Chapter 5038 Official Selection
There are several tall ginkgo trees in the courtyard of the Libu Yamen. It is said that they were transplanted from the deep mountains of the Qinling Mountains when Yu Wenkai built Daxing City. The trees are already a hundred years old and have grown for decades. At this time, the branches and leaves are lush and prosperous. It is the right time for the In early summer, shadows fill the courtyard.
As a result, the official hall located to the north of the ancient tree was completely covered in shadow, and the light in the hall was dim...
The furnishings in the hall are antique, and the floor light is eye-catching.
As the clerk placed cups of brewed tea on the case table, officials came one after another, all kneeling and sitting behind the case table, talking to each other about official matters or chatting and laughing. The atmosphere was very relaxed. .
When they saw Liu Xiangdao coming with Li Xiaogong, the hall suddenly became quiet and silent. Almost all the officials stared at Liu Xiangdao with wide eyes.
Who doesn’t know the imperial censor?
Since he took up the post of Yushitai, he was not afraid of powerful people and showed no mercy. Countless people in the court were impeached by him. As a result, no less than twenty people were dismissed or demoted.
Li Xiaogong sat in the middle, pointed to Liu Xiang who was one step away from him and said: "I believe you all know the imperial censor, so I won't introduce him. Your Majesty attaches great importance to this selection of officials, so he sent the censor to visit the Ministry of Personnel and personally Guidance, please be vigilant. If you are found in the wrong place, please go to the Yushitai for tea. Don’t blame me for not saving you.”
Du Zhengyi, the left minister, stroked his beard and said with a smile: "That's great! This is the first time for the Ministry of Civil Affairs to select officials on a large scale. There is no experience to speak of and no routine to find. Everyone is trembling with fear, lest they make mistakes for this imperial examination. Contaminated. Now that the imperial censor is helping us, we feel calm and can breathe a sigh of relief."
All the officials in the hall nodded in agreement.
Liu Xiangdao's expression did not change, he had already expected the resistance from the officials of the Ministry of Personnel, and said calmly: "I am here to assist the prince, and it is not to interfere with the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, otherwise I would not be here alone. Brother Xian, if you are If you have other plans, you might as well write to Your Majesty directly to change your mind, and I will feel at ease.”
He was so polite because he was not afraid of Du Zhengyi. He had impeached several ministers, not to mention a mere minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It's just that Du Zhengyi's elder brother Du Zhenglun is now the Minister of Huangmen and a bachelor of Chongxian Hall. Although he usually lives in a secluded mansion and doesn't make much public appearances, he is actually the emperor's confidant.
He has served in two dynasties and served four emperors, but now there are only a few people who can compare with him in the court. Moreover, he has always been on good terms with great scholars such as Yan Shigu and Kong Yingda. Who would dare to offend him easily?
Facing Liu Xiangdao's retort, Du Zhengyi smiled and said nothing. It was his duty as Zuo Shilang to express the dissatisfaction of the officials, but how could he not wish to offend Liu Xiangdao endlessly?
Li Xiaogong drooped his eyelids and neither stopped nor supported the quarrel between these people. When the atmosphere calmed down, he said, "You Shao, let's start."
The new right servant, Shangguan Yi, is handsome and personable. Knowing that he was asked to take charge, he quickly responded: "Here!"
Then he straightened his back after a few minutes and said loudly: "Both inside and outside the Central Committee, as well as the government and the public, attach great importance to this selection of officials. At present, almost all the officials are paying attention. We uphold justice, follow the rules, and do everything according to His Majesty's will." First, we can’t give or receive privately, and we can’t retaliate. What do you think?”
The officials all nodded.
"What you said is fair, and it should be like this."
"Master Yushi is here, who dares to do anything wrong?"
It is inevitable that some people are still dissatisfied with Liu Xiangdao's "visit and guidance".
Liu Xiang pretended not to hear...
Shangguan Yi said: "Since the birth of the imperial examination, there has never been such a formal and large-scale selection of officials. There is neither legal correction nor common practice. Therefore, I, on behalf of the Ministry of Personnel, have made suggestions. You can There is no need to feel taboo about giving advice at will. After all, this is the behavior of the officials. If there are any mistakes, we will all bear responsibility.”
"Don't worry, Mr. Right, it's just as it should be."
"There are more than a hundred new scholars, who can know them all well and arrange them securely? You should brainstorm and try your best to avoid mistakes."
Shangguan Yi looked around for a week, and when the discussion gradually subsided, he looked at the pre-made list in front of him and said: "Previously, Li Sijing, a member of Zhongshushe, was executed for treason. His Majesty is short of people. The two top candidates are directly awarded to Zhongshushe. Do you have any opinions? ”
Naturally, such a large-scale official selection cannot be discussed and discussed one by one in the court, otherwise the entire staff department would not be able to do other things. The Minister of Civil Affairs and the left and right ministers will discuss a list in advance, and then bring it to the court. If anyone thinks that some of the people among them are not suitable for official positions, they can put it forward in court and then discuss it.
Xie Wansui, the exam doctor, pondered for a moment, but when he saw that the others were silent, he said: "Not only is the rank of Zhongshushe a member of the fifth rank, but he is also a close official of His Majesty, who is in charge of Zhongshu and imperial edicts. If he is awarded a new Jinshi, Will it lead to unsmooth government orders? ”
The official position of Zhongshu Sheren has always been extremely prominent. It can almost be called "the reserve of the feudal officials and the six ministers". They have always been regarded as the link between "imperial power" and "prime minister power". Xinke Jinshi is certainly among the best. Longfeng has no experience in politics, how can he coordinate well between His Majesty and Zhongshu Ling?
