Chapter 294: Talent Selection
It must be said that working in Chang'an for a long time might cause some sequelae.
For example,
When Tian Feng was summoned by Qiao Yan, his first reaction was not whether his undercover identity was exposed, but whether there was something wrong with the content of the test paper he had recently assisted Chen Jixin in making.
Logically speaking, it shouldn't be like that.
In order to make the Hongwenguan selection, which is tentatively scheduled for April, meet the needs of the current situation, the questions this time even include post-disaster management after locust plagues and droughts, the decision to publish publications, the coordination of legal principles and emotional principles in the face of major disasters, the handling of ethnic relations in the face of disasters, and the garrison and turnover of special passes when manpower deployment may be insufficient.
As for the multiple-choice questions and true-or-false questions mentioned by Qiao Yan, they are basically based on known facts.
They even considered two sets of papers, allowing those taking the test to decide first whether they prefer the path of further study of classics or the path of practical politics, and each choose the direction that suits them best to avoid mistakes in personnel selection.
But when Tian Feng thought of this, he couldn't help but stop.
Has he been Yuan Feng for too long or has he become stupid from asking questions? How could he really regard himself as Qiao Yan's subordinate!
Moreover, even if the test questions really had problems of this or that kind, the first person to be called would definitely not be him, the assistant.
There's also Chen Ji above us, so we can't let a disciple like him take the lead, right?
Rather than this, you should be more careful about whether you have revealed any flaws in any place.
He walked into Qiao Yan's office with a somewhat uneasy mood, and saw that she was holding a new template in her hand. She didn't seem to be going to accuse him, and even raised her hand to signal him to sit there.
Tian Feng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Qiao Yan said, "I heard Mr. Yuan Fang talk about your performance in the Hongwen Academy over the past two years. I think it's a bit of a waste of talent to keep you in this position. If this assessment can select useful talents, you can move up a level."
"Although the Hongwen Academy cannot do without a good assistant like you, Mr. Yuan Fang and Wen Ruo also have their own positions in the court. At most, we can redistribute some of the work."
Her second sentence directly blocked the reason that Tian Feng wanted to say to refuse.
What's more, the teacher Chen Ji chosen for him by Qiao Yan is one of the Nine Ministers. No matter how he enters the court and gets promoted, he will not surpass Chen Ji's position in a short time, so he can really enter the "system".
Tian Feng replied: "I just feel that my experience is not enough, and my contribution is not enough, so I am not worthy of your special attention."
Qiao Yan shook his head. "You are really being self-deprecating. Although I was the one who outlined the general direction of these assessment files, you and Mr. Yuan Fang and others carefully considered the difficulty of each detail, fearing that there would be any mistakes in the decision of talents. You are truly a rare person who seeks truth."
What's more, because of Tian Feng's situation, Qiao Yan actually hopes that other families can also send their undercover agents to her side.
In order to avoid being discovered for slacking off, such people have to use at least 70% to 80% of their abilities to get things done.
In the current situation, no one would complain about having fewer people on their side.
Especially, this year Qiao Yan still has ideas of external expansion.
It’s a pity that there are not many people like Yuan Shao who are easily taken advantage of.
After she sighed in her heart, she turned her gaze back to Tian Feng.
He was obviously a little uncomfortable with Qiao Yan's praise.
But these few words were just the beginning, because Qiao Yan's next sentence was something that Tian Feng was even more reluctant to mention.
"Come to think of it, it has been two and a half years since you came to Bingzhou from Jizhou and took up your post in Chang'an. Are your family members in Jizhou still unwilling to settle here with you?"
Tian Feng's expression froze for a moment, "They..."
"I heard that you had people send your monthly salary back a few times, and also sent them letters of greetings. They also had people send you New Year gifts and greetings, but it's not a good idea to always be separated from each other like this."
As Qiao Yan spoke, he cast a sympathetic look at Tian Feng. "In the first year of Jian'an, your son came to Chang'an to see you once. When he left, Fengxiao even asked someone to buy him some more gifts to take back. Unfortunately, he never came again after that. I wanted to say that if he was unfilial, I would write a letter to him personally to condemn him, but after thinking about it carefully, I felt that this matter could not be entirely blamed on him."
"That makes sense. It's not easy to get people to move to other places to settle down. For example, it's easy to move to the Guanzhong area, but it's not difficult to move to Jizhou, which is far away from the mountains. You must have a more stable job and a place suitable for your family to settle down. Isn't that right?"
Tian Feng: “…”
What can he say? He couldn't say that the man whom Guo Jia mistakenly thought was his son and whom he had accepted in a daze was actually not his son but Yuan Shao's son. There was no way he could live in Chang'an for a long time and be held hostage here.
Of course, it was impossible for Yuan Shao to release Tian Feng's family directly, in case this undercover agent who had been undercover for too long really turned against him in the end.
He could only say "yes" hesitantly.
Then Qiao Yan said, "The current situation is special, and natural disasters are coming. I am not optimistic about the prevention and control measures in Jizhou. If you can see clearly, you should persuade them at this time. No matter how hard it is to leave your homeland, saving your life is still the most important thing."
