The imperial examination is a magical thing. Since it was invented in China, it has been spread to all countries around the world, and then continued to develop. Even if the name was later changed to the Civil Service Examination, its essence still cannot be changed.

What is the essence of the imperial examination? To select officials based on their knowledge.

So why study? Rather than anything else? Because China has a long history and has tried all kinds of messy methods for selecting officials.

By the Spring and Autumn Period, officials based on blood relations had become outdated.

The practice of filial piety and honesty in the Han Dynasty proves that officials with high moral character are too selfish and inconsistent with tradition.

Officials were judged based on their military exploits. The short Qin Dynasty made those who came after them afraid of advancing.

In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, people began to fight for their ancestors. The more powerful your ancestors were, the more powerful you were. As a result, you also went bankrupt and the decadent Eastern Jin Dynasty fell.

After the birth of the imperial examination in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it completely won over people's hearts at once. Knowledge was tangible, simple and crude. It was so exciting to be a farmer in the morning and ascend to the emperor's hall in the evening.

It's like buying a lottery ticket.

The Yuan Dynasty stopped the imperial examination, and was pushed back to the grassland within a few decades; the Qing Dynasty opened the imperial examination, and sat in the country for more than two hundred years, but was deceived into stopping it, so after a few years, it lost the world, and it could have persisted for a few more years.

Year.

Although the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty had various drawbacks, and the powerful could interfere at will without being anonymous, the relatively fair environment still continued.

The Southern Han Dynasty learned the lessons of the fall of the Tang Dynasty and implemented a national policy of emphasizing civility over military affairs. Although the army was corrupted and corrupt officials were prevalent in just a few decades, there was not a single military coup.

In these troubled times, it is really rare.

The imperial examination was the carrot that the Liu family dangled in front of the people in Lingnan. In addition, it expanded the area of ​​Prince Xing's palace and presented the appearance of hegemony, so he firmly sat on the throne.

God knows how many years it has been since the imperial examination was held in the Central Plains. Scholars from the Central Plains all went to the Southern Tang Dynasty to participate in the imperial examination in order to gain official positions, so the literary style of the Southern Tang Dynasty flourished.

As soon as he heard the literati complaining, Li Jia suddenly thought of this and was ready to use this trump card to win people's hearts.

Those who win the hearts and minds of the people win the world. The people are nothing more than scholars, farmers, industry and commerce. Scholars come first, and agriculture is the foundation. If we bring these two together, the so-called industry and commerce can be captured at our fingertips.

Without farmers, the other three would starve to death, and since the scholars were the ruling class, the snake would not survive without a head.

As for the farmers, Li Jia first reduced and exempted a large number of miscellaneous taxes, and then sent transfer envoys to be responsible for tax collection, which at least reduced the farmers' burden by half. These had already surprised the farmers, and the next step would be too much.

On the side of the scholars, Li Jia just abolished the castration order. Although he won a wave of people's hearts, it went away as quickly as it came. In the end, it had nothing to do with him and could not last long.

"Only by holding imperial examinations can we win over the hearts of the local gentry and poor scholars. In the words of later generations, they are the middle class and the roughest part of football!"

Li Jiaxin said that winning people's hearts also requires a sense of proportion. Too much will make you honest, and too little will make you harsh. The key is to have a sense of moderation.

For example, in the Song Dynasty, the literati were too favored. As a result, they became arrogant, kicked their noses in their faces, and even dared to spit in the face of the emperor. In later generations, they were naturally regarded as virtuous kings and good ministers, but in the eyes of those who held power,

Come on, this is a sign of weakness and incompetence.

Therefore, later on, with the emergence of power ministers in an endless stream and the abolition of establishments, there were not many serious people who succeeded to the throne. Some queen mothers chose, such as the queen mother, Song Huizong; some retired early, Song Gaozong chose Song Xiaozong; some ministers

Support, Song Ningzong, etc.

Of course, the imperial examination was considered to select talents, but Li Jia looked down upon the strategy of not hiding one's reputation.

Moreover, the tributes selected by local governments all depend on the integrity of local officials, and there is a mixed bag of good and bad. Reform is indeed needed.

In order to recruit talents, and to eliminate local selfishness, Li Jia decided to go to a big event this time.

"The next year's imperial examination will be held in April. Those who are not prostitutes, outstanding actors, county government servants, or military personnel from various states and counties can go to the capital without local recommendation..."

The low city wall was somewhat broken, and a yellow cloth was suddenly hung on it. A group of men, women, and children gathered around to watch. A young man in relatively shabby clothes was standing in front of the imperial list, reading aloud with a clear and hearty voice. , everyone was happy to listen.

"Wang Xiaolangjun, what does this imperial list mean?" An old man with missing teeth looked excited. Obviously he already knew the meaning, but wanted to confirm it again.

"In order to ensure that there are no talented people left behind, the imperial court has specially issued the imperial examination list. In April next year, the imperial examination will be held again. As long as they are not prostitutes, excellent, li, or zao, anyone can participate on their own without the need for recommendation from the state or county——"

Looking at this rather old man, Wang Xun was confused, but he still spoke seriously.

"Is there an age limit?" the old man asked again.

“Not yet!”

"Okay, okay--" When the old man heard this, his eyes widened instantly, and he jumped up, clapped his hands, kept shouting the word "good", raised his head and laughed away:

"We Wei Song can finally be an official. It's very good, very good..."

As the figure went away, Wang Xun became extremely confused.

"Little Langjun, this old man from Wei has always prided himself on his superior knowledge, but he has offended the prince. He has not been elected to the Shangshu Province for more than ten years, and the state school has not been established for many years. This man has been wasting his time until now. Now he knows that he can I will go directly to the capital to take part in the imperial examination, so I will naturally be happy..."

Someone on the side explained it, and Wang Xun knew it. Looking at the man's back, he sighed:

"I never thought that Qichang Mansion (Xingning County, the capital of the Southern Han Dynasty) would actually have great talents!"

"Since King Qi (Liu Hongbi, the sixth son of the great ancestor Liu Yan, was granted the title of King of Qi, guarded Qichang Mansion, and was later killed), the Qichang Mansion has changed..."

The people on the side also looked confused, said a few words, then bowed their heads and left.

Regardless of this, after Wang Xun learned that he might participate in the imperial examination next year, he couldn't restrain his excitement and ran home quickly to tell his parents.

"Son, since the Chaozhou War, the family property has been scattered. We moved to Qichang Mansion, and it is becoming increasingly difficult. With my son's talent, I will definitely be on the list. Unfortunately, the family has no money left, so what can I do?"

The king's father was also a scholar, but he was wearing coarse clothes and cloth shoes, carrying a hoe on his back, looking like a farmer, his face was full of wrinkles, and he sighed.

"Aye -" Looking at his father's old appearance, he glanced around and saw that the family was surrounded by walls. The faces of his siblings were also turning yellow. The black dog guarding the door was also lying under the door, saving his energy to call. Wang Xun calmed down smoothly at this time. Come down:

"It won't work next year. Let's not rush for a while. There will definitely be opportunities in the future. Besides, my knowledge is not solid yet and needs more practice..."

"Son..." The old mother's eyes were filled with tears and guilt.

"After some time, my son will become a teacher. When his knowledge is solid, he will go to the capital. On the contrary, my son has just been crowned, so there is no rush..."
Chapter completed!