Chapter 674 Its too difficult to be an official in Song Dynasty!
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit stiff, Sheng Hong coughed twice and changed the subject to talk about Enke next spring, where 6,000 Jinshi will be admitted. This is a grand event that has never happened in thousands of years. It is really a majestic favor of the emperor.
At the same time, he felt a little regretful. He had reviewed Chang Feng's homework in the past few days. The provincial examination was stable. If he could participate in this Enke, he would probably pass the national examination. By then, the Sheng family would be a three-level Jinshi.
Such a delay will last three years."
Wang Lidong smiled and said, "Changfeng doesn't have to wait three years. The examination will be held every year in the future."
Uncle Wang asked in surprise, "The examination is held every year? How many people are admitted to each subject?"
Wang Lidong said, "We haven't determined the number of people yet. We won't be able to estimate the approximate number until next year. But I think it will be no less than 1,000 people every year."
Sheng Changbai was a little confused. There were now more than 20,000 officials in the imperial court, and only two to three hundred people resigned and begged for their remains every year. How could there be so many official positions assigned to them.
Wang Lidong said, "Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, corruption has become increasingly serious. Taizu has rectified it many times, but with little effect. Next, the censorship will be reorganized, and every state and county will send censors. Any officials found to be corrupt will be severely punished." No loan.Cocoon
From now on, whenever officials are found to be corrupt, they will all be dealt with according to the "Regulations of the Song Dynasty". In addition, all corruption gains will be confiscated and fined 10 times. Officials with more than 100 corrupt officials will have their homes confiscated!
Does Changbai still think that 1,000 Jinshi every year is too much?"
Sheng Changbai took a deep breath and said, "This punishment is too severe. No scholar will be willing to be an official in the future!"
Wang Lidong just smiled.
Sheng Hong, Uncle Kang, and brother-in-law looked at each other. According to this method, more than 90% of the officials in the Song Dynasty would be beheaded and their homes confiscated...
Wang Lidong glanced at a few people and said, "Your Majesty has decided that past mistakes will be forgotten."
Sheng Hong breathed a sigh of relief, and then suggested that a county only has four officials, the county magistrate, the county magistrate, the chief registrar and the county lieutenant who manages public security. It is a serious waste to send a censor to keep an eye on the four people. It is more reasonable to reach the state level. Cocoon
Wang Lidong said with a smile, "Master Taishan, there are not only officials but also clerks in the county. Generally, there are more than one hundred clerks in a small county. For example, the county to which Taishan belongs is a large county, and the number of clerks should be more than two hundred." .Can you guarantee that none of these people are corrupt?"
Sheng Hong laughed twice.
There are 263 county officials, plus 4 chief officials. From top to bottom, no one dares to pat their chests and guarantee that they have never taken advantage of a penny!
Seeing his son-in-law's resolute attitude, he stopped arguing and began to think about how much money he should give to the assigned censors each month. In addition, he also had to communicate with the magistrates of other counties and decide on a monthly profit. Set standards to avoid causing trouble if you give too much and I give too little.
Uncle Kang suddenly asked Wang Lidong whether he, who was a Jinshi, could be a censor?
"Of course you can." Wang Lidong smiled and said, "As long as you have the reputation of being a scholar and pass the assessment of the Censorship Station, you can become a Censor. My uncle will definitely be fine, and there are benefits to being a Censor."
Uncle Kang asked, "What's the benefit?"
Wang Lidong said, "From now on, if an official is caught for corruption, fined or property confiscated, 30% of the property will go to the censor. For example, if a county magistrate embezzled 20,000 guan and confiscated 1 million guan, then the censor who investigated the case will receive 30% of the money. A huge reward."
This reward is too generous!
Of the more than 20,000 officials in the Song Dynasty, not to mention 100%, 90% were greedy for money. Then... if you were to be a censor, wouldn't they all be prosperous?
Uncle Kang hurriedly asked when the assessment would be held?
But Sheng Hong, who was sitting opposite, felt as if someone had poured a large basin of ice water on his head for the past three days, and his head was chilled to the soles of his feet.
