Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 204 Miscellaneous Essays That Require a Retest

The next morning, Cui Mian returned to the capital in a huff, carrying with him a collection of contemporary essays that his son had bought at a high price from a bookstore in the city.

Today was not the morning court session, but a routine meeting chaired by the prime minister. Upon arriving at the court, Cui Mian, without waiting for the other officials to speak, went directly forward and slammed the document in his hand onto the prime minister's desk, saying in a deep voice, "Please, Your Excellencies, read this!"

His demeanor and tone were not very friendly, so Du Xian, who was behind the desk, immediately frowned, glanced at the document, and then looked away, pretending not to see it.

Seeing this, Li Yuanhong picked up the document, glanced at it briefly, and then smiled and said, "Cui Sanqi is quite diligent in his work. He has compiled and presented the provincial examination essays. There is no need to rush. You can submit them together with the list of successful candidates in a few days."

According to regulations, after the provincial examinations for the imperial examinations were completed and the candidates were selected, the list of successful candidates and their answer sheets had to be submitted to the prime minister for review. Only after the prime minister approved the results could they be posted to the public.

Li Yuanhong assumed that Cui Mian was unfamiliar with court procedures due to his long absence from court and was eager to report on matters, so he submitted the Jinshi essays first. Therefore, he gave this reply.

Upon hearing this, Cui Mian snorted coldly, but not wanting to openly disrespect Li Yuanhong, his recommender, he remained silent for a moment before saying, "Please examine this carefully, sir. This scroll was not produced by the selection office, but was obtained by a member of my family through a market transaction!"

"Is there such a thing?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanhong frowned and immediately began to examine the document more closely. Du Xian, who had been indifferent to it just moments before, also came over, glanced at the document briefly, and then looked at Cui Mian and asked, "The provincial examinations this spring are not yet over. How did you, Cui Sanqi, obtain this from outside?"

"This is precisely the matter I wish to report to you, sir. This scroll was obtained from a bookstore in the northern market, and there is no doubt about it. Even before the provincial examination was over, the students' essays had already circulated outside, being copied and sold by merchants for profit!"

Cui Mian then said in a deep voice, "I asked my sons about this and learned that the source of this matter is still last year. At the end of last year, bookstores in the city suddenly saw anthologies of essays from the provincial examinations over the years. Candidates rushed to buy them, causing the price to exceed one hundred strings of cash. Merchants made a lot of money as a result, and thus, having tasted the sweetness, they became even more audacious this spring. They even colluded with the examination hall to steal essays from the candidates, claiming that they would help students with their summer lessons, and they sold them in the market!"

Upon hearing Cui Mian's words, the expressions of the court officials all changed slightly. They were not entirely unaware of this situation; after all, the anthology of literature had been a bestseller in the capital last year, and some officials whose sons were about to take the imperial examinations had heard about it.

However, these were originally just matters between ordinary people, but now that Cui Mian has suddenly brought them up in the imperial court, their significance is naturally different.

"In Cui Sanqi's opinion, how should this matter be handled?"

Seeing that Cui Mian's expression was quite indignant, Li Yuanhong asked in a deep voice.

"Immediately halt this spring's provincial examinations. From Yan Tingzhi, the Assistant Minister of Personnel, down to all other officials involved, conduct a thorough investigation! Anyone found to have violated regulations or broken the rules will be severely punished without exception!"

Cui Mian immediately stated that as the official in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, he was extremely indignant that such a thing had happened under his nose.

These words immediately caused an uproar in the court. One official, whose son was participating in this year's imperial examination, couldn't help but speak up: "Isn't this treatment too harsh? The essays written by the candidates are not confidential; they are merely evidence for on-site verification. Even the selection judgments are not stored as confidential documents. Even if they are recorded and circulated, they do not involve criminal law!"

It was certainly inappropriate for the essays of the candidates to circulate outside the examination halls immediately after the imperial examination. However, Cui Mian's aggressive stance, his determination to investigate and punish them severely, seemed a bit too agitated and an overreaction.

