Chapter 90: On Current Situation All the students present were scholars. Except for a few who were only interested in classics, most of them would definitely go through the process of official selection in the future. Whether it is the selection of filial and honest officials, outstanding talents, or the evaluation of rank by the Nine-Rank Officials, they are all issues closely related to the future official careers of the Taixue scholars present. Everyone looked at the emperor on the stage with expectant eyes, but Cao Rui, who was standing on the stage at this time, felt a little difficult to handle. Xiahou Xuan's question is very sharp and indeed points out the essential problem of the Zhongzheng system. But is the Zhongzheng system so easy to change? The Nine-Rank System was not created by Chen Qun alone. Instead, after decades of chaos and destruction at the end of the Han Dynasty, the two emperors Cao Cao and Cao Pi took the matter of "clear discussion" from the hands of local gentry and celebrities and put it in the hands of "Zhongzheng" officials in the court. It is a move to regain power. Compared with the recommendation system, the Nine-Rank System is more advanced and more centralized! The questions Xiahou Xuan raised in front of everyone at the Imperial College today were all practical problems in the implementation of the current Nine-Rank Zhongzheng system. There was indeed a lack of supervision by Zhongzheng, and Zhongzheng was indeed slowly encroaching on the authority of the Ministry of Personnel to select officials. However, the current stage of development of Wei society is far from being able to support the iteration of the official selection system from the 'Nine-Rank System' to the next version, the 'Imperial Examination System'! Thinking of this, Cao Rui did not hesitate any longer, cleared his throat and said: "Have you heard these nursery rhymes? 'The scholar selected does not know how to read. The filial and honest one's father lives separately. The poor and honest one is muddy as mud, and the high-ranking general is timid as a chicken.'" The students sitting around nodded one after another. These nursery rhymes were so well-known that they had spread all over the Han Dynasty as early as the Huan and Ling periods. They were a fierce satire on the fish that slipped through the net in the imperial examination system.
"I want to select officials to educate the people. If I only rely on reputation to allow those who do not abide by the rules and regulations and are uneducated to serve as my subjects, I will definitely not agree. I believe that you students will not allow such flashy people to serve as the parents of your hometown." Who would want the official in charge of their hometown to be a rubbish? Cao Rui continued, "Since the county's public opinion may not be reliable, having the county's Zhongzheng officials to evaluate the scholars is more practical and fairer than relying solely on "reputation" to be a filial and honest official!" Seeing that the students were all holding their breath to listen to his speech, Cao Rui raised his voice slightly: "But as Xiahou Xuan said, Zhongzheng may also be biased, and the evaluation of scholars may also be wrong." "Therefore, I will issue an order to all counties and states, ordering them to replace the Zhongzheng officials they recommend every three years." "Before today, once a scholar's rank was assessed by Zhongzheng, it could not be changed. After today, I will send a message to the Shangshutai that if a scholar disagrees with his or her assessment result, he or she can apply to the county for reassessment after five years." "Minister Liu, relay what I just said to the Secretariat for an order." When the scholars saw Liu Ye, who was standing behind the emperor, agreed, they all cheered. It is indeed worth cheering. Originally, there was no chance to change the grade once it was evaluated, but now there is a chance to apply for evaluation again? Rank is a requirement for scholars to be selected as officials. Now there is a chance for rank to be re-evaluated, which is equivalent to giving people a chance to change their destiny. But Cao Rui stood on the stage with a smile on his face. He could see the excitement of the scholars from the Imperial Academy, but he could also see a hint of disappointment in the eyes of Xiahou Xuan, who was standing with his hands behind his back in the crowd. Disappointed? Of course you are. Although Cao Rui admired Xiahou Xuan's noble family background, he was able to show empathy and a broad mind and propose to the emperor to reform a system that had no control over him. It is equivalent to a second-generation official who proposes reforming the political privileges of the descendants of high-ranking officials. This was a very politically ideal thing, and it also made Cao Rui believe that a person with the talent to govern the country had emerged from the Cao and Xiahou families. But the gap between political ideals and political reforms is even greater than the distance between Liaodong and Yizhou. This is easier said than done. Obviously, Xiahou Xuan was still quite naive at this time. Cao Rui knew that countless outstanding politicians in history wanted to reform the system and tried their best to do so with the spirit of sacrificing their lives. Even if they succeeded in part by chance, they would die in the ensuing backlash.
