Idle courtiers

Chapter 160

Wang Er shook his head: "I don't understand."

Zhou Nan was annoyed in his heart: "I am too lazy to explain to you. Anyway, it is a fire pit and I can't jump into it. You go back to Anton and tell my wife that I will go back in two days."

That's right, in the eyes of subordinate officials in a small place like Wang Er, Xingren Si Xingren is just an eighth-rank official, so what is it?

However, the power of official positions in the Ming Dynasty never depends on your rank.Not only the Ming Dynasty, but not all dynasties were like this.

Department of Pedestrians A department of the central government of the Ming Dynasty engaged in foreign affairs, which was originally affiliated to Honglu Temple, but was abolished later.Yongle Nian was restored and became an independent department.

It is stipulated that there should be one chief officer, seven ranks; one deputy on the left, one rank seven; 37 pedestrians, eight ranks.

The Department of Pedestrians also has many responsibilities. First, as an ambassador to the vassal state; second, to condolences to officials and local related people; national sacrificial rites.

Among them, one of the duties must be mentioned. The Pedestrian Department is responsible for inspecting Sichuan-Shaanxi salt tea, and the local tea and horse department is under their control.

Although inspections in Sichuan and Shaanxi have certain powers, in general, the department is engaged in ideology, welcoming people, and contacting the top and bottom.More practical than practical, it is really a Qingshui Yamen, not very interesting.Then, why did Master Zhan say that this official position is the fastest promoted in the world?
This matter has to start with the placement of pedestrians after their term of office expires.

After pedestrians are promoted, the imperial court generally has the following arrangements: first, to be promoted to imperial envoy, to serve as a speech officer in the Metropolitan Procuratorate;All the decisions of the six departments need to be handed over to Shizhong first, and only after passing the review can they be implemented.Otherwise, there will be great powers of impeachment in the matter.

After completing the tenure in the six departments, you can be promoted to the head of the six departments, and then become a doctor, or even a servant.

No matter which one it is, they are all distinguished speech officials.

So, don't look down on the low grade of the Pedestrian Department, but once you become a pedestrian, you will be on a helicopter for promotion, and you will still be in the six real positions in the future.

There were two major fast lanes for officials in the Ming Dynasty. The first was naturally the Imperial Academy; the second was the Pedestrian Division.

The Hanlin Academy has requirements for the ranking of the imperial examinations, the top three in the first class, the number one scholar is awarded the Hanlin editor, and the second place and Tanhua are awarded the editor.Those with the highest rankings in the second class will pass the examination and be awarded Shu Jishi.These people are top-notch people in the world, and when they see the Imperial Academy, they are rushing to join the cabinet and become officials in the frontier in the future.

As for the Pedestrian Division, it was prepared for Jinshi with lower rankings.There are also many historical figures among them.For example, in the 12th year of Zhengde, Xia Yan won the Jinshi examination, and he was awarded the title of Xingren Division Xingren, and was later promoted to the Ministry of War to Shizhong.Later, because of his meritorious service, he entered the cabinet as the Minister of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of Wuyingdian University.Finally, become the first assistant to the cabinet.

It is precisely because Xia Shoufu has the experience of serving as a pedestrian secretary that he is also called Xia Xingren by the world.

Not to mention the Imperial Academy, entering the Imperial Academy is to go to the ministers of the Ministry and the cabinet.Among ordinary Beijing officials, there are four best types of official positions that are easy to transfer, namely "Zhongshu", "pedestrian", "commentary" and "doctorate". Although their status is low, they have a high reputation.Among the four categories, pedestrians are the first.

Precisely because the future of Xingren Si is so good, the imperial court also has an unspoken rule that anyone who teaches Xingren must be a Jinshi.

Zhou Nan, a young scholar, was suddenly awarded the post of pedestrian, and he was surrounded by a group of Jinshi colleagues. Did he feel like "There is a..." among us? No, it should be "It seems that there is a strange thing among us." "a feeling of?

……

I have to say that being a pedestrian is a great opportunity for our Mr. Zhou who aspires to become an official in the Ming Dynasty.If everything goes well, even if he doesn't do anything, but works as a decoration in the pedestrian department, and reads a newspaper for half a day with a cup of tea, a cigarette, he will be the head of the six departments within ten years.Think about how majestic Wang Ruoxu, the head of the Ministry of Officials, was when he came to Anton.