Firstly, the Tang Code did not stipulate how to punish such a situation. The officials involved could be considered for dereliction of duty, but the essays of the Jinshi candidates were not confidential documents. Compared with the judgments of the candidates in the higher-level selection process, they were not confidential at all, but were just a standard for evaluation.

Ultimately, this matter boils down to a lapse in the Ministry of Personnel's personnel and procedural arrangements. Even if Cui Mian wanted to investigate thoroughly to show that he would not tolerate any flaws, some of the other people implicated would inevitably be innocent.

Therefore, after hearing Cui Mian's words, Prime Minister Du Xian immediately frowned and said: "Even if the officials in charge of the examination were negligent and careless, what wrong have the candidates who participated in the provincial examination done? Now that the provincial examination is halfway through and the policy examination has been over for a day, if we stop the provincial examination now, how will we compensate for the hard work of the students and the food and clothing expenses of the candidates from various prefectures and counties who came to the court to take the examination?"
Why should Cui, the Attendant-in-Ordinary, implicate the innocent when he seeks the integrity of one person? If the officials in charge have acted improperly, they can simply return to their posts and investigate. Now, all the candidates' essays and miscellaneous writings are available; if there is any unfair selection, dismissal is acceptable, but how can the remaining candidates' qualifications be so easily dismissed?

Upon hearing this, everyone in the court nodded in agreement. If officials of the Ministry of Personnel violated the rules, then the officials of the Ministry of Personnel should be investigated. If the candidates made improper selections, then the corresponding candidates should be dismissed. However, it would be too harsh to simply invalidate the provincial examinations because the Ministry of Personnel had acted carelessly.

"Has Prime Minister Du never heard of your past reputation?"

When Cui Mian heard Du Xian accuse him of wanting to implicate innocent people in order to clear his own name, he couldn't help but feel angry again. He immediately said angrily, "The reason why these collections of writings are so popular in the market is because they contain only utilitarian texts and have no words of sages!"

They teach people to flatter and fawn, to scheme and plot, rejecting all the classics and literature they have learned. Only those who can cater to the master's tastes and follow his rules in literature and the arts can achieve top honors! The dynasty values ​​talent, hence the establishment of the imperial examinations to select officials based on their abilities, hoping to rectify the world and benefit the nation. But now, only those who excel at flattery and scheme are valued. If such people occupy positions of power, where is morality, and how can the dynasty prosper!

He became increasingly indignant as he spoke, especially when he thought of the past events, which made him even more resentful: "The other day, when the students paid homage to our late teacher, the students of the Imperial Academy rose up and questioned the headmaster at the time. Ministers Yan and Xu sat by and did nothing to stop them. Afterwards, they even reported to the official in charge, Miao, that he was incompetent in this matter."

Now, based on this, it is clear that these followers, having long been accustomed to Yan's literary style, feared he would fail and be left without merit. Therefore, they rose up in unrest, even deceiving the selection committee. Such audacity and recklessness warrants his expulsion from the selection process; it would not be an understatement to dismiss him from this term! If this situation can be tolerated, then is this selection of talent for the nation, or for those in charge?

Cui Mian reacted so strongly not only because he was the Vice Minister in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, but more importantly because of the recent rejection of Miao Jinqing's appointment.

While Miao Jinqing certainly had his shortcomings, it didn't mean the candidates could recklessly contradict him! Especially after learning the real reason why the candidates opposed the appointment, Cui Mian became even more indignant, which is why he wanted to punish these candidates as well.

But if things are not discussed on their own merits and instead are attacked in a broad manner, it means that others can also stop evaluating him based on facts.

So, as soon as Cui Mian finished speaking, another court official immediately spoke up: "Everything requires a judge. As long as one is upright and fair in dealing with matters, there is no need for the worries that Cui Sanqi mentioned. Master Yan knows that the imperial examinations are not limited to this year, and his selection of officials has not been unfair. This is also what the court and the public have seen."

