On the sixth day of November, there was heavy snow, the sky was cold and snowy, and the birds were silent.
At this time of year, heavy snowfall is falling almost everywhere in the north, decorating the capital city like a blanket of snow.
Each solar term has its own customs, such as rice cakes, bacon, stove sacrifices, etc.
Of course, it is also indispensable to join in the fun of praying to gods and worshiping Buddha every solar term.
As the main temple in Beijing appointed by Daolu Si, Zhenwu Temple is undoubtedly one of the most popular temples.
In addition to enjoying official sacrifices at specific times, there is also an endless stream of people coming to worship on weekdays.
Just like today's heavy snow.
In the head of Guizhou, gentry, good families, and students, each wearing a variety of clothes, including jacket skirts, cotton-padded jackets, long coats, and large cloaks, flowers, red, and green, walked in and out in front of the Zhenwu Temple.
"Candied haws on a stick! Delicious and inexpensive candied haws on a stick!"
"New year cake! Hot big rice cake!"
The cries of hawkers outside the temple were endless, and it was very lively.
Gu Xiancheng and Sun Jigao found a random stall outside the temple, one ate noodles and the other ate wontons.
Sun Jigao just entered Beijing at the end of last month, and he was preparing to take the Jinshi Jinshi examination. People at that time said that his name was good. Zhao Zhigao in the previous class was a first-class scholar. Now this Jigao should succeed and win the first class again.
.
Sun Jigao was a native of Wuxi, South Zhili. He was about the same age as Li Sancai and Gu Xiancheng. He was not yet twenty-four years old.
The three of them are old friends.
Gu Xiancheng held chopsticks in one hand and a newspaper in the other.
In order to prevent Sun Jigao from always trying to get in here, Gu Xiancheng thoughtfully read out the words for his friend word for word.
"In August of the sixth year of Longqing's reign, with the Ministry of Personnel and the Metropolitan Procuratorate at the top, and the Department of Civil Affairs and the Examination Department at the bottom, a written examination book was set up, and deadlines were set for unfinished matters, large and small, and were observed internally and externally."
"In August of the first year, one year expires."
"The ministries, academies, departments, and sections will inspect the northern and southern capitals and one province in Fujian every year, and the political work of more than 7,000 officials will be completed on the third day of November."
"The ministries and departments submit the date of issuance of each quarterly memorial. The two capitals, and Fuyin Prefecture and County in Fujian also provide the date of each quarterly memorial for verification. I have been diligent enough to see it now!"
"Among them, 298 are excellent, 931 are inferior, and the rest are all qualified..."
When Gu Xiancheng read this, he couldn't help but stop and sighed: "There are as many as nine hundred and thirty-one."
Seeing that he stopped reading, Sun Jigao took the Di newspaper from Gu Xiancheng's hand.
He tilted his head, frowned, and looked carefully.
From time to time, he nodded and said to himself: "This round of repayment of salary and additional performance, a total of 170,000 taels will be paid out. The money is actually from internal funds! Your Majesty is really a benevolent king!"
When Gu Xiancheng heard this, he nodded in approval.
Distributing money is undisputed virtue.
What's more, the emperor paid for it.
This is so much higher than the late emperor that I don’t know where.
Gu Xiancheng took the newspaper from Sun Jigao again, and the two of them fought for it.
Although the store put a new newspaper on the counter, the two of them seemed not to have seen it - poor people just read the new newspaper in vernacular, but if a family of officials also read the new newspaper, then their ancestors were not white officials?
It’s even worse if you mistake it for bitterness, haha.
Gu Xiancheng held the Dibao in his hand again: "Starting from next year, Huguang, Shandong, Henan, and Shaanxi will also start passing the exam. The supplementary salary will probably be doubled by then. I only hope that Your Majesty will not give up halfway."
Sun Jigao shook his head: "This is all owed by the past emperors. If the salary was paid on time in previous years, how could we owe so much? Now it is the future generations who have to pay off the debt. Even if His Majesty does not pay this money next year, it is still a kindness.
The King of Virtue.”
Although he sympathized with officials who were owed wages, in the past the emperor's lower limit was too low, so Sun Jigao automatically lowered his expectations.
Gu Xiancheng nodded and no longer thought about the future.
He turned and said thoughtfully: "Speaking of which, after these officials receive their salaries, I'm afraid there will be many officials who live on their salaries and are eagerly waiting for the test to be completed."
I don’t know whether it was intentional or unintentional, but this act of virtue has invisibly reduced a lot of resistance.