However, without the diploma of Jinshi background, he could not report to the pedestrian department.But if you don't report, you are disregarding the kindness of the court, playing attitude, and disrespecting the kindness of your father.

Once the imperial court of the Ming Dynasty appointed an official, it is not that you don't want to be an official.

In the end, the problem came again. When you go to the pedestrian department, you have to show your Jinshi diploma.

Things are back to the original point, and this is an endless loop.

……

For this reason, the court gave Zhou Nan a perfect solution: lock the hall for examination.

The so-called lock hall system was a special official selection system in the Song Dynasty.It probably means that an official with outstanding ability is about to be promoted to a senior leadership position by the court.But because the diploma is too low, it is not enough to convince the public; or the knowledge reserve is not enough, and further study is needed.

So, what to do?

It's simple, won't it be over if you pass the Jinshi exam?As for your official position, keep it first, and your salary will be paid as usual.Let others do the work first. When will you get your diploma and when will you start working.

This is equivalent to on-the-job learning for later generations.

The system of the Yuan Dynasty borrowed from the Song Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty inherited the Yuan system. There is also such a saying.

Later, the Qing Dynasty inherited the Ming system, and this system was even more widespread, but it was just another way of saying it.

The Qing Dynasty implemented a personnel system in which Manchu and Han ruled together. For example, the military aircraft department of the national decision-making agency during the Yongzheng period had half of the Han and half of the full.The Manchu officials in the Qing Dynasty retained the Eight Banners system, and many officials were promoted to key departments without passing the imperial examination.But if you go further up, the military position is nothing more than that. If the civil level is too low, how can you replace the herdsmen of the emperor.As a result, many Manchu officials also temporarily locked their halls to take part in the imperial examinations.Of course, they are one of the few masterpieces, there are many discounts in Jinshi subjects, and the difficulty of the exam is also low.

It is really a great grace to agree with Zhou Nan to take the imperial examination and enter the examination in the right way.By this time, Zhou Nan had completely recovered his political treatment and was completely rehabilitated.If it were any scholar, at this moment, I would be so excited that tears would flow down his face, kneeling down and shouting: "Heaven's grace is mighty, even if I am smashed to pieces, I will not be able to repay the king's grace!"

But Zhou Nan was completely stunned by this seemingly perfect plan.

Master Zhan said: "Master Zhou, this is the grace of the emperor. Originally, according to the imperial court system, you have already been an official, you cannot take the imperial examination, and you can only be a miscellaneous person for the rest of your life. Now, with the permission of the emperor, you can go to Wouldn't it be a beautiful thing to take part in the imperial examination? You are a talented scholar from Jiangzuo, and you were awarded the title of scholar at the age of 16. If you hadn't been wronged, you would have been a Jinshi long ago. Now that you have won the emperor's grace, it is very important to you But it’s a great opportunity.”

Zhan Zhixian also said: "Yes, yes, why should Zimu worry. Miscellaneous has a limited future, how can it be compared to a serious class, it is a good thing./"

There is no need to tell lies in front of his own people, Zhou Nan smiled bitterly: "Master Zhan, Mr. Zhan. To tell you the truth, since I was wronged and exiled to Liaodong, I have suffered so much. After returning home, in the past two years, Busy with official duties all day long, I haven't read a single page of the book, let alone write a pen. Up to now, the "Four Books" and "Five Classics" only remember that "three people walk together, there must be my teacher."'Zi said, learn while learning Just a few words. Is it possible to go to the imperial examination now?"

Since entering the Yamen, working as a secretary, Zhou Nan also intends to strengthen her cultural literacy on weekdays.But after two years, I can only reach the level of being able to understand classical Chinese and write official documents without mistakes. Isn't it terrible to write stereotyped essays?

Zhan Tong also nodded: "That's right, not to mention Mr. Zhou, even my subordinates. Although I won the fame of a scholar back then, the stereotyped essay was just a stepping stone. After I gave up the idea of ​​the imperial examination, I threw it aside. Even Let me go to the examination room now, I'm afraid I won't be able to pass the government test. Master Zhou's matter...is really helpless."

It was cold in the house.

After a long time, the county magistrate Zhan said, "Zimu, why don't I write to the palace to plead for mercy and change your position?"

