Looking down from the upper floor, most of the eaves and corners of the capital can be seen.
On the side, Mei Huaigu said: "It's daytime now, and it would be nice to see fireworks in the sky at festival night."
It was also the first time for Zhu Houzhao to see the capital from this angle. People were coming and going in the streets and alleys, and he could hear the noise of the crowd. He could even see individual scholars looking up to the sky and chanting.
He pointed to the northwest. In a small three-story building, there was a man leaning on the railing with his arms outstretched.
"Even if you can't hear what's being said, you can tell by looking at it that something happy is coming today."
Zhang Yong replied: "That is not the blessing given to him by the young master."
"You guys, it's better to stop talking about such boring flattery." The emperor said this, but he didn't get angry because of it. Instead, he said, "How about we go down and take a look?"
Mei Huaigu looked a little embarrassed, but those of them who were familiar with the emperor knew that once he had this idea, it would be more difficult to pursue it.
The main reason is that it is more lively down there, and even ordinary people would want to come forward.
After all, the imperial examination is a great joy in life for many candidates, and all dynasties have allowed various forms of celebrations to express preferential treatment to these people.
For example, the emperor would give a banquet in the Ministry of Rites to entertain all the Jinshi.
After the banquet, the Ministry of Etiquette will lead the new scholars to the Imperial College to pay homage to Confucius and perform the ceremony of releasing vegetables.
After paying homage to the Confucius Temple, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Work erected a monument inscribed by the Jinshi at the Imperial College.
These are official reward activities, and they are all like this among the officials. When it comes to the private sector, the methods are even more diverse.
Generally speaking, the imperial court is also happy to see these celebrations, which is also called having fun with the people.
Amidst the waves of good news, the top three who attracted the most attention gradually solved the mystery.
In the first year of Zhengde's reign, Bingyinke visited Hualang and fell in love with Yan Wenqi in Pingyuefu, Guangxi.
When Zhu Houzhao came down from upstairs, he also heard some comments.
Someone said: "I know Yan Mingfeng (also known as Yan Wenqi), we have visited famous mountains together!"
"really?"
In addition to the noise of the crowd, there were already people parading on the street, and the person who came was Zhou Le of Guiyang Prefecture, the new champion.
Zhu Houzhao had seen this middle-sized, slightly fat scholar before during the palace examination. At this time, he looked more energetic thanks to his clothes.
In addition to such serious activities, the most busy people in the capital after the results are released are the matchmakers, who want to find out who is married and who is still unmarried.
If you catch someone who is not married, you may want to catch your son-in-law again.
The gongs and drums are beating, and the crowd is full of voices.
Looking at Zhu Houzhao, I felt envious, thinking: "In the next life, we will also be a scholar and win the top prize!"
The spring breeze is proud of the horse's hoofs, and I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day.
A young champion, in the eyes of the people around him, doesn't everything shine?
It’s even more glorious than getting admitted to Tsinghua University and Peking University in my previous life.
Because I passed the exam now, I was directly awarded the official title, and suddenly became an official.
And this kind of joy, he, the emperor, will never have the chance to experience in this life.
To be honest, he has always been missing the joy of this kind of identity change. Suddenly becoming a prince was such a huge change that it shocked everyone and they had no intention of experiencing it. But becoming an emperor... This is not sudden, because in the world Before that, because of his status as an only son, he actually had a lot of power.
The more I think about it, the more uncomfortable I feel.
In the midst of random thoughts,
A voice came from the third floor of Yuezhuang,
"Boss Mei?!"
Zhu Houzhao and Mei Huaigu both turned around.
What he saw was a young man with a playful smile. He was wearing a beige gown, a square scarf on his head, and a paper fan in his hand. His round face was red in the middle.
"...Sir, I met an old friend."
Zhu Houzhao said calmly, "Let's go then."
Mei Huaigu's face was stiff, and he did not dare to reveal the emperor's identity.
"Brother Ding, long time no see, long time no see."
The round-faced young man walked down the building, immediately grabbed Mei Huaigu's arm, and said with a sneer: "Why haven't we seen each other for a long time? Didn't we just meet a few days ago?"
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help laughing when he heard it, so he simply turned his back, leaned against the railing, and watched quietly.
"Oh... yes, Brother Ding and I just met a few days ago..."
The round-faced young man seemed a bit clever. He asked suspiciously: "Brother Mei, what's going on?"
Mei Huaigu glanced this way with a troubled expression.
Zhu Houzhao's face tightened and he turned his head to the other side.
