I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 2: You can’t win even if you roll up, and you can’t lie down even if you lie down

On the fifth day of March, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Very cold.

Shen Nian, wearing the blue uniform of a seventh-rank civil servant, walked to the Hanlin Academy on the south side of East Chang'an Street.

The head of the Hanlin Academy is a fifth-rank Hanlin scholar.

The deputy chief is a fifth-rank bachelor of reading and bachelor of lectureship.

But now.

Generally, they are the second-rank Shangshu or the third-rank left or right vice ministers who come from Hanlin Academy and serve as Hanlin academicians.

In addition, the Hanlin Academy was directly under the emperor's control.

Other government offices were very friendly and polite to the officials of the Hanlin Academy.

Shen Nian strode into this typical multi-courtyard house and looked around.

The walls, doors and windows inside are all vermilion, with the eaves and wooden beams accented with a hint of blue-green.

This is the iconic color combination of the Ming Dynasty government offices.

The front yard is filled with numerous flowers and trees, with various paintings, and houses a large blue and white vase with a multicolored lotus pond and waterfowl pattern.

Behind it are courtyards within courtyards.

among them.

The east hall of the second courtyard is the office of the historians.

There are three halls inside.

They are the Revision Hall, the Editing Hall and the Review Hall.

There is a saying: The editor is in charge of writing (sixth rank), the editor is in charge of compiling (seventh rank), and the reviewer is in charge of reviewing (seventh rank).

But in fact.

The last one in the review is to do all the trivial things.

There are five workstations in the review hall.

They correspond to the five current reviewers of the Hanlin Academy: Wang Zudi, Zhao Yongxian, Liu Kezheng, Liu Chuxian and Shen Nian.

When Shen Nian arrived at the workstation, the other four had already arrived.

Wang Zudi, 44 years old, has a beautiful beard and stands straight.

He was turning the pages of a book with one hand and writing with the other, his face serious and very focused.

Even in private, he is serious.

There seemed to be eight big words written on his forehead: Serve the country and make the king as good as Yao and Shun.

……

Zhao Yongxian, who is forty years old, has thinning hair, graying temples, and a body that is overweight due to overwork.

He looked sleepy and rubbed his temples from time to time. It was obvious that he had been working all night long on official business again yesterday.

……

Thirty-three-year-old Liu Kezhen has fair skin and a slightly sickly look.

He stood at the window, busy practicing Mandarin with a worn-out copy of "Hongwu Zhengyun".

He is from Panyu (Cantonese) and has a strong southern accent.

If you want to become the imperial historian, it will be useless if you can't speak Mandarin.

……

Thirty-one-year-old Liu Chuxian is quite leisurely.

He was sitting in front of the tea table making tea. When he saw Shen Nian, he smiled and nodded at her.

He is a fellow townsman of Prime Minister Zhang, has strong connections and is highly talented.

He was the only one among the five reviewers who participated in the writing of the daily notes.

Although he only compiled the emperor's words and deeds in the first and second years of the Wanli period based on the records of relevant ministers, he would definitely be the first to fill the position of historian once it became vacant.

He doesn't look busy, but he is actually working hard where no one can see.

……

To be an official in the Ming Dynasty, the main thing is to fight hard first and then lie down.

Starting from the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty officialdom started on a bad note.

Officials all take pride in being busy.

develop to the end.

Some government officials even followed the trend of working overtime, competing with each other, and endured the hardship without any effort, gradually becoming the non-stick pans of the officialdom and top performing artists.

But these people in the Hanlin Academy are really busy.

If these five people in the Review Office fail to seize the opportunity to be promoted within three to five years, they will be overtaken by the Shujishi behind them, and their official careers will be much more difficult.

The reviewers are so hardworking.

The people in the Compilation Office and the Editing Office were even more involved.

This also comes from the influence of Prime Minister Zhang's exemplary leadership.

Zhang Juzheng was a workaholic.

The goal of all officials in the Hanlin Academy is to become the next Zhang Juzheng.

In Shen Nian’s later memories.

