A group of officials, guided by Tongshi Shiren, filed into the Long Live Hall. The figure of Emperor Liu sitting upright quickly fell into view. With the sound of orderly worship, the tranquility in the hall was also broken.
"I will see you, Your Majesty!"
"Flat body!"
A group of people stood up, then divided into two groups, waiting respectfully below, waiting for the emperor's instructions. There were several people who could not hide the complex emotions on their faces, either nervous or excited.
Judging from the color of their clothes, this official is not of high rank, the highest being only rank six. Of course, there are some young and old, but most of them are young adults.
Looking at these dozen officials, Liu Chengyou spoke in a very relaxed tone: "Stop standing, sit down!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The officials, with their buttocks raised slightly, thanked them in unison again, as if they had rehearsed.
The waiter served tea to everyone, and Liu Chengyou took a sip, looked at everyone again, and said slowly: "Everyone here, some have seen the formation, and some have not, but I know all of you. You know, I have personally reviewed each of your resumes!"
Hearing this, several officials looked surprised.
Emperor Liu continued: "You are the talented people carefully selected from all over the country by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Each of you has the ability to govern a county. You have served at least two terms. The one with the shortest tenure has been five years... "
With that said, Emperor Liu stated his purpose: "I am selecting you to join the capital, and it is because of you that I have entrusted you with a heavy responsibility!"
After saying this, the person in charge immediately spoke on his behalf: "Please give me your Majesty's orders. I will live up to my trust!"
This is Zhao Kuangyi, a man of status, who speaks with confidence and a strong voice. He is the youngest among this group of people. Although the others were slow to respond, they all followed suit.
With a smile on his lips, Emperor Liu said: "Based on your past political achievements, you can already be transferred to the state department and assume heavier responsibilities. However, I choose you because I want to directly grant you the title of governor and appoint you to the local people's committee of the state. !”
At this time, most people showed happy expressions. No one disliked the promotion. In the Han Dynasty's bureaucracy, going from county to state was a major hurdle in an official's career. However, if one could go directly from county magistrate or magistrate to state magistrate, he would be promoted, skipping the intermediate buffer assessment period.
In the early years, due to the lack of talents, everything was in need of improvement, and many people were promoted beyond the level because of their outstanding political achievements. Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer, unless your political achievements and contributions are too outstanding, or you are from a high background, have a backing, and are promoted.
After all, Emperor Liu has ruled the world for almost twenty years. Such a long period of time is the growth of a generation, which has also made the Han Dynasty mature and stable in all aspects. While being stable, it also brings about a certain degree of solidification.
In the early years, there were a large number of state officials under the age of thirty in the political arena of the Han Dynasty. Nowadays, those who can govern a state at this age are very rare. Moreover, even the county officials are getting older and older.
The main channel for recruiting talents in the Han Dynasty was the imperial examination, but it was not just a matter of passing the imperial examination, and then being assigned to actual duties. The system of observing the government has been implemented for many years, and everyone needs to take the examination for two to three years before being awarded an official position. In this process, some of them can be wiped out, and there are more than a thousand counties in the Han Dynasty, and there are only so many official positions. When they are vacant, even more time will be wasted.
In addition, today's scientific examination system is not just about reading some Four Books and Five Classics. A practical job requires enough experience and insight to make up for it. Before participating in the scientific examination, many people try to work as local officials. , and then enter Beijing after having certain experience in rituals.
This also makes the scholars participating in the examination older and older. For example, among the more than 1,000 scholars who were referenced in the Changju in the third year of Kaibao's reign, the youngest one was twenty-three years old.
And the situation like that of a handsome young man, a high-spirited young man, a winner in life, has almost disappeared. Emperor Liu meant that the ultimate goal of selecting candidates for the imperial examination is to select officials, and to be an official is to be able to do things and be able to do things, not just to be able to study and be able to read.
As time went by, many scholars who had previously been happy that the Wufu era had passed slowly discovered that the spring for literati had not yet arrived. In other words, it has not completely arrived.
In the Han Dynasty, studying is still the fairest way to become an official, but if you want to win everything just by studying, it is also a delusion. It is a fact that the status of scholars is improving, but it is also a fact that it is difficult to become a high official by relying solely on knowledge.
