[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-200":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1558366,2024,"Chapter 200: The Palace Examination (Part 1)","shao-song-chapter-200",200,"\u003Cp>On the tenth day of the eighth month, the autumn air was crisp and clear. The recent storm of events in Guanshi had long been gradually diluted by an invisible force, and even if it hadn't been, it was destined to be overshadowed today by the grand palace examination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the court was still scrambling to establish itself, and the Eastern Capital was no longer what it had been, making it impossible to revive the various ceremonial protocols of yesteryear, and this special examination for selecting scholars was also a somewhat incongruous grafting of the so-called Three Hall System (county schools, prefectural schools, and the Imperial Academy) onto the traditional examination system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when, early this morning, hundreds of Imperial Academy students surged into the towering and magnificent Xuande Gate, then passed to the right inside the palace walls past the awe-inspiring Great Qing Hall, turned left through Changqing Gate, skirted the Chongwen Institute, passed through the Left Yintai Gate, and then turned westward, these young imperial elites still couldn't help but feel dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, not to mention the majesty of the Xuande Tower or the grandeur of the Great Qing Hall, just ahead lay the Jiying Hall itself, and on either side of this path were the East and West Huamen Gates, where the list of successful candidates would be posted and their names proclaimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the century-old cultural ritual of the Great Song, along with the political tradition of nurturing scholars behind it, finally exerted a tremendous sense of awe and impact on these young imperial elites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter who they were, regardless of which school of thought they followed or what political views they held, the mere thought that Kou Zhun, Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, the Three Sus, and even Lu Yijian, Bao Zheng, Fu Bi, Pang Ji, Wen Yanbo, and so many other familiar names had once walked this very path, then entered the Jiying Hall, exited through the West Huamen Gate, and had their names proclaimed at the East Huamen Gate... stirred everyone's hearts with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That sense of reverence and the eager anticipation somehow blended together without any conflict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this state of mind reached its peak as they began to slowly and orderly stream into the Jiying Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, as the saying goes, while you are walking on the road looking at the scenery, others see you as part of the scenery... As countless Imperial Academy students walked the broad avenue between the East and West Huamen Gates and slowly turned into the Jiying Hall, they were unaware that, at the very same moment, His Majesty Zhao Jiu had long been standing with a large group of people on the Huangyi Gate of the Huangyi Hall, adjacent to the Jiying Hall, for quite some time... and this fellow had come specifically to watch this very scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, these Imperial Academy students, most of whom were visiting the palace for the first time, had no idea that in the past, when the metropolitan examinations were actually held, candidates usually just entered and exited through the West Huamen Gate directly, without needing to take this detour past the magnificent Xuande Tower and Great Qing Hall. This route was arranged specially today because His Majesty had given explicit instructions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, these Imperial Academy students had taken this long detour solely to satisfy His Majesty's desire to watch this scene from the Huangyi Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To this, neither the Grand Councilors nor the Minister of Rites Zhu Shengfei, who was presiding over today's ceremony, had anything to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, for one thing, the palace city was currently desolate, and the Great Qing Hall and Chongwen Institute were not even in use, so passing by them caused no disruption;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>for another, the reason His Majesty gave was acceptable—he said that since the Eastern Capital's prosperity was no more, they should use the main towers and main halls to demonstrate the legitimacy of this examination;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and thirdly, the Grand Councilors themselves were also enjoying the spectacle from atop the Huangyi Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back to the present, shielded by the carved railings of the Huangyi Gate tower, His Majesty Zhao Jiu led several dozen high officials, looking down from a height. Below, on the road, hundreds of Imperial Academy students walked with hurried steps, their movements creating a considerable stir, yet not a single word was spoken. It was a sight that stirred emotions, making many eager to speak... but on this occasion, since His Majesty hadn't spoken, no one else dared to be the first, lest they draw the attention of the students below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After watching for a while, His Majesty Zhao Jiu couldn't hold back any longer. He turned around and laughed openly: \"I was thinking of imitating Emperor Taizong of Tang and saying, 'All the heroes of the empire have fallen into my trap,' but that would seem a bit too complacent...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall was vast and empty, and everyone above and below was silent. So when these words were spoken, they immediately caught the attention of the students below, causing many who were still walking to steal a glance, and prompting many on the tower to laugh along or offer polite smiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the laughter subsided, Zhang Rong, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Camp Navy and the Great Chieftain of Mount Shuipo Liang, who was wearing an ill-fitting official robe and looked somewhat cautious, was the first to give in to curiosity: \"Your Majesty, how many will there be this time?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Six hundred!\" Zhao Jiu blurted out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All of them metropolitan graduates?