Chapter 73: Minister Defends the Frontier and Seeks a Marquis (Part 3)

"Why do you say that having an official position means one cannot take the imperial examination?" Wang Hou put down his wine bowl and asked Wang Anshi in surprise, "The descendants of chancellors receive official positions at the age of seven or eight, but they still take the imperial examination. Your teacher, Mr. Zhang Hengqu's sponsor, Chancellor Lü Zhongcheng, was the son of Lü Yijian, a chancellor during Emperor Renzong's reign, who had already received an official position, but he still took the imperial examination. Those with official positions find it much easier to participate in the imperial examination. They only need to pass the lock-hall examination to obtain a tribute student status, which is much easier than taking the prefectural examination."

Wang Anshi, upon hearing this, hurriedly asked for more details, as this was information he did not have from his previous life. Wang Hou was surprised that Wang Anshi was unaware of this but still explained it to him while drinking.

The lock-hall examination, as the name suggests, involves locking the official's office, meaning the official locks their office and puts aside their duties to take the imperial examination.

There are millions of scholars who wish to participate in the imperial examination, but the capital cannot accommodate so many. Therefore, preliminary examinations, known as the prefectural examination, are held in various prefectures and military districts the year before the imperial examination. The prefectural examination in Qinzhou ended in August this year while Wang Anshi was lying in bed sick. Those who pass the prefectural examination are called tribute students, and the top scorer is the jieyuan. With the status of a tribute student, one can go to the capital to take the imperial examination.

The imperial examination in the capital is divided into two stages. The first stage is the provincial examination, also known as the Ministry of Rites examination, which selects about 300 qualified candidates from thousands or tens of thousands of tribute students from the 400 prefectures and military districts. If one becomes one of the 300 qualified candidates, they are almost certain to become a jinshi. The second stage, the palace examination, no longer eliminates candidates but only determines their ranking.

"We should thank Zhang Yuan!" Wang Hou smiled, "This Zhang Taishi of Western Xia was eliminated in the palace examination and later defected to the Western Xia. 'Han Qi is not surprising, and Xia Song has never been intimidating.' Two chancellors were disgraced by a failed tribute student, and tens of thousands of soldiers died at Haoshui River. Since then, the palace examination no longer eliminates anyone. Even if one commits a minor offense, they are only placed at the lowest rank, but still given an official position. There are also special jinshi, who are specially promoted to appease those who have failed the examination multiple times."

Therefore, to become a jinshi, there are only two major hurdles: the prefectural examination and the Ministry of Rites examination. If Wang Anshi, who already has an official position, wants to take the imperial examination, he must also pass the prefectural examination. However, because of his official position, he cannot take the examination in the prefecture but must take a special lock-hall examination in the circuit. The circuit here refers to the transport commissioner's circuit, not the pacification commissioner's circuit. Therefore, Wang Anshi must go to the capital of the Shaanxi circuit, Chang'an, to take the examination, not in Qinzhou of the Qin-Feng circuit. "The lock-hall examination is nominally held in the circuit to avoid competing with local scholars, but in reality, the selection ratio in the prefecture is one in a hundred or two hundred in the Jiangnan circuits, and one in twenty or thirty in Shaanxi. In the lock-hall examination, one in three or five can become a tribute student, at most one in seven."

Wang Hou, feeling parched, refilled his wine bowl and drank it down. Wiping his mouth with a silk handkerchief, he continued, "Not only is there the lock-hall examination for officials, but there is also a separate examination for the children of officials, also held under the guise of not competing with local scholars, but the actual selection ratio is less than one in ten. Think of my father, who participated in the Jiangzhou prefectural examination, where nearly three thousand people competed for seventeen spots!"

"Three thousand for seventeen spots?" This is almost the same as the acceptance rate for popular civil service positions in the future. Such a low ratio indeed makes the competition fierce. Moreover, being a tribute student is not directly related to becoming an official, unlike the juren in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Even if one passes this time, if they do not become a jinshi, they must start over and compete with three thousand people again.

"Exactly, three thousand for seventeen." Wang Hou, thinking Wang Anshi was surprised, continued more proudly, "This is still considered few. If you go to the Fujian circuit, especially Jianzhou and Fuzhou, there are five or six thousand people competing for a dozen spots! Every examination is a bloodbath!"

Wang Hou's exaggeration made Wang Anshi chuckle, "But the Ministry of Rites examination is fair, regardless of one's background or origin. Whether the prefectural examination is difficult or easy, everyone faces the same questions in the Ministry of Rites examination."

"That's right." Wang Hou raised his head proudly, "The tribute students from Jiangxi and Fujian are like warriors crossing a narrow bridge, while those from Shaanxi have a broad road. But in the Ministry of Rites examination, ten tribute students from Jiangxi can produce one jinshi, while a hundred from Shaanxi might not produce one."

Wang Anshi sighed, "So... in the end, most of the special jinshi are from Shaanxi." Special jinshi are those over forty who have failed the examination multiple times. They are listed by local authorities and presented to the court to take a simple examination, after which they are given an official position, usually as a literary instructor in a prefectural or county school, to prevent them from defecting to the Western Xia or Liao.

Wang Hou understood why Wang Anshi was sighing. He patted Wang Anshi's shoulder and raised his wine bowl, "Anyway, the special jinshi has nothing to do with you, Yuku. Let's drink, drink!"

