The sage listened to everyone's opinions, only felt that what they said was not to the point, and his brows furrowed slightly: "What you Aiqing said is quite reasonable, but you also have to think about it: I am afraid that it will take a long time to continue to investigate the suspicions, and it is not easy to find out the mastermind behind the scenes; Second, you might as well tell me that the provincial test is imminent, how to calm down the impact of the tribute fraud case and the rumor case? ”

The ministers were silent for a moment and continued to discuss. Most of them felt that the publication of the truth about the two cases would be enough to quell the rumors. As for the provincial examination, it should be held as usual, and it is only necessary for the officials to quickly promote another examiner, Wailang, to preside over the matter. Investigating cases of rebellion is, of course, the duty of the three divisions. If you feel that there are not enough people to send, Jin Wuwei can help from the side, and Jingzhao Mansion, Chang'an County, and Wannian County can also lend messengers to assist in the investigation.

When the saint heard this, his brow finally relaxed. He looked around at the ministers, and was about to adopt their proposals, when his gaze suddenly fell on Li Hui, who moved slightly. The young King of Xin'an County held the white jade wat in both hands, bowed his head and saluted: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that judging from the current trend of rumors in Chang'an City, it is probably not enough to just announce the truth of the two cases. Moreover, the tribute is a major event for me to select talented and learned people to serve as officials, and it is too contemptuous to be presided over by a foreign man who examines the merits of the Ministry of Officials. ”

"The official examiner Wailang is just an official from the sixth grade, is his talent and reputation enough to afford to preside over the tribute? Can you stick to your heart and not be instigated by others? Is it possible not to accept bribes or engage in favoritism? His voice was clear, his demeanor was calm, and he was not in a hurry, as if the people sitting around were just ordinary scribes, not all the powerful old foxes in the Tang court, "The minister has also thought carefully about it in the past few days, why can those two supervising imperial histories impeach the tribute for fraud without any evidence?" Why can Zhang Yuanwailang open his mouth to slander Yu Chen and Jing Xing? ”

"There is no other reason, it's just that today's tribute is indeed mixed with too many human relationships. When facing the prince, the prince of the county, the prince and the prime ministers, can he adhere to the heart of justice? Everybody knows that he can't. However, if you have some selfish intentions, it is impossible for him to guarantee that the results of the provincial examination will be completely fair. It is precisely because of this that after the lifts sent by the states came to Chang'an, the most important thing was to deliver documents everywhere, wanting to get the favor of high-ranking officials and nobles. ”

"It's the same year after year, and there's no difference. However, the minister wanted to ask-I, the Tang Dynasty, did I take the soldiers in order to let them draw camps? Isn't it just learning? But by how many noble people they know? Speaking of this, Li Hui glanced at the ministers: "Of course, there may be people who want to say that there are too many Maxima, but there are too few Bole." Without Bole's recommendation, how can these Maximas stand out? ”

"Danchen still wants to ask - isn't the purpose of the provincial test to select the most talented people for my Datang? If it is really talented, how can it be buried in the crowd? If there is such a ridiculous thing as having real talent and learning but falling behind, it is against the original intention of the tribute and the scholars! It's against the will of His Majesty! It can almost be concluded that either there must be a problem with the questions tested in the provincial examination, or there must be a problem with the examiner who marked the papers!! ”

"What's more, do you really have time to find that thousand-mile horse from the crowd? At this time of year, presumably the mansion of the princes is also the same as the Puwang Mansion, and they can receive posters like a hill every day. And the public is busy with official business, how much time does it take to read these documents carefully? It's nothing more than a glance at the family and a selection of one or two to recommend - since Bole is not dedicated when he is a horse, how can he guarantee that he must be a thousand miles away? ”

In the face of the Manchu Dynasty's civil and military affairs, this young man did not show any nervousness at all, but was extremely calm and calm. Everything he said was true, not only with his own opinions, but also with reason and evidence when questioning, and for a time no loopholes could be found. He didn't look like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy at all.

