There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 306 Flower-adorned Parade
The spring breeze is proud of horseshoe disease, seeing Chang'an flowers in one day.

On the day of the announcement ceremony, the sixty-one newly appointed scholars received a brand-new scholar's robe from the Ministry of Personnel. The robe had no rank and had to be returned after wearing it.

The Jinshi robe was a type of official robe with a long robe, paired with a dark blue silk robe, and the edges were trimmed with dark blue embellishments. The main body of the robe was made of round-necked, wide-sleeved fabric.

The turbans worn by the successful candidates were also quite elaborate. They were similar in shape to the black gauze hats, but with some differences. They would be decorated with black gauze ribbons on both sides of the brim and adorned with fresh flowers. They would also wear a pair of gold and silver plaques.

The newly appointed scholars were led by the top scholar Yuan Mingyao, followed by the second-place scholar Wei Fubang and the third-place scholar Deng Xianhe on either side.

Under the guidance of the government officials, the sixty-one successful candidates gathered again at the examination hall to receive instruction.

All the high-ranking civil and military officials of the central government of the Han Dynasty have arrived and are lined up on both sides according to their civil and military status.

The King of Han, seated high above, smiled and said, "Let's begin! Today's protagonists are not me, but the first batch of newly appointed scholars of my Great Han Dynasty."

"The minister obeys the order."

Huang Chengzhi, the Minister of Posts and Communications in charge of announcing the names of the candidates, hurriedly held the announcement card and bowed to accept the order.

Then, he symbolically took a few steps and came to the group of newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), posted a notice and shouted: "The special imperial examination of the first year of Xinghua of the Great Han Dynasty, held on the fifth day of the third month, will test the candidates from all over the country. The first class will be awarded the title of Jinshi, the second class will be awarded the title of Jinshi Chushen, and the third class will be awarded the title of Tong Jinshi Chushen."

"Deng Xianhe, the third-ranked scholar."

When Deng Xianhe heard his name called, he immediately stepped out of the line.

According to the rules of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the candidates for the imperial examination should not stand when their names were announced, but should kneel down upon hearing the announcement. However, in the Han dynasty, whether or not to kneel was entirely up to the King of Han.

Huang Chengzhi then shouted, "Second place: Wei Fubang!"

Wei Fubang followed him out.

Huang Chengzhi shouted again: "Top Scholar Yuan Mingyao."

Yuan Mingyao finally stepped forward and took three steps to the front of the crowd.

Unfortunately, this was the examination hall, and the Prince of Han had no palace, let alone an imperial palace. There was no place for Yuan Mingyao to stand on the top spot, so he could not enjoy the special honor of "standing out from the crowd".

But it doesn't matter. The King of Han has already given them enough face by coming here in person. As the first batch of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) of the Han Dynasty, they will definitely be among the fastest to be promoted. Moreover, even if they dare not do anything, they will still be remembered in history when the Han Dynasty conquers the world.

Huang Chengzhi then read out the list of second-class candidates: "The first place in the second class is Liu Zhao..."

The second and third place winners weren't as particular; the announcement of their names was simply a matter of calling out their names and then it was over, without any special ceremony.

Because this was the first time the Han Dynasty had held a special imperial examination, even with the guidance of Luo Dian, a senior scholar, as the chief examiner, many things were still done in a somewhat rudimentary manner, and even the ceremonial band that should have been provided for the grand ceremony of announcing the results of the imperial examination was missing.

It wasn't that the Han Dynasty was too poor to afford a ceremonial band, but rather that the ceremonial bands in the two provinces of Hubei and Hunan couldn't find anyone who could play court music.

Rather than go through all that trouble, Nie Yu simply canceled it. The Imperial Examination Ceremony was a joyous occasion for the successful candidates, and also a major national event; a necessary sense of solemnity was still necessary.

The battle of announcing the names of the candidates had just ended when Huang Chengzhi put away the announcement card, feeling that his throat was a little dry from shouting.

The newly appointed scholars did not leave immediately, because the King of Han still had words to instruct them.

"salute!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the King!"

Upon hearing the order from the Ministry of Rites official, Yuan Mingyao, who was in charge, was so nervous that he knelt down on the spot.

The top scholar knelt down, and the second and third scholars behind him were stunned and subconsciously followed suit.

A whole bunch of things splashed around!
Sixty-one newly appointed scholars knelt down in unison, making both groups of burly men, both civil and military, somewhat embarrassed.

Nie Yu laughed and said, "Get up, all of you! My great Han doesn't follow the Qing dynasty's practice of kneeling all the time."

The King of Han personally reminded him, and Yuan Mingyao, who had led the kneeling, finally realized that he had inadvertently caused a mess.

It is not customary for a strong man to kneel, yet you yourself knelt down; to put it bluntly, this shows a lack of manners.

Fortunately, the King of Han did not seem angry.

The scholars quickly expressed their gratitude and rose to their feet.

Nie Yu continued with a smile, saying, "The Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) of the pseudo-Qing Tartars start as at least seventh-rank officials. But in my Han Dynasty, even the top-ranking scholar can only become an eighth-rank official first. This is much lower than that of the pseudo-Qing. I know you must be angry about this."

