As we all know, the imperial examination has always been known for its rigor and fierce competition, and the Jinshi in the examination is the ultimate dream of countless scholars.
However, during the Northern Song Dynasty, a family of six was lifted at the same time, and this incident was a miracle at that time and became the most sensational news.
They are Zeng Gong and his family, and behind this is not only their talent and hard work, but also the result of the reform of the imperial examination system and the strong support of the noble Ouyang Xiu.
So, what's the story? Today, let's talk about how Zeng Gong's family achieved such brilliant achievements on the difficult road to the imperial examination.
The "five generations of officials"
Zeng Gong was born in 1019, his ancestral home is Nanfeng, Jiangxi, and he is a "fifth generation official" born in a scholarly family.
His great-grandfather Zeng Hongli and great-grandfather Zeng Renwang were both officials in the Tang Dynasty, laying a solid foundation for the family; Zeng Gong's grandfather, Zeng Zhiyao, served as Dr. Taichang, who was known for his uprightness and was highly used by the imperial court;
His father, Zeng Yizhan, was also from a famous family, and once served as a doctor of Taichang, although he was repeatedly attacked by politics for his upright personality, he never slackened his education for his children.
Growing up in such a family environment, and receiving a strict and good education since childhood, Zeng Gong's life is destined to be extraordinary. Father Zeng Yizhan attaches great importance to the children's learning, especially for Zeng Gong, and has very strict requirements for him.
Zeng Gong has also shown extraordinary talent and wisdom since he was a child, and when he was 12 years old, he was tested by his father, and even his father was impressed: "You are the hope of the family, and the future of the Zeng family depends on you." ”
At that time, Zeng Yizhan took out a few college entrance examination questions "Six Treatises" that exceeded the outline and asked his son to try to answer the questions.
Zeng Gong sat at the desk and wrote a book, and after a while, he finished answering all the questions, Zeng Yizhan picked up his son's answer sheet and reviewed it carefully, and found that not only the answers were accurate, but also the writing was quite remarkable, and he patted Zeng Gong's shoulder happily.
In 1032 AD, Zeng Yizhan was transferred to Rugao County, Taizhou as the county commander, and Zeng Gong went with his father. At that time, Rugao had a strong academic style and a large number of bachelors, and he was further educated and honed here.
In order to allow his son to concentrate on his studies, Zeng Yizhan specially arranged for him to live in the east wing of Zhongchan Temple, which is a quaint and quiet temple, and the surrounding environment is quiet and suitable for studying.
Zeng Gong began to study hard every morning when he got up, and the occasional bell rang in the temple, accompanied by the chirping of birds, and he studied day after day in such an environment.
Sometimes, after writing an article, he would go to the small pond next to his residence to clean the inkstone, and as time went by, the water was gradually dyed black, and the small pond was named "Washing Bowl Pool", which has become a good story to this day.
The ups and downs of participating in the scientific expedition
If there is no accident, there is no problem with Zeng Gong's academic examination for Jinshi, but if there is no accident, "the accident will appear".
At the age of 18, Zeng Gong decided to go to Beijing with his brother Zeng Ye to take the exam, and confidently embarked on the journey to the capital Bianliang with the expectations of his family.
The imperial examination was the most important way to select talents at that time, and whether or not they could be admitted to the Jinshi was directly related to the future career and the honor of the family.
The streets of Bianliang are bustling with traffic, and scholars are shuttling in and out to prepare for the annual imperial examination. On the day of the exam, there was silence in the examination room, Zeng Gong took the pen and answered the questions seriously, but unexpectedly he and his brother Zeng Ye were both named Sun Shan.
On the day of the release of the list, they were very sad to see that there were no names of the two on the imperial list. This defeat made Zeng Gong and his brother feel very lost, and their families also felt very regretful, and the ridicule of outsiders continued to pour into their ears.
The psychological tolerance of literati is always relatively weak, Zeng Ye suffered from illness under the blow of Luodi, and finally passed away uselessly. Although Zeng Gong was also in pain, he persevered in the end and prepared for the next exam.
In 1039, Zeng Gong followed his father to Beijing again, and entered Taixue to continue his studies, where he not only became friends with Fan Zhongyan, Wang Anshi and others, but also met the nobleman of his life, that is, Ouyang Xiu, the great Confucian of the dynasty.
Ouyang Xiu was not only a literary master at that time, but also the idol of many literati, in order to get his appreciation, Zeng Gong wrote a letter full of talent "The First Book of Ouyang Bachelor", and attached several carefully written articles.
The reason why Zeng Gong failed in the imperial examination was mainly because his articles tended to be realistic, while the early Northern Song Dynasty pursued more flowery, flashy and useless articles, and Ouyang Xiu just belonged to the former.
So after seeing Zeng Gong's article, he was greatly surprised, and immediately included it under his door, and since then, Zeng Gong has been carefully guided by Ouyang Xiu, and his knowledge and article level have improved rapidly.
As the saying goes, "the country is easy to change and difficult to change", Zeng Gong's failure to pass the imperial examination is not due to lack of knowledge, but because of his personality, despite Ouyang Xiu's guidance, the unchanged style of writing will still put him at a disadvantage in the imperial examination.
It is true that Zeng Gong still failed to pass the scientific examination in 1042, and this defeat made him feel confused, and he wanted to change his original intention for a while, but fortunately he did not give up with the encouragement of Ouyang Xiu.
Ouyang Xiu also believes that there are many problems with the imperial examination system, especially focusing too much on ornate rhetoric and ignoring practicality, and taught Zeng Gong to stick to his own style and not to follow the crowd.
