Rebirth: Overthrow Song Dynasty

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Seeing Zhao Chen coming out, the hundreds of scholars shouted together.

Many of them have not seen Zhao Chen, but they can recognize Zhao Chen's identity by seeing Zhao Chen's clothes.

Hundreds of scholars looked at Zhao Chen, and many of them lay on the ground and cried.

"Everyone, get up quickly!" Zhao Chen said.

"Your Majesty, are you finally willing to summon us?"

"Your Majesty, there are villains in the court to confuse you and ask you to change your ancestral system. This will harm the world! Your Majesty, you must not listen to them!"

"Your Majesty, Confucianism is the foundation of the country! It cannot be changed!"

The Confucian scholars shouted.

"Come here, go and help these old people up, let's talk in the palace." Zhao Chen said.

At the moment, the guards in the palace stepped forward, and they helped the scholars one by one. This time the scholars did not resist. But they kneeled for too long, and they were too old, and they were about to fall when they just got up. Fortunately, someone was supporting them.

Zhao Chen entered the palace, and these scholars also entered the palace one after another.

After Zhao Chen entered a palace, the Confucian scholars also entered here, Zhao Chen ordered people to arrange seats for the Confucian scholars and prepare meals.

"Your Majesty, I am waiting to see you for the imperial examination. Your Majesty will give us a banquet. We really dare not take it." A Confucian scholar in his seventies knelt down again and said.

"Hurry up and be flat! You knelt outside for a day and a night, cold and hungry, you need to drink some hot tea and eat some hot rice. I originally thought that after you kneel for a while, you would not be able to bear to leave. Who knows? You have been waiting outside." Zhao Chen smiled.

Upon hearing this, the Confucian scholars below couldn't help laughing.

"Your Majesty, with regard to the imperial examination, you must not be fooled by the middle-aged man!" A scholar said again.

"Regarding the imperial examination, both I and the court have their own plans. Li Gang and Li Ruoshui have both persuaded me. If I did not agree, you should not persuade me! This matter is not the intention of some officials in the DPRK, but I Mean." Zhao Chen said.

"Your Majesty, Confucianism is the foundation of the country! From the beginning of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the imperial examination of scholars, as long as they can become scholars, is enough to honour their ancestors. If they become jurors or scholars, they can serve the country. Such a system is no better. Why do you want to change your majesty? ?" This Confucian said.

"In the past, the imperial examinations took years to go from being a child to being a scholar, being a juror, and then becoming a Jinshi! Everyone said that the cold window of ten years was too short, and many people have reached the age of 40 or 50. It’s a good job! Such a level-by-level examination has made Confucian scholars exhausted. Now there is only one imperial examination. As long as you pass it, you can enter the officialdom, serve the court, and serve the people of the world. Wouldn’t it be good?” Zhao Chen said. .

"This... Your Majesty, in the past, he was an official immediately after the imperial examination. Now he is only an official or an official, far inferior to the past." A scholar said.

"If you do a good job in the appointment of subordinate officials and officials, you will still be an official in the near future! The country has just gone through wars, and many places lack officials!" Zhao Chen said.

"Your Majesty, joining Shixue is the root of disaster for the country! Actual studies are all marvelous skills and tricks, not enough to govern the place!" This Confucian said.

"On the contrary, I think practical learning is useful! Local people are nothing more than farming, doing business, and working. If you understand practical learning, you can understand what the people are doing and can guide the people. Wouldn't it be good?" Zhao Chen said.

These scholars kept asking questions one by one, and Zhao Chen kept answering them. The expressions of these scholars got worse and worse.

"Your Majesty, we don't believe that you want to change the imperial examination. There must be a villain to confuse you! Please tell the villain's name, and we must tear him up!" The food has come up, and there is no scholarly chopsticks, they are still there. Yelled loudly.

"Eat first! After eating, I will debate with you again!" Zhao Chen smiled.

"Your Majesty, why can't I wait for the elderly to have the imperial examination?" Someone asked.

"Eat first! Although you can't have the imperial examination, you can open some libraries and academies in Yenching to teach students and disseminate knowledge as Confucian scholars. This is also not bad! You are not young anymore, why bother with young people? "Zhao Chen said.

He had started eating with his chopsticks, and the scholars had disappointed expressions on their faces, so they had to eat first.

For the whole afternoon, Zhao Chen was with these scholars. He promised these scholars to spend money to build an academy for them, but these scholars were still unwilling.

As night fell, they came out of the palace, all with frustrated expressions.

