"All the present students are gentlemen, except for a few who are only interested in learning about Confucian classics. Most of them will definitely go through the process of selecting officials in the future."
Whether it is the recommendation of filial piety, talent, or the assessment of grade by nine-tiered intermediaries, all these issues are closely related to the future career prospects of the scholars present.
The eyes of the crowd, pair by pair, eagerly fixed on the emperor on the stage, but Cao Rui, standing there on the stage at this moment, found it somewhat difficult to deal with.
Xiahou Xuan's question was very sharp and indeed pointed out the fundamental problem of the Central Examination System. However, can the Central Examination System be easily changed?
The nine-grade central examination system is not something created by Chen Qun alone, but rather after decades of turmoil at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was established by Cao Cao and Cao Pi, the two generations of monarchs, who took 'clear discussions' from the gentry and scholars in the local area and centralized them in the hands of 'central figures' serving as officials in the imperial court.
It was an act of consolidating power.
Compared to the system of recommendation through inspection, the nine-grade central examination system is more advanced and more centralized!
The questions raised by Xiahou Xuan in front of the scholars at the Imperial Academy today are all real problems existing in the execution of the current nine-grade central examination system. It is true that some central figures lack supervision and that central figures have indeed been gradually eroding the power of the Ministry of Personnel in selecting officials.
But at the current stage of development of the Wei state's society, it is far from reaching the point where it can support an iteration of the official selection system from the 'nine-rank central examination system' to the next version, the 'imperial examination system'!
Thinking of this, Cao Rui did not hesitate and cleared his throat and said, "Gentlemen, have you heard this children's song?"
The Taistu students seated around him nodded. These children's songs were too famous. They had been spreading across the entire Han Dynasty since the end of the Han Dynasty, and they were a fierce satire of the "net fish" in the recommendation system.
"I wish to select officials to educate and enlighten the people. If only by reputation, those who do not adhere to propriety and the learned but unskilled individuals were to become my ministers, I would definitely not agree. I am sure that all of you scholars would not allow such superficial individuals to become the parents' officials in your hometowns."
Who would want the officials to govern their hometown to be garbage?
Cao Rui continued, "Since the 'clear discussions' in the county may not be reliable, having a 'central figure' from the county to evaluate scholars is already more practical and fair than purely relying on reputation for the Imperial Examinerate.
Seeing the Taistu students were all holding their breath and listening to his words, Cao Rui's tone slightly rose: "But as Xiahou Xuan said, the central figures might also have biases, and there might be errors in their evaluation of scholars."
"Therefore, I will issue an edict to all the prefectures and states, ordering them to replace the central figures every three years."
"Until today, once the character grade of scholars was evaluated by the central figure, it could not be changed again. From today on, I will issue an edict to the Ministry of Rites. If scholars have any objections to their evaluation results, they can apply for re-evaluation in their counties five years later."
"Prince Liu, convey my words just now to the Grand Secretary for imperial edicts."
The scholars saw that Liu Ye, who was standing to the side of the emperor, agreed and cheered loudly.
Indeed, it is worth cheering.
The original system of evaluation once fixed had no chance to be changed again. Suddenly, there is a chance to apply for re-evaluation?
The character grade is the requirement for scholars to select officials. Now, if the character grade has the opportunity for re-evaluation, it's like giving people an opportunity to change their fate.
Cao Rui stood on the stage with a smile, and it was visible to see the excitement of the scholars from the Imperial Academy. However, one could also see a hint of disappointment in Xiahou Xuan's eyes as he stood motionless among the crowd.
Disappointed? That's right.
Cao Rui admired Xiahou Xuan's high birth but could, with empathy and a magnanimous vision of the world, propose to the emperor that a system completely beyond his reach be reformed.
It's like a second-generation official proposing to reform the political privileges of the offspring of high officials.
This is a very political-minded thing, and it also makes Cao Rui believe that there is a person with governance talent among the Cao and Xiahou families.
But the gap between political ideals and political reform is farther than Liaodong to Yuzhou. This is the difficulty of knowing it's easy to do but hard to act on.
It is obvious that Xiahou Xuan is still rather naive at this point.
Cao Rui knew that many excellent politicians in history had tried to reform the system with the spirit of daring to sacrifice oneself, but even if they managed to make some progress, they would often fall victim to the counterattack and perish along with their political power.
The Cao and Xiahou families were accustomed to producing military generals, but now that Xiahou Xuan is seventeen years old and has such insight, if he is honed through trials, he may one day become a minister.
Zhen Cheng, standing beside Xiahou Xuan, signaled for Xiahou Xuan to sit down, then loudly said, "The section for seeking the emperor's instruction has ended. Next will be the emperor asking questions to the students of the Imperial Academy."
There should be questions and answers for good interaction. Cao Rui's first question "How to reduce the miscarriage of justice and crimes in various prefectures and states?" and the second question "How to implement the spread of Confucian classics in prefectures and states?", several scholars answered up one after another.
The scholars all put forward some good ideas, from education, law and etiquette, and the establishment of schools. The issues of 'reducing crime' and 'promoting academic spread' are both things they have encountered in the Imperial Academy.
When the third question was just asked, the Taistu students all started thinking and were too afraid to answer.
Cao Rui stood on the stage and asked, "The four border prefectures bear a heavy burden. I want to relieve the burden on the border prefectures. Do any of you scholars have strategies?"
