Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 399 People’s Hearts Have Dispersed
"Don't go!"

The handsome young man in his thirties looked shocked and angry, as if he had been humiliated.

"Although I failed three times, how can I just become a low-ranking official and ruin my future? I won't go!"

"...Mr. Fang, look at this...I'm sorry to embarrass you." An old man next to him could only smile apologetically at the other scholar.

On the other side, there were two middle-aged men who looked restrained and frightened, both wearing the black uniforms worn by the county government.

The scholar's eyes were complicated. After looking at this "good young man", he turned to the old man and said, "Brother Lu, your majesty has appointed you as prime minister. The examinations will be managed by the Jinxian Academy, and the Ministry of Culture and Education will be responsible for running schools. Lord Xu has received news from the capital that after the Ministry of Culture and Education has sorted out the official schools in various provinces, I am afraid that there will be age limits for the provincial and metropolitan examinations in the future. Even if some convenience can be provided, I am afraid that my nephew can only take the exam once at most."

"What?" The young man was shocked. "Can I only...take one more exam?"

The scholar looked at him, his expression still friendly: "The Imperial College has graduated more than 2,000 people a year, and more than 100 of them have been awarded the title of Jinshi. The court has actually made preparations. In the future, I am afraid that graduates from provincial universities will be the main candidates, supplemented by provincial examinations. However, in addition to the age limit for the examinations, all government offices, regardless of the capital, will also have age limits for hiring in the future. Those over 40 will not be hired unless they have special talents."

He then looked at the two yamen runners and said helplessly, "Except for officials, all levels of government offices will have set standards for clerks and clerks. Regardless of the rest, in order to make government orders smooth, being literate is the minimum requirement. For important positions, I'm afraid one must have a good family background. As for yamen runners... Chengde Prefecture and Liaoning Province are already doing it. The majority of yamen runners will be in the Public Security Department in the future, and they will mainly be veterans of the border army and soldiers from the garrisons. If local young and strong people want to get this job, they must first serve in the military and then retire and transfer to civilian jobs."

The old man looked worried after hearing this.

Just two days after the emperor left Nanjing, he was suddenly visited by the aides of the prefecture in Zhenjiang Prefecture, a "common family" near Nanjing. They came to inform, discuss, and admonish him.

This was also due to his good relationship with the prefect in the past.

However, the first thing that would be affected was two of his clansmen who he recommended to work as clerks in the county government, and his son would also be involved.

The governor wanted him to make plans early and persuade his son to work as a clerk in the county or prefectural government office. Since he already had the title of a scholar, it would be easy for him to do so.

But what the son said made sense. What future prospects would there be after becoming an official? Moreover, officials were responsible for handling practical matters, which were tiring and hard, and they were also prone to being involved in scandals. With his family's savings, it would not be a big deal for his son to continue his studies and take the provincial examination again. However, what was said about not being allowed to take the examination again or be granted a new position after the age limit?
"Then I'd rather study hard and take the exam one last time!" the young man said angrily, "If I still fail, I'd rather be an idle wanderer!"

The aide surnamed Fang suppressed his friendly expression upon hearing this, and then said calmly: "The three courts in Nanjing have already sent a letter to the government office, saying that many old cases and unjust cases, especially those involving officials harming the people, must be judged impartially. Local restructuring is inevitable, and in the future, provincial capitals, prefectures, and counties will all have courts. The three courts mean that it is better to redress grievances before the restructuring. Otherwise, the powers will be greatly changed in the future, leaving many disputes. Brother Lu, do you understand?"

The old man was shocked: "Officials harming the people? Is the court going to exempt the officials and gentry..."

The aide surnamed Fang interrupted him: "The court has no such intention! Officials harming the people is unacceptable under the law of the country, and even more unacceptable to Your Majesty! Brother Lu, I hope you will understand your difficulties. Brother Lu knows what is important."

Then he looked at the two police officers. They both looked down at their shoes, their bodies trembling slightly.

"The trend cannot be violated."

He reminded the old man meaningfully, but it was unclear whether he meant "it cannot be done".

But this is probably the last chance. If we don't try to clean up some things in advance, the three judicial officials in Nanjing will urge the local government under the pressure of His Majesty, and the local officials will really decide many cases of officials harming the people under the pressure of their superiors and future. Then, with the golden words in front of us, perhaps the exemption will really be reduced.

Now it is a kind of exchange: take off the gloves that have been extended to the local government, and clean up some of the past things. Those who should be reconciled should be reconciled, and those who should be punished should be punished.

In short, work together to control the situation and achieve the situation that the emperor and the court want: from now on, there will be no distinction between officials and gentry, and they are all in the officialdom.

