Han Shizu

Chapter 2133 Sejong Chapter 8 Entering the New Era

In the spring and February of the second year of Duangong, the emperor issued an edict. Kangzong set off from Zi Palace, went south to Ruzhou, and was buried in Pingling. By the time of departure, Liu Wenpeng's body had been lying in Chui Gong Hall for almost fourteen months. (Taizong’s mausoleum is located in Zezhou and is called Yuanling.)

The burial of Liu Wenpeng also meant that the Han Empire completely bid farewell to the Kangzong era and officially ushered in the era of Liu Wenji. Not long after returning to Beijing, Liu Wenji issued a "Declaration of Political Edict" to make it clear to the world. One year after he ascended the throne, Liu Wenji officially conveyed his political philosophy and policy program to his subjects at home and abroad.

The edict is long and contains a lot of content, but the condensed meaning is clear and concise. In general, there are two sentences: to stop Pingkang's government and to correct the loss of Kangzong.

In the past year, the operation of the imperial court has basically maintained the model of the Pingkang era. However, compared with the Pingkang era, the scene above the court is completely different. From the emperor down, all loyal ministers and knowledgeable people , are all reflecting on the problems that occurred in the Kangzong Dynasty and taking Yin as a lesson.

Regarding this matter, Liu Wenji received hundreds of memorials. Judging from the memorials alone, many ministers did think deeply and seriously, which was a painful lesson. Although there was no lack of advice to Liu Wenji, he was silently promoting this trend. If he wrote well, he would recommend it to the ministers and submit it to the Xuanwei Department for publication.

Therefore, after almost a year of planning, Liu Wenji chose to express his feelings and clarify his political thoughts after Kangzong was buried. Naturally, it had an extraordinary effect and had many supporters. At least with Kangzong in front of him, Liu Wenji performed well. But he is so wise.

However, in fact, even after he has secured the throne, Liu Wenji still appears cautious when it comes to making his voice heard and exerting the emperor's power. He just added some slight "doing" on the basis of Kangzong's "inaction".

In terms of specific operations, Liu Wenji only made clear four points: prohibiting extravagance, advocating simplicity, abolishing big work, and establishing new trends.

The ban on extravagance and the promotion of simplicity are integrated. However, compared with the strict restrictions and severe suppression during the Taizong period, Liu Wenji's attitude and methods were somewhat more relaxed. At the same time, he only drew red lines on the expenditure of state-owned assets and public funds. As for private wealth, he only Proposed, not forced.

Abandoned construction refers to Kangzong's "Crystal Palace" concept. Since his death, construction has stopped, civilian workers have been returned, building materials have been abandoned, and even the temporary construction headquarters has been basically disbanded. A handful of construction officials and eunuchs have stopped working. Under this circumstance, relying on the funds allocated in advance, I was still happy for more than half a year. Later, they were reported and all of them were beheaded.

After Wang Zeng took office, he was excited and worked even harder. After all, for the first time in more than 20 years, he had real hope of reviving his family's reputation. Within half a year of Wang Zeng's appointment as Xuanwei Division, he used practical actions to show his support for the new emperor.

During the handover of imperial power and the replacement of old and new dynasties, many things would always be neglected, such as the triennial national examination and the imperial examination. It needs to be mentioned that according to the regular system, there was supposed to be a major exam in the eighth year of Pingkang, but that session was canceled by Emperor Kangzong.

Emperor Liu Wenji appointed Chen Yaozuo, Minister of Rites and Tongping Zhangshi, to be the director of the examination. After Xu Shilian was demoted, Chen Yaozuo was promoted from Liangzhe Road to the Central Committee and became prime minister. This was certainly a "reward". At the same time, he was appointed as the Minister of Rites, Tong Ping Zhangshi. Such an official title had not appeared in decades. Through this appointment, the emperor also showed that he attached great importance to "moral education". Perhaps, this was the prelude to the true arrival of spring for scholars.