\" Zhang Rong was even more astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\" Zhao Jiu answered frankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's as it should be,\" Zhang Rong said thoughtfully. \"It's been many years since we last selected metropolitan graduates. It's time for a big batch.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's not the reason,\" Zhao Jiu remained frank. \"The current shortage of officials in the Central Plains isn't that severe, and moreover, our finances are still tight; officials are only receiving half their salaries... Actually, the real purpose of this examination is to send a large number of graduates to serve in the Imperial Camp Army... What do you think, Grand Marshal Zhang? Would you like some metropolitan graduates to serve under your naval command?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Rong was stunned for a moment, then seemed about to speak but stopped. The other Military Governors who had come over with His Majesty on his orders—Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, Yue Fei, Li Yanxian, Wang Yan, and others—were also stunned. The two Deputy Commanders-in-Chief of the Imperial Camp, Wang Yuan and Qu Duan, also lost their composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, the accompanying civil officials, from Lu Haowen down, including the three Grand Councilors, the Censor-in-Chief, the heads of the Six Ministries, several Hanlin Academicians, and a few Secretariat Drafter, showed little reaction... except for a few who slightly furrowed their brows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, this group must have known about this arrangement beforehand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the fact that such an arrangement, which went against the political tradition of valuing civil over military, could pass smoothly, naturally had its own inside story—specifically, it was directly related to a recent prominent figure in the Eastern Capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that person was none other than Hu Anguo, the famous Neo-Confucian scholar and biological father of Hu Yin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it happened, when Hu Anguo had his audience that day, it certainly wasn't as dramatic as the Imperial Academy students had imagined; nor was it as much of a failure as Hu Anguo himself had casually made it seem... At the very least, from His Majesty Zhao Jiu's perspective, he and Hu Anguo had actually had a pleasant conversation that day, and they had parted amicably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First of all, Hu Anguo was no pedantic Confucian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opinions he raised, such as prioritizing military affairs and holding the old capital, were actually in line with the governing philosophy of His Majesty Zhao Jiu and the central government. Not only that, but as someone who had passed the metropolitan examination and then retired into seclusion, Hu Anguo had, during that audience, pointed out many critical issues that those in power would inevitably find difficult to address.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, this great scholar directly pointed out in public that officials within the court were already showing signs of forming factions, and that important ministers in the Southeast, Bashu, Jingxiang, and other regions all had their own protégés in the central government, often opposing the Son of Heaven and the Grand Councilors for regional interests... causing Li Guang, Zhu Shengfei, Liu Ziyu, and others to feel uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For another example, Hu Anguo publicly proposed that \"military power cannot be delegated to others.\" He was the first to praise His Majesty Zhao Jiu and the Commanders for establishing the memorial system, and he believed that this was not enough—that His Majesty should further attempt to extend the authority of the Son of Heaven and the central government deeper into the military.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was precisely by leveraging these two sensitive topics, which he had suddenly brought up in public, that His Majesty Zhao Jiu was able to go with the flow and formally push through the proposal to send metropolitan graduates into the military, a proposal that had previously been strongly opposed by Vice Grand Councilor Xu Jingheng and Censor-in-Chief Li Guang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, by that point, His Majesty Zhao Jiu had developed a certain fondness for this famous Neo-Confucian scholar. He genuinely felt that Hu Yin's father was more useful than Hu Yin himself... Comrade Hu Yin could only be used to set the anchor on issues of war and peace, but Old Mr. Hu could serve as an anchor on many administrative matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, everyone knew the final outcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Anguo, despite his high seniority, great reputation, and legitimate scholarly background, still failed to leap into the ranks of high-ranking central ministers. He was only given a sinecure position at the Imperial Library and some rewards, essentially being sidelined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was quite clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, Old Mr. Hu's performance had put the Grand Councilors and other important ministers on alert. Placing such an idealistic great scholar before a Son of Heaven who always liked to stir up trouble—wouldn't the combination of the two be even harder to handle than when Lu Yihao and His Majesty were together?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would dare keep him around?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, there was the highly controversial theory of \"nurturing qi.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be fair, His Majesty Zhao Jiu didn't have much aversion to this \"qi.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Hu Anguo specifically emphasized that his \"qi\" was not a figurative metaphor but a real combination of the primordial substance of the universe and morality, Zhao Jiu still didn't find it absurd... The reason was simple: you have to consider the perspective of the era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You, Zhao Jiu, in your twenties, know about oxygen, but Hu Anguo, with his long beard, knows about \"nurturing qi.