plumnovel Can't there be a Class A subject in Chapter 22?
Can't there be a Class A subject in Chapter 22?
"Brother Bochang, how did you fare on the third question?"
"Better than before, third-class..."
"There should be no problem with being classified as Ding or above, and Bing or below is also possible. Congratulations to the Ji family of Bohai for getting the gold-embroidered ingot!"
"Thank you for your kind words, Brother Aotian. After the court hearing and the expression of gratitude, let's have a proper get-together at the appointed time!"
"Brother Chu Yu is back! Let's go, let's go ask him how the third question went!"
When Lu Jun returned to the side hall, she was surrounded by her classmates, who all asked her about the evaluation results.
wow——
Like a boulder thrown into a spring pond, the shock spread instantly, and the shouts that rose up reached the beams of the hall, even reaching the main hall. The attendant was so frightened that he quickly gestured for shushing.
"All three questions were first-class! And she's ranked first in the preliminary exam too, so she's definitely in the top tier!"
"It's said that there haven't been any top-ranked students in the regular and special examinations for decades. Brother Chu Yu is about to set a precedent!"
"If someone gets a grade B in the imperial examination, they'll be appointed to the lower rank of the ninth grade. If they get a grade A, wouldn't they be appointed to the upper rank of the ninth grade?"
"Absolutely more than that. I heard that during the late emperor's reign, those who passed the special imperial examination were directly awarded the eighth rank, the same level as those who passed the county-level examination."
"..."
The same exclamation echoed for a long time in the main hall, even prompting several prime ministers to marvel at it.
This year's preliminary examination for the imperial examination focused on strategy, while the palace examination consisted of three questions on morality, politics, and history. The overall difficulty was very high, and passing the examination was already difficult enough. To get first place on all four questions is simply unbelievable...
After much discussion, all eyes were focused on Shen Quanqi, awaiting the final evaluation from the Performance Evaluation Department.
Shen Quanqi felt immense pressure at this moment, knowing that no matter how he commented, there would inevitably be criticism.
After much deliberation, he decided to test the waters: "Based on Lu Chuyu's grades, I'm afraid she'll have to be ranked first..."
what--
A thousand waves surged forth.
Chancellor Su Liangsi said, "In recent history, there has never been a top-ranking official examination to demonstrate the court's strictness in selecting people, let alone one that ranks above the top. The Examination and Evaluation Department should carefully evaluate the candidates!"
Su Liangsi is 85 years old this year. He is a veteran of three dynasties and has a high reputation. His words carry great weight.
The ministers immediately echoed this sentiment:
"In the imperial examination, only the order of ranking matters is considered. Although all three questions are first-class, they still need to be ranked A, B, and C according to established practice."
"The Grade A designation has always been meaningless; Grade B is considered the highest level, and ranking it as Grade B or above is sufficient."
"If a candidate is to be awarded the highest grade, the prime minister and his advisors must have reviewed the preliminary examination essays and unanimously agree on them in order to convince the public."
"That's right, none of the officials have even seen the preliminary examination papers. Relying solely on the Examination and Recruitment Office's review is hardly convincing!"
"..."
The Tang Dynasty's imperial examination system was extremely rigorous, with a small number of candidates and very strict ranking criteria. It was extremely rare for candidates to be awarded the highest rank, and this had not happened since the reign of Emperor Gaozong.
Although some epitaphs say things like "excelled in the imperial examinations," it's just an overstatement.
Later, the common people simply used "甲科" to refer to the imperial examination, and all those who passed were called "登甲科".
Therefore, the ministers strongly opposed the proposal and demanded that Lu Jun's preliminary examination essay be made public for judgment.
Because she had been sitting for too long, Wu Zetian rested for a while in the Yinyu Palace before returning to the Luocheng Palace.
Upon hearing that the ministers wanted to see Lu Jun's essay, a commotion erupted. One minister declared loudly, "This essay is of the highest caliber, personally appointed by me! Who disagrees?"
The hall fell silent instantly.
Wu Zetian then explained:
"This matter is confidential; I will not disclose it."
"I will discuss the many suggestions with the relevant ministries and departments separately, and you will know about them in the future."
"I'm only telling you this: with Lu Jun's talent in writing, even if the court were to reinstate the imperial examination for the lowest degree, he would still come in first!"
The "Xiucai Examination" had five sections, which placed extremely high demands on commoner scholars. It was abolished in the early years of Emperor Gaozong's reign.
When the Empress Dowager told everyone that Lu Jun had passed the imperial examination for the title of Xiucai and even came in first place, everyone was skeptical.
However, the Empress Dowager does indeed have the power to make decisions.
At this time, the list and rank of those who passed the imperial examinations were first determined by the Examination and Merit Bureau, then submitted to the Prime Minister for review, and finally submitted to the Emperor for approval and imperial edict.
If the emperor disagreed with the selection and ranking of officials, he could directly intervene, for example...
In the imperial examination of the 20th year of the Zhenguan era, Zhang Changling was judged to have "completely failed the written examination," but Emperor Taizong rescued him and granted him the title of Jinshi.