Sun Jigao also quite agreed with this: "That's why I say His Majesty is benevolent."
However, he still had some criticisms about other things. He changed the subject and said with emotion: "Your Majesty is good at everything else, but in the matter of Tu Xiying and Wang Jiaping, his likes and dislikes are too obvious."
"The ruler's likes and dislikes should not be observed by others, for fear that traitors will follow him. He should be like a prisoner from heaven. He should take care of his own good and evil, and then punish and reward him accordingly, so that all his merits and demerits will be realized."
In Sun Jigao's view, once the monarch's likes and dislikes are revealed, they will have a great impact.
Especially those villains who follow the monarch's favor. In serious cases, it may even lead to bias in the government's affairs.
The last thing an emperor should do is to clearly state what someone did well and what they did poorly, and then scold or praise them.
Instead, you should hide what your subordinates do and only reward and punish them.
Scolding a Tu Xiying made him lose face and force him to retire and return home. Is the punishment too severe?
When everyone admires a Wang Jiaping, everyone will imitate him and hide his true nature. How can the emperor tell who is a gentleman and who is a villain?
Therefore, in Sun Jigao's opinion, the emperor just stayed in the Forbidden City for a long time and went out of the palace to mess around.
But Gu Xiancheng did not agree with this point.
He shook his head and retorted: "I don't agree with Yide's statement."
"At that time, Li Deyu once advised Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty, saying, 'The emperor and his ministers were good at doing good deeds, but they kept silent about their minor faults, which accumulated over time, leading to disaster and failure.'"
"Instead of showing greatness externally and hiding things internally, shouldn't we be able to confront the minister if he is guilty and allow him to change his ways?"
"Instead of mastering the art and serving the subordinates, shouldn't the ministers have merit and be rewarded face to face so that others can learn from it?"
"If you have a most humble heart, you will not be swayed by opinions; if you have a most impartial heart, you will not be swayed by love and hate."
"That's why the ruler hides his likes and dislikes and manipulates his power, but he has no humility and no impartiality."
As the old saying goes.
Therefore, Sun Jigao used Fu Bi's ancient sayings, while Gu Xiancheng used Li Deyu's ancient sayings.
If you are good at learning, you can compete with any proverb or classic.
The main reason was that the two had different views on the emperor.
In Sun Jigao's view, the emperor was somewhat too harsh, and reprimanding ministers in person was really disrespectful to the country.
Gu Xiancheng, on the other hand, was very satisfied with the emperor's attitude in handling Fugu.
This is a good emperor who listens to opinions!
Not only did he correct the chaos for Xiong Dunpu and deal with Song Confucianism, but he also rewarded a group of common people, including Wuzhongxing and Zhao Yongxian, who served as Zhongshushe people and accompanied him around.
An emperor who can humbly accept advice is better than anything else!
As friends, differences of opinion do not affect friendship.
Sun Jigao smiled and waved his hand, saying nothing.
A while passed.
Both of them finished eating.
Gu Xiancheng couldn't help but look around: "Why did it take so long for Li Sancai to buy a candy man?"
Sun Jigao also stood up and looked at the endless crowd, looking for any familiar faces.
The two looked at each other for a long time.
Finally, Li Sancai emerged from the crowd.
I saw him pushing through the crowd, holding three candy figures in his hand, and smiling brightly at the two of them.
Li Sancai walked up to Gu Xiancheng and Sun Jigao in just a few steps.
Although I was a little embarrassed due to the crowd, the smile on my face did not diminish.
He handed the two flag-shaped candy figures in his hands to Gu Xiancheng and Sun Jigao: "Spring is less than a hundred days away. I only hope that you two will win this time!"
When Gu Xiancheng and Sun Jigao saw this, their long-awaited displeasure was instantly wiped away.
The two laughed, took it in their hands and thanked them.
Sun Jigao looked at the remaining carp candy man in Li Sancai's hand and asked curiously: "How come you, this candy man, are not the same as what I was waiting for?"
When Gu Xiancheng heard this, he also looked curiously.
Li Sancai put the fish tail to his mouth, took a lick, and said helplessly: "You two are in the first spring, so you can naturally win with a flag. It's a pity that I, a World War II person, have already waved the flag once."
"After thinking about it, it's more common for Carp to Leap over Dragon Gate."
Although he is only twenty-two years old now, he has already passed the Jinshi exam once and failed.
Sun Jigao shook his head and laughed.
Then some more casual remarks were made.
