Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

Chapter 119 The Imperial Examination System!

Just as dawn broke, Wang Shen received news from the imperial court that an imperial edict would be delivered to Kaolao Village that day.

It's obvious without even asking that it's related to Xiao Ran.

Wang Shen didn't dare to delay and made preparations immediately to go to Kaolao Village later.

Help me receive the imperial decree.

Thanks to Xiao Ran, Wang Shen received two imperial edicts in a short period of time.

I haven't received this before.

Since the imperial edict had not been issued to several nearby villages, Wang Shen, the village head, naturally had no chance.

The person in charge this time is still Yan Qinli, just like before.

Zhang Mingde knew all this earlier than Xiao Ran.

Despite the cold weather, Xiao Ran, Sun Simiao, and the others arrived early as always.

Zhang Jinhe specifically informed Xiao Ran, fearing that Xiao Ran might not know.

Upon hearing that there was an imperial edict, Xiao Ran was taken aback.

"This is too much trouble. Can I not go? Just pretend I'm not in the village!" Xiao Ran really didn't want to go.

Zhang Jinhe was both amused and exasperated. "But the imperial edict was for the young master!"

"Is it for me?" Xiao Ran glanced at Li Lizhi subconsciously, wondering what was going on.

Li Lizhi looked completely innocent; although she knew, she remained silent.

Li Lizhi had expected an imperial edict, but she hadn't anticipated it would come so quickly.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ji glanced at Xiao Ran, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Young master, you really don't like these formalities."

"But an imperial edict isn't just troublesome, it's about prestige, and even more so, an opportunity. Do you think an ordinary village or ordinary people could receive such attention from His Majesty?"

“Your previous coal mine and school building, although for the benefit of the village, were still ‘rural matters.’ Now that the imperial decree has arrived, it means that the court has recognized your actions and the rationale behind the school.”

“From now on, anyone who wants to gossip will have to think twice—this is no longer just about you, Xiao Ran; it's all thanks to the imperial family.”

Wang Ji stroked his beard, his tone becoming gentler: "Besides, this decree is most likely a good thing. It's an honor that others would beg for, why are you hiding from it? Go see it, accept it, it will be of immense benefit to you, to this school, and to Kaolao Village."

He chuckled and gave Xiao Ran a push: "Go ahead, it's not like I'm sending you to a trap. If His Majesty didn't value you, why would he issue a special decree? This is a good thing, you should be happy."

Sun Simiao stood under the eaves, flipping through a scroll of herbal illustrations. Hearing this, he looked up at Xiao Ran with a gentle smile in his eyes, his fingertips pausing lightly on the pages.

Having lived most of his life, he had seen many people who flocked to empty fame—how many people would rack their brains to scheme for a royal decree or a word of commendation, valuing appearances more than real matters.

But Xiao Ran was different. Faced with the emperor's favor, his first reaction was "Can I avoid it?", simply because he thought it was "troublesome".

This honest and straightforward nature, which didn't care much about fame, actually earned Sun Simiao's even greater approval.

Xiao Ran genuinely didn't want to go; it was clear he wasn't faking it.

A group of people went to the old locust tree.

Zhang Mingde and Wang Shen had been waiting for a long time.

Almost everyone in the village who was able to move around was there, which made Xiao Ran even more resistant, and other things were delayed.

Xiao Ran had seen the process before.

They were all old acquaintances.

Seeing Xiao Ran, Yan Qinli smiled and nodded, which was considered a greeting.

Wang Shen handled the matter of receiving the imperial decree, so Xiao Ran didn't need to worry about it too much.

Yan Qinli brought a lot of things; the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were for the school, and Xiao Ran also gave them many gifts.

Zhang Mingde's hand, which was holding a cane, trembled slightly. After listening to Yan Qinli read out the imperial edict, tears welled up in his cloudy old eyes. He raised his hand to wipe his face and quickly straightened his clothes.

The old men in the front row bent down as well. Some of them had difficulty standing and had to support themselves on their knees to move down. Their white beards were covered with snowflakes, but their eyes were fixed on the pile of rewards.

The Xuan paper was stacked neatly, and the brush handle gleamed darkly in the sun, more eye-catching than the offerings on the altar during festivals.

The young wives held their children tighter in their arms. One child reached for the longest pen, but the mother gently blocked it with her sleeve.

She looked down at the baby, a smile spreading across her face. She raised her hand and gently patted the baby's head, her fingertips tracing the baby's first hair on the back of the head.

Several men who had just arrived from the coal mine stood in the back row, coal dust still embedded in their fingernails, but they subconsciously wiped their hands on their clothes.

One of them raised his hand and wiped his face. As the back of his hand brushed against his cheekbone, he wiped away some coal dust or something else, revealing a patch of reddish skin. He looked in the direction of the imperial edict and quietly straightened his back a little more.

Wang Shen handed the imperial edict to Xiao Ran, "Young Master!"

"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle!"

"Oh, young master, you're being too polite," Wang Shen said, quite pleased.

This in itself is an honor.

Yan Qinli nodded and looked at Xiao Ran with a smile, "Congratulations, young master."