In the first year of the Chuigong era, the imperial examination consisted of five policy questions. Wu Shidao and twenty-seven others were deemed "not entirely satisfactory." Wu Zetian then relaxed the restrictions, allowing anyone who passed three questions to pass the examination.
This time, although the Empress Dowager did not directly reject it, she subtly indicated her inclination.
The reason for not taking direct action was to show respect for the authority of the Examination and Evaluation Office and the Prime Minister.
Li Lingyue interjected with a smile, "Mother, in my opinion, Lu Chuyu deserves first-class honors!"
"Ahem!" Wu Zetian rolled her eyes at her. "This is a matter for the ministers to discuss; you have no right to interfere."
Li Lingyue stuck out her tongue and looked at Shangguan Wan'er. Wan'er gently shook her head, indicating that she had no right to interfere.
"Sigh!" The princess sighed softly.
Because the Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister disagreed, Shen Quanqi was in a difficult position and lowered his head to reconsider.
Su Weidao, the examiner, was his superior and also a close friend in poetry and literature. He tentatively approached the prime minister's ranks and asked:
"Among this year's candidates, Zhang Yue's essays and policy answers are also excellent. In previous years, he would undoubtedly have topped the list. What do you think of classifying him as Grade B, Upper, and Lu Jun as Grade A, Lower?"
The Examination and Evaluation Department was subordinate to the Ministry of Personnel, and Vice Minister Li Jingchen, seeing his subordinates fawning over the Empress Dowager, expressed his dissatisfaction:
"Water overflows when it's full, and the moon wanes after it's full; being awarded the top honor might not be a good thing for Lu Chuyu!"
His words represented the upright officials.
Precedent outweighs the monarch's will.
Su Weidao then asked, "If Lu Chuyu is awarded a second-class grade, Zhang Yue would only be relegated to the bottom. How should that be evaluated?"
Li Jingchen said calmly, "Wouldn't it be enough to have one B-level and one B-level?"
Su Weidao and Shen Quanqi exchanged a glance. Seeing that their superior had objections, they decided not to say anything more and lowered their heads in contemplation.
For a long time, there were no new voices in the hall, clearly indicating that everyone was on Li Jingchen's side.
Seeing this, Wu Zetian slowly said:
"I have heard your discussions, and your considerations are all reasonable, but there is one thing I do not understand..."
"Does the imperial court select officials based on their individual abilities or on established court precedents?"
"If certain examinations and rankings are merely nominal, why does the court even bother to establish them? Wouldn't it be better to simply abolish them?"
"Furthermore, is the ranking of candidates determined solely by their own scores, or by taking into account the scores of other candidates?"
"Everyone acknowledges that Zhang Shuo's essays and answers were excellent, deserving of the top spot in the past. To classify him as a mere second-highest grade is already a step down. Why then, because of Lu Jun, is he classified as a mere second-middle grade?"
"If he is judged to be in the second rank, and all the other candidates are not as good as him, wouldn't they simply have to be demoted?"
"Everyone said there were more undergraduate students than in previous years, so why are the final results worse than in previous years?"
"Gentlemen, think it over carefully."
She still didn't intervene directly, and her tone was very calm, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.
The ministers were overly wary of the term "Grade A," which distorted the overall evaluation process.
Lu Jun influenced Zhang Shuo, and Zhang Shuo in turn influenced others; it was utterly absurd and laughable.
Wu Zetian's words, besides enlightening the pedantic Confucian officials, also contained another principle that the ministers needed to understand for themselves—
Does the absence of the first-class imperial examination in ancient times mean there can't be a first-class imperial examination?
Does the absence of female emperors throughout history mean there can't be female emperors?
Aren't all the pioneering trends started by people?
I am determined to be a pioneer!
Shen Quanqi, who already intended to promote Lu Jun, immediately understood this meaning and made a new decision:
"Based on Lu Chuyu's scores in the preliminary and palace examinations, the Examination and Evaluation Department has awarded her the highest rank!"
"Zhang's writing is elegant and his responses are fluent, a rare quality indeed. He is ranked as the best of the best!"
"..."
Li Jingchen was right when he said, "When water is full, it overflows; when the moon is full, it wanes." The evaluations on the Jia paper had to be left blank, which represented the court's requirement and was also a way to protect the scholars.
The prime minister and the other ministers no longer objected to the new rating, and Wu Zetian was finally satisfied.
"Officials of the Heavenly Court, please quickly draft the register of officials so I may take a look. Today's ceremony is adjourned!"
Suddenly, his expression turned serious:
"Minister Zhou, you stay."
"Taiping, Li Qing, and Shen Qing will also stay."
"Let Lu Chuyu come over too."
"Tell me about the mess you made this morning!"
His gaze was sharp as lightning, sweeping over Zhou Xing, Princess Taiping, Li Zhaode, and Shen Quanqi with disdain.
Finally, it landed on Shangguan Wan'er's face.