Chapter 1437: The Merits and Flaws of the Examination System

In the high autumn of the eighth month, this was truly a season of harvest—even within the Western Capital, a faint fragrance of fresh rice and wheat lingered in the air. And for the scholars who had participated in this autumn's special imperial examination, after enduring the arduous trials of the exams, they too had now entered the stage of reaping rewards.

This special examination began on the first day of the eighth month and concluded on the third, lasting three days in total. Over three thousand scholars sat for the examination, yet the court admitted fewer than two hundred and fifty. Even setting aside the specialized subjects—the classics, history, law, medicine, and agriculture—the Jinshi category alone admitted only one hundred and eighty-five, which already exceeded the numbers admitted in the regular examinations.

Except for the early Qianyou period, when the court was starved for talent and Emperor Liu was ravenous in his search and recruitment of capable men—at that time, the Great Han court threw open its doors of appointment, keeping the threshold and requirements for admitting learned scholars exceedingly low.

But that was ultimately a product of the era, a kind of opportunity and benefit that the times bestowed upon the empire's scholars in the founding years. Yet as time passed, the state gradually prospered and grew strong, the process of unifying the realm neared completion, and the court's demand for talent was no longer so acute. Naturally, the difficulty of the examinations and the threshold for admission rose accordingly.

Over the past ten years, for each regular examination held by the court, the average number admitted in the Jinshi category was only one hundred and forty—and that was on a three-year cycle. Add to this Emperor Liu's advocacy of "practical statecraft," which imposed certain requirements on scholars' practical abilities, and the difficulty for candidates to pass only increased further.

It could be said that in the last decade, a Jinshi degree in the Great Han was extremely valuable. Without family background, without sufficient learning, without adequate ability—none could easily pass.

Precisely because of this, it attracted even more scholars to diligently study according to the court's examination system and talent-selection methods, striving to surmount this hurdle and leap over the dragon gate. Leap over it, and the sky was vast, the sea wide, the future full of promise.

This time, because of the northern expedition, the spring examination of that year had to be postponed—a genuine blow to those scholars of the Great Han who had labored so hard at their studies. It was easy to imagine, then, the significance of this special examination, and with the number admitted, the emphasis lay precisely on that word "special"—Emperor Liu's additional grace bestowed upon the empire's scholarly community.

In governing, the court advocated the use of both civil and military, balancing yin and yang, and thus the current political environment of the Great Han was relatively balanced. Emperor Liu had not dramatically elevated the status of the literati in order to use civil officials to check the military, but the tide of the times rolled ever forward. As the state grew peaceful and well-governed, the empire inevitably moved toward civil governance, and the rising status of civil officials and literati was a trend that could not be stopped.

Therefore, the development of cultural enterprises in the Great Han in these years had been considerable. Add to that Emperor Liu's balancing measures from above, and the growth of the scholar-official class became increasingly pronounced.

Under such circumstances, the empire's scholars naturally felt that true spring had arrived. At the same time, the imperial examination had become the most important and relatively fairest path for ordinary scholars to enter officialdom. Even if it had not reached the point of ten years of cold study for a single success, those who chose this road were still beyond counting.

Toward cultural enterprises, Emperor Liu had shown considerable regard. From the capital downward, every circuit, prefecture, and county had established official schools, while private academies and schools had also made tremendous progress and development. These were the wellsprings of the court's talent selection and the foundation for the growth of the scholar-official class.

However, even so, within the current Great Han court, the dominant force remained the aristocratic officials. The more nobles Emperor Liu enfeoffed, and the higher he raised their status, the greater their influence over the Great Han Empire.

It could be said that throughout the Great Han, half of the key military and civil posts were occupied by founding meritorious nobles and their descendants. Of the remaining half, another two to three tenths were connected to the aristocratic bloc, and only the rest truly belonged to the gradually expanding scholar-official class.

Therefore, the sheer size of the aristocratic class as a whole had stirred unease in Emperor Liu. It was only because this class was not a monolith—each faction had its own mountain, its own clique—that it had not provoked excessive suspicion from him.

Even so, those subtle suppressive measures still hung, faintly yet perceptibly, over the heads of the Great Han's nobles. And the most frog-in-warm-water, the most effective measure, was naturally to support the scholar-official class.

The imperial examination was the most important such instrument. This special examination, along with the increased admission of scholars, offered a glimpse into Emperor Liu's calculations. And Zhao Pu, who was fairly adept at divining the imperial will—this head of the commoner-official faction—also placed great importance on the examinations.

