"Song envoys the capital, and the emperor pretends to be an official of Song, so the emperor is a minister, and the general is an official." [Three Kingdoms·Liu Biao Biography·Note citing Fu Zi]
The concept of dual monarchs is a unique political trend inherited from the pre-Qin Dynasty and formed in the Han Dynasty. It is analogous to the relationship between leaders and secretaries in later generations. The secretary plans and handles affairs for the leader, and the secretary becomes an official. To a certain extent, he will still be loyal to the old leader.
, and so on, thus forming a huge interest chain and political group.
The same was true in ancient times. The loose system of recruiting and recruiting subordinates made the ministers' servants not the monarch's own servants. Especially when the scholars gradually became disappointed with Emperor Liu, it made them no longer loyal to the emperor and instead became loyal to the emperor.
Loyalty to the 'lord' who recommends oneself, this is the origin of the proliferation of dependent titles such as 'lord' among princes and counselors.
The "disciples and former officials" of the powerful and wealthy families are all over the world, and they have a huge influence on the political situation. In serious cases, they can even threaten the centralization of power. The biggest among them are the Yuan family of Runan and the Yang family of Hongnong.
The reason why the Yuan brothers have such great power and so many people are willing to support them is that Han Fu, the former official of the Yuan family, was willing to hand over Jizhou to his subordinates. More than half of the former recommended Yuan family
It's just because those people regard the Yuan family as a monarch and are doing the duty of "a monarch and his subjects".
This is why the emperor could only continue to weaken and beat, but did not dare to uproot the Yang family, Ma family and others above the court. If he really did that, not to mention it would cause chaos in the ruling order in Guanzhong, how about
The situation that was easy to establish collapsed in an instant, and the emperor became a real loner.
Now the emperor has found an opportunity from the rebellion in Hedong. In order to severely punish the tyrants in Hedong as a warning to others, he has used Hedong as a pilot project. He will first abolish the power of officials at all levels in Hedong to recruit subordinates on their own. When the time is ripe, he will implement it one by one throughout the world.
, became custom-made. This not only cuts off the way for the powerful to control the place, but also blocks the formation of the "righteousness between monarch and minister" from the source. The subordinates are appointed by the court, and the government officials cannot recruit privately, so naturally the subordinates will not
The concept of "dual monarch" born since the Han Dynasty will also become extinct due to loyalty to government officials.
It was rare for Xun You not to oppose the emperor's decision on this matter. After all, as an official in the central government, it was also his interest to have the central government strengthen the centralization of power over the local areas. He mused: "Prefectures and lieutenants are all governed by
The imperial court selects officials, this is the system of this dynasty, and I think it is not necessary to recommend it to Cao Yu. It is just an act of conquest, such as Maocai, Xianliang, Fangzheng, etc., so the county officials are allowed to do their own thing, and the scholars from Hedong should not be cut off.
The path to promotion.”
"This is natural. Examination, promotion, and recruitment are the methods used by the imperial court to select and employ people, and they should not be abandoned." The emperor said matter-of-factly: "It is only a project in Hedong, so the people to be recruited should be tested first and then hired, so as not to
The name is not worthy of the name, the tribute is not worthy of the tribute, and it is in vain to lose the face of the court."
Xun You's heart moved. The emperor's words just now, "The name is not worthy of the name, and the tribute is not worthy of the tribute" seemed to be quoted somewhere. It made Xun You feel inexplicably familiar, and he sensitively sensed something was wrong.
Just when he was distracted, Jia Xu on the side spoke. After reading Wang Yi's seal, he did not put it down, but held it in his hand like a wat tablet: "When you are filial to the emperor,
Shangshu ordered Zuo Xiong to reorganize the examination system. All those who are filial, honest, talented, etc. in the prefecture and state will be tested by the public government. After passing the public examination, they will be re-examined by Zhongtai. If they do not live up to the name, they will be removed. Your Majesty
There are examples to follow in applying this method to Hedong. But I think that simply deposing and recommending scholars is not enough to show the strictness of the imperial court's employment regulations."