"We dare not," all the scholars shouted in unison.

Nie Yu shook his head: "There's nothing I wouldn't dare to do. I've also been to school. Although I never passed the imperial examination, I probably couldn't even pass the provincial examination. But if I were in your position, I'm afraid I would also feel resentful. This big man is really too stingy. He can't even give you newly appointed imperial examination graduates a seventh-rank official position."

As Nie Yu spoke, seemingly defending the newly appointed scholars, they all exchanged bewildered glances. Before they could react, his tone suddenly turned serious: "Indeed, a seventh-rank official is in charge of a county. A county may seem small, but how many people live there? I doubt any of you new scholars know! If you can't even grasp the number of people in your jurisdiction, how can you govern them well and ensure their peaceful and prosperous lives?"

"I'm not making you start as low-ranking officials of the eighth or ninth grade, but I don't have the time to torment or humiliate you. You are all newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), and your literary talent is also well-versed in poetry and literature. But being well-versed in poetry and literature means that you will never be able to get in touch with the grassroots and will not understand the hardships of the common people."

"You don't need to be unconvinced. Take the local officials of the pseudo-Qing dynasty, for example. Which one of them wasn't a talented person who passed the imperial examinations? Yet, these very talented people know nothing when they arrive in the local area and have to recruit secretaries as advisors to come up with strategies. Putting aside the abilities of these secretaries, just think about how our Great Han came to be, and how the White Lotus Sect, which is now rebelling all over the country, came to be?"

"Ten years of hard study is indeed arduous, but the harder it is, the less one learns. They know nothing of the people's suffering, only classical Chinese, and they recruit secretaries to manipulate the system, line their own pockets, and exploit the people. It can be said that this Tartar court is half due to the Tartars themselves and half due to the corruption of these incompetent and corrupt officials."

These words were quite blunt and left no room for leniency. The newly appointed scholars all thought that the King of Han was indirectly criticizing them.

After finishing his tirade, Nie Yu, seemingly exhausted, continued, "Therefore, from now on, all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) of our Great Han Dynasty must not continue the bad habits left over from the Qing Dynasty when serving as officials. They must not recruit secretaries as advisors, and must personally make decisions and handle matters. Anyone who dares to recruit a secretary should take off their official robes and go back to their hometown to retire!"

"However, you don't need to worry too much. I will set a rule today that all newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) will first serve as deputies to observe government affairs for six months after being granted official positions. During these six months, they will not be allowed to take charge of government affairs. They should first follow behind their superiors and learn how to handle local affairs and how to avoid being misled by their subordinates."

"As for the initial rank being too low, you can rest assured. In the future, all officials who pass the imperial examinations and those who become officials in academies will start from the eighth or ninth rank. Moreover, your initial rank will not affect your normal path of promotion."

“Yuan Mingyao, Wei Fubang, Deng Xianhe, come forward.”

The three top-ranking scholars marched forward in unison.

Nie Yu said, "As top-ranking graduates, I originally intended for you to start as eighth-rank county magistrates. This position isn't too low, and you could observe the work and governance of county magistrates. However, the ministers in the cabinet felt that this was too harsh on the top-ranking graduates. So, I'll be more lenient. You can first serve as secretaries in the Grand Secretariat! After a year, you can be transferred to other posts, starting at the seventh rank. This is a preferential treatment for you top-ranking graduates!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The three quickly bowed and expressed their gratitude.

The Zhongshu Sheren was the secretary of the cabinet. In the early Tang Dynasty, he had great power and could be ranked as a fifth-rank official. However, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, his power was greatly weakened, and he became a mouthpiece for the emperor and a secretary of the cabinet. His rank was also reduced to a seventh-rank official.

But don't underestimate this seventh-rank official, a mere secretary in the Grand Secretariat with no real power and a low rank. There were only ten positions in the Grand Secretariat, and in the Qing Dynasty, two were even removed to reserve for Manchus.

Although the position of Zhongshu Sheren in the Ming and Qing dynasties had low authority, they could often meet with the top officials in the central government.

If someone can serve a full year as a secretary in the cabinet and still not make a name for themselves, then the problem isn't with the court, but with the person themselves. Nie Yu wasn't worried that these three wouldn't succeed. He had already checked the records over the past few days and learned about Yuan Mingyao's background. It turned out he had been Wei Yuan's teacher, and the other second-place scholar was actually Wei Yuan's uncle.

It can be said that these two individuals had a significant impact on Wei Yuan's future development.

We should learn from the barbarians' superior techniques to subdue them!

He was also the author of "Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms," a truly remarkable person.

If we calculate the time, Wei Yuan was born five years ago, so he should only be six years old now, not yet old enough to start school.

It just so happened that the Great Han Dynasty was reforming its schools, and I was able to attend the Great Han's new-style primary school.

The "first person in modern times to open his eyes to the world" in this era will probably no longer be Wei Yuan. But that's okay, Wei Yuan hasn't grown up yet, so let's make good use of his teachers and uncles first.

