Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 290 The Imperial Examination for the Relics of the Hongwen Academy

Time quickly came to the day of the imperial examination. Just like when he participated in the imperial examinations before, Zhang Dai got up early again, ate the meal carefully prepared by his family, and then went straight to the capital.

The special imperial examinations differed greatly from the regular imperial examinations. Firstly, the special imperial examinations were held by imperial decree to select exceptional talents. The examiners were either personally appointed by the emperor or appointed by other ministers. In contrast, the regular imperial examinations were administered by the Ministry of Personnel's Examination and Evaluation Department. Even though the examinations were later overseen by the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the scope was limited to the Ministry of Personnel, hence they were also known as provincial examinations.

Secondly, the subjects for regular examinations were fixed, such as the Jinshi, Mingjing, and Mingfa examinations, and the examination items were all similar. However, the special examinations had many different names and categories, and the content of the examinations varied depending on the category, including classics, poetry, strategy, military tactics, and so on.

The third difference is that after passing the imperial examination, whether one becomes a Jinshi or a Mingjing, one must enter a period of waiting for selection and cannot directly become an official.

Regardless of their social status, those who passed the special examinations were immediately granted official positions, making it a fast track to officialdom. Many people would take multiple special examinations in order to obtain their desired official positions or advance more quickly.

During the court assembly on the fifteenth day of the fifth month, the emperor issued an edict announcing the subjects for the two special imperial examinations. One subject was the "Distinguished Talents" and "Outstanding Individuals," and the other was the "Highly Talented Individuals in Distant Places" and "Self-Recommendations from Grassroots Communities."

Both disciplines sought out virtuous and wise men, but their target groups differed.

This can also be seen from their respective names. The first subject is called "Hongwen Yizhu" (弘文遗珠). "Hongwen" refers to the Hongwen Academy. During the Tang Dynasty, the students of the Hongwen Academy were all relatives of the emperor and sons of high-ranking officials. "Hongwen Yizhu" refers to those among these people who were not selected to study at the Hongwen Academy, but who were outstanding and exceptionally talented.

In short, this exam was designed for the children of officials, from whom outstanding talents were selected for government service.

The scope of those who are highly talented but remain unrecognized, or those who rise from humble beginnings to achieve success, is much broader. Basically, anyone who is literate and cultured can be categorized into this group. This also includes those who already hold official positions but feel their current roles do not match their abilities; they can also choose to participate in this special imperial examination.

Zhang Dai was participating in the Hongwen Yizhu examination. Before that, he was just a nobody at home and had not been able to enter the Hongwen Academy. Last year, his family went through a lot of trouble because of this one spot, but in the end, neither he nor Zhang Yi entered the Hongwen Academy.

The Imperial Examination for the Remnants of the Imperial Academy is scheduled first because its target group is relatively small. As for the Self-Selection Examination for the Grasslands, the Ministry of Education is currently accepting applications, and the examination will not be held until the end of May or the beginning of June.

Upon arriving in the capital, Zhang Dai went straight to the Secretariat. Although he had not yet taken office, he was already very familiar with the various important offices and government departments within the capital.

As always, the Secretariat was bustling with activity, with many officials waiting in line. Zhang Dai had only been standing there for a short time when a Secretariat official hurriedly came out and led him inside.

This young man caused quite a stir every time he entered and left the Secretariat, so the officials in the Secretariat began to take notice of him.

The officials from various departments who had been waiting for a long time without being allowed in couldn't help but feel envious at this scene. But when they recognized Zhang Dai's identity, they all fell silent.

This is truly incomparable. If anyone else were to enter or leave the Secretariat, they would all keep a low profile and behave themselves. If they were to experience even one of the things that Zhang Dai had gone through here, their entire future might be ruined. But he was able to emerge unscathed every time, so it was only natural that he would enjoy some preferential treatment.

The morning court session has not yet ended. All candidates participating in the imperial examination must first gather at the Secretariat. The emperor will then summon them to the inner palace for an audience and assessment after he has finished his official duties.

Therefore, Zhang Dai was first led to a side room in the Secretariat. When he arrived, there was no one in the room. Just as he sat down, someone else was led in. Zhang Dai looked up and saw that it was Li Xian, the son of Prince Xin'an, Li Yi.

"Is Zhang Liulang also taking the imperial examination today?"

Li Xian was a few years older than Zhang Dai. When he saw that Zhang Dai was already sitting in the room, he asked in surprise. When Zhang Dai smiled and nodded, Li Xian sighed and said, "Zhang Liu has taken the exams many times and still has plenty of energy. It seems that he will easily become the top scholar today."

Zhang Dai wasn't very confident. Firstly, the questions for the imperial examination were too casual, and even though his grandfather had set a scope for him in advance, the preparation was still quite difficult.

Secondly, all those participating in this imperial examination were sons of high-ranking officials, so the educational resources were naturally excellent. As long as they had some talent and studied diligently, their level should not be too bad. It would be very difficult for Zhang Dai to surpass them. As the two were talking, more people were brought in. Some Zhang Dai knew, while others he had never seen before, but he had heard a lot about their family backgrounds from their introductions.

