Chapter 141: One wave subsides, another wave rises

On the sixth day of November, there was a heavy snow. The weather was so cold and snowy that the quails did not sing.

At this time of year, heavy snow was falling almost everywhere in the north, covering the capital in silver.

Each solar term has its own customs, such as rice cake, pickled meat, kitchen god worship and so on.

Of course, people also pray to gods and Buddhas during every solar term.

As the official temple in Beijing designated by the Taoist Records Bureau, Zhenwu Temple is undoubtedly one of the most popular temples.

In addition to enjoying official sacrifices during specific seasons, there is also an endless stream of people coming to worship on weekdays.

For example, it snowed heavily today.

The common people, gentry, good families, and students, each wearing a variety of clothes, padded jackets and skirts, cotton-padded jackets and long gowns, cloaks, flowery, red, and green, came in and out of the Zhenwu Temple.

"Tanghulu! Delicious and inexpensive Tanghulu!"

"Rice cake! Big, hot rice cake!"

The hawking sounds outside the temple were endless, and it was very lively.

Gu Xiancheng and Sun Jigao found a stall outside the temple, one ate noodles and the other ate wontons.

Sun Jigao had just arrived in Beijing at the end of last month, and was also preparing to take the imperial examination this year - people at the time said that his name was good. Zhao Zhigao had been a first-class candidate in the previous session, and now this Jigao should follow in his footsteps and win the first place as well.

Sun Jigao was from Wuxi, South Zhili. He was about the same age as Li Sancai and Gu Xiancheng, and was not yet twenty-four.

The three of them are old friends.

Gu Xiancheng held chopsticks in one hand and the official newspaper in the other.

In order to prevent Sun Jigao from coming over here, Gu Xiancheng kindly read it word by word for his friend.

"In August of the sixth year of the Longqing reign, the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate presided over the process, and the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Examination assisted in the process. A written record of the examination was established, and a deadline was set for all unfinished matters, both large and small, and it was enforced both inside and outside the country."

"August of the first year, the one-year period is up."

"The ministries, agencies, departments and departments will inspect the political affairs of more than 7,000 officials in the two capitals of the north and south and the province of Fujian. The work will be completed on the third day of the eleventh month."

"Each department shall submit a report on the date of receipt of the document each quarter. The two capitals, Fujian governors, and prefectures and counties shall also submit a report on the date of receipt of the document each quarter. This will serve as a reference for reference. The diligence and laziness will be immediately exposed!"

"Among them, 298 were excellent, 931 were inferior, and the rest were qualified..."

Gu Xiancheng couldn't help but stop reading here, and sighed: "There are as many as 931."

Seeing that he had stopped reading, Sun Jigao snatched the report from Gu Xiancheng's hand.

He tilted his head and looked at it carefully while slurping noodles.

He nodded and muttered to himself from time to time: "This round of supplementary salary and additional performance awards has paid out a total of 170,000 taels. The money actually came from the imperial treasury! Your Majesty is truly a benevolent monarch!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiancheng nodded in approval.

Giving out money is an indisputable benevolent policy.

What's more, it was the emperor who paid for it.

This is far higher than that of the previous emperor.

Gu Xiancheng took the official report from Sun Jigao again, and the two of them fought over it.

Although the store owner put a new newspaper on the counter, the two pretended not to see it - it was fine for a poor Haha to read the new newspaper in plain language, but if a family of officials also read the new newspaper, then wouldn't their ancestors be officials? It would be even worse if they were mistaken for poor Haha.

Gu Xiancheng took the official report in his hand again and said: "Starting next year, Huguang, Shandong, Henan, and Shaanxi will also begin to take the examination. By then, the salary will probably be doubled. I just hope Your Majesty will not give up halfway."

Sun Jigao shook his head and said, "This is all owed by the previous emperors. If they had paid salaries on time in previous years, how could they owe so much? Now it is the descendants who have to pay the debt. Even if Your Majesty does not pay this money next year, you will still be a benevolent monarch."

Although he felt sympathetic towards officials who were owed wages, Sun Jigao automatically lowered his expectations because the emperors had previously set a very low standard.

Gu Xiancheng nodded and stopped thinking about the future.

He then said thoughtfully: "Speaking of which, after these officials receive their salaries, I am afraid that many of them who depend on their salaries for their livelihood will be eagerly waiting for the examination."

Whether intentional or unintentional, this benevolent policy has invisibly reduced a lot of resistance.

Sun Jigao also agreed with this: "That's why I say your majesty is benevolent."

