Measures taken by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty to improve the imperial examination system:

Taizong of the Tang Dynasty raised academic culture to a high level related to the quality of governing the country. He believed: "In modern times (since the Southern and Northern Dynasties) monarchs and ministers "Governing the country is worse than in the past" because the ministers did not study, "have no academic knowledge" and "cannot understand the past words and deeds". He tried hard to correct the unhealthy trend of emphasizing martial arts and neglecting literature, and advocated that people should be based on virtue and knowledge. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty expanded the school. , strengthen management. The institution that manages the central school is Guozijian, which has six schools: Guozixue, Taixue, Four Schools, Legal Studies, Calligraphy, and Arithmetic. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty often visited Guozixue and Taixue to inspect and care about School teaching. With his support, 1,200 more school buildings were built and the number of students increased to 3,260. Later, Goryeo, Baekje, Silla, Gaochang, and Tubo all sent their children to study at the Guoxue School in Chang'an. There were more than 8,000 people giving banquets, and the party was full of people. The prosperity of Chinese studies was unprecedented in ancient times." Chang'an has become a domestic education center and a cultural dissemination base.

In order to broaden the channels for selecting officials, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty inherited and developed the imperial examination system, which was the most important system for selecting talents in the Tang Dynasty. The imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty were held regularly every year, and the standing examination subjects were Xiucai, Ming Jing, Jin Shi, Ming Fa, Ming Shu, Ming Suan, etc. , increased compared with the Sui Dynasty. The two most important examination subjects are Ming Jing and Jin Shi. In the Sui Dynasty, the Jin Shi subject only tested policy theory, that is, views on current affairs and politics. An additional examination on Classics and History was added in the eighth year of Zhenguan. An additional examination was added in the last year of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. Classics, essays, and Jinshi subjects. Every year, there are as few as 800 or 900 people, and as many as 1,000 or 2,000 people. Among them, only about 10 or even 30 people can pass, and the admission rate is only 12%. There are many students, but the number of admissions is small. Those who can pass the Jinshi examination at the age of 50 are still young and are still regarded as "young Jinshi". Most of them will not be ranked in their lifetime. "Emperor Taizong is really good at making money, and the heroes will grow old." It vividly depicts the difficulty of becoming a Jinshi. In the last years of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty expanded the Jinshi subjects and raised the level of Jinshi. This undoubtedly played a role in promoting the prosperity of the imperial examination system in the early and middle Tang Dynasty.

Tang Dynasty Taizong improved the mutual restraint mechanism of the three provinces

1. Strengthen supervision and improve the mutual restraint mechanism of the three provinces

Li Shimin once served as Shangshu Ling and was deeply aware of the shortcomings and dangers of a high concentration of power as the king of a country. , speech, decision-making and action often lead to biases and mistakes. The "Three Provinces and Six Ministries" system started in the Western Han Dynasty and was established in the Sui Dynasty. Although the system is based on the decentralization of power among the three provinces, officials from the three provinces still treat each other well during the drafting, review and supervision of edicts, and they rarely dare to say hello to each other. They were responsible and restrained each other; they were even more submissive to the "golden words" of the emperor, and few officials dared to advise him even if he knew that the emperor had made mistakes. He knew its shortcomings. In the first year of Zhenguan (627), he once said: "Place it in the book of Zhongshu and under the door, so as to prevent mistakes. People's opinions may be different every time, and there is something wrong. This is official business. There may be protection If you are short-sighted, you should avoid hearing about your mistakes, and take them as a grievance. If you avoid personal gaps and cherish your face, you can't violate the petty sentiments of one official, which will cause great harm to everyone. "The government of subjugation."

In order to reform this central management mechanism as soon as possible, he extensively solicited opinions from officials at all levels and the gentry. This may be the mass line education activity of the Tang Dynasty. One of the local officials, Zhang Xuansu, proposed new insights and ideas such as letting ministers and assistants share the burden of governing the country and correcting mistakes, and that the emperor only selects the talented and appoints capable people and decides the rules of rewards and punishments "from a high position and with a deep view", which is refreshing for a generation of wise kings. After repeated thinking, Li Shimin combined Zhang Xuansu's suggestions on national governance with his own observations and thoughts when he was the minister, and formally proposed his governing philosophy in a conversation with Minister Xiao Yu, that is, "With the vastness of the world, the world is bounded by the world." There are thousands of things that need to be combined and adapted, and they are all discussed by hundreds of departments, and the prime minister makes plans. Only when things are stable and convenient can they be implemented."