The Cao and Xiahou families are accustomed to producing military generals who can command troops. Now Xiahou Xuan, at the age of seventeen, has such insight. If he is tempered in the future, he may become a prime minister. Zheng Cheng, who was standing nearby, motioned Xiahou Xuan to sit down, and then said in a loud voice: "The session of asking His Majesty for instructions has ended. Next, Your Majesty will ask questions to the students of the Imperial College." Questions and answers are the key to a healthy interaction. Cao Rui's first question was "How to reduce wrongful imprisonment and crime in the counties and kingdoms" and his second question was "How to promote the spread of Confucian classics in the prefectures and counties." Several students stood up to answer. From education, etiquette and law to building schools, students have put forward good ideas. The two issues of "reducing crime" and "promoting academics" are both encountered in the Imperial College. As soon as the third question was asked, the students began to think and did not dare to answer it. Cao Rui stood on the stage and asked: "The border counties are burdened with heavy responsibilities. I want to reduce the burden on the border counties. Do you have any ideas?" Border counties? For most students, the word "border counties" is just a place they have heard of but never been to. After all, among the five hundred students, two hundred are from Ruying, Wanluo. Of the remaining 300 people, only about 100 were from nearby counties. And these scholars had studied classics since childhood, but how many of them really cared about the military pressure or the heavy economic burden faced by their hometowns? The students were all silent. Even outstanding scholars like Xiahou Xuan, Sima Shi, and Fu Gu had almost no good ideas. At this time, among the students of Class A, Jiang Wei saw that no one responded after a long while, so he raised his hand and stood up to salute the emperor. This is Jiang Wei, also known as Jiang Boyao. Cao Rui looked at Jiang Wei on the stage. His eyes were firm and powerful, and there was a heroic spirit between his brows. Although he was standing among the students, he lacked most of their immaturity. Cao Rui did not ask Jiang Wei to answer directly, but asked: "Are you Jiang Boyue from Tianshui?" Jiang Wei showed a look of surprise. Born in a remote county and not a royal relative, he had no idea how the emperor noticed him. Jiang Wei bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, my name is Jiang Wei, I was born in Tianshui County, Yongzhou, and I am twenty-four years old this year." Several years ago, Jiang Wei's father Jiang Jiong died in the Qiang Rebellion, so he was given the title of Langzhong by his father and could also be a vassal. Cao Rui nodded: "I noticed that you didn't intend to answer at first, but only stood up to answer when you saw that no one around responded. Are you hesitating about something?" Jiang Wei bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I was not hesitant at the beginning, but because there are many talented people in the Imperial Academy, I would like to hear other scholars' opinions, not that I don't have the answer in my mind." "I stood up to answer because I had an idea. Since Your Majesty asked, whether it is from the perspective of 'serving the monarch with loyalty' or 'serving the monarch with sincerity', I must stand up and speak. Cao Rui nodded: "If so, let's talk about it." Jiang Wei bowed and replied: "In my humble opinion, the burden on the border counties is indeed heavier than that on the inland areas, but this is not something that can be influenced by the border counties themselves, but is determined by the overall national strength." Cao Rui did not speak, but raised his right hand slightly, indicating Jiang Wei to continue speaking. Jiang Wei said: "First, the exhaustion of border counties is often caused by garrisons and wars. If the garrisons are over-mobilized on the border, not only will the people be exhausted, but the county's financial and material resources will also be depleted." "The more the border counties are in decline, the harder it will be to recover their manpower and resources. In my opinion, if the country is strong, the supplies transported from the inland counties to the border counties will be sufficient for the garrisons, and there will naturally be no need to over-consume the manpower and resources of the counties." "So the heavy burden on the border counties is not just a matter for the border counties, but a matter for the country, and we need to start from a broader perspective." Jiang Wei glanced at the emperor on the stage and continued, "Secondly, I think the suffering of the border counties is not the war itself, but the defeat. If we win every battle, not only can the border counties be replenished, but the number of casualties among the people in the counties can also be reduced." "If we want to take into account the people's hearts and resources of the border counties, the country needs to think carefully before launching a conquest." The emperor still didn't speak. Although Jiang Wei couldn't figure out how the emperor felt about his words, he still gritted his teeth and insisted on continuing. Jiang Wei glanced at his teacher Zheng Cheng, and then said: "Third, I think the fundamental reason why the border counties are in trouble is because of the endless wars! If the country can quell the rebellious officials who are separatist earlier, what difference will there be between the border counties tomorrow and the counties and kingdoms in the interior today?" "I hope that Your Majesty and the Great Wei will soon put an end to the disaster and chaos, so as to reduce the suffering of the people!"
After Jiang Wei finished his last sentence, he bowed deeply and stood there with a firm look, waiting for the emperor's comments. After listening to Jiang Wei's words, Cao Rui sighed softly. He looked around at the students in the audience. Many of them looked confused and didn't understand what he meant, while others nodded as if they understood but didn't quite understand. Cao Rui was silent for a moment and then began to speak, but his tone this time was lower and steadier than before. "Did all the scholars of the Imperial Academy hear what Jiang Wei just said?" "The border counties are not border counties for the border county people, but for the people of the world. I know that nearly half of the scholars present at the Imperial Academy are from Ruying, Wanluo, and the vast majority of the scholars are now far away from war." "But the peaceful days you spend in the interior and study the scriptures with peace of mind are inseparable from the soldiers of the border army fighting at their own risk, and the conscription of the people of the border army to work hard." "The affairs of the border counties are the affairs of the world. Only when the world is stable can the border counties be stable." "In my opinion, the whole world suffers from endless fighting because Wu and Shu are separated from each other, and the country has to spend military funds like water on Yangzhou, Jingzhou and Yongliang." The world, the border troops, the people, such a serious topic was mentioned by the emperor, and the students in the audience also responded solemnly. (End of this chapter)