Chapter 137 Donghua Gate Roll Call
Zhao Xing looked at Li Jie's departing back and sneered in his heart.
He knew that what he had just said was probably of no use at all.
My father has reprimanded him several times, but he hasn't changed.
Those civil officials and relatives by marriage have become accustomed to being indulged by his father.
Feng Deguang’s death did have a certain effect, but the habits formed over a long period of time could not make these people truly feel the majesty of imperial power.
Li Jie is the son of my father's uncle. Given my father's temper, even if Zhao Xing wanted to deal with him, it would be impossible.
Therefore, there was no way that Li Jie could be frightened by his few words.
However, Zhao Xing didn't care. Once he ascended the throne, he would naturally have plenty of opportunities to change this trend.
At first, Zhao Xing believed that the reason why reforms were difficult to implement and the resistance was too great was because they affected the interests of too many people.
He also tried to think of various ways to balance this contradiction.
But later he gradually realized that affecting the interests of the majority of people was only a superficial reason.
In the final analysis, it is a clash between imperial power and officials. The so-called interests are only superficial. The most crucial factor is that the imperial power is not strong enough.
It doesn’t mean that because the imperial power is strong, reforms can be carried out and people can be slaughtered at will, killing all those who oppose it.
Officials will weigh the pros and cons. When they know that a decision is irreversible or will cost a huge price, they will calculate the gains and losses.
It is true that they opposed reforms in order to protect their own interests, but it is also because they knew the cost of opposition was not high, so they were naturally willing to do it.
But if the cost of opposition exceeds their expectations, smart people will not oppose, but will comply, thereby gaining new benefits for themselves to make up for the lost gap.
However, seeking new interests means risks and uncertainties. When the imperial power is not strong enough, they will not and do not need to take that risk.
Why was the founding emperor so powerful?
This does not mean that the civil and military officials at that time were free from selfish motives.
But they knew that standing on the emperor's side was the best option.
Later, the imperial power was restricted little by little. They saw the benefits of restricting the imperial power and naturally stood on the side of restricting the imperial power.
However, it is not so easy to strengthen the imperial power. Now that Zhao Xing has not yet ascended the throne, it is a bit too far-fetched to think about it.
……
Ever since Han Da Xianggong shouted that "only the one whose name is called out outside the Donghua Gate is a real man", the imperial examination was pushed to a new height. Every time the results of the imperial examination were announced, it became one of the most important events in the entire Bianliang City.
The Song Dynasty Imperial Palace faces north and south, and Donghuamen is the eastern side gate of the palace.
Early that morning, a large number of people gathered a hundred steps away from Donghua Gate.
These people stood on both sides of the road, leaving the middle of the road empty.
It’s not that the people don’t want to get close and watch, nor is it that the people are of high quality and purposely left a path.
But Donghua Gate is the side gate of the imperial palace, and ordinary people are not allowed to approach within a hundred steps.
As for the road left in the middle, it was for the yamen runners who came to report the good news to pass through.
At this time, dozens of yamen runners were already waiting at the gate of Donghuamen.
I don’t know how long it took, but several officials walked out of the open Donghua Gate.
These officials are from the Ministry of Rites and are responsible for the roll call.
Several officials stood at the entrance of Donghuamen. After saying some words of thanks to the court officials, they took the imperial edict from the officials behind them and began to read it.
The yamen runners who had been waiting on the side jumped on their horses and rode away after the official called out his name.
As the names were read out one by one, the yamen runners rode away on their horses.
These yamen runners went to report the good news according to the addresses left by those who had passed the imperial examination.
Those who lived in Bianjing would go home to announce the good news. Those who were taking the exams from other places would leave the address of the inn where they were staying.
The first bailiff who went to report the good news quickly arrived at an inn in the inner city and loudly sang out the names and hometowns of those who had passed the imperial examination at the door of the inn.
Soon, a group of people came out, escorting a scholar. The scholar gave the bailiff some money with a happy look on his face.
The bailiff happily took the gift money, said a few auspicious words, then mounted his horse and left.
For the yamen runners, reporting good news is a good job, but without connections, they are not even qualified to be selected.
The Song Dynasty was a time of great literary prosperity, and scholars were highly valued. Even students from poor families would receive financial support from local government when they went to Beijing to take the imperial examinations.
When local wealthy businessmen learn about this, they will also give some money to create a good relationship.
Therefore, students who were able to come to Beijing to take part in the imperial examination all had some money.
The situation in which students taking exams have no money and are impoverished as shown in TV shows and novels simply does not exist.
Passing the imperial examination is one of the four great joys in life, so it was natural for one to be generous to the yamen runner who came to announce the good news.
As soon as the runner who brought the good news left, the scholar was surrounded by a group of people congratulating him, and soon there were cheers.
It is very likely that the student who passed the exam said something like "I will pay for all the consumption today."
As more and more people received the good news, this situation happened in every inn in Bian Jing.
Although passing the prefectural examination is equivalent to becoming a Jinshi, there have been cases in the past where someone passed the prefectural examination but failed to make the list because of poor performance in the palace examination.
Therefore, those students who passed the imperial examination were still worried.
Now that the good news has come, it means that they can finally put their minds at ease.
Being named on the imperial examination is a great event that brings honor to the family.
Even if you are a prime minister of the dynasty, you cannot guarantee that your descendants will be successful in the imperial examinations.
Although due to their official positions, their descendants could receive titles and honors.
However, there is a world of difference between being granted a title by inheritance and passing the imperial examination to become an official.
Even if the descendants of a minister in the court passed the imperial examination, there would be a big celebration. The joy of these successful students can be imagined.
But Zhao Xing couldn't be happy.
On the third floor of Fan Building, there was a private room facing the street, and its windows were open at this time.
Zhao Xing stood in front of the window, looking at the street below with a frown.
Bianjing was very prosperous, with a permanent population of one million. Together with the floating population, the year-round population was over one million.
This is nothing in later generations, as most city fights are more than just this.
But this was ancient times, and there were no tall buildings.
It has a large population, is the capital, and is very prosperous, so there is no need to explain in detail.
Normally the streets of the inner and outer cities were crowded and bustling.
But today was different. It wasn't that the streets were empty, but all the pedestrians deliberately left the middle of the street clear.
The area near Fanlou is one of the busiest places in Bianjing, and is usually bustling with traffic.
However, today it is rare to see horse-drawn carriages passing by.
It’s not that they were blocked, but those wealthy families had a tacit agreement not to go out today to make it easier for the yamen runners to report the good news.
Whether it was that wealthy families stayed at home or that ordinary people deliberately left the middle road clear, the imperial court had no clear regulations requiring this.
It is a tacit understanding formed over a long period of time.
Zhao Xing felt that this kind of tacit understanding was not entirely a reflection of quality, but a reflection of the status of literati.
"Zhonghuai, if I remember correctly, the military examination started not long after the imperial examination ended, right?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Your Highness, this year's martial arts examination is scheduled for September," said Gu Tingye.
"September? That's almost time. Why haven't I heard anyone talking about it?" Zhao Xing asked.
Gu Tingye remained silent in the face of this question. Even the imperial court did not attach importance to the military examination, let alone the common people.
Seeing that Gu Tingye didn't say anything, Zhao Xing didn't care. In fact, he already knew the answer.
He was not opposed to valuing literati. After all, the world could only be governed by literati.
But the Song Dynasty's emphasis on this was a bit excessive.
They say that when the birds are gone, the good bows are put away. When the rabbit dies, the running dogs are cooked.
But the Song Dynasty now faces powerful enemies, and that time has not yet come. We can emphasize culture but cannot neglect military power.
(End of this chapter)