Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 101 Additional Examination for the Southern Bureau of Personnel
The next day, Zhang Dai got up very early. After having breakfast at home, he asked Ding Qing to pack up his writing materials while he went to say goodbye to his grandparents.

"This young man is already quite talented; he will be easily defeated by this humble official!"

Zhang Shuo had been staying at home for a long time and was out of touch with the news. He was unaware that the provincial examination in Henan had already been held. He only knew that Zhang Dai was going to take the exam today, so he said with a smile.

Zhang Dai didn't offer any further explanation. After bidding farewell to his grandparents, he left the house and, along with An Xiaochen and Ding Qing, headed north. After crossing the river at Xinzhong Bridge, they went to the eastern part of Ziwei City, where the Ministry of Personnel was located.

The last time he was selected as the Prince of Qi's attendant, he was also ordered to go to the capital to receive the order, so this time he was quite familiar with the process.

There were already people waiting outside the capital hall. A middle-aged official in his early thirties stepped forward and introduced himself: "My name is Pei Dunfu. I am currently serving as the Military Advisor of the Capital Prefecture. I am being escorted to the capital and have been instructed by Princess Yuzhen. I am temporarily taking Zhang Lang's exam at the separate hall of the capital province. I need to inform the Ministry of Personnel of this matter. I wonder if it is feasible for Zhang Lang at this time?"

The affairs of various prefectures and counties were usually handled by the Gongcao (merit officer) or Sigong Canjun (military officer in charge of merit), who naturally also served as the escorting officials, sending the list of candidates to the Ministry of Personnel for the candidates to register and sign in upon their arrival in the capital.

Upon hearing that he needed to file a record with the Ministry of Personnel, Zhang Dai frowned slightly. However, considering that Princess Yuzhen and Pei Dunfu probably didn't know about his previous appointment by the Ministry of Personnel, and that it was already quite generous of them to give him an extra chance, he naturally couldn't expect them to give him any more special treatment. So he nodded.

The Ministry of Personnel was the most powerful and busiest department among the six ministries under the Ministry of Personnel. With the selection of officials approaching, the department was even busier. Zhang Dai did not see Wei Jian, with whom he had a grudge.

Pei Dunfu took Zhang Dai to see another official from the Ministry of Personnel, Xi Yu. As an official from the Ministry of Personnel, Xi Yu was naturally aware of what had happened before. When he heard that Zhang Dai was preparing to take the imperial examination and that the official from the capital city would personally give him an additional test, Xi Yu couldn't help but take a second look at Zhang Dai.

However, he didn't say much. He simply recorded the matter in the hall and assigned them a separate hall in the Southern Bureau of the Ministry of Personnel for the examination. He also arranged for two officials to accompany and supervise the examination.

"Since today's examination is an additional test, the questions will not follow the old questions of the Jingzhao Prefecture Examination; new questions must be devised."

After settling down in the separate hall, Pei Dunfu first had the official from the Jingzhao Prefecture he had brought check whether Zhang Dai had concealed any annotations or other materials in the reference books such as the Qieyun he had brought. At the same time, he spoke to Zhang Dai.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly nodded in agreement. Of course, he didn't expect to be able to take the old questions from the Jingzhao Prefecture that had already been circulated. He was already very fortunate to be given an additional test.

Although it was an additional examination, Pei Dunfu, along with two officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture and two officials from the Ministry of Personnel, a total of five people, supervised Zhang Dai alone. The strictness of the supervision far exceeded the level of a regular prefectural examination.

It should be noted that even in the Tang Dynasty, there were few restrictions on the personal conduct and communication of candidates in the provincial examinations. This led to the emergence of extreme individuals like Wen Bacha, who treated the imperial examinations as a game, indulging in unrestrained behavior based on his talent, and ultimately failing the examinations repeatedly.

When Zhang Dai lamented the strict invigilation, he was somewhat dumbfounded when the exam questions were handed out. It wasn't because they were too difficult, but because he had seen them before and even done them. There were two essay questions: one was "Xiangling Playing the Zither," and the other was "Ode to the Inchworm" using the eight characters "The inchworm bends to stretch."

Poems used in the imperial examinations during the Tang Dynasty were called "examination poems" or "fu-de-ti" poems. They usually quoted an allusion, a line from a previous poem, or simply used a subject as a theme and were subject to a specific rhyme scheme.