Gu Xiancheng interrupted the two of them, gestured towards the back door of the Zhenwu Temple in front of him, and dragged one person inside with one hand: "I'm afraid the blessing from you two is not as good as that of Emperor Zhenwu, so please don't delay me in worshiping the true god."
The two of them let Gu Xiancheng pull and pull them, and together they entered the Zhenwu Temple through the back door.
After stepping into the temple, it immediately felt spacious - because of traffic restrictions, half of the street outside was blocked, and it was all in time for the small temple fair.
The three of them entered the temple through a special passage and were immediately greeted by a middle-aged Taoist priest.
"Li Jushi, two lay people."
As soon as I heard this, I knew that Li San was a regular customer.
Li Sancai took out a piece of sesame oil money wrapped in oil paper from his arms and asked casually: "It's not the New Year yet, why are there so many people today?"
Although the Chinese New Year is only a month away, generally speaking, it takes half a month before the temple fairs are crowded with people.
The middle-aged Taoist took the sesame oil money handed over by Li Sancai calmly and passed it to the young Taoist behind him calmly.
Then he turned back to Li Sancai and explained, "Li Sancai doesn't know something. Recently, the Ministry of Rites granted my master the title of Praise. In order to thank the kings and people of heaven and earth, my master made his own blessings into amulets, hoping to spread them among the destined people.
"
"There are a lot of people coming to the temple to get amulets these days."
Well, free promotions seize the market.
When Li Sancai heard that it was a happy event, he immediately performed all the etiquette and congratulated: "Prince Yuan Shen has been given a teaching? What a joy and congratulations!"
The regulations of Taoism were once reduced.
During the Hongwu period, Zhang Changshang still had the title of Heavenly Master, but after Zhang Changsheng, he only had the title of Zhengyi Zhengyi of Longhushan.
And now, even the title of Taoist Master cannot be removed.
Except for the major sects such as Gezaoshan, Sanmaoshan, and Taiheshan, which confer hereditary spiritual officials and some titles, the rest can only be appointed judges, teachers, and bookkeepers, all of which are in the eighth rank.
Therefore, the title of Taoist Yuan Shen, which praises the religion, is already a great honor for the Taoist sect.
It can be said that if you use this name to perform services for dignitaries, the price will immediately double.
The middle-aged Taoist didn't look happy, but curled his lips: "A happy event is a happy event, but it's a bit expensive."
Outsiders don't know the truth.
This matter involves the money the emperor borrowed originally!
Taoist Yuan Shen took advantage of the time he was praying for the two palaces to mention this matter in a sideways manner, hoping to collect debts from the emperor.
As a result, the emperor granted Yuan Shen a title of patronage on the spot, and also gave him a four-character imperial letter of "Yuan Shen's De", hoping to extend it for thirty to fifty years.
This is no different from buying an account with money.
As for the emperor still not paying back after thirty or fifty years?
Yuan Shenzan taught that as long as it is beneficial to Taoism, then choose to believe it.
It's a pity that Taoist Yuan Shen is already in his seventies. Who knows if he can get his money back by being banned.
Therefore, middle-aged Taoist talents are said to be a bit expensive.
The Taoist didn't care whether Li Sancai understood it or not. He left behind this meaningless sentence and handed over a few sticks of incense. He stood aside knowingly and allowed the pilgrims and laymen to worship God and make vows.
Li Sancai didn't take it seriously and put the matter behind him.
He and his two companions took a step forward, walked to the statue of Zhenwu, and murmured something.
Sun Jigao on the side, perhaps because he made few wishes, had already inserted the incense into the incense burner and stepped back.
"I heard that the number of Jinshi scholars this year has been increased to 400, which is really unexpected."
Worshiping God is mostly for psychological comfort. How can everything be fine if you worship God? In the end, you have to return to reality.
Gu Xiancheng also finished offering incense at this time and took up the conversation: "I originally came to Beijing to rush for the exam with the mentality of being familiar with the exam venue, but after hearing the news, I was already lucky. I may not have such a good opportunity in three years.
.”
There is a quota for Jinshi.
Usually there are between 300 and 320 people.
Now the number has increased to 400! For the candidates in this subject, it is a huge surprise!
After studying for another three years, there may not be much chance of recruiting hundreds of people.
At this time, Li Sancai finally finished reciting his vows, and while putting incense in the incense burner, he said: "That's not necessarily true. This subject was added because there were too many officials who resigned under the examination. I heard that
Even Tu Xiying, the minister of Honglu Temple, and Liu Guangji, the right minister of the Ministry of Industry, all became officials because of this."
