Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

That's not surprising.

Originally, the bestowal of titles and rewards relied on blood ties, and naturally, the era ended as blood ties grew distant.

Now, Zhao Shiyi and Zhao Shiqian are both the eldest sons of the prince, and they will inherit the title of duke in the future.

Furthermore, both of them had privately pledged their loyalty to Zhao Ceying several times and were appointed as Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs and Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, respectively.

Since it is an award, he should naturally be granted the title of king.

The remaining two, being of humble origins, were naturally ineligible for the title of king.

However, if one can maintain the right mindset, Feng Gong can be considered to have gained three generations of wealth for free.

As for Cao Yi, he was only given honorary titles, which was not a big problem.

Zhao Ceying, the "Fengshang Father," paused, then said, "How about bestowing upon Zhao Zongquan the title of Prince of Shu, with Yuzhou as his fief?"

“Of course it’s possible.” Jiang Zhao nodded.

Zhao Zongquan was the emperor's biological father. As long as the posthumous conferment of the title of emperor was not excessive or involved in any shady practices, the officials would almost all let it go.

After two consecutive responses, Zhao Ceying nodded slowly, having gained some understanding of the magnitude of the reward.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Ceying slowly asked, "I have just ascended the throne and have no foundation. According to custom, how should a special imperial examination be held?"

The fact that the emperor had no one under his command made him feel very insecure.

In fact, there were quite a few officials who showed their loyalty to him.

However, accepting the late emperor's ministers is one thing, but truly trusting them is another.

At least, apart from Jiang Zhao, he rarely truly trusted any of the late emperor's ministers.

Even Wang Anshi, who was determined to reform the corrupt practices, could not truly put his mind at ease.

"The special examination will be handled by the Academy of Rites. They will set the examination time and announce it to the world."

Jiang Zhao replied, "According to custom, the imperial examination is held once every three years. The new emperor's enthronement of the new emperor to open an imperial examination as a sign of benevolence is a special favor to select officials outside of the regular examination."

According to the rule of holding the imperial examinations once every three years, there will be one next year. If the emperor holds a special examination this year, then there will be two examinations held consecutively, one this year and one next year.

"Is that so?" Zhao Ceying's eyes lit up.

"Therefore, let Zichuan serve as the chief examiner for both of these special examinations," Zhao Ceying instructed.

On the one hand, this is a favor bestowed upon trusted and important officials.

On the other hand, this also serves as a way for the new emperor to show goodwill to Grand Chancellor Han.

In addition, the deputy chief examiners of the two imperial examinations could also be used as bargaining chips to curry favor with important officials in the court.

Jiang Zhao was startled and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this humble subject thanks you for your great kindness!"

The imperial examinations were held every three years, with the two positions of chief and deputy examiners divided among six factions.

Even some highly accomplished Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet only presided over one or two imperial examinations.

Now, he hosts two events at once.

Wouldn't this result in "disciples and former officials spread all over the world"?

Keep in mind, he's not even thirty yet!

Once he presided over the imperial examinations, he was considered to have established connections with some scholars who had no background in the imperial examinations.

For a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) without any connections, the opportunity to establish a relationship with a Minister of Rites who was not yet thirty years old would certainly be something they would do desperately to climb.

During the two scientific expeditions, Jiang Zhao couldn't even imagine how many "disciples" he could gain.

Zhao Ceying nodded with a smile.

A new emperor brings a new court; the ministers of the new era will eventually replace the old guard of the old!

Chapter 178 Enke!

The new emperor ascended the throne and changed the era name to Xifeng.

The following year, the reign title was changed to the first year of the Xifeng era.

This news did not generate much of a response.

The reign title is simply a way of recording years, nothing special.

What truly caused a huge uproar was an imperial edict.

Enko!

Upon the ascension of the new emperor, a special imperial examination was granted, allowing a separate examination to be held in August of the fourth year of the Zhiping era.

The chief examiner was Jiang Zhao, Minister of Rites and Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, and the deputy chief examiner was Wang Gui, a Hanlin Academician.

In addition to the two chief and deputy examiners, thirteen people will be selected from the Six Ministries, two from the Censorate, and two from the Hanlin Academy, for a total of seventeen examiners to be responsible for the spring examination.

Once the decree was promulgated, it quickly spread throughout the land.

Every scholar was overjoyed and sang praises of the new emperor's merits.

With time running out and the task heavy, the imperial examination was only a little over a hundred days away. Many candidates from remote areas prepared their documents and travel expenses as soon as they heard the news and set off for the capital immediately.

The purpose was to have enough time to review the books after arriving in Beijing.

It should be noted that there is no contradiction between the "enke" and the "zhengke".

The following February will be the triennial imperial examination for the first time.

Even if an imperial examination was held in the first year of the Xihe reign, the regular imperial examination that should have been held the following year would still have been held.

This means that the examination can be held twice, selecting as many as seven or eight hundred new scholars.

Compared to the past, the opportunities are much greater.

Therefore, it is natural to make full preparations and seek an opportunity to be listed on the honor roll.

After decades of hard study, this is the moment to defy fate and change your destiny!

Xihe Academy.

As the only academy in the eight prefectures of Xihe, Xihe Academy has always been highly regarded, gathering almost 90% of the scholars and candidates in Xihe.

The position of headmaster was concurrently held by Su Shi, the prefect of Hezhou, which shows how important it was.