Border prefectures? For most Taistu students, 'border prefectures' are words they have heard but never visited. After all, among the five hundred students at the Imperial Academy, two hundred come from Youying and Wanluo.
Among the remaining three hundred people, fewer than one hundred are from border prefectures. And how many of these scholars, who have been studying Confucian classics since childhood, truly care about the military pressures facing their hometowns or the heavy economic burdens?
The scholars fell silent one by one. Even outstanding scholars like Xiahou Xuan, Sima Shi, and Fu Gu, had little to offer.
At this moment, among the students of the first rank, Jiang Wei saw that half a day had passed and no one had answered yet. He raised his hand, stood up, and saluted the emperor.
This is Ji Wei, also known as Ji Boqiu.
Cao Rui looked at Ji Wei from the stage. The man had a resolute and strong gaze, and his brows exuded a sense of martial spirit. Although standing among the Taistu students, he lacked the awkwardness that most of them possessed.
Cao Rui did not directly ask Ji Wei to answer, but instead asked, "Are you Ji Wei, also known as Ji Boqiu from Tianshui?"
Ji Wei showed a look of surprise. He came from a border prefecture and was not a member of the imperial family, so he did not know how the emperor had noticed him.
After bowing and saluting, Ji Wei replied, "Your majesty, my name is Ji Wei, from the Tianshui Commandery in the Yongzhou. I am twenty-four years old this year."
Several years ago, Ji Wei inherited the title of a palace attendant from his father Jiong, who died in the Qiang rebellion. Therefore, he can also be addressed as a servant.
Cao Rui nodded: "I saw that you did not have the intention to answer at first. It was only when you saw that no one else had spoken up that you stood up to answer. Is there something hesitating?"
Ji Wei cupped his hands and said, "Your majesty, at first I was not hesitant. It was because there are many talented scholars in the Imperial Academy, and I wanted to hear their opinions first. It is not that I do not have an answer in mind."
"After standing up to answer, it was because I had already come up with an idea. Your majesty, since you have asked questions, whether it be from the perspective of 'serving the king with loyalty' or 'serving the king with sincerity', I must speak up."
Cao Rui nodded: "If so, let's hear what you have to say."
Ji Wei cupped his hands and replied, "In my humble opinion, the burden on the border prefectures is indeed heavier compared to the interior, but this is not something that can be influenced solely by the border prefectures themselves; it is determined by the overall national strength."
Cao Rui did not speak and slightly raised his right hand, indicating for Ji Wei to continue speaking.
Ji Wei said, "Firstly, the weariness of the border prefectures is often due to garrisoning and military affairs. If the garrisoning in the border is overextended, not only will it cause exhaustion of manpower, but it will also lead to financial and material depletion in the county."
"The more dilapidated the border prefectures become, the harder it is to restore manpower and resources. In my opinion, if the national strength is strong, the supplies transported from the interior states to the border prefectures would be sufficient for the garrison's use, and there would naturally be no need to excessively deplete the people's resources and wealth in the counties."
"Therefore, the heavy burden on the border prefectures is not just a matter of the border prefectures, but a matter of the entire country. It needs to be addressed from a broader perspective."
Ji Wei looked at the emperor on the stage and continued, "Secondly, I believe that the suffering of the border prefectures is not in the war itself, but in defeat. If every battle is won, not only can the border prefectures be replenished, but also the number of casualties among the county's people can be reduced."
"In order to care for the people's hearts and resources in the border prefectures, the country must consider everything carefully before launching an attack."
The emperor still did not speak. Ji Wei may not have been able to guess the emperor's reaction to his speech, but he continued to persevere in speaking.
Ji Wei glanced at his master Zheng Cheng and then said, "Thirdly, I believe that the root cause of the hardship in the border prefectures is continuous warfare! If the country can early day-to-day pacify rebellious ministers who have divided and ruled one region, then how would tomorrow's border prefectures differ from today's various prefectures in the interior?"
"I wish Your majesty and the Great Wei would sooner rather than later put down the chaos, thus alleviating the hardships for the people."
Ji Wei finished speaking the last sentence and bowed deeply before standing firm, waiting for the emperor's comments.
Cao Rui listened to Ji Wei's words and sighed lightly. He looked around the Taistu students below, many of whom had confused and unfocused looks in their eyes, while others nodded their heads with a semblance of understanding.
Cao Rui fell silent for a moment and then began to speak, only his tone was lower and more stable than before.
"The words just spoken by Ji Wei, have you all, the students of the Imperial Academy, heard clearly?"
"The border prefectures are not just the border people's border prefectures, but also the border prefectures of the whole world. Your Majesty knows that among the scholars of the Imperial Academy in attendance, nearly half of them come from Youying, Wanluo and Yanluo. Most scholars are now far away from warfare."
"But the peaceful days of the scholars in the interior, where you can study classics in peace, are inseparable from the soldiers of the border army who fight bravely and from the hard work of those who are mobilized for service by the border army."
"The affairs of the border prefectures are affairs of the whole world. Only after the world is stable can the border prefectures be stable."
"In my opinion, the common suffering of fighting continuously is because Wu and Shu are seizing power outside, forcing the state to pour its military expenses and resources like water in the Yangtze River, the Jingzhou and the Pingliang."
With such serious topics as the empire, the border army, and the people brought up by the emperor, the Taistu students below also respectfully straightened up in attention.
(Chapter complete)