Officials and officials are usually connected together, but the difference between the two is also extremely large. Taking a county as an example, only the county magistrate (county magistrate), county magistrate, county captain, and chief registrar are official positions awarded by the court. All other positions with salaries belong to officials.
In the past, there were only a few people willing to serve as officials. But in today's big men, there are more and more scholars who are willing to put down their arrogance and start from being small officials with swords and pens.
Successful scientific examinations are the only way to go. However, the examinations are getting more and more difficult, the assessments are getting stricter, and the competition is getting bigger and bigger. In comparison, starting from an official position, the requirements and standards for holding a position are much lower. Even if it is more difficult to rise, at least there is hope and direction. At the same time, it is a livelihood job, and it also has the opportunity to accumulate experience and continue the imperial examination. There is no age limit for the Han imperial examination.
In recent years, many people have been promoted from official positions because of their outstanding performance. Regarding this matter, there were two people in the palace who worked their way up from low-level officials to county magistrates, although it took them at least twelve years.
"However, don't be too happy too early!" Looking at the county officials who were gradually showing signs of joy, Emperor Liu smiled slightly and said lightly: "The responsibility of a state is far more important than that of a county. All the awards given here belong to The situation in remote border states, such as Hexi, central Guizhou, Guangxi, and Annan, is complicated and mixed with Han and barbarians. It is difficult for non-competent ministers and officials to manage it, and the conditions are far more difficult than what you were originally assigned to."
As soon as these words came out, the joy on everyone's faces slowly disappeared. Many remote areas, one state, are really not as good as one county in the Central Plains, and some are even worse. If this is the case, then this person who has been promoted will really not know whether to be happy or worried.
Underneath, Zhao Kuangyi showed a hint of surprise on his face. After all, he knew more about the situation than others.
Seeing the changes in everyone's expressions, Emperor Liu was still calm, even with a smile in his tone, and said in a very gentle manner: "I will not force this matter. If I can't bear the hardship and take office reluctantly, I will not Don’t worry, you can be appointed as a border state. If you don’t want to, I will also allow you to return to your original post without any fuss..."
Liu Chengyou said it easily, but for the current county officials, there is no choice. Because, words can be heard the other way around.
There is no shortage of people who are greedy for comfort in the world, but those who can be selected by the officials are definitely not among them. They may have knowledge, experience, and sufficient political ability. And capable people generally have upward ambitions. Now the emperor has pointed out a path, and no matter how difficult or painful it is, everyone must go on it.
Furthermore, no matter what, this is a promotion, a great advancement in official career, and the rank and treatment will be improved. Border states may be difficult, but they are also places where achievements are easy to make. Starting from the early years of Qianyu, Emperor Liu issued a special edict. The imperial court gave preferential treatment to officials in remote and poor states and counties in the promotion assessment. This is a bonus. .
The most important reason is that the emperor personally received the conferment and gave instructions. There are so many small officials and officials in the world, how many of them can get such treatment?
This is actually an opportunity for them. In the future, this will also be recorded on their resumes. In the spring of the fifth year of Kaibao, the emperor summoned him to the Long Live Hall, accompanied by twelve county officials, and they were all awarded state positions...
They are not stupid, so this time Zhao Kuangyi does not need to take the lead. They all expressed that no matter where they are, they are not afraid of hardships and are willing to serve as shepherds for the imperial court. Especially those people who came from ordinary backgrounds and climbed up step by step.
Emperor Liu was not surprised by this. He was satisfied and the selection of officials was still in place. Of course, his role as emperor cannot be ruled out.
With his smile unabated, Emperor Liu once again said a heart-stirring sentence: "I will give you another famous saying, the prime minister must start from the state department!"
When he said this, Emperor Liu also glanced at Zhao Kuangyi. Zhao Er also felt the emperor's gaze. Zhao Kuangyi, who had always been a good man, also showed a rare expression of excitement.
Obviously, this is Emperor Liu's expectation and encouragement for them. Although, for those here, it may take them another twenty or thirty years of hard work, and there is a high probability that they will not be able to realize it, but it is still okay to yearn for it.