"You flatter me, Master Yan. The success of this school is not solely due to my efforts."

Xiao Ran turned his head and glanced at Zhang Mingde, Wang Ji and the crowd of villagers behind him. His voice was sincere: "The village headman went to great lengths to gather people, the villagers contributed their labor, Mr. Wang was willing to stay and teach, and as always, he was willing to come and give guidance - it was all thanks to everyone lending a hand. I was just the one who connected them."

At this point, Xiao Ran raised his hand and bowed towards Chang'an: "Furthermore, I am fortunate that His Majesty is so considerate as to bestow these writing implements and to remember the matter of education. His imperial grace is boundless and this is the fundamental reason. My little bit of effort is really nothing."

Yan Qinli laughed heartily upon hearing this, stroking his beard and saying, "Young master, you are too modest. It is not easy to make a connection, and it is even more difficult to connect so many people and so many things."

"The curved plow that once relieved the farmers of the hardships of spring plowing; now this school has paved a bright path for countless children—these things are all practical and beneficial to the people, improving their livelihoods, and are by no means 'insignificant efforts'."

His eyes brightened, and his tone became more serious: "Ordinary people, when they see benefits, only care about their own; when they see difficulties, they avoid them like the plague. But young man, you treat the affairs of others as your own, and from farming tools to education, you take every step seriously. Such character and actions deserve this recognition and the high regard of the world."

The more Xiao Ran talked about it, the more embarrassed and resistant he became to these things.

Fortunately, Yan Qinli didn't stay long before returning with his men.

This was specifically instructed because Li Shimin was coming later.

Xiao Ran asked Zhang Dalang to take people to deliver writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones to the school. Zhang Erya, Zhang Jinhe, and the others took the things that were meant for Xiao Ran back to his home.

As previously mentioned, the children in the village gradually went to school.

The two little princesses and the third sister were also inside.

Li Lizhi was in charge of registering names, but it was a bit messy; many people either didn't have their names listed or their names were registered very hastily.

Actually, there wasn't a Third Sister either; Zhang Erya's was very hasty.

If you call him Dalang, there are several of them.

This is a headache.

Wang Shen didn't leave; he also wanted to see what was going on at the school. As the village head, it was a suitable place for him to be there.

Li Lizhi told Xiao Ran about the situation.

Xiao Ran was also at a loss, so he found Wang Shen and Zhang Mingde to name the children.

The little princess is Li Mingda, the Chengyang little princess is Li Fanyin, and we can't call this Third Sister Zhang San Niang, that would be too much. Zhang Mingde thought for a moment, "Let's call Third Sister Zhang Jinyuan!"

"Third Sister, remember this, it's your name." Xiao Ran thought it was good.

"Good!" Third Sister was very pleased.

The same goes for others; half of the siblings like Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Jinnian, who all have names, don't.

It started with Zhang Mingde, and later Wang Ji and Wang Shen also joined in to help.

There are no classes on the first day, so there's no rush.

The coal mine has also been temporarily shut down, and Xiao Ran has given them a day off. There are many parents near the school.

They don't object to having a name chosen; in fact, they're quite happy about it.

Zhang Mingde, Wang Ji, and Wang Shen are highly respected figures among the villagers.

Those who registered their names entered the school one after another.

Xiao Ran didn't participate in choosing names; instead, he went to arrange the seating.

Xiao Ran doesn't rank them according to family background; apart from the two little princesses, the others are about the same.

It's arranged by height, with shorter people in front and taller people in the back, that's how it is.

No one else had any objections to Xiao Ran's arrangement.

The two little princesses are younger, so they're definitely in front; there's no question about that.

The three little girls sat together.

They are young and not fat, so several of them can sit at one table.

After registering, the first thing Li Lizhi needed to do was to make sure the children remembered their names. Like many of her mothers, they had just gotten new names and still needed to learn how to write them.

A thin layer of frost still clung to the school windows, glistening slightly in the sunlight. The children's voices drifting from inside were delicate and clear, like scattered beads rolling on the ground.

The entrance was already crowded with people, the old ones hunched over, and the young ones carried on the shoulders of adults, all pushing forward.

Some people stood on tiptoe, gripping the edge of the door frame, their knuckles white from the effort, their eyes fixed on the inside—looking at the newly made wooden tables, the blackboard on the wall, and even more so at their own children sitting inside.

They had never seen a school before and didn't know how classes were taught, so they were all very curious.

Many people listened to what Zhang Mingde said before, and they believed that studying would lead to a bright future.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what my child will be like in the future.

Empress Zhangsun, wife of Emperor Taizong of Tang, also came over, hoping to see him, but the area outside was packed with people.

Princess Yuzhang led Li Shimin to Xiao Ran.

"Uncle!" Xiao Ran called out.

"Yes, I was thinking of going to take a look, but I didn't expect the villagers to be like this. I'll think about it later."

Li Shimin was genuinely pleased to see the villagers like this.

The real danger is that the villagers will be indifferent to the school.

This is just to show that everyone takes this matter very seriously.