"If according to the examination method, if you fail to pass the examination in three years, you will be dismissed from office, then in the next imperial examination, I am afraid that the number of Jinshi will only increase rather than decrease!"
The high-ranking officials and dignitaries were forced to leave, not to mention the people below.
In addition, starting from next year, Huguang, Shandong and other provinces, water transportation yamen, salt administration yamen, etc. will all implement this method.
Three years later, we still don’t know how many official positions will be lost.
Even this year, according to Li Sancai's expectation, the number of 100 Jinshi has been reduced.
Sun Jigao is not sensitive to this. He is determined to be in the top 10 this year, and it doesn't matter how many people he recruits.
He just sighed and said: "It's not famous for writing articles. Officials should retire due to old age and illness."
These words have profound meaning.
Of course, it was also because the emperor's likes and dislikes were too obvious.
The previous sentence shows that everyone can see that this Jinshi does not like to socialize and give lectures.
For example, last month, Gu Xiancheng said that he wanted to introduce him to his friend Li Kun, who was taking the exam together. However, after the emperor reprimanded Zhao Zhigao, that friend had not interacted with them for half a month.
The latter sentence means that although the emperor rarely interfered in personnel affairs, recently he often interfered, either by dismissing the old man from office or promoting Jinshi in Longqing and other subjects.
Most of the young men from poor backgrounds were members of the imperialist party, so everyone couldn't help but have no ideas.
After hearing Sun Jigao's words, the two of them were silent for a moment, and unanimously agreed: "That is indeed the best in Jinke!"
What if in the next term, the emperor is already in charge and there is no place for him?
Who knows how long those like Zheng Zongxue, who are in their twenties, and those like Wang Jiaping and Li Zaiting, who are in their early thirties, can occupy the trap.
The three of them chatted and finished lighting incense.
He originally wanted to go back home, but on a whim, Li Sancai also said that he wanted to get a talisman from Yuan Shen Taoist - even though he was here, he would rather believe that he had it.
The middle-aged Taoist is naturally happy to see the success and will lead the way.
The other two people did not know each other, but Li Sancai had to take good care of him. His father, Li Xun, was a member of the household department of the sixth rank, Wailang.
This is a high-ranking official! His immediate superior at Zhenwu Guan, Daolu Si Zuozheng, is only a sixth-rank official.
Seeing this, Gu Xiancheng and Sun Jigao shook their heads helplessly and followed quickly.
The place where amulets are handed out is at the front door.
The three of them followed the middle-aged Taoist through the side hall and headed towards the front hall.
But when I was halfway there, I suddenly heard a loud sound in the hall.
The three of them stopped in unison and walked over to see what was going on.
I saw more than twenty futons in the side hall, and some half-grown men were sitting on each side, listening attentively to the words in front of them.
In front of everyone, there was a young woman wearing Kun Dao clothing, standing next to a polished stone slab, writing some strange symbols with ink carbon.
"Then, we will round the calculated area of ​​the figure to an integer."
"Finally fill in the form and sort and compare."
Gu Xiancheng looked inside curiously and was about to speak to Li Sancai.
The latter raised his lips to stop Gu Xiancheng.
Then Li Sancai lowered his voice and said: "Don't disturb her yet. This woman is a tigress. She will hit someone if she is disturbed from her business."
He paused and then added: "He grew up in the same alley as me, the family tradition of Qin Tianjian."
Family tradition means hereditary.
There were few female officials in the imperial court.
Leaving aside the Jiaofang Division and Luan Jia Division, which are suitable for female officials, Qintian Prison also occasionally has female officials - this is the prerogative of the technical monopoly department, who allows Taoists to teach Feng Shui and the study of astrology, regardless of Dao or Kun Dao.
After saying that, Li Sancai took Gu Xiancheng and Sun Jigao and quietly retreated.
Sun Jigao looked back strangely again, and after walking out, he asked the Taoist next to him who was smiling and silent: "Taoist, is this the teachings of Zhenwu Temple?"
That is a private school that has not been registered and committed a crime.
The Taoist shook his head and explained with a smile: "That's not true. This is a new school of the imperial court, jointly established by Qin Tianjian and the Ministry of Household Affairs."
"It just so happens that the people trust the major Taoist temples and are willing to put their children here to study, so they borrowed our venue."
Li Sancai also looked at the Taoist out of curiosity and asked, "Are you talking about arithmetic?"
The Taoist nodded, then shook his head: "Today is arithmetic, and other times there will be classes on literacy, farming, writing, etc."
Gu Xiancheng was stunned: "Article?"