For example, the question about "Xiangling playing the zither" that Zhang Dai is testing today comes from the "Chu Ci" (Songs of Chu), specifically the line "Let Xiangling play the zither."

This exam question was originally from the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty. Because there are relatively many surviving poems on the same topic, making comparison easier, it has often been cited in later academic works on the Tang Dynasty's imperial examinations.

Moreover, one famous poem emerged from this collection, described as "elegant throughout and divinely inspired," namely "The Provincial Examination Poem by Xiangling Playing the Zither" by Qian Qi, one of the "Ten Talented Poets of the Dali Era," which was hailed as the top poem in the provincial examinations of the Tang Dynasty.

Another essay is a fu (a type of classical Chinese prose-poem), but it is not a fu in the usual sense. It is a regulated fu, which uses eight characters of ancient Chinese words as rhymes and has strict requirements for sound and sentence structure. It can be regarded as the beginning of the eight-legged essay in the Ming and Qing dynasties. However, it mainly focuses on the formal restrictions on the use of sound and rhythm in the text, and does not have much requirement for the content and ideas of the article.

The phrase "The inchworm bends to stretch" comes from the Book of Changes, describing how the inchworm, a reptile, must first bend its body before it can stretch out in order to take action. This situation is somewhat similar to Zhang Dai's current predicament; he too has been forced into an extreme position and must rely on this trial to stretch out again.

The same topic is found in "Ode to the Inchworm" by Bao Zhao, a writer from the Southern Dynasties, but composing a regulated fu (a type of classical Chinese prose) using these eight characters as rhyme would undoubtedly be more difficult. The one that Zhang Dai adopted was written by Wang Yucheng of the Northern Song Dynasty, a famous writer of fu, especially skilled in regulated fu.

Zhang Dai had practiced both of these essay questions before, and he chose them from the documents he presented to Princess Yuzhen.

Now that it has reappeared as a question in his exam, no wonder Princess Yuzhen promised on the same day that she would definitely make him qualified to participate in the imperial examination. This is not a leak of questions, but a direct use of his own work as a question!

Looking at the exam questions, Zhang Dai couldn't help but admire how capable this Ninth Fairy was; she was a woman of her word. If he still couldn't pass the exam after all this, he really needed to reflect on his own actions.

So, under the watchful eyes of Pei Dunfu and the others, Zhang Dai pretended to flip through the Qieyun dictionary and began to compose a poem.

In the assignment "Xiangling Plays the Se", he followed the principle of not wasting anything that could be used. He did not send the most outstanding piece, "Shan Gu Yun He Se", to Princess Yuzhen for review. He only copied another relatively mediocre piece to prove his mastery of prosody.

He hadn't expected Princess Yuzhen to play this way, so now he could leisurely write the even better poem. As for the regulated verse, since it was more difficult to compose, he didn't start a new one and planned to use the old one instead.

Just as Zhang Dai was working on his assignments, Wei Jian, who also held the position of Assistant Minister of Personnel, returned to the office. Xi Yu, an even more senior Assistant Minister, was responsible not only for handling his own department's affairs but also for overseeing matters in the Southern Bureau.

The Southern Bureau was an independent institution separate from the Three Bureaus of Selection. Its responsibility was to manage and verify the files and registers of voters, and to disqualify voters if any information was found to be false. Therefore, if Pei Dunfu wanted to take a supplementary examination even though the examination in the Capital Prefecture had already been completed, he had to file a report with the judge of the Southern Bureau and obtain permission before the examination would be valid.

Although Wei Jian was not in charge of the Southern Bureau, he was still very busy throughout the day. After the Eastern Feng ceremony last year, the Emperor received a secret memorial from Yuwen Rong to divide the Ministry of Personnel into ten departments, thereby undermining the original selection function of the Ministry of Personnel. It was during that period that Wei Jian took office as an Assistant Minister of Personnel.

However, the Ministry of Personnel's ten selection processes are complex and intertwined. They were originally a temporary measure taken after the Eastern Feng ceremony when there was no time to conduct selections. This year, the selection process will be carried out in the same way as before. However, due to the turmoil last year, there are many problems with the selection process this year. The selection, which was originally scheduled for October, was brought forward to August or September.

Wei Jian spent the whole morning busy gathering and recording the selection of candidates. He didn't have time to go back to his office to sit down and rest for a while until noon, when he casually flipped through the records of those who had stayed behind.

