Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 56 Announcement of Results

"Even so, it's not a big deal, is it?"

Zhou An was even more puzzled after hearing this.

The questions for the imperial examinations were created jointly by multiple people, while the policy essay questions were created by the chief examiner, according to convention.

But conventions are just conventions, not rules.

The Great Zhou Dynasty never stipulated that the essay questions for the imperial examinations must be set by the chief examiner.

The examiner's true role is to ensure the smooth conduct of the entire examination and to supervise the entire examination process to prevent cheating.

"Normally this is the case, but some of the questions for this provincial examination were set by Hu, a lecturer at the Imperial Academy."

Guan Yan whispered, "Scholar Hu is qualified to set questions; he has participated in setting questions for the provincial examinations many times."

A candidate who fails the exam cannot question the qualifications of the person who set the questions, but can question whether the questions are too difficult.

Every time the provincial examination was held, some of the candidates who failed were unwilling to accept it and suspected that there had been cheating.

In previous years, there were at most some rumors, due to a lack of evidence. But this year is different; many people will inevitably question the difficulty of this year's provincial examination questions, believing they have exceeded the difficulty of a normal provincial examination.

The news hasn't been released yet; you'll see after the results are announced.

"That's true!"

Zhou An nodded, recalling a controversial case of cheating in the imperial examinations in history.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang reopened the imperial examination system, but the final result surprised everyone.

Among the candidates who passed the imperial examination, all were from the south, and there was not a single candidate from the north.

This completely enraged the candidates from the north, who believed that there was serious cheating in the imperial examination and that the southerners were suppressing the northerners.

Angry candidates even blocked the palace gates, demanding an explanation.

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious when he learned of this and ordered all the officials involved to be arrested and the answer sheets to be reviewed again.

However, the result showed that there was no fraud.

Normally, in that situation, in order to avoid taking responsibility, even the slightest problem would be magnified, which is enough to prove that there was no problem with the imperial examination system.

In the end, Zhu Yuanzhang could only remove some people and replace them with some scholars from the north.

They even executed or exiled those in charge of the imperial examinations, admitting that there had been cheating in this examination.

The controversial aspect of this matter is that Zhu Yuanzhang considered the issue from a political perspective, and after that incident, he created a separate ranking system for the North and South.

Some people believe that Zhu Yuanzhang could have explained the situation to the public instead of killing those people, and that the imperial examinations could have been conducted with separate rankings in the future.

But scholars across the country would not accept this approach. Without changes, northern candidates would still not believe that the gap between them and southern candidates was so large that not a single one of them made the list.

Ultimately, it comes down to a matter of human nature.

Whenever competition is involved, most people who are not directly competing will believe that there are problems with the selection process.

Instead of feeling inferior to the other person.

However, an individual's influence is not enough to change anything. Without evidence, they can only grumble in private.

The cheating incident in the early Ming Dynasty was so bizarre that it gave candidates from the north a reason to retaliate.

This incident is somewhat similar. In fact, whether there was cheating in the imperial examination is not important. As long as the candidates do not have enough excuses, they will not dare to cause trouble.

However, the identity of the person who set the exam questions could be used as a pretext, as those candidates who had repeatedly failed the exams were already harboring a lot of resentment.

It would be strange if they didn't cause trouble once they found an excuse.

"But no matter how much they make a fuss, it probably won't lead to anything."

Guan Yan warned, "Huai De, you absolutely must not get involved in this kind of thing!"

What he and Zhou An discussed could be considered a secret, but it was bound to happen once the results of the provincial examinations were released.

There was nothing to hide; it was just that Zhou An seemed to be getting along well with her, so she took the opportunity to remind him.

"Thank you for the reminder, De-Kuan. I definitely won't get involved in this kind of thing."

Zhou An shook his head and said, "The provincial examination questions will only be more difficult. Even if the provincial examination is very easy, it's just a hollow title. What's the point?"

"Haha, not everyone is as indifferent to fame as Huaide," Guan Yan laughed.

He could tell from Zhou An's words that Zhou An was definitely not from an official family.

The titles of Juren and Xiucai were indeed empty honors, and the actual benefits were not many.

However, the difference between a Juren (举人) and a Xiucai (秀才) is that a Juren could become an official, and it was not just a nominal title.

This is the least useful point for ordinary candidates, because the Great Zhou Dynasty had no shortage of officials, and many Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) only had the title of official but not the official position.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, official positions and duties were separate. Official rank determined salary and benefits, while duties were assigned and granted rights.

Positions like Prefect and Vice Prefect were assigned to minor posts, not official positions.

Strictly speaking, there is no distinction between high and low ranks in official duties; anyone of any rank can directly assume such duties, depending on the imperial court's arrangements.

In reality, official rank and position are promoted simultaneously; a promotion in rank is accompanied by a promotion in position, and even if there is a difference, it will not be too great.

There are too many officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Positions are like radishes, each with its own niche; you can't cram several radishes into one spot.

This has led to a situation where many officials do not hold any official position.

They enjoy the treatment of officials but don't have to do any work.

It may seem comfortable, but isn't the ultimate purpose of being an official to enjoy the power that comes with it?

Those who passed the imperial examinations were considered candidates for official positions. If the court lacked officials, some of the candidates would be selected to be appointed.

But the Great Zhou Dynasty has no shortage of officials. If there are any positions available, they can simply be selected from those who hold official positions but have no real power.

This meant that while a successful candidate in the imperial examinations (举人) was qualified to become an official, it was almost impossible for them to actually obtain an official position.

Therefore, this is the point that most people don't care about the most.

However, this refers to the children of non-official families. Official families could find ways to obtain official positions for their descendants.

The scholar Hu Yuan he mentioned was an official who became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination) through the recommendation of Prime Minister Fan.

Therefore, anyone from an official family could not help but care about the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations).

After the meal, the two parted ways outside the tofu shop. When they parted, Guan Yan asked Zhou An which inn he was staying at.

For the next two weeks, under the guidance of Guan Yan, Zhou An sampled all the delicacies of Tongzhou.

Guan Yan said his only hobby was eating.

Wherever he went, he knew the local delicacies like the back of his hand.

In Guan Yan's words, he really wanted to be an official because officials are frequently transferred, and staying in each place for a few years is enough for him to enjoy the local delicacies.

Judging from his longing expression, Zhou An could tell that it was entirely from the bottom of his heart.

Zhou An found it quite interesting to encounter such a foodie, because he also loved to eat.

Confucius said, "Food and sex are human nature."

"Huai De, if it weren't for you delaying us, we would have already gotten a good spot at the front."

In a restaurant near the examination hall, in a private room on the second floor facing the street, Guan Yan stood by the window, looking at the dark mass of people below. He turned his head to look at Zhou An, his tone tinged with resentment.

"Even if we manage to get a good spot at the front, we won't be able to squeeze out!"

Zhou An laughed and said, "Shi Tou knows some martial arts, and Xiao Wu can read. It would be best to send them."

Today is the day the results are announced, and Guan Yan came to the inn early in the morning to bring Zhou An over.

But they arrived too late; the area outside the examination hall was already completely surrounded.