Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 195 Master Miao Dares Not Take the Lead

The officials leading the court to the ceremony were Zhang Yue, the Right Chancellor of the Ministry of Personnel, and Su Ting, the Minister of Rites. The joint attendance of these two literary giants, known as the "Masters of Yan and Xu," at the ceremony to pay homage to their revered teacher greatly excited the candidates present.

Although Zhang Yue's reputation in the court is mixed and he is currently in a period of decline in power, he still has considerable influence among scholars, especially among those taking the imperial examinations.

The saying that half of the Kaiyuan era's literary achievements were due to Zhang Yue is no exaggeration. It was precisely because of Zhang Yue's strong advocacy and promotion while in his position as prime minister that the Kaiyuan era's literary prosperity was established.

In this respect, even though Su Ting also served as prime minister and had a similar literary reputation, his role and influence were far less significant than Zhang Yue's.

Speaking of this, we must emphasize again that literature is literature, especially the literature of the Tang Dynasty, represented by poetry, and it was by no means a tool for political factionalism and exclusion.

While Zhang Yue was enthusiastic about encouraging and promoting the literary figures of the Tang Dynasty, he did not indiscriminately stuff literary talents into important government positions without verifying their true abilities.

These scholars of the Tang Dynasty who were promoted by him mainly gathered at the Jixian Academy and did not enter the administrative centers of the two provinces in large numbers to seize the official positions of so-called officials.

Moreover, the Jixian Academy of the same period accommodated talents of all kinds, including those in classics, history, and literature, and was not limited to literary scholars.

While Zhang Shuo certainly formed factions and seized power, his tools were definitely not literature. Using this as a framework to explain the politics of the Tang Dynasty is merely a superficial denigration of its brilliant literature.

Although Zhang Dai often complained about his grandfather in his heart, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride when he heard the praise and admiration of Zhang Shuo from the scholars who had passed the imperial examinations.

The group traveled south along Tianjie Street in a grand procession. By the time they arrived at the Imperial College in Zhengpingfang, Luonan, it was already noon.

The Imperial Academy in Luoyang was much smaller than that in Chang'an. Hundreds of officials and thousands of candidates for the Mingjing and Jinshi examinations could not all rush in at once, so they could only pay their respects to their former teachers in turn.

Although the scholars from various prefectures were resentful, in such a formal occasion, the students of the two academies still had to be given priority. The simplest reason was that the imperial court had indeed spent money to train them; government-funded students were simply superior to self-funded students.

Even though Zhang Dai was the head of the convoy in the Jingzhao Prefecture, he could only obediently stand behind the students of the two prisons and line up to enter and pay homage to his former master.

Within the Imperial College was a Temple of Confucius, where portraits of Confucius and other sages hung. Candidates, in groups of about a hundred, would enter in turn to pay their respects to the portraits of their revered teacher. As they paid their respects, elegant and refined music was played in the temple, adding a sense of solemnity to the ceremony and preventing anyone from speaking or laughing loudly.

The entire process of paying homage to the late master was rather tedious. After the candidates finished bowing to the portrait, they had to line up in the courtyard of the Imperial Academy to receive the admiration of the officials in the upper corridor. Similarly, the students of the two academies were in the middle, while the candidates from various prefectures and counties lined up on both sides.

Zhang Dai was at the very front of the list of candidates from the capital prefecture, so he could see the group of officials in the corridor directly. He also saw his grandfather smiling at him and occasionally turning his head to chat with Su Ting, probably asking his old friend if his grandson was handsome.
Zhang Dai wasn't particularly interested in the officials on the corridor. After they lined up, he looked curiously at Li Yi, who was standing at the head of the line of students from the Eastern Academy. The students behind him had almost finished paying respects to their ancestors, but there was still no movement here. Were they going to cause trouble?
As he was pondering this, the scholars' homage to their revered teacher had ended. With the music ceasing, Zhang Yue, representing the court, gave a speech to encourage the scholars.

After listening to those platitudes, Zhang Dai realized that there was a ceremony to follow, and the candidates would have to go to the Imperial Academy in the South Ward to listen to the officials of the Imperial Academy lecture on the classics and ask questions.

So the group left the Imperial Academy and headed towards the Imperial School in the southern ward. On the way, Zhang Dai approached Wang Changling and whispered, "Has Li Yi, the head of the Eastern Academy, spoken to us about anything?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Changling nodded and whispered, "I was just about to ask Liu Lang. He told me that Liu Lang also agreed to the matter, but I don't know how to proceed."

As the two were still speaking quietly, another young man approached. It was Chang Jian, a poet who was taking the exam with them. He came forward and asked in a low voice, "Gentlemen, I have a question to ask you..."

Judging from his demeanor and tone, he must be referring to Li Yi's alleged collusion to cause trouble. Chang Jian was also somewhat hesitant, and whispered, "Thanks to the selection of contemporary essays I read recently, I was able to deeply immerse myself in Master Yan's writing style and charm. Now that my patron has suddenly changed, I can't help but feel uneasy. However, the other students are equally arrogant and unapproachable, and I'm afraid they will be difficult to work with. What is your plan, Sixth Brother?"

"I don't know what his disciples are planning. We'll just have to see how things go later."

After a moment's thought, Zhang Dai said in a low voice, "Although those students are indeed somewhat repulsive, we still need to rely on numbers. If any of my plans conflict with theirs, it might just turn into a farce."

