What was the precise principle behind this scheme? It exploited a specific vulnerability of the time—the extreme underdevelopment of transportation and communication.
After all, scholars as a "species" were notoriously difficult to pin down regarding their migration patterns. Normally, they would arrive in the capital around November, and remain in the Bianjing area until May of the following year.
Yet Bianjing was a "magical" place. Every scholar who migrated to Kaifeng Prefecture stood a certain chance of securing an official post in the capital. Of the remainder, a substantial portion would stay right inside Kaifeng Prefecture.
Chapter 332