If Cui Sanqi uses this petty matter to blame officials and tribute students, then when Li Jiongxiu and A were with the Zhang brothers, did Cui Sanqi also follow them closely and participate in their affairs?

Upon hearing this, Cui Mian's face immediately turned furious, while the other court officials couldn't help but chuckle.

Cui Mian was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) during the reign of Emperor Wuzong. At that time, the person in charge of the imperial examinations was Li Jiongxiu, who was the Assistant Minister of Personnel. Li Jiongxiu later became prime minister because he flattered the Zhang brothers, which greatly diminished his reputation.

Cui Mian denounced the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) for excessively flattering their masters, which inevitably led to questions about whether he had also gone to curry favor with the Zhang brothers along with Li Jiongxiu back then.

Such discussions that escalated to personal attacks were certainly unacceptable. Seeing that Cui Mian was still arguing with the man in his shame and anger, Li Yuanhong immediately stood up and said, "Today, when discussing matters in court, we should focus on the present. You are all ministers of the same court, and you may have different opinions. How can you speak ill of your colleagues with harsh words and complaints! Zheng Dafu's words are very inappropriate. You should apologize to Cui Sanqi immediately and not trouble the Censor to correct you again!"

Upon hearing this, the official did not insist further. He first apologized to Cui Mian before saying, "What Minister Li said about discussing matters of state in court and addressing current issues is something I wholeheartedly agree with. Indeed, the Ministry of Personnel has been somewhat negligent in handling the provincial examinations. As the Vice-Prefect of the Ministry of Personnel, it is only natural for Cui Sanqi to investigate and correct these shortcomings."

However, the candidates have not yet been released from their official posts, and as Minister Du has said, studying the arts is arduous and involves considerable expenses. If they are implicated in this matter, they may be completely discouraged. If Attendant-in-Ordinary Cui's selection of candidates based on miscellaneous essays was inappropriate, he can certainly choose another place to try. For example, when Attendant-in-Ordinary Cui was questioned by a group of students in the past, the court did not abandon him. Using this past experience to benefit the present generation, only you, Minister Du, can make the decision.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanhong looked at Cui Mian, whose face was still ashen, and asked, "What does Cui Sanqi think of this?"

After passing the imperial examination during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, Cui Mian took the special examination again and achieved a high score. As a result, he was slandered by those who failed the examination. Empress Wu Zetian issued an edict ordering the relevant officials to re-examine him. As a result, his answers were even more outstanding, which finally quelled the slander and made him the first place.

The official cited past events to advise him, and what could Cui Mian say? He could only nod in agreement. Then he added, "If the essay exam is to be held again, the candidate should not remain in the same place but should choose another location. Those who are rigorously evaluated should not leave their current location before the matter is fully investigated!"

This request was reasonable, and Li Yuanhong nodded upon hearing it, saying, "There are already not many candidates left to take the exam, so let the Censorate re-examine their studies. Who will supervise the exam...?"

"I will personally attend the examination!"

Before Li Yuanhong could finish speaking, Cui Mian spoke up again. Since he had initiated this matter, he would naturally stand guard from beginning to end.

"The Secretariat and the Chancellery should also send officials to supervise the matter."

Du Xian also spoke up, stating that as a prime minister himself, he naturally wanted to intervene in the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel. His previous plan had been forced to abandon due to Zhang Jiazhen's entry into the court, and now that Cui Mian had taken the initiative to bring the provincial examinations to the court for discussion, he certainly didn't want to miss out.

Upon seeing this, Li Yuanhong also wanted to say a few words, but just as he was about to open his mouth, he suddenly felt his cheeks getting hot, so he shut his mouth.

Thus, a decision was made: after today's examination, all candidates were not allowed to leave the venue but were instead transferred to the Censorate for another examination.

(End of this chapter)