In the imperial examination era, if you don't see your name on the list, you are considered to be "losing". Such people are called "Luodi Shizi", and they failed to do so in the imperial examination and fell to Sun Shan.
After the imperial examination is posted at all levels, there will be results of ascending and falling. The scholars were the social group that was eliminated from the imperial examinations, and their numbers continued to increase with the implementation of the imperial examination system.
The imperial examination system of the Yuan Dynasty was implemented in the middle of the reign and lasted for a special time. With the implementation of the imperial examination system, the scale of the sub-group of scholars continued to expand. Although the situation was turbulent at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the number of people participating in the imperial examination dropped sharply, in the middle of the Yuan Dynasty, when the imperial examination was prosperous, there were still many scholars who fell into the ranks.
Although most of the fallen scholars eventually fell to the bottom of society, they were still the best in society relative to the common people. Their behaviour and survival activities have a decisive impact on all aspects of the construction of local society.
However, their influence is not entirely positive, and there are some negative ones.
In pursuit of fame, the imperial examination has become a shortcut to the official career. With the resumption of the imperial examination in the Yuan Dynasty, scholars participated in the imperial examination one after another in order to enter the official career. Even if the remnants of the Southern Song Dynasty participated in the first few examinations, this proves the attraction of the imperial examinations to scholars.
The implementation of the imperial examination strengthened the utilitarian thinking of scholars. In the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial examination was difficult, and it was the norm for scholars to fail the list. After failing to make the list, scholars could choose to continue to take the imperial examination or look for recommendation opportunities, which further increased their utilitarian pursuits.
Under the ** of the imperial examination, although most of the scholars who failed repeatedly tried and failed, they still persevered and continued to take the exam. For these scholars, the imperial examination was not an easy task, and they were not only concerned with the results of the examination, but also valued the process of the examination.
The process of participating in the township and meeting examinations can not only enhance your reputation and influence, but also make friends with powerful people and celebrities, and open up more possibilities for your own career path.
For example, Pan, the son of the fallen scholar, went to Dadu to make friends with powerful and famous people after preparing for the township examination, hoping to get their favor and help. In this process, he also received many parting gifts from celebrities, such as Yu Ji and others, which provided great help for his future development.
Is this a place where I can achieve my dreams? So, he traveled to Beijing to discuss problems with the ministers, and his speech and wisdom made people admire him very much.
Huang Qian, a scholar of the Hanlin Dynasty, Wang Shilu, a scholar of the Ministry of Rites, Chen Zhongzhong, a Guozijian Cheng, and other famous ministers wrote poems and songs for him in recognition of his courage and determination.
When Pan was in Hangzhou, he was appreciated by the Prime Minister's Mansion and was hired for Guangde Confucianism. After a few years, his reputation grew, and he was eventually reassigned to Tongling. In his career, he has accumulated a rich circle of contacts and capital.
In order to achieve better results in the imperial examination or recommendation, some scholars who have fallen behind will be in a hurry, and even choose to impersonate themselves in order to stand out from the competition.
The imperial examination of the Yuan Dynasty stipulated that scholars must return to their hometowns to take the examination. Impersonation is considered a serious violation and is subject to severe penalties. Wang Li once criticized the phenomenon of Nanren impersonation, and by the first year of the Yuan Dynasty, there was a debate in the court about whether the imperial examination should be abolished.
Cheri Timur and Boyan asked the imperial court to abolish the imperial examination, believing that there were serious drawbacks in the imperial examination, such as corruption, counterfeiting of Mongolian and Semu ethnic names, and seriously interfering with the system of electing officials.
In the imperial examination in the middle of the Yuan Dynasty, the phenomenon of scholars impersonating their names was already quite serious, which made Boyan finally decide to stop the imperial examination. Many of the fallen scholars began to learn the so-called"The field is on standby"books, their main goal is no longer the spirit of Confucianism, but to take the imperial examination as their only way out.
