Chapter 37: State Governor System
The counselors in Danchi, the young phoenix has a clear voice.
This is indeed too high an evaluation.
It doesn't even follow the rule that in most reviews, there is always some element of mystery, and even if it is straightforward, it has to start with falsehood and end with truth!
Instead, she was actually elevated to an absolutely high position.
Yang Xiu was still too young, and he immediately exclaimed, "What on earth did you write?"
Seeing that the middle-aged scholar had already made a gesture to lead them in, Qiao Yan also pointed and said, "I think that if you meet Mr. Zijiang, you will be able to get the answer to your doubts."
The middle-aged scholar saw that after receiving such an evaluation from Xu Shao, Qiao Yan remained calm and composed in her reply and in her movements towards the temple, and did not retaliate against those provocateurs in the street because of Yang Xiu's obvious defeat. He couldn't help but think more highly of her.
He was not one of the "many extraordinary people in Ruyang", but he was a follower of Xu Shao, had some connections in Runan, and had met quite a few young geniuses.
In his opinion, Qiao Yan had indeed demonstrated his unrivaled talent earlier than anyone else he had ever met.
Such a person...
No wonder such words were written.
While he was thinking about it, he did not delay in bringing the two children into the temple.
After all, Dingzhongguan was only a temporary place to stay, and its layout was a bit simple. But since Xu Shao gathered here with several people who participated in Yuedanping, it was natural that someone would renovate the place a bit, making it more like a place for literature and art.
After passing the screen wall behind the middle door, Qiao Yan saw the eight important officials present sitting behind their desks, as if it were a scene of a three-court trial.
Of course, in addition to these eight people, there were naturally others who were invited in, but their reputations could not compare with the previous ones.
When they saw someone coming, they all looked towards the two children.
The same was naturally true for Xu Shao, who was sitting at the top.
The first glance at the performance of these two children made him secretly praise them in his heart.
They both have the demeanor of great generals...
Yang Xiu grew up under the protection of the Yang family. Although he was only nine years old, he must have seen many occasions like this. It was not difficult to understand why he remained calm at this time.
Qiao Yan had grown up with Qiao Yu in Yanzhou, but her demeanor was even more graceful than Yang Xiu's. Even though she was still young, she deserved to be described as having an outstanding demeanor.
As soon as he saw Qiao Yan, he couldn't help but think of the words she said at the beginning in a casual conversation.
She said: "Yan returned from Jizhou, passed Hulao and crossed Luoshui, and finally arrived in Luoyang. Suddenly, he heard someone say that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was in the local area and that he needed to re-establish the governorship of the state and control the four directions. He was shocked."
Whether Qiao Yan was surprised or not, he didn't know, but when Xu Shao read the beginning and the article titled "On the Feudalism of Provincial Governors", he was really shocked.
At least when Yang Xiu and Qiao Yan's policy papers were sent to him, he really did not expect to see such a policy paper.
Her second paragraph goes straight to the point.
"It should be understood that the governorship is the same as feudalism. The Zhou Dynasty divided the land into fiefdoms, and the states were like stars in the sky, with wheels and spokes gathered together. But when they were united, they would attend court meetings, and when they were divided, they would not have the heart of a monarch..."
This is actually a policy paper refuting the governor's opinion!
Not to mention Xu Shao didn't expect such a special article to come out of her, the others didn't expect it either.
When Xu Shao first called them over, they thought Qiao Yan had just written some childish words, but after actually reading the article in front of them, they all expressed the same reaction as Xu Shao.
This... this can actually be written by a child?
Yang Xiu would not mistakenly believe that when he and Qiao Yan walked in, all the celebrities present at the table showed astonishment in their looks, but he was sure that these looks were definitely not directed at him. After all, he was only evaluated as a talented person.
This also made him more and more eager to know what Qiao Yan had written.
After greeting several people, he cupped his hands and asked, "You are a reckless boy, can you take a look at the work of Lord Qiao?"
With the consent of Qiao Yan and Xu Shao, the silk book finally appeared in his hands.
Unlike Xu Shao, he did not start reading from the first paragraph. Instead, he saw the title of the article at a glance - "On the Feudal System of Provincial Governors" and turned to Qiao Yan and asked, "How did you come up with the idea of writing this?"
