Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 193 Changing Examiners
Although the imperial examination was not the most important political task at the time, since such a selection process was arranged, it was naturally necessary to proceed step by step.

So a few days after the Lantern Festival, the Ministry of Personnel issued a notice to the candidates gathered in Luoyang, ordering them to go to the Imperial College on the 21st day of the first lunar month to pay homage to the revered teacher, that is, to the statue of Confucius.

As the head of the Jingzhao Prefecture, Zhang Dai naturally had to participate in this ceremony.

Actually, there was another group activity before this, namely the New Year's Day tribute students going to court, which Zhang Dai did not participate in. At that time, the Wang family father and son had not yet launched their retaliation against him, so he simply stayed at home.

Moreover, there's not much to participate in this event. Essentially, it's just about presenting all the tributes from various prefectures and local products together for the emperor and his officials to see.

Regarding this point, Shen Kuo, a Song Dynasty scholar, even made a self-deprecating remark in his "Dream Pool Essays": It is often said that the only things that cannot be arranged neatly in the palace are three colors: scholars, foreigners, and camels.

This refers to the fact that the scholars did not know the proper etiquette for court assembly and the order of ranks, just like uncivilized barbarians or even beasts like camels, who were chaotic and could not form orderly ranks.

Moreover, during the Tang Dynasty, tribute students who entered the capital on New Year's Day were not provided with meals. They would gather in the imperial city before dawn and stand under the palace corridors from daybreak to noon without eating a single grain of rice. If someone had an upset stomach, it would be even more unbearable.

Basically, it was just for those scholars from other prefectures to broaden their horizons and appreciate the majesty of the imperial palace and the grand New Year's Day court. Zhang Dai, a hero who had been in and out of Xuanwu Gate several times, naturally didn't bother to go and see it.

However, it would be too arrogant not to attend the ceremony to pay homage to the revered teacher. Moreover, in recent years, as this has become a formalized etiquette, the schedule for the provincial examinations is usually announced after the ceremony, so if he doesn't attend, he won't even know when the exams will be held.

So when the appointed day arrived, he got up very early and specially changed into a plain white hemp robe to show that he had not yet shed his coarse clothes and was still dressed in plain clothes.

"Sixth Brother will go to pay respects to our late master today. Last night, I fed his horse thoroughly, wishing him success in the imperial examination and that he will be the top scholar!"

When he arrived at the stable to fetch his horse, Wu Chuan, the steward, led the servants in a line, bowing to Zhang Dai with eager enthusiasm, and also shouted to the people behind him, "You all come and congratulate Liu Lang on passing the imperial examination!"

Wang Shouzhen, mingling among these servants, looked disheveled and showed no trace of his former arrogance, demonstrating that labor can indeed transform a person.

At this moment, he stood among a group of servants with his head hunched over. Although he was saying auspicious words, his eyes were still filled with cold resentment as he looked at Zhang Dai.

Zhang Dai didn't bother to pay any special attention to this guy. He just privately instructed his servants to keep an eye on his words and actions. At this moment, amidst the compliments of the crowd, he left with An Xiaochen and a few other attendants.

The Imperial Academy in Luoyang was located in Zhengping Ward, the same ward as Princess Yuzhen's Anguo Temple, which Zhang Dai had visited the previous year. However, the candidates had to first travel to the Ministry of Personnel to meet them. This was because, in addition to the candidates, officials of the fifth rank or above, along with envoys from various prefectures, would also be attending the ceremony.

Although Zhang Dai set off early, by the time he arrived at the Ministry of Personnel, the sun was already high in the sky. Most of the candidates for the Mingjing and Jinshi examinations had already gathered and were standing in different groups in the square outside the Ministry of Personnel.

"Zhang Liulang is here!"

When Zhang Dai arrived, some examinees quickly recognized him and shouted his name.

He waved back at the crowd's calls as he headed back to his own group.

Although he was from Henan Prefecture, he was selected from Jingzhao Prefecture. As the capital prefecture, Jingzhao Prefecture had the highest number of successful candidates in the imperial examinations, with as many as fifty or sixty people from it, and it also had the largest number of candidates from other prefectures.