However, he still had some complaints about something else, and he changed the subject and said with emotion: "Your Majesty is good in everything else, but when it comes to Tu Xiying and Wang Jiaping, your likes and dislikes are too obvious."

"The likes and dislikes of a ruler should not be guessed by others, lest the wicked may take advantage of them. He should be like Heaven watching over people, and let them know what good and what evil they have chosen. Then he can punish and reward accordingly, and then his merits and demerits will be revealed."

In Sun Jigao's view, once the monarch's likes and dislikes are revealed, they will have a huge impact.

Especially those villains who curry favor with the monarch, in serious cases, may even cause bias in the court's major policies.

The last thing an emperor should do is to point out clearly what someone did well or poorly, and then scold or praise them.

Instead, one should conceal the deeds of subordinates and only reward or punish them.

Scolding Tu Xiying, causing him to lose face and forcing him to retire and return home, was that too harsh a punishment?

If everyone praises Wang Jiaping, everyone will follow his example and conceal their true nature. How will the emperor then be able to tell who is a gentleman and who is a villain?

So in Sun Jigao's opinion, the emperor just stayed in the Forbidden City for too long and went out of the palace to mess around.

But Gu Xiancheng disagreed with this point.

He shook his head and retorted: "I don't agree with Yide's statement."

"Li Deyu once advised Emperor Wuzong of Tang, 'The previous emperor liked to show off to his ministers, and he kept silent about minor mistakes. Over time, these mistakes accumulated and led to disaster and failure.'"

"Rather than appearing to be generous on the outside but hiding one's true intentions on the inside, shouldn't we question our subjects in person if they are guilty and allow them to repent?"

"Rather than manipulating the master's skills and waiting for the subordinates' feelings, shouldn't the subordinates be rewarded in person for their merits so that others can learn from them?"

"If you have a heart that is utmost open-minded, you will not be swayed by opinions; if you have a heart that is utmost impartial, you will not be swayed by likes and dislikes."

“So, if a ruler conceals his likes and dislikes and manipulates power, it is because he is not humble and impartial.”

As the old saying goes.

So Sun Jigao used Fu Bi's ancient words, while Gu Xiancheng used Li Deyu's ancient words.

If you are good at learning, you can understand all the common sayings and classics.

The main reason is that the two have different views on the emperor.

In Sun Jigao's opinion, the emperor was somewhat too harsh. Scolding ministers in person was really a loss of dignity for the dynasty.

Gu Xiancheng was very satisfied with the emperor's attitude in dealing with Fuque.

This is a good emperor who listens to advice!
Not only did he restore order for Xiong Dunpu and deal with the Confucian scholars of the Song Dynasty, he also rewarded a number of scholars with the title of "Shujishi" and appointed Wu Zhongxing and Zhao Yongxian as Zhongshu Sheren to serve him.

An emperor who can humbly accept advice is better than anything else!
As for friends, differences in opinions do not affect our friendship.

Sun Jigao smiled and waved his hand without saying anything else.

A while passed.

They both finished eating.

Gu Xiancheng couldn't help but look around and asked, "Why did Li Sancai take so long to buy a candy man?"

Sun Jigao also stood up and looked at the endless stream of people, trying to see if there were any familiar faces.

The two looked around for a while.

Finally, Li Sancai emerged from the crowd.

He was seen pushing through the crowd, holding three candy figures in his hands, and smiling brightly at the two of them.

Li Sancai took only a few steps to reach Gu Xiancheng and Sun Jigao.

Although he was a little embarrassed because of the crowd, the smile on his face remained.

He handed the two flag-shaped sugar figures to Gu Xiancheng and Sun Jigao and said, "The Spring Examination is less than a hundred days away. I hope you two will win the first battle this time!"

When Gu Xiancheng and Sun Jigao saw this, their displeasure at having waited for a long time immediately disappeared.

The two of them laughed, took it in their hands and thanked them.

Sun Jigao looked at the remaining carp candy in Li Sancai's hand and asked curiously, "Why is your candy different from the one I'm waiting for?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiancheng also looked over curiously.

Li Sancai put the fish tail to his mouth, licked it, and said helplessly: "You two are taking the Spring Examination for the first time, so you can naturally win with your flag. Unfortunately, I am a second-timer and have already unfurled my flag once."

"After thinking about it, I think the carp leaping over the dragon gate is more common."

Even though he is only 22 years old, he has taken the imperial examination once before but failed.

Sun Jigao shook his head and laughed.

Then he said some polite words.