The Taoist hurriedly explained: "It's not a classic article, it's just a simple concatenation of words into sentences, and some daily letters, IOUs, contracts, etc. written in vernacular."
After saying this, the three of them felt relieved.
We are chatting here, and the homework inside seems to be finished.
A group of boys and girls filed out.
Many of them were holding an egg in their hands and smiling broadly.
Seeing the Taoist standing at the door, they all saluted and called themselves elders.
The Taoist smiled and nodded in return.
Li Sancai looked at the eggs in the hands of these children and said in astonishment: "You still give out eggs after every class!? The Ministry of Finance is so rich now?"
His father is a member of the Ministry of Finance, so why didn’t he know that the Ministry of Finance was so wealthy?
The Taoist glanced at him speechlessly: "How can it be so luxurious? You only get one for each round of academic examinations that you pass, which is only more than ten times a year. In winter, there are mostly coarse grains."
"It's not distributed by the Ministry of Household Affairs, it's donated by the New University."
"It is said that as long as you are successful in mathematics, you can report to a new university, find a job, or continue your studies."
To put it bluntly, it is the advantage of attracting people to come to class.
The three of them were thoughtful.
When I left the Zhenwu Temple, I realized that I had forgotten about asking for the amulet.
Turning back will definitely not turn back.
The three of them were walking on the street, and Gu Xiancheng was the first to speak: "Your Majesty does not pay attention to classics, but wastes money on fancy tricks. I'm afraid it's not a good thing."
It is not the emperor alone who has the final say on how the national finances are spent.
Just because the emperor likes magic, he cannot spend too much money.
Li Sancai pondered for a moment and considered: "That college was built last year, and there was originally no activity. Since Xu Jie came to Beijing, he has frequently approached various ministries and government offices to blend in. Now I'm afraid it has become a climate and has begun to recruit civilians."
Sun Jigao was a little curious and suggested: "How about we go and have a look?"
The three of them hit it off immediately.
When I got to the street, I was about to go to the side road.
Suddenly I saw a group of people gathered in front of me, seeming to be watching some announcement or something.
As we all know, it is difficult for people to move around when they are busy.
Especially when the three of them are about to take the exam, they are most sensitive to posting notices.
The three people immediately pushed through the crowd and got in to find out.
It doesn't matter if you don't look at it.
After taking a closer look, I realized what kind of notice was there. It was an announcement!
The content is as powerful as tiger and wolf medicine.
It said.
"This subject is the first subject of Long Fei, so it must be emphasized."
"During the reign of Emperor Su, the second son of the assistant minister Zhai Luan ascended to the throne and was dismissed from his post to serve the people, and all the examiners were dismissed."
"In the 13th year of Zhengtong's reign, Cao Ding was ranked second in the second class of the Wuchen Dynasty. He was the direct younger brother of Duke Wen Zhong Nai. Wen Zhong did not shy away from reading the scrolls. He was also selected as a common scholar. The Yingzong's virtuous reputation began to be corrupted."
"I am reporting that Zhang Jingxiu, who is the first to admonish his disciples, is not careful to arouse suspicion and give in. He does not obey the strict precautions in the examination room. He does not think of being humble and avoiding respect. He is eager to try and peek at the examination results."
"The first assistant is in power, he has friends with powerful people, and he is invited by rich people all over the place. How can the examiners be impartial, do their best, and read the papers with a clear heart?"
"I am a beggar, and my talents and ambitions are as good as those of the middle secretaries. I will do whatever I want after I retire from the position!"
"Clean up the smog of corruption in the examination hall and bring justice to the students all over the world. Your Majesty can do it in just one thought!"
The three people quickly read the post with different expressions.
Jietie, commonly known as small leaflet.
In the beginning, it was mostly used in peasant uprisings. At most, it could write a few big characters, such as land equalization, exemption from taxes and so on.
But by the Ming Dynasty, paper was getting cheaper and cheaper, and it was enough for lengthy essays.
It is generally used to publish something that does not comply with regulations, commonly known as nonsense.
The whole post is very simple.
I am so heartbroken that I don't even look at the examples cited.
Anyway, it is a core idea. As the chief minister in power, Zhang Juzheng’s own son participates in the examination. How can fairness be guaranteed?
Either my son should stop taking the exam, or I should stop doing this!
Gu Xiancheng looked excited: "What he said is meaningful and his argument is reasonable."
Sun Jigao frowned and worried: "I just hope there won't be any trouble and delay the imperial examination."
Li Sancai was stunned and lost his mind: "Vicious and vicious, it hits the vital point."
Chapter completed!