Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 90 Various Subjects of the Imperial Examination
When Zhang Dai returned home, he was surprised to find Wang Yuanbao still there. Ding Qing stepped forward and whispered that the guy had returned.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded slightly, indicating that the fellow had taken the bait quite firmly.

"May I ask if the matter you mentioned earlier, sir, concerning the transfer of funds to Chang'an, refers to the affairs of Prince Qi and Prince Huiwen? If you truly entrust this matter to me, I will do my utmost to handle it properly, and I will not accept any profit or loss. If I am short even a penny, I will compensate you with my own flesh! This intention is sincere, and I earnestly request that you convey this message to your esteemed sir!"

Once seated in the side hall, Wang Yuanbao immediately spoke up, "Whether this matter succeeds or not, I will always remember your kindness! You may have me take all the gardens and shops in Luonan and the city. I do not wish to tarnish your reputation with such vulgar things, but rather to provide you with generous gifts to help you cultivate your mind and spirit."

Hearing Wang Yuanbao say this, Zhang Dai also felt that he was indeed a shrewd person who could think of this so quickly.

If it weren't for Gao Lishi's involvement, simply collecting a planning and intermediary service fee would have been fine for Zhang Dai. After all, without any greater profits to be made, Zhang Dai didn't want to get entangled with powerful figures he couldn't afford to offend too early.

But now that there is a better vision, and such opportunities do not come often, even if there are Prince Xue and Prince Ning waiting to die, it is uncertain whether they will die in Luoyang, and I am not familiar with them, so I naturally want to maximize the potential of this opportunity.

“Wang Er, there’s no need to rush to give gifts. I’m planning this because I have a deep bond with Huiwen’s family and want to help with their affairs. The reason I’m telling you this is because you are a trustworthy businessman with resources. I don’t care how much profit I make. It’s good that you’re willing to participate, but the subsequent procedures must follow my plan.”

It's not surprising that the trick was revealed. Zhang Dai's biggest bargaining chip right now is the huge advertising demonstration effect of the Prince Qi's family as a client. Only by successfully providing this service to the Prince Qi's family can he convince the powerful and wealthy families in the two capitals that he has such financial strength and credibility, so that they will also try to follow suit.

That is why Zhang Dai would never easily relinquish the initiative. Whoever he brings into the fold will benefit. Wang Yuanbao may be rich, but he is not the only wealthy person.

Even if Wang Yuanbao used his connections with Wang Maozhong, it would be difficult to remove the Qi Wang family. No matter how powerful Wang Maozhong was, would he dare to threaten the orphan of the Qi Wang family while the Qi Wang's body was still warm?

"This...this...alright, but may I ask, young master, how should I cooperate?"

Wang Yuanbao had anticipated this, so he didn't insist. Zhang Dai had mentioned a similar idea when he first visited the store, and this time it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, so he certainly wouldn't easily relinquish the initiative.

His most important task right now is to revitalize his investments in Dongdu through this business, so whether he can take the initiative is secondary. Even if this young master is just using him as a bridge to build momentum, it is still an excellent opportunity for him to showcase his wealth.

"First, arrange for a group of accountants to work with Huiwen's clerks to calculate the amount of untapped wealth, determine its value, and create a register as proof. Afterward, I will arrange a place to deposit this counted money and silk, with several families stationed together to ensure that not a single penny is lost!"

After the funeral procession departs, you should first go to Xijing to deliver the equivalent amount of money and silk, then return to Luoyang to open the treasury and collect the money!

Zhang Dai first explained the basic process. After listening, Wang Yuanbao pondered for a moment, then frowned and asked, "How many?"

"That's right, you don't think the two of us can handle this alone, do you? If anyone needs your advice, you can consult them first. Once things start, you absolutely cannot back out halfway through!"

Wang Yuanbao certainly wouldn't back down, but he wanted to ascertain who was behind Zhang Dai. After all, with such a large sum of money involved, if one party turned out to be unreliable, it would be a catastrophic disaster for him. Although Zhang Dai had a powerful backer, he wasn't someone Zhang could easily control.