Gu Xiancheng interrupted the two of them, pointed to the back door of the Zhenwu Temple in front of him, and dragged one of them inside with one hand: "I'm afraid the protection you two have is not as good as that of the Zhenwu Emperor, so please don't delay me from worshipping the true god."

The two men allowed Gu Xiancheng to drag them into the Zhenwu Temple through the back door.

After entering the temple, it immediately became spacious - it was only because of the flow control that half of the street outside was blocked, and it was like a small temple fair.

The three of them entered the temple through a special passage, and were immediately greeted by a middle-aged Taoist priest.

"Mr. Li, two laymen."

As soon as you hear this, you know that Li San is a regular customer.

Li Sancai took out a piece of incense money wrapped in oil paper from his pocket and asked casually, "It's not even the New Year yet, why are there so many people today?"

Although the Chinese New Year lasts only a little over a month, generally speaking, it takes half a month before and after for the temple fairs to see huge crowds of people.

The middle-aged Taoist took the incense money handed over by Li Sancai neither humbly nor arrogantly, and passed it to the young Taoist priest behind him calmly.

Then he turned around and explained to Li Sancai: "Mr. Li, you may not know that the Ministry of Rites recently granted my master the title of Praise of the Teaching. In order to thank the heaven, earth, the emperor and the people, my master made amulets with his own blessings and fortune, and wanted to distribute them to those who are predestined."

"There are many people coming to the temple to get amulets these days."

Well, free promotions grab the market.

When Li Sancai heard that it was a happy event, he immediately performed all the formalities and congratulated, "Master Yuan Shen is going to be given the teachings? Congratulations!"

The regulations of Taoism were once lowered.

During the Hongwu period, Zhang Zhengchang was also given the title of Heavenly Master, but after Zhang Zhengchang, there was only the title of Longhu Mountain Zhengyi Zhenren.

And now, even the title of Taoist Immortal has been abolished.

Except for the big sects like Gezhao Mountain, Sanmao Mountain and Taihe Mountain which grant hereditary titles of spiritual officer and supervisor, the rest can only confer titles of judge, praiser and scribe, all of which are of the eighth rank.

Therefore, the title of Praise of Taoism given to Taoist Yuan Shen is already a great honor in Taoism.

It can be said that if you use this name to perform rituals for dignitaries, the price will immediately double.

The middle-aged Taoist priest did not show any joy, but curled his lips: "Happy events are of course happy events, but they are a bit expensive."

Outsiders don't know the truth.

This matter involves the silver that the emperor originally borrowed!

Taoist Yuan Shen took advantage of the time when he was praying for the two palaces to mention this matter indirectly, hoping to collect the debt from the emperor.

As a result, the emperor conferred the title of Zanjiao on Yuan Shen on the spot, and also bestowed a four-character imperial calligraphy with the words "Yuan Shen Yu De", hoping to extend his reign by another thirty to fifty years.

This is no different from an account that you bought with money.

As for whether the emperor would return it in thirty or fifty years? Yuan Shenzanjiao said that as long as it is good for the Taoist temple, then choose to believe it.

It’s a pity that Yuan Shen Dao Ren is already in his seventies. Who knows if he can make a profit by being given the title.

That’s why middle-aged Taoists say it’s a bit expensive.

The Taoist priest didn't care whether Li Sancai understood or not. He left this nonsensical remark, handed over a few incense sticks, and stood aside tactfully, allowing the pilgrims to worship the gods and make wishes.

Li Sancai didn't take it seriously and put the matter behind him.

He took a step forward with his two companions, walked in front of the statue of Zhenwu, and muttered to himself.

Sun Jigao, who was standing by, may have made a few wishes, so he had already inserted the incense into the incense burner and stepped back.

"I heard that the number of Jinshi candidates this year has increased to 400. This is really unexpected."

Praying to gods is mostly for psychological comfort. It doesn't mean everything will be fine after praying. In the end, we still have to return to reality.

Gu Xiancheng had also finished burning incense at this time and took over the conversation: "I originally went to Beijing to take the exam with the mentality of being familiar with the examination venue, but after hearing this news, I have already developed a fluke mentality. There may not be such a good opportunity in three years."

There is a quota for Jinshi.

Usually it is between three hundred and three hundred and twenty people.

Now the number has increased to 400! For the candidates of this subject, this is a huge surprise!
Even if we study for another three years, we may not have the opportunity to enroll a hundred people.

At this time, Li Sancai finally finished reading his wish. While burning incense into the incense burner, he said, "That's not necessarily true. This category was added because too many officials resigned under the performance evaluation system. I heard that even high-ranking officials such as Tu Xiying, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, and Liu Guangji, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, retired because of this."