Under the encouragement of Ouyang Xiu, Zeng Gong did not give up but studied the articles harder, and his knowledge became more and more sophisticated, and his style gradually changed from the unrestrained and majestic in his early years to more restrained and subtle.
As time passed, he began to make a name for himself in the literary world, gradually gaining more and more recognition.
However, at this moment, Zeng Gong's family is also facing difficulties, and his father Zeng Yizhan was dismissed due to political struggles. As the eldest son in the family, Zeng Gong not only had to take care of his family, but also continued to study in order to achieve good results in the imperial examination.
It was also at this time that Ouyang Xiu, Fan Zhongyan and others began to implement reforms, which touched the interests of most of the nobles in the Northern Song Dynasty, so that in the end, they were dismissed from office and exiled, and Zeng Gong was naturally affected.
In 1046 AD, the Northern Song Dynasty imperial examination kicked off, but Zeng Gong was unable to participate in it for various reasons, and he was somewhat depressed, but fortunately he was able to cheer up under the comfort of Ouyang Xiu.
A few years have passed, Zeng Gong has been concentrating on research, waiting for the opportunity to soar. In 1054, Ouyang Xiu was retransferred back to Beijing and was reused, responsible for the revision of the Book of Tang, and Zeng Gong decided to lead his family to Beijing again to take the exam.
Miracles in the expedition of 1057
This year, Ouyang Xiu presided over the scientific examination, and he also implemented a series of reform measures, taking ancient literature and policy theory as key subjects. In other words, the articles of the imperial examination no longer pursue flowery rhetoric, but pursue practical applicability.
At this time, Zeng Gong was almost 30 years old, his younger brothers Zeng Mu, Zeng Bu, and Zeng Fu also grew up, and the two brothers-in-law Wang Wuji and Wang Ji were also successful in their studies, so the six of them took the exam together.
As mentioned above, the imperial examination system in the early years focused on the subjects assigned to words, paid attention to the rhetorical essays, and ignored the practical ability and governing ability.
Ouyang Xiu, as a literary champion at that time, has been committed to reforming the imperial examination system, hoping to promote the progress and development of the country through the selection of practical talents.
He was well aware of the difficulties of Zeng Gong's family in the imperial examination, and also knew Zeng Gong's talent and ability, so he decisively carried out a series of reforms when he presided over the tribute examination.
Before the exam, it was announced that Ouyang Xiufan's articles using the Taixue style would be deposed, and candidates were encouraged to express their true opinions and thoughts on current affairs in the articles.
This reform has aroused widespread attention and discussion, and some scholars who are accustomed to flowery rhetoric are dissatisfied and anxious, but there are also more people with lofty ideals who see hope that no matter what, the examination will be held smoothly in the end.
On the day of the release of the list, the entire Bianliang was shaken, and all six members of Zeng Gong's family were admitted to the Jinshi, which not only caused a sensation in Nanfeng, but also shocked the entire government and the opposition.
Behind this achievement is Zeng Gong's unremitting efforts for many years, and it is also the result of Ouyang Xiu's reform of the imperial examination system.
After being admitted to the Jinshi examination, Zeng Gong was awarded the position of judicial officer in Taiping Prefecture to join the army, although the official position was not high, but he was still diligent and dutiful, and worked hard to solve practical problems for the people.
Ouyang Xiu's support for Zeng Gong never stopped, and Jiayou recommended Zeng Gong to the imperial court again in the fifth year, and was willing to guarantee Zeng Gong's ability with his life. Under the recommendation of Ouyang Xiu, Zeng Gong was called into the Beijing Division to participate in the revision of the Book of Tang.
It's a pity that Zeng Gong's career was not all smooth sailing, and in 1065 A.D., the imperial court launched a fierce struggle around the "Pu Yi" dispute, and Ouyang Xiu and Zeng Gong were suppressed by the opposition for advocating different opinions.
Ouyang Xiu was regarded as the culprit of initiating heresies, and Zeng Gong, as his student, was naturally implicated, and because of this political turmoil, he wrote "Discussion for Others".
Four years later, Zeng Gong's friend and in-law Wang Anshi became the central figure of the regime, and during his administration, he vigorously advocated changing the law, and Zeng Gong, who knew that Wang Anshi was a person, chose to avoid the limelight and failed to influence Wang Anshi's decision-making.
In 1072, Ouyang Xiu died, and Zeng Gong lost his mentor and traveled to other counties, and finally died after serving in Beijing for three years. In general, except for creating the legend of "one door and six jinshi", Zeng Gong failed to do much in politics.
However, although Zeng Gong did not make great achievements in his career, it did not affect his literary and academic contributions in the slightest, leaving a valuable legacy for future generations, and was also known as one of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties".
In general, Zeng Gong's family of six shocked the government and the opposition at the same time, becoming a legend in the history of the imperial examination, which is not only the embodiment of their personal talent and efforts, but also a successful example of Ouyang Xiu and others promoting the reform of the imperial examination.
Zeng Gong's achievements in his career have not reached the peak, but his literary and academic contributions should not be underestimated, which is also the reason for his reputation all over the world.
What do you think differently about this?
Resources: https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=WOgJpqC0z4bSuugWJDOMghWItUyXm9cfl8Lrzfq5WWGpB_H7tyxl5BsWZonxdKX7li0Wam8-Znw8E3HYW-TyhpfV88cGkdLTi4R-1Ke9kdZnN4HsANd54r-JDR4ATFts9lJ_JWurFRGwOMDpBulrAg==&uniplatform=NZKPT&language=CHS
Zeng Gong's family of six entered Beijing to take the exam, and all the middle school jinshi - Sing Tao Global Network (stnn.cc)