In the years Zhao Pu had been in power, he had suppressed some men and promoted others, but compared to the vast aristocratic bloc, he still came up short. Hence, through the examination system, selecting and cultivating talent was something Zhao Pu pursued with exceptional vigor.

Emperor Liu had even specially appointed Zhao Pu as the chief examiner for this special examination. The scholars admitted in this batch could all be counted as his protégés—a clear sign of Emperor Liu's intention to elevate him. And judging by the list of those admitted in this special examination, the proportion of commoner-origin scholars had risen markedly compared to before.

On the screen wall beside the gate of the examination hall, the great red list was firmly pasted, and the examination candidates swarmed around it in eager crowds, reacting with great excitement. These seemingly refined and gentle scholars, in a matter that affected their entire lives, erupted with tremendous energy, leaving the clerks and officers responsible for maintaining order drenched in sweat.

Upon the imperial list, fresh names were arranged in neat rows. After the results were revealed, reactions varied—the failed sank into dejection, the successful were beside themselves with joy. The scene of mingled sorrow and elation underscored just how difficult it was to enter officialdom through the Great Han's examinations.

To show regard for this batch of scholars and to display Emperor Liu's attitude toward the examination system, this time the palace examination was specially held in the Qianyuan Great Hall—the first time since the capital had been moved. In the past, it had always been conducted in the Guangzheng Hall, where the Hall of State Affairs was located.

After Emperor Liu's personal decision, the new top scholar (zhuangyuan) of the ninth year of Kaibao was personally designated as a candidate named Lü Mengzheng. And Lü Mengzheng represented a fairly typical category in the Great Han's current examination-based talent selection.

He was not an ordinary poor commoner. Though not a noble, he came from an official family—his father, Lü Guitu, held the post of Prefect of Ruzhou, and had once served as a Qiju Lang (Court Diary Official) twenty years prior, making him a bureaucrat who had risen from before the imperial presence.

At the same time, Lü Mengzheng was not a scholar devoted solely to books. Nearly twenty-eight years of age, he already had several years of experience serving as a clerk in government offices—a model of studying while building practical competence.

It was precisely because of his experience in clerical and administrative affairs that his policy essays displayed insight and judgment, making it easier for him to stand out, draw attention, and catch Emperor Liu's eye.

In the past, the court selected talent from among brilliant young men who had not yet reached twenty. Now, without some experience and insight, it was very difficult—and Lü Mengzheng, this top scholar, by current standards, could already be considered young.

The examination selected officials, ultimately—once one passed, most were destined to serve as officials and govern. After admitting scholars, the court had an observation period, but many successful Jinshi had already undergone clerical training before even sitting for the examination. The cultivation of administrative competence in Jinshi began before the examination itself.

It had to be said that such a system was highly efficient for the court in selecting useful talent, for all who passed the assessment possessed a certain foundation, and those who did not could still demonstrate exceptional aptitude.

But by the same token, it raised the threshold of the examinations to unprecedented heights. After all, the Great Han had countless scholars, yet those who could obtain sufficient practical clerical training before sitting for the examination were ultimately a minority.

Not everyone was like Lü Mengzheng, blessed with a decent family background, with the opportunity and resources to obtain training that ordinary scholars could scarcely dream of.

Therefore, Emperor Liu did not want the court's examinations to produce scholars who knew only the classics and histories but lacked practical statecraft. Yet at the same time, under such a selection method, the difficulty of studying one's way into office had greatly increased, narrowing the path of advancement for countless scholars across the realm.

By the ninth year of Kaibao, the situation of "ten years of cold study, unknown to all; one success in the examination, known throughout the world" had basically vanished—that scenario had become almost a fairy tale. And it was easy to foresee that in the future, it would only grow more severe.

It could be said that the current examination system of the Great Han was not particularly friendly to the vast majority of ordinary scholars throughout the realm. Emperor Liu intended to support the bureaucratic class to balance the aristocratic class, but under such circumstances, the future bureaucratic class would likewise become ossified.

Of course, it was not entirely without merit. At the very least, the court's selection and appointment of talent would become more practical and more worthy of cultivation. At the same time, it also compelled some scholars to choose the specialized subjects—history, law, mathematics, agriculture, and medicine.

The Jinshi category was for selecting governing officials for the court, with high demands requiring more comprehensive abilities. The other specialized subjects were not the same—this was a distinctive feature of the Great Han's examination system.