Emperor Renzong of the Great Song Dynasty

Faced with the emperor's murderous questioning, it was difficult for civil and military officials to give any answers.

What do they say?

Why was this shocking case of injustice not found out by the government, but by a knight-errant?

Isn't this obvious?The knight made friends with the deceased, seeing his friend died inexplicably, he naturally had the energy and time to investigate the truth of his death.

And the government...

It is impossible for local officials with rank and official status to personally manage trivial matters such as litigation, punishment and prison. They do not have this awareness, and they do not even have the ability.In addition, local officials in the Song Dynasty were too mobile, and it was very likely that they would have to change places to become officials after working for two or three years.

With such a short term in office, it is not worth the gain to intervene in the litigation business of the local forces.

When you subdue the officials at all levels, understand the unspoken rules of the place under your rule, establish a good relationship with the rich and famous, clear up the rangers on the street, drive away the bandits and strongmen in the mountains and forests, and finally restore the law and order in the area. You have improved, rehabilitated the unjust cases accumulated over the years, and then rebuilt the judicial order, so that there are laws to follow and laws to obey under your rule...

Then the emperor heard that you have done a good job in the local area, you have made so many political achievements, and conquered so many people's hearts, the people all regard you as the master of Qingtian...

Then you are likely to receive the letter of transfer as soon as possible. It doesn't matter where you are transferred, anyway, the farther away from your current jurisdiction the better.

After all, who told you to do these things to attract people's hearts?

Gradually, no one did such a thankless task.After almost all local officials took office, they handed over the trivial affairs to the small officials to deal with.Anyway, the petty officials have lived in the local area for generations and are proficient in business.

Under such circumstances, it is of course not surprising that low-level officials use their power to blackmail the local area and harass the people.

The laissez-faire and connivance of officials also fueled this arrogance to a certain extent.

"Don't talk anymore?"

Zhao Yiyi picked up the guilty plea from the petty official: "A mere petty official with no rank or rank can do so many insane things."

He read one by one: "Forcibly occupy three people's daughters, forcibly buy twelve farms, forcibly rob one cemetery, and forcibly borrow more than three thousand taels of silver..."

This is not counting the innocent people who died in these "forced purchases", "forced occupations" and "forced credits".

"Those who know say he is an insignificant official, but those who don't know think he is such a big official, that he has such great power and has done so many evil things. Could it be that my people are so bullied by others? ?"

Seeing that the heads of the people in the hall were getting lower and lower, Zhao Yiyi weighed that the atmosphere was well set off, so he changed the subject, and his tone was slightly softer: "I don't mean to blame you. I also know that this kind of thing has nothing to do with You can't have anything to do with it."

The salaries of officials in the Song Dynasty were frighteningly high, and those who became officials came to the Chongzheng Palace, and they could live a prosperous life every year just relying on the salaries on the surface.Even if they are not satisfied with the limited salary and want to earn some extra money, there are still some clean methods, and it is impossible to have anything to do with this low-level murder case.

"I bring this matter here to talk about it, and I just want to brainstorm, and everyone can come up with a solution."

He pointed to the confession: "Why did such a tragedy happen, and how to avoid it in the future. You are all capable people, so you may wish to speak freely."

This……

Civil and military officials looked at each other in blank dismay.

Why did such a tragic incident happen... Of course, the chief culprit, the little official, was insane and had no law.As for how to avoid...

Bao Zheng took a step just right: "I have something to say."

Zhao Yiyi smiled: "Bao Qing, please tell me."

Bao Zheng sorted out his thoughts, and said slowly: "The reason why this case happened, I think there are three reasons. One is that this little official is inhumane and knows how to break the law. The other is that there is a problem with the selection and evaluation procedures of officials. It is unbelievable that such a person with no discipline can become an official in the government and also be in charge of prisons. Third, this person is just a small official. How can he cover the sky with one hand and throw innocent people into prison to torture them to death? , and got a guarantee from the jailer and fellow prisoners, admitting that the innocent farmer died of a sudden illness."

Zhao Yiyi nodded: "Well said. Then Bao Qing thinks, how should this case be settled?"

Bao Zheng said: "Since there are three reasons for this case, it is natural that these three problems must be resolved before the case can be considered closed. The first reason is the little official himself. Killing for life, although he was not brought to justice during his lifetime According to the law, it was a knight-errant who killed people by lynching, but he still survived, so the first problem has been solved. The second problem, I think, is that a frenzied beast can become a small official in the government because the government recruited The procedures for small officials are mixed, and there is no unified law. I heard that in some states and counties, as long as you spend 300 taels of silver and find the right way, you can enter the government as an errand and get a lucrative position. As for the errand, How to earn back the 300 taels of silver is a matter of opinion. Therefore, the minister believes that in order to put an end to such acts, the only way to imitate the imperial examination and pass the examination is to select people with suitable abilities and good conduct to serve as government officials. Three questions..."