Let all the scholars in the world have an official position, regardless of their rank or whether they are in the mainstream, isn't this a favor?

But once you enter officialdom, there are many more restrictions and rules, and you can no longer be aloof.

Just choose.

As a result, Jiangnan launched a "rectification of official administration". This was because the local government offices would also be changed. In the future, the criminal responsibilities undertaken by the prefectural, state, county and judicial offices would be an independent system, and of course the beginning and the end had to be cleaned up to facilitate the handover.

But the core direction is towards ordinary clerk positions. Officials all want to avoid sticking points, and the local masterminds must also consider their own situation.

The local officials were no pushovers. Some of them relied on their power to bow and scrape to their superiors, shirk their responsibilities, and show off in front of the people. But once their superiors and the forces behind them reached an agreement, they would become no different from domestic servants.

The really difficult ones are the old officials who have been doing this for generations, have deep roots in the local area and hold a lot of leverage over others. It is not easy to get them to accept change because it concerns their future, family and vital interests.

Those who can be won over can be won over, and promises should be made to those who should be made, but there are always some people who know that they are mired in sin and it is unlikely that they will have a good ending.

But what kind of storm can they stir up? Ordinary people don't know about their struggles, and don't even care much. In the situation where the officialdom in Nanjing and Jiangnan has been in a state of strife, and everyone is trying to "return to the right path" like Shu Baiqing, the guilt of their superiors in their hands has limited effect. They want to fight against their superiors, or even the court.

So when the imperial carriage just arrived in Huguang, Nanjing and Nanzhili, which had been peaceful before, finally became uneasy.

The ones who took action were the Yangtze River Navy and the Xiaoling Guards.

The cause was nothing more than a few old officials in Xuancheng County of Ningguo Prefecture encouraging each other and besieging the magistrate of Xuancheng to demand an explanation.

After this, the magistrate of Xuancheng was so angry that he suddenly had an idea and contributed a good idea.

So the Xiaoling Guards were invited in first, and after the surprise raid they indeed found evidence of crimes: some had collaborated with the Tartars the year before, some had sought pleasure during the mourning period, some had made irresponsible remarks and even cursed the emperor, some had committed adultery and strife... In short, they were all serious crimes among the ten unforgivable sins that did not harm ordinary people.

If the crime is not harmful to the people, then it will not be counted in the number of cases to be downgraded; if the crime is serious, then it will be convenient to search the house and interrogate the suspect to serve as a warning to others.

Many places that were at a loss seemed to have a clue after hearing this news. Even if they didn't really invite the government troops, using this as a deterrent would make the work much easier.

The fact that the Nanjing Garrison responded to local requests so quickly made the locals even more terrified.

Of course, this is also Cheng Jing’s duty: if a local official reports that someone is plotting treason, why not send troops immediately?
It all started with treason, and after following the clues, it was discovered that he had committed so many unforgivable crimes, it was so scary.

It’s another time of “save the big or save the small”, unless some big families and wealthy people are confused, what else can they do?
It was not the first year of Taichang, nor was it the eighth year of Taichang when the court was faced with border troubles and military dangers.

Expanding the staff and increasing salaries, appointing prime ministers and delegating power, "people's hearts" have long been scattered!
Even the two people from Donglin Academy who were well-known in Jiangnan as old angry young men in the opposition several years ago were "recruited"!

At the moment, the angry young man Gao Panlong is already in the imperial carriage. Since he has been appointed as the new Minister of Culture and Education, he has a lot of official duties to do, and it is also a good opportunity to familiarize himself with the cultural and educational conditions in Jiangxi, Huguang, and Guangdong and Guangxi.

As for the daily affairs of Donglin University... Gao Panlong Zhuyu was there, and Gu Xiancheng was also there, so the person who took over knew what to do.

Xiao rules and Cao follows.

"It's good that the gentry and scholars are worried about the government. At least it shows their enthusiasm for caring about the country and the people."

On today's dragon boat, the emperor was chatting with Xu Guangqi, Gao Panlong, Wang Zheng and others.

This is what Zhu Changluo said in response to Gao Panlong’s renewed expression of shame.

"It's easier said than done. In the end, compromises are inevitable." Zhu Changluo said with a smile, "For example, Wang Dewan, if he had only dared to speak out like he did in the past, without years of experience in Jiangnan, how could he have become the Minister of Taxation? Another example is Shu Baiqing, if we only look at his past deeds, how could a lowly official like him take on such a big responsibility? But now in Chengde Prefecture, he is able to deal with the tribes in the north and south of the desert with ease."

"…Your Majesty is wiser than anyone in knowing how to appoint the right people to the right positions."

Gao Panlong felt emotional.