"If according to the law, those who fail to pass the examination within three years will be dismissed from office, then the number of Jinshi candidates in the next imperial examination will probably only increase, not decrease!"

If high-ranking officials were forced to leave, then the people below them would be even more affected.

In addition, the performance evaluation system will be implemented from next year, and provinces such as Huguang and Shandong, as well as the grain transport offices and salt administration offices, will all start to implement this system.

Three years later, it is still unknown how many official positions will be vacant.

Even this year, according to Li Sancai's idea, the number of one hundred Jinshi was too small.

Sun Jigao is not sensitive to these things. He is aiming for the first place this year, and it doesn't matter to him how many more people are admitted.

He only sighed: "Fame is not achieved through writing, and an official should retire due to old age and illness."

This is very meaningful.

Of course, it was also because the emperor's likes and dislikes were too obvious.

The first sentence means that everyone can see that this Jinshi does not like socializing or giving lectures.

For example, last month, Gu Xiancheng said that he wanted to introduce Li Kun, a good friend who was taking the imperial examination with him, to them. However, after hearing the emperor scolding Zhao Zhigao, that guy had not had any contact with them for half a month.

The second sentence means that although the emperor seldom interferes in personnel affairs, he has intervened frequently recently, either in dismissing old officials or in promoting Jinshi in the two categories of the Longqing period.

Most of the young people with poor backgrounds are members of the imperial party, so it is impossible for them not to have some ideas.

After hearing what Sun Jigao said, the two were silent for a moment, and then they said in unison: "That is indeed the best in this year's exam!"

What if in the next term, the emperor has already taken power and there is no room around him?

Who knows how long people like Zheng Zongxue, who is in his twenties, and Wang Jiaping and Li Zaiting, who are in their early thirties, can occupy the position.

The three of them chatted while burning incense.

He originally planned to go back home, but Li Sancai suddenly got excited and said he wanted to ask for the amulet from Taoist Yuan Shen - since he was already here, he might as well believe it.

The middle-aged Taoist priest was naturally happy to see this happen and led the way.

He didn't know the other two, but Li Sancai had to serve them well. His father, Li Xun, was a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue.

This is a high-ranking official! His immediate superior at Zhenwu Temple, Zuo Zheng of the Daolu Division, is only a sixth-rank official.

Seeing this, Gu Xiancheng and Sun Jigao shook their heads helplessly and quickly followed.

The place where the amulets are distributed is at the front door.

The three followed the middle-aged Taoist through the side hall and walked towards the front hall.

But when he was halfway there, he suddenly heard loud noises coming from inside the hall.

The three of them stopped at the same time and walked over to see what was going on.

There were more than twenty cushions in the side hall, each with some young boys sitting on them, listening attentively to the conversation in front of them.

In front of the crowd was a young woman dressed in Kundao clothing, standing next to a polished stone slab, writing some strange symbols with ink charcoal.

"Then, we will round off the calculated area of ​​the figure to an integer."

"Finally fill in the table, sort and compare."

Gu Xiancheng looked inside curiously and was about to speak to Li Sancai.

The latter raised his lips to stop Gu Xiancheng.

Then Li Sancai lowered his voice and said, "Don't bother her yet. This woman is a tigress. She will beat people if they are disturbed."

He paused, then added: "I grew up in the same alley as you, and this is a family heirloom from the Imperial Observatory."

Family inheritance means hereditary.

There were few female officials in the imperial court.

Leaving aside the Jiaofangsi and Luanjiasi, which were government offices suitable for female officials, the Qintianjian also occasionally produced female officials - this was the privilege of a department with a technical monopoly, because the Taoist sect did not restrict itself to the Qiandao and Kundao when teaching Fengshui and astrology.

After saying that, Li Sancai quietly retreated with Gu Xiancheng and Sun Jigao.

Sun Jigao looked back again in surprise, and after he came out, he asked the Taoist priest who was smiling and saying nothing beside him, "Master Taoist, is this the temple school of Zhenwu Temple?"

That is the unregistered private school where the crime was committed.

The Taoist shook his head and explained with a smile: "That's not the case. This is a new school of the imperial court, jointly organized by the Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Revenue, for free."

"It just so happens that the people trust the various temples and Taoist temples and are willing to send their children to study here, so they borrow our venue."

Li Sancai also looked at the Taoist curiously and asked, "Are you talking about magic?"

The Taoist nodded, then shook his head: "Today is arithmetic, and there will be literacy, farming, writing and other classes later."

Gu Xiancheng was stunned: "Article?"