Mei Huaigu had already understood the meaning of this movement, just don't look at me, I don't know you, you can make up your own mind.
As for whether to leave, Zhu Houzhao also let him make his own decision.
Anyway, you came out with the emperor. If you meet a friend, leave and leave the emperor alone. If you can do this, then leave.
Mei Huaigu felt bitter in his heart, but he still pretended that nothing happened. In his confused thoughts, he asked: "Brother Ding, why are you here today?"
"I'm here to tell you the good news. I won the top three this time, and I'm ranked 206th!"
He said this seriously, which made people laugh.
Yuezhuang already has a lot of candidates, and with 206 candidates, they are basically at the bottom. As a result, this guy looked like he was in the top three.
Not only Zhu Houzhao, but also other people around him laughed.
Unexpectedly, the man named Ding was quite dissatisfied and said to the people around him: "What's so funny? Did you all pass the exam?! Really."
"Brother Ding, Brother Ding," Mei Huaigu mainly felt that it was not good for you to yell so much when the emperor was here, "It is an insult to politeness, it is an insult to politeness..."
"Brother Mei, what happened today?"
Mei Kejia was praying that this guy would see something and leave.
Unexpectedly, this round-faced young man was as foolish as he was wise. He suddenly walked over to Zhu Houzhao and said, "I just saw you looking here. Is this your friend too? Brother Mei, you are out of sight. Your friends are my friends. Let’s get to know each other.”
Mei Huaigu's eyes suddenly opened wide,
Even Zhang Yong and Xu Guan couldn't help but lean closer to the emperor.
How could someone with such weird behavior be allowed to approach so easily?
"Um..." The round-faced young man looked at the strong man next to Zhu Houzhao. When he came over, there was obviously some movement, so he stopped and his expression paused, "I don't think you belong to Brother Mei. friend."
He said and turned around again.
Zhang Yong was left speechless for a while, where did this live treasure come from?
"Yes." Zhu Houzhao responded with a smile, "And you are right, friends of friends are also friends. My surname is Huang and my name is Chuan. I am fortunate to have met my brother."
"I knew you must be!" Ding De immediately turned around and came over with a playful smile, "Brother Mei, stop standing there stupidly and introduce me to him quickly. Look at this friend of yours, he is so majestic and noble. , it looks like something out of the pond at first glance, why are you still reluctant to introduce it to me?"
Zhu Houzhao gave Mei Huaigu a look, indicating that everything should be business as usual and not to look sad.
Mei Huaigu had no choice, and he also considered that there were many people here and asked, "Brother Huang and Brother Ding, why don't you choose a room on the fourth floor and let me introduce you to it?"
"Okay." Zhu Houzhao agreed first, so that this group of people would not know whether they should go or not.
The man surnamed Ding didn't have any objection, he was just talking nonsense.
What I just mentioned was Mei Huaigu's introduction, but he asked first, "Brother Huang, my surname is Ding, my given name is Liquan, my given name is Shan. I am a person from Xi'an Prefecture in Shaanxi Province. As I mentioned just now, I thank the emperor for your honor. Xiaoxiao won the top three awards and was granted the same background as a Jinshi. I wonder where Brother Huang lives?"
"I am from Shuntian Prefecture, and I am also a top three Jinshi." Zhu Houzhao was curious and asked: "Brother Ding is from Xi'an Prefecture, and he is also a member of the Bingyin Branch. How do you know Brother Mei? It seems that the two of you have no intersection. .”
"This..."
A group of people walked into the room,
Ding Liquan sat down and said with a smile: "Brother Mei and I met each other at Goulan. We were like old friends as soon as we met. It's too late to meet each other. Brother Mei, don't you think so?"
Zhu Houzhao glanced sideways at Mei Huaigu,
Mei Huaigu wanted to die, "Brother Ding, Brother Huang comes from a scholarly family, and you are also a new scholar. What you say is really insulting!"
"Hey, it's food and sex." Zhu Houzhao raised his hand to stop him, "Say what you can do, and don't do what you don't say. What's the point of being a man?"
"This is what I want!" Ding Liquan's eyes lit up, as if he had met a close friend, and he actually came closer to Zhu Houzhao, as if he was getting close to the emperor, and said: "I am a man with some eyesight. Look, You can tell the general about a person by his face. I think Brother Huang must be a man of the right temperament!"
Others such as Zhang Yong, Xu Guan and others could no longer listen.
This man was so eloquent that the emperor didn't care.
You still know the details. If I really want you to know my identity, why should I be scared to death?
