Chapter 164

In June, Wei Shao ascended the throne in Luoyang and proclaimed himself emperor.

Although the world is unified, the Central Plains have suffered from war for many years, and people’s livelihood has been withered.

The emperor followed the lenient government he accepted when he ruled the north, abolished the tyranny of the previous dynasty, reduced or exempted taxes and corvee, so that the people could recuperate. He also encouraged mulberry farming, built water conservancy projects, and paid special attention to the management of the Yellow River. In response to the long-term siltation of the riverbed in the middle and lower reaches of the river, the riverbed was higher than the houses on both sides of the river, and it looked like a hanging river. Talents in river management were recruited.

The old man Baishi, the mentor of the prime minister Gongsunyang, is now reclusive in this mountain. Last year, Qiao Ping visited this place for the treatment of his eye disease. It is seclusion and half healing.

The emperor and the queen brought each other into the mountain, not only to visit Qiao Ping, but also to ask the old man for advice on water management.

The reason why the emperor thought of asking old man Baishi for advice was because when he and the old man first met in Huainan, the dam was in danger. The old man made a plan in time to help repair the dam and eliminate the danger.

Although it has been many years, it left a deep impression on the emperor, and he will never Don’t forget it, so he came to visit now.

Baishi is a descendant of the Mo family. He has traveled all over the world for half his life. In addition to being proficient in medicine, he is also deeply involved in engineering matters. He knows that water conservancy is more related to people’s livelihood, especially the Yellow River. He broke down and changed the route several times, leaving many troubles. In his early years, he took the opportunity of his travels to investigate the Hehuai waterway. However, the court did not have the intention to control the water. The heart of saving the world, but it is difficult to sing a single palm. Now that the new king is on the throne, he pays so much attention to the hidden dangers of the Yellow River. The old man is also very pleased. Although he can no longer go out to the mountains and rivers himself because of his old age, he spared no effort to pass on his half-life experience to the new emperor. He also recommended a local river official named Xu Mian whom he had met when he traveled to Caoyang. He said that although this person was not just a small official, he was concerned with people’s livelihood and had a good idea of ​​water control, and the emperor could be promoted and reused.

The emperor was overjoyed, and had a long talk with the old man holding candles for a long night. After dawn, he would rest. After returning to the court, he immediately summoned Xu Mian to Luoyang.

In the previous dynasty, there were two ways to become an official, namely, levy and recommendation. These two methods played a positive role in recruiting talents at first, but in the later stage, they have become mere formalities. Court officials employ cronyism, and it is even more common to sell officials and vassals. Those who are truly talented and do practical things will rarely succeed in their lives. day.

Xu Mian came from a poor family, but he was only a small official in charge of river work by Cao Yangyi, and he spent half his life doing it. Although he is talented, he also has the heart of the people. He has presented the water control strategy to the court several times before, requesting to repair the canals and rivers, but the court has always ignored it. Xu Mian was disheartened and did not want to change the dynasty now. Before long, he did not know how he found out about him, and he ordered him to enter the court as an official.

The Son of Heaven conquered the commoners, known as “Jingjun”, which was a great honor for those who were called.

Xu Mian rushed to Luoyang with surprise and anxiety, and was summoned by the emperor to the Nangong. After a chat between the emperor and the minister, the emperor issued an edict to promote him to be the chief minister of agriculture, in charge of the Hehuai water affairs, and took office immediately.

Xu Mian’s half-life ambition was finally realized. He knelt down and shouted long live. He was so grateful. After that, he arrived at the place and showed his talents. He devoted himself to water control. The hidden danger of flooding and breaching in the middle and lower reaches was eliminated. At the same time, the diversion of water from dikes and weirs also irrigated dozens of counties in eastern Henan and southwestern Shandong, with as many as millions of acres of fields. From then on, people live and work in peace and contentment. Respected as Duke Xu, he has also received many awards from the court.

In the imperial court, at this time, the prime minister of Wen You, Gongsun Yang, the imperial censor Wei Quan, the minister of the Shao Fu Qing Zhu Zeng and other virtuous assistants, the military commander Li Dian Zhen Youzhou, Wei Liang, the general Wei Liang, guarded Xiliang, Fuqiang Commander Qiao Ci guarded Bingzhou, green eyes General Bi She, because of his great achievements in pacifying the chaos in the south, was named the Marquis of Jiujiang and guarded the southern border.

The emperor did not accept the concubines, and set up the Qiao family as the queen, and they stayed with each other.

Everyone knows that Empress Qiao is not only beautiful, but also the emperor’s virtuous wife. When the emperor went south to fight, Yuyang was attacked by the Huns and was in danger. Empress Qiao was not afraid of life and death. She personally climbed the city wall to inspire the army and the people to fight bravely, and finally saved Yuyang.

In the first month of the year following the emperor’s accession to the throne, the imperial court promulgated a new policy, announcing that the imperial examination system would be added on the basis of the original official selection mechanism. People in the world, as long as they are talented and willing to serve the imperial court, can participate in the selection by themselves in the imperial examinations, and the imperial court will select the best and entrust them with official positions. First, the examinations will be held to see the results. If this method is effective, the recruitment and recommendation will be completely abolished in the future, and the talent selection system of the imperial examination will be implemented.