In this context, it is inevitable that the utilitarian style of study will be used. The study of Confucian classics became a means of entering the official career, and the scholars who were driven by practical interests began to prevail in the study atmosphere with the goal of ascending to the first place in the imperial examination.
As soon as the imperial examination begins, a large number of scholars will devote their energy to figuring out the test questions and memorizing the commentary. For the unsuccessful scholars, only by writing "timely" essays can they have a chance to succeed in the imperial examination.
In this era of the prevalent imperial examinations, the number of scholars who failed to study Shiwen exceeded the number of scholars who studied ancient Chinese.
The secret book for the preparation of the imperial examination - "Spare by the Science Field" came into being and became a popular topic. During the Yuan Dynasty, such books were widely included in the Siku Quanshu Inventory, such as Chen Yuedao's Shuyi Judgment Law in six volumes.
In addition, there is Xiong Liangfu's "Zhou Yi Benyi Collection" in the Yuan Dynasty, which was written after the resumption of the imperial examination, and it was probably after the imperial examination that the preparation notes were engraved and printed.
Yuan Junweng's "Four Books and Twelve Volumes of Doubtful Sections" in the Yuan Dynasty was a tutorial book for undergraduate examinations, mainly written by old Confucians who failed in the imperial examinations. Although these authors themselves failed to successfully pass the imperial examination, they accumulated a wealth of examination experience, and through the publication of such examination-oriented books, they were able to help those who were preparing to take the imperial examination to improve their examination skills, which became a stepping stone for them to participate in the imperial examination.
In this way, both authors and booksellers can benefit from it. In addition, the Yuan Dynasty was a country ruled by officials, and during the abolition of the imperial examination, the official position has been institutionalized, and the huge class of officials has become the reserve army of the Yuan Dynasty.
The book "Officials and Citizens Approved for Use" compiled by the Yuan people introduced in detail the official system and the official system of the Yuan Dynasty, emphasizing the important position of the officials after the abolition of the imperial examination.
After the resumption of the Yanyou Imperial Examination, Xi still has a bright future. During the abolition of the imperial examinations in the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial court had begun to implement the tradition of "Confucian officials with tribute", which was a good opportunity for scholars who failed in the imperial examinations, and they could realize their career dreams by serving as scholars or officials, but the competition was also fierce.
After the resumption of the imperial examination, many Jinshi people turned to some important official positions in order to be promoted. For example, Ge Yuanzhe was once promoted to a professor in Yuanjiangzhou in Jiangsu and Zhejiang because of his status as a jinshi.
In the Yuan Dynasty, Fuzhou professors could be appointed as officials of various ministries, and the scribes of the Lian Visiting Division could be selected from among the professors, which was very attractive to those who had great ambitions.
Most of the scholars who received preferential treatment from the Yuan court would choose to serve as a scholar first, and then be promoted to a professor in Lufu to realize their desire to enter the office. However, this process is very difficult, especially the promotion of the last academic officer to the professor of Lufu, and there is very little chance of being promoted to a higher rank, and the future is bleak.
Therefore, the scholar was jokingly called the "cold official", and the people of the time were full of emotion about it, and once said: "The hot selection teaches everyone to take, and the cold official must endure the five colds."
Jia Lu is a relatively successful example of the Yuan Dynasty's imperial examination among the scholars. He was elected professor of Confucianism, then made a constitutional history, and successively served as the governor of Oak and Mancheng County.
Later, he was elected as the governor of the Tai Hospital and the envoy of Yannan Shandong Province to Xuanfu Shogunate, and his career experience from teaching to official to shogunate, fully demonstrating the characteristics of the unity of Confucianism.
The appointment of scholars and officials changed the composition of local grassroots officials and officials. In the process of selecting scholars and officials, with the implementation of the policy of appeasing the scholars and supplementary officials, the elements of the imperial examination were actually introduced.
Their promotion and transfer are closely linked to the imperial examinations, and the difficulty and rigor are far greater than those of the previous promotion and transfer examinations, which helps to improve the overall quality of the scholars and officials.
