Chapter 2585
Ning Zijing said: "The provincial examination is held every three years. Since we have three years to slowly investigate the situation and find solutions, why should Uncle Shi be in a hurry?"
Shi Diwen shook his head and said: "Given the urgent demand for officials in our country, I'm afraid we don't have time to wait that long. If necessary, talent selection examinations such as the provincial examination may be changed to once a year in the future, and the selection standards will be relaxed at the same time. Only by doing this can we ensure that our country can obtain more talents in the short term. Of course, the top priority right now is to find ways to solve the problems you just raised.”
When Bai Letong heard this, he was thinking that Shi Diwen asked the three of him for advice, and he probably didn't expect to hear any real feasible solutions. And some of the methods he took in this provincial examination were probably It is related to this purpose, but I don’t know whether his approach was to kill first and report later, or whether he had informed the executive committee in advance.
Bai Letong collected his thoughts and replied: "I don't think there is a problem with relaxing the selection criteria for candidates' cultural foundation. It is said that in the early years of our country, officials were appointed in an eclectic way, and most of them valued practical ability. But Uncle Shi What I just said is probably not just about relaxing standards, right?”
Shi Diwen nodded and acknowledged Bai Letong's view: "I think the most urgent task is to let the public realize that the new imperial examination hosted by our country is authoritative and credible, and can provide a reliable channel for scholars all over the world to enter politics. But I want to Achieving such an effect does not rely on self-promotion to resolve various concerns in the hearts of the people. If some influential upper-class figures can pass the provincial examination and obtain titles and official career opportunities certified by our country, the effect may be better than traditional ones. The publicity method is better!”
Bai Letong continued: "So the influential people mentioned by Uncle Shi are not the examiner's relatives and the children of Yangzhou salt merchants, but someone else?"
Shi Diwen did not hesitate this time, but nodded firmly and said: "That's right. The influence we need is not limited to a small circle or local area, but after the list is announced, People all over the world will be shocked by this.”
This time, Bai Letong became a little uneasy: "How can he have such great influence? Who is he?"
Shi Diwen responded: "Because the impact is so great, we must do our best to keep it secret beforehand to avoid leaking the news prematurely and causing unnecessary controversy."
Bai Letong puzzled: "As Uncle Shi said, since the impact of such a figure participating in the imperial examination is positive, why not announce it in advance? This may attract more literati to participate in this provincial examination."
Shi Diwen smiled bitterly and said: "Don't I think so? But arranging this matter takes a long time, and there are too many uncertain factors. If it is announced in advance, I am afraid that things will change again. The impact on the provincial examination will be It will cause backlash and the consequences will be extremely serious!”
Bai Letong thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case. If it was promoted with great fanfare beforehand, but in the end the important person did not participate in the provincial examination, wouldn't it mean that Haihan's golden brand name would be smashed to pieces? Haihan hoped to build better credibility for the government by holding rural examinations, but he may have failed because of this. Out of careful consideration, Shi Diwen waited until the matter was completed before making a fuss about it, which was considered a relatively safe way to deal with it.
Tao Hongfang asked from the side: "Did Uncle Shi notify the executive committee of this move?"
Shi Diwen nodded and responded: "For such a big matter, of course, I must first report to the executive committee for instructions. Otherwise, if this matter goes wrong, I won't be able to bear such a big blame!" Taking the blame is of course just a joke. At Shi Diwen's level, even if he really fails the provincial examination, the executive committee will not take any punitive measures against him. However, since he claimed to have informed the executive committee in advance and received approval, Tao Hongfang believed that this was true.
Since it has the approval of the Executive Committee, even if this matter is unreasonable, there is no need for controversy. The education they have received since childhood is that everything is based on the decision of the Executive Committee. As long as it is a measure approved by the Executive Committee, it must be in the interests of the country.
Bai Letong's face became much more relaxed when he heard this. What he was most worried about before was not his own situation, but that Shi Diwen's actions were contrary to the national interests. It would not be sanctioned by the Executive Committee, nor would it be sanctioned without sanctions. It would probably This will cause a series of troubles in the future. But since the Executive Committee has approved Shi Diwen's plan, there is no need for him to worry at all.
Of course, he also immediately thought of another level. If this plan can be recognized by the Executive Committee, who are the so-called important figures?
The three young people were all thinking about the same question at this time. They actually had some vague assumptions in their minds, but they still felt that it was too unrealistic, so they were not in a hurry to express their guesses.
Seeing that they didn't ask, Shi Diwen certainly wouldn't take the initiative to tell the answer. He turned to talk about Bai Letong's investigation during this period: "These officials in the township trial office mainly need their operational experience. , it should be enough to use it this time. As for their related households, I will make other arrangements.”
Bai Letong said: "Uncle Shi prohibited them from participating in this township examination. If it causes dissatisfaction among those officials, will it affect the smooth progress of this township examination?"
Shi Diwen smiled and shook his head and said: "What I banned is that they take part in the rural examinations in the Donghai Region, and I don't ban them from taking part in the rural examinations in other places. If they want to take the exam for fame, they can go to the north to take the exam!"
"Ah?" Bai Letong never expected that the real solution given by Shi Diwen would be like this, and he didn't know how to evaluate it for a moment.
The north that Shi Diwen was referring to was, of course, the northern region ruled by Chen Yixin, another local official in Haihan. It can be said that the jurisdiction of the Northern Region is wider than that of the East China Sea Region, but many areas in the north are vast and sparsely populated, and the population size is not as large as that of the East China Sea Region, and there is an obvious gap in the cultural foundation of the people. The admission standards for the rural examination in the Northern Region will inevitably be lower than those in the Donghai Region.
As for the household registration of these people in the Donghai Region, it is certainly not a problem whether they can successfully apply for the exam in the Northern Region in a hurry. Since Shi Diwen intended for these people to avoid suspicion and go to the Northern Region to take part in the rural examination, he had naturally arranged these links. Of course, this kind of trivial matter is easy for Chen Yixin. Maybe he can leave these people in the north to work. After all, they may not be able to stand out in the rural examination of Donghai Region, but they are all students with a certain cultural foundation, which can be regarded as a scarce resource in the north.
(End of chapter)