Emperor Renzong of the Great Song Dynasty

After counting, Yan Shu's Qingbei University has been open for several years.

Zhao Yiyi still remembers that when Tsingbei University recruited students in the first year, nearly 10 people came to watch the excitement because of Yan Shu's title of "the world's greatest talent", and the square in front of Tsingbei University was crowded.

Although the number of people who finally signed up for school was far less than [-], it was already an extremely large number.

Since that year, Tsingbei University has recruited students every year, and the number of applicants has increased year by year.

The first wave of enrolled students will graduate this year.

Although there are many traditional scholars in Qingbei University who devote themselves to studying the Four Books and Five Classics and want to earn a background in the imperial examination, most of them are children of common people.Their family is neither poor nor rich, and they can afford to support their children to study for a few years out of production, but they definitely cannot afford them to take the imperial examinations that are level after level, and I don’t know when they will be the top.

Their original intention of sending their children to the university is to let the children study a few books and learn some knowledge of arithmetic and law in this university where the tuition fee is not very high, where food and housing are managed, and there are great Confucians in charge. It is enough to find a job as an accountant in a factory or a shop.

As for being trained by Master Wu in college to be able to run five kilometers with a load, that was a surprise.

And this large group of middle-end talents who can write and calculate, are physically strong, and have been instilled by Yan Shu for several years in the principles of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, at least not too much thinking, are not ready-made civil servants!

It was with this group of people as guarantee that Zhao Yiyi dared to put forward the idea of ​​"incorporating the appointment of low-level officials into the scope of the examination".

If there is no such group of people in the society, when the civil service examination is held, everyone will see that this is an examination for recruiting petty officials. Traditional scholars will look down on them. Yes, it may be that the level of education is not enough, and you can't pass the test, or you can barely pass but have defects in other places.

For example, if you have bad intentions, you want to be a petty official in the government so that you can make money. For example, you have failed in the traditional imperial examinations consecutively, and your head is broken, and you finally choose the second best. There is no enthusiasm for work, the heart is higher than the sky, and the work cannot be taken seriously.

If this happened, he would be scolded badly by those scholars who were afraid that his status would be lowered after just one term of the civil service examination.

Zhao Yiyi is not afraid of scolding, but he is afraid that this matter will not be done.

So even though he had been itching to rectify the low-level officialdom, he didn't bring it up until Yan Shu's first class of Qingbei University students were about to graduate.

The seeds planted a few years ago are finally about to bear fruit.

"I heard that Mr. Yan teaches at Qingbei University, teaching students according to their aptitude, and he will not refuse anyone who comes."

He smiled and said: "Among the students of Qingbei University, there are Confucian students who read sage books, and there are also people who study law and mathematics, and their ambitions are not in the officialdom. Isn't this just right? These people just happen to be able to take the exam. After passing, you can act as an official."

"Everyone has worked with Mr. Yan for many years, so you should know something about him. I also believe that the students taught by Mr. Yan will not at least be able to make..." He nodded the confession: "This kind of thing People. What do you think?"

Fan Zhongyan took a step forward: "Going back to the official's house, I think this is quite feasible. In the past, the officials of the knife and pen were recruited by the localities themselves. The local officials of the country and the dynasty have always been in office for less than three years. They are not familiar with many affairs. Hands, let the small officials grasp the local authority, manage a place, the roots are intertwined, and the fish and meat are in the village. If we recruit officials with swords and pens through the method of examination, all officials in the whole country will come from the imperial court, and such evil things will be prevented."

Zhao Yiyi nodded: "Well said! Fan Xiang really understands righteousness."

What is the greatest political correctness in the Song Dynasty?Of course, it is a way of checks and balances, which is mainly reflected in the suppression of local governments by the central government to prevent local rebellions.Since this matter was caused by small local officials taking power, the central government should use the method of examination to select and appoint small officials, and bringing the power of appointment and removal of small officials to the central government is naturally a kind of "check and balance".

To oppose the civil service examination is to oppose "checks and balances" and the suppression of the local government by the central government.

This is to rebel!

Speaking of this point, it would be boring to object any more.So there was a lot of echoing voices in the Chongzheng Palace, and they all praised this as a good idea. From now on, the overall quality of the government officials will definitely rise to a higher level, and there will definitely be no more incidents of using power to kill people.

After they all finished expressing their opinions, Zhao Yiyi promptly changed a worried expression, and sighed again: "Thinking about it carefully, I still feel pain and uneasiness in my heart."

All the ministers fell silent, knowing that the emperor was about to perform again, so they didn't dare to steal his part.