"The county respects kindly, how important is the position of the pedestrian department, and the imperial court allowed me to take the imperial examination. If I guessed correctly, if a person like me who is not a Jinshi can be a pedestrian, I am afraid it is the intention of the cabinet. Say no." The good emperor also knows, so how can we change it?"

Er Zhan's expression froze at the same time, they both deeply agreed and looked at Zhou Nan sympathetically.

Zhan Zhixian: "Zimu, what are your plans?"

Zhou Nan replied despondently: "What else can I do? I will go to the Beijing Pedestrian Department to report when the matter is over. Then I will go through the lock-up procedure, and then come back to take the Nanzhili Township Examination. A rich man."

It is now the 40th year of Jiajing, and the last Jinshi examination was last spring.In other words, next autumn will be Nanjing Qiuwei.The early spring of the latter year is the Jinshi Ke Chunwei.

Calculated according to the time, if he enters the capital quickly and finishes his work, he will be able to return to Anton's hometown for the New Year this winter.Then I have more than half a year to prepare for the exam, and when I am selected as a Jinshi, I can return to the capital in the spring of the next year.

However, you know what level you are.Maybe after going home to the capital this time, I will stay at home for the rest of my life.

Zhou Nan felt remorse, hated that she should not have been tempted by Ding Qiguang to defeat Song Zhifu.I thought I could use this credit to be promoted to a few levels, but now the official has been promoted.But if you don’t have a diploma, you won’t be able to take office. In the end, you lost the previous governor’s position.

He lifted a rock and shot himself in the foot, which is exactly who he is at the moment.

The magistrate of Zhan felt great sympathy for Zhou Nan, and he didn't know how to comfort him, saying: "When the new magistrate arrives, Zimu, you can go to the capital with my boat."

A few days later, the prefect of Huai'an arrived, and then the new co-prefects, judges, promoted officials, experiencers, and Zhaomo also arrived.

Zhou Nan cooperated with Zhan Tong to handle the handover, took his personal belongings out of the government office, looked back at the stone lion at the gate of the government office, and felt that the experience in Fucheng in the past two months was simply a dream.

He smiled and said in his heart: There is no unparalleled road, there will be a way, and there will be.Don't Tang Shunzhi old Tang often say a word, the sky is healthy, and the gentleman strives for self-improvement.I am a living person, how can I be suffocated to death by urine?

An official dressed in grass-green official uniform rushed forward, pointed at Zhou Nan's nose and shouted: "The surname Zhou, all the officials in the Yamen have suffered catastrophe because of you, how can you bear it? Doom the whole place!"

Indeed, wherever Zhou Nan stayed, the bosses and colleagues seemed to have no good end.When he was in Anton, Zhan Tong, Master Zhan, and Gui Xiancheng were captured by Jin Yiwei, and they were very embarrassed.

After arriving at the government office, the magistrate, Tongzhi and other officials were also arrested by Jin Yiwei.

People in the official circles throughout Huai'an are spreading the good name of Mr. Zhou, saying that our Zhou Zimu belongs to the crow, and whoever is unlucky can't be offended.

This official was Zhou Nan's colleague, Governor Huang, who was released after Zhou Nan interceded, and returned to his job in the Criminal Justice Department.

Ordinarily, this governor Huang also received Zhou Nan's kindness.Moreover, Mr. Zhou is now a noble pedestrian, and he can't afford to offend him.

However, Governor Huang heard that it was his wife who begged for his safe escape from the Beiya.Thinking of Zhou Nan's special preferences, the more he looked at the yellow-faced woman at home, the more suspicious he became, and finally couldn't help running over to scold her today?
Zhou Nan got 100 taels of silver from his wife. Since he took the money, he had to do things for others. This is the basic principle of life.

He whispered to Governor Huang: "Master Huang, why are you doing this? If you want to live a life, you have to have a little green on your head. However, things are really not what you think, your wife is innocent."

"Is this true?"

Zhou Nan: "Governor Huang, although Zhou has been misunderstood many times by the world, I have always done things one way and one thing is two. I don't make trouble and I am not afraid of trouble, so why bother to hide it from you? Is it possible that I am still afraid of you? Ever since Mr. Huang Being arrested by Zhu Zhenfu, your wife is running around for you. She is a good woman, and it is your blessing to have a wife like this, treat her well."

(End of this chapter)