A group of officials filed into the Long Live Hall under the guidance of Tongshiren. 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!"
"Pingshen!"
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 by the color of their clothes, this group of officials is not of high rank, the highest being only rank six. Of course, there are some older and younger, but most of them are young and middle-aged.
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 slightly raised, 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 me, some have not, but I know all of you. You know, I have personally reviewed each of your resumes!"
Hearing this, several officials showed expressions of surprise.
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 have selected you to join the capital, and there is no other reason why I have entrusted you with a heavy responsibility!"
After saying this, the person in charge immediately spoke on behalf of others: "Please give me your Majesty's orders. I will live up to your 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 and expressed their opinions.
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 magistrate of the state and the local people's committee of the state. !”
At this time, most people showed happy expressions. No one disliked being promoted. In the Han dynasty's bureaucracy, going from county to state was a major hurdle in an official's career, and if he could go from county magistrate to county magistrate If you go directly to Zhizhou, you will be promoted, skipping the buffer assessment period in the middle.
In the early years, due to the lack of talents, many wastes were waiting for improvement, and many people were promoted over the next level because of their outstanding political performance. Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer, unless your political performance and merit are too outstanding, or you are from a high family background. There is a background and there are people to promote.
After all, Emperor Liu has ruled the world for almost twenty years. Such a long period of time is the growth of a generation, and it 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, it can be said that there are very few people who can govern a state at this age. Moreover, even county officials are getting older and older. .
The main channel for recruiting talents in the Han Dynasty was the imperial examination, but the imperial examination did not mean that one passed the examination and was assigned to the actual job. The system of observing the government has been implemented for many years. Everyone needs to take the examination of the government for two to three years before being awarded an official. In this In the 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 practice requires sufficient experience and insight. Many people try to serve as local officials before participating in the scientific examination.
, and then enter Beijing after you have a certain amount of experience in conducting rituals.
This also makes the scholars who participate in the examination become older and older. For example, in the regular examination in the third year of Kaibao, among the more than a thousand scholars who took part in the examination, the youngest one was twenty-three years old.
And the situation of a handsome young man, a high-spirited young man, a high-spirited 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, one must be able to do things, not able to do things.
Just read, just know how to read.
As time goes by, many scholars who were previously happy that the Wufu era was over gradually discovered that the spring for literati has not 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 just by doing knowledge.
.
Officials are usually connected together, but the difference between the two is also very large. Taking a county as an example, only the magistrate (magistrate), county magistrate, county captain, and chief registrar are the official positions awarded by the court, and all others are
All positions with salaries belong to officials.
In the past, there were only a few people who were willing to serve as officials. But among today's big men, there are more and more scholars who are willing to put down their arrogance and start as small officials with swords and pens.
Successful scientific examinations are a road to success. However, the examinations are becoming more and more difficult, the assessments are becoming more and more stringent, and the competition is becoming more and more intense. In comparison, starting from the official position, the requirements and standards for holding the position are much lower, even if you rise
It is more difficult, but at least there is hope and direction. At the same time, it is a livelihood job, and there is an opportunity to accumulate experience and continue the imperial examination. There is no age limit for the imperial examination in the Han Dynasty.
In recent years, there have been many people who have been promoted from official positions to officials because of their outstanding performance. Regarding this matter, there are two people in the palace who have risen from humble officials to county magistrates step by step, although they have spent at least twelve years.
time.
"However, don't be too happy too early!" Looking at the county officials who were gradually showing 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 this time are
In remote border states, Hexi, central Guizhou, Guangxi, and Annan, the situation is complex and mixed with Han and barbarians, making it difficult for incompetent ministers and officials to manage, 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,
But I really don’t 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 change 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, I will appoint you 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 spoke easily, but for the current county officials, there is no choice. Because the words can be listened to in reverse.
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 be knowledgeable, experienced, and have sufficient political ability. And capable people generally have the ability to make progress. His ambition, now the emperor has pointed out a path, no matter how difficult or painful it is, he must go on it.
Furthermore, no matter how you say it, this is a promotion, a great progress in official career, and the rank and salary will be improved. Bianzhou may be difficult, but it is also a place where achievements are easy to make. Starting from the early years of Qianyou, Emperor Liu specially An edict was issued stating that the imperial court would give preferential treatment to officials from remote and impoverished states and counties in their promotion assessment. This was a bonus.
The most important reason is that the emperor personally received the conferment and gave instructions. There are so many petty officials and petty officials in the world, how many of them can get such treatment?
This is actually an opportunity for them. In the future, this will be recorded on their resumes. In the spring of the fifth year of Kaibao's reign, the emperor summoned him to the Long Live Hall, together with twelve county officials, and they were all awarded state positions... ..
None of them are stupid, so Zhao Kuangyi no longer needs to take the lead this time. They all expressed that no matter where they are, they are not afraid of hardships and are willing to serve as pastors for the imperial court. Especially those 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 could not be ruled out.
With his smile unabated, Emperor Liu once again said something heart-stirring: "I will give you another famous saying, the prime minister must be from the state department!"
When he said this, Emperor Liu also looked 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.