The Taoist quickly explained: "It's not a classic article, it's just a simple sentence connected with words, written in vernacular for daily use such as letters, IOUs, contracts, etc."

After hearing this, the three of them felt relieved.

While we were chatting here, the lesson inside seemed to have been completed.

A group of boys and girls came out one after another.

Many of them were holding an egg in their hands and smiling.

Seeing the Taoist standing at the door, they all bowed and called him "elder".

The Taoist smiled and nodded in return.

Li Sancai looked at the eggs in the hands of the children and said in astonishment, "You guys are distributing eggs after every class? The Ministry of Revenue is so generous now?"

His father is a member of the Ministry of Revenue, so how come he doesn’t know that the Ministry of Revenue is so wealthy?

The Taoist looked at him speechlessly and said, "How can it be so luxurious? You can only get one after passing each round of exams, which is only about ten times a year. In winter, most of them are coarse grains."

"It was not distributed by the Ministry of Revenue, but donated by the new school."

"It is said that as long as you have mastered mathematics, you can report to the new school, find a job, or continue your studies."

To put it bluntly, it is the benefits that entice people to come to class.

The three of them were thoughtful.

It was not until I left the Zhenwu Temple that I realized I had forgotten to ask for the amulet.

There will definitely be no turning back.

The three of them were walking down the street, and Gu Xiancheng was the first to speak: "Your Majesty does not pay attention to the classics, but instead wastes money on strange and frivolous techniques. I'm afraid this is not a good thing."

How the national finances are spent is not decided by the emperor alone.

We cannot spend excessively just because the emperor likes divination.

Li Sancai pondered for a moment and said, "The academy was built last year. There was no movement at first. Since Xu Jie came to Beijing, he has frequently contacted various government offices. Now it has become a force to be reckoned with and has begun to recruit civilians."

Sun Jigao was a little curious and suggested, "Why don't we go and take a look?"

The three hit it off immediately.

I walked to the street and was about to take the fork in the road.

Suddenly, I saw a group of people gathered in front of me, and they seemed to be reading some notice or something.

As we all know, it is difficult for people to move when it is crowded.

Especially the three people who were about to take the exam were the most sensitive about posting notices.

The three of them immediately pushed through the crowd and went in to find out what was going on.

It doesn't matter if you don't watch.

After looking carefully, I realized that it was not a notice at all, but a notice!
The content is as powerful as medicine for tigers and wolves.

He said.

"This exam is Long Fei's first exam, so it must be taken seriously."

"During the reign of Emperor Su, the two sons of the assistant minister Zhai Luan passed the imperial examinations. They were dismissed from their posts and became commoners, and all the examiners were removed from office."

"In the 13th year of the Zhengtong reign, Cao Ding, the second place winner of the second class of the Wuchen exam, was the younger brother of the Prime Minister Wen Zhong Gong Nai. Wen Zhong did not shy away from reading the exam papers and selected him as a Shu Ji Shi. This was the beginning of the tarnishing of Emperor Yingzong's reputation."

"I humbly report that Zhang Jingxiu, the son of the Prime Minister, has not carefully retreated from the throne, has not followed the strict rules of the imperial examination, has not considered using the humble to avoid the noble, and is eager to take the exam, spying on the imperial examination results."

"The Prime Minister is in power, he has many connections with powerful people and is invited by wealthy families. How can the examiners be fair and impartial and read the papers with a clear mind?"

"I beg you to let those who have the talent and ambition to pass the exam be at my service after you step down from your position!"

"It is up to your Majesty to clear the haze of corruption in the imperial examinations and restore justice to the students of the world!"

The three of them quickly read the notice, each with a different expression.

A poster, commonly known as a small leaflet.

Initially, it was used by peasant uprisings. At most, it could write a few big characters, such as equal distribution of land and exemption from taxes.

But by the Ming Dynasty, paper had become increasingly cheap, and was already sufficient for writing long essays.

It is generally used to publish things that are not in compliance with regulations, commonly known as spreading rumors to confuse the public.

The whole post is very simple.

No matter how heartbreaking the precedents are, I won't even look at them.

Anyway, the core idea is that Zhang Juzheng was the prime minister in power, and his own son participated in the imperial examination. How could fairness be guaranteed?

Either my son doesn’t want to take the exam, or I want to quit my job!
Gu Xiancheng looked excited: "What you said is meaningful and what you said makes sense."

Sun Jigao frowned and worried: "I just hope there won't be any disturbances that will delay the imperial examination."

Li Sancai was stunned: "It's vicious and hits the vital points directly."

(End of this chapter)