Apart from Zhang Juzheng's frequent walks whenever the snow fell in the Forbidden City, the most memorable moments were Wanli's absence from the morning court and Zhang Juzheng's death from exhaustion, which was followed by the confiscation of his property. He also wanted Zhang Juzheng's power, but not his life.

Shen Nian sat at the table, on which was a pile of documents.

Some needed his review and signature, some needed him to transcribe and store, and some needed him to add content...

Although there are many scribes in the Hanlin Academy.

However, some important memorials and documents cannot be handled by clerks.

By the time he finishes all this, it will probably be noon. He still has to teach in the inner study hall in the afternoon, so his official duties are very full.

Immediately.

Shen Nian ground the ink, picked up the pen, and started a new day's work.

Unlike yesterday when Shen Nian felt depressed because "going to the government office was like going to the grave", Shen Nian was very excited and full of energy at the moment.

……

Near noon.

Shen Nian put down his pen and looked ahead.

Zhao Yongxian and Wang Zudi, who worked the hardest, didn't drink a sip of tea or go to the toilet once in two hours.

This really proves the saying: When you are in your forties, it is the age to work hard!

Liu Kezhen, who has not been in good health, stood up from time to time, stretched his body, and practiced speaking Mandarin.

Liu Chuxian was out on official business.

Shen Nian looked at the pile of documents in front of him, wondering what path he should take in the future.

Lie flat?

That is absolutely impossible.

Being a slave in the lower-level officialdom of the Ming Dynasty was very hard, but if you became a top-level slave like Zhang Juzheng, going to the yamen would be a pleasure.

Roll it up?
Shen Nian shook his head helplessly.

He believed that he could not beat these people, and even if he won, he might just be a reviewer of the Hanlin Academy who died young.

The only option is to find a side door and take a shortcut.

Shen Nian thought about it carefully.

If he wants to be promoted, there are two shortcuts that are suitable for him.

First, he submitted frank advice to the emperor and earned the reputation of being an upright and honest official.

This is the more mainstream approach in official circles.

Second, they can offer brilliant strategies or shocking ideas for reforming state governance and become famous overnight.

soon.

He shook his head helplessly again.

It is too risky to submit a stern remonstration.

It will only be effective if you attack the emperor or the prime minister.

He could not attack any of the current young emperor, the chief minister Zhang Juzheng, or the second minister Lu Diaoyang.

Hai Rui once did this, and he was almost killed for his convincing actions.

Until now, he is just a mascot of the Ming Dynasty, and Zhang Juzheng doesn't need him at all.

In the eyes of many officials, he is not a role model but a monster.

The current Ming Dynasty can only accommodate one Hai Rui.

Learn from him.

He would only be branded with the bad reputation of "slandering the emperor and selling his integrity, seeking fame and reputation", and the punishment would be beating in court at the lightest and dismissal at the worst.

As for making some shocking remarks.

Shen Nian does have some knowledge, such as: The Wealth of Nations, inflation, Keynes' law, contract curve, Newton's three laws, etc.

Just a superficial explanation is enough to shock people today.

but--

The current Zhang Juzheng is the most dazzling light of reform in the Ming Dynasty.

Given Shen Nian's current position, if he speaks without authorization, he will easily become like Yang Xiu and Kong Beihai. The more he shows off, the faster he will die.

Think about it.

Shen Nian still planned to work hard on teaching in the inner study hall.

As a chief lecturer with nearly ten years of teaching experience, lecturing is what he is best at.

Even the most boring content can be made into something interesting.

Rolling up on this track, he is not afraid of anyone.

As long as he is much better than other teachers in the inner school, someone will help him become famous.

Survival in officialdom.

Taking it slow is the right way.

Immediately, Shen Nian opened a new notebook and started preparing lessons.

……

Note: Wang Zudi, Zhao Yongxian, Liu Kezheng, and Liu Chuxian are all real historical figures. They all became reviewers of the Hanlin Academy on the ninth day of the fifth month of the first year of the Wanli reign.

(End of this chapter)