Chapter 345: Selection of the Chief Examiner for the Imperial Examination
"My dear Minister Yan, what do you have to say about Censor Huang's impeachment?" Zhao Xing looked at Yan Kuan.
"Your Majesty, I am wronged!"
Yan Kuan stepped out of the line with a look of grievance and said, "Every year, many exiled people die on the way. Exiles are all about walking with shackles on, and there is a time limit. Those criminal officials are used to a life of luxury and can't stand it, so they die on the way. Isn't it normal?"
Exile is to banish people to remote areas, so it is often thousands of miles away.
During this process, the prisoners need to walk all the way with shackles on.
The escorting bailiffs had to endure a lot of hardship on the journey because of time constraints.
Some yamen runners even tortured people deliberately in order to avoid suffering, and it was common for people to die on the way.
As for releasing the person, these yamen runners did not dare to do so, because the person was dead and needed to be taken to the nearest government office for examination and approval by a coroner.
Only after confirming that the person is a criminal and not murdered, and issuing the document, can you go back to report.
The reason why exiled officials never died in the past was because their families and colleagues would help to take care of them, and the escorting yamen runners would naturally take good care of them.
However, these officials were hinted at by Zhao Xing and Yan Kuan personally ordered to do so, so naturally they would not survive to be exiled.
For officials, exile is actually more terrifying than death.
The conditions in those remote areas are extremely difficult. Even if the prisoners have someone to bribe them and they don't have to do hard labor like ordinary prisoners, the harsh conditions alone are actually more painful than death for them.
But Zhao Xing chose to let people die on the road rather than send them to exile to suffer.
Because for the officials in the court, they actually had no intuitive feeling about exile.
In their view, exile at least allows them to stay alive, and if there is an amnesty one day, they can come back, but death will be the end of all.
Zhao Xing did this to tell these officials not to think that it doesn't matter if they made mistakes that are not punishable by death. If he wants to kill them, he has plenty of ways to do it.
Not to mention that someone impeached him today, even if no one impeached him, he would release the news after the land inventory was completed.
After all, the purpose of his doing this was to intimidate, but no one knew what the intimidation was.
"Minister Yan is really eloquent. If you say so, then why didn't any officials die on the way to exile before?" Censor Huang asked back.
"What Censor Huang said is what I am also confused about, but I asked someone to investigate and found no problems in the process. I am just confused, why were all the criminals who were exiled before fine?"
Yan Kuan bowed to Zhao Xing and said, "Your Majesty, I am preparing to petition Your Majesty to investigate the previous exile itinerary to see where the problem lies!"
The officials in the court were all surprised when they heard this. The youngest one who could serve in the court was in his early thirties.
Having served as an official for many years, most of them have friends who have been exiled and they have helped to manage the situation.
It is very common in official circles that people forget about you after you leave, but it is also not that common.
The most important thing in government circles is reputation. If you ignore someone you know when they are in trouble, your reputation will be ruined.
On the contrary, helping out doesn’t cost much and you can also gain a good reputation.
And what if that day comes for me too?
Regardless of the motivation, it is an indisputable fact that many people have done this.
If it were usual, they wouldn't be afraid, after all, it's not a big deal.
However, after Zhao Xing ascended the throne, he first executed several important officials in the court, and then killed many officials by exiling them.
Who knows if he is trying to take advantage of this issue again?
Xu looked at Censor Huang who was making the report with a gloomy look. If looks could kill, Censor Huang would have been chopped into pieces.
Just when someone was about to speak up to object, Zhao Xing spoke up.
"Okay, it's not a big deal, no need to make a fuss about it. But it is indeed bad that an exiled official died on the road. Yan Aiqing is the Minister of Justice and is also responsible. He should be fined for half a year to serve as a warning to others. In addition, the Dali Temple should investigate to see if there are any problems with the official who died on the way to exile." Zhao Xing said.
Yan Kuan cursed inwardly when he heard this, "I've offended so many people while helping you, and now I don't even dare to accept your gifts, and you even want to fine me my salary."
However, he did not dare to show it on his face and responded, "I will punish you!" The Minister of the Dali Temple also responded.
The other officials also cursed in their hearts, if Zhao Xing hadn't instructed him, would Yan Kuan have been so bold?
But they were afraid that Zhao Xing would take advantage of the situation, so they didn't dare to say anything.
"Your Majesty, the chief examiner has not been decided yet. Now that the imperial examination is approaching, the chief examiner should be decided." Han Zhang stepped out and said.
Zhao Xing heard this and said, "I neglected this matter. Fortunately, the great minister reminded me. Hanlin scholar Wang Anshi will be the chief examiner, and the right official of the Ministry of Rites will be the deputy examiner, and they will jointly preside over the joint examination."
Zhao Xing naturally could not forget such an important matter. He delayed deciding on the candidate because he did not want to give the scholars time to predict the topic.
During the imperial examinations, not only the scholars would follow the questions predicted by the chief examiner, but some civil servants in the court would also predict the questions.
These people are more informed than the scholars, and they understand human nature better, so they can predict the topics more accurately.
Some people with good family backgrounds would visit some people before the imperial examination began, in order to ask them about the questions they predicted so that their children could be better prepared.
Zhao Xing naturally did not want to recruit opportunistic people through the imperial examination.
Although there is time for predicting the questions nowadays, Wang Anshi is his confidant. When these people predict the questions, they will consider whether it is Wang Anshi who sets the questions or Zhao Xing who secretly sets the questions.
"I obey your order!" Wang Anshi and the right vice minister of the Ministry of Rites stepped out and said.
The rank of Vice Minister of Rites is definitely higher than that of Hanlin Bachelor, but Hanlin Bachelor can be respectfully addressed as "Sir".
Because the Hanlin Bachelor is the emperor's secretary. Although he does not hold real power, he is specifically responsible for providing advice to the emperor.
Low grade, but high status.
The chief examiners of the imperial examinations in all dynasties were mostly Hanlin scholars.
"If there is nothing else, let's withdraw from the court!"
"I will respectfully send you off to Your Majesty!"
With the respectful farewell of his ministers, Zhao Xing left the hall.
When he returned to Longtu Pavilion and was about to take a nap, Sanshui reported that Wang Anshi had arrived.
"Let him in."
After Zhao Xing finished speaking, he went to the imperial desk in the outer room and sat down.
Not long after we sat down, Wang Anshi walked in.
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"
"No need to be polite!" Zhao Xing waved his hand and asked, "What does Jiefu want to see me for?"
"I am here to ask about the imperial examination questions," said Wang Anshi.
"The policy paper should focus on law, and you can handle the rest on your own," said Zhao Xing.
In ancient times, people emphasized governing the country with laws and governing the people with Confucianism.
But in Zhao Xing's view, the Song Dynasty was completely the opposite.
The original intention of governing the people with Confucianism is to educate so that everyone can abide by morality and thus achieve the goal of abiding by laws and regulations.
It is sheer nonsense to govern a country entirely based on Confucianism.
It’s not that Zhao Xing hated Confucianism. In fact, there is nothing wrong with Confucianism in essence.
Since the Han Dynasty abolished all schools of thought and promoted Confucianism as the only one, all subsequent dynasties have taken Confucianism as the core, which shows that Confucianism does have its merits.
(End of this chapter)