In this way, the censor is not like a hungry wolf, staring at them.
As long as he defeats a county magistrate, the censor will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life.
It is too difficult to become an official in the Song Dynasty!
I really want to roll up my sleeves and shout, I quit!
But apart from being an official, he could only be a teacher. He was respected for preaching and explaining things, but he could not earn a few copper coins in total in a year.
There are about a hundred people in the Sheng family, and Chang Bai is now an eighth-rank scholar. He gets a dead salary every month, and the whole family is supported by him alone.
The family will have to tighten their belts from now on... Suddenly I remembered that I still owe my son-in-law more than 400,000 yuan...
I can't live this day!
A gust of cool breeze blew a leaf from the window into the study. Sheng Hong felt cold all over. Looking at the scenery outside the window, he saw a desolate scene. The ginkgo tree by the window was bare and lifeless... Cocoon
Sheng Changfeng said, "Brother-in-law, can a scholar also be a censor?"
Wang Lidong nodded and said, "Chang Feng, you are a scholar and you are qualified to participate in the assessment."
Sheng Changfeng asked, "What will be assessed?"
Wang Lidong said, "The main assessment is the laws and regulations of the Song Dynasty, as well as historical knowledge, political opinions and the ability to write official documents."
"So simple?"
"It's that simple."
Sheng Changfeng walked up to Sheng Hong, knelt down on the ground and kowtowed, "Dad, I want to give it a try."
Sheng Hong refused every time, stroking his beard and thinking. According to the current situation, if he passed the Jinshi examination, his future would not be as good as before. If his younger son could really become a censor, it would be a way out. Eggs cannot be put in one basket. .And if you do well, your income that year may be higher than your own, and the debt you owe can be paid off faster.
Sheng Hong nodded and said, "Don't let me down again."
Sheng Changfeng was overjoyed and quickly promised that he would never lose his father's face. Then he came to Wang Lidong and bowed deeply, "Thank you brother-in-law for your advice. Chang Feng will keep it in my heart and I am very grateful."
....
At night, Wang Lidong and the Sheng family had dinner together, and after chatting for half an hour, he and his wife Ru Lan went to the small courtyard next door.
This was his first time entering Rulan's courtyard.
In fact, it can't be regarded as a courtyard. There is only one big room, which is divided into two rooms. One room is used as a living room. The area is quite large, about forty square meters. One room inside is used as a bedroom. I took a closer look. The area is not large, only about 20 square meters, and the decoration is a bit simple. "This room is a bit small."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Ru Lan nodded, looking at the familiar scene, and suddenly said with some melancholy, "I wonder who will live in this courtyard in the future?"
Half a month ago, she began to move her belongings to the Duke of Qi's mansion one after another. Now several personal maids followed her to her new home, and there was no one in the small courtyard.
Wang Lidong hugged his wife and said, "Don't forget, we still have the deed to your house. If you don't want to let go, I'll tell your father tomorrow that I'll keep this small courtyard. When I come back to see your mother in the future,
There’s still a place to stay.”
Rulan said in surprise, "Really? How often can I come back in the future?"
Wang Lidong laughed and scratched Rulan's nose and said, "You can come back if you want."
"Will your mother agree?"
"She has so many things going on every day, how can she care about such small things." Cocoon
Rulan was overjoyed and asked Wang Lidong to wash up first. She wanted to tell her mother the good news immediately.
Wang Lidong reached out to catch Ru Lan who was about to run away, and gave her a princess hug, "It's so late, your parents should be going to bed too."
Ru Lan said with a panic look on her face, "Dad and the others usually go to bed very late, I will come back as soon as I tell you."
Wang Lidong said, "It's not an urgent matter. Let's talk about it during breakfast tomorrow."
Rulan struggled and twisted her body and said, "...it's just a matter of words, tell me earlier...well..."
Wang Lidong immediately blocked Ru Lan's mouth... Just your little trick... made you arrogant in the morning...