"This matter is of great importance, and it is indeed necessary to gather those with power and wealth to work together. But if too many people are involved, and everyone has their own agenda, won't it lead to chaos and make things impossible?"

Although he was deeply impressed by Zhang Dai's strategy, the other party was, after all, just a teenager. Even if he was the grandson of the prime minister, his age and experience were still his shortcomings. Moreover, Zhang Shuo had just retired from office. If he gathered too many people into the company, it would not only be difficult to control, but it would also be easy to ruin things.

Zhang Dai knew it would be difficult to instill concepts like equity and financing into Wang Yuanbao all at once and make him understand and accept them, so he said to Wang Yuanbao, "If you are worried about too many people talking, things can be done step by step."

"After the money in the Eastern Capital is deposited in the treasury and the money in the Western Capital is paid to Huiwen's family, Wang Er, you can then collect deposits from Chang'an to replenish the funds you advanced. After the money in the Eastern Capital's treasury is exhausted, we will then calculate the amount of each party's initial investment and the interest they would have received..."

Wang Yuanbao understood that no matter what the plan was, it was unavoidable for him to pay upfront, which was also a prerequisite for him to join.

If he were to conduct business in both the western and eastern capitals simultaneously, he would inevitably have to make additional investments. However, if he were to start absorbing deposits in the western capital first and then withdraw funds in the eastern capital, he could gradually recover the capital he had advanced and reduce his own risk.

Although Zhang Dai did not directly answer his question, he offered him a more secure solution.

After thinking it over, Wang Yuanbao nodded in agreement. This was a win-win situation, and he wasn't without powerful backers. Moreover, the profit potential was excellent, and if the other party had any malicious intentions, his backers would certainly not stand idly by.

After the agreement to work together was finalized, Wang Yuanbao took the initiative to bring up the matter of Wei Jian: "Recently, I was indeed worried and afraid to get involved in the power struggles of the powerful because I saw that you had made an enemy of Master Wei. But now that you have given me a brilliant plan to save my business, I have nothing to hide."

I went to pay my respects to Master Wei today, indeed hoping to be introduced to Magistrate Yuan, but I dare not agree to what Master Wei has said. Bianzhou is the heart of the Grand Canal, where goods from both the north and south converge, and there is great profit to be made. Master Wei wants me to enter this business, but although I am a merchant, I know to abide by the law, and I absolutely dare not agree to this..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai's heart skipped a beat. He recalled that Yuwen Rong was ultimately killed by his political enemies because of financial problems. He had embezzled a huge sum of money from the shipbuilding and transportation costs in Bianzhou, causing him to completely lose the emperor's trust and subsequently be betrayed and exiled to Lingnan. Wei Jian was Yuan Qianyao's nephew-in-law, and people like Yuwen Rong were all under Yuan Qianyao's protection, so their affairs naturally had similarities. Moreover, Wei Jian would later also be highly valued by Emperor Xuanzong for his financial acumen, indicating that he was deeply influenced by Yuwen Rong.

Through Wang Yuanbao's confession, Zhang Dai also learned that Wei Jian had already set his sights on the capital of the Bianzhou canal transport. He could keep an eye on this in order to obtain more evidence and information.

He didn't inquire further about the matter from Wang Yuanbao, but simply kept it in mind. It was already late at night, so Wang Yuanbao also decided to stay overnight at the villa.

Perhaps due to overworking his brain, Zhang Dai still felt very excited and couldn't sleep after returning to his bedroom, so he simply took out the homework his grandfather had prepared for him and started reading.

Zhang Dai wasn't too worried about getting involved in the disputes between eunuchs and the Northern Imperial Guards. As he became more and more involved in worldly affairs, he was bound to get embroiled in various personnel disputes. Staying put would be foolish.

However, as the people and events he gets involved in become more complex, he also needs to improve his status and social standing. Simply being the grandson of a former prime minister is not enough for him to navigate the world with ease.