Qiao Yan simply replied: "I just wrote it down as I felt."
But it would be fine if he just said this to deceive Yang Xiu. In fact, it is somewhat inappropriate to say that he spoke from his heart.
Policy essay, policy essay, it seems that this submitted policy essay is a self-written composition, but it is not entirely so.
Looking at who the people present are and what their identities are would undoubtedly greatly narrow the scope of what she could write in this policy paper.
Who are the people who entered the Dingzhong Temple mentioned by the scholar?
Han Rong, Chen Ji, Wang Qian, Bian Rang, Wang Kuang, Chen Lin, Xu You...
All of them are famous people of the time!
The biggest common point among these famous people of the time is that they all serve under He Jin.
Of course, this effectiveness does not mean that they were attracted by He Jin's "humble and humble" attitude and planned for him sincerely, but because -
Firstly, the Party and Faction Persecution had just been lifted, and they all needed to temporarily seek an asylum in order to get a buffer period to return to their official careers.
Being recruited by the Three Dukes was an option. For example, He Yong, who praised Xun Yu for his talent as a king's assistant, was later recruited by the Sikong Mansion as a staff member and even gained a dominant position in the deliberations of the three ministries. Another example was Huang Wan, who was previously recommended by the Grand Commandant Yang Ci in the court.
However, it is too easy to replace or abolish the positions of the Three Dukes, especially when the chaos in all directions has not been completely quelled and natural disasters have not been uncommon in recent years. If the current emperor wants to find someone to take the blame for a disaster, he will simply let one of the Three Dukes resign. Of course, with Liu Hong's unpredictable emotions, it is not impossible for him to get rid of someone directly because of a dispute over his position.
Therefore, He Jin, the general who was a relative of the emperor and would not be removed from his high position for the time being, became the first choice of these scholars.
Secondly, He Jin was powerful but short-sighted, and was very likely to become a powerful "tool" for them to kill the eunuchs.
This is what all these people here have in common.
Now that she has come here and wants to get a good reputation from these people, it is very normal for Qiao Yan to have utilitarian thoughts, so she does not think that the words "catering to their tastes" are something to be ashamed of.
But this must be done just right, for example -
She couldn't say that she also wanted to kill the eunuchs.
This kind of direct show of goodwill at the camp level did her no good at all.
Given Xu Shao's reputation as a judge, if Qiao Yan wanted to convince the public, he had to present this essay.
Writing something this radical might seem to please the scholar camp, but it would also disgust Liu Hong, and it might even cause her already-obtained position of county marquis to be abolished because she would step into Luoyang City with her left foot first tomorrow.
The previous relationship between her and Bi Lan was also completely scrapped.
so--
She could appropriately show things that were favorable to He Jin's position in this policy paper, but she must never directly label herself as a party member.
In other words, she needed to refute something that was unfavorable to He Jin, but without damaging Liu Hong's balance of power. It would be best if she could convey the position of a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty.
Is there such a proposition?
have!
It was she who wrote the article refuting the governor system!
This is the only system that is not good for He Jin, may not be good for the gentry, and poses a hidden danger to the current emperor. It was also proposed by the royal family at this time to deal with the chaos in the world.
On the way to Luoyang by boat on the Luo River, Qiao Yan heard the news from Bi Lan.
Although from Yang Xiu's perspective, Qiao Yan's writing was fluent and seemed to be completed in one go, when she was judging the identity and position of the "judges" this time, her thoughts had already turned countless corners in a flash.
Moreover, there is not only an age difference between her and Yang Xiu, a real child, but she also has the natural advantage of looking at this issue from the perspective of later generations.
Because there was a similar situation in another era.
After the Jianzhong Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty went through the reign of Emperor Shunzong of Tang and finally Emperor Xianzong of Tang. The emperor's authority weakened and various local warlords became separatist. After the failure of the Yongzhen Reform, Liu Zongyuan wrote an article criticizing the voices for restoring the feudal system, entitled "On Feudalism".
Are the separatist regimes in the late Tang Dynasty similar to the provincial governor system in the late Han Dynasty?
Somewhat similar but not identical.
