Xiaoyaoshanjun

Chapter 30: It's Not Easy to Be an Official

The top five people from Yanque City soon arrived, with Kang Biyong as their guarantor.

The guarantee money must be paid, and scholars cannot live in poverty.

In order to save money, Tian Buli and Mr. Bing just read books in the house and didn't go anywhere.

Fortunately, there were not so many activities during this critical period. Everyone was busy preparing for exams and was on guard. Even Old Man Kang only tutored his son and did not invite anyone else over.

On the day of the exam, Tian Buli escorted the sick gentleman into the exam room.

The academy examination was presided over by high-ranking officials from the imperial court, and high-ranking officials from the government office would also come to check it out. After Tian Buli watched everyone go in, he just strolled around casually.

The exam will last for ten days and Tian Buli has little money left in his pocket.

"Find something to do, or you won't have the money to go back."

Tian Buli had been thinking about this for a long time. He couldn't concentrate on what Mr. Bing was discussing with others these past two days, so he went out to wander around and get acquainted with the route.

It’s not easy to find a job these days. It’s not easy to just be thick-skinned, you also have to be able to speak.

"No, no, get out!"

"I don't lack people."

"Don't come in! What are you doing? Hiring? No!"

……

After being rejected several times in a row, Tian Buli went into a cloth shop again.

As soon as I entered, I saw a man and a woman looking at me with a smile.

Zhang Fulai stood beside the counter and said with a smile: "Isn't this Brother Tian? Why are you looking for work here?"

Tian Buli said hurriedly, "So it's Mr. Zhang and Ms. Zhang. I'm looking for a short-term job. People on this street don't hire outsiders. They saw that I wouldn't last long and rejected me because they were afraid of getting into trouble. So I can only shamelessly try one by one. What do you want?"

Zhang Fulai is a bit rude, but he's not that bad.

Just like ordinary neighbors, they looked down on the Dou Niang family in their hearts, but in fact they were just a little bit mean and arrogant in their words and attitude. If they were willing to smile and talk, people would not care about their mistakes.

Because I feel that I am not wrong, I will still buy tofu when I need to, and I will have the nerve to ask for credit when I need to.

Zhang Fulai was in a good mood, "I'm here to buy some goods."

Zhang Fulai looked at the man at the counter and decided to help Tian Buli.

"Boss Gu, this is the scholar I told you about. Are you in need of a handyman? This guy can't sew, but he's good at speaking, so he can be a handyman."

Boss Gu looked at Tian Buli and said, "Boss Zhang has asked me to do this, so I am embarrassed to refuse. My mother is not very mobile, so it would be nice to have someone to take care of her."

After hearing this, Tian Buli quickly said bluntly: "It's just a job that will last less than ten days, how can I owe someone a favor? I think Miss Zhang is beautiful and kind-hearted, let Miss Zhang do it."

Boss Gu, Miss Zhang and Boss Zhang were all very angry.

Boss Gu cursed: "You took my kindness for granted! I gave it to you out of pity for you..."

boom!
Tian Buli stomped on the wooden chair next to him and broke it. He clenched his fists and looked at the three frightened people.

"Why, are you not convinced?"

In the eyes of the three ordinary people, Tian Buli just suddenly became angry.

There is no other way! Tian Buli, who is alone, can no longer control his temper which is equal to his strength!

As a grown man and a scholar with some achievements, doing ordinary odd jobs is already a very shameful thing. These people actually want him to serve their mother!

"Bah! A bunch of dogs!" Tian Buli cursed viciously.

The three of them shrank back and dared not say a word.

Looking at the three timid people, Tian Buli didn't bother with them and turned away.

The three people behind him breathed a sigh of relief, and Boss Gu quickly said, "This is a jerk. Don't mess with him."

Tian Buli didn't care about other people's opinions. After he went out, he just thought about making money.

"It's definitely hard to find a job on this street, so I'll have to go somewhere else."

Fortunately, Qitian Prefecture was very large, and after asking in a distant street, he found a temporary job carrying grain.

People knew that her husband was a candidate, so in order to earn some money for the trip back home, they agreed to hire this young and honest helper.

Of course, this is the result of visiting several companies. Most people will still refuse, and it is not easy to find those who are willing to take the risk.

Tian Buli did not let anyone suffer any loss, he did the work of two people alone.

After working for a few days, I became familiar with the people who made a living nearby.

"Brother Tian, ​​you are from Yanque City, right?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

After unloading the goods at the grain store, everyone ate, drank and chatted on the side of the road. If you do hard work, you must eat meat. If you can't afford meat, you can eat tofu and dried tofu. You must also have two eggs, otherwise your body will not be able to bear it.

Several of them are middle-aged laborers and the backbone of their families. Although their work is a bit hard, they can still support their families.

It is impossible to eat meat every meal, but it is still okay to drink a little wine every day. A gourd of wine can last for five or six days.

Especially after a day of hard work, all kinds of cheap drinks become a necessary accompaniment. Noodles and steamed buns can fill you up, and only when you are full can you have the strength to work.

Wang Tie ate his steamed bun and said, "I heard from someone that there was a military officer in another county who had dealings with bandits. He was discovered and taken to jail."

Tian Buli ate the noodles in his bowl, and after swallowing a mouthful, he quickly said, "Isn't this normal? It's not strange for people who eat meat and drink wine to know each other."