Upon seeing the supplementary examination notice from the Jingzhao Prefecture, his expression froze. He immediately raised the record book and questioned Xi Yu, who was at another desk, "Excuse me, Master Xi, is it reasonable for the Jingzhao Prefecture to suddenly add an examination? The Jingzhao Prefecture examination has already concluded, and all the candidates from the surrounding villages have passed the examinations. Is it fair to hold another examination now?"

He had previously appointed Zhang's son as the Wudang Commandant, though the appointment was rejected by Vice Minister Qi Huan. However, everyone in the office must already know that his relationship with the Zhang family was inappropriate. Now, Xi Yu, taking advantage of his absence, has secretly opened a back door for Zhang's son, clearly intending to embarrass him!
"The selection of officials should focus on meritocracy, rather than on fair regulations that bury talented individuals."

Xi Yu was also acting on Princess Yuzhen's orders, but he naturally couldn't explain to Wei Jian. Moreover, hearing Wei Jian's rather unfriendly tone, he immediately responded coldly.

Upon hearing this, Wei Jian felt even more strongly that Xi Yu was targeting him, and immediately said, "The selection process is unfair, and the whole country is in uproar! What outstanding talent does that Zhang son possess that makes Master Xi disregard the fairness of the selection process?"

Last year, Yuwen Rong secretly reported the Ten Selections, which humiliated the entire Ministry of Personnel from top to bottom. Wei Jian was someone he had placed there, and he was also arrogant because of his family background. He didn't get along well with his colleagues.

Xi Yu, feeling displeased by the repeated questioning, immediately retorted sharply, "Then what fair procedure did Master Wei follow to enter the Preliminary Selection Office? If the selection of officials for promotion is not even considered fair, how can the selection of officials be considered fair?"

"you……"

Wei Jian was furious after his shortcomings were exposed. He glared at Xi Yu twice and then stormed off.

Since he was not in charge of the Southern Bureau's affairs, Wei Jian did not have the authority to stop this additional test.

But he didn't want Zhang Dai to get away with it so easily. After leaving the main hall, he saw the chaotic crowd of people being selected outside the office and immediately had an idea.

With a stern expression, he walked towards the candidates, pointed at them, and shouted: "All of you candidates from various prefectures, leave immediately and do not come here again in the coming days! The provincial hall needs to be used for other purposes. Zhang Yan, Gongsun, and Zhang Dai have missed their examinations and need to take additional tests here. You all leave now and do not disturb them!"

"What? How dare this corrupt official..."

Upon hearing this, the candidates were immediately in an uproar, and some even couldn't help but curse.

Nowadays, there is a shortage of officials but an abundance of candidates. Many candidates have been waiting for years without being appointed. Some have even endured the waiting period and finally managed to participate in the selection process. However, these scoundrels in the Ministry of Personnel postponed their selection to allow the sons of the powerful and wealthy to take supplementary exams. How can this be tolerated!

Wei Jian ignited the discontent of these people, and immediately returned to his office and disappeared.

As for the people outside, they became increasingly angry and soon split into several groups. One group went straight to another hall, another group went to the capital to make a scene, and some even left the place and went to the Imperial Secretariat to file a complaint.

In the Imperial Secretariat, after finishing his duties with the Secretariat, Li Yuanhong, the Vice Minister of the Secretariat, returned to his home province and thoroughly reviewed all the affairs of the province.

Zhang Jun's arrival in the province put considerable psychological pressure on Li Yuanhong. Although Zhang Jun did not perform any outstandingly after arriving in the province, Li Yuanhong knew that Zhang Shuo had been in power for many years and still had a deep influence in the province. He needed to guard against Zhang Shuo's son deliberately feigning incompetence to lull him into a false sense of security, so that Zhang Shuo could make a comeback.

What happened outside?

Upon hearing the commotion outside, Li Yuanhong immediately frowned and asked.

"Your Excellency, it is the officials of the Ministry of Personnel who are accusing the Selection Bureau of discriminating against candidates so that powerful figures can obtain their favors..."

After learning the details, the officials outside hurriedly went to the hall to report to Li Yuanhong.

"Nonsense! Send someone to inquire immediately. If this is true, stop it immediately! Also, order Zhang Sheren to come to the hall immediately and explain the matter!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanhong immediately slammed his fist on the table and roared angrily.

(End of this chapter)