novel-bin Chapter 269 Imperial Examination System
Chapter 269 Imperial Examination System
Chapter 269 Imperial Examination System
In the middle of December, the fourth year of Yonghan.
Chongde Hall.
Liu Bian looked at the closing statement on the "Hongdu Gate School Case" submitted by Liu Xie in his hand, his brows were furrowed and his face was full of anger.
Sitting in front of him were Liu Xie, Yang Biao, Zhong Yao, Sima Jun, and Xun You.
They sat opposite each other, without looking to the side, but could clearly see Liu Bian's expression.
This closing statement is the result of their many discussions, and it tries to "consider the overall situation" as much as possible.
After a long while, Liu Bian raised his head, not looking at them, but looking at Bian Rang who was kneeling outside the door.
Liu Bian suppressed his anger, looked around at the five people present, and said in a cold voice: "Twenty-seven students are involved in the case, and there are eighteen doctors, as well as officials from the Licao, Hucao, Taicang, and Xingcao. There are seven people, big and small?"
Liu Xie quickly turned aside and raised his hand, saying, "Your Majesty, the Censorate has already detained the relevant people and is waiting to be brought to the Supreme Court."
Liu Bian looked at him and said, "Do you think I am so easy to deceive?"
Liu Xie's face suddenly changed. He stood up abruptly and raised his hand, saying, "I dare not!"
Liu Bian snorted coldly, looked at Yang Biao, and said, "Prime Minister, how many people did you protect?"
Yang Biao moved his body with some difficulty, stood up, wiped the cold sweat from his face, and said: "Your Majesty, I, I have not protected anyone, and I have not participated in these."
Liu Bian ignored him directly, looked at Sima Jun, Zhong Yao, and Xun You, with stern eyes, and said: "Bian Yi, dismissed from office and took over the matter? After hurting so many people, he, the chief officer, calmly returned to his hometown to retire. ?”
Bian Rang outside the door trembled all over, his eyes full of bitterness and fear.
He had no ambitions and was more concerned about academic research, so he didn't care much about it. He never thought that such a big thing would happen at Hongdumen School and Taixue!
What’s worse is that his nephews are also involved!
So no matter what, there is no reason for Bian Rang to be spared.
Bian Rang is self-aware, but the important figures in the court want to protect him.
Xun You raised his hand in silence and said, "Your Majesty, although Bian Taichang made mistakes, he was not involved in the case. He is upright and respected by the whole country. I beg you to forgive him a little."
Bian Rang was different from Cai Yong. Cai Yong was talented but also keen on fame and was a guest of honor for dignitaries. Bian Rang's fame came entirely from his "scholarship".
One is a man of great talent, the other is a great scholar of the time.
Liu Bian glanced at Xun You, then looked at Zhong Yao and Sima Jun, and said calmly, "Do you three judges have the same attitude?"
Sima Jun and Zhong Yao raised their hands and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive us."
Liu Bian narrowed his eyes slightly, and the anger in his heart continued to rise.
He has always attached great importance to Hongdumen School and Taixue, and has devoted countless energy to them, but in the end, accidents happened one after another, and these senior officials in the court actually asked him to "forgive" them!
Lu Yu walked in quietly and handed Liu Bian a teacup.
Liu Bian took it expressionlessly and took a sip.
Liu Xie, Yang Biao, Sima Jun, Zhong Yao, and Xun You became nervous when they saw Liu Bian didn't say anything.
Bian Rang is a great man of the time. If he is punished with death, it will have a severe impact on the reputation of the imperial court!
And the situation outside the door was extremely tense.
Given his "guilt", no punishment would be excessive.
砰
Liu Bian put down the teacup and looked up at the people in front of him.
The five people's expressions changed immediately, and they couldn't help but look up and look at Liu Bian.
Liu Bian hesitated for a moment and said, "In recent years, the court's recruitment and vacancies are basically carried out in Hongdumen School and Taixue. Even if the court is in financial difficulties, it will allocate a large amount of money and grain to Taichang every year. Now that Taixue and Hongdumen School have become like this, what do you think?"
Yang Biao seemed to feel that Liu Bian had backed down, and he felt relieved. He raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, our dynasty has always implemented the system of selection and recommendation. The affairs of the Imperial Academy and Hongdumen Academy will not affect the court. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."
Xun You and others did not speak, but lowered their heads, but waited for Liu Bian with all their might.
They knew Liu Bian very well and knew that his Majesty would not give in so easily, let alone give up.
Liu Bian turned a deaf ear to Yang Biao's words and said, "Starting next year, we will open an examination hall in the Taichang Temple. All people of the appropriate age can participate and the best ones will be admitted."
Yang Biao was stunned for a moment. He felt like something was wrong and didn't know how to start the conversation for a moment.
Xun You, on the other hand, was alert and raised his hand suddenly, saying, "Your Majesty, this move may be unfair..."
"There is nothing unfair,"
Liu Bian interrupted him directly and said, "All counties, prefectures and states can still recommend candidates, but they need to be evaluated uniformly."
Then, his eyes suddenly turned cold, and he said, "All the teachers and students of the Imperial College and Hongdumen School involved in this case, as well as the officials of the court, will be dismissed and never employed again. All the officials of the Imperial Household Department, including Bian Rang, will be brought to court and severely punished. Anyone who pleads for mercy or lobbyists will be punished as well!"
Under the principle of "all are guilty of the same crime", Liu Xie, Yang Biao and others did not dare to speak out even if they wanted to plead for Bian Rang.
Bian Rang, who was outside the door, looked pale, with his head bowed on the ground and trembling.
Once brought to the court of the Supreme Court, not to mention imprisonment, at least your reputation will be ruined for life.