"Fortunately, there is a legitimate reason to give you an official title. As I said before, the talent selection will be completed in early April. I will give you enough rewards on the grounds that you have found a talent in the court. By that time, your family should be able to make a choice, right?"
Although Qiao Yan's tone was gentle and he was only inquiring about the separation of his subordinates from their families, he didn't know if it was Tian Feng's illusion, but he still felt that there was a hidden threat in it.
But he suddenly thought that what Qiao Yan said was right, but it was already the Jian'an period, and the talents in the world who were willing to serve as officials had actually already been divided up by all parties. Those who were still waiting to advance through this examination were the ones who were stranded in the Hongwenguan.
It cannot be said that these people are without talent, but they are certainly not worthy of the word "great talent".
If he was promoted because he was selected as such a talent, it would actually be a bit untenable.
Tian Feng quickly replied: "I understand your good intentions, but I still ask you to protect your dignity and not make any special treatment just because of Yuan Feng's family situation."
Qiao Yan smiled and said, "Of course. If anything goes wrong in this assessment, I will still hold you accountable. This matter is extremely important, so don't slack off in front of me."
She paused, and then said, "But speaking of which, I have another idea. Before you take the test papers to be engraved, let's make the arrangements as well."
She handed another piece of paper in her hand to Tian Feng and said, "Take a look at this."
Tian Feng stood up and took it. He saw that although there were only a few words on it, the content was extremely crucial. It was about the layout considerations for the April test papers.
The other arrangements are not important, except for one that is extremely special.
There is a vertical line on the right side of the test paper, with information such as name and place of origin listed in a separate area. Above this vertical line, there is a word called binding line.
Tian Feng had a vague guess in his mind, but he still looked towards Qiao Yan and asked, "What is this?"
"After the examination is completed, the collected papers will be anonymized in this way before marking them."
Qiao Yan's eyes were full of interest as he continued to explain, "Before this assessment, most of the participants had lived in Chang'an for quite some time. There were always some interesting stories passed on to me and the examiners. There was good news, but there was also bad news. There were fights and some people who wrote disrespectful words. It was actually not uncommon."
"Because Chang'an is very tolerant, these actions did not violate the Five Penal Regulations, so they were not punished. But if they were affected during the examination, it would be a bit bad."
"You were drunk and scolded me in the past, but I still love his talent. His eloquence and beautiful writing are rare in this world. Although he has some shortcomings in personal morality, there is no need to criticize him. The same applies to others. If we miss out on talent because of the impressions we made in the past few months, then the selection method this time is inappropriate."
"After thinking it over, I still think that it is best to just give these people's names and not worry about who the answerer is. It is best to just look at their talent."
Whenever Qiao Yan proposed this anonymous idea when there were many educated people among the common people, or when it was a relatively peaceful era, some people who were afraid of being replaced by the lower-class people and wanted to use connections to participate would probably be opposed.
It just so happened that she came up with this idea at this moment, and the reasons she gave were particularly suitable for the current situation.
This slight relaxation of the standards for talent and conduct, as long as it does not violate the law, demonstrates her magnanimity as a great commander.
Who would oppose such an innovation?
Moreover, in Tian Feng's opinion, Qiao Yan's decision was not only to prevent the situation where the judgment was interfered with by the inherent impression, but also to promote competition in this assessment.
Nowadays, everyone's name is sealed, and there is no connection with ancestors or parents to rely on. The only criterion for judging on the entire paper is strength. It can be clearly distinguished who has real skills and who is just seeking fame.
This move undoubtedly suits the appetite of the Han people!
So is there a possibility that some people who originally did not intend to participate in this selection will be involved because of this special rule and intend to use this method to test their own strength?
Qiao Yan added, "In addition, I have written to the emperor and asked for permission. Those who have passed the test can serve in their respective suitable positions for one month. If they feel that the Chang'an court does not agree with their ideas, they can leave at any time. The court will cover their travel expenses. During this period, they will not be exposed to the core secrets of this place, and it will not be too late to learn about them after they settle down here."
"If there is no objection to the anonymous assessment, I will have someone post the notice as soon as possible."
Tian Feng listened to Qiao Yan's story. Judging from her actions from the perspective of an enemy, he still felt that her words and deeds were impressive. But when he thought about the scholars who might be selected to enter the court, he felt that his future was bleak.
Could it be that after the assessment is over in April, he will really take up the post and get a raise, becoming one of Changan's official officials?
If he is asked to bring his family to live with him at that time, does he really have to ask Ming Gong to send Yuan Xi over under the identity of Yuan Xi?
With this worry in mind, Tian Feng informed Chen Ji of Qiao Yan's two additional explanations on the assessment.
Chen Ji, who had no idea of Tian Feng's complex emotions at the moment, clapped his hands and praised him, "The Grand Marshal is indeed worthy of being the Grand Marshal. With this arrangement, if the talents we have recruited to Chang'an still escape, it will be my fault."
The scholarly character that the Han Dynasty admired would make it impossible for anyone to raise any objection to the fairness proposed by Qiao Yan.
