The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 12

After this understanding, Xu Tian gained a deeper understanding of the imperial examination system of that era, and his feeling was that it was very cruel.

He had always harbored a sliver of hope regarding the imperial examinations, thinking that as one of the top performers in the college entrance examinations, if he were younger, he might have had a slight chance of passing if he had decided to pursue the imperial examinations.

Now he was completely disheartened. No wonder there was a saying in the imperial examinations that "carp leap over the dragon gate," which he used to think was an exaggeration.

“I do have my own thoughts on this,” Mr. Cui continued.

"Xiangzhou and even Shannan East Circuit are located in the center of the world, which has its advantages and disadvantages. Although the history is long, starting from the Three Sovereigns, it has always been a strategic location with four major passes and a military stronghold."

Therefore, whenever the world is unstable, or when there is a change of dynasty or war, the people in this area are easily implicated and suffer great harm.

Especially in recent centuries, from the division of Wei, Shu and Wu at the end of the Han Dynasty, to the chaos of the Yongjia Rebellion and the Five Barbarian Invasions, and then to the confrontation between the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Xiangzhou has always been at the forefront of the war.

The local people were unable to live in peace and prosperity, and were displaced. Prominent families also declined and migrated away due to prolonged warfare, thus hindering the accumulation and flourishing of local culture.

Both of them listened attentively; this statement made a lot of sense, and history had indeed followed this pattern.

"It was only after the establishment of the dynasty in the last two hundred years that things became more stable, and agriculture, industry, commerce and trade were easier to recover, but cultural reconstruction was extremely difficult."

Moreover, the flourishing commerce has ironically made the locals more profit-driven, with a lack of emphasis on culture and official careers. As the saying goes, it takes a hundred years to cultivate a person, but the few remaining prominent families in the area have yet to achieve anything significant, and some have even abandoned their family traditions and pursuits of officialdom in favor of commerce.

His inability to set trends and the resulting lack of cultural accumulation among the common people are inevitable. I believe this is the fundamental reason why the Jingxiang region struggles to produce successful candidates in the imperial examinations.

"Brother Zhou and Brother Cui both spoke very well, and their insights are extremely profound. The impact of war on the people is too great, often causing significant setbacks in culture and technology, which are extremely difficult to recover from and require at least a hundred years of stability," Xu Tian commented.

Zhou Mingzhan sighed and said, "Since the founding of our Great Tang Dynasty, although we have experienced the chaos of the Wu Zhou period, fortunately the common people have not suffered much damage."

The Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras were a time of great prosperity, yet they were completely destroyed by the An Lushan Rebellion, and the country remains in decline to this day. Whenever I think of this, my heart aches, and I even lose sleep at night.

At this point, the group sighed and fell silent for a moment.

"You've been making me look for you for ages," Wang Yong's voice came from the side.

"Has Shoucheng finished his work?"

"There are quite a few people here today. I'm just following orders. Hurry up, we've invited an important person today. The host will be speaking later. Everyone is gathering. Let's all go together."

"Who is this important person?"

"I won't say now, you'll find out later," Wang Yong said, keeping everyone in suspense.

There were indeed quite a few people here today. Besides those who had already gone up the mountain, there were dozens more, mostly gathered together, chatting in small groups, making quite a scene.

“Look, those younger ones are all students from the state academy, and those others are students from the county academies below. The rest are mostly talented scholars from Shannan East Circuit.”

Among them are former scholars and even those who passed the imperial examinations in previous years, as well as some people from other places who have come to Dingxiang City. We can go over and get to know them.” Wang Yong said, pointing as he walked.

Xu Tian looked at these people. They were all not very old, the oldest being only in their thirties. He couldn't see anything special about their attire, except that the students seemed to be dressed more neatly and uniformly.

"Brother Xu Tian, ​​you've arrived too." Xu Tian suddenly heard someone call his name.

He turned his head and saw that it was He Wencai. He hadn't expected that He Wencai would come today as well.

"So it's Brother Wencai. I didn't expect you to be here today. It's been a while since we last met."

"No, you're welcome. Just call me Wencai. It's been a while since I last met with Brother Xu Tian."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while. Then Xu Tian introduced him to Mr. Cui and Zhou Mingzhang.

He Wencai was one of the earlier people Xu Tian met in this era. Back then, he was still clueless, but seeing him again today, he felt a real sense of familiarity.

I used to think he was just the son of a village headman who knew a little about literature, but today I realize he's not that simple.

"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment." Before the group could finish their conversation, someone shouted this. This was repeated several times until the crowd finally quieted down, leaving only whispers.

"Xu Tian may not recognize him yet. The person who shouted is an assistant instructor at the state school. He had previously passed the imperial examination twice, but ultimately failed to achieve his goal and had no choice but to take the path of Mingjing (a degree in the imperial examination system)," Mr. Cui introduced quietly as he came to his side.

"Today, all of you present here are outstanding talents from Xiangzhou. It is time for us to meet again. Later, we will visit the Wuhou Temple together."

"However, we are fortunate to have a distinguished guest today, Mr. Zheng Xie, the top scholar of the eleventh year of the Yuanhe era. Please welcome him to the stage so that everyone can witness his brilliance," the host called from a high point on the slope.

Upon hearing that a top scholar had appeared, the crowd immediately began to murmur and look around. Xu Tian was also taken aback; a top scholar had arrived.

This wasn't a television performance; it was a real, living person. Thanks to later generations, the term "状元郎" (Zhuangyuanlang, meaning top scholar in the imperial examination) also carries a legendary connotation.

"Mr. Zheng is now the chief secretary of Dingxiang City, serving under Li Su, the military governor. He also personally participated in General Li's campaign against Caizhou. He has made great contributions and has a bright future ahead of him."

As the host introduced him, a man stepped out from the crowd onto the stage. He was about thirty years old, thin, and looked quite ordinary, with unremarkable attire. If no one had introduced him, you wouldn't have guessed that he was the former top scholar in the imperial examination.

The man stepped onto the stage, bowed to the crowd, and said with a smile, "Today, I, Yunshan, am honored to meet with the talented people of Xiangzhou at the place where Zhuge Liang once lived."

Dingxiang City is a place full of talented people. I only came to Dingxiang City with General Li a short time ago, and there are many things I don't understand. I hope you will all forgive me and give me your guidance.

"Young Master Zheng is a seventh-rank official in the imperial court, and it is rare to see him on ordinary days. His willingness to come here today shows his high regard for the talented people of Dingxiang City."

Why not invite Scholar Zheng to offer some guidance on scholarship and the path to the imperial examinations? I'm sure many in the audience are eager to listen.

"I dare not presume to offer guidance in the presence of such learned individuals. My knowledge is limited, and I dare not speak presumptuously about the ways of scholarship and the imperial examinations. I can only offer some personal insights."

After much deliberation, I have come up with only one saying: "The value of learning lies in specialization."

It seems that this Mr. Zheng is quite humble, and indeed has some insights.

"The key to learning is specialization. This must be the profound insight that Zheng Langjun has gained over the years. His words are concise and to the point, and we should all carefully understand them."