In these years, who has not been respectful in front of the emperor?
"And Brother Mei, I've already inquired about it. In the city that never sleeps in the capital, the Jiaofang Department is going to open a new garden. I will be the host when the time comes. What a difference if we go and taste the wine there!"
Zhu Houzhao said: "I'm afraid it will cost Brother Ding."
"Hey, money is nothing, the most important thing is friends. Brother Huang, you don't have to worry. To be honest, my family has a small amount of money. In addition, this time I won the Jinshi, my father will be happy, and he will be happy to give any amount of money. Again. The reporter said, isn’t there Brother Mei? Brother Mei’s family is worth millions, so what does a few glasses of wine mean?”
Mei Huaigu wants to die in her heart, and she keeps thinking about Ding Liquan. When you know the truth, you will want to die too!
"Brother Mei, you want to say something, right?"
"Huh? Yes...yes."
Zhu Houzhao drank a cup of tea, thought for a while and then asked: "Brother Ding, you are a Jinshi in the new department. You have learned arts and martial arts, and you belong to the emperor's family. Don't you care about what position or official the court will give you?"
Ding Liquan replied nonchalantly: "Then what's there to be concerned about? The top three Jinshi are internal judges, Taichang Temple doctors, Zhongshu Sheren and other officials, and external promotion officials and county magistrates. That's about it. People like us put one outside. Being a county magistrate is good enough, and he might as well become a 'governor's scholar'. As for a capital official, even if he is only a ninth-grade capital official, unless there is someone in the court, there is no need to think about it."
Zhu Houzhao frowned.
What Ding Liquan said was different from what he imagined.
"Brother Ding, what do you mean by this? Local officials are not as good as Beijing officials. Is that a thing of the past? Now that the Holy Emperor has succeeded to the throne, more officials with experience in local government affairs are appointed, while Beijing officials are often put on hold."
Ding Liquan became unusually serious, without a playful smile at all. He even glanced at Mei Huaigu, "Brother Mei, how did you meet Brother Huang? Why...Brother Huang seems to have no idea about officialdom."
Zhu Houzhao spoke up, "Brother Ding doesn't know something. I'm still young. I used to only study in the study room and never heard what happened outside the window, so this time I'm asking Brother Ding to give me some advice."
"Teaching is out of the question." Ding Liquan said slowly: "Brother Huang just said that many local officials are appointed today, which is true. However, most of them are governors, chief envoys, and inspectors, and they themselves are all second-rank officials. Officials of the third and third grades have the opportunity to present a performance to the emperor in person. If the performance is good, they can naturally be transferred from a local official to a capital official.
And this is only a few governors and three envoys who have been promoted and re-employed. What about the prefects? Apart from those whom the emperor put down, how many others have been promoted? What about the county magistrate? Not to mention.
The territory of the Ming Dynasty was so vast that even the emperor of some prefectures might not even know their names, let alone the prefects. The fifth rank in the external affairs is not as good as the seventh rank in the capital. The officialdom has been focusing on internal affairs and neglecting external affairs for hundreds of years. How can it be changed overnight? "
"Then among the capital, the seventh-grade officials are also very small, so what's the point?"
"The officials in the capital are small, but the officials in all departments are high-ranking officials. Staying in the yamen is a matter of a few people, but if you go to the outside, it is a matter of a thousand miles.
Moreover, as a county magistrate or magistrate, it is difficult to have connections in the capital. Without connections, it is difficult to be promoted, because the governor and the three envoys are all trusted ministers of the emperor's Jian faction.
Furthermore, officials in the capital have little leisure time, while local officials have complicated government affairs, such as solving cases, money and food, corvee... If they don't do any of them well, they will easily lose their heads. Brother Huang, let me put you aside, would you rather be a capital official or a local official? "
After Ding Liquan finished speaking, the room suddenly became very quiet.
No one brought by the emperor dared to speak.
But in fact, Zhu Houzhao was not angry. Anger was meaningless in the face of this kind of thing, because this problem was not caused by any individual.
Moreover, he has memories of past lives, and his understanding of officialdom has faded away. Just like Ding Liquan asked, what would you do if it were you?
So he smiled calmly and asked: "Brother Ding can see clearly, so in your opinion, how can the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty not focus on the internal and external?"
"That's not true..." Ding Liquan suddenly stopped when he was about to speak. His eyes rolled around for a moment, and then he laughed, "Brother Huang, why are we talking about these unhappy things today? It's not you who emphasizes the inside over the outside. I can solve it. Let’s talk about the hook..."