His grandfather was currently in a politically disadvantaged position, so Zhang Dai was not in a hurry to take up an official post, but that didn't mean he didn't need to make the necessary preparations. He refused the emperor's offer of an official position and did not intend to enter officialdom as a court official; his true path was the imperial examination.

It's somewhat laughable that a modern person would go to ancient times to take the imperial examinations, but then not study properly and instead cause trouble every day.

However, the imperial examination process in the Tang Dynasty was very different from that in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. To put it simply, even during the Kaiyuan era, officials were still discussing the necessity of reciting classics: Are we selecting talents for the country or just choosing scribes?

Whether the imperial examinations were difficult or not depended on the circumstances. For example, the Xiucai examination in the Tang Dynasty was so difficult that it was gradually abolished later. But in reality, for a time traveler, the Xiucai examination was the easiest.

Because the Xiucai exam didn't test knowledge of classical texts or miscellaneous essays, but only policy questions. Any time traveler who understood the gains and losses of Tang Dynasty politics and could translate Chinese into classical Chinese and express their views in classical Chinese would be sure to impress the examiners and pass the Xiucai exam. Of course, if you insist on arguing about the inherent flaws of the feudal system, you're just asking for trouble.

The difficulty of the Xiucai examination lies in the fact that most contemporary people lack a macro perspective and vision, making it difficult to extract and summarize a set of inspiring and guiding theories from the people and things around them.

If Zhang Dai's previous memorial on the reform of the Grand Canal had been included in the imperial examination policy questions, it would have definitely been enough to qualify him for the title of Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations). Policy questions tested thought and cognition rather than literary talent.

However, the Xiucai examination has been discontinued, and the only option is to take the Jinshi examination. As for the Mingjing examination, which is relatively simple for people today, it has become a hellish difficulty for time travelers.

The imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty consisted of three parts: the examination of classics, the examination of miscellaneous essays, and the examination of policy questions. The miscellaneous essays consisted of one poem and one prose piece. Each of the three examinations determined whether one would pass or not. If one failed after one examination, one could leave. If one passed all three examinations, then one had passed.

For Zhang Dai, the biggest obstacle was mastering the classics. Although he had a considerable amount of knowledge, he couldn't recite the Four Books and Five Classics fluently. He might be familiar with some famous lines, but if asked to name the specific passage or section, he simply couldn't remember.

Because of their complex ideas, logic, and the sheer volume of information they contain, these scriptures are much more difficult to memorize, and they don't have many practical applications in later life. Memorizing a passage from "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" can even get you free admission to tourist attractions!

Whatever difficulties the imperial examinations may present, there are ways to overcome them. Zhang Dai had this idea because his status as a candidate for the highest degree (进士) gave him a significant head start over others, making him more advantageous when it came to being appointed to official positions.

Moreover, in the Tang Dynasty, those who passed the imperial examination did not immediately become officials. They had to wait for two or three years before they could go to the Ministry of Personnel to participate in the selection process and obtain an official position.

As the number of people selected by the Ministry of Personnel increased, the waiting period for selection would be further extended. By the mid-Tang Dynasty, some people, even if they passed the imperial examination, would not be given an official position in the central government and had no choice but to serve as staff officers in the military governors' offices in the provinces.

With the title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), Zhang Dai could have a higher political status and would not need to be immediately involved in the complex power struggles of officialdom. He could wait for a better opportunity to choose to step down from his post and enter officialdom, which would give him much more freedom.

Another important point is that having the social status of a Jinshi or a Jinshi (进士) allowed Zhang Dai to enjoy greater freedom in his family life.

He can't just stay home and stir up trouble every day. His father, Zhang Jun, is easily swayed and indecisive. Who knows, he might be tricked by the Zheng family into doing something shady to control him.

His status as a reserve officer, rather than simply his son, would make those two more cautious.

"I wonder who's taking the imperial examination this year, and who the chief examiner is? I'll have to find out when I have some free time!"

Zhang Dai flipped through the scriptures while muttering to himself.

The imperial examinations were usually held in February or March. He was busy writing his epitaph and preparing petitions after he came into this world, so he didn't pay much attention to them.

(End of this chapter)