As for Henan Prefecture, there were only thirty-odd people. Tongzhou and Huazhou each had a dozen or so, while Taiyuan Prefecture had only seven. From there onward, the number ranged from three to five to one or two. However, due to the large number of prefectures and counties in the Tang Dynasty, the total number of these tribute students from various prefectures still amounted to several hundred.

Besides these local scholars, there was another group of candidates present at the imperial examination: students of the Imperial Academy. These students were divided into two sections, East and West, each with several dozen students.

During the early Tang Dynasty, the Imperial Academy was highly valued while local examinations were less important, to the point that it was considered shameful for a candidate not to have passed the imperial examinations through the Imperial Academy or the two Imperial Colleges. Those who could enter the Imperial Academy were usually the sons of high-ranking officials, and the curriculum of the Imperial Academy was undoubtedly much more solemn and rigorous than that of private education.

In the early Tang Dynasty, society had just stabilized, and commoners and landlords naturally could not obtain such high-end educational resources. Therefore, the annual selection of officials mainly consisted of students from the Imperial Academy, and very few people from the local provinces passed the examinations.

However, during the Kaiyuan era, society enjoyed long-term stability and development, and educational resources began to spread to lower levels, leading to a rapid increase in the proportion of successful candidates from the provincial examinations. Furthermore, sons of high-ranking officials, such as Zhang Dai, who came from newly established aristocratic families and possessed profound family learning and specialized knowledge, abandoned traditional Chinese studies in favor of the provincial examinations to gain official status.

Social development is one aspect, but changes in social attitudes and values ​​lag behind. Therefore, among the assembled scholars, although the number of those who came from the countryside far exceeded that of the students, the students occupied the central positions and appeared far more arrogant than those who came from the countryside.

Of course, this was before Zhang Dai arrived. With Zhang Dai's arrival, the villagers who had been squeezed around the square by the students of the two prisons suddenly became lively. Regardless of whether they knew him or not, they all greeted him loudly.

It's not that Zhang Dai is really that popular; it's mainly because he's the face of this year's provincial examination candidates.

First, there's his background; he's the grandson of Emperor Wenzong Zhang Yue. Second, there's his talent; his essay from last year's prefectural examination has already spread far and wide. Third, there's his resume; this kid has never been to school, making him a representative of the sons of high-ranking officials who are unlearned yet possess natural talent.

Zhang Dai spotted Wang Changling and the others, but they were all standing in the shadow of the east corridor of the capital. This place was open from front to back, but there was no sunlight. A cold draft blew through the corridor, making people's faces turn red and causing them to rub their hands and stamp their feet.

Why are you staying here instead of heading west?

Zhang Dai felt a chill upon arriving here, and asked the group with a smile. Wang Changling pointed to the two students standing in the sunlight and said softly, "These students are intimidating us. When we are to be questioned in court, the students from the Imperial Academy must come first, and the students from the countryside must come later."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai first sneered, then turned his gaze to Du Mengyin, the former head examiner of the Jingzhao Prefecture, who was standing behind a pillar and deliberately not looking at him. He said, "Does the Du family have no relatives or friends who have taken the imperial examinations? Don't you know about this outdated custom?"

Upon hearing this, Du Mengyin frowned immediately, but instead of replying, he walked to a more distant place to stand.

The imperial examination system had been in place for many years, and the candidates would naturally inquire about its rules, both overt and covert.

Especially since Du Mengyin came from an official family, he naturally knew better than anyone whether such rules applied. The fact that he preferred to stay here in the cold wind rather than step forward was simply because he didn't want to offend the students of the two academies, each with their own family backgrounds and privileges.

The others probably thought the same way: if they just stood there and endured it, it would pass. If they really made a scene and offended the students of the two prisons, the trouble and disputes would probably not be so easily resolved.

Zhang Dai ignored all that. He was worried about whether the head of the selection department would make things difficult for him. As for those students who were showing off their superiority, he didn't care about them.

If it were just standing there for a while, it wouldn't be a big deal. But today, in order to conform to the status of a commoner, I wasn't dressed warmly enough. Standing here in the chilly spring weather, with the cold wind blowing, my nose started to feel stuffy after a while.

Zhang Dai chatted with Wang Changling and others for a while, but still no officials from the Ministry of Personnel came to guide him, so he simply stepped into the sunlight.