At the same time, this also promotes the improvement of the selection system of academic officials and the selection system of honest visiting secretaries, which has a significant effect on optimizing the personnel structure.
In the Yuan Dynasty, most of the scholars returned to their hometowns and devoted themselves to the management of their hometowns and local society, serving as tutors, building public works, helping the poor, and establishing volunteer schools, making significant contributions to the stability and prosperity of the local society.
They actively seek a suitable position for themselves, give full play to their talents and wisdom, and become an important force in the local society.
Su Li's book Local Elites and Grassroots Society in the Yuan Dynasty delves into the influence of local elites in the Yuan Dynasty on the development of grassroots society in the south of the Yangtze River. He elaborated on the relationship between local elites and local society, the construction of public facilities, famine and poverty alleviation, and local education and clans.
The Fallen Scholars were the main part of the local elite, and most of them were "poor". The primary motivation of these scholars at the grassroots level of the society is to seek ways to make a living by solving the basic needs of survival, and at the same time, they also educate the people and manage the grassroots society in their livelihood activities.
Although there are many abusive scholars or mat teachers who have failed in the imperial examinations, most of them are conscientious in educating the public. Whether they were given preferential treatment by the imperial court as instructors, or they lived in seclusion in the countryside as tutors, they all made important contributions to the education of the local society.
Take Wang Yan, the son of the Luodi scholar, as an example, after his defeat in the imperial examination, although his ideals were shattered, he was committed to self-cultivation and family, firmly believed that "the family is still the country", and practiced this belief with practical actions.
Wang Yan's living conditions are well-off, and his family is a local nobleman. After he returned home, he rewarded diligent scholars and sponsored those who traveled far away; Hire famous teachers to carefully educate the children of the same clan and the village; Feast friends, talk about the past and the present, and sing and harmonize with each other; In the year of natural disasters, he would also use food to help the hungry and establish a academy.
His activities have made a great contribution to the township.
Take Zhu Zhenheng, the son of the fallen scholar, for example, after he failed in the imperial examination, he gave up his career and devoted himself to studying medicine and practicing Confucianism. After returning from his studies, he returned to his hometown to practice medicine and actively participated in local grassroots governance, which had a wide influence.
He is committed to the implementation of the family government, so that it is conveyed to the township party and state, advocating the construction of water conservancy, the construction of ancestral halls, and caring for the livelihood of the people.
He also encouraged the people to build water conservancy, build ponds, dig the imperial sinus, and regulate water sources to benefit the people. The prefectural magistrate would sometimes ask him about the pros and cons of the prison sentence, and he would do his best to help them answer.
Although the scholars failed in the imperial examinations, they were still regarded as the elite of the local countryside and had important educational and managerial responsibilities. Especially in the Yuan Dynasty, these Luodi scholars, who were committed to grassroots social management, even developed into the squires of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and they played an indispensable role in the management of local affairs as a bridge between the state and local people.
The road to the imperial examination was long and arduous, and scholars had to face not only emotional and state tests, but also financial and livelihood pressures from preparing for the exam to going to the exam. Under one blow after another, the scholars became more pragmatic, and their initial motivation for making a living was to meet basic survival needs.
With the implementation of the imperial examination system, the sub-group of scholars was constantly changing and developing, and they gradually established their social status and were recognized by society.
Xianggong Jinshi is an honorary title that symbolizes identity in the Yuan Dynasty, which means that he has stood out in the township examination and become the winner of the provincial examination. Even if they return to their hometowns and are at the bottom of society, their status is still higher than that of ordinary people, and they are the elite of local society.
The sub-groups of Luodi scholars play an important role in the local grassroots society, they not only optimize the ranks of local bureaucrats, but also educate the people, participate in social management, and become the bridge between the clan and the state and the people.
They have sunk into the local grassroots society to form a new grassroots social force, and their influence cannot be ignored.