Because it was snowing and the ground was slippery, Zhao Chen sent a guard to send them away. These scholars sighed, they all knew that they wanted to persuade Zhao Chen to be as difficult as the sky.

"The imperial examination becomes like this, what will the country become? Your Majesty, I am waiting for the Great Song Dynasty, why don't you listen to us?" A scholar said.

"I am waiting to read the book of the saints to understand the principle of loyalty! No one in this world is more loyal to your majesty than us scholars! But now your majesty has reformed the imperial examination and added practical learning. How many people are still loyal to your Majesty? Isn't the country about to perish?" There is another Confucian Taoism.

"The status of the study of saints is getting lower and lower, and I have no face to go to see the saints of Confucius and Mencius after I get underground!"

They walked forward as they talked, everyone felt ashamed, and they felt that the Song Dynasty was over!

In fact, at such a moment, the entire Yanjing City, Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures, and all parts of the Song Dynasty knew that the imperial examination reform was imperative, and no one could stop the arrival of the new imperial examination!

On December 25 of the lunar calendar, there are only five days before New Year's Eve, and the imperial examinations have officially begun in various places.

Because it was the first imperial examination, the world needed too many officials, so most of the posts given by the court this time were officials.

The world has been under war for many years, and the number of scholars is very small, so the number of people participating in the imperial examination is also limited.

In the past, the imperial examinations were the same regardless of whether it was a talented person or a candidate. The imperial examination was divided into four sessions. The first test was conducted on the five main principles of the classics, the second test was conducted on the Analects of Confucius and the Mencius, and the third one There is one poem in the test, and three things in the fourth test. The imperial examination will take several days! As for the Jinshi exam, it is more necessary to stay in a closed room for two days and two nights, during which time you must not leave! The selection rate of the imperial examination was extremely low. Song Taizu first opened the imperial examination and only selected more than 20 Jinshi!

But this time the imperial examination only lasted one day, divided into two sessions, each for an hour and a half, or three hours, and the selection rate for the imperial examination was far higher than in the past.

The exam in the morning was Confucianism, which was much simpler than the previous imperial examinations. The Confucianism examination has no poems, no Confucius and Mencius, it is just a Confucian article that emphasizes historical data. The test questions are for candidates to explain whether they know this period of history and how to understand the policies of the court at that time.

Many Confucian students have been preparing for a long time, but they are at a loss when faced with such exam questions and do not know how to answer them.

In the Yanjing City examination room, after the morning examination, more than a dozen scholars had painful expressions on their faces.

"This time we are finished! This test is completely different from the previous imperial examinations, and I will not do it at all!"

"Yeah, this time it was not a test of Confucius and Mencius justice, how to do it?"

"No matter, our imperial examination failed. The afternoon is practical learning, so we don't need to take the exam at all!"

A few candidates even stood up and prepared to leave, but when they arrived at the entrance of the examination room, the examiner stopped them.

The examiner asked the reason, and they said it.

"Nowadays, the number of scholars is very small. As long as they can read, there is a possibility of being promoted! Now the world needs officials, as long as they have a little knowledge and understand world affairs, they can work for the court! Do your questions in the afternoon, and you will still be able to pass the imperial examination. !" The examiner said.

"Really?" The candidates said with surprise expressions on their faces.

"This is the first new-style imperial examination. Regardless of whether it is Confucianism or Practical Science, as long as you can demonstrate your own ability, the court will hire it! If you can do it, you can also honor your ancestors. Now you must not give up!" The examiner said.

"Thank you, sir!" These examinees all showed gratitude on their faces and saluted.

Someone outside brought lunch. It was a meal provided by the imperial court to the examinees. It was very simple, but the examinees were not in the mood to care about this. They were reading some practical books at noon.

In the afternoon, the practical exam began.

Among the real learning, mathematics actually accounts for half. In addition to mathematics, agriculture also accounts for a quarter. Both arithmetic and agronomy are very simple. At the end of agronomy, there was a question asking the examinee what suggestions for agricultural planting. In addition, engineering and commerce account for a quarter. The last topic of engineering and commerce is commercial tax. How much tax is required to transport a truck from Jiangnan to Yanjing City, what should be noted, and so on.

At the end of the exam, some candidates showed a smile on their faces, while others kept sighing.

In any case, the first imperial examination in the Xuanwu period of the Great Song Dynasty finally officially ended! This time the imperial examination still has many problems. The form and content of the imperial examination are very rough, but it still has epoch-making significance. From now on, the Han civilization of the Great Song Dynasty will gradually change the style of study based on Confucianism and empty talk, and the status of pragmatism will become more and more important.