..............cocoon
The Guangjie Army Barracks in front of Chengdong Palace
"Assemble! Assemble!" the ordering soldiers shouted as they walked through the military camps, "Assemble!..."
The sergeants walked out of their respective barracks sparsely, mostly muttering.
Soldier Ding Jia complained with his face, "What's the matter so early in the morning? I have to rush to the dock later."
Soldier Ding Yi spat on the ground, "It must be another husband or high official. The family is short of manpower."
These days, bosses are not willing to join the military if they are forced to do anything but have no other choice. In addition to their low political status, their remuneration is also very low, and they are often caught working for officials for free.
For example, for the Imperial Guards in the capital, the upper-class soldiers receive a monthly salary of 1,000 yuan, plus two stones and five buckets of grain. The total is a little more than 2 thousand yuan.
A middle-class soldier's salary is 700 coins, which is always more when including food, while a lower-class soldier only has a pitiful salary of 500 coins.
Except for the top-class soldiers, it was barely enough for the remaining soldiers to chew, but if they wanted to feed a family, even eating bran every day would be too much.
Therefore, the Imperial Guards would find a side job, and over time, most soldiers would have forgotten how to fight.
"It should be a good thing this time."
"Good thing? What good thing?"
"My second cousin's brother-in-law is on duty at the Ministry of War. I heard that our imperial army is going to be reorganized. If we pass the assessment, our salary will increase a lot. I thought that Pengri, Tianwu, and Xiongwei would be the first batch to go to the army, but no
I thought of picking our army."
"Assessment? What is the assessment? How much will it be every month? What if you fail the assessment?" Cocoon
"He probably knows..."
While talking, the soldiers came to the training ground in twos and threes and saw several people standing on the high platform at the front. There was an old man with a limp inside. The soldiers did not expect that their leader, the commander of the front division, Xiangyang Marquis, would also come.
Already.
No, he was promoted to Duke Wu half a month ago.
Wang Lidong looked at the soldiers who were arriving at the martial arts training ground one after another. They were old and young, tall and short. Most of them were wearing burlap shirts. They walked slowly and did not look like soldiers at all.
This is commonly known as the elite of the Song Dynasty. You can imagine how bad the other armies in the country were.
After waiting for a stick of incense, Wang Lidong signaled Fugui to start the roll call. The Guangjie Army was a small army, with a full strength of 2,500 people, and 2,356 people were registered. After two quarters of an hour, the roll call was completed, and there were actually 1,236 people.
Eating half of my free wages.Cocoon
Wang Lidong had long been mentally prepared for this situation. It was all a mess left over from the past, and he had no intention of pursuing it. In the end, his grandfather would definitely be one of the biggest bosses.
Seeing the commotion in the field, he pulled out his pistol and fired three shots into the sky. In an instant, the martial arts field fell into silence.
All the soldiers now know that the weapon in Wang Lidong's hand is called a "musket", and it can make holes every time.
He picked up the tin trumpet, activated his internal power, and said loudly, "Brothers, my name is Qi Heng, the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army Commandery of the Song Dynasty. I am here today to reorganize the Guangjie Army. Assessments will be held later, and those who pass will be held monthly
The salary is 2 guan and the ration is 5 shi..."
coax!
The entire martial arts training ground was boiling.
2 guan plus 5 shi of grain, which translates to almost 4 guan. It is not a problem to feed four or five people. In the future, even if you don’t go out to find a side job, you can still live comfortably. Cocoon
"Grand Governor, please don't deceive me because we are illiterate. How can such a good thing be in this world?"
"That's right, none of the top four armies receive such treatment."
Wang Lidong shouted "Quiet" and waited for silence in the venue before continuing, "Such a salary is certainly not easy to get. Those who pass the assessment will have to train every day in the future. It is not like now, where they train once every ten and a half months."
.”
That's pretty much it.
Although most of the soldiers have never studied, they all know one truth: pie will not fall from the sky, let alone good things will happen to thieves like them.
A soldier raised his hand and said, "Grand Governor, what if you fail the test?"