The person who was rewarded together with Chen Yaozuo was the Duke of Yan Kingdom, Wang Zeng. He was transferred from Jinghu North Road to the Xuanzong Envoy and was in charge of the central mouthpiece of the imperial court. He was decisive in moving closer to him before he succeeded to the throne, even though he had an affair with the Wang family. The force does not play much practical role.

There are rumors that the former prime minister Li Hang died of illness when he was recuperating because he was so angry that he died after hearing the emperor's move to stop the imperial examination and his remarks.

Therefore, for the scholars and officials all over the empire, the imperial court's resumption of the scientific examination in March of the second year of Duangong was a favor after a full five years. This move was destined to win the hearts of the scholars and officials all over the world. Supported by officials and students.

As a result, the half-finished Xiyuan Summer Palace, which had consumed a lot of manpower, money and material resources, became a victim of politics. The unfinished project and the abandoned artificial lake became a huge scar in the royal gardens, which would be difficult to restore without the vicissitudes of life. flat.

Regarding the issue of the Xiyuan Palace, some people actually suggested continuing to build it. After all, the initial investment was huge. The lake had already been dug out and half of the foundation of the palace had been laid. The sunk cost was too high. In order to avoid waste, the construction could be completed and given to the emperor. A nearby place to escape the heat and enjoy the cool air, even if it resembles Qionglin Garden in Tokyo.

On the surface, it was because he wanted to prepare for the sacrifice to heaven and the Northern Patrol, but in fact, it was to further suppress a group of common people bureaucrats led by Li Hang who opposed him, because he discovered that in the two imperial examinations of the Pingkang Dynasty, Li Hang They discovered and promoted many officials from poor families through tribute examinations.

This has even led to a certain decline in the private sales of the newspaper. After all, ordinary people and ordinary people, who care about these things, and how many people are willing to spend a lot of money to buy boring official newspapers. Of course, the newspaper has a fixed market group, and its original intention of running the newspaper is also for the purpose of political propaganda. Sales volume is secondary.

After Kangzong was buried and the political edict was promulgated, Wang Zeng organized people and began to carefully read, analyze, and review, and tried his best to dig out the essence of advanced thoughts and policy concepts. He also collected political paper manuscripts from various ministries, yamen, and even the people, and announced them. On the other hand, a large number of policy interpretations followed.

Of course, Liu Wenji is well aware that moral integrity can be corrupted quickly and easily, but to reverse it does not happen overnight. It requires more patience, stronger authority, and more practical actions to kill enough chickens. , to warn more monkeys

Even though Liu Wenji's "New Deal" was full of conservatism and compromise, by following the established plan patiently and calmly, he, the emperor, became more and more comfortable, and his authority was quietly accelerated and consolidated.

However, after careful consideration, the principle of political priority prevailed, and Liu Wenji finally chose to completely stop the strike. He had to express his attitude and show his difference with Kang Zong.

He and his subordinates and writers racked their brains and brains to demonstrate the legitimacy and legitimacy of the emperor's succession from all aspects and angles. In the imperial newspaper, they even praised the emperor for everything he had done since he succeeded to the throne. Words and deeds of respect, humility, tolerance, etiquette and virtuousness.

As for the establishment of new trends, it was aimed at the phenomenon of abolition of many disciplines and excessive struggles in the imperial court and among the powerful during the Kangzong period, especially in the later period. Therefore, Liu Wenji specially raised the banner of Taizong's legacy and expressed his desire to imitate Taizong's clear and strong laws. Policies, strict laws and regulations, and rectification of violations.

You may say that Emperor Kangzong is stupid. When dealing with people, he often grasps the key points and hits you where they need to be. However, what you did was hard to call smart. At that time, he even made some shocking remarks: I am so sick of the world that there are so many ignorant officials and redundant officials as sand. I want to clarify, so why add new members?

