Speaking of Xiucai, I think most people will think of a role - Lü Qinghou in "The Legend of Wulin". In the TV series, Lü Qinghou's nickname is Xiucai, in addition to being funny, his personality is more sour and timid, and he is often disliked and bullied by others. Because of the shaping of film and television works, our impression of Xiucai may be like Lu Qinghou - he is a slightly cultured person among all sentient beings, but he is by no means a superior person, and still belongs to the general people of society.
However, this is not the case for real talents in history, and they have privileges that ordinary people in society cannot enjoy.
01. Talent of "Show Talent"
The word "xiucai" always makes people feel weak, incompetent, and even feminine, however, Xiucai actually takes the meaning of "show different materials", which can be understood as "excellent talents".
So, how good is this kind of "excellent talent"?
Like the current level of education divided into primary schools, middle schools, universities, and graduate students, the ancient imperial examination was also divided into several levels, the lowest was the county test, the highest was the temple test, and the middle from low to high was the government test, the college test, the township test, and the meeting test. If you can pass the three-tier examination of the county test, the government test, and the hospital test, you can be called a show talent, and after becoming a show talent, even if you have a meritorious name, and if you do not become a show talent, you are just a "child student", that is, a candidate.
02. "Rare" talent
Of course, although it is a primary merit, it is not easy to obtain. This is because the ancient imperial examination name is very different from the imagination of modern people. Taking Zhuangyuan as an example, today, after the college entrance examination, the champions of various provinces will be reported by the media, and their destination, of course, must be a famous school such as Qingbei, reaching the level of everyone's envy. However, even so, such a title can not be compared with the ancient yuan, you know,
In ancient times, he was the first place in the temple examination, hand-picked by the emperor, and the only one in the country. At present, no first place in that exam can catch up with the rank of the ancient champion.
So, what level of today's college students are equivalent to the ancient imperial examinations? College students are organized by the province as a unit, and Xiucai also has to pass the examination of the provincial unit, from this level, Xiucai is just equivalent to college students, of course, this is only from the administrative unit that organizes the examination.
In ancient times, there were many readers who had gray hair in the exam, and they could not pass the first three levels of examinations and could not win the show talent. And if you can't win the show talent, no matter how old you are, you can only be a child.
For example, in Lu Xun's novel Kong Yiji, kong Yiji, who is middle-aged, is only a child; in "The Tale of Wulin", the treasurer Tong Xiangyu also called Lü Qinghou "the only talent in the town". It can be seen that show talent is not easy to get.
03. Talent as a privileged class
Since it is not easy to get, the people who get it will naturally have some rewards that ordinary people cannot get. In order to encourage reading, the government prescribed a number of privileges as a talent, which covered all aspects of life.
First, the government deliberately highlights the social status of Xiucai.
For example, when facing a magistrate, the general public should bow down and bow down, but Xiucai does not have to, if you encounter a magistrate, just give your hand to greet you as a courtesy.
If there is something that needs to be met with the magistrate, just send a post to the yamen, and the magistrate will arrange a meeting after seeing it. In terms of dress, Xiucai has his own specific costumes - long shirts and square scarves, if you look closely, Lü Xiucai's clothing in "The Tale of Wulin" is generally a long shirt, compared with Bai Zhantang and Li Dazui, so that people can see at a glance that he has a meritorious name.
In addition, Xiucai can also be exempted from servitude, that is, there is no need to work for the government (or pay for servitude), in addition to his own servitude, he can also exempt two people in the family from servitude, which is a reward for cultivating an excellent talent for this family.
Other than that
If Xiu cai commits a crime, because he has a meritorious name to protect the body, the magistrate cannot punish him at will. If the crime is too great to be punished, it is also necessary to first find a study of politics and remove the merits of the show before it can be punished.
For ordinary people, these privileges are unimaginable.
Therefore, do not underestimate the talent, in ancient times, reading is glorious, if you get a meritorious name through reading, it is even more a matter of honoring the ancestors, even the lowest level of talent, it is already difficult for most people to reach in their lifetime. For this group of people, the government treated them well, which represented the encouragement and importance of the imperial court to study, and also represented the government's efforts to absorb fresh blood.
bibliography:
Guo Jian: "Ming and Qing Xiucai Has Many Privileges"
Wang Kaixuan: A Study of the Imperial Examination System in the Ming Dynasty
Cui Leilei: A Comparative Study of the Examination System and the Civil Servant Recruitment System