"If you fail the assessment, you can choose to retire or transfer to the Engineering and Construction Corps." Cocoon
"What do the construction soldiers do? How much salary can they get every month..." Wang Lidong Barabala spent a quarter of an hour going through all the details of this reorganization and answering the questions of the sergeants.
A quarter of an hour later, he put down the iron horn and arranged for a group of sergeants to begin the assessment.
The assessment content is very simple. You must be under 30 years old, be no less than 1.6 meters tall, have normal vision, have no physical disabilities, and have no criminal record. If you can run more than 3,000 meters in the end, you will be considered a pass.
When the Sun slowly descended to the ground level, the assessment of more than a thousand people was finally over. Only a pitiful 369 people were qualified. Most of the rest chose to become construction soldiers. More than 200 people chose to take the money and leave.
.
For the next half month, Wang Lidong was busy reorganizing the Imperial Guards in the capital. Groups of escorts entered the reorganized Imperial Army and became officers and instructors at all levels. During this period, he took time to go to the Nanchang Island Maritime Affairs Bureau.
Base, a farewell party was held for the five escort regiments that conquered Annan.
That evening, as soon as Wang Lidong returned home, his daughter-in-law Ru Lan told him the shocking news that I was pregnant.
"Really?" Wang Lidong was shocked. Qi's mother is 41 years old this year.
Ru Lan said with excitement, "During lunch, your mother suddenly vomited, which scared me. I invited a doctor, but I didn't expect that the doctor checked her pulse and said that your mother was pregnant... Your mother scolded the doctor for being a quack.
, I was worried and asked the imperial doctor again. The imperial doctor checked my pulse and confirmed that I was really pregnant, and it had been almost 2 months.
When Wang Lidong entered the Bailu Courtyard, he saw all the stewards of the family standing in the hall. Qi's father whispered, "...Don't yell. If you scare the eldest lady, no matter who it is, sell it immediately."
!”
The stewards immediately whispered, "Yes! Mr. Guo."
"Father." Wang Lidong stepped forward and said hello.
Father Qi said happily, "Heng'er is back. Did Ru Lan tell you?"
Wang Lidong said, "I told you, where is my mother?"
Qi's father said, "Rest in the bedroom."
Wang Lidong asked, "Is mother okay?"
Qi's father smiled and waved his hands and said, "It's okay, I'm just a little sleepy. The imperial doctor said, sleep when you are sleepy, and eat more fruits...and...what's going on? Let me think about it..."
Ru Lan added, "Clothes should be loose, don't get angry or quarrel, don't eat pepper..."
Qi's father nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes, Ru Lan has a better memory."
After being praised, Rulan's joy blossomed and she smiled so much that she couldn't even see her eyebrows.
During dinner, Wang Lidong finally saw the cheap lady. Her face was slightly pale, but she was in good spirits. Her eyes were a little dodgey when she looked at him.
Ha! cocoon
I must be embarrassed!
She is already a mother-in-law, but she never expected that she would be pregnant with a child.
As usual, Wang Lidong said hello and felt his mother's pulse. He felt like there were rolling balls sliding back and forth under his fingers. It was coming and going rapidly. It was indeed a happy pulse. My mother's body was also normal and there was nothing wrong with her. "Mother.
Remember to go for a slow walk in the small garden for half an hour every day. Don’t eat too much or too greasy. Eat more fruits. The staple food every day is mainly grains..."
At this moment, there were several loud laughs outside the house, and Qi's father was immediately annoyed!
He had just given instructions, but whoever was not discerning actually turned a deaf ear to his words. Just as he was about to tell the housekeeper to fork them out and sell them, he saw Lord Taishan limping into the room with a big smile, "Ning'er
, I heard you were pregnant..."
Qi Hai quickly put on a smile and stepped forward to say hello to Lao Taishan and his mother-in-law.
The Marquis of Xiangyang ignored his son-in-law at all and went directly to his precious daughter. After confirming that he was indeed pregnant, he danced with joy and called "Hello" three times.
If I can give birth to a son, I will send it to his name when the time comes. Now I don’t have to pass on my hard-earned wealth to those little bastards.