He pursed his lips: "I haven't thought of a solution for the time being."

Zhao Yiyi nodded: "Very good."

The solution to the third problem, of course, cannot be thought of by Bao Zheng.After all, he wanted to set up an agency with law enforcement powers to supervise officials, and Bao Zheng was the first chief.If this idea was brought up by Bao Zheng himself, the taste would change.

"I also feel that it seems that there should be another exam similar to the imperial examination to select small officials. After all, people who don't study are disrespectful and shameless."

It's just a civil service exam.A formal examination can at least keep those pests out of the door who hold hundreds of taels of silver and sharpen their heads and want to sneak into the government to eat the imperial food and fish the common people.

He glanced around at His Royal Highness and his officials: "Look, if that little official can do such a crazy thing, the ministers will definitely not be able to do it. This is because the ministers have read a lot of books and have the sage's teachings in their hearts. "

"This……"

A courtier stood up: "Officials, I think this is inappropriate."

Zhao Yiyi asked him kindly: "What's wrong?"

The courtier said: "Historically, in the imperial examinations, only a few hundred people were selected for each subject. It costs a lot to take one subject every three years. But it is not a small expense to select talents for the country and serve as pillars. But if you want to The selection of minor officials through imperial examinations will increase the scale and cost several times. It is inappropriate for such a waste of money to select minor officials."

Zhao Yiyi nodded: "Well, it costs a lot, so what's the reason?"

The courtier boldly said: "Besides, those who study may not be willing to commit themselves to be officials. Most of those who are willing to commit themselves to be officials are not scholars. If there is an imperial examination for the selection of junior officials, those who can win will not want to go, and those who are willing to go If you can’t hit it, it’s meaningless.”

Zhao Yiyi nodded again: "This is also a reason. Is there any more?"

The courtier was sweating coldly, and shook his head: "No more."

Zhao Yiyi sighed lightly: "I know."

He understood why these people were unwilling to let him take the civil service exam.

After all, although the word "official" is often used together, there is a world of difference between them.

Officials have rank and status, and are infinitely more noble than officials.

The reason for this difference, in the Song Dynasty, an era when the aristocrats had declined, was nothing more than an imperial examination.

Officials can pass the imperial examinations, so they can leap into the dragon's gate and reach the sky in one step.A petty official can't pass the imperial examination, so he can only be a mere fish for the rest of his life.

Now that small officials have to pass the imperial examination to be appointed, the gap between officials and officials will narrow rapidly.

This gap will never be closed, but it is enough to knock officials down from the altar.

Everyone has passed the exam, so who is more honored than the other?

Therefore, the civil service examination is bound to be resisted by officials, because they are all born in the imperial examination, and the civil service examination will shrink their worth.

In the final analysis, it still involves self-interest...

Zhao Yiyi said: "But I feel that the advantages of this matter still outweigh the disadvantages."

"The imperial examination costs a lot. Although it is only held every three years, there are several levels such as the college examination and the rural examination. Each level has many different examinations. After conversion, it is naturally more investment. And the new examination proposed by Bao Qing, recruiting It is a small official. Since it is a small official, there is no need to screen it layer by layer. It is enough to take two exams. As for the content of the exam, it is also different from the traditional imperial examination. The sage books are tested, but not the key point. It should be in the law and arithmetic. In this way, there will be no situation where those who can pass the exam do not want to pass the exam, and those who wish to fail the exam.”

The positioning of the civil service examination is to select low-level officials. The Four Books and Five Classics are considered to be major ideological and political questions. They have to be tested, and the scores account for a lot, but not too much. Laws and calculations are the big ones.The latter two are skills that must be used in the work of grassroots officials in the government.

This hardly conflicts with the traditional imperial examinations. He doesn't believe that these Confucian scholars who have studied hard for ten years in the cold window, hoping that the top scholars in the gold list can put down their bodies and learn arithmetic.

...Gongsun Ce is probably an outlier...but his mathematical ability should be innate, plus his personal hobby, but there are probably very few Confucian scholars who have this hobby...

"Therefore, the candidates for this new examination should be those who have a little proficiency in writing, a rough understanding of laws and regulations, and relatively strong arithmetic ability. I believe that even without this new examination, these people would not take the imperial examination. Even if they did, They can't get fame either. In that case, why not pave a broad road for them so that they can use their strengths and come to the government?"

A courtier hesitated and said: "There are tens of thousands of petty officials in the government offices of the whole country. Where can we find such tens of thousands of people all of a sudden?"

Zhao Yiyi smiled leisurely: "I heard that a few years ago, there was a deputy privy envoy named Yan Mingshu who opened a university in the capital?"