Wang Tie thought what he said made sense, and everyone continued to eat and chat.

Although it is easy for officials to be laid off in modern society, it was still very rare for officials to be punished in ancient times.

Once a scholar became an official, it was not easy for him to fall. The authority to deal with these officials lay with the emperor and the imperial city. The things that could be handled every day were limited, and when they were scattered across so many places across the country, they seemed insignificant.

Usually, a small, unknown place can go for decades without anyone being caught, unlike in modern society where people are arrested and investigated every year.

Yanque City is a large county town, so competition is a bit fierce, but we have had peace for more than ten years.

Only the emperor can remove the county magistrate.

The military officers in the county are not scholars. They are usually selected from military households. You can also donate money to get one, but if the rank is not high, the prefecture can remove them and the county can punish them.

Being an official in this era was still quite easy, but one could not do nothing. If there were things like theft and rebellion in the area under one's rule, it would affect the official's hat, but the punishment would generally not be too severe.

Apart from the fact that it is not easy to get promoted, once you become an official you will have power and authority.

In short, only the court can manage the officials appointed by the court.

Generally, military officers will not be dismissed when bandits appear, after all, they still have to rely on their subordinates to do the work.

Everyone was chatting idly, and soon someone said the key point.

"I heard that a scholar who was preparing for an imperial examination was hacked to death by a friend of a military officer while they were drinking. He was a great hero from some sect."

After hearing this, Tian Buli sighed and said, "Scholars just love to save face. They always think they can reason with everyone. The heroes are all skilled in martial arts. If they can't win the argument, can they still win the fight?"

While talking, the chopsticks were in the rice bowl.
Tian Buli continued to eat and soon finished the big bowl of noodles.

"What Brother Tian said makes sense!" A group of uneducated laborers who couldn't even write their own names liked to listen to Brother Tian talk.

The matter is very simple. The county magistrate did not want to take responsibility. He turned a blind eye before, but now he directly found a murderer to take responsibility.

Generally, as long as one can make up for one's mistakes and maintain peace, even if someone rebels, it will be fine as long as it is suppressed. The higher-ups may even think that he is capable and directly promote him to be a county magistrate in a poor area.

In this era, suppressing a rebellion was not a great achievement that could earn you a place in the imperial court. Instead, it was a tough job that would get you sent to any place in the east, west, south, or north like a rag.

If Mr. Bing had a physique like that, he would have died after a few shakes.

Even military officers cannot withstand such frequent travel, especially if they go to remote areas, where they may die of illness if they are not careful.

Some high-ranking officials in the imperial court liked to use promotions and transfers to torment others, even tormenting them to death and destroying their interpersonal relationships and followers.

But that was a struggle. Generally speaking, it is not easy for the court to train an official. If he has the right attitude and can come up with remedial measures, he will not be transferred unless it is a big deal.

It is more peaceful where the emperor is far away. There are not many cases like this where scholars are attacked, so there is no need to worry about it.

The martial arts masters outside also generally remained restrained. They would chop down officials when they were mad with rage, but they would not run up to and kick a passing scholar unless it was necessary. Even if such a person had a father who was the leader of the martial arts world, he would not be able to withstand such trouble.

It is good to be an official, but if you want to be an official you must have achievements.

A scholar is not an official and cannot become an official. Only a juren who passes the imperial examination can become an official.

If you want to pass the imperial examination, you must first pass the examination to become a scholar.

While Tian Buli and a group of men were chatting about alley women, a large group of parents were walking back and forth outside the examination room, and hundreds of servants were waiting for news here all night.

Tian Buli slept here every day, and he was worried that Mr. Bing’s body would not be able to hold on and he would be thrown out halfway.

Whenever they saw someone coming out early, or being carried out and thrown out, or even being thrown into jail for cheating, everyone would go over to take a look, ask, and then exchange information with each other.

Tian Buli makes money during the day, but cannot sleep well at night.

I wanted to go to a brothel, but I heard that the prostitutes there would steal money. Plus, I had money on me that I could use, and I was worried that I might get sick, so I endured it for more than ten days.

On the day the exam ended, a large group of scholars came out of the yard one after another.

Tian Buli waited for a few minutes before he saw Mr. Bing walking at the back.

"gentlemen!"

Tian Buli ran over happily and said, "I'm glad you're okay. I was worried that you wouldn't be able to hold on. Let's go eat."

"Have a light meal at noon to warm your body up, eat some meat at night, and drink mutton soup tomorrow morning. Don't worry about the money. I have calculated how much you will spend every day!"

Listening to Tian Buli's words, Mr. Bing was moved and said, "Thank you, benefactor. Let's go back to the inn. I want to have a good sleep."

Tian Buli helped him sit in the car.

"Okay! I'll take you back, but I've checked out of the inn these few days to save some money. When you're not around, I'll go to the rice shop to help carry the bags and make some money. I know all the good and cheap inns nearby!"

Mr. Bing lamented how difficult it was to make money and said some words of thanks.

Neither of them talked about the exam and went directly to the small restaurant arranged by Tian Buli to eat a bowl of egg noodles.

Tian Buli bought a bag of loquats to quench his thirst. After eating a few and chatting for a while, Mr. Bing went to bed.

The food in the evening and the next day was indeed better, and Mr. Sick's health was slowly recovering.

(End of this chapter)