In Li Shimin's view, it is unquestionable that state affairs are handled by ministers, freeing the emperor from specific affairs; it is also necessary for the emperor to understand the results of the ministers' handling. If ministers want to handle state affairs, they need to divide levels and clarify their powers. The so-called "hundred divisions consult and the prime minister plans" means that under the six-ministry system of the Shangshu Province at that time, specific affairs were handled by specific responsible agencies and put forward handling opinions. This was the "hundred divisions consulted"; some of these handling opinions were based on the If the existing laws and regulations of the country are stipulated, then it can be handled in accordance with the laws. As for those affairs that are not specifically stipulated in the laws and regulations and must be adjusted, the prime ministers will hold a collective meeting - which was called "political affairs" at the time. "Tang" meeting - discuss the handling opinions of relevant agencies, and then report to the emperor after reaching a consensus, which will be implemented after the emperor approves it. This is the so-called "implementation can only be carried out when things are stable and convenient."

As a result, Li Shimin made a decisive decision to further establish and improve the power of the three provinces, strengthen the discussion and evaluation power of the Zhongshu Province, and the supervision and inspection power of the subordinate provinces, so as to form a mechanism that can truly restrict each other. The formation of a government order is first discussed and reviewed at a meeting in the Political Affairs Hall of Zhongshu Province. He requested that those who participated in the discussion and review should publicly express their opinions. "Anyone who is inconvenienced by the edict should discuss it." He should not just obey the crowd. He especially emphasized the "five-flower judgement" system. It turns out that the people responsible for the drafting of edicts and the discussion of regulations in Zhongshu Province were mainly six officials who served as ministers of Zhongshu, corresponding to the six departments. Each person was responsible for one department according to the division of labor among the six departments of Shangshu. One of them can put forward opinions on major national military and political affairs, and the other five can "each have their own opinions" and "mix their names", which is called "five-flower judgement".

This is similar to the "parliamentary system" of modern democracies. After further revision, it was transferred to Zhongshu Sheng Zhongshu Shilang and Zhongshu Ling to review and formulate a resolution, which was then reported to the emperor for approval, and then Zhongshu Sheng issued an edict in the name of the emperor. It is precisely because of the special statement that "five flowers judge things", "there are few cases that are revealed". Before the edict is issued, it must be sent to the province for review. If the province deems it inappropriate, it can refuse to "countersign". If the edict lacks a countersignature, it cannot be promulgated according to law. Only the edict countersigned by the Menxia Province becomes an official national decree and is handed over to the Shangshu Province for execution. The most valuable thing is that Li Shimin stipulated that edicts dictated or drafted by himself must be countersigned by the province under his command before they can take effect, so as to prevent him from issuing imprudent edicts on a whim or in a bad mood.

In the early period of Zhenguan, Li Shimin once again affirmed the importance of supervision by Zhongshu and Menxia in a conversation with officials above fifth rank in Zhongshu and Menxia provinces: "Zhongshu and Menxia are the most important things. Secretary. If the edict is not stable, it will be judged if it is not stable. Recently, I only feel that I have obeyed the decree, but I have not said a word to criticize it. How can it be reasonable? The imperial edict is just a written document, so why bother to make a simple decision? From now on, if the edict is unstable, you must speak out without fear and remain silent." He specifically emphasized, Officials from the two provinces, Zhongshu and Menxia, ??should criticize the unreasonable aspects of the edict. They should not say it without knowing it, nor should they hesitate to move forward out of fear.

Western countries only developed the "parliamentary system" and "separation of powers" operating systems in the 17th century, but Li Shimin had successfully applied them to China's political operations more than 1,300 years ago, more than 1,000 years earlier than the West. ! This shows how far-sighted and broad-minded he is.

In actual operation, Li Shimin, as the emperor, practiced his own actions, paid special attention to the opinions of others, never acted arbitrarily, and truly corrected erroneous and inappropriate decrees immediately. In the first year of Zhenguan (627), Prime Minister Feng Deyi was granted the title of Deyi. In view of the shortage of soldiers in some Zhechong prefectures, he suggested to Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty that middle-aged men (those aged 16 in the early Tang Dynasty) who were in good physical condition should be admitted into the army. . Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty immediately agreed and ordered Zhongshu Sheng to draft an edict, send it to the lower provinces for review, and then hand it over to Shangshu Sheng for execution. However, when the edict was sent to Menxia Province, Wei Zheng, the official of Menxia Province who was responsible for signing and sealing the order, refused to sign. Although many negotiations were made, none of them were successful. In the end, Feng Deyi had no choice but to make a truthful report to Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. After Taizong heard this, he was furious and immediately sent someone to summon Wei Zheng. He said in a stern tone: "I have already agreed to the recruitment of strong middle-aged men into the army. What does this matter have to do with you? Why are you so stubborn and unwilling to agree? I I really don’t understand what you mean?” Wei Zheng replied solemnly: “I heard that if you drain the lake for fishing, it doesn’t mean you won’t catch fish, but there will be no fish next year; if you burn the forest for hunting, it doesn’t mean you won’t catch animals, but there will be no animals next year. . If the middle-aged men are recruited into the army, how will they get the rent and labor they originally shouldered? And there are not many soldiers. The key is how to train them properly, so why bother to make up for it? He also listed two or three things that had broken the trust of the people since Emperor Taizong came to the throne. Finally, he sternly pointed out that if things continue like this, how can we win the trust of others! After hearing this, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty immediately calmed down, pondered for a long time, and finally said sincerely: "I did not think carefully, and I made such a big mistake. If this continues for a long time, can we still achieve great peace in the world?" Then he immediately ordered to stop Jian Dian Zhongnan. , and rewarded Wei Zheng with a golden urn.

