Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 213 This boy's talent is worthy of being a top scholar.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the review of the miscellaneous essays for the re-examination has been completed, and thirteen people have passed."

The group returned to the hall to report the results. After hearing this, Prime Minister Li Yuanhong and Du Xian both paused their work, looked up, and frowned, saying, "So little?"

Although the dynasty selected officials through the imperial examination, the number of successful candidates each year was not large. In the early years of the Kaiyuan era, in order to demonstrate the emperor's favor and open the selection process, the number of successful candidates each year was no more than sixty or seventy. In recent years, the selection of officials through the imperial examination has become more rigorous, and the number of successful candidates is no more than twenty or thirty.

Even though the number of successful candidates in the imperial examinations has been decreasing year by year, the fact that only thirteen people were selected this time is indeed a rather small number.

It should be noted that stricter selection criteria are not necessarily better. The most obvious example of this is the Xiucai examination in the imperial examination system. Because the selection criteria were too strict, the number of talented people selected was too small, so it gradually lost its function of selecting talents, and finally the examination was simply abolished.

"The essays seen in the re-examination were indeed far inferior to those in the first examination, but upon closer examination, they were understandable. The candidates had already taken the essay exams for several days and had no time to rest before taking the re-examinations overnight. Their minds were blocked and their talents were exhausted, to the point that more than a dozen people failed to finish on time."

Wu Gong, the supervising secretary, was fairly fair. He explained the situation and then said, "Although the number of people selected this time is not large, they have remained calm and composed after all these events, and their writing is quite good. Their talents and abilities are even more impressive than before. This can be described as valuing quality over quantity."

Upon hearing this, the two prime ministers' expressions softened slightly. The Secretariat and Chancellery had been deeply involved in this year's provincial examinations; if they couldn't achieve a result that satisfied the public, they would inevitably face criticism and censure from the literati.

While a prime minister holds a high position and great power, he cannot be so arrogant as to completely ignore the voice of the people. Zhang Yue, who fell from power last year, is a prime example of this. Li Yuanhong and Du Xian, though currently in power, dare not believe that their power and achievements surpass those of Zhang Yue in the previous year.

The list of the next thirteen people and their respective exam papers were then presented on the desk. Li Yuanhong, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally, picked up Zhang Dai's exam paper and immediately noticed the difference. He frowned and said, "Why does Zhang Dai have so many poetry questions?"

"This boy is arrogant and conceited, uses clever tricks to show off, refuses to follow the rules, and insists on being eccentric and flamboyant!"

Yao Yi, a scribe in the Imperial Secretariat, was the first to speak. He hadn't expected that a casual remark he made during the examination would provoke Zhang Dai to show off his skills so much. Upon seeing this series of poems, he felt secretly ashamed and annoyed.

Hearing Yao Yi's negative evaluation, Wu Gong, who was standing nearby, also spoke up: "The reason why the provincial examination added the essay test was to test the candidates' talents, interests, and abilities in music and art, so as to distinguish them from other subjects such as the classics. The excellence of the essays does not follow a single style."

This young man is clever and diligent; his answer is not what I expected. I myself was unaware that the question set by Cui Sanqi, "All things shine," could be answered in this way. To question him on this basis would be to betray the very essence of selecting talent for the imperial examinations!

After he finished speaking, Yao Yi did not refute him. Although he was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, he had not rejected Zhang Dai's essays when he was grading the papers earlier. He just couldn't help but make a few comments now, and he did not intend to directly put Zhang Dai down.

As Yao Chong's son, he had a different personality from his father. He was cautious, reserved, and lacked assertiveness. Once questioned, he was not able to stick to his own opinions.

Li Yuanhong didn't say anything more, and carefully read Zhang Dai's answer sheet.

Last year, Zhang Dai participated in the Jingzhao Prefecture Examination, which was given special consideration. He had intervened in the matter and still remembers it vividly. Now, seeing Zhang Dai's provincial examination paper again, which is also unusual, he couldn't help but feel curious.

Du Xian was also a graduate of the imperial examinations, but he belonged to the Mingjing category. He was neither good at nor very enthusiastic about literature. Therefore, he did not rush to look at the examination papers, but instead carefully reviewed the list of successful candidates and asked about their backgrounds one by one.

"Does this Wang Changling have a poem titled 'Leaving the Frontier'? Is he also taking the exam this year?"

Upon seeing a name on the list that he vaguely recognized, Du Xian immediately became interested and couldn't help but ask.

Having served in Anxi for a long time, he naturally had a good impression of Wang Changling, a poet who wrote many famous works about the frontier. When he learned that Wang Changling was also participating in this year's imperial examination, he found Wang Changling's essays on the exam and began to read them.

After reading it, Du Xian was somewhat disappointed, and then sighed, "This re-examination was indeed a bit rushed and too difficult for talented people. Wang Changling used to write many wonderful poems about frontier soldiers, so he was not a talentless person. But now, looking at his examination essays, they are only grammatically correct, but no talent or inspiration can be seen."

These words made Cui Mian's face darken even further. Although he was somewhat unwilling, he still spoke up: "What Prime Minister Du sees is still a smattering. But those with true talent are never afraid of external disturbances and challenges, and still have their own talents to display. For example, Zhang Dai's 'On the Six States' is a historical treatise that surpasses his earlier work 'Rhapsody on the Epang Palace.' In recent years, none have surpassed it!"

He certainly didn't want to praise Zhang Dai in such a way, but to be honest, Zhang Dai's "On the Six States" was indeed the most brilliant of all his historical essays. Faced with Du Xian's accusations, Cui Mian could only use Zhang Dai's essay to salvage his reputation. "Oh? Then I'd like to see what amazing works this young talent, with his family's scholarly tradition and fame throughout the capital, has to offer."

