Please don't force me to be a god.

Xu Wen bowed and said, "Master, please speak."

Zhang Tian said, "You go and ask the emperor to cancel the punishment of those scholars who took the lead."

The punishment for those scholars was "never to be employed".

Zhang Tian thought of Tang Bohu, the author of "Peach Blossom Cottage" that he had borrowed, who was also sentenced to "never to be employed" because of the "imperial examination cheating" case.

Compared with the case in front of him, it is hard to say which one is more unjust.

It is obvious that "no evidence was found", but the emperor issued an order to punish Tang Bohu "never to participate in the imperial examination".

And the scholars in the prison at this time were punished despite the ironclad evidence of "Xu Wen cheating".

But this is not the most unjust.

In the "North-South List Case" of the Ming Dynasty in later generations, when the list of admitted students was announced, it turned out that they were all southerners.

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious. After several inspections and checking the papers, it was indeed that the level of northern scholars was too poor.

Even so, in order to appease the northern gentry, Zhu Yuanzhang forcibly cancelled the original list of successful candidates.

The relevant officials were either lingchi, executed, or exiled, all of which were so-called "severely punished".

Even Chen An, who was personally selected as the top scholar by Zhu Yuanzhang, was finally stripped of his honors and sentenced to death by chariot on trumped-up charges.

From then on, the imperial examination list was divided into "North and South Lists".

This practice of allocating different quotas to different regions has always influenced the college entrance examination in the 21st century.

Xu Wen said: "Master, you want to give me this favor..."

But then he thought about it and it was not right. Obviously, he was the mastermind behind it.

Although he did not take the initiative to ask for it, he was the beneficiary, so he could not get away from it anyway.

He hesitated for a long time.

Finally, Xu Wen sighed and said firmly: "Master, I am uneasy. Please revoke my title of Jieyuan."

"I am willing to bear all the infamy, give up my fame, and never take the imperial examination again."

Zhang Tian smiled and said: "You finally said it. Your father's high expectations of you are not in vain, and you have not disappointed me."

In Xiangyang City, I saw that Xu's father's family education was very strict, and he would rather be straight than bend.

Now it seems that Xu Wen has at least lived up to his father's education and will not be tempted by the fame in front of him.

"Teacher, let me ask you, why do you feel uneasy?"

Xu Wen said: "Because it is unfair."

"As a scholar, I know the hard work of studying for ten years."

"It is reasonable for those scholars to make trouble. They should not be punished. This favor should not exist."

Zhang Tian said: "Will it be fair after you withdraw?"

"I think so."

"But the emperor and the prime minister who have the decision-making power are so partial in this matter. If the source is not fair, how can you guarantee that the imperial examination is fair?"

"This..." Xu Wen hesitated slightly, "The emperor's mind, the disciple cannot guess. But the disciple only does what the disciple should do."

Zhang Tian said: "If you get the official position directly for the merit of protecting the emperor, will you not feel guilty?"

Xu Wen hesitated and said: "Yes."

"Since However, after you get the official position, you also occupy a position, and there is also a scholar who cannot get the official position that originally belonged to him. Do you think it is fair? "

Xu Wen thought for a while and said: "Although I have occupied an official position, I have obtained it through my meritorious service in saving the emperor, so I have a clear conscience."

Zhang Tian asked: "Both are squeezing out a person. What is the difference between the emperor directly giving you the title of Jieyuan and directly granting you an official position?"

"This... Immortal Master, there is of course a difference. The imperial examination is fair. It is the only fair way for poor people to get ahead..."

"Hahaha," Zhang Tian laughed, "Fair?"

"Then do you know that the imperial examination quota is nothing to the emperor."

Zhang Tian told Xu Wen about the imperial examination cases of Tang Bohu and Zhu Yuanzhang.

Xu Wen's eyes were dull, and he murmured, "How could this happen? Is there really such an emperor? How could he kill scholars so unjustly?"

