Chapter 350 Weird Palace Examination Questions
"It's not my credit."
The emperor laughed at himself and said, "Before Fu'er moved out of the palace, I once saw a piece of calligraphy in his room. It said: When the country prospers, the people suffer; when the country perishes, the people suffer!"
"At that time, I was both relieved and a little amused."
"Fuer cares about the people, why does Your Majesty find it funny?" Queen Mother Cao asked puzzledly.
"After I took power, I selected talented people, reduced corvée labor, and lowered taxes. I disliked extravagance and advocated frugality. The ministers in the court all praised the peace and prosperity of the world, the tranquility of the eight wastelands, and the happiness of scholars and farmers."
"Although I didn't say it, I was actually quite pleased with myself. I felt that even if I couldn't compare to the wise rulers in history books, I wasn't much worse."
"Fuer said, if the country is prosperous, the people will also suffer. Isn't that a joke?" said the official.
"How old was Fu'er at that time? How come Your Majesty has remembered it for so many years?" Empress Dowager Cao said with a smile.
"I am not remembering it, but what I saw and heard after arriving in Luoyang, I think what Fu'er said is right. Luoyang is not far from Bianjing. The people near Luoyang have such a hard life, what about other places?"
The Emperor looked at Empress Dowager Cao and said, "You said that the thorough investigation of the land was my credit, but in fact, it was all Fu'er's credit. I just saw him doing this in Kaifeng Prefecture and found a lot of land, which can increase the income of the court. The court is short of money, and I did this just to increase some income for the court, not for the people."
"With my personality, I actually prefer stability. When the court officials opposed it before, I was actually a little shaken. I thought that if Fuer ascended the throne in the future, he would still investigate it, so I didn't stop it."
"Now it seems that Fu'er is right."
"Your Majesty, have you decided to move the capital?" Queen Dowager Cao asked in surprise.
They have been married for so many years, and when the emperor said this, how could she not understand what he meant.
The emperor nodded first, then shook his head and said, "Although Luoyang has recovered well, if we want to move the capital, we still need to renovate and plan it, and the imperial palace also needs to be rebuilt. The court simply doesn't have that much money."
"If Fu'er can find a way to get enough money to complete the construction of the imperial palace and Luoyang without affecting the operation of the court and increasing taxes, I will agree to his request."
After hearing what the Empress Dowager Cao thought about it carefully, she understood what the retired emperor meant.
The emperor was already inclined to move the capital, and the money to build the imperial palace and Luoyang City was a test for Zhao Xing.
If Zhao Xing could complete it, he would agree to move the capital, otherwise the plan would have to be abandoned.
However, she was the queen mother and had no intention of interfering in state affairs, so she did not say anything.
"It seems that the emperor has decided to return to Bianliang in the near future?" Empress Dowager Cao said with a smile.
The Emperor looked towards Bianjing and said, "We have been out for so long, it is time to go back."
…………
Seven days after the results of the joint examination were announced, the palace examination officially began.
Early in the morning, the scholars who passed the imperial examination gathered in the palace and, led by eunuchs, came to the Chongzheng Hall.
The hall is filled with desks and cases filled with writing brushes, inkstones, and paper.
Led by the eunuchs, the scholars entered the hall and stood behind the tables in an orderly manner.
The whole process was very quiet, with almost no sound of footsteps.
After the scholar stood still, about a cup of tea later, the eunuch in charge of the palace shouted, "Your Majesty has arrived!"
The stone buns quickly bowed and stood up.
After a while, Zhao Xing, surrounded by Han Zhang and others, walked into the hall.
The palace examination lasted for one day, so Zhao Xing naturally couldn't be there throughout the whole process.
He just needs to show up, give a question and then leave, and Han Zhang and the others will be in charge of the work.
Zhao Xing came to the imperial platform and sat down. The eunuch in charge of the palace shouted, "Bow!"
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!" The scholars in the hall bowed and shouted in unison.
As mentioned earlier, there used to be an elimination system in the palace examination. Later, because some officials who were eliminated in the palace examination defected to Western Xia, the elimination system was cancelled.
Therefore, passing the joint examination is equivalent to becoming a Jinshi, and the palace examination is just a formality to determine the final ranking.
Therefore, these people were able to call themselves ministers.
"Stand up!" Zhao Xing waved his hand and said in a deep voice: "I have checked the examination questions of the palace examinations in previous dynasties. They are either poetry or policy essays. Today I have decided to set some different examination questions. You all take your seats first. When I orally recite the examination questions, you can take notes."
"Yes!"
Everyone shouted in unison, sat down, held the pen in one hand and held up their sleeve with the other, dipped the pen in ink, and waited for Zhao Xing to orally tell them the test questions.
"One: A's father was angered to death by his stepmother, and A avenged his father out of anger. Is he guilty?"
"Second: The county magistrate accepted money from B and tortured A into confessing. A could not bear the rumors and committed suicide. What crime should the county magistrate be charged with?"
"Three: The prisoner on death row has no one to take care of his parents at home, so he asks the emperor to allow him to serve as a servant. If there is a general amnesty, can he be spared from death?"
"Four……"
Zhao Xing spoke eloquently for ten questions before he stopped.
There was a common problem in ancient times that the imperial examinations basically did not test laws and cases.
Even if there is some test on these, they are not the main focus. The main focus is still on policy essays and classics.
The questions Zhao Xing asked were all rather difficult cases.
Such questions may seem simple, but they actually have no fixed answers.
It not only tests their ability to solve cases, but also reveals their character.
Just like the first question, A is definitely guilty, but the severity of the crime is difficult to assess.
According to the ancient filial piety, a stepmother is also a mother, so even if she avenges her father, it is unfilial and should be sentenced to death.
But A was avenging his father, so in this respect he was being filial.
Anyone who chooses the former is considered to be foolishly filial.
In Zhao Xing's opinion, such a person is of no use.
In ancient times, blind filial piety was actually advocated because it would lead to blind loyalty, and those in power naturally hoped that their subjects would be such people.
But in Zhao Xing's view, blind filial piety does not mean blind loyalty.
On the contrary, such people have been poisoned too deeply and are stubborn.
The other questions also have their own intentions and are full of traps.
When answering the questions, these people would definitely consider what Zhao Xing did after he ascended the throne to cater to Zhao Xing's wishes.
If you are not careful, you will fall into the pit.
After Zhao Xing finished giving the questions, he said, "This palace examination is different from the previous ones. You only need to answer how to judge and what the reasons and basis are. The quality of your writing is not important."
The scholars in the hall were all a little surprised when they heard this. Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, the most important thing in the imperial examinations was literary talent.
Not only did Zhao Xing come up with such a weird topic, he also didn't focus on literary talent.
Those with less literary talent naturally felt happy, but those with better literary talent felt that they were at a disadvantage.
Zhao Xing didn't care what they thought. He asked Han Zhang and a few others to supervise the exam and left the hall.
As soon as Zhao Xing left, the originally quiet hall became a little noisy.
"quiet!"
Han Zhang said in a deep voice: "Since your majesty has already asked the questions, you just need to answer them. If you dare to make noise again, you will be disqualified."
In fact, he also felt that Zhao Xing's questioning was a bit frivolous.
But the emperor's words were golden, and since he had set the questions in front of so many scholars, there was no room for change.
At this time, he naturally had to maintain Zhao Xing's dignity.
(End of this chapter)