In addition to being used to make up for the shortcomings of the imperial examination system, the method of policy examination was also a political tool used by scholars to target those inferior and powerful officials who attached themselves to power, to remove their wings and screen them out of the court. However, it was not implemented
It didn't take long for him to encounter many obstacles. Not only did the powerful officials not like it, but even some scholars who had a false name but no ability did not accept it. Therefore, the policy test gradually ceased to exist in name only.
Nowadays, the emperor has no power in this dynasty, nor does he need to rely on inferior and powerful people to serve as his wings. He will not look down on those who are in vain. Naturally, he must continue to implement it firmly. Moreover, the imperial examination is also the origin of the imperial examination in later generations.
, the emperor had no reason to abandon him. The emperor's eyes lit up, he stared at Jia Xu and said, "What advice does Mr. Jia have for me?"
"Whether it is for inspection or recruitment, it is all recommended by people. The recommender must have a discernment of the character and talents of the recommended person, and then dare to recommend him. If the recommender himself has bad character, he will not be accepted.
Bribery or favors lead to the recommendation of inferior talents to the court. Isn't it the fault of the recommender?" Jia Xu took the seal and bowed to the emperor, and said calmly: "Foolish ministers think that the imperial court only appoints people.
It is not appropriate to be partial to officials' laws. In addition to deposing scholars, those who recommended them should be investigated."
"I second the proposal." This is the only way to rectify the administration of officials. In the past, these powerful people relied on powerful officials, or relied on their family's wealth to bribe others for recommendation. Xun You had long been tired of this bad habit, so he naturally agreed with Jia Xu's suggestion.
: "For decades, honest and capable people have been unable to make progress, and treacherous and evil people have been using money to run their businesses. The world has become corrupt, and it is time to clean up."
The two important advisers under his command agreed, and the emperor had nothing to say. As early as last year, he had issued an edict, denounced the officialdom chaos in recent decades of "promoting talented people but not knowing what to write; promoting filial piety and honesty, but fathers do not live together".
Xiang. To this end, he also specially ordered the Wugan Zhonglang General Yang Zhong to lead the Left and Right Zhonglang to conduct a strict academic and moral review of all the three officials, and planned to use this to follow the trend and win the recommended ones.
, but Yang was unwilling to take the blame for the emperor, who had offended many vested interests, and decisively resolved it, and the investigation was limited to the recommended scholars.
At that time, restrictions due to various reasons prevented the emperor from doing what he wanted. Now that Hedong was found as an entry point, he naturally allowed the implementation: "Then the edict will be drafted immediately, and the court will appoint people with performance first and morality as the most important. Now Hedong is the starting point.
The county serves as a model for the world. Anyone who is recommended for being talented, filial, or honest in the east of the river will be tested by the government and the central government before being appointed as an official. If there is anyone who cheats on others, not only will the recommended person be dismissed, but he will also be dismissed within three years.
Officials are not allowed to be appointed as bureaucracy, and a letter of command must be issued to hold the recommended persons accountable, to strictly investigate whether there are any illegal activities such as bribery for personal gain, and to punish the crimes in accordance with the law."
"I sincerely promise you." Xun You replied.
Jia Xu had something to say on this matter: "The imperial court selects capable officials to take up posts in Hedong. In order to prevent the prefectures, counties and prime ministers from being partisan and acting on their personal affairs, the law of three mutualities should be reiterated. Local scholars are not allowed to take up posts in the local area, and marriage is prohibited."
People from my family and the two states are also not allowed to come to each other's prison."
Xun You looked slightly surprised and couldn't help but look at Jia Xu a few more times.
The emperor suddenly smiled and said as if joking: "Jia Gong, you really should be the official responsible for the election of Cao Shangshu."
In the past, Jia Xu, who only occasionally intervened at key points, today actually made frequent suggestions on the matter of inspection. This surprised not only Xun You, but also the emperor.
Jia Xu calmly replied: "This is a major political matter of the imperial court. Since I have advice, I should give it my own advice."