At the same time, this tribute examination is also the one with the largest number of participants among all the regular examinations since the founding of the People's Republic of China, with more than 8,000 people participating, which can be said to be a great success.

Wang Zeng's series of performances and actions were naturally in the emperor's favor, and were greatly recognized and praised by Liu Wenji. Of course, Wang Zeng's series of operations have also been criticized. After all, he was too flattering. Some people even showed off his grandfather Wang Pu. How elegant the old Duke was back then. In comparison, Wang Zeng's performance today is not. Do not dishonor the reputation of our ancestors.

In this regard, Wang Zeng, who has suffered the pain of "family decline", would not care about some rumors. Compared with those criticisms, rising to the center and shining on the lintel is the best reward for his grandfather. Without the current status, how many people in the empire would think of and mention their ancestors again?

In the spring of this year, Wang Zeng also served as the deputy supervisor of the Grand Examination as the Xuanwei Envoy. At the same time, Liu Wenji asked Yang Yi, a bachelor of Jixian Palace and the minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Zhu Qi, a bachelor and secretary of the Ministry of Rites, to invigilate the examination. Yang Yi and Zhu Qi, one is a traditional erudite scholar, and the other is a banner-bearer of the Xiangjiang School. The debate between the two on politics, ideology and morality has lasted for more than 20 years. In the Taihe Tower, debates continued in the temples of the Duan Gong period, and from the handsome young man back then, he became the leader of the Huafa early-born school today.

The lineup of invigilators can be described as luxurious, and it also shows that the emperor attaches great importance to etiquette, moral education, and recruiting scholars. Compared with the past, this year's spring has a very different temperament, positive and refreshing.

Judging from the results, this year's scientific examination is also the one with the largest number of candidates, with 428 people admitted across all subjects. Of course, compared with the reference number, the admission rate has actually declined.

At the same time, in terms of the distribution of scholars, Liu Wenji also won the true inheritance of Shizu and Taizong, and increased the admission ratio of agriculture, industry, medicine, and calculations that had been suppressed in the previous two years.

In fact, after almost half a century of running-in and practice, the imperial court already has a certain recognition of various majors. After all, Jinshi and Mingjing are too complicated, the competition is too exciting, and the examination is too difficult. Mingfa and historical subjects are extensions of traditional subjects and are easily accepted.

In contrast, agriculture, industry, and medicine are the four majors. Although they are inevitably looked at with colored glasses, they still have a promising future as a fortune teller. Except for the medical discipline, which pays more attention to accumulation and is the most professional, the other three disciplines are also relatively easy to get started.

Of course, it is undeniable that even though Shizu and Taizong have been pushing for so many years, the development prospects of these specialist qualifications are ultimately limited. In addition to the suppression of social consciousness, cultural atmosphere, and traditional bureaucrats, their own professionalism has limited Its development, and this upper limit, is beginning to appear.

There is only one subject that has really achieved great development, and that is Mingfa. Especially in the Taizong Dynasty, the Yongxi era was a complete "Mingfa Era", which also set off a new round of "Confucianism-Legalism" among the government and the public. fight".

Now that Liu Wenji has come to power, while inheriting the legacy of the late emperor and continuing to clarify and enforce laws, he has also quietly promoted "clear calculations". This has benefited from his many years of experience in political affairs in Jiangnan, especially after witnessing the economic development of the southeast. After the great development, Liu Wenji also preferred more "refined" management in terms of national management, especially financial management.

A large number of officials who are proficient in arithmetic are an important foundation. Liu Wenji promoted the establishment of Loujiang College, and his ambition was to cultivate talents in this area. In his view, an official who can settle accounts, whether greedy or incorruptible, will always have a negative impact on management. Be smarter and more flexible.

Therefore, this year’s scientific examination has also reached the highest number in history in terms of the number of candidates in the Mingshu subject, with 41 people.

