Chapter 291: The Imperial Examination Results Announced, the Tibetan Ambassador Enters Chang'an Again

"Father, I am the target of public criticism when I preside over the new law. Countless ministers want to see me make a fool of myself. The powerful families in the world hate me to the core. What they hope most is to wake up and find that I have been dismissed or even dead... At this critical moment, if my relatives cannot restrain their desires, it is equivalent to harming me. Are they still my relatives?"

"Not to mention my cousin Li Yu, even my biological brother Li Yu, what I just said also applies to him. A thousand-mile dam can be breached by a single ant hole. I am the prime minister, and my father was also the prime minister..."

Li Xuan saw Li Shizhi was silent, and vaguely guessed what Li Shizhi was thinking!
He can fail, but he can never exit in this way.

When the world is clear and bright, some things may not necessarily be the mistakes we make now.

He will be influenced by selfishness and desires, but he will never lose sight of the big picture.

Wait for Wang Changling to come back!
Li Xuan felt that Wang Changling would definitely conduct a thorough investigation.

The right and wrong will be determined at that time.

Li Shizhi suddenly realized what was happening when he heard Li Xuan's words.

indeed!

Li Mingming knew that Qilang was setting an example for the people of the world and was reforming the New Deal.

But at this time he disrupted Qilang's formation. Did he take advantage of Qilang's power and bully others by relying on his power?
"Qilang, I am acting on my father's sentiments. Please use your own judgment! If Li Yu is a fool, I will treat his wife and children well."

Li Shizhi stood up and said with a sigh.

Today's political situation is much more complicated than before.

Qilang holds a high position as an official, presiding over the government, and has so many followers under his command.

Isn’t it all because of belief in Qilang?

The wealth of their family was brought by Qilang. Anyone who doesn't think about giving back and still covets other things deserves it!

Before Li Yu was proven guilty, Li Shizhi, as his uncle, believed in Li Yu.

If Li Yu committed a crime, he could only be punished by the law.

"Fathers only need to enjoy the joys of life. No matter how dark it is, please believe that your children can bring light!"

Li Xuan said solemnly to Li Shizhi.

"As a father, I am powerless and can only support Qilang silently."

After Li Shizhi finished speaking, he was about to leave the Tianshui Palace.

"Why don't you stay, father?"

Li Xuan invited Li Shizhi to stay for dinner.

"The gate is about to be closed. I need to explain this to Li Cui."

Li Shizhi did not stay and prepared to go back and confess the matter to Li Cui.

He wanted Li Cui to go back to his post and not to bother with the matter anymore.

Li Yu's fate depends on himself.

Li Xuan could only send Li Shizhi to the carriage.

After letting out a sigh of relief, he returned home.

In the blink of an eye, it is mid-October.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, the results of the imperial examination were announced.

The results were not announced in the spring of the following year as per the previous system.

After the changes are made and the review is completed, the results will be announced.

Li Xuan thought it should not be delayed until the following spring.

Otherwise, there will be a lot of room for manipulation after marking the papers.

One of the candidates not only wrote a "Wenfu" with profound meaning, but also wrote a new policy paper with unique ideas.

And the arithmetic is all correct.

Pei Zunqing, Li Xian and other examiners unanimously agreed that this candidate should be the first place in the Jinshi exam.

At the same time, a total of 24 people were selected as Jinshi.

Li Longji had no interest in the palace examination. Since the late Kaiyuan period, many top scorers were recommended by the chief examiners and prime ministers.

Therefore, a joint examination will decide the winner.

After confirming that there was no problem, Li Xuan took the twenty-four copied test papers and went to the Zhongshu Gate to take the exam.

Under the witness of Li Linfu and Pei Kuan, the sealed seal was removed, revealing the hometowns and names of the twenty-four Jinshi candidates.

The first place in the imperial examination was a man named Fengjia, whose native place was Yuyao County.

He doesn't look like he's from a noble family.