Zhang Tian said, "You were originally an ordinary scholar. You felt the same way when someone took away your quota, so you naturally couldn't bear it."

"That's good. It shows that you still have a conscience and know how to speak up for ordinary scholars."

"But let me ask you, after passing the imperial examination, you will be a juren, and you will have privileges such as exemption from taxes and corvée."

"Many ordinary people will register their land under your name."

"Juren can make a living by collecting rent from the land, like a leech, sucking blood from the people."

"Have you ever thought about whether this is fair to ordinary people?"

Suddenly asked about this class issue that transcends the times, Xu Wen was a little confused and frowned.

Zhang Tian said again, "An emperor saidGuo: There are thousands of bushels of grain in books, and there are golden houses in books. "

"Can food and gold grow in books? Of course not, they are all the fruits of the blood and sweat of the people of the world."

"What have you learned from reading? What have you done for the people? You took an exam, but you can suck the blood of the people with a clear conscience?"

Xu Wen couldn't answer, and asked: "What does this have to do with the imperial examination? The people have supported the gentry and the court since ancient times."

Zhang Tiandao: "Is it right naturally?"

"You want to pursue fairness. But you never thought that the existence of Juren is naturally unfair to the people."

"They are naturally the privileged class in this society, and they are naturally sucking the blood of the people."

"Now, you have saved the emperor, and because of me, you have entered the privileged class, above the vast majority of the people and the gentry."

"But your mentality has not completely changed, and you don't take the privileged class for granted. ”

“So, you want fairness like those scholars.”

“But, is what you think is fair really fair?”

“In my eyes, even if someone else is the first place winner, it is just a leech that sucks blood from the people.”

These few words involve many ideas and views of later generations, which are so shocking that Xu Wen was fascinated.

He never thought that the privileges he enjoyed after passing the imperial examination were actually sucking blood from the people in Zhang Tian’s eyes.

But on second thought, it was true.

Have I studied for a lifetime, helped the people to farm? Helped the people to sow seeds?

I have nothing, but just because of an exam, I stand above their class and enjoy support.

Xu Wen still didn’t give up, and said: “But...but, the imperial examination is the fairest way known so far.”

“If those farm children have talent, they can also become superior people through the imperial examination. ”

Zhang Tian smiled and said softly: "The imperial examination is not fair at all!"

"Let alone how much money a poor person can afford to study, and how big the gap is between them and the rich."

"Have you ever thought about how harmful the imperial examination system is?"

"Human potential is unlimited, and can make unlimited breakthroughs in mathematics, the study of things, geography, astronomy and other fields."

"However, since the Han Dynasty, for thousands of years, Confucianism has been the only one, and has bound batches of brilliant people to the Four Books and Five Classics."

"After the Sui Dynasty had the imperial examination, it became even worse."

"There are thousands of ways in the world, and there are countless talents in all dynasties. If there were no constraints of the imperial examination, and all the time and energy did not have to be put on the imperial examination, I wonder how grand it would be? !"

"Once the world was peaceful, the emperors of all dynasties would provide the lower-class people with a seemingly "absolutely fair" channel. ”

“In fact, it makes thousands of smart people exhaust their time and energy on this track, and tame countless talented people like dogs.”

“In the eyes of you scholars, the seemingly absolutely fair upward channel is actually just a dog leash of the emperor.”

Because of Xu Wen, Zhang Tian has read some books about the imperial examination these days.

But the more he read, the more frightened he became.

The imperial examination gave poor children a channel to rise in ancient times. From the limited perspective of the time, it had certain positive significance.

But the ideological constraints on the whole world and the descendants of Yan and Huang are too numerous to mention.

These people who only read the "Four Books and Five Classics" and follow Confucianism have seized power, and naturally suppress those who want to explore "strange skills and tricks".

This kind of ideological and institutional confinement is unspeakably harmful to the entire Chinese nation.