The ministers were silent for a moment, and they all wondered in their hearts who had borrowed the mouth of the king of Xin'an County to say this. And how they should respond to these statements is the most appropriate. After all, although the tribute is a means of selecting officials, not all officials come from the tribute - the door shade is just as important as the inspection of officials. Moreover, there are only more than ten or twenty scholars in the Jinshi Department every year, which is much smaller than the Ming Jing Department and the Ming Law Department. Is it a bit of a fuss to change the official who presided over the tribute because of the rumors of the Jinshi Kegong Ju?

Just when someone couldn't help but speak out against it, the sage suddenly smiled and said, "Xuanqi, what you said really hit the nail on the head of the drawbacks. Although there was no fraud in the provincial examination, there have been similar injustices in the past, and it will be difficult to eradicate them in the future. If the scribes were indignant and felt that the provincial test was unfair, the court would certainly not be able to win the trust of the people. ”

"What His Majesty said is extremely true." Li Hui immediately answered, not giving others a chance to object, and his face was full of solemnity, "Since we know that there are loopholes in the matter of tribute, we must naturally put an end to such loopholes, so that the tribute can select the talents needed by the Tang Dynasty and His Majesty in the future." Otherwise, it will be too late to make up for it when something happens! What's more, at present, some people are trying to make trouble by paying tribute, if it doesn't happen again this time, where is the majesty of the imperial court? ”

"The minister thinks that what the king of Xin'an said is very reasonable." Guozijian Liu Saijiu also said, "The original purpose of the tribute was to take all the talented people in the territory of the Tang Dynasty for His Majesty's use. And now, because of the prevailing atmosphere of recommendation, the behavior of these people sent by the state government is impetuous! After arriving in Chang'an, the first thing is to post posts everywhere, and the second thing is to participate in the literary meeting to talk about it - I only know how to seek fame and fortune, but I don't know how to read and practice, and I completely put the cart before the horse! ”

He is usually silent, but this time he is extremely impassioned: "Such a person will definitely not be satisfied with practice even if he becomes a jinshi!" Reading and learning are far less important than fame and fortune in their eyes! However, if you think about it, are all people born to chase fame and fortune?! Far from it! It's that everyone else is telling them, and if they don't, they will most likely fall off the list! They had to do it! ”

Therefore, these drawbacks are not actually the problem of the lifters, but the problem of the method used by our tribute judges! Since there is a problem, of course it must be changed! Otherwise, wait until more problems arise to change it, and it will be too late to regret it! Speaking of excitement, he glanced sideways at the servant who was about to refute, "Don't say anything about this is the law of the ancestors!" I can't change it!! Decades ago, there were no tributes! The law of tribute established by the previous dynasty was attacked by the imperial dynasty! Since people can set a precedent, why don't we even dare to continue to change?! ”

The servants of the ministry were speechless, and everyone was stunned - how could they not know that the combat effectiveness of this Liu Xijiu, who usually only sits in the position and takes a nap, is so high? However, Dali Siqing, Yushi Zhongcheng and Shangshu of the Criminal Department laughed and said nothing: they had already seen it, and they didn't think it was unusual.

"If it is not timely, the law of tribute should naturally be changed." The sage asked, "Is there a solution between Xuan Qi and Liu Aiqing?" ”

Liu Xianjiu glanced at Li Hui and motioned for him to speak first. Li Hui bowed his head slightly and thanked him, and then replied loudly: "Returning to Your Majesty, the minister thinks that there are three strategies to solve these problems - the first one is to order the high-ranking officials of Zi to preside over the tributary examination, and no longer allow high-ranking officials and nobles to recommend." Secondly, it is necessary to order four or five high-ranking officials to mark the papers together, discuss the difference between the high and low of the test papers, and finally submit them to His Majesty for review, so as to appear fair and fair enough. Thirdly, the person who gives the test questions should be a person of high moral standing or dignity designated by His Majesty. Once the test questions are leaked, the relevant people will be held accountable and must not be tolerated. ”

The saint smiled and stroked his short mustache: "Good! Very good! What you say makes perfect sense! But why do you want me to do it? ”

