In the year 1983, in Qingzhou City, a city under the jurisdiction of Weifang City, Shandong Province, something that shocked the literary and historical circles happened. An old man named Zhao Huanbin donated an ancient imperial examination paper that had been collected in his family for more than 300 years to the country.
After repeated research and identification by experts, it is believed that this is an authentic copy of the Ming Dynasty Palace Examination Strategy Paper. The six characters "No. 1, A, No. 1" written by Emperor Wanli Zhu Pi on the top of the test paper indicate that its owner is the top scholar in the undergraduate program. This paper is the famous "No. 1 Scholar Paper". The imperial examination system has existed in China for more than 1,300 years, and the culture of number one scholar is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. However, for the first time, the world was able to see the true appearance of the "No. 1 Scholar Paper" written by the number one scholar in the examination room and approved by the emperor himself. This "No. 1 Scholar Volume" is undoubtedly the only one in China and the only one left in the world. It can be called a priceless treasure. Therefore, one can imagine the huge sensation this incident caused in society.
When the "Zhuangyuan Scroll" was still stored in the Qingzhou Museum, the author was fortunate enough to see its authentic version. A hand in small regular script, the writing is both vigorous and correct, yet elegant and beautiful. The emperor's imperial approval was also quite impressive. The so-called policy theory means expressing opinions on the country's major policies. The "Zhuangyuan Volume" not only has beautiful calligraphy, but also has lofty arguments, clear organization, strict logic, and smooth writing. If this were not the case, this paper would not become the "No. 1 Scholar Paper".
Later, this "No. 1 Scholar" was stolen once by an insider. After the case was solved and the "Zhuangyuan Volume" was lost and recovered, the original copy was transferred by the state. What is now displayed in the Qingzhou Museum is said to be just an imitation. The Qingzhou Museum security cadre who stole the "No. 1 Scholar" in a crooked way and wanted to exchange it for big money lost his head because of it. This is true, if people don’t know what to do, they must do nothing but themselves, “If you don’t stretch out your hand, you will be caught.” Justice will not be absent, and neither will the law. Things that violate laws and disciplines must never be done.
The owner of this "No. 1 Scholar" is Zhao Bingzhong, a native of Qingzhou, Shandong. Zhao Bingzhong was the second and last champion in Shandong in the Ming Dynasty. This paper was written by his own hand, stroke by stroke, and neatly when he took the Wuxu imperial examination in the twenty-sixth year of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty (1598). By the way, there is some minor controversy about the native place of Zhao Zhuangyuan. Some people think that his ancestral home is Linqu, Shandong. No matter which statement is more accurate, there should be no objection that Zhao Zhuangyuan is from Weifang, Shandong. Besides, Qingzhou and Linqu are neighbors connected by mountains and rivers. Historically, Linqu was under the jurisdiction of Qingzhou Prefecture. Since the 1950s, some towns and villages in Qingzhou and Linqu have often been drawn back and forth. Therefore, it is understandable that both places regard Zhao Bingzhong as their outstanding disciple. What is more interesting is that in the Ming Dynasty, the Shandong General Secretary produced two and a half champions, two of whom were from Weifang, and both were related to Linqu. It seems that Linqu not only has beautiful mountains and clear waters, but also has a profound cultural heritage.
Regarding the six words "No. 1, No. 1" in imperial approval, it involves basic knowledge of the imperial examination system. Let's do a little popular science here. The imperial examination developed into the Ming and Qing dynasties and became institutionalized and standardized. Of course, rigid institutionalization and standardization may also lead to a dead end of rigidity and rigidity. The reason why the imperial examination system in the late Qing Dynasty became a street rat is precisely because it stuck to the rules and did not think about changes. In this regard, it gave people false pretenses and eventually died.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the imperial examinations organized by the central government were divided into two steps: the general examination and the palace examination. The examination is presided over by the Ministry of Rites, and those admitted are called "Gongshi" and are qualified to participate in the palace examination. The palace examination was nominally presided over by the emperor, and more diligent emperors such as Zhao Kuangyin, Zhu Yuanzhang, and Kangxi usually took the trouble to do this themselves. Emperors who were relatively lazy in politics, like Wanli and Tianqi, often just paid attention to their names and went through the motions. Specific matters can be entrusted to the relevant ministers.
