Chapter 2051 Debate
The prince nodded and turned to leave, but then he remembered something and turned back to ask, "What's Bai Shan's current ranking?"
Several examiners looked at each other and said, "Your Highness, the current affairs policy has not been approved yet, so there is no ranking yet."
"Find his paper," the prince paused and frowned, "and get Bai Cheng's as well."
So everyone had to work together to find the two people's papers. Fortunately, their exam names were not covered, and Bai Shan's two papers were temporarily marked as top, so they were still easy to find.
It took Bai Cheng some time.
The prince had read Bai Shan's classics and felt a little dizzy. He handed the paper to Kong Jijiu and asked, "Sir, what do you think of my answers?"
Kong Jijiu had seen it before, and this time he was just looking at it again. He stroked his beard approvingly and said, "Not bad, just the current affairs strategy is a little lacking, but the naming should be in the top ten."
Someone objected, "He's ranked eighteenth on the list. Sir, the four spots below the top scholar have already been decided."
Kong Jijiu only then remembered this and frowned, saying, "The general list is a general list after all, and the essays should be the main focus."
"It's precisely the essay that matters. Everyone has seen their papers, and didn't everyone agree with them before? This imperial examination is just one paper. Judging solely on that would be biased. In comparison, the papers better reflect their talents."
The prince asked, "Doesn't Bai Shan have a scroll?"
"Yes," said Kong Jijiu, "the list is determined based on their travel documents."
What is the Tongbang?
Before the exam, the examiners would go out to the society to investigate the talents and reputations of the candidates, and then make a list based on the quality of the papers they submitted. This list is called the Tongbang.
After reviewing the Jinshi examination papers, the examiners would refer to the general list to determine the names. Some examiners would even have already decided on the top few places before the examination even began.
Therefore, some candidates will spend a lot of money to improve their reputation, and tens of thousands of dollars is not enough.
The prince asked to see the current affairs policies of the top ten people on the list.
After looking through them, he picked out two and threw them aside, saying sullenly, "I won't talk about the others. These two are not worthy of their positions."
The examiners looked at the two papers. One of the Imperial College doctors who strongly recommended one candidate said, "Your Highness, why don't you take a look at his paper? He is very talented. His poems and essays flow like flowing clouds and water..."
The prince glanced at him and said, "I only know that his essay is not even as good as Bai Cheng's. This is a Jinshi exam. If they only look at the papers, what's the point of the exam? Wouldn't it be better to just announce the results directly?"
He sneered and said, "I don't need to elaborate on how much water there is in the general list, right? The Jinshi exam is for recruiting talented people. I want people with knowledge, not just those with money and fame."
Kong Jijiu did not express any objection, so even if others were dissatisfied, they could only keep it to themselves.
The prince had a fit and turned to leave. Kong Jijiu stayed behind, smiled and comforted the examiners before following him out.
The prince was waiting outside the Ministry of Rites.
Kong Jijiu stepped forward and bowed, then sighed, "If Your Highness wants to admit more scholars from humble backgrounds, then you should cancel the general list and cover the names on the papers. That would be fairer."
The Crown Prince frowned and said, "I have mentioned this to Your Majesty, but Your Majesty said that the late Emperor would not set regular examinations until five years later, and there were several years of pause in between. In recent years, various families have frequently petitioned Your Majesty to establish special examinations, and each family has also recommended talents to the capital. If we have someone cancel the general list and cover the names again, I'm afraid there will be even more chaos."
The prince himself was not afraid of commotion, but he felt that his father might not like commotion at the moment. In recent years, the emperor had become more and more concerned about stability and was unwilling to cause any more disputes.
Kong Jijiu obviously knew this too. He glanced at the prince and nodded slightly, indicating that he was convinced.
He didn't know whether the emperor was seeking safety, but he knew that the emperor obviously wanted to hand this matter over to the prince so that the prince could establish his authority.
However, the emperor saw that it was the heyday of the Spring and Autumn Period, and the prince didn't know when he could use this matter to establish his authority.
Kong Jijiu sent the prince out before returning to continue reviewing the papers.
Then the examiner brought the test paper up and asked, "Sir, this test paper..."
Kong Jijiu said calmly, "The general list is just a reference. We should pay more attention to this exam paper."
"But……"
Before he could finish, Kong Jijiu took out two papers from the side and placed them on the A-grade paper beside him, saying to him, "These two papers are also good. Let's review them together later."
Everyone looked at the hometowns and names on the test paper and found that they had never heard of them. They thought about it for a long time but couldn't remember who these two people were.
I could only reach out and pick up the paper to take a look. Well, I had an impression of this paper. The poetry and prose were not so good, but the classics and current affairs were well written. However, the author was not well-known and I didn't know who it was.
The main thing is that I don't know what his character and prestige are like.
Everyone wanted to object, but Kong Jijiu said, "In the past two years, most of the jinshi exams have been taken from the general list, and the general list is almost entirely filled with students. In the last two jinshi exams, there were no provincial candidates selected, right? If this continues, I'm afraid the scholars in the community will be dissatisfied."
A doctor from the Imperial College objected, saying, "After all, there are only a few scholars from the common people. All scholars of the appropriate age have passed the examinations and entered the county school, prefectural school, and the Imperial College. So, if you count them all, there are still more students."
Kong Jijiu shook his head slightly. "Why not eat meat porridge? There are countless students in this world who want to learn but can't afford to go to the official school. We can't be too prejudiced against them just because they are not students."
"Official schools can get some exemptions, but private schools are even more expensive. If you can afford private schools, why can't you afford official schools?"
"Of course, there are also private tutors from fathers and brothers," said Kong Jijiu. "Doctor Yan should visit more local areas. Since the Jinshi exam papers have been released, the focus should be on the papers themselves, and the evaluation should be based solely on the content. How are these two papers?"
So everyone started discussing the quality of the article.
It is very easy to find flaws in an article. There is no perfect article, and if someone wants to find fault, there are plenty of ways to do it.
Everyone argued for half the night and reluctantly agreed to put the two papers in the A grade first.
It took them five days to finish grading the papers, and they argued for five days. Fortunately, Kong Jijiu was very prestigious and could control others, so the quarrel did not delay the grading of the papers.
There were thirty-two Jinshi candidates scheduled to be selected this year, so the obviously poor papers were thrown into a bamboo basket on the side, and only a few could be placed on the table.
There are also two types of papers on the table. The ones on the left are confirmed to be good and can be taken, while the ones on the right are pending.
Those who are pending either have good papers or are very famous candidates themselves. They may be on the general list and have good reputation and good papers.
Finally, everyone selected 32 papers from the more than 60 papers left for evaluation.
After arguing for a whole day, they finally decided on thirty-six papers. Kong Jijiu sent the quota and the papers to the palace for the emperor to see, and he would make the selection.
See you at 6pm
(End of this chapter)
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