Su Shi was a man of great talent in poetry, prose, and calligraphy, and possessed immense charisma.

In order to establish a school, Xiangzicheng was even specially allocated as an academy.

The city was used as an academy, and the academy was used as a city.

Two capitals and fourteen roads, this is the only one of its kind!

To facilitate the differentiation of academic levels, the academy was divided into four departments: Tongsheng (child student), Xiucai (scholar), Juzi (successful candidate in the imperial examination), and Fanxue (foreign students).

The Imperial Examination Hall, the lecture hall.

The school building, about ten zhang long, was quite spacious.

At the head of the table were two desks, each about ten feet long. The deputy headmasters, Cheng Hao and Zhang Zai, along with several elderly scholars who were giving lectures, sat upright, looking down at each other.

Below the self-position, there are eight columns horizontally and more than twenty rows vertically, with nearly two hundred wooden tables and chairs. Without exception, all the scholars in the school are candidates for the imperial examinations.

Nearly two hundred people—this was the vast majority of the candidates from the eight prefectures of Xihe.

This number is not even a fraction of what other routes have.

Furthermore, upon closer examination, it is evident that the academic achievements of some individuals in these examinations were not genuine.

The reason for this is that many candidates obtained their academic titles by taking the exams on Xihe Road.

It should be noted that only seven years have passed since Xihe expanded its borders.

Xihe was established as a circuit only about five years ago.

When Xihe was newly built, the late emperor granted many imperial examination policies.

This attracted some scholars and candidates to come and study in the border region.

Generally speaking, in the provincial examinations, about three out of every hundred candidates were selected.

Of the one hundred scholars, three can be selected as successful candidates in the provincial examinations.

But Xihe Road is different.

With policies in hand, the success rate of the provincial examinations in Xihe Road even reached the point where only one in ten could pass.

As a result, the candidates' abilities were somewhat questionable.

Of course, it's okay if there's some moisture.

As a newly expanded territory with special policies, Xihe Road has its own way of selecting officials.

The "Longyou List" specially established a system to select twenty Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). The top three candidates who excelled in their writing were granted the title of Jinshi, while the rest were granted the title of Tong Jinshi. They were eligible to participate in the examination for Shujishi (probationary officials) and were granted official positions, concurrently leading the work of military farms and tea-horse trade.

It doesn't matter if your skill level is a little lower; you can still pass the imperial examination.

The candidates from Xihe do not need to compete with candidates from all over the country; they only need to compete with other candidates from Xihe.

Those who rank among the top twenty in the Xihe Road examination, even if they don't rank among the top four hundred out of thousands of candidates, can still be admitted as Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

In a large-scale exam with tens of thousands of participants, the probability of selecting one out of a hundred is roughly three.

The Longyou list can be as high as one in ten.

Of course, if such a "policy-based" Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) fails to become a Shujishi (a junior official in the Hanlin Academy), he will almost certainly be sent back to Xihe Road (another region in Shaanxi Province).

Without connections, he would probably have spent his entire life as an official in Xihe.

Even so, it is still very tempting.

Even if Xihe is an official, he is still an official!

Even a policy-based Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) is still a Jinshi!

For some scholars who lacked knowledge and connections, being appointed to an official post outside the capital was already a stroke of luck!

At the head of the table, Deputy Headmaster Cheng Hao stood up and paced back and forth.

"Literature is the instrument for conveying the Way; virtue is the foundation of one's character. His Majesty's special grant of this imperial examination is a rare opportunity, reflecting the benevolence of the Holy Dynasty in valuing literature and the Way."

"You students have studied diligently for many years and written tirelessly. Now that you have the opportunity, you must be even more sincere and stay true to your principles. In the future, you should serve the emperor like Yao and Shun, and bring blessings to all. This is the duty of a scholar," Cheng Hao admonished.

"I will heed your teachings!"

More than two hundred people bowed in unison.

Cheng Hao nodded and slowly said, "The chief examiner for this special imperial examination is..."

Xianyou County.

Holding a book, Cai Jing paced back and forth, silently reciting to himself.

With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, the imperial examinations will be held twice in a row, making it a truly excellent opportunity.

Xihe studied abroad for several years, made many friends, and even became brothers-in-law with the young Grand Secretary.

Believing himself to be quite knowledgeable, he naturally intended to go to the capital to give it a try.

"Don't try it." Cai Jing murmured.

The so-called "examination by another head" was actually a system of avoidance, which was first established during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

At that time, if the chief examiner in charge of the imperial examination had relatives or friends who wanted to participate in the examination, a separate examination was established to prevent cheating.

That is, a separate examination room and examination papers are set up to examine people who may be related to the chief examiner.

Over time, and through long-term development, it became a fixed examination system, often supervised by an official from the Ministry of Personnel.

Those who participate in the separate examinations are no longer limited to the relatives and friends of the chief examiners of the imperial examinations.

In the provincial examinations held in the two capitals and fourteen circuits, there were chief and deputy examiners. If the relatives or friends of these fifty-two examiners participated in the spring examinations, they could also participate in the separate examinations.

The chief and deputy examiners of the Spring Examination, as well as the relatives and friends of the seventeen examiners, all had to participate in separate examinations.

Generally speaking, in a single spring imperial examination, there are about a hundred candidates from other examinations, with thirty selected for official positions and three out of ten chosen.

A 30% chance!

As the brother-in-law of the Junior Grand Secretary, Cai Jing was naturally also required to participate in the separate examination.