For this group of people whose average strength is not as high as those who entered the court earlier and whose family background and status are relatively equal, this kind of assessment method will undoubtedly make those who stand out appear to be more qualified and also invisibly increase their value.
Since they all felt that they would be the winner, they didn't even have time to thank Qiao Yan.
But is this the only significance of this ambiguous exam?
After hearing about everyone's reactions after the assessment rules notice was posted, Qiao Yan couldn't help but smile subtly.
Those who are participating in the selection now are all scholars who already have the literacy and education requirements. In the future...
But that may not be the case!
However, there is no need to say such things in such a happy occasion.
"I don't think everyone is happy," Cheng Yu couldn't help but complain, "Tian Yuanhao was really tricked by the Lord. He is now worried that a great talent will be selected in this exam, so that he will really be rewarded by the Lord for setting the test paper."
Qiao Yan raised his eyebrows. "Mr. Zhongde, you don't think I just said this to him casually, do you? If I hadn't known in advance that someone wanted to take the exam, I wouldn't have made such a promise."
So the current situation is that whatever Tian Feng feared has come true.
Due to the shortage of manpower, those who set the questions had to be responsible for marking the papers. So he faced the process of marking the answer papers one by one with a sense of uneasiness.
There is no need to say much about the handwriting.
For scholars today, the words they write are their face.
Although not everyone needs to be able to write as beautifully as Wei Ji, Zhang Zhi, and Cai Yong, at least the characters can be fluent and the paper clear. In this way, what matters is the level they show in the answer sheet.
Halfway through reviewing the papers, Tian Feng saw an answer sheet that made him feel a little scared.
Some of the words in this paper are actually a bit immature, but this does not affect the word "strange" revealed between the lines at all. If you like to take unconventional approaches in governing people's livelihood, it is actually a bit problematic, but what about military strategies?
This is such a genius!
Tian Feng wanted to lower the score of this paper a little bit, maybe he could let this talented person flow to other places, but this would go against his conscience. Secondly, Qiao Yan had actually considered the possibility that personal inclinations might interfere with the decision-making.
An answer sheet must be scored by at least four people, and the most deviant one will be removed through everyone's judgment, and then the average will be taken.
If Tian Feng made any inappropriate judgment on this, it would bring him trouble.
Sure enough, after he gave a normal score and passed it to Xun You, who was called to mark the papers, he saw that the other party suddenly said "good" after reading a few lines.
Xun You has always been introverted, so it is inevitable that he would behave like this, which shows that he is really capable.
Before Tian Feng could sigh and lament that such a talent fell into Qiao Yan's hands, he heard Chen Ji on the other end of the table slapping. He was shocked to realize that he didn't slap the leg, so he gritted his teeth and took a breath.
Tian Feng turned around and asked carefully, "Teacher, what wonderful thing have you seen?"
"More than that... Just look at this answer sheet and you'll know that this person came at the perfect time." Chen Ji couldn't help but show his joy. "Do you still remember that one of the requirements that the Grand Marshal gave to our Hongwenguan was to find as many people with economic talents as possible? Here comes one!"
Good thing! What a great thing!
When Tian Feng took the paper, he saw that the man had written in great detail about the management of drought and locust plagues, and what he had written were measures to stabilize food and commodity prices, and how to avoid the phenomenon of barter that interferes with the monetary system.
This person is not only a talent in economics, but also a person with great potential for practical work!
Therefore, when the two most outstanding test papers were removed from the sealed labels after judging, they attracted a large number of onlookers.
"Fufeng Fazheng..."
This is the person who answered the test paper with a surprising strategy.
Fa Zheng's name was not surprising at that time, but his great-grandfather Fa Xiong was once the governor of Nanjun, his grandfather Fa Zhen was an extremely famous and noble scholar, and his father Fa Yan was once a clerk in the Situ Palace and the Left Supervisor of the Court of Justice. Once the background of the Fufeng Fa family was revealed, it was not difficult to guess why he wanted to participate in this assessment.
Fa Zhen's proud and aloof temperament was obviously passed down to his grandson, so he had no intention of entering the sight of Chang'an people as someone's grandson or someone's son, nor did he want his 19-year-old age to become a factor in judging his abilities.
Qiao Yan's ambiguous decision hit him right in the heart.
He probably felt that this was the most appropriate time for him to prove his strength!
On the other side, the test paper that demonstrated extraordinary economics skills also presented the name of the person who answered the question in front of everyone.
"Lingling Liu Ba... I vaguely remember that the Grand Marshal once invited him?" Chen Ji asked, touching his chin.
"You remember correctly," Xun You replied, "Your Excellency invited him two years ago, but not only did he not come, he also ran away to Jiaozhou in the name of visiting a friend, as if he was afraid that he would be arrested and brought directly to Chang'an."
After hearing this episode and looking at Liu Ba's reply on the answer sheet, Chen Ji couldn't help but laugh and said, "What is this called?"
As soon as Qiao Yan arrived here, he heard Liu Ba's name and said, "This is called the phoenix trees forming a forest, attracting phoenixes to roost."
How can Chang'an today not be considered a forest of paulownia trees!
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