Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 277 Official Selection
The scholars remained completely silent throughout the entire selection process; not a single one uttered a word. The announcement of Xia Yuanji's evaluation results made it clear to all the scholars that this evaluation by the Crown Prince of Han was not a mere show, but a truly fair examination! There was no leak of questions! No nepotism! No classmates involved! No relatives by marriage! The selection was truly based on the scholars' individual abilities!

Because these scholars were all from humble backgrounds across the Ming Dynasty, they had no prior connection with the Prince of Han's residence, or rather, the Crown Prince of Han, and therefore had no possibility of interaction with him. Furthermore, these scholars had spent considerable time in Yunnan, during which time they had developed some understanding of each other's scholarship. In short, the examination results announced by the Prince of Han's residence were largely consistent with their mutual understanding of each other's knowledge. In other words, the Crown Prince of Han truly achieved absolute fairness in the imperial examination system!
This time, the Crown Prince of Han truly selected scholars based on their talents! All the scholars cheered in their hearts, their eyes filled with gratitude as they looked at the Crown Prince. They were very grateful for the Crown Prince's fair treatment and recognition of their talents and achievements.

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Highness!" After Xia Yuanji finished announcing the rankings of the two hundred scholars, all of them kowtowed to Zhu Zhanhe again in gratitude. This kneeling was a complete affirmation of the Crown Prince of Han! Even the scholar who ranked last in the examination had no objections. He knew his abilities were lacking, but at least he could get a county magistrate position! If this position were in the imperial court, it would be the dream of countless hardworking scholars!

"Rise." Zhu Zhanhe felt a surge of joy at the sight of the scholars kowtowing in gratitude. A smile appeared on his face as he gently raised his hand, gesturing for the kneeling scholars to rise. The most crucial matter of the day was what Zhu Zhanhe was about to arrange.

"Thank you, Your Highness." At this moment, the scholars were extremely polite and respectful to Zhu Zhanhe. After all, according to the procedure, the next step was for the Crown Prince to bestow official titles upon everyone! Although they didn't know how the Crown Prince would do so, all the scholars knew that receiving an official title was the most crucial and beneficial gain for them!
"Zhang Dazhu, Song Zhegui, Chai Lan," Zhu Zhanhe called out to the many scholars before him, then called out the top three scholars in the evaluation to step forward.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Upon hearing the Crown Prince call out the names of the top three, not only were Zhang Dazhu and the other top three candidates tense, but even the other scholars were incredibly nervous. Everyone wanted to see what official positions the top three would receive, hoping to deduce the Crown Prince's next rewards and honors for the others. Therefore, everyone stared wide-eyed, anxiously watching the Crown Prince's next move.

"I have said that the top three scholars in the examination will remain in the Prince's Palace to participate in the construction of the Six Ministries in Yunnan. Since I have said so, I will definitely keep my word!"

In Yunnan, the current Ministers of Personnel and Revenue are Xia Yuanji, and the Minister of War is Mu Sheng.

The remaining three ministries—the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Works—are all awaiting establishment. Therefore, the three of you may choose any one of these three ministries to serve in. I, the Crown Prince, promise to directly bestow upon you the position of Vice Minister in your respective ministries! Zhu Zhanhe looked at the three scholars who had knelt before him again and first told them that the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of War already had their chief officials, leaving the three of them with only these three ministries to choose from. However, Zhu Zhanhe's words were also meant for all the scholars present. After all, the immediate bestowal of the position of Vice Minister in a ministry was an overwhelming shock to them.

Of course, after hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, Mu Sheng was also surprised. He himself did not know when he had become the head of the Ministry of War among the six ministries of Yunnan. But before Mu Sheng's doubts could be answered, Xia Yuanji immediately gave Mu Sheng a wink, signaling him not to speak. He said that he would explain everything to him later if he had any questions.

As Zhu Zhanhe finished speaking, all the envious and jealous gazes of the other princes instantly focused on Zhang Dazhu and his two companions. Even the three of them themselves couldn't help but breathe heavily. This was because the Crown Prince of Han had offered positions that no scholar could refuse, allowing the top three scholars in the examinations to choose. At this moment, countless scholars were regretting that they hadn't studied hard enough in their youth, and now they could only watch helplessly as the positions of the heads of the Six Ministries slipped away before their eyes!

Yes, in the eyes of some scholars, Zhang Dazhu and his two companions were destined to become the heads of the Six Ministries! After all, the Six Ministries in Yunnan had only just been established, and Zhang Dazhu and the other two were among the founders of the Yunnan Six Ministries, making them the obvious future heads of the Six Ministries!
"Zhang Dazhu, you ranked first in this evaluation, so you choose first." Seeing the three people he called out kneeling on the ground in a daze, Zhu Zhanhe didn't argue with them. Instead, he smiled slightly and began to call out names.

"Your Majesty, I am humbled! Your Highness, my heart is set on the Ministry of Works." Upon hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, Zhang Dazhu swallowed hard and apologized to Zhu Zhanhe first. Then, after careful consideration, Zhang Dazhu concluded that of the three departments the Crown Prince had offered, the Ministry of Works was where he was most skilled and most capable of achieving results. After all, the Ministry of Works would undoubtedly play a crucial role in post-war reconstruction. Therefore, Zhang Dazhu unhesitatingly chose to become the Vice Minister of Works.

"it is good!

"Song Zhegui, you choose." Zhu Zhanhe neither commented nor refuted Zhang Dazhu's choice, but directly agreed. Then, Zhu Zhanhe asked about the choice of Song Zhegui, who ranked second in the evaluation. "Your Highness, this humble subject prefers the Ministry of Justice." Compared to Zhang Dazhu's hesitation, Song Zhegui gave his answer without hesitation, choosing to become a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

"very good.

"Then Chai Lan, you will be the Vice Minister of Rites from now on." In the end, Zhu Zhanhe did not give Chai Lan any further choice, but directly decided that Chai Lan would become the Vice Minister of Rites.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness!" Seeing that the positions of vice ministers were already in their hands, the three men exchanged glances, all of them seeing the undisguised joy in each other's eyes. Then, they respectfully kowtowed to Zhu Zhanhe to express their gratitude.

"You may all step down. Next, it will be the turn of Annam's officials to be selected." Seeing that the framework of the Six Ministries had been initially established, Zhu Zhanhe turned his attention to the officials of Annam. After all, Annam needed a lot of officials, but the scholars in front of him were simply not enough! It seems that he still needs to continue recruiting scholars! Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but sigh to himself.

“In my Annam region, there are twenty-two prefectural and provincial government offices, each requiring a chief official. County-level chief officials are counted separately.”

Next, starting with Yao Guan, who ranked fourth, they will choose which prefecture to become. Zhu Zhanhe's method of selecting officials was very simple and direct: based on the examination results, all scholars would come forward in order of their ranking and choose which prefecture's chief or deputy official they would become.

After the prefectural officials were selected, there were also county officials. After that, there were other official positions in the prefectural offices available for selection. In short, those with good grades were given priority, allowing these scholars to determine their rank and status purely based on their exam scores.

At this moment, one by one, the scholars, in order of their exam scores, excitedly arrived in front of the geomantic map, selected their positions, and registered with Xia Yuanji for future reference.

Of course, there were certainly some who were dissatisfied with the choice and showed signs of disappointment, but in the end, after careful selection, they still chose to become a new official in the pioneering land of Annam.

Finally, after about half an hour, all the scholars, whether satisfied or not, had completed their selection of official positions. Then, all the scholars respectfully lined up again, waiting for Zhu Zhanhe's instructions.

(End of this chapter)