The drinking session lasted for a long time. Wang Anshi, with a strong tolerance for alcohol, remained sober. But Wang Hou, with a poor tolerance, was already dizzy. Still, he raised his wine bowl shakily and said to Wang Anshi, "Yuku, congratulations! Your teacher, Mr. Zhang Hengqu, was promoted to the position of proofreader at the Imperial Academy on the ninth day of this month. He will surely be greatly used in the future! Let's drink another bowl!"

"Chudao, this is the third time you've said this. We've already congratulated and celebrated. Stop drinking!"

"Drinking a little more is fine. It's a happy occasion... When Mr. Hengqu rises in the court, more people will come to propose marriage to you... Ha ha, Yuku, in terms of appearance, you are not inferior to that Golden-furred Rat. If only you had the title of zhuangyuan, you could also marry into a chancellor's family."

"Golden-furred Rat..." Wang Anshi was greatly surprised, "Bai Yutang?" Is a famous character from "Seven Heroes and Five Gallants" really mentioned in official history?

"Who is Bai Yutang?" Wang Hou, with his drunken eyes, asked blankly.

"Ah... I once heard of a notorious bandit in the Central Plains, nicknamed the Golden-furred Rat." Wang Anshi explained casually, wondering if there was another Golden-furred Rat in the Northern Song.

Wang Hou, too drunk to distinguish, laughed, "I didn't know you had such a wide network of acquaintances!"

"It's just some rumors. I can't even remember where I heard it, whether in a temple or a teahouse, or when." Wang Anshi dismissed it, unwilling to bear the charge of associating with bandits.

"My brother is talking about the one who achieved the triple first in the imperial examination in the first year of Huangyou (1049 AD), who was the governor of Jingzhao in Guanzhong a few years ago."

Wang Anshi slapped his forehead, and with Wang Hou's reminder, he finally remembered, "It's Feng Dangshi..."

Feng Jing, styled Dangshi, was the zhuangyuan of the first year of Huangyou (1049 AD), achieving the triple first in the prefectural, provincial, and palace examinations. He was one of the few in history to achieve this. Feng Jing was talented and handsome, but perhaps because of his merchant family background, he was very materialistic. During his tenure in Jingzhao, he amassed a large fortune, earning the nickname "Golden-furred Rat" from the scholars of Chang'an. "Golden-furred" referred to his good looks, while "rat" referred to his greed.

"Right, right, that's him!" Wang Hou, drunk and smiling, slurred, "After Feng Dangshi became the zhuangyuan, several noble families competed for him as a son-in-law, offering tens of thousands of strings of cash as dowry. In the end, Chancellor Fu Zongyao got him first, and Fu Zongyao was also the son-in-law of Chancellor Yan Shu... If you, Yuku, can find a good marriage, you might also become a chancellor... chancellor..." With a thud, Wang Hou fell face-first onto the table.

Wang Anshi looked at the drunkard in his room with a helpless expression. He had passed out halfway through his sentence. Shaking his head with a bitter smile, he put down his wine bowl. Perhaps out of habit, Wang Anshi began to speculate on what benefits Zhang Zai's new position in the capital might bring him.

Zhang Zai was recommended by Lu Gongzhu and entered the capital six months ago. When Wang Anshi returned home for his father's funeral, Zhang Zai was already preparing to travel east. At that time, Lu Gongzhu was a scholar in the Hanlin Academy, but now he is the censor-in-chief, wielding great power in the court.

Zhang Zai's younger brother, Zhang Jian, whom Wang Anshi had also met, is also a jinshi and works under Lu Gongzhu as a censor. With his sponsor and brother in the court, Zhang Zai should be able to stay in the capital for a few more years.

However, Wang Anshi learned from Wang Hou that Lu Gongzhu's promotion to censor-in-chief was entirely due to Wang Anshi (the chancellor) wanting to remove his brother, Lu Gongbi, from the capital. Wang Anshi understood this completely. Having two brothers, one the head of the military and the other the head of the censorate, is a taboo in any dynasty. If Lu Gongbi is sensible, he will resign on his own. If not, the censorate might turn against Lu Gongzhu, and both brothers could be impeached.

The current political situation in the court is complex, and no one can see clearly, including Wang Anshi. Zhang Zai's patron, Lu Gongzhu, is at odds with Wang Anshi, but Zhang Zai himself helped Cai Ting improve the military system, which Wang Anshi highly praised. It is unclear what Zhang Zai's stance on the reforms is. However, Wang Anshi is clear about his own position. Wang Shao's main support in the court is Wang Anshi, and his own support is Wang Shao. Therefore, he can only support the reforms, not oppose them.

Wang Hou woke up at some point, picked up the wine jar, and shook it, hearing no sound. He slapped the table and angrily said, "Why is there no more wine?"

"It's all been drunk by you..." Wang Anshi sighed helplessly. Sometimes Wang Hou brought his own wine and food, and sometimes he came to freeload. Wang Anshi, who spent freely, had already used up all his money. He didn't have the nerve to ask for money from home today, so he was now penniless. "There's no money to buy more wine today. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"Money?" Wang Hou raised his head with effort, "No problem, once the Green Sprout Loan is officially implemented, we will have money."

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