Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 7 The Ultimate Problem
In the Imperial Academy meeting room, seven old men sat leaning on grand chairs, three on the left and three on the right, with the chief Grand Secretary Gu Yixin sitting in the middle in the main seat, holding a small ceramic cup in his hand.

"Given the topic of 'books,' most test takers would probably write about the books of sages."

“That means they haven’t truly absorbed the wisdom of the sages,” someone said. “Although the sages said that life is finite, but the sea of ​​books is infinite, they also said that it is a disgrace for a scholar to read ten thousand books and yet not understand a single thing.”

"Reading is for the purpose of governing the world; merely talking about how great the books of sages are is a low level of learning."

"No matter how excellent one's writing is, it cannot be rated as first-class."

"The topic is 'books,'" Gu Yixin concluded. "In reality, the topic is 'learning.'"

Everyone nodded in approval.

To prevent leaks, the questions for scientific expeditions are usually decided only a short time before the exam.

So now we're discussing the scoring mechanism.

Although these people are considered defenders of sacred learning, their life experiences and knowledge undoubtedly enabled them to stand at the pinnacle of wisdom in feudal society.

It would be a grave mistake to think that these people only know how to flatter the emperor and create academic barriers.

Even in the most formulaic exam questions, standing out requires a very high level of intellectual depth.

Moreover, in order to cater to the question setters and graders, some people think that they can pass the exam by vigorously flattering and praising the classics. They don't even consider the number of candidates.
Not everyone deserves to fawn over her.

The tone they set for this topic, "cifu" (a type of classical Chinese prose), if not extended and the essay is simply focused on the literal meaning of "book," is basically doomed to fail.

It's not that you'll die outright, but you can forget about passing the imperial examination based on your knowledge of poetry and prose.

If this question is not extended, the highest possible grade is B.

"But the most important thing is the policy discussion this afternoon."

At this moment, an old man spoke up.

Whether one can achieve the top rank in the imperial examination depends on the quality of their policy essays.

Generally speaking, the weight of the two subjects is nominally 50/50.

In reality, policy strategies are more important.

The statement that "getting into the Asian University depends entirely on the level of policy essays" implies that literary talent has become an added bonus, and this year's admission direction has undergone a major shift—practicality.

When a country is in a bad situation, beset by internal and external troubles, and facing a severe crisis, romance becomes a cheap substitute.

Can you really scare off a million-strong army just by writing poetry?
The current imperial court is facing this situation.

"I thought His Majesty would pass the test regarding the war in the North," someone remarked.

"It just so happens that this exam question has been brought to the forefront..."

"Those who excel in policy discussions will be given official positions, all to relieve the emperor's worries. Since this is indeed true, should we avoid discussing it?"

Gu Yixin interrupted the few people below who were speaking with some subtle 'complaints', his expression serious.

Although he didn't say it outright, all the Grand Secretaries knew what was going on.

Those who excel in policy essays will be appointed to official positions.

But that doesn't mean that doing well on the afternoon exam will be useful.

It's not just about satisfying the emperor.

We also need to be satisfied.

Or,

Our satisfaction is the most important thing.

.........

“Ce’er, remember one thing: in the policy essay exam, you need to figure out the deeper meaning of those seven officials at the Imperial Academy.”

The night before the exam, his father specifically emphasized this sentence to him.

And I must make sure I keep it in mind.

I reminded them again when I left this morning.

Actually, Song Ce's statement was somewhat contradictory.

He wasn't someone who just studied books; he naturally understood human relationships and social dynamics.

However, the current emperor, who created the imperial examination system to select talents, bypassed the ancient rule of "hereditary succession of noble families" and set up the Jinyiwei (Imperial Bodyguard) for high-pressure control, can be said to be the most powerful emperor in the history of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Why did my father only allow me to guess the deeper meaning of the seven officials of the Imperial Academy, instead of the Emperor's?

Can seven officials from the Imperial Academy really make all the decisions?