Of course, no matter how many changes are made, the core position of the Jinshi Department remains unshakable. This is the place where the elite ruling class is truly cultivated. It has become a trend for Jinshi to produce prime ministers. At least, for so many years, I have never heard of anyone entering Gapyeong Chapter or the political hall from other subjects.

Judging from the results, in the second year of Duan Gong, this subject has indeed discovered a lot of good talents. Let’s not mention other things, just the first and third students. Cai Qi ranked first, Yan Shu ranked second, and Fan Zhongyan ranked third.

This is a victory for the common people!

From these three people, we can find some obvious commonalities. Although Cai Qi's ancestor was once a county magistrate, his family declined prematurely and he was orphaned when he was young, so he lived in his grandfather's house. Yan Shu came from a mediocre background, his father was just a fisherman in the south of the Yangtze River, and he was barely involved in the system. However, he was born with intelligence and was able to make articles at a young age, and was known as a child prodigy.

In contrast, Fan Zhongyan actually had the best background. His father Fan Yong served as an official in Wuyue in his early years. After entering the Han Dynasty, he once served as the magistrate of Huzhou. Unfortunately, Fan Yong's life was short-lived. When he died, Fan Zhongyan was just four years old. He was another example of an orphan and a poor boy with great ambitions.

Because Fan Yong was an honest official, he left little savings for Fan Zhongyan, mother and son. His mother, Xie, had difficulty raising her and almost remarried. It also coincided with Taizong's succession to the throne and the reform of officialdom. I heard occasionally that there was someone who took office in the wealthy Guizhou County in the south of the Yangtze River. He was as poor as a servant, leaving a widow, wife and orphans to live a hard life. After learning about his situation, Taizong was deeply moved and ordered the Suzhou government to contribute funds. To provide for the needs of mother and child.

In this way, Fan Zhongyan was able to grow up in a relatively stable environment, not to mention wealthy, but with the government's annual pension in place and his mother's hard work, at least food and clothing could be ensured.

While experiencing the hardships of making a living, Fan Zhongyan and his brother Fan Zhongwen also studied hard. When he was eighteen years old, Fan Zhongyan was admitted to Loujiang College and completed his studies in three years. He gave up his recommendation to become an official in Suzhou and chose to go north to Suiyang College. After studying hard for several years, he learned the essentials of classics and fully formed his ideal ambition to serve the world.

Later, he returned to Wuxian County, successfully passed the Gongsheng Examination, and was qualified to take the imperial examination in Beijing. Finally, in the second year of Duan Gong, he passed the exam and became Tan Hua Lang. At the same time, his brother Fan Zhongwen was also in this subject, ranking ninth in the law department.

The average age of the top three Jinshi scholars is the lowest in decades. Cai Qi was 28 years old, Yan Shu was 25 years old, and Fan Zhongyan was 27 years old.

The person behind this incident was undoubtedly the emperor Liu Wenji. Chen Yaozuo and others did not have such courage and courage. This was also a breath of fresh air Liu Wenji injected into the current Han Dynasty court.

The results of this imperial examination will inevitably arouse the dissatisfaction of some people. In addition to the traditional bureaucrats who have attacked the "recruitment of scholars by specialists" for decades, there are also those who pay more attention to family background, qualifications, and "ability."

There was one person whose opinion surprised Liu Wenji, and that was Kou Zhun, the Minister of Civil Affairs. He said a strange saying: Among the elites in the world, there are three in the first rank, the second one comes from the southeast, and there is no one from the north?

Cai Qi, Yan Shu, and Fan Zhongyan were not assigned to the various ministries and departments of the imperial court for rotational political training like ordinary scholars, nor were they assigned to the Third Hall and the Hanlin Academy to compile books, write articles, and sharpen their minds. Instead, he was summoned by the emperor to serve as a cabinet reader.

Such treatment is a great blessing for the three of them. From this, the three of them can stand from a close perspective and witness the arrival of a new era, an imperial era led by Emperor Liu Wenji.

(End of this chapter)