Historical Story: A Talented Man Climbing the Dragon in the Tang Dynasty
The imperial examination system was born in the Sui Dynasty and developed in the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty looked at the endless stream of scholars who came to take the exam, and once said proudly: "All the heroes in the world are in my hands." After ten years of hard work, no one asked him, and he became famous all over the world in one fell swoop. The imperial examination system gave countless scholars the opportunity to enter the official career and realize their life ideals.
However, the imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty was only in its initial development and was still very imperfect. There was no provision for sealing the header. Candidates taking the scientific examination must be recommended by those in authority, otherwise they will not be qualified to take the examination. If scholars want to enter politics, they must rely heavily on the recommendation and promotion of powerful people, and the status of the recommender directly affects the scientific examination results.
So the candidates kept pace with the times, and in order to find the best recommenders, they often edited their favorite poems and essays in the autumn of the year before the exam, brought them to the capital, and presented them to At that time, people who were famous and well-known in politics or literature regarded this as "Xingjuan". Once you are favored, it is a good start, and the scientific examination of the candidates will be half successful.
There are also people who disdain this. Gao Shi, who wrote the famous saying "Don't worry about the road ahead without friends, as no one in the world knows you" was originally a general, a versatile man in both civil and military affairs. He is very confident and refuses to rely on his family background or the path to a high official position to become an official. He wants to become a public minister based solely on his true talents and knowledge. He didn't expect that this was a dead end, and that in the end he would just be wandering around in a dead end. When he figured it out, the people around him had already developed, and he regretted that he had missed the opportunity. He lived in poverty for decades until he was over fifty. When his good friend Yan Zhenqing became prime minister, he became a minor official through Yan's recommendation. Gold always shines. Later, he served as a director during the Anshi Rebellion and became a military governor.
Among the stories of talented scholars in the Tang Dynasty, the most interesting one is probably Wang Wei’s success as the top scholar. We all know that he was a famous landscape and pastoral poet in the Tang Dynasty of my country. Su Dongpo commented on his poems that "there are paintings in poems, and poems in paintings." But he is proficient in music, good at lyrics, music and various musical instruments, and is not widely known. His musical talent led directly to finding the best recommenders.
At that time, although Wang Wei was already well-known in Beijing, he had to take the exam if he wanted to become an official. When preparing to take the exam, Wang Wei was also worried about this mysterious and rigorous scientific examination, and felt that his future was uncertain.
At this time, Wang Wei heard that there was a poet Zhang Jiugao who was also slightly famous. He was the younger brother of Zhang Jiuling who wrote "The bright moon rises on the sea, and the end of the world is at this time". It is said that Zhang Jiugao has accessed the back door of the powerful Princess Taiping, and the princess has promised to let him be ranked first on the list. This is bad news for Wang Wei, because he also really wants to be first.
Wang Wei had a good friend, the emperor's younger brother, Prince Qi Li Fan. When Li Fan learned of Wang Wei's distress, he expressed deep sympathy for him. Li Fan said: "Princess Taiping is very powerful. If we fight hard, there will be no good results. We have to think about it in the long term and then find a way." Li Fan walked around the room for a long time, and suddenly he was happy Said: "Yes! The princess likes music very much. You can play a few pipa songs well and I will take you to meet the princess."
Five days later, Li Fan asked Wang Wei to dress up as an actor. Mixed in the procession of actors went to see the princess. There was a banquet going on in the princess's mansion, and it was bustling with people coming and going. Wang Wei danced gracefully with all the musicians. Wang Wei was handsome, elegant and refined, and he was in a prominent position among musicians. He quickly caught the princess's attention. The princess asked Li Fan: "Who is he?" Li Fan replied: "A confidant." When the princess heard this answer, she felt strange, so she asked: "Since you are a confidant, what do you know about Li Fan?" Fan said: "Wonderful interpretation of pipa." The princess asked Wang Wei to play a piece. Wang Wei played a new song he composed called "Yulun Robe". At the end of the song, everyone in the audience was shocked. Everyone admired his performance very much and also liked this unique and innovative piece. The princess was particularly happy and felt like a "close friend".
Seeing that things were going well, Li Fan immediately seized the opportunity to advise the princess: "Wang Wei is not only proficient in music, but also outstanding in poetry." At this time, Wang Wei immediately wrote the ten poems he had written in advance Presented to the princess for reading. While reading, the princess praised and said: "I have seen these poems before. I thought they were masterpieces by ancient sages. I didn't expect that they were written by a young man. Wang Wei is really a rare talent." Li Fan took the opportunity to add: " Wang Wei is very high-spirited, and he vows to get the first place in this scientific examination.
Of course the princess understood the meaning. She smiled and said to Wang Wei beside her: "Don't worry! People like you will not fail to be at the top of the list." ”
This year, in the golden autumn, Wang Wei ranked first in high school.
The authenticity of this story needs to be verified. Many scholars believe that it was fabricated by later generations. It is certain Yes, Wang Wei and King Qi had a good relationship. There are records in the old and new Tang books. Wang Wei's poems and essays are generally recognized. The two Tang books mentioned that someone was talented in literature at that time, and they often wrote about singing with him at that time. The literati are quite proud to be in harmony with Wang Wei. Even if he relies on his knowledge, he should be the number one scholar. Of course, this story also shows us the skill of ascending the dragon in the Tang Dynasty.
It is an era of talented people, and talented people are as numerous as the sand in the Ganges. It was not easy to be a talented person in the Tang Dynasty, and it was not easy to go from being a talented person to becoming an official. Talented people must obtain recommendations from powerful people, just like studying abroad for a doctorate now requires a letter of recommendation from a supervisor. Similarly, the more famous the teacher's recommendation letter is, the more effective it will be. Without the recommendation and promotion of the powerful, there would be no talents. The talents in the Tang Dynasty were not nerds. They worked hard to get the best recommendations. , has already mastered eighteen skills and can be called an all-rounder.