\" That's because you are a special case, not because he is incompetent... because the mainstream philosophical thought of this era was precisely about connecting abstract concepts like morality with the fundamental principles of the universe and all things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this connection had to follow the guidance of Confucian classics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, even though he understood this in his heart, Zhao Jiu still abandoned the idea of keeping Old Mr. Hu by his side as a high-ranking minister. This was because he had to firmly adhere to the more pragmatic New Learning. And based on the serious research His Majesty Zhao Jiu had done recently, putting in the effort of an engineering dog, he had long discovered two major problems with the New Learning!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, of course, was that Cai Jing and the former Daoist Emperor had adhered to the New Learning, but because they themselves were so corrupt, they had ruined the political reputation of the New Learning in the process... This would have to be dealt with slowly; there was no way around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, the New Learning, within its own theoretical system, completely lacked a systematic and effective exposition of the heavens, earth, all things, and the fundamental principles of the universe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never mind how Old Mr. Hu's \"qi\" was considered unconventional in this era, or how it seemed somewhat absurd even to some pragmatic Imperial Academy students; the New Learning didn't even have this \"qi\"!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, Zhao Jiu simply didn't have the time to delve into Confucian classics and help the New Learning perfect this \"qi\" in order to use it as a shell for its own ideas... So, there was no choice but to let Old Mr. Hu, who was skilled at nurturing \"qi,\" remain sidelined for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the real reason why, when Hu Anguo had his audience that day, the two sides had a good conversation but ultimately parted ways reluctantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But regardless, just for the matter of sending these metropolitan graduates to the military, Zhao Jiu had to thank him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning back to the front, the military officials around him were all astonished. Zhang Rong thought for a long time but didn't dare to agree. As the many Imperial Academy students streamed into the Jiying Hall, His Majesty Zhao Jiu couldn't say much more. He adjusted his golden belt, wearing his crimson robe and hard-winged hat, and led several dozen civil and military high officials from the side gate of the Huangyi Hall into the Jiying Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once inside the hall, His Majesty Zhao Jiu sat upright on the imperial throne, with civil and military officials arrayed on either side below the steps. The six hundred Imperial Academy students, amidst somewhat cramped desks, performed the grand ceremony in response, then rose at the successive commands of His Majesty and the Chief Eunuch Lan Gui, and took their places behind their desks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Up to this point, Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged, while the six hundred men about to become metropolitan graduates showed varied expressions... Interestingly, among the high officials, Prime Minister Lu Haowen on the left, and Minister of War and Prefect of Kaifeng Chen Gui, along with several military commanders on the right, all had unusual looks on their faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Haowen had obtained his position through the yin privilege, and Chen Gui through the law examination; both had regrets regarding the civil service examinations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for those military commanders, it was undoubtedly due to centuries of custom and public sentiment that they were stirred with different thoughts... Of course, among them, Zhang Rong, who had been specifically invited by His Majesty to observe the ceremony and had the lowest social origins, was the most visibly affected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ceremony continued. Soon, Minister of Rites Zhu Shengfei led the eunuchs forward and requested that His Majesty personally write the examination topic in public.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of superficial formality naturally needed no further mention. His Majesty Zhao Jiu had long since decided on the topic, and had even communicated it to the three Grand Councilors, Lu Haowen, Wang Boyan, and Xu Jingheng, ensuring there were no objections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for some reason, seeing the Emperor pause halfway through writing on the imperial desk, knowing full well that this sovereign was about to pull some new trick, the three Grand Councilors showed no reaction at all... in fact, quite the opposite—the three of them instead felt as if a stone had finally been lifted from their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because what was coming had to come eventually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grand Councilor Lu, We recall that this time, outstanding local clerks and young, literate men with military merit were allowed to take the examination together... is that correct?\" In the silent Jiying Hall, a clear and unmistakable imperial voice suddenly reached the ears of six hundred seated prospective jinshi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reporting to Your Majesty, that is indeed the case.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A somewhat older voice immediately responded, clearly belonging to the current Chief Councilor, Lu Haowen—a man many considered no less meritorious than Li Gang or Zong Ze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then let it be so.\" Zhao Jiu suddenly laughed, and without even putting down the brush in his hand, he pointed directly at an unexpected person, speaking as if making casual small talk. \"Pengju, since you have military merit, are very young, and have always been literate, aren't you also eligible? We'll have Eunuch Lan add a desk—you take the examination too!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ps: Sorry, I'm a bit out of energy today. This chapter is all there is.\u003C\u002Fp>",2730,"2026-06-06T07:45:46.639Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","3b4c8f5f07d68e96e6e81fb5a2285d24a58fd7d315c5a0bf5e39ddb4357c2860","shao-song-chapter-201","shao-song-chapter-199",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]