The other candidates who had come from the countryside had been watching his actions closely. Seeing him do this, they were all greatly encouraged and emerged from the shadows. The scene startled the students of the two prisons who were enjoying the bright sunshine. Some even shouted in response, "Does Zhang Liulang intend to lead the candidates from the countryside to disrupt the proper etiquette?"

"You students monopolize the warm sun, what kind of etiquette is this!"

The villagers scattered in all directions were already resentful. Now that they had stepped out of the shadows and were warmed by the sun, they felt even more aggrieved. Since they felt that someone had taken the lead, one of them couldn't help but glare and question.

"The state establishes schools and promotes education, cultivating talent through the two academies. This is the proper way to select officials. The local tribute students are merely a temporary supplement and a means of recruiting talent. Since the Yonghui era, the registration of candidates for the examinations has been done by first registering the two academies and then the local tribute students. This has become a fixed system. Your ignorance of the examination system shows your contempt!"

At this moment, someone in the student group shouted out. The examination register refers to the list of candidates for the examinations. Starting from the reign of Emperor Gaozong, the two academies were compiled first, and then the list of candidates from the provincial examinations was compiled.

This was partly due to the court's emphasis on the students of the two academies, but more so because of the administrative procedures. The two academies would directly compile and submit the registers, which could then be used immediately.

However, the candidates from various prefectures were scattered throughout the country. Usually, it would be the end of October or November of the previous year before they would gather in the capital region to submit their family records to the Ministry of Revenue. Therefore, the candidates from the prefectures would naturally be ranked after the candidates from the two academies.

At this moment, someone pointed at Zhang Dai and said, "Zhang Dai is merely a product of his family's scholarly reputation. He has the honor of being a scholar of the Duke of Yan, yet he competes in the lowly local examinations. Although he has won the top score in the Jingzhao Prefecture examination, it is nothing to boast about! If he has real talent, why not make his name known in the Imperial Academy? Today, Li Yi of Zhao County, the top scholar in the Eastern Academy, is highly talented and admired by all. Does Zhang Dai dare to challenge him?"

Hearing this clamor, Zhang Dai was both amused and exasperated. Why were you students trying to put me down because you didn't like the local tribute students?

He didn't respond to the shouts, but simply raised his middle finger in the direction the voices came from. The other party didn't know what the gesture meant, but judging from Zhang Dai's impatient expression, they could guess that it was mostly unrelated to praise, so even more people started shouting.

Just then, a group of officials escorted a dignified-looking man in a purple robe towards them.

This purple-robed bigwig was none other than the newly appointed Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Cui Mian. Although the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was only a fourth-rank official, Cui Mian also served as a Gentleman Attendant and his rank had already reached the third rank, hence the purple robe he wore.

"Why are you students making such a ruckus?"

Upon arriving at the front of the main hall, Cui Mian looked at the students lined up in court and said unhappily.

"Reporting to Cui Sanqi, Zhang Dai and other local officials from various prefectures are arrogant and unwilling to submit to the students..."

The students then began to speak out one after another. They dared to openly criticize the provincial examination candidates because it was a common practice in officialdom to value students over the provincial examination candidates. Some officials even advocated restricting or even directly halting the provincial examination candidates from taking the imperial examinations.

Cui Mian did not express any opinion after hearing this, but instead sternly ordered, "No matter what it is, anyone who continues to make noise in the capital will be severely punished!"

The villagers were deeply grateful to hear that the head of the selection office had not shown favoritism to the students of the two academies. However, they were all about to be uneasy because of the head of the selection office's decision.

"The Director of the Examination and Appointment Department, Mr. Yan, has other arrangements. This spring's provincial examination will be handled by Mr. Miao Jinqing, a newly promoted assistant director in the same department!"

After Cui Mian brought the situation under control, he led a middle-aged man in a scarlet robe out from the group behind him and announced to the candidates present.

These words immediately caused an uproar. Whether they were students from the two academies or candidates from various prefectures, everyone was astonished to hear that the chief examiner had been changed just before the provincial examination. Zhang Dai couldn't help but look suspicious; "Damn it, is this targeting me?"

(End of this chapter)