Li Xiaogong took a sip of tea and said calmly: "There are not only two people in Zhongshushe. We can add a few more people besides the two top picks."
Xie Wansui understood, nodded and said: "I am a stupid official, thank you so much for your guidance."
The purpose of conferring the title of Zhongshusheren to the two top candidates is not to hope that they will perform their jobs well, but as a symbol and an attitude so that scholars all over the world can feel that His Majesty and the Central Committee attach great importance to the imperial examination.
It doesn't matter whether the two top picks can be good people in Zhongshushe. Others will do the work. They just need to go to that position and let the world see it...
Li Xiaogong said: "You can put forward any opinions, openly and honestly, without any taboos. Continue."
"Here!"
Shangguan Yi looked at the roster and said: "Dengzhou Jiyang Cen Changqian, ranked second in the northern list, is going to be awarded Zezhou Biejia."
The officials began to discuss quietly again.
The administrative division of the Tang Dynasty was divided into four levels: Dao, prefecture, state, and county. "Dao" was actually a supervisory agency rather than an administrative agency. The real administrative organization was three levels: prefecture, prefecture, and county. The status of prefectures and prefectures is similar, but the status of prefectures is slightly higher than that of prefectures. The counties below are townships. There are no central institutions and local governments are autonomous.
However, states differ greatly due to geographical, political, economic, population, area and other factors. Although there is no distinction in the center, they are subtly divided into three levels: "upper, middle and lower".
Zezhou belongs to Hedong Road and is surrounded by mountains such as Taihang Mountain and Taiyue Mountain. It is short of land, barren fields and sparsely populated. It is called "Xiazhou". The official position of Xiazhou Biejia is from the fifth rank, and two The official position of the number one scholar in Zhongshusheren differs by three levels.
It seems that there is not much difference, but in fact, one is working in the center and close to Mu Tianyan, which is the best starting point for the official career. If you have enough ability, you can rise to the top. The other is in a remote place, which is not only far away from the center but also extremely difficult to achieve political achievements. It’s hard to judge well, how to get promoted?
There is only one grade "from the fifth grade", which is actually extremely unfriendly...
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An old manager frowned and said hesitantly: "Cen Changqian is not only second in the North Ranking, but also has outstanding achievements in protecting the prince in the East Palace. Is it too harsh to be awarded Zezhou?"
In fact, there is another sentence in my heart: Cen Changqian not only protected the prince, but also was the leader of more than a thousand students in Zhenguan Academy. Fang Jun loved her like a brother and had high hopes for her. The officials threw her students into the barren and poverty-stricken land of Zezhou. Who could Do you know if that guy will get angry?
Shangguan Yi did not answer, but looked at Li Xiaogong.
Li Xiaogong sighed and said slowly: "Because of Cen Changqian's previous meritorious service, His Majesty is very concerned about his appointment. He personally told the King to hone such an outstanding talent more, straining his muscles and bones, depleting his body, and improving what he cannot do." Also..."
Since His Majesty was personally paying attention, no one said anything more. The hall fell silent for a while, and everyone could not help but remember all the rumors about the clan rebellion. It is said that the reason why His Majesty was able to wipe out all the rebellion in the clan at that time was precisely because the prince restrained Li Anyan's main dead soldiers in the East Palace, and then calmly annihilated the rebels.
But doing so would be tantamount to leaving the prince in the East Palace to face the rebels' stormy attack, without caring about his life or death...
There are also rumors in the palace that His Majesty does not like the Crown Prince, and now he is "distributing" the meritorious officials who have protected the Crown Prince. Is it possible that Your Majesty is angry because Cen Changqian has protected the Crown Prince?
Liu Xiangdao noticed that the atmosphere was strange and quickly said: "Since His Majesty is concerned about it, there is no need to discuss Cen Changqian's official position. Please continue, Shangguan Shilang."
As the big boss of Yushitai, who monitors all officials and monitors public opinion, how can he not know the rumors among the people?
But whether this kind of thing is true or not, once it reaches His Majesty's ears, it means that it must be dealt with, otherwise it will be equivalent to acquiescence...
When the emperor is angry and blood flows, things will inevitably be messed up. Liu Xiangdao is not willing to stain his progress with the heads and blood of innocent people.
Shangguan Yi quickly continued.
Generally speaking, the higher the ranking, the greater the attention it receives. Yan Kangcheng and Shen Wenjian, the top picks in the North and South rankings, and the second and third rankings in their respective rankings have been settled. The rest of the people have almost no objections, and the meeting proceeds very quickly. .
……
"Thirty-sixth on the northern list, Fan Yang Zhang Zixuan... The Ministry of Industry sent someone to contact the Ministry of Personnel and submitted a letter requesting that Zhang Zixuan be granted the official position of head of the Ministry of Industry."
As Shangguan Yi read Zhang Zixuan's name and stated that he had been selected by the Ministry of Works, the officials in the hall immediately cheered up, and dozens of eyes almost unanimously looked at the "supervisor" Liu Xiangdao.
His Majesty has repeatedly issued orders that this official selection must be open, fair, and impartial, and all private exchanges and abuses of power must be severely punished. Therefore, no matter what the background of the new Jinshi is, he will participate in the official selection honestly and dare not make any changes.
Zhang Zixuan was the first to contact the government office in advance and even arranged his duties. This falls under the authority of Yushitai...