"All subjects are selected from the world's talents, in order to be loyal to His Majesty." Li Hui replied without hesitation, "What kind of talent Your Majesty needs, naturally what kind of topics should be set." The topic of the policy theory is the easiest to distinguish the knowledge of the scholars, so only the policy topics approved by His Majesty can take out the scholars who can understand His Majesty, and can really solve problems for His Majesty in the future! ”

"Haha! What kind of person I need, what kind of questions should I set! The saint laughed happily, and looked at the courtiers with different expressions, "What do you think?" ”

He has always been worried that there is no one available in his hands, and every day he looks forward to seeing pearls and discovering all kinds of talents, but now he is suddenly enlightened! Since there is a tribute test every year, how can we not directly take the talents he likes from them, and cultivate and promote good students? Not to mention the dozen or twenty people in Jinshike, the Ming Sutra, the Ming Law, and the Ming Calculation - aren't these all people?! As long as you hold the tribute in your hand, why worry about the heroes of the world in the palm of your hand?!

Thinking of this, he smiled more and more, and his gaze at Li Hui became more and more loving and soft: this child is really a smart and clever child, and he is also a good child with good luck. Even if he doesn't know what his uncle is most worried about at the moment, he knows very well what he is doing. As long as everyone can be like him, bent on sharing the emperor's worries and solving problems, the emperor's difficulties will naturally be solved, so why should he be sad all day long?

"The old minister seconded the proposal!" Liu Xijiu hurriedly raised the jade wat and responded.

"The minister seconded the proposal!" Li Jing, who had a look of admiration on his face, also responded immediately.

"The old minister seconded the proposal." The right servant shot Jian Guogong Xu Ye also said, "However, the three strategies said by the king of Xin'an County must continue to be improved. The provincial examination is about to begin, and it is necessary to determine as soon as possible who is responsible for presiding over the tributary examination and who will mark the papers. As for the question of this strategy, the old minister also thinks that it should be made by His Majesty! After all, this is the first provincial test after the reform of the Gongju Law, so naturally it should be taken first by His Majesty! ”

Seeing that the sage Dragon Heart was happy, and the capital of the group had already seconded it, the rest of the courtiers did not dare to mention it again if they had objections, so they seconded it one after another. Some people suggested that the ministers should be allowed to preside over the tribute, and some people felt that the prime ministers should be allowed to evaluate the papers, and the discussion became heated again.

The sage was very pleased with the result: "Who will preside over the tribute and who will mark the papers are all matters of detail. After that, I summoned a few Aiqing to discuss with us. Ladies and gentlemen, is there anything else to do? ”

Suddenly, Yang Shijing, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites (Hongnong County Gong), raised the jade wat and said: "Back to Your Majesty, about this provincial test, the old minister still has some doubts...... The king of Xin'an County also mentioned that now the rumors in Chang'an City are spreading widely, and the law of the provincial test will change, will it make the rumors more unbelievable? The old minister thought that perhaps the rumors should be quelled down first, so that the new method of tribute could be implemented smoothly. ”

The sage raised his eyebrows and asked almost casually, "Xuanqi, what do you think?" ”

Li Hui thought for a moment and replied: "The minister thinks that the best way to quell the rumors spread by such shady people is to be above board. ”

"Oh? How to be above board? The sage laughed, "If you are reasonable, you will assist Liu Aiqing in presiding over this provincial test." After all, Liu Aiqing is the prince of the country, and he is a respected celebrity, and he can be called the gentleman of all the students of the official school in Beijing. ”

Liu Xijiu was stunned, shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I can't help it." Lao Chen's students have to take the provincial exam, and it stands to reason that Lao Chen should avoid suspicion. ”

"Virtuous people don't avoid relatives, let alone just students?" The sage smiled, "Moreover, if Xuan Qi has a fair and righteous strategy, he will naturally convince everyone." ”

The ministers said yes one after another, and Yang Shijing, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, looked at the young man who was talking eloquently on the other side, and his eyes deepened.