But one thing is the same: after the Anshi Rebellion and the Jianzhong Rebellion, the Jiedushi existed independently of the central government. The Tang Dynasty was even destroyed by the Jiedushi Zhu Wen. The provincial governor system gave the provincial governors the power to recruit soldiers and govern independently, and it also became the last spark that led to the separatist rule of the princes in the late Han Dynasty.
Liu Zongyuan used the article "On Feudalism" to attack the arguments for maintaining the feudal system, which was also aimed at the vassal states. Qiao Yan might as well learn from it. On the surface, he criticized the feudal system, but in fact he was targeting the provincial governor system that had been re-proposed in the court recently.
There is only one person who would be offended by writing this proposition, and that is Taichang Liu Yan, who is now the most active in restoring the provincial governor system!
But scolding Liu Yan would not cause her any essential harm at all.
The disciples of Runan Yuan family are spread all over the country, and some of them are among the three highest officials in the country. At this point in time, the Yuan family has no intention of separatist rule. The first batch of provincial governors appointed by Emperor Liu Hong will only be given to Liu Biao, Liu Yan, who are members of the Han royal family, and Huangfu Song, who are absolutely loyal ministers and hold military power and perform their duties conscientiously, but not to the Yuan family who has just recovered from the Factions and Persecutions.
The provincial governor system or the feudal system has no benefits for the Yuan family at this stage. They will not care about Qiao Yan's remarks, but will think that what she said makes sense.
As a general, He Jin opened a government office to recruit soldiers and was in the limelight. Naturally, he did not like the provincial governor system. Although he might not necessarily stop it, if someone did it for him, he would not be disgusted. He might even feel that there was no conflict between him and the other party and that there was a possibility of winning them over.
As for the broadest group of aristocratic families, when they gathered around He Jin and wanted to sharpen the blade of killing eunuchs, it was indeed necessary for them to oppose other knives that tried to divide power from He Jin.
The top group among them did not need to obtain a platform to realize their ambitions through the additional official positions provided by the feudal system.
So Qiao Yan can write!
Not only could he write, but it was also very likely that he would be recognized by Xu Shao and those famous scholars, who would consider him worthy of being presented as advice to the current emperor.
In fact, she guessed right.
A child who is only ten years old can manipulate the Yellow Turban forces at will, causing the two sides to kill each other, can refute Zhang Jue's Taiping Jing theory and safeguard the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty, and now has the ability to see through the new political opinions in the current situation at a glance. If she puts forward her own views, they must evaluate her on the same level.
If her arguments do not conflict with their interests, they will regard her as a close friend and a genius.
And if she still has the aura of being valued by the current emperor, and even has a certain amount of political capital——
Xu Shao and the people present had to give her a very high evaluation to show their goodwill towards her.
However, Qiao Yan did not receive this favorable review solely based on his opinions.
She wasn't so shameless as to copy Liu Zongyuan's entire article, but it would always be okay to learn from other people's paper ideas and structure, right?
Other people's writing is a combination of parallel and scattered sentences, with concise sentences, while she mixes details and omissions appropriately to criticize current social ills.
If he added some rich flesh and blood about his experiences during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, it would seem more realistic.
Then there is——
When Liu Zongyuan gave examples, he said, "In the Han Dynasty, we knew Meng Shu from Tian Shu, and Wei Shang from Feng Tang. We heard about Huang Ba's wisdom and judgment, and saw Ji An's simplicity and calmness. We could have appointed them, restored them to their positions, or even entrusted them with the task of governing a region." So could she have used some modern examples instead?
Isn't this the perfect opportunity for her to potentially resolve conflicts with people of certain stances?
"Now the emperor knows Zi Yan from Mr. Yang..." Yang Xiu's expression was a little subtle when he read this.
He glanced at Qiao Yan, only to see the other person's unusually calm expression, as if the description of Yang Ci recommending Huang Wan so that talented people could be fully utilized was just to illustrate the advantages of the implementation of the county system, rather than to show goodwill to the Hongnong Yang family.
As for Liu Hong, who was mentioned later, he knew the reputation of everyone present through He Jin, and it seemed as if he mentioned it just because he happened to write this article here.
"In the implementation of the prefectures and counties, those who are guilty can be dismissed, those who are capable can be rewarded. If they do not teach in the morning, they can be dismissed in the evening. If one person is appointed as governor of a state, even if he causes chaos, he will be treated with respect."