Liu Bian looked at everyone's expressions and picked up the teacup to drink tea again.
The punishment of Bian Rang was only to serve as a warning to others; the most important thing was to gradually expand the 'Imperial Examination System' to give opportunities to the common people, so as to divide and weaken the aristocratic families' all-round monopoly over the Han Dynasty.
Liu Bian was thinking about the follow-up measures and asked, "How far has the separation of 'military and political' progress been?"
Yang Biao has become more familiar with government affairs recently, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, at present, Sili, Bingzhou, Yanzhou, and Youzhou have basically been completed, and Qingzhou and Jizhou are still progressing in an orderly manner. It is expected to be completed by the end of next year."
Bingzhou, Sili, and Yanzhou had been in operation for nearly three years, and Youzhou for two years. However, Qingzhou and Jizhou had just been settled, and the situation was still very complicated, and the main military power was still in the hands of the governors.
Liu Bian nodded slightly. Although he kept telling himself not to be anxious, he couldn't help himself in the end.
He took a deep breath and said, "This matter must be taken as the most important thing and we must not slack off."
"I obey your order." Yang Biao said solemnly.
Now he just hopes to get out of this "safely". As for what happens in the future, that is the business of later generations and has nothing to do with him.
Liu Bian glanced at Xun You and said thoughtfully, "Wang Lang replied, saying that Han Sui and Ma Teng of the Three Qiang were willing to submit, but the condition was that the court appointed them as generals and let them stay where they were."
Xun You received Liu Bian's gaze and said in a deep voice, "I object! Your Majesty, the Three Qiang are traitors, and they are still treacherous. The court must not agree to this!"
Liu Xie agreed with Xun You's words and said, "Your Majesty, I also think that we cannot agree to this. Otherwise, the three Qiang will continue to grow stronger and stronger!"
"I also believe that the court cannot tolerate evil," said Zhong Yao.
Sima Jun sat there silently, as if listening attentively.
Liu Bian was quite satisfied with their tough attitude.
The imperial court has pacified the northern provinces one by one, and now only Liang Province remains.
There have always been voices in the court, either to send a large army to attack, or to persuade the enemy to surrender, even in name only, and at the cost of a small official position, which is nothing.
Liu Bian is determined to gain Liangzhou, but he will not bow to the three Qiang people. The Han court must maintain absolute strength!
He picked up the teacup and took a sip, then smiled and said, "Well, it's settled. It's almost the end of the year, so please work harder and make a good start for next year."
"We obey your order." Yang Biao, Liu Xie and others raised their hands, and then slowly stepped back.
As for Bian Rang outside the door, he had already been dragged away by the guards.
Liu Bian sat on the chair, thought again and again, walked out of the back hall, stood outside the door, and looked to the south.
Things in the north are progressing in an orderly manner. Although it is slow, they are also recovering in an orderly manner. What is giving Liu Bian a headache now is the south.
Cao Cao's capture of Qiao County exceeded Liu Bian's expectations and disrupted the situation in the south. The originally good situation became complicated and turbulent.
After a long while, Liu Bian's eyes flashed slightly, looking towards the south, and said to himself: "Dian Wei, do you think Cao Cao will be a loyal minister?"
Dian Wei was a man of few words. Hearing this, he said in a low voice, "I don't know, but he probably wouldn't dare to rebel."
Liu Bian nodded thoughtfully and said, "It is certain that he dare not rebel, but if someone kept repeating in his ear, 'to be independent and achieve great things', do you think he would be tempted..."
Dian Wei blinked, and the big guy seemed stumped.
Liu Bian did not expect him to answer, and said: "Pan Yin, arrange for Sun Ce and Zhou Yu to enter the imperial army camp. Send a message to the Grand Marshal's Mansion to send more people to Liu Biao, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, Yuan Shao, and Gongsun Zan to enter their armies and keep an eye on their every move."
"Yes." Pan Yin responded quickly.
After waiting for a while, he asked carefully, "Your Majesty, do you want to send a message to Commander Huangfu Jian?"
Liu Bian shook his head, his eyes still fixed on the south, and said, "Let's deal with things openly. It's the end of the year, let the Secretariat summon the governors of all states to the capital, except for Qingzhou. There is also Cao Cao."
Pan Yin listened to 'Cao Cao' and became more cautious, saying, "Yes."
Liu Bian looked at it for a while, then turned and entered the door.
On the other side, Zhong Yao and Xun You returned to the Ministry of Personnel. They sat opposite each other and were still talking about Bian Rang.
Xun You showed a worried look on his face and said, "If the border commander is severely punished, I'm afraid it will cause an uproar in the court and the country."
Zhong Yao was also aware of Bian Rang's reputation. After a moment of silence, he said, "The Yuan family has dealt with them, so they don't care about Bian Rang anymore."
Xun You was helpless and said, "Deal with it as soon as possible. The court will not make excuses for these things, and everything will be fine after a while."
Zhong Yao nodded. He had to take the blame.
If I really become the head of the Secretariat in the future, it will be impossible for me not to explain.
The two were silent for a while. Xun You looked at Zhong Yao and said, "Yuan Chang, what do you think our uncle is hiding from us?"
Zhong Yao's solemn face turned serious and he said, "He is right. We can't hide it for long."
No matter what, Zhong Yao might be promoted to prime minister by March next year at the latest. So, is there anything Xun Yu could possibly hide from him?
Xun You felt uneasy and said, "My uncle is always calm and steady. Even he is keeping his mouth shut. I'm afraid it won't be easy."
Zhong Yao couldn't help but take a breath and gradually frowned.
I felt the tremendous pressure before I even entered the Shangshutai. Once I was in, I would never have such a 'calm' moment like now.