In the palace examinations of the Ming and Qing dynasties, only candidates were ranked, and no candidates were removed unless there were special circumstances. After the palace examination, the candidates will be divided into three grades, called "Third A". In the first place, there are three people: No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 overall. The second A, whose number ranges from a few dozen to more than a hundred, is awarded the title of "given Jinshi origin". The third A has about the same number of people as the second A, and his status is "given the same Jinshi origin". The word "tong" here is somewhat similar to the brackets and equivalent meaning of today's cadre appointments.
In terms of initial appointment, the first-level personnel are best arranged and usually serve in the Hanlin Academy, the emperor's secretarial body. The job arrangement of the second-A personnel is generally better than that of the third-A personnel.
Speaking of the title of "granting a Jinshi origin", there is another interesting anecdote worth mentioning about the imperial examination. This story is not only interesting, but also provides some useful inspiration. That is, you cannot be petty as an official, and you cannot be clever as a human being.
Zeng Guofan, a famous official in the Qing Dynasty, finally got his name on the gold medal list after failing many imperial examinations. However, his ranking in the palace examination was not ideal, and he was ranked among the top 42. The official status was naturally "given as a Jinshi." Zeng Guofan is a person who thinks very highly of himself and has high demands on himself. Therefore, he was very dissatisfied with the test results he had obtained. He felt that this was a very shameful thing, and it almost became a permanent pain in his heart.
Under this psychological influence, Zeng Guofan was particularly taboo with the word "tong". Some of his subordinates were often reprimanded by him inexplicably when reporting to him and drafting documents for him. As time passed, the sharp-minded subordinate discovered the mystery. It turned out that he got angry because he heard or saw the word "tong". So, I tried every means to avoid this word and replaced it with words with similar meanings such as "ru", "similar", and "and". Everyone has weaknesses. Even a great historical figure like Zeng Guofan would inevitably make some very childish actions sometimes.
Zeng Guofan had a subordinate who had a new wife. Men keeping concubines is a major social bad habit in ancient China, and it is a great disrespect for women's personality. This little wife of Zeng Guofan's subordinate was as beautiful as a flower and was very lovable. Because this subordinate loves his little wife, when he is at home, he often puts down his body and carries water for her to wash her feet. For an ancient official, this was a very shameful thing, and it would be very shameless to spread the news. But after a while, his colleagues found out about it, and they often made fun of him behind his back.
While on official business, Zeng Guofan also wanted to tease his subordinate about this matter, so he said to him: "I heard that you are quite good at couplets. How about I make a first couplet and you can correct it?" "The subordinate didn't know that the leader wanted to plot against him, so he readily agreed. Zeng Guofan smiled evilly and wrote the first couplet: "Wash Mrs. Ru's feet." "Madam Ru" is an ancient nickname for concubines, that is, little wives. The subordinates were a little anxious when they saw their leader exposing his shortcomings in public. In embarrassment, the second line blurted out: "Give me the same background as a Jinshi." This time, Zeng Guofan felt even more uncomfortable. It was his turn to be speechless and blushing.
Regarding Zeng Guofan's story, it is also recorded in "Qing Barnai Lei Chao", but the details are different. It is said that when Zeng Guofan was the governor of Liangjiang, he once chatted with a guest about couplets. When the word "Madame Ru" was wrong, a subordinate named Li Boyuan blurted out "Tong Jinshi" without any discernment. This made Zeng Guofan very angry, and Li Boyuan also regretted his slip of the tongue. The relationship between the two did not ease for a long time ("Zeng's expression changed, and Li Yi regretted it, but it took a long time to understand").
Zhao Bingzhong was only twenty-five years old when he won the top prize. At this time, more than 170 years had passed since his fellow countryman Ma Yu became the number one scholar. This long period of time is also the time difference between the two authentic Qilu champions in the Ming Dynasty. Zhao Bingzhong was several years younger than Ma Yu when he won the first prize. This shows that he is also a person who has been diligent and studious since he was a boy, and also has outstanding talents. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhao Bingzhong should be regarded as a relatively young champion.