Zhu Houzhao glanced at Mei Huaigu.
Mei Huaigu understood, "You can't speak half of your words. Besides, Huang... Brother Huang is not ashamed to ask, why don't you tell me."
Ding Liquan thought there was nothing wrong with it at first, but then he felt something was wrong. What does it mean to be shameless in asking? Who is next?
"It's not difficult to say this. The imperial court and officials must remember the magistrates, prefects, and county magistrates in the world."
Zhu Houzhao said: "But this has not changed the situation that Beijing officials have little leisure and local officials have many responsibilities."
"Having too much to do and too little to do is not a big deal for officials who want to do something. The key is that if they have too many things to do and they are not promoted, then naturally few will be willing to do so. I still remember that the imperial court held a training class for provincial officials before, but I don't know why. There will be no training courses for prefects and county magistrates.”
Zhu Houzhao understood what Ding Liquan meant. He actually meant that the previous turn was not thorough enough.
Nowadays, governors and chief envoys are indeed very popular positions.
But it is almost impossible for ordinary people to go from a county magistrate to a chief envoy!
In this case, it is better to endure it as an official in the capital, endure it to a certain level, and then go down to be the chief envoy.
This way is faster than going from the bottom.
Zhu Houzhao was thoughtful and probably had some calculations in his mind.
With this in mind, leaving the palace today will not be a loss.
From an operational level, it was not difficult. The emperor had more or less appointed his own people in each province. When he returned, he could issue a decree asking them to recommend candidates with better abilities for prefects in their own provinces.
"Brother Ding,"
"If the imperial court gives you a county magistrate, will you be afraid of the difficulties and ignore them?"
"Of course not!" Ding Liquan was serious.
"So can you be corrupt?"
"I'm not short of money, so why should I embezzle?"
"What if someone gives you an oiran?"
Ding Liquan chuckled, "I can spend my own money to buy the oiran. Hahaha."
Zhu Houzhao laughed dumbly. This guy... was not as dull as he seemed on the surface, but rather smart.
It's just that his personality is a bit out-of-the-box and fun. Such a person is not suitable for the imperial examination. He can pass the top three exams probably because of his intelligence.
"Then what if someone falsely accuses you of buying the oiran yourself, but it was actually given by someone else?"
"Um..." Ding Liquan was at a loss for an answer, "Brother Huang, I don't think I will be a high official in this life, so I won't face so many tests, right? And they are all aimed at my weaknesses."
"Tsk,"
Mei Huai's old heart made him tremble, "Just answer whatever is asked."
"Then what can I answer? Let's talk about it then. I will try to find a way to please someone in the court. The more upright I am, the others will not be covered up by soldiers."
Zhu Houzhao wrote down this person's name.
He didn't see anything else, he just thought that this person was spiritual and funny.
Later, on the way back to the palace,
He told Zhang Yong, "Assign him to Shandong and find a Que'er from the county magistrate to give him."
Zhu Houzhao wanted to see how he was doing.
"Yes. Your Majesty, this person's actions today are frivolous and completely disrespectful..."
“He who does not know is not guilty.”
On the other side, Mei Huaigu went back to Yuezhuang to find Ding Liquan.
The door opened with a bang.
Ding Liquan smiled and said: "Ah, here we come. Come on, Brother Mei, stop making such a bad face, the chopsticks are ready for you."
"You know I'm coming back?" Mei Huaigu was a little surprised.
"I know, I know. You haven't said a lot today. If you don't come to me to talk, can you sleep well?"
Ding Liquan himself was quite happy eating.
"Then do you know that Brother Huang's identity is unusual?"
"I know! If my prediction is correct, he should be the son of an important minister in the court, right? Looking at the people around him, I guess he is not an ordinary important minister, maybe he is the son of Mr. Xie Ge."
He refers to Xie Pi in the attendant's room.
Xie Pi is also very young.
Moreover, growing up in a family of officials, there is also a sense of nobility in him.
Mainly because of the emperor's identity, Ding Liquan really didn't dare to think about it.
"You know it's unusual, but you're still talking nonsense?!"
"When did I say nonsense?"
"Hook the bar!"
"Why can't you tell me to go shopping in Goulan? You've been shopping more than me!"
"You!" Mei Huaigu was so angry at him, but what he said was true, "Forget it. When did you see it?"
"He said that he had been studying in the study and had not heard anything going on outside the window."
"What's wrong with that? It's no problem."