Other Jinshi candidates included Yang Yu, Bao He, Li Jiayou and others.

Li Linfu had a gloomy face throughout the whole process, and Li Xuan didn't care about him. After copying down the names, the prime minister signed them together and sent someone to announce the list outside the Imperial Examination Hall.

At the same time, write a document and present it to Li Longji tomorrow.

If Li Longji was in a good mood, he would meet with the Jinshi and give them some encouragement.

The imperial examination selected "scholars". If one wanted to become an official, one had to enter the upper ranks and wait for selection by the Ministry of Personnel.

Only those who pass the selection can become an official!
This period may be three years or longer.

However, Li Xuan has been accelerating the selection of Jinshi candidates by Pei Zunqing.

After passing the test, they were sent to local areas to serve as county lieutenants or county magistrates.

In the future, county lieutenants and county magistrates will give priority to scholars rather than those who enter the government through family connections.

On the day when the results of the Imperial Examination were posted, countless students were full of anticipation.

Hope and disappointment linger.

Thousands of people came from all corners of the country to Chang'an to take the imperial examination. The nobles either wanted to defend their family's honor or to recall their glory.

However, poor scholars wanted to join the ranks of scholars, bring honor to their family and stand out from the crowd.

There was only one bridge among thousands of people, and only those who passed the local examination could participate in the imperial examination, so there were almost no unqualified people.

However, the competition was too fierce and there were too few places for Jinshi, so countless people were disappointed after seeing the list.

"bingo!"

Finally, a scholar in hemp clothes saw his name and jumped up excitedly.

No one found him abrupt.

This is what it means to become a Jinshi.

This was a poor scholar who took the imperial examinations four times in six years and finally passed the examination and became a Jinshi.

Once you are far away from home, if you want to take the exam again after failing, you naturally cannot go home.

He lived in a temple, studying hard and looking for a way to make a living. He pinned his life here, pursuing a slim hope.

Now that I have achieved what I wanted, how can I not be excited?
Before this imperial examination, when the scores of several test papers were almost the same, examiners would often choose big surnames such as Jingzhao Wei, Hongnong Yang, Wenxi Pei, Fanyang Lu, Qinghe Cui, Longxi Li, as well as Liu, Du, Xue, Wang, Lu, Gao, Zhang, etc.

Those with ordinary surnames and from ordinary counties were naturally considered to be poor families. Especially in places like Lingnan, many invigilators would eliminate them immediately.

Not to mention the collusion between candidates and examiners, and the pressure on examiners from high-ranking officials.

"That Feng Jia also came from a poor family, and he seemed to be from Yuyao County. This year he was still selling fish in Chang'an!"

Some candidates recognized the seal of the first place in the imperial examination.

Names starting with "甲" are mostly derogatory names.

Just like Xue Cuo, Xue is a good surname, but combined with his name "Cuo", no one would think that Xue Cuo came from the Hedong Xue family.

The examinees and the onlookers pointed at each other and found that among the 24 successful candidates, 12 were from small families and poor counties.

These poor people who passed the imperial examination brought a sense of comfort to the countless poor scholars who failed.

The new imperial examination system truly treated everyone equally, and ordinary people would no longer be restricted by their surnames.

As long as you have talent, you can become a Jinshi, and you can even get the first place in the Jinshi like Fengjia.

The gentry could not rely on their surnames to gain fame and fortune; they had to work harder and prove their surnames with their knowledge.

Outside the Imperial Examination Hall, more and more candidates gathered.

The list of successful Jinshi candidates will soon spread by word of mouth and resound throughout the streets and alleys of Chang'an.

Some scholars believed that their arithmetic was wrong, so they decided to study it carefully in the next year in preparation for the next exam.

Some scholars believed that they did not have a deep understanding of the new laws and policies.

As long as Prime Minister Li is in office, the next imperial examination policy will most likely be about the new law.

They need to become more familiar with the new law.