The Imperial Academy was larger than the Imperial College. In addition to the dormitories and lecture halls where the students lived and studied, there was also a sizable training ground used for daily gatherings, speeches, or ceremonies.

After arriving, the group did not immediately begin expounding on the scriptures, but instead ate a meal first.

Most of them had gathered at the Ministry of Personnel before dawn, and now it was already afternoon, yet they hadn't had time to eat, so they were all starving. Listening to lectures on an empty stomach, even if the instructors imparted some profound insights, the listeners probably wouldn't think twice. Eating before the lectures on the classics was quite a humane arrangement.

This is where the difference between Jinshi and Mingjing comes into play. Jinshi candidates are allowed to enter the school buildings to sit and eat, while Mingjing candidates, whose number of test takers is several times greater, can only stay outside on the veranda and sit on the ground, without the privilege of being allowed to enter the building and sit at a table.

However, compared to the Jinshi examination, the Mingjing candidates were indeed younger, mostly young men in their early teens and twenties. While there were a few younger Jinshi candidates, most were already approaching middle age and had long beards. Zhang Dai, mingling among them, seemed more like a Mingjing candidate who was there just to make a living.

The meal wasn't lavish, but the portions were generous: a large bowl of millet rice, a few slices of steamed salted meat, and a spoonful of vegetable sauce. It wasn't exactly delicious, but it was a good mix of meat and vegetables, enough to fill one's stomach. After all, everyone wasn't here today for drinking and feasting.

The meal took about half an hour, and then everyone gathered on the drill ground to wait for the instructors to take the stage.

However, at this moment, Li Yi, the head of the Eastern Academy, stood up and came to the front of the podium. He called out to Miao Jinqing, the examiner who was sitting in the corridor, "Although Master Miao is a virtuous minister of the Imperial Examinations, he is still a stranger to us students who have come to study."

"Tomorrow, the sir will be in charge of supervising the examinations for his students. To avoid any communication breakdowns, I have repeatedly requested permission from above. Now, I would like to ask if the sir would be so kind as to step onto the stage and give a lecture to enlighten the students?"

The scope of questions in the Tang Dynasty's imperial examinations was very broad, not limited to classics, history, and philosophy. Sometimes, candidates didn't even know what the examiners meant by the questions or from which perspectives they should answer. Therefore, they would ask questions, which was called "asking the examiner to come forward."

Miao Jinqing was surprised that the examinee would make such a request. He stood up and waved his hand, saying, "It is a set rule of the imperial court that the master should pay homage to the former teacher before the official begins the lecture. There is no precedent for the master to lecture on the classics."

Seeing that Li Yi had finally started, Zhang Dai's anxiety eased slightly. After all, compared to the other candidates present, he was even less willing to have Miao Jinqing serve as the examiner.

Miao Jinqing and Zhang Jiazhen had a more than ordinary superior-subordinate relationship. Miao Jinqing was first promoted and encouraged by Zhang Jiazhen, and many years after Zhang Jiazhen's death, he married his daughter to Zhang Jiazhen's son, Zhang Yanshang, who was known for "not recognizing Wei Gao as a nobleman".

Li Yi had already taken the lead, and he seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, also stepping forward and loudly proclaiming, "Did our late master not pass on his teachings? How dare you, sir, take the lead?"

Li Yi had already rallied a considerable number of people, and Zhang Dai, as the head of the Jingzhao Prefecture examination and the grandson of Zhang Yue, also wielded considerable influence among the local scholars. Therefore, after the two spoke, the students present all called for Miao Jinqing to come up on stage and give a lecture.

"Lord Yan and Lord Xu, how should this matter be handled?"

Miao Jinqing, feeling uneasy after being teased by his disciples, quickly went to Zhang Yue and Su Ting, who were watching the ceremony, and asked for their instructions.

Su Ting frowned slightly and was about to speak when Zhang Shuo spoke first: "We are just here to observe the ceremony. Although Master Miao has accepted the task, he will not break the law or act arbitrarily."

Hearing this, Miao Jinqing felt even more troubled. "Your grandson is one of the ringleaders, can't you see? You want me to do whatever I want with him? Would you be happy to use your grandson as a warning to others?"

Although he inwardly grumbled, he dared not voice it. When he saw that not only were the candidates shouting and making a ruckus below, but also the officials in the corridor whispering among themselves, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk onto the stage in order to quell the disturbance.

Seeing this man's actions, Su Ting couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "Master Miao is gentle and easily controlled, and he is prone to yielding to power. He is not a suitable person for the position of selection officer!"

The selection process has always been a major event, and who in the world would feel they should be relegated to a subordinate position? Therefore, any selection result is bound to be controversial, which is why the officials in charge of the selection especially need to be assertive: You disagree? Then keep it to yourself!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo smiled and nodded, but didn't say anything more. He just looked down with interest, wanting to see how these kids planned to continue teasing Miao Jinqing.

After paying homage to the late master, the lectures given by the academic officials were usually just a formality, emphasizing the influence of traditional Chinese learning and that all studies should be based on it. Therefore, they would usually only discuss one chapter of a classic text and briefly explain its main points.

Although Miao Jinqing was not particularly assertive and was forced onto the stage by his disciples, lecturing on the classics was not a difficult task for him. He came from a family of Confucian scholars and was also a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), so lecturing on a major classic was naturally a very simple matter for him.

But the crowd of disciples clamored and drove him onto the stage. How could he easily pass the test by simply reciting a scripture?

(End of this chapter)