Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 194 If three generations were to reach their peak, what would become of the Tang family?

The personnel arrangements related to the imperial examinations were usually determined at the beginning of the previous year's prefectural examinations, with the Assistant Minister of Personnel serving as the chief examiner. If there were too many candidates, occasionally an official from another department would also be appointed to handle the matter.

These personnel arrangements usually remain unchanged and generally continue throughout the entire selection period. The personnel work during the entire selection period includes the assessment of incumbent and non-incumbent officials, the selection of candidates for the winter examination, and finally the provincial examinations, which are the regular examinations for the imperial examinations.

Of the three, the imperial examination was the least important, which is why only the Assistant Minister of Personnel was assigned to be in charge of the examination.

Of course, the so-called "not important" only refers to the selection of officials, which is a major national event. Even if the imperial examination is just an entry-level test, it is still very important compared to the affairs of other departments. The Assistant Minister of Personnel in charge of this matter is much more prestigious than other officials of the same rank.

The position of Assistant Minister of Personnel Examination was usually held by only one person, but this was not absolute, as the title was originally an additional post outside the regular ranks. Sometimes there was only one Assistant Minister, and sometimes there could be multiple Assistant Ministers. During the reign of Emperor Zhongzong, imperial relatives sold official positions, resulting in thousands of Assistant Ministers and local officials outside the regular ranks.

Just like last year's selection of officials by the Ministry of Personnel, the selection process is usually divided into three parts, with the Minister of Personnel and two Vice Ministers each in charge of one. However, last year Yuwen Rong secretly proposed ten selections, excluding the Minister and Vice Ministers of Personnel, and instead selecting ten ministers from other places to each in charge of one selection, thus making it ten selections.

Regardless of their primary duties, these officials could be given the title of "Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel" when they were in charge of the selection process.

Originally, the Ministry of Personnel only had one Assistant Minister of Personnel, Yan Tingzhi. Therefore, Yan Tingzhi was the undisputed chief examiner of the provincial examination, and he was known for his fairness in presiding over the provincial examination last year.

But now that the provincial examinations are about to begin, another Assistant Minister of Personnel has suddenly appeared, and he's going to replace Yan Tingzhi as the presiding official for this year's examinations. It's like having an Assistant Minister on top of an Assistant Minister, and a concubine standing next to the Consort. Who would be happy about that?
Therefore, after Cui Mian announced this arrangement, the candidates present immediately began to discuss it, and some even questioned loudly: "May I ask Cui Sanqi, the former official in charge of performance evaluation, Yan, was fair and just, and was praised by everyone. Since he was not dismissed, why was he not reinstated?"

"Indeed, what skills or talents does Master Miao possess that allow him to succeed Master Yan in selecting officials based on their abilities?"

Someone took the lead in questioning, and the other candidates couldn't help but raise their own questions as well.

Although the Tang Dynasty's imperial examination regulations were much more lenient than those of later dynasties, it wasn't something just anyone could easily pass. Since it concerned their future, everyone naturally wanted to know the details. You've made such a major personnel reshuffle at this crucial moment; you must give everyone a reason, right?

However, Cui Mian ignored the questions from the candidates and coldly shouted, "You disciples, quickly tidy yourselves up, pay respects to our former teacher, and then await the examination in peace. Do not inquire about official matters! I warned you before, if you cause any more disturbances, you will be severely punished!"

The purple-robed leader exuded an imposing aura that was incredibly oppressive. Even though the scholars were dissatisfied, they were all intimidated and dared not voice their accusations or questions.

After meeting with the candidates and announcing the appointment of Miao Jinqing, Cui Mian left the area and went to the capital to join other ministers in managing the Imperial Academy.

Miao Jinqing, as the newly appointed chief examiner, was responsible for maintaining order and organizing the candidates to depart.

However, his personality was far less assertive than Cui Mian's, and his official rank was not as illustrious, so his authority was inevitably lacking. In addition, the students were already resentful of the last-minute change of examiners and were even less willing to obey his orders. No matter how he shouted, they simply did their own thing, which inevitably made the scene more chaotic.

A student from the Imperial Academy, seeing Miao Jinqing's gentle and weak nature, immediately called out again, asking, "May I ask, Master Miao, which is more important, being a student or a candidate for the provincial examination?"

"The state establishes schools with government stipends, and scholars of the classics are granted official stipends. The rites and righteousness of the former kings, as well as the classics and arts of Confucianism, are all taught in these schools. They widely recruit students, teach them Confucian classics and arts, and examine their learning annually to encourage them to succeed. The rites of the schools and the purpose of cultivating talent have produced scholars since the Three Dynasties. You students should also strive to live up to the state's grace!"

Miao Jinqing's words were full of praise for the students of the two academies, and he talked about the past three generations, which naturally made these students even more proud, while the candidates from various prefectures couldn't help but show their resentment.

Soon after, someone else questioned, "If what Master Miao said is true, is it that those outside prison are unrighteous and those outside school are incompetent? If the rites of the Three Dynasties were truly perfect, how could this generation have become like the Tang Dynasty?"

This question was so audacious that Zhang Dai couldn't help but tiptoe to see which hero was asking it, but the scene was so chaotic that he couldn't tell who was asking it.

Miao Jinqing was also quite frightened by this question. Of course, he dared not openly criticize the Three Dynasties, but he could not explain why the Tang Dynasty was now the world when the Three Dynasties had such a perfect system. He couldn't very well say that our Tang Dynasty was actually the Tang Dynasty of Emperor Yao, could he?
He dared not respond to these reckless fools any longer, and could only order his soldiers to quickly lure them out of the capital.

So everyone left the capital hall in a noisy commotion, and then the candidates for the Mingjing examination from the Nanfang Selection Academy gathered there, making the scene even more chaotic.

