for the people, but after he took the position of emperor, he also changed.
He became the biggest bureaucrat in the world.
Relying on the emperor's own awakening to change the decadent status quo of the world is completely deceiving himself and others.
The emperor always wanted only slaves.
No one with a bit of backbone would think of becoming a slave. Even in this old society full of servility, one should still stick to it.
Finish the tea.
Xia Zhibai was also a little tired.
He stood up from his seat and walked towards his bed, humming the poem at the end of "The Scholars". "I remember that at that time, I loved Qinhuai, and I left my hometown by chance. I was proud of my mother-in-law."
"."
The next day, Wenhua Hall.
After a series of sealed reviews, the examination papers of Xia Zhibai and others were sent here for review by the ministers arranged by Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang obviously attached great importance to this imperial examination. He specially appointed Zhu Biao as the president of the examination and Li Shanchang as the vice president. He also assigned officials from the six departments to participate in the examination.
The specifications are very high.
In the Wenhua Hall, Guo Chong and Wu Gongda sat in the same row. They were both Jinshi in the fourth year of Hongwu. Guo was the second best and Wu was the third best.
Nowadays, one of them is the Minister of Hubu and the other is the Minister of Officials. This time, Zhu Biao specially called him to participate in the imperial examination scoring.
Now Zhu Biao has the future.
The two of them rarely talked about the imperial examination that year, their eyes full of sadness.
Wu Gongda said with emotion: "Brother Zixiang, you were the first in our imperial examination, and you were also the first in the imperial examination. At that time, we all thought that you would be the first number one scholar in the Ming Dynasty."< br>
“But the shadow of the candle is not beautiful.”
Guo Chong shook his head, his eyes full of sadness.
At that time, he considered himself knowledgeable and talented, so he was extremely conceited. From the beginning of the imperial examination, he always ranked first, and he won many arguments with other candidates, and he never put others in his eyes. .
He even claimed that the top prize was his own.
Especially in the subsequent joint examinations and palace examinations, I was ranked first. I thought I was sure of winning the first place, but His Majesty said that I was not good-looking and was only ranked second.
Let Wu Bozong become the number one scholar.
Back then, he was angry for a long time. Looking back now, he can only lament the blessings and misfortunes. If he had really become the number one scholar back then, he would probably be even more fiery than Wu Bozong.
As the number one scholar, Wu Bozong was promoted to the bachelor of Wuying Palace in just ten years.
But because of his strong temperament, he offended Hu Weiyong. After Hu Weiyong's downfall, he rose to prominence. However, he became complacent and began to indulge his family members in favoritism.
Eventually he was implicated and died in Yunnan.
He was ignored by His Majesty because of his appearance, and because of some minor complaints at the time, his promotion rate has been slow.
It allowed him to avoid being involved in those political turmoils in the court. Now he has been rewarded after all the hardships. He has been promoted smoothly and is respected by His Highness.
Wu Gongda said: "In this imperial examination, the power in the south is strong. Among them, the three people of 'Huang Lianhua' are the most outstanding. Before the scientific examination has started, some people in Yingtian Mansion are touting that these three people will dominate the first class. ”
Guo Chong sneered and said indifferently: "Since the imperial examination was launched in our dynasty, the determination of the number one scholar has not simply been based on literary talent."
"Otherwise I would not have been ranked second."
“They think that by building momentum in the city, people will take a good look at them and gain some reputation for them. However, being too arrogant will only make people feel difficult to control and will only be counterproductive.”
Wu Gongda smiled and shook his head and said: "Brother Zixiang, you make me speechless."
"But I heard another news last night. It seems that there is also a man in the north. Leader, I intend to compete with these three for the top spot.”
"It's just that this person is even more frivolous than you were back then. Some of the things he said shocked me even when I heard them."
Guo Chong frowned, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. Is there anyone else who can compare to him? Were you still arrogant back then?
He was in disbelief.
He considered himself the number one scholar from the beginning, and even wrote poems in advance to express his joy. It was precisely because he was too arrogant that he was eventually lowered in the rankings.
Guo Chong asked curiously: "What did this man say?"
Just as Wu Gongda was about to speak, there was a sudden sound of footsteps outside the hall. He immediately swallowed the words that came to his mouth, stood up and greeted him respectfully.
Prince Zhu Biao is here.
(End of this chapter)