When he was young, Zhao Bingzhong was not only studious and motivated, but also very independent. When he encounters unreasonable people and things, he dares to speak up and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the candidates. For example, when he was fifteen years old, Zhao Bingzhong took part in a low-level imperial examination to select talents. There was a candidate who wanted to take advantage of the exam and put a cheat sheet in his shoe. Because he was not acting secretly, he was caught by the responsible invigilator.
The official who presided over the exam was named Liu Yi. He was very angry when he saw someone trying to cheat, so he established a joint rule on the spot: all candidates must be naked before entering the exam. He stood on his feet and waited outside. It was the twelfth month of winter, and the candidates were so cold that their feet hurt unbearably. They grinned and stomped around, feeling miserable. Chief Examiner Liu is really stubborn, and his working methods are simple and blunt.
If a candidate is found to be carrying a cheat sheet in underwear, pants, or other clothing, shouldn't everyone else be left naked waiting to enter the venue?
In this case, Zhao Bingzhong, who was also a candidate at the time, stood up and strongly protested against this inhumane approach. He confidently asked Chief Examiner Liu, after all, there are only a few candidates who cheat. Whoever cheats should be punished. What is the reason and emotion for letting the innocent candidates who abide by the law be implicated and tortured together? What's more, it is the obligation of the exam organizers to prevent candidates from cheating. It should be based on strengthening education and strict supervision and inspection. How can such simple and crude corporal punishment be adopted? Although Liu Zhukao is a bit stubborn, he can still follow the good path. After listening to Zhao Bingzhong's opinion, the old man immediately ordered the cancellation of this inhumane rule. As for Zhao Bingzhong's score in this examination, there are no relevant records in historical records, so it is unknown.
After Zhao Bingzhong, the number one scholar, entered the central government agency, his initial career development was relatively smooth. He started as a department secretary (compiler of the Hanlin Academy), was promoted step by step, and finally became a leading cadre at the deputy minister level (the Minister of Rites, roughly the Right Minister). Zhao Bingzhong works hard, is fair and upright, and is a very principled person. In terms of personal life issues, Zhao Bingzhong, like his fellow No. 1 pick Ma Yu, is able to keep himself clean and has no scandals such as arrogance, extravagance, corruption and bribery. While working in the Ministry of Rites, he also took on more important tasks such as being the examiner for the provincial examination and the joint examination. He performed well and received good feedback from all aspects.
It can be seen from the incident of taking the imperial examination when he was a boy that Vice Minister Zhao Bingzhong is a principled, characterful and upright person. Such people will naturally not follow the crowd or follow the crowd. This aspect is very similar to Ma Yu. After the eunuch Wei Zhongxian took power, he was almost overwhelmed by the officials trying to curry favor. Even Yuan Chonghuan, a famous general of the generation, once made a suggestion to build a "sheng shrine" to commemorate the 9th birthday of Wei. This is something that is not on the table. But Zhao Bingzhong, who had the guts to do so, did not join in the fun. In this regard, Zhao Bingzhong and Ma Yu are very similar, which is really interesting. Perhaps, what Ma Yu, a humble gentleman, did had a profound impact on fellow countryman Zhao Bingzhong.
At work, Zhao Bingzhong naturally couldn't get along with Eunuch Wei. Conflicts and frictions often occur between two people, which is inevitable. The resentful Wei Zhongxian, in order to remove this stumbling block, snitched more than once in front of the supreme leader, Emperor Tianqi Zhu Youxiao, saying vicious things about Zhao Bingzhong and suggesting that he should be sent away as soon as possible.
Zhu Youxiao, who has always been keen on busy carpentry work and did not care much about government affairs. In fact, he was not very enthusiastic about being an emperor. He rarely said a famous saying in history: "What you said is That guy in the little mantle who gave me lectures? I think he’s pretty good. Not only can’t I get rid of such a person, I also want to promote him.” In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the top picks were often selected. Zhao Bingzhong also had such experience as a full-time or part-time tutor for the royal descendants, so Zhu Youxiao said that. There was a strange phenomenon in the Ming Dynasty, that is, there were several emperors who were not bad, but were rather weird, such as Jiajing, Wanli, and Tianqi.