Xiao Ran and Li Shimin walked to the side, and Li Shimin said with gratitude, "Kaolao Village is lucky; other villages are not so fortunate."

This is true.

"This shows that His Majesty and the court still need to work harder!"

Li Shimin knew this was a joke, "You rascal, the court also wants to do this, but it can't be rushed. The current conditions of the Tang Dynasty don't allow for it."

"That's why I say Your Majesty and the court still need to work harder."

"Stop right there, you brat!" Li Shimin looked at the school. "With you in Kaolao Village, the children will have no problem taking the imperial examinations in the future."

"I'm no use!" Xiao Ran said with a smile. "If you're not from one of the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, it might be a bit difficult!"

Li Shimin sensed a hidden meaning in Xiao Ran's words.

Although the imperial examination system during the Zhenguan era paved a new way to break the monopoly of aristocratic families, it differed fundamentally from the imperial examination system of the later Ming and Qing dynasties.

Admissions are often controlled by powerful families, making it difficult for those from poor families to rise in society.

Although the imperial examinations during the Zhenguan era included subjects such as Jinshi and Mingjing, most of the candidates were from prominent families. They had studied classics and history since childhood, were familiar with historical allusions, and used their family connections to learn about the exam questions in advance and befriend the examiners.

Children from poor families have neither access to books nor connections to get ahead. Even if they are talented, they are often ostracized because of their "humble family background".

The saying at the time, "Thirty years old is old for a scholar who has passed the imperial examination, fifty years old is young for a scholar who has passed the imperial examination," actually meant that even if a poor family spent half their life, it would be difficult to compete with the children of aristocratic families.

Although corruption still existed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the rule of "appointing based solely on talent" was more clearly defined, and the proportion of people from poor families who passed the imperial examinations through hard work was far higher than during the Zhenguan era.

The imperial examinations during the Zhenguan era focused on classical texts and poetry. Those who passed were mostly good at abstract discussions of principles, but few understood practical matters such as agriculture, law, and mathematics.

This resulted in a situation where "there were many who talked about principles but few who put them into practice" in the court, which contradicted Li Shimin's demand for "seeking talent and being pragmatic."

While the imperial examinations of the Ming and Qing dynasties also emphasized classical texts, they added a "policy essay" section, requiring candidates to offer their insights on current affairs, which was more relevant to the needs of governing the country.

The influence of the recommendation system remained, but the imperial examination system had not yet become the mainstream method for selecting officials.

During the Zhenguan era, very few people were admitted through the imperial examinations, and the selection of officials still relied on "family connections" and "recommendations"—sons of aristocratic families could enter officialdom based on the official rank of their fathers and grandfathers. The imperial examinations were more like a tool for aristocratic families to "gild" their resumes than a proper path for those from humble backgrounds to rise in rank.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the imperial examination system was deeply linked to official careers, with the rule that "no one could enter the Hanlin Academy without passing the imperial examination, and no one could enter the Grand Secretariat without being a member of the Hanlin Academy," thus firmly establishing the core position of the imperial examination system.

"It seems you also have opinions about the imperial examination system!" Li Shimin said, intrigued.

"Having opinions is useless. It seems like nothing can be changed in the Tang Dynasty now, so there's no point in saying anything!"

"The imperial examination system was never intended to give ordinary people an opportunity."

“The original intention was to give ordinary people a chance,” Li Shimin retorted.

"How many of those who can take the imperial examinations are truly ordinary people?" Xiao Ran asked Li Shimin in return.

"Aren't most of those who can get an education now from aristocratic families?"

"Ordinary people can't seize opportunities even when given them."

"It's too difficult for ordinary people to get an education!"

“We need to let more children have access to books, and not let reading become the exclusive domain of the children of noble families. But right now, ordinary people are just getting enough to eat and wear, and the government’s granaries are also not full. Where will we get the money to build schools and hire teachers? It’s not that we don’t want to, it’s that we don’t have the strength to do it.”

"The questions should be more practical, not just about classics and poetry. Ask more about agriculture, law, and river management—things that can truly bring peace to the country. But the sons of noble families have been practicing these 'empty words' since childhood. If we really want to change that, will those noble family students in the court agree? It's not that it's illogical, it's that the deeply entrenched things can't be touched."

"The examinations must be completely clean, with no regard for family background or connections, and only the essays should determine the ranking. But nowadays, the officialdom values ​​'disciples and former subordinates.' If you want to cut off these intricacies, you need ironclad rules and tough people to uphold them. Right now... it's not that easy."

What Xiao Ran knew, Li Shimin could also have thought of, but there was nothing he could do about it.

The Tang Dynasty is as it is now, and Li Shimin cannot change it.

Li Shimin wanted to hear Xiao Ran's thoughts, but he didn't have high expectations.

"These ideas sound good, but the Tang Dynasty is in its current state—the people have just filled their stomachs, and the aristocratic families haven't let go of their pride. If we really push for reform, we're afraid that changing the imperial examination system will first disrupt the people's hearts. It's not that we don't want to change it, but the scales of this world haven't reached the point where they can weigh these things fairly."

(End of this chapter)