Zhao Yiyi said in a serious tone: "The farmer was imprisoned innocently for the first time, and after he was released again, why did he swallow his anger instead of asking the government to make decisions for him? After his wife and daughter died, why did he hold a sharp knife again? Want to take revenge on your own, instead of suing the government? And after he was wrongly imprisoned and finally died in prison, why no one rehabilitated him. In the end, he had to wait for a Jianghu person who was banned by force to appear and take the victim His murderer was caught and killed in front of me, so the truth will be revealed to the world?"

"This……"

It's hard to answer this question.

Why didn't the farmer go to the government to make decisions when he was wronged, and why no one rehabilitated him when he died wronged—all these things are clear.

He was originally framed and imprisoned by the government officials, so how could he go to the government to make decisions for himself?Isn't that just out of the tiger's den and into the wolf's den?Even if he stopped the sedan chair and complained, and went directly to the official's superior to sue him, the superior probably would have done more than less. Even if he made the decision for him and punished the junior official, it would only be fined three glasses of wine. Still in charge of the prison, if you are arrested and imprisoned, it will not be as simple as being locked up for a few days.

If the wife and children are dead, it is even more impossible to ask the people in the government to avenge him.Since the official in the yamen can indulge his subordinates to bully men and women, how can he know that he will not continue to cover up for his subordinates who have already committed their lives?

Anyway, if you do something that may not necessarily have any results, it is better not to do it.Save some effort to sharpen the axe, and you can directly take the head of the enemy.

There was a dead silence in Chongzheng Hall, because everyone knew the answer, but no one dared to say it.

Why was the little official so unscrupulous, why was the farmer unable to sue for his injustice, he could only fight with his life, and finally died a miserable death, why can the truth of this injustice be revealed only when a heroic Jiang Hu person appeared——

There is only one reason, and that is——

"It's just an official's ear protection!"

The deafening sound resounded through the Chongzheng Hall.

All eyes turned to the source of the voice in shock.

"what did he say……"

"why is it like this……"

"hiss……"

Amidst the buzzing of soft exclamations and whispers, Bao Zheng stood upright in the hall, as straight as a sword.

Zhao Yiyi sat up straight, slightly puzzled: "Why do you say that?"

Bao Zheng said solemnly: "The little official is on duty in the government, and the local people have been bullied by him. If he wants to go to the government to ask for justice, and ask the officials in charge to give him justice, then he will face all the colleagues of the little official. , Shangguan, and subordinates. These people are familiar with the little official, and they naturally favor him. This is the protection of officials and officials. In this way, the people who are bullied will never get justice."

Zhao Yiyi was surprised and said: "How can it be possible that everyone in the yamen is familiar with the little official who bullied him? There are always some people who uphold justice, hate evil like hatred, or disagree with the little official, and for various reasons will make decisions for him. "

Bao Zheng sighed: "It's not easy to say! A commoner who has never entered the gate of an official government does not even know how many people are in the yamen. How can he know who is jealous and who is at odds with that little official? The little official But he spent half his life in the yamen, and got through every level of the door, so how can a commoner sue him?"

Zhao Yiyi made a sudden realization: "So it turns out that this is the protection of the officials. In the final analysis, the yamen is too small. The people were wronged by the petty official, but they couldn't find a place to file a complaint. They are all more familiar than him, so naturally they blocked all his avenues. He had no choice but to take the risk."

Bao Zheng bowed his head and said, "The officials are sages."

Zhao Yiyi said with a half-smile, "Officials and officials protect each other..."

All the officials in the hall bowed their heads.

Everyone is an official, so the so-called "officials and officials protect each other", naturally everyone has a share.

After all, not everyone is Bao Zheng, and he can say with a clear conscience that I have never done anything to be ashamed of the emperor or the people of the world.

Zhao Yiyi said slowly: "In this way, things make sense. People who are bullied by officials have nowhere to complain. They can only hope to make one or two heroic friends, so that when they die unjustly, Maybe someone can help you take revenge. Then what do I need you for? Wouldn’t it be enough if I raised three thousand heroes?”

Liu En hurriedly stepped forward, and said in a volume that was just enough to be heard by all the courtiers in the palace: "The officials are calm, and all the adults are also sincere. Please don't vent your anger on the officials."

Zhao Yiyi waved his hand: "Okay, okay, I got it."

Liu En stepped back gently and skillfully.

Zhao Yiyi slowed down his tone: "Look at you, are you ashamed to ask a eunuch to intercede for you? That's fine, I won't blame you anymore."

"But we have to settle this matter. Didn't it mean that the officials protect each other, and the common people have nowhere to sue for grievances?"

He squeezed his fingers: "Then I will give the people a place to redress their grievances. Give the people a clean place to redress their grievances that has nothing to do with other officials."