For example, Cui Zhongfu, the nephew of Cui Mian, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who caused trouble for Zhang Dai and others during the provincial examination at the beginning of the year, and Qi Huan, the son of Qi Huan, who was also a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and many others were also descendants of ministers of the court.

Most of these people were around twenty years old. Most of them had not yet been granted official positions through hereditary privilege, while some had already served as guards. It is estimated that they found the guard duties too tiring, so they prepared to participate in the imperial examinations and change their career paths.

In general, the Tang Dynasty provided truly excellent benefits to its high-ranking officials. Their children already enjoyed top-tier educational resources such as the Imperial Academy and the Imperial College, and they also had the privilege of hereditary privilege to gain official positions. And just two years ago, during the Fengshan ceremony, princes, nobles, and high-ranking officials were all granted the honor of having one of their sons appointed to an official post.

However, these people held high official positions and received high salaries, so naturally they had many children. Each official represented a large and prosperous family, and there were always places that were not covered by the privileges of their family. As a result, a special examination was held to give these second-generation officials outside of their privileged status an opportunity to advance.

Like Li Xian, when these people saw Zhang Dai, their expressions also became somewhat unpleasant.

Because the special imperial examinations were designed to select exceptional talents, each examination typically did not select too many people. Zhang Dai had been enjoying great success in recent years, especially after winning the top score in the imperial examinations at the beginning of the year. His participation in this special examination was practically a guarantee of a spot, which would undoubtedly intensify the competition.

Because it concerned their future, even though these young people usually admired Zhang Dai, they looked at him with resentment, probably complaining in their hearts about why this big shot was coming to the newbie village to bully them!
Zhang Dai also felt that he seemed to be isolated. The way people looked at him was a bit strange. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. These people might want him to take the spot, but in fact, it was hard to say who was the real winner and who was the loser.

If it weren't for his grandfather's behind-the-scenes manipulation, there probably wouldn't have been such a special examination. I don't know what these people are complaining about.

The morning passed quickly, and forty or fifty sons of nobles and officials arrived one after another.

This number is relatively small for the special imperial examinations, which typically attract a large number of participants, often one or two thousand. The Caoze Ziju (a special examination for scholars from rural areas) scheduled for the end of the month has already received several hundred applications from the Ministry of Personnel, while scholars scattered throughout the Kinki region are still racing against time to register in the capital.

The examination in which Zhang Shuo made a name for himself during the Yongchang era of Empress Wu Zetian involved tens of thousands of participants. Zhang Shuo emerged victorious among these tens of thousands, which led to his subsequent life, which, despite its ups and downs, was nonetheless brilliant!

The group waited there until the afternoon before a court attendant from the Secretariat arrived and led them to the Inner Secretariat. There, a court attendant explained the important points for taking the upcoming imperial examination. This court attendant was none other than Xi Yu, whom Zhang Dai had met several times before.

Zhang Dai remembered that when he and others participated in the provincial examination, Xi Yu was only an assistant minister in the Ministry of Personnel. Now that he had returned from his trip, Xi Yu had become a key figure in the Secretariat. This was truly a cause for celebration.

The positions of Zhongshu Sheren and Menxia Jishizhong were important links between the two provinces. It could be said that as long as one held these two official positions, the door and ladder to high-ranking officials would be opened, and a whole new world would be in front of him.

This is why Zhang Dai's father, Zhang Jun, took the initiative to report and expose his family's hidden land last year, all in an effort to secure a position as a drafter in the Imperial Secretariat. Having held these two official posts, reaching the third rank was only a matter of time, and generally not too far off.

Xi Yu, in high spirits due to the joyous occasion, patiently explained various precautions to the group of second-generation officials. He was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) during the Wu Zhou dynasty in Chang'an, and also passed the special imperial examination that same year. However, he could not take office due to his father's mourning period. After the mourning period ended, he participated in many more special imperial examinations, making him quite experienced.

"The current sage works tirelessly day and night, seeking out worthy men, and issuing edicts to select officials. All his efforts are aimed at making the best use of talents and ensuring that no worthy man is left out in obscurity. You all come from families of high status and have witnessed your fathers and grandfathers serving the country and enjoying the emperor's great favor. You should also take this as your standard and dedicate yourselves to the cause with loyalty and righteousness!"
"When you ascend the throne to take the examination later, do not concern yourself with other matters; prioritize giving your all. If anything goes wrong, report it promptly. Remember this well: never resort to underhanded tricks, or you will regret it!"

Xi Yu gave a serious reprimand to everyone, making sure they didn't try to sneak in any cheat sheets, before leading them towards the Guanwen Hall in the inner palace.

At this time, the examination hall in the Guanwen Hall had been set up, but the emperor had not yet arrived. Therefore, the Right Chancellor of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhang Yue, the Duke of Yan, was temporarily in charge of supervising the examination.

When the candidates learned of this personnel arrangement after entering the hall, they were all dumbfounded. They were already uneasy because of the huge difference in strength, but now the proctor was someone else's own grandfather. How could they compete?
Even if everyone else is using connections, the way you're doing it is way too blatant!
Zhang Dai was quite surprised to learn that his grandfather was proctoring the exam. If he had known things would be arranged this way, why had he been so nervous about studying these past few days? He had gone through all sorts of interpersonal difficulties to get to this point, and now he realized that he had finally arrived home?
(End of this chapter)