From Wuxi to Nanjing, and from Nanjing to here, he had more contact with the emperor along the way. Whether it was the academic knowledge or the atmosphere between the emperor and his subjects, he was increasingly impressed.

What is rare is that the emperor recognized their "angry youth" feelings at the time, but he did not approve of their actions.

"Different levels of knowledge, different experiences, different personalities, different positions, the court is actually always a mess, chaotic. You hold me back, I sabotage you, this happens every day." Zhu Changluo sighed, "As a result, many things cannot be done with one mind, and the work is often twice as hard but the results are half as good. Those who care about the country and the people are naturally indignant when they see the government being so lazy. But if they really come, it may not be a good thing. I'm afraid you will soon realize this. In the past, the official was small, but now it is a big official. It's not easy to run schools in these provinces, after all, it involves the fame of scholars all over the world."

"...I will do my best and ask for advice from Xu Bu Tang."

"That's good. Discuss more. You can discuss it with him, Prime Minister Ye, and me. As long as you discuss it well, it will seem to those below that you are working together, and things will be easier."

Zhu Changluo looked at the people and said, "Let's not talk about this for now. Today, you all have learned both new and old knowledge, so let's talk about academic matters. I would like to boast that this theory of knowing through investigation of things seems to have been taught to me by gods and immortals. Whether it is government affairs or daily trivial matters, using this method to think and decide can have a magical effect of making plans and making great achievements. Since you are the emperor, I naturally hope that you think this method is good and can understand more and help me govern the country and protect the people."

So academic discussions began again.

Xu Guangqi was already very familiar with this atmosphere. After all, in the capital, the emperor often brought important ministers together to discuss academic matters.

In fact, it is a process of slowly changing their thinking and unifying their thoughts.

But this atmosphere was still unfamiliar to Gao Panlong. Watching Xu Guangqi and Wang Zheng chatting and laughing freely in front of the emperor, talking about examples of the natural world and the affairs of the court and the rivers and lakes, this was not like what he had imagined in the past when he was in Jiangnan.

In his past impression, in front of such a "domineering" emperor, the important officials in the court would naturally be as afraid as a tiger.

I didn't expect it to be like this.

Climbing the dragon, climbing the dragon. When he was nearly fifty, he suddenly climbed the real dragon and ascended to a high position, holding the third rank.

He had preached the new learning before only because he was persuaded by Gu Xiancheng, who believed that it was a practical way to run schools and help students pass the imperial examinations and enter official careers. He was also dissatisfied with the new learning.

Since you are not convinced, of course you have to understand it first.

But now, he listened to the emperor's views on many things, and felt that the emperor's way of thinking was indeed very different from that of ordinary people.

As he listened, he suddenly had a weird idea.

...Perhaps it was because the emperor did not seem to regard them as servants, but truly believed that the monarch and his subjects should try to have the same aspirations and discuss and make decisions in governing the country.

It is just like when they were in Donglin Academy, they believed that those who aspired to become officials and govern the country should have the same ambitions and principles.

The imperial carriage slowly moved westward, and Wuchang Prefecture was in front.

The deputy envoy of Huguang Education Supervision was Gong Nai. There used to be a King of Chu in Wuchang, so the Huguang Academy, which was converted from the King of Chu's Palace, naturally had to host a lecture by the emperor.

For more than ten years, Gong Nai has never left Huguang, first as the magistrate of Jiangxia, then as the prefect of Wuchang, and now as the deputy inspector of education.

But now, he has also received the news.

In the future, Huguang will be changed to Hubei and Hunan, and there will also be a Xindu based on Chengtian Prefecture.

With his current official rank and familiarity with Huguang, he naturally has great opportunities in such a major change.

Of course, he needs the emperor's approval.

Gong Nai was very careful. With a family background in education, he knew the ways of being an official. After passing the imperial examination, he knew that he had not diagnosed the new emperor's pulse and had left a bad impression on the emperor.

But over the years, first he performed well during the Chu Zong Rebellion, and then he changed his mindset cautiously, and step by step Gong Nai became the Deputy Inspector of Education in Huguang.

He certainly cannot be compared with Xu Guangqi, who was in the same subject, but isn’t Zhang Yicheng, the top scorer in that subject, only the prefect of Yangzhou now?
Zhang Yicheng was slow to change and too reserved.

Gong Nai changed quickly and saw things more clearly. Otherwise, he would not have told his cousins ​​and relatives who worked in the Yanzhou government office to keep their distance from the Yanshenggong Mansion.

Hearing that Xu Hongzu, who had been persuaded by his cousin for a long time, was also accompanying the emperor, Gong Nai wondered if this could be a reason for the emperor to look at him differently.

But this matter cannot be mentioned.

The first thing he had to take care of now was the emperor’s lectures in Wuchang!

(End of this chapter)