Chapter 280 The Imperial Examination
A month later, the first imperial examination of the new dynasty was held as scheduled.
This year's imperial examination is the first since the emperor ascended the throne and assumed personal rule, making it of great significance.
Li Yuanzhao specially appointed Liu Jinzhang as the chief examiner and Liu Liniang as the deputy chief examiner.
Due to the serious vacancies in the imperial court, the number of candidates for the highest degree in the imperial examination was increased from twenty to eighty.
The students were overjoyed, all hoping to seize this opportunity to enter the imperial court and realize their ambitions.
Unexpectedly, when the Ministry of Rites finished reviewing the papers after a month and presented the results to the Emperor, it caused a huge uproar.
Because none of the ministers in the court were willing to believe that a woman had actually topped the list of new officials.
Even though the exam paper was personally graded by the erudite Prime Minister Liu, doubts still arose.
"How could a woman, who has only taken the imperial examination for the first time, outscore a man who has studied for ten years? There's clearly something fishy going on!"
"Since Lady Liu is a woman, she will naturally side with her own people. How can the results of this imperial examination be accepted?"
In the imperial court, there was much discussion, with people not only criticizing Liu Liniang, but the anger even spread to Liu Jinzhang.
"Back on the day of the palace coup, I saw Prime Minister Liu with this student named Tu Qing. Now that she is at the top of the list, is it just a coincidence?"
"It's likely that Prime Minister Liu has a prior connection with this candidate, and that's why he's deliberately showing favoritism!"
"Prime Minister Liu, as the Imperial Tutor, how can you let personal matters interfere with public duty and unjustly tarnish your status?"
"Absurd!" Su Qingci could no longer hold back and retorted, "This time, the grading used the 'anonymous' and 'transcription' system personally set by His Majesty. Not only were the names sealed, but special people were also assigned to copy the exam papers to prevent handwriting identification. How could there be any fakes? Have you gentlemen been blinded by prejudice and lost your minds?"
Upon hearing this, many people felt fear and subconsciously looked towards the dragon throne.
But Li Yuanzhao simply leaned lazily against the dragon throne, his fingertips casually tapping the end of his eyebrows.
Even when the noise below was so loud it almost lifted the roof off the palace, he remained silent, his expression unreadable.
This silence, however, emboldened the ministers, who continued defiantly, "Who knows what other tricks there are?!"
"Exactly! Maybe the person who copied it was also bribed!"
Facing the surging chorus of questions, Liu Jinzhang slowly stepped out of the court assembly. "Lord Su is right. This imperial examination followed the system of 'anonymous grading' and 'copying' throughout. When Lord Liu and I were grading the papers, we only knew the quality of the papers, not the gender or identity of the candidates. There was absolutely no bias. If you gentlemen do not believe me..."
He turned to face the throne and bowed deeply: "Your subject requests to review the original documents in the palace to set the record straight."
When the eunuch read Tu Qing's strategy aloud in front of the hall, the hall fell into a deathly silence.
In that policy essay, the discussion on border defense proposed the strategy of "stationing troops to strengthen the border and using commerce to support the army," which hit the nail on the head regarding the current border troubles.
When discussing people's livelihood, he advocated "light taxes and levies, and the construction of water conservancy projects," and every word he wrote was a true insight into the people's plight.
His profound insight and broad vision secretly alarmed many veteran officials present.
Liu Jinzhang surveyed the assembled officials and said, "Tu Qing's policy essay is incisive and insightful, far surpassing the work of the other scholars. I believe this essay truly deserves to be ranked first!"
He paused for a moment, then said frankly, “It is true that you all say that I know Tu Qing. During the palace coup, Your Majesty was in danger, and none of the ministers were there, but Tu Qing was running through the crowd, exposing the rebels’ lies and clearing Your Majesty’s name.”
"It is evident that this woman is not only a first-rate writer, but also possesses a loyal heart and patriotism, as well as courage in the face of danger. She is truly a talent for the nation and a pillar of the state!"
Even so, some veteran officials remained unconvinced, stroking their beards and scoffing, "Even if she showed some courage during the palace coup, how can one judge whether someone is a pillar of the state from just one article? What if she is only good at theoretical discussions and causes trouble for the country in the future? Who will take responsibility?"
Su Qingci was furious at the man's shameless remarks and was about to speak in rebuttal when she saw Li Yuanzhao on the throne slowly raise his hand and stop her.
"Since you ministers still have doubts, why don't we summon the top ten candidates of this imperial examination to the palace so that I and the officials can examine them together?"
The Imperial Examination?
Previously, after the scientific expedition, the list of successful candidates and the final rankings were determined directly based on the examination scores. There had never been such a rule before.
If the examination were to be conducted in public, then all the civil and military officials would be the chief examiners, leaving no room for favoritism whatsoever.
Upon hearing this, many veteran officials were initially taken aback, but then their eyes lit up with joy.
Because deep down they felt that these men who had studied for ten years could not possibly lose to women who had just participated in the imperial examinations, and that Liu Jinzhang must have been biased.
Li Yuanzhao's move was undoubtedly a compromise with them.
The crowd hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Three days later, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was solemn and dignified.
Ten candidates stood with their heads bowed in the hall.
Of the ten people, seven were men and only three were women.
Even so, Tu Qing's temporary leadership and position at the top still displeased many conservative officials, whose eyes held a hint of impatience as they waited to see him make a fool of himself.
Li Yuanzhao sat upright on the dragon throne, his gaze sweeping over the ten candidates below him. He said in a deep voice, "This palace examination will only have one question—discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the new laws."
Upon hearing this, not only were the examinees surprised, but even the court officials turned their heads in astonishment.
Before ascending the throne, Li Yuanzhao ordered the revision of the "Great Qi Law," the core of which was to promote gender equality.
This news has already caused a huge uproar in both the government and the public, and many of the clauses have been the subject of controversy between the two sides for months.
His Majesty's choice of this topic at this moment is clearly intended to probe the attitudes of scholars across the land through the palace examination.
The first few candidates answered in turn.
Some people cite classical texts to lament that "yin and yang are in order, and men and women are different."
Some people are deeply worried and assert that "if women are given the same rights as men, it will inevitably lead to unrest in the country and the nation."
Some people bluntly said, "If all women go to serve in government or do manual labor, who will take care of their husbands and raise their children? Won't the Great Qi Dynasty be doomed to extinction?"
After each statement was made, an old minister would stroke his beard and nod.
Although the female students argued their case rationally, they always seemed to be outnumbered and outmatched.
When it was Tu Qing's turn, everyone thought she would explain the various benefits of the new law, and some were even prepared to refute her.
Unexpectedly, she stepped forward, bowed, and then said directly, "The problem with the new law is that the reforms were too hasty and failed to be accompanied by education."
Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent instantly, and even Li Yuanzhao raised an eyebrow slightly.
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