The unfamiliar resignation of “Imperial Examination” has quickly become a hot topic in the streets and alleys since the first day the decree was promulgated. Countless men in white from poor families were so excited after hearing the news that they couldn’t sleep all night. Because it means that from now on, they no longer have to wait for a slim chance of being recommended by a local official, so as to get a half-official position. How many people with true talents may not be able to wait for the recruitment and recommendation of their dreams throughout their lives. Now, with this pioneering talent selection method, it is not impossible to say that the dream will be realized, but at least, it is a big step closer to the realization of the dream.

Soon after the decree was promulgated, that year, the court held the first Enke test. The total number of self-recommendations is said to exceed 10,000. After the first-level selection, and finally the Qianqiu Palace tried the strategy, Dayan went out to found the country, and was also the first batch of scholars in history.

This group of people who are in the middle are all talented and active in thinking. After being appointed to official positions, most of them performed well during their term of office. Among them, a group of outstanding people later became important officials of the court.

A few years later, the imperial examination system completely replaced the previous inspection system, which had been used for thousands of years, and became the only way for the dynasty to select talents.

It is said that Empress Qiao was the first to propose the imperial examination system and persuade the emperor and ministers to accept it.

Therefore, for a long period of time after that, Queen Qiao became a legend like a goddess in the minds of scholars all over the world. In order to spread, to be able to be named on the gold list, and finally to be given wine by Qiao at the banquet in the palace, it has become the dream of many scholars.

Empress Qiao’s reputation is known to everyone inside and outside Luoyang. However, it was passed on. Soon after, it was not known where the gossip came from. In the end, the most talked about in Luoyang was not how virtuous Empress Qiao was, but how virtuous Empress Qiao was. The emperor is afraid.

It is said that before Jin ascended the throne, he was still the Marquis of Yan in Youzhou, and he already had the name of being afraid of the inside. Because of the prohibition of Qiao, he did not dare to accept beauty. Now the harem is empty and only the queen is left, and there is no prince under his knees. However, he still does not accept the harem. Nine times out of ten, I am afraid that not only is he afraid, but he is not only afraid of it.

If this rumor is true, then the founding emperor of Dayan is not only the number one person in the world, but also the number one person in the world who is afraid of the inside.

The people relished this kind of gossip about the emperor and empress. Naturally, they did not dare, nor did they deliberately harbor malicious intentions. It was just out of surprise and a little good intentions that everyone has. Which one is not interested in the matter of the couple behind closed doors? It was too powerful to spread the word, and then gradually returned to the palace, even to the point where even the courtiers knew about it.

Those old generals and ministers who followed the emperor and conquered the world in those days actually divided into two factions about the matter between the emperor and the queen. For example, Gongsun Yang felt that the reason why the emperor did not accept the harem was because he liked the queen most of the time, but like Wei Quan, he felt secretly that the emperor was really afraid of the inside. I know, it would be a loss of the dignity of the emperor, but although these people have inconsistent ideas, they all know the secrets, and no one would be stupid enough to go to the emperor to talk about it to seek bad luck.

There are a few former officials of the former dynasty, who do not know that the tiger’s **** cannot be touched, and out of the slightest desire to send their daughter to the harem, they even deliberately co-signed a eloquent memorial, Shuli. On the grounds that “the emperor marries twelve daughters once, like December, there are nine concubines for three days” and the reason that the emperor has only one princess so far, he invites the emperor to establish a concubine and fill the harem.

The next day, the book was returned, and only Yubi Zhu wrote a sentence on it: “Will you curse me, can’t give birth to a son?”

The minister was frightened, and in a hurry, he filed an indictment and begged for the crime.

Since then, no one in the Manchu Dynasty dared to mention the harem.

According to gossip, the emperor actually used his process of dealing with this matter to flatter and ask for credit in front of Qiao Hou. Qiao Hou learned that, but he laughed it off.

The emperor and the empress had deep feelings for Xindu, so the land was a place of special significance for the emperor. The emperor ordered people to repair the sandalwood of the Xin Palace and renamed it “Jiaxin Palace”. It was where the palace was located. After that, he went out to Luoyang to visit Kyushu several times, and the emperors and empresses all passed by Xindu and stayed there.

The Dayan Dynasty, from the first day of its establishment, has entered the Qingming era, which is politically compatible with people and people.

For people in the market, the founding emperor was young and brave, and according to people who were fortunate enough to have had an audience with Qiao Hou, he was beautiful and charming, and at first glance, it was like seeing a heavenly man. Such a pair of immortal family members is deeply legendary. In addition to the widely circulated saying that “the emperor fears the inside”, the emperor of the Tian family under the crown of Huanghuang, what kind of time is it for the couple to get along with the door behind closed doors? The height of the palace wall is unknown, and it is even more mysterious.

In order to satisfy the public’s desire to spy on private affairs, the unofficial barnyard officials and folk storytellers who have good deeds make up their imaginations out of thin air, but just let them imagine how they can know the truth?

The following records are all from the notes on the daily life of emperors and empresses. The author has never added or deleted them at all. In the order of chronology, I choose to transcribe them truthfully for the sake of readers.

This first thing started from the first Enke of the Taihe year.