The number of students and those who passed the provincial examinations totaled several hundred, while the number of candidates who passed the Mingjing examinations was several times that of the Jinshi. The number of Mingjing candidates from the two academies alone was as many as five or six hundred. When combined with those from other prefectures, the total number of candidates was a huge group of several thousand.

After leaving the Ministry of Personnel, these people struggled to move along the palace wall. By the time they gathered in front of the Left Gate of the Imperial City, they were completely disorganized and their ranks were in utter chaos. Miao Jinqing, responsible for maintaining order, was sweating profusely and kept shouting to try and control the situation, but to little avail. Zhang Dai was also standing in the crowd, looking around, when suddenly someone pushed him from behind. He raised his fist to punch backward, but then heard someone behind him shout, "Zhang Liulang, please calm down! I mean no harm!"

"who are you?"

The incident involving the Wang family father and son had made Zhang Dai quite nervous, and he was wary of strangers who suddenly approached him.

The young man looked to be in his early twenties, about the same height as Zhang Dai, and had a decent appearance. Seeing Zhang Dai looking at him warily, he quickly said, "I am Li Yi, the one the students were calling out as the head of the Eastern Academy, and the leader of the Eastern Academy in the year of Renxu. You have an older brother, Zhang Wei, who is a friend of mine. Has he ever mentioned me to you at home?"

The top scorer in the Imperial Academy examinations was the first-place candidate, while the so-called "pengtou" was roughly equivalent to the student council president, or, literally, the head of a faction. The Imperial Academy was filled with sons of officials, who, when gathered together, were keen on forming cliques, indulging in feasting and entertainment, and expanding their influence.

"Is Chief Case Officer Li in need?"

Zhang Dai had a bad impression of the arrogant attitude of the students at the Imperial Academy, and consequently, he also had little liking for Li Yi. If Li Yi hadn't said that Zhang Wei was indeed his cousin, Zhang Dai wouldn't have bothered to say anything more to him.

Seeing Zhang Dai's somewhat indifferent expression, Li Yi smiled and said, "The so-called distinction between students and those who have passed the provincial examinations is nothing but a shallow view of common people. With your talent, Liu Lang, it will not hinder your future no matter where you study. Since we are taking the examinations, we should strive to pass them. Only those who fail to achieve official rank would boast about being students."

These words were quite agreeable, so Zhang Dai asked again, "What brings you here, Chief Scholar Li?"

"Sixth Prince comes from a distinguished family and should know that this change of host before the examination is no ordinary matter. Minister of Personnel Song Kaifu is stationed in Xijing, but he does not perform his duties. Cui Sanqi has now entered the court as Wei Ci and is eager to expand his power and change everything."

Li Yi came from the Zhao County Li clan and had studied at the Imperial Academy in Luoyang for many years. He had a good understanding of the people and events in the court, although not as profound and specific as Zhang Dai's knowledge. However, he could still talk about it quite well.

Seeing Zhang Dai's expression of agreement, Li Yi continued, "Although Cui Sanqi is a minister of the state, he acted rashly and carelessly this time, burying the old rules and disregarding the dignity of our candidates for the imperial examinations! Although we do not know the importance of the state affairs, we all have our own understanding of the difficulties of our own studies."

Many have imitated Master Yan's literary style, but now Master Miao has suddenly replaced him. How will the students present themselves? Let us not resort to such a vulgar plan. If Master Miao can be fair and impartial, then we can each give full play to our talents and be taught according to his abilities. If not, then our past efforts will have been wasted, wouldn't that be regrettable?

"So what is Chief Scholar Li's intention?"

Hearing the man's resentful tone, Zhang Dai asked with a smile.

"Sixth Brother, there's no need for such formalities. Just call me Li Seventeen. These powerful figures are high and mighty, enjoying the nation's bounty and wielding official power, yet they act without integrity. We have cultivated our talents and ambitions, eager to serve the country. How can we submit to them because of this!"

At this point, Li Yi leaned closer to Zhang Dai and whispered, "We students have secretly planned to cause a disturbance and protest at the Imperial Academy later, so that the officials in charge of the ceremony will know that we cannot control the crowd and will then punish the supervisors. The number of students like Liu Lang who are recommended from the provincial examinations is several times that of us. If we can work together, we will surely become even stronger. This matter will benefit all students. I wonder if Liu Lang dares to do it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh that he wasn't the only one who dared to act so recklessly. These students of the Imperial Academy were indeed arrogant and annoying, but they not only looked down on the candidates from the provinces, but also on the examiners, and even tried to cause trouble to drive them off the examination hall.

However, this suited his wishes perfectly, because Li Yi believed that Cui Mian was arbitrarily changing established matters in order to demonstrate his authority.

However, Zhang Dai knew that Miao Jinqing should be considered one of Zhang Jiazhen's men. His sudden entry into the examination system and his replacement of Yan Tingzhi in charge of the examinations were a new development resulting from the current personnel changes in the court.

While it may be a bit crude to categorize people as part of someone else's faction in politics, personnel relationships and factional situations are constantly changing, and people in these situations are constantly making new choices; things are not static.

But Zhang Dai was certain that Miao Jinqing's presiding over the imperial examinations was definitely not a good thing for him.

First of all, this person would definitely not give me any special treatment. Secondly, as Li Yi said, everyone has been preparing for so long to learn Yan Tingzhi's style and taste, but then Miao Jinqing suddenly replaced him at the last minute, and all the previous efforts were in vain. Who can accept this!
"If you students can rise up in rebellion, I will naturally respond! If you dare not, I am willing to be spat on by everyone!"

He was still plotting how to do it. Since Li Yi was leading the charge to collude with the scholars to cause trouble, why wouldn't he join in?
(End of this chapter)