Ding Liquan had no choice but to shake the chopsticks in his hand three times. He raised the corners of his mouth, looking a little dandy, "Which person who doesn't hear anything outside the window would know so clearly that the emperor has recently appointed many senior officials with experience in local government affairs?"
Oh?
Mei Huaigu looked at him with some surprise, "I'll look at him with admiration after three days of separation."
"Moreover, I also told him that I want to find a backer in the capital." Ding Liquan chuckled, "That's what I told him. People below want to rely on the top, and people above must use the bottom. This time first I’ll just mention it in a vague way, and I can say more when we see you next time.”
Sounds like this guy has it all figured out.
He thought about it for a moment and nodded, "Well, that's it. But it depends on you, Brother Mei."
"There is no next time. I don't just meet my son from Ge's hometown."
"Oh..." Ding Liquan was stunned, "That doesn't matter, let's go to the new garden in the city that never sleeps first."
"You are really big-hearted,"
"Be an official. I'm too young to be an official. Otherwise, if anything happens, I'll be scared half to death...
...Hey, do you think we should call him too? Mr. Ge's son also wants to visit the garden, right? "
"Eat your food!"
…
In the next few days, after some ceremonial procedures were completed, the new Jinshi began to be awarded officials.
What is somewhat different from the previous practice is that the top pick, second pick, and top pick are still admitted to the Hanlin Academy.
However, starting from the second grade Jinshi, the top ranking officials were not appointed to be in charge of various ministries, but were often elected as county magistrates and county magistrates, and most of them were county magistrates.
Of course, before officially taking office, there will be a period of about six months to observe the administration. Some observe the administration of the Ministry of Etiquette, and some observe the administration of the Household Department. This is an old rule for Jinshi scholars to learn from.
As for why the top three are still unchanged, Zhu Houzhao also gave some face to the court veterans. It is a common practice for those people to go to the Hanlin Academy. Since it is a common practice, it is not good to change everything.
The emperor, the cabinet, and the official minister Liang Chu made relatively careful arrangements for the whereabouts of these people.
Zhu Houzhao also discussed with Liang Chu that a special secret assessment should be conducted within the Ministry of Personnel, which would be a three-year period to specifically assess their political performance.
As for Zhang Cong, the second-class Jinshi, his destination was decided in a good place, Shanyang County, Huai'an Prefecture!
There were no major events in the court, so Zhu Houzhao focused on these places. He was willing to spend as much thought as possible on hiring people. After being reminded by Ding Liquan, he ordered Liang Chu to appoint prefects and prefects who had performed better in recent years. Candidates were selected.
There are records of these official examinations and it is not difficult to retrieve them, but he does not completely believe what these people say.
"Jin Gui, prepare a decree."
"yes."
"The first edict was sent directly from the Attendant's Office to the Sichuan Governor's Yamen, instructing Fei Hong to describe in detail the government actions and personal actions of Li Danhua, the prefect of Jiading Prefecture, Liu Fu, the prefect of Shunqing Prefecture, and Fu Maoxing, the prefect of Xuzhou Prefecture. Temperament. Remind him that the perspective of understanding must be comprehensive. It must not only look at the boss's opinion of him, but also understand the evaluation of his subordinates and the people. It is best to use specific examples to reflect their ability and ability to serve in politics. Virtue and the way to govern. Later, the results will be sent to me in the form of a confidential document."
While the emperor was speaking, Jin Gui had already finished writing. It was not the exact words, but a complete article. A secretary must be able to do this.
After reading it, Zhu Houzhao nodded, "Yes, use the seal."
Then there are the second, third, fourth and fifth letters, respectively sent to Liu Jian of Shandong, Wang Hao of Fujian, He Jian of Yingtianfu and Peng Ze of Henan. Three names are mentioned in it.
If the number is small, I am afraid that if it is verified that the person is a fake, if the number is large, the workload will be heavy, but it will be careless. So three is just right.
As for the county magistrate level, it is probably necessary to rely on officials at the governor and chief envoy levels.
When I'm done with this,
Lin Han, the Minister of Rites, came to the palace again. He also had the emperor's wedding on his mind.
"Your Majesty, this time I will marry a foreigner's daughter... Regarding the etiquette, I have read through history books, checked some old systems, and drawn up a strategy, and I would like to ask Your Majesty to review it."
Zhu Houzhao took it over without looking at it and put it aside. "This is the Ming Dynasty. Please follow the local customs and unite with the two imperial concubines. No matter what their status was in the past, they will be my imperial concubines in the future."
A thirteen-year-old girl doesn't know how to sleep at this time.
