Chapter 26 Fair, just and open imperial examination system

In principle, the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty were open to everyone (except business practitioners). As long as anyone thought he had the ability to apply for the exam, he could "self-vote with a certificate" and apply for the exam in the state or county where he was located. In that way, after passing the local official inspection, there is no need to wait for the nine-rank Zhongzheng evaluation like it has been since the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Although the door of becoming an official in the Tang Dynasty was open to the whole society, the examination process was very strict.Candidates must first pass the county examination and state examination, and then submit to the imperial court to take the big examination of the Ministry of Rites.Those who pass the examination are not immediately able to become officials, but only obtain the qualifications to become an official. They must pass the examination held by the Ministry of Officials before they can be officially appointed as officials.

There are four conditions for the official examination: "body, speech, writing, and judgment". "Body" refers to appearance, which emphasizes "magnanimous appearance"; "speech" refers to eloquence and conversation, which emphasizes "verbal dialectics"; "book" refers to calligraphy, which emphasizes "elegant and beautiful regular script"; "Judgment" is a kind of official document precedent, which pays attention to "the superiority of literature and science". It often takes some difficult cases in the past from the prefectures, counties and Dali Temple. Familiar with the law, so that we can distinguish right from wrong, and make decisions impartially.In other words, to be an official in the government of the Tang Dynasty, in addition to passing the examinations of the county government, the state government, and the Ministry of Rites, you must also pass the almost harsh selection of the Ministry of Officials: you must have good facial features, good-looking talents, and You must be articulate and eloquent, and you must also be able to write a good hand. Finally, you must be proficient in human affairs and the law, and be able to accurately study and judge difficult cases. Moreover, the judgment must be written with beautiful words, neat confrontations, and far-reaching promises. .

Those who can pass this kind of examination can be called outstanding and rare. Since the threshold of the official examination is quite high, after passing the imperial examination, there are many people who fail in the examination repeatedly.For example, Han Yu, a great writer known for his "decline of the eight generations of literature", passed the imperial examination, failed in the third test of the bureaucracy, and was still a commoner for ten years.And such people are by no means a minority. There are many people in the Tang Dynasty who failed to pass the examination of the Ministry of Officials and were unable to become officials for a long time.

The rigor of scientific research in the Tang Dynasty can be seen here. Because of such strictness, it can select real talents for the country. Since the Zhenguan era, the proportion of prime ministers in the Tang Dynasty who were born in the imperial examination has been increasing: 3.4% in the period of Tang Taizong, 25% in the period of Tang Gaozong, and 50% in the period of Wu Zetian; It is more than 80%, such as 80% in the Wuzong period, 87% in the Xuanzong period, and 81% in the Yizong period. (Huang Liuzhu's "A Brief Introduction to the System of Selecting Officials in Ancient China")

With the establishment, improvement, and full implementation of the imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty, the common people of poor families rose rapidly, and more and more children of ordinary people made their way to the upper class of society through their efforts, entered the power center of the empire, and even worshiped ministers and prime ministers.For example, Li Yifu, the prime minister of the Gaozong era, was a person from a poor family with "no name in the family". "Shanglin is such a tree, don't you borrow a branch to live in?" After Tang Taizong Li Shimin heard it, he immediately expressed his attitude and dispelled Li Yifu's concerns.

Li Shimin said: "I will lend you the whole tree, but only one branch!" ("Sui and Tang Jiahua") Later, Li Yifu really had a good official career, and he was ranked as the prime minister. Since Zhenguan, commoner children like Li Yifu have passed the imperial examination to become officials, and finally became prime ministers, and there are too many people who are extremely high-ranking ministers.According to the biography of the two "Book of Tang", in the end of the Tang Dynasty, there were a total of 142 people who came from humble backgrounds and worshiped the minister.In the corresponding period, there were only 125 chancellors who came from noble families, which was already lower than the former.

It can be seen that from the Zhenguan era to the end of the Tang Dynasty, the society of the Tang Dynasty has fundamentally broken the monopoly of political power by the aristocratic families since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and opened the state power to the vast number of poor families. The selection of outstanding talents from all walks of life fully embodies the principle of "equal opportunities, fair competition, and merit-based employment". The reason why the imperial examination system that sowed its seeds in the Sui Dynasty was able to bloom and bloom in the Zhenguan period is naturally closely related to Tang Taizong Li Shimin's political philosophy of seeking talents and promoting talent.

When fighting the country, only those who win the hearts of the people can win the world. When sitting in the mountains and rivers, only those who have talents can secure the world. As an outstanding politician with both entrepreneurial and conservative strengths, Li Shimin is well aware of the truth-if a dynasty can generally open up the ranks to all social strata, especially the common people, and maximize the benefits of the common people and scholars The sense of belonging and political identity of the dynasty will eventually integrate the interests of all social classes and achieve social justice as much as possible. Then this dynasty will surely lay a solid foundation for long-term stability.

In the middle of the Zhenguan period, Li Shimin once witnessed the grand occasion of new scholars coming out in a file, and he couldn't help sighing: "The heroes of the world are in my pocket!" ("Tang Yuyan") Two hundred years later, during the Kaicheng period of Emperor Wenzong of Tang Dynasty, the poet Zhao Gu also expressed his sincere admiration for the imperial examination system established in the Zhenguan era: "Emperor Taizong really made a great strategy, and he earned the hero's white head!" ("National History Supplement") Mr. Qian Mu said: "The imperial examination system is obviously opening up the political power. This is the inner meaning and spiritual life of the imperial examination system. The election in the Han Dynasty was a way to open up the political power from the feudal aristocrats. The open election in the Tang Dynasty was determined by family status. A way to open political power among special classes. The scope of openness in the Tang Dynasty was wider and more free than those in the Han Dynasty. Therefore, from this point of view, we can say that the politics of the Tang Dynasty has progressed again.” ()

As a system of selecting officials with obvious advantages, the imperial examination system was inherited by successive dynasties once it was established, thus exerting an incomparable and far-reaching influence on Chinese history after the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It existed in Chinese history for more than 1,200 years until it was abolished in 1905.