Chapter 94

Therefore, after writing up to this point, it is necessary to turn back.

Why could Emperor Shang Gaozong achieve great governance? Filial piety is the key. One who can be filial to their parents can also love the people.

Therefore, the court must promote filial piety and reward filial sons in various regions.

With the great promotion of filial piety, human relations will be well governed, and the folk customs will become simple and honest.

Therefore, not speaking for three years is a common occurrence, but it cannot be prolonged, which is a constant matter.

By giving more examples and discussing methods to promote filial piety, the policy proposal will be complete, and it will have a slightly grand and dramatic, turning-point feel.

After thinking for a long time, he finally put pen to paper.

He was not the last person to submit his paper, but after he submitted it, most of the students had also done so.

Walking out, You Tao and a few others gathered around and asked, "Little Brother Wang, how did the exam go?"

"Pretty good."

"How did you write it?"

Immediately, more scholars gathered around.

Wang Juxian recounted his first two proposals.

These scholars were all stunned; it could be written like this.

"Then what about the third proposal? We were all confused. How did 'not chirping for three years' become 'not speaking for three years'?"

"Third Brother You, that's not 'not chirping for three years.' It's from the 'Commentary on the Book of Documents,' which tells the story of Emperor Shang Gaozong." Wang Juxian then recited the original text.

After listening, dozens of students immediately beat their chests and stomped their feet, feeling extremely frustrated.

"Is Master Cheng trying to make things difficult for us?"

"Third Brother You, you can't say that. This is just a reference from the 'Commentary on the Five Classics,' which is quite normal. If you enter the provincial exams in the capital, some examiners will deliberately set more difficult questions, and you won't know which part of the classics they will take them from."

Not only them, but out of the more than three hundred candidates who took the preliminary exam, fewer than forty correctly answered the third proposal.

Wang Juxian consoled them, "There are still the essays, poems, and scriptural questions to come."

There's no need to show off.

Then he returned to the dormitory and asked Li Wan yuan, "Second Brother, how did you answer the first proposal?"

"Brother-in-law, don't mention it. I wrote that the court lacks horses and should not close the horse-buying societies but instead widely establish them from Hebei to Hedong to Shaanxi. Then the Khitans and the Western Xia would have no way to ban them. Just like green salt and Liao salt, can our dynasty ban them? With horses, we can have cavalry, and the national army can become strong."

"That's acceptable."

"But why did Master Cheng abolish the horse-buying societies?" Li Wan yuan couldn't understand.

"First, the state has some vigilance against civilian armed forces."

"But the court has set up many archers and local soldiers in the border regions."

"That's different. They are only temporary armed forces, unlike the horse-buying societies, which have economic interests. With economic interests, the connections within the group will be tight. Secondly, there are many pacifist ministers in the court. The Western Xia and the Khitans can widely sell private salt to our dynasty, but our dynasty cannot buy horses on a large scale to avoid angering the Khitans and the Western Xia."

"What kind of logic is that?"

"That's the logic! Although Master Cheng is the governor of Yan Prefecture, he is also afraid of the court officials' nagging. Plus, the Western Xia have been courting the Hengshan tribes, so he abolished them."

"Then did I write it wrong?"

"Not wrong, Second Brother. There are very few people with foresight like me."

"You're just being conceited."

But what Wang Juxian said was true. If it were only about foresight, how many people could match Wang Juxian, let alone ordinary students.

"What about the second proposal?"

"I wrote that we should fight. The court's constant concessions are not acceptable. The more we concede, the more the Western Xia will overstep. However, to defeat the Western Xia, we must rectify military discipline, train the army, and appoint capable and intelligent generals, not greedy and incompetent people as commanders."

"That's also acceptable, Second Brother. Study hard. If it weren't for the mistake in the third proposal, you still have a chance to pass the preliminary exam with just the first two proposals."

But Wang Juxian also misunderstood Cheng Kan's thoughts.

Cheng Kan's autumn exam this time was fast.

Two months ahead of schedule, and he planned to grade the papers quickly. For example, for the third proposal, if they don't even understand 'not speaking for three years,' why should the state spend money to send them to the capital? So, he just needs to flip through the third proposal, throw the wrong answers into the trash, and only look at the correct ones, which will speed up the grading process by ten times...

Then the results can be announced in a few days.

Why so fast?

To send these eight candidates to the capital early to exchange ideas with other candidates.

It's not just to cultivate Wang Juxian. If there are two or three who are passable, such exchanges will also benefit them. And since they are candidates from the state, the expenses are covered by the government, so they will stay together. Following Wang Juxian, they might even get some benefits. If Yan Prefecture can produce two or three jinshi, his face will be greatly enhanced.

So, the topic for the second day was even stranger.

"Those who advance rashly should be blocked from competing."

Hundreds of candidates were stunned again, and some boldly asked about the source.

This time, Cheng Kan answered. If they don't even know 'not speaking for three years' and are unfamiliar with the 'Commentary on the Book of Documents,' why should they take the imperial exams? So, he didn't explain.

"After the Shuiluo City incident, Emperor Renzong once asked his ministers five questions: Who should be appointed to govern the northwest? The people are exhausted, and the finances are weak. The army is large, but how can it be made more efficient? The generals are not harmonious, how should they be placed? Those who advance rashly should be blocked from competing. This is the source of this question. Everyone, write carefully."

It was an answer, but how to write the essay?

Wang Juxian was also speechless.

He knew more about this background. The Qingli Reforms were largely aimed at personnel issues.

Human governance, if the officials are well-managed, the state will be well-governed.

Fan Zhongyan's intentions were good.

However, the implementation was not the same. Especially people like Ouyang Xiu, who were arrogant and domineering, and believed that they were the most important. Even Du Yan, one of the four virtuous prime ministers of the Tian Sheng era, who was considered a versatile prime minister and regarded Fan Zhongyan as a son, was immediately attacked as a villain for slightly disapproving of some of the new policies.

Wang Anshi also did this, for example, with Zhang Zai and Xue Xiang.

But they came up with many detailed regulations, which indeed made the severely depleted national treasury full again. What detailed regulations did Fan Zhongyan and his group come up with?

However, at that time, the "villains" had not yet formed a group. Faced with the arrogance of the gentlemen's party, they all avoided it, and there was no one to argue. Thus, internal strife arose, and Han Qi wanted to vie for the leadership of the gentlemen's party, leading to the Shuiluo City incident.

Not only that, Ouyang Xiu also wrote a treatise on cliques.

Emperor Zhenzong did not see the future party struggles, but he saw the Eastern Han and the Tang Dynasty. He realized the danger and summoned Fan Zhongyan and others, asking them these five questions.

Therefore, in Wang Juxian's mind, Fan Zhongyan's virtue and conduct might be the best in the three hundred years of the Song Dynasty, but he was not a qualified politician.

Then who in the Song Dynasty was a qualified politician? Zhao Pu, Lu Mengzheng, Li Hang, Wang Dan, Lu Yijian, and Pang Ji. Perhaps these people had various issues with their conduct, but under their governance, the Song Dynasty improved or at least halted its decline.

Looking ahead, perhaps those people were famous, but each of them was a scoundrel.

However, Wang Juxian was a bit puzzled. This matter involved Ouyang Xiu, who was currently in power. Was Cheng Kan not afraid of Ouyang Xiu's anger?