2. Streamline institutions and establish a clean and honest political atmosphere

When Li Shimin came to the throne, he saw that after the turmoil in the late Sui and early Tang Dynasties, local institutions were bloated, officials were overstaffed, and the political atmosphere was extremely corrupt. Corruption and bribery are common. He decided to streamline the organization, eliminate redundant staff, establish capable, efficient and clean local governance institutions, and establish a clean and honest officialdom.

In the first year of Zhenguan (627), Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty began to streamline local institutions, put forward the guiding ideology of "officials recruit people, not too many people", pay close attention to the top-level system design, and strictly standardize management. According to records, at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, "the number of prefectures and counties in the country was twice that between Daye and Kaihuang." Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty believed that "the people are few and the officials are many, so we want to reform the shortcomings". Therefore, in February of the first year of Zhenguan (627), he issued an edict to "increase orders and make provinces". Local administrative agencies only have state and county levels, which greatly reduces the level of hierarchy; states have governors and counties have magistrates. Entrust Fang Xuanling and others to be responsible for merging provincial officials, reusing talents and eliminating mediocre officials. He pointed out: "The foundation of politics is to review, appoint officials according to their talents, and serve as provincial officials." He personally took charge of the selection of governors, and the county magistrate asked Beijing officials above the fifth rank to recommend them. By the thirteenth year of Zhenguan (639), the number of state capitals had been reduced to 358 and the number of counties was 1,551. The "Zhenguan Law" was simultaneously drafted and revised, including the "Official Order" and "Office System", which made clear provisions on the establishment and deployment of government agencies and officials, and those who violated them would be punished. In order to prevent the institutional reform from falling into the vicious circle of streamlining, expanding, streamlining, and growing again, the "Tang Law·Official System" stipulates: "Every official has a number of staff, and if the number of staff exceeds the limit and should not be placed, one person can have a hundred staff, and three people can add one hundred staff. First class, ten people will be moved for two years. "The "Position System" also has very detailed and clear regulations on the responsibilities, rewards and punishments of second-level officials and assistants. Scholars of later generations noted in the preface to the review: "Gai Ji went down from Zhou Dynasty, and cultural relics and rituals were not prepared in the Tang Dynasty." "If you take advantage of it, you will make mistakes, if you eliminate it, you will fall short. If you make mistakes and fall short, you will lose evenly."

Taizong of the Tang Dynasty hated the corruption in officialdom and attached great importance to the supervision of local officials.

In the first year of Zhenguan (627), the country was divided into ten districts, that is, ten supervisory districts. If necessary, the central government can temporarily send officials to inspect various provinces to inspect the good and evil of local officials and promote them based on their political performance. Li Shimin warned the officials: "The laws of the country are not the laws of the emperor and his family, but the laws that must be abided by by the whole world, so everything must be subject to the law." Guide them to serve the public health wholeheartedly and do their duty. He once secretly sent his right and left confidants to "bribe" courtiers, trying to lure officials into taking the bait, and then kill them to serve as a warning to others. The move is similar to the "fishing" enforcement that exists in some places today. As soon as this plan was implemented, an official "accepted bribes". Although it was only a piece of silk and the amount was very small, Li Shimin was still prepared to kill the official. Pei Ju, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs (later renamed the "Shangshu of the Ministry of Hubu"), remonstrated, saying: "Accepting bribes for an official is a crime worthy of death; but your majesty makes people leave them behind and accept them, which is to trap people in the law. I am afraid it is not the so-called 'Tao'." "With virtue, all should be treated with courtesy." Li Shimin suddenly woke up after hearing this, and immediately withdrew his order, but the huge warning shocked the local officials and made them dare not have any evil thoughts. In the face of shrewd and self-disciplined officials like Li Shimin, the cost of corruption among officials is too high and it is difficult to find a place to hide. Adding institutional constraints will fundamentally eradicate the social soil on which corruption breeds. It was only a few years after Li Shimin ascended the throne. After vigorous rectification, the abuse of power and corruption and malfeasance in the entire officialdom dropped to the lowest point in history. This cannot but be said to be a miracle.