史家普遍認為北宋（960-1127）中後期是太學日漸蓬勃並最終壓倒國子學的一個階段。然而筆者研究北宋國子學的學制、教員編制和生員的出仕途徑時，發現在北宋晚期官學三舍法全面推行期間，貴冑子弟國子生的待遇遠優於平民子弟的太學生和辟雍生，由此可知國子學在北宋晚期曾一度復興，其為太學所壓倒並非單線發展的過程。儘管國子學反壓太學的傾向隨著官學三舍法的取消而破滅，但這種現象背離唐宋時期是從門閥統治過渡到賢人統治的認知，仍值得史家深思。一併考察國子學的短暫復興與同時期的銓試和恩蔭制度，筆者揭示蔡京等新進統治菁英如何利用這一系列優遇高級官僚子弟的措施，網羅親信和保障其家族的長遠利益。

Historians generally agree that the middle and late Northern Song was a period when the Imperial University gradually flourished and ultimatelysurpassed the Directorate School. Nevertheless, investigation of theinstitutional settings, staff compositions, and students’ prospects of theDirectorate School reveals that during the late Northern Song when the ThreeHall system was implemented empirewide, the ‘aristocratic’ youths studying at the Directorate School were treated much better than the lower elites and commoners studying at the Imperial University and the Biyong Academy. The Directorate School had been revitalized in the late Northern Song, andthe process of its subordination to the Imperial University was never a linearone. Even though the Directorate School’s dominance over the ImperialUniversity did not persist after the abolition of the empirewide Three Hallsystem, it deserves close attention and reconsideration in view of itsdeviation from the general perception of the Tang-Song period, namely, atransition from aristocratic to meritocratic society. This investigation showsthat revitalization of the Directorate School, together with other policies favorable to ‘aristocratic’ youth, such as protection privileges andappointment examinations, were part of Cai Jing’s strategy to recruitfollowers and protect his family’s long-term interests.