Du Xian searched through the exam papers again, found Zhang Dai's historical essays, and began to read them.

This essay, "On the Six States," is a masterpiece by Su Xun. Its historical viewpoints and arguments are brilliant, rigorous, and convincing, while its literary style is elegant and its momentum is powerful.

Even though Du Xian wasn't particularly fond of literature, he was quickly drawn to the article's viewpoints and momentum. After reading it several times, he exclaimed in admiration, "Brilliant! Truly brilliant! The downfall of the six states was due to their bribery of Qin. If they had used the land they bribed to Qin to support scholars and treated Qin with respect, how could we, with the vastness of the world today, have followed the same path as the six states!"

Su Xun's "On the Six States" was written in the Northern Song Dynasty. It also used the past to satirize the present and criticize the Northern Song Dynasty's overly weak border policies.

However, this article took on a different meaning in Du Xian's eyes. The Tang Dynasty was now at the height of its power, and its border strategy should be more assertive and enterprising, rather than relying too much on tolerance, preferential treatment, and leniency towards the various Hu tribes to maintain a peaceful facade.

When Du Xian entered the court last year, his relationship with the Turgesh was strained due to his poor handling of the situation, which led to the Turgesh launching an attack on the Four Garrisons. After Du Xian's arrival, many in the court used this incident to criticize him.

Zhang Dai's article directly hit the nail on the head for Du Xian. If the six states had not bribed Qin to protect themselves, they would still have had the potential to unite and defeat Qin.

Today, with the world unified and the nation at its peak, some officials in the court, unfamiliar with border affairs, still yearn to bribe the barbarians to ensure peace on the frontier. How foolish and laughable! So what if the Turgesh are powerful? If they dare to be disrespectful, then we will fight them!
The various barbarian tribes have always feared power more than virtue. If we cannot subdue and cripple them, they will remain treacherous and will only rebel and retaliate when the Tang Dynasty relaxes its guard. Therefore, only through force and killing can we maintain their sense of awe in the long run!

Li Yuanhong had just finished reading Zhang Dai's fifteen poems on "the birth of spring" and was amazed by the young man's truly rich and beautiful talent. Hearing Du Xian's praise, he couldn't help but pick up Zhang Dai's "On the Six States" to read it as well.

Although Li Yuanhong was not as knowledgeable about border affairs as Du Xian, nor did he have his own distinct opinions on border matters, he was still quite impressed after reading this historical essay. While the writing style was not as grand as his earlier "Ode to the Epang Palace," it was straightforward in its viewpoints, apt in its reasoning, and contained many insightful sentences, making it a truly inspiring read.

Du Xian could not hide his admiration for Zhang Dai. He then browsed through the articles of the other selected candidates, but none of them resonated with him as deeply as this "On the Six States". So he said, "In your opinion, with Zhang Dai's talent, is he worthy of the top honors?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed slightly. In modern times, there was no first-class imperial examination. Even someone as outstanding as Zhang Yue, who ranked first in the imperial examination during Empress Wu's Yongchang reign, was still selected as second-class by Empress Wu because there had been no first-class imperial examination in recent history.

After the Kaiyuan era, although the emperor believed that "as long as someone is talented, I will promote them," in reality, very few people were able to rank among the top scorers in either the imperial examinations or the special examinations.

So, as soon as Du Xian finished speaking, Cui Mian couldn't help but say, "Zhang Dai's miscellaneous essays are indeed excellent, but his examination essay is still unresolved. Moreover, he hasn't fully mastered the previous examination texts, so it's difficult for him to be expected to pass with top honors!"

After the initial examination, the candidates were led to the Censorate for a second examination. Their examination papers, along with those of Yan Tingzhi and others, are currently sealed in the examination hall.

"The Jinshi examination was not a special examination; it placed particular emphasis on essays, and the policy questions only required that the candidate be competent."

Du Xian greatly admired Zhang Dai's essays and also wanted to highlight the viewpoints he put forward. Upon hearing Cui Mian say this, he immediately picked up Zhang Dai's poems and said, "Although I have only recently returned to the court, I am aware that in recent years there has been a custom of redeeming official documents for the imperial examinations."

Zhang Dai's examination paper was already passable, so it was not considered inferior. Now, he has submitted numerous poems for the examination, which can be seen as a way of redeeming himself. Furthermore, the examination he is taking does not cover the classics, therefore dismissing him is highly inappropriate! This man's talent is more than worthy of the top rank!

Seeing Du Xian's strong support for Zhang Dai, Wu Gong, a subordinate of Du Xian and someone who had been instructed by Zhang Xian and also deeply admired Zhang Dai's talent, nodded in agreement, saying, "The court establishes a system for selecting officials, and the reason for dividing the examinations into different categories is precisely to emphasize different aspects. What Prime Minister Du said makes sense. Although Zhang Dai's examination papers were not entirely satisfactory, his poetry and prose are magnificent and unparalleled in the selection process. If he is still relegated to the second category, what will be the focus of next year's imperial examination?"

"I also think Zhang Dai's poetry and prose are commendable. If he is not ranked in the first class, future tribute students will have no one to rely on, and in the long run, the Jinshi and Mingjing will probably be confused."

After the two officials from the Secretariat finished speaking, Censor-in-Chief Song Yao also spoke up.

Li Yuanhong was taken aback upon hearing this. He glanced at Song Yao, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Then examine his essays again. If his essays are all satisfactory, he will be listed as the top scholar!"

(End of this chapter)