Many scholars did not return home. They stayed in Chang'an. Those who had no money either became helpers in orchards or became scribes to make a living.

There are also some scholars who are famous but did not pass the imperial examination and would receive funding from wealthy merchants in Chang'an.

There are many wealthy businessmen in Chang'an who want to invest in potential stocks.

The imperial court did not allow officials to have private dealings with merchants.

However, candidates who had not yet become officials could do so, and many good stories were told during this period.

On the third day after the announcement of the successful candidates, Li Longji, for the sake of face, summoned the new successful candidates to the Yuelong Hall.

Li Longji exchanged a few pleasantries and left to play in less than half an hour.

Li Xuan stayed in Yuelong Hall to get to know these Jinshi in detail.

The Jinshi were very excited to be able to talk with Li Xuan. They had heard of Li Xuan a long time ago and admired his heroism, respected his talent and respected his dedication to the country and the people.

Since the decree for the new law was passed, there must be confidence in the new law.

They are all followers of the New Law.

Li Xuan was approachable and not fussy about details, which made the scholars feel close to him.

Li Xuan promised these Jinshi not to leave Chang'an and that he would arrange for their selection as soon as possible.

Officials who pass the selection can take office directly.

The Jinshi were all very excited. There were few official positions in prosperous times, and they thought they would have to wait in line for three to five years before they could be appointed as an official.

Soon they found out why this was happening!
Even if all the successful candidates in previous years were selected as officials, they would not be enough to fill the vacancies in the country.

There are currently more than 1,600 counties in Datang.

There were more than 5,000 officials appointed by the imperial court, including county magistrates, county assistants, and county lieutenants.

However, only twenty to thirty Jinshi were admitted each year.

The number of people who passed the other subjects was no more than a hundred.

Even so, after becoming a Jinshi, one still has to wait in line for three to five years before being able to participate in the selection.

In fact, not many people became officials through examinations. The main source of officials in the Tang Dynasty was still through family connections and recommendations.

It’s just that the title of Jinshi can increase the probability of becoming prime minister.

Li Xuan believed that a real imperial examination system needed to admit more scholars and give more opportunities to poor people.

There are too many useless officials who have taken over our fathers' ranks and have done too many absurd things.

Now Li Xuan can only come up with ideas and wait for opportunities to implement them.

The weather turned colder, and Li Longji was already thinking about Huaqing Palace.

He issued an edict to the prime minister, and set out for Huaqing Palace on November 1st.

At this time, Li Longji was afraid of the cold winter...

Unless there are any unexpected events, Li Longji will spend the next winters in Huaqing Palace.

If the king behaves like this, it will cause great harm to the government.

This is a phenomenon of inaction.

Civil and military officials understood that since the establishment of Huaqing Palace last year, it would most likely become the "second administrative center."

On this day, the Tibetan minister, Enlanda Zhalugong, entrusted by Maxiang Zhongbajie, finally arrived in Chang'an.

They carried more than two thousand pounds of gold and numerous jewels.

And Maxiang Zhongbajie's young son went to Chang'an to "study".

After Enlanda Zhalugong left the snowy plateau and stepped into the territory of the Tang Dynasty, he knew that it was Li Xuan's era.

Li Xuan was appointed Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty!
However, he also served part-time as the Jiedushi of Longyou and Hexi.

The young and energetic Li Xuan was the lifelong enemy of Tubo.

The powerful Tubo was destroyed by Li Xuan in just a few years.

Enlanda Zhalugong knew that everyone in Tubo, from nobles to common people, feared Li Xuan like a tiger.

They believed that Li Xuan was a god in reincarnation and was invincible.

If Li Xuan were still alive, the Tibetan soldiers would not have the confidence to leave the snowy plateau.

Even when those children grow up to adulthood, they don't think about revenge.

The shadows cast by battles accompany them as they grow up.

The mere mention of that name would make the Tibetans tremble in fear.

(End of this chapter)