But the father couldn't be wrong.

Listen to him.

However, Song Ce is in a pretty good mood right now.

He felt he had performed well in the poetry and prose section of the morning exam.

book.

We should read the books of sages. But the books of sages are also the paths that sages have walked.

Scholars should not only read the books of sages, but also travel extensively. Then, they can make those books their own.

After understanding this core idea, he created a beautifully written poem.

Next comes the more important strategy.

With a resounding thud, the bell of the examination hall was struck.

The policy essay exam has begun.

After receiving the examination question, the chief examiner read aloud: "Last year, Yizhou suffered a locust plague, the people were starving, and refugees rose up everywhere. The garrison troops also lacked provisions and pay, and it took the entire nation's strength to quell the disaster. Our dynasty has not had a major war for several years, yet the national treasury has no surplus grain. You are hereby ordered to write an essay on this topic."

The issue of national food security.

Song Shi'an rarely did this type of question because the essay section of the civil service exam wouldn't involve this kind of issue.

In peacetime, there is no issue of food storage security.

But this was ancient times, and such situations were all too common.

This question is indeed the most profound among the provincial examinations in recent years.

After copying the question, Song Shi'an prepared to list the arguments on the draft paper, but as soon as he put pen to paper, his expression froze and he put the brush back on the inkstone.

Fuck!
That's way too sensitive!
Only then did he react.

The imperial court has no food, isn't it all because of our own efforts?
The powerful families controlled the vast majority of the land in the country.

Furthermore, the powerful families in the prefectures and counties concealed a large number of people, using affiliation to evade taxes.

For ordinary people, taxes account for 70% of their income.

But for aristocratic families, collecting about 10% of their taxes would be sufficient.

Asking Song Shi'an to write such a policy essay is tantamount to rebelling against his own father.
It should be noted that those at the Imperial Academy were mostly heads of prominent families.

Even though there was an old man named Zhang Zhao who came from a poor family and passed the imperial examination, after entering officialdom, he acquired land and property more aggressively than anyone else.

So, what is the purpose of asking this question?
Could it be that they believe there are other solutions besides the fact that the national treasury has no grain reserves?

Should we raise taxes on ordinary people again, to 90%?
I wouldn't even dare to do that in a game!

Should the powerful families provide the funds and assume the responsibility of maintaining local armies?

Then the army would become a private army.

The Three Kingdoms period began at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty!

The area of ​​imperial lands was expanded to directly support the imperial court.

This approach does not solve the core problem.

It's a drop in the ocean when faced with unexpected events; its ability to withstand risks is too poor.

After much thought, Song Shi'an wrote down a line of words on the manuscript paper: "Officials and gentry shall pay taxes in the same manner."

But the next moment, he drew a black line across the face, retracting his statement.

That's too sensitive.

For doing something like this, one head isn't enough to go around cutting off.

So, is the only direction for policy research to address the problem of redundant officials and implement large-scale layoffs?
Thinking of this, he frowned and raised his head.

I noticed that some of the other test takers had already started writing their papers.

Others were scratching their heads and looking very distressed.

Those who are suffering are the ones who are right.

Those who can write an answer as soon as they see the question have not even understood the question.

Is there always an optimal solution in a policy essay exam?
Your solution might be the most effective.

But sometimes the answer needs to conform to the national situation.

Of course, even if one doesn't follow the national trend, one cannot completely defy the general trend.

After thinking it over and over, Song Shi'an finally understood, and then everything became clear!
This question tests your ability to understand the examiner's psychology.

But the examiner's heart cannot beat freely according to his own will.

The Grand Secretaries of the Imperial Academy also struggled and remained defiant.

Then the approach becomes clear.

Your proposed solutions cannot be weak or evasive, and they cannot avoid the core issues.

However, we cannot simply focus on solving the problem and addressing the root cause.

When the country runs out of food, powerful families must make concessions.

The balance point lies in determining how much to give up.
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(End of this chapter)