This is the drawback of the provincial governor system that arose after the feudal system was formed. If the governor of a state is not capable of governing, or even causes unrest in the local area, the local people can only be angry with him because his power is too great.
"If a rebellion were to arise here, and this place is strategically located and can be defended, what would the imperial court do?"
Yang Xiu knew little about the news in the court, but those present knew that the governor of Yizhou, Xie Jian, was killed by the Yellow Turbans because of his heavy taxes and greed in Yizhou. Therefore, Liu Yan, who proposed the system of provincial governors, sought the position of governor of Yizhou.
Where is Yizhou? Yizhou is a land of dangerous terrain, fertile fields, and abundance - the above is Zhuge Liang's evaluation of Yizhou.
Qiao Yan almost pointed at Liu Yan's nose and cursed him, "You proposed the system of provincial governors and you also want to be the governor of Yizhou. If you defend yourself in a dangerous place and have any ulterior motives, what will the court do with you?"
Having said that, Xu You and Chen Lin, who were very vicious when it came to scolding people, looked at each other and felt that Qiao Yan's writing skills were still a little weak, probably because he was young.
But think about this kind of words, if said in a slightly more obscure way, the emperor would definitely like it, and he would improve his evaluation of her a little bit.
"The way of the world is that the wise are at the top and the unworthy are at the bottom. If there are rebellious people but no rebellious officials, the world will be united and the wise will be promoted..."
“…”
"The reason why Qin lost its position was because of its politics, not its system. Now the state has completely controlled the counties and towns, and even appointed governors. It is hard to change it."
“…”
"Yan does not want to see a saint born in his time, because the feudal system cuts off the way to the center, and he has no way to stand in the world, so he can only put forward his humble words."
Yang Xiu was silent.
We are all nine or ten-year-old children, who just want to gain the reputation of a child prodigy. How come you are the only one who can write something of this level in a short essay?
He now realized that Xu Shao had merely evaluated Qiao Yan as a young phoenix with a clear voice, paraphrasing the phrase "a young phoenix's voice is clearer than an old phoenix's" that she had previously used to criticize the scholar; perhaps her words were a little restrained.
Although Yang Xiu's political sensitivity was not very high, it was obvious that this was indeed, as Xu Shao had commented, an article that could be circulated among the people in power in Luoyang and could also be presented to the emperor.
The idea of ending is a bit naive, but as the saying goes, wise men are in power and saints establish themselves, this is clearly a statement about maintaining the Han Dynasty after the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Thinking of this, he lowered his head and clenched the silk in his hands.
Even if he didn't want to admit it, he had to admit that in front of this theory of feudalism by provincial governors, the questions and answers he wrote in a flattering way sounded like a child's work.
But losing to someone like this...
It’s not unfair for him to lose to such a person!
When he raised his eyes and looked at Qiao Yan again, Qiao Yan felt that he was a bit like Xu Fu, who was looking at his idol. Of course, he also had the desire to compete with him again in a few years.
The recovery speed is quite fast.
However, before Yang Xiu could make any three- to five-year agreement with Qiao Yan, the main door of Dingzhong Temple was suddenly pushed open.
Qiao Yan looked in the direction of the voice and saw an acquaintance.
Who else could this intruder be but the eunuch Zhang Rang?
And no matter how much those people present hated Zhang Rang, they could not change the reality: when Zhang Rang appeared here as the emperor's special envoy, no one could stop him outside.
Zhang Rang was not unaware of these people's plans, but he was not looking for them anyway, so he didn't care about their disgusted looks at him.
He just looked at Qiao Yan and said, "Your Majesty heard that Marquis Qiao came to look for General Xu to receive the monthly evaluation, so he ordered this servant to come and announce the decree—"
Liu Hong's oral instruction to Zhang Rang was that if Qiao Yan could really get Xu Shao's praise, he should let her come to the palace to meet him. When Zhang Rang arrived there, he heard the evaluation of "the clear voice of a young phoenix".
Then the Danchi strategy is probably going to come true soon.
Seeing Qiao Yan kneeling down to receive the order, Zhang Rang continued to read, "Order the Marquis of Leping to come to the palace to see the emperor."
Qiao Yan's eyes flashed, she did not write this article in vain!
She was finally going to meet the emperor in power!
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