Later, Zhao Bingzhong became increasingly dissatisfied with Wei Zhongxian's misbehavior, and the conflict between the two intensified and became difficult to reconcile. Under such circumstances, Vice Minister Zhao's work was naturally increasingly hampered and interfered with by Eunuch Wei, making it difficult for him to use his hands and feet. Moreover, Wei Zhongxian's opponents, the Donglin Party members, also launched a so-called impeachment prosecution against Zhao Bingzhong. In desperation, Vice Minister Zhao, who was not a human being, gave up his job. The reason why Zhao Bingzhong did not make much political achievements in the officialdom is probably related to the excessive constraints in various aspects.
The battle between Wei Zhongxian's gang ("Eunuch Party") and Donglin Party members is a famous historical event. For a long time, bad reviews have been given to the former, while the latter has been subject to too much glorification that is inconsistent with the facts. In fact, the main purpose of official party struggles in Chinese dynasties was to compete for power and gain. No matter how nice their words are or how high-sounding their banners are. No party can stand on the moral high ground of serving the country and the people, and the Donglin Party is no exception.
It is true that among the Donglin Party members, there are strong men with noble moral character like Zuo Guangdou and Yang Lian, but there are also cowards like Qian Qianyi who are good at eating, drinking, whoring, gambling and smoking, and who took the lead in surrendering to the Qing braided army when the country was in crisis. .
The very interesting top leader Zhu Youxiao did not break his promise. When efforts to retain Vice Minister Zhao Bingzhong failed, he instructed the relevant departments to promote him one level, allowing him to enjoy the retirement benefits of a full minister ( Shangshu of the Ministry of Jin Rites). Some sources say that Zhao Bingzhong was the official of the Ministry of Rites, but in fact this statement is not accurate. Zhao Bingzhong's title of Shangshu only meant that he enjoyed retirement benefits. He had not actually worked in this position.
When Vice Minister Zhao Bingzhong was packing up his office belongings before leaving office, he took advantage of his work to steal his "No. 1 Scholar Scroll", making it an heirloom of the old Zhao family. As for the reason why the "No. 1 Scholar Volume" fell into the Zhao family, some people may not agree with the author's statement, but other than that, it is really difficult to find a more reasonable explanation than this.
As for Zhao Bingzhong’s motivation for doing this, we can only rely on speculation. The most likely reason is that he likes this handwriting too much that records his achievements and witnesses his glory. In any case, there should be no doubt that Zhao Bingzhong's behavior is an abuse of power, and it is also very undesirable. Because the "No. 1 Scholar Volume" is an important royal archive, and the unit where Vice Minister Zhao works is specifically responsible for managing such matters. What is incredible is that his superiors did not conduct any investigation or investigation after such an important royal document was lost. As a result, Zhao Bingzhong, the number one scholar, successfully preserved a precious imperial examination cultural relic and historical material for the world, and greatly improved his historical reputation.
Vice Minister Zhao Bingzhong, who enjoyed ministerial-level retirement benefits, died of illness only about a year after resigning and returned home. He was only fifty-three years old. Zhao Bingzhong's age when he died was almost the same as his fellow champion Ma Yu! There are too many similarities between the two top picks in Weifang, Shandong.
It is said that anger hurts the body. The reason why Zhao Bingzhong died young in his prime was probably because he had conflicts with Wei Zhongxian and the Donglin Party. He was angry for a long time and could not resolve the trouble caused by adjustment. Zhao Bingzhong's experience shows that your body is your own and health is very important. You should be good at resolving problems, adjust your mentality and look forward, but you must not get sulky and think too hard.
About the author: Wang Lijing, whose pen name is Gu Di, male, is from Shouguang, Shandong. He was born in Beijing in 1958 and graduated from the Chinese Department of Qufu Normal University. He has worked as an educated youth, worker, teacher, and government cadre. He once served as deputy dean of Shandong Police College and second-level police supervisor. He is a prose writer and a member of the Chinese Writers Association. He has published more than three million words of works. He has won many awards and been selected into various anthologies. Relevant works have been included in the collections of famous university libraries such as Princeton University, Stanford University, Peking University, and the University of Hong Kong. They have been twice selected into the top ten recommended books for primary and secondary school students in Shandong Province to read a good book during the winter and summer vacations.
Yidianhao Gudi
The content of this article was published by the author of Yidianhao and does not represent the position of Qilu Yidian.