....
An hour later, after Wang Lidong saw off his grandfather and grandmother, he took Ru Lan back to his small courtyard.
After the two sat down, Rulan asked, "I heard someone said that when you are pregnant with a child, you should move as little as possible and eat more chicken, duck, and fish?"
Wang Lidong asked, "Did you hear it from Miss Lin?"
Rulan widened her eyes and said, "How did you know?"
Cocoon as seen on TV
Wang Lidong casually threw the pot on his cousin, "I heard my cousin talk about Minglan's mother."
Rulan asked doubtfully, "Is Miss Lin wrong?"
Wang Lidong sneered, "Have you forgotten how Minglan's mother, Miss Wei, died?"
Rulan said in horror, "Did Xiaoniang Lin kill Miss Wei?"
Wang Lidong nodded, and then briefly explained some of the taboos of pregnant women. Overnutrition and an oversized fetus are unsolvable in this era. Unlike modern times, a knife on the abdomen can solve the problem.
Ru Lan said angrily, "This Miss Lin is too bad. Fortunately she is gone now, otherwise she would definitely harm others!"
Wang Lidong smiled and said, "The most she can harm is your father's concubine or his wife. There is no one in this kind of family. The nobles or the aristocratic families know all about these methods."
Ru Lan said, "Then my mother also knows?"
Wang Lidong thought for a moment and said, "Your mother probably doesn't know. She's a straight-headed person with a bad temper. If you had known that she wouldn't be able to endure this for so long, she would have jumped out and strangled Miss Lin. But there is someone in your family.
should know."
Rulan asked in surprise, "Who is it?"
Wang Lidong said, "Guess!"
Rulan thought for a while and said uncertainly, "You said it was grandma?"
Wang Lidong nodded, "How smart. The old lady is the only daughter of Marquis Yongyi. She lived in the palace when she was a child. She has seen many such dirty tricks. Miss Lin's methods are the most shameless in the palace.
"
Rulan asked in confusion, "Then why didn't the old lady remind Wei Xiaoniang?"
Wang Lidong said with an expression of 'you are just a little fool', "The old lady has a penny relationship with Xiaoniang Wei? Have you forgotten that Xiaoniang Lin's entry into the Sheng family was all due to the old lady, or she was raised on the old lady's lap?
of.
And it’s not like you don’t know how much your father doted on Xiaoniang Lin at that time.
The old lady is not your father's mother. Do you think your father will be happy if you interfere in the affairs of his back house casually?
The old lady intervened and offended your father and Lin Xiaoniang, but only got Wei Xiaoniang's gratitude. A concubine who can't even protect herself, her gratitude is worthless!"
Seeing that Ru Lan suddenly became silent, Wang Lidong reached out and stroked his wife's forehead, "What are you worried about? If you keep frowning, you will get wrinkles easily in the future."
Rulan glanced at Wang Lidong and hummed, "In the future...if we have more Miss Lin like this..."
Tsk! Cocoon
This daughter-in-law, not long after she entered the house, wanted to find a wife for herself.
So virtuous!
Wang Lidong couldn't help but laugh when he thought that Ru Lan's home fighting teacher was the 'Five Scum Wang'. Needless to say, her fighting ability was definitely not that high.
Rulan said "hum" and turned her head away...she was angry!
Wang Lidong poked his wife, "Then you can find a way to remove this hidden danger, and it will be fine..."
Ru Lan turned her head and asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Wang Lidong put Ru Lan on the chair next to him and sat down, picked up the tea cup, took two sips and said, "I want to..."
Ru Lan hurriedly got in front of Wang Lidong and used the magic of coquettishness and cuteness. Wang Lidong was determined and opened the little paws on his arms in disgust...
After half a stick of incense... After listening to Wang Lidong's request, Ru Lan's face turned red, from her neck to the back of her ears, and Qiqi Ai Ai said, "...you... are not allowed to lie to me?"
Wang Lidong looked solemn, raised his right hand and swore to the sun that his method would definitely work! If it didn't work, he would only marry one wife in this life!