In any case, all three of them were talented, even Liu Zhigang, who ranked third in all three examinations. This guy was not very famous and left almost no biography, but he was Wei Yuan's tutor.

As the home of Yuelu Academy, the foremost of the four great ancient academies, Hunan truly boasts an abundance of top-tier talents.

Nie Yu then said, "After you are sent out to other places in a year, I will set up new counties in Hefeng, Xiangxi, and Baoqing. You can choose a place to be sent out then. In the future, the top-ranking scholars who pass the imperial examination will all go to these poorest and most difficult places. Of course, if you go to these places, you will definitely be promoted faster than in the rich places."

The three areas of Hefeng, Xiangxi, and Baoqing are not only very poor, but also have a large Tu ethnic minority population, making them quite difficult to govern.

But no matter how troublesome, the Han Dynasty had to solve the problems; it couldn't continue with the old system of indirect rule. For example, Shi Liudeng, the Miao leader in western Hunan, was nominally a leader but in reality a Miao king. The Han Dynasty couldn't tolerate Shi Liudeng being the Miao king for long, as this would be detrimental to the Han Dynasty's policy of replacing local chieftains with centrally appointed officials and implementing Sinicization in western Hunan.

Therefore, the initial strategy of the central government of the Han Dynasty was to first establish new counties in three areas, relocate some Han people, and let the Han and the local people live together, intermarry and become Sinicized.

This is a long-term project, and it will definitely be very difficult in the early stages.

Not only is being an official arduous, but the Prince of Han also suffers. There are no problems in Hefeng, because the Prince of Han has already married a Tujia concubine, while negotiations with Xiangxi and Baoqing are still ongoing.

The Miao people of western Hunan have already agreed that they will also marry a Miao concubine to the Miao people before they will open up western Hunan and allow Han officials to build cities and counties there.

"I am willing to serve as an official in western Hunan." After listening to the King of Han's instructions, Yuan Mingyao took the lead in expressing his opinion and immediately chose western Hunan.

He felt this was the poorest place; just from the name of a place in western Hunan, you could tell it was definitely uncivilized.

Wei Fubang and Deng Xianhe were not to be outdone.

"Your subject wishes to go to Baoqing."

"Your subject wishes to go to Hefeng."

The top-ranking scholars set an example, and the remaining dozens of newly appointed scholars all expressed their desire to be sent to the poorest and most difficult places.

It's not just Han Wang's saying that the poorer the place, the faster you get promoted; it's also that they're too young, and their blood is still hot.

This passion fueled their desire to accomplish great things, rather than simply thinking about becoming officials and embezzling money.

Their choice wasn't fundamentally wrong. As the first Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) of the Han Dynasty, as long as the Han Dynasty didn't fall, their promotions would certainly be faster than those of ordinary people. Even if their political achievements were mediocre and unremarkable, they would still be given priority for promotion, and the Ministry of Personnel would definitely remember these sixty-one people.

"Good, that's ambitious." Nie Yu laughed and said, "What I just said to the top scholar and the others also applies to you. Don't worry about your ranking or background. The poorer the place where you serve as an official, the faster you will be promoted."

Upon hearing this, all the scholars were delighted.

These words are an open encouragement to them, telling them that if they suffer in a poor place for a few years, they can become high-ranking officials and do great things without having to worry about rankings.

For those who achieved the second or third rank in the imperial examinations, especially those who achieved the third rank, it was practically a shortcut to their future official careers.

If being able to endure hardship leads to high office, then naturally everyone would be willing to endure hardship.

If you can't endure hardship and fatigue, what kind of official position are you?

"Alright, everyone disperse! They're all adorned with flowers and parading through the streets, enjoying the spring breeze. I can't possibly steal the limelight from today's newly appointed scholars."

After finishing the serious topic, Nie Yu suddenly smiled and started joking with the newly appointed scholars.

The newly appointed scholars dared not laugh, but they were able to relax for once. They were then guided by officials from the Ministry of Rites and sent out of the examination hall.

Sixty-one horses were already prepared outside the examination hall.

Traditionally, only the top-ranking scholars (those who passed the highest level of the imperial examination) could ride horses when they paraded through the streets wearing flowers in their hair; the second and third-ranking scholars had to walk.

Since the Han Dynasty had fewer procedures, it simply made up for it by riding horses, and borrowed sixty-one warhorses from the army.

"Scholar, please mount your horse!" The prefect of Jingzhou said with a smile as he led the horse by the reins.

Yuan Mingyao cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your trouble."

Jingzhou was now equivalent to the capital of the Han Dynasty, and the prefect of Jingzhou was equivalent to the governor of the capital. The governor led the horse, showing him great respect.

Yuan Mingyao rode on the back of the horse, led by the prefect of Jingzhou. The other scholars did not receive such treatment and were led by their cavalrymen.

"The newly appointed top scholar, Yuan Mingyao, is about to parade through the streets adorned with flowers!"

The clerk leading the way shouted, and the people who had already heard the news and were eager to catch a glimpse of the top scholar rushed forward.

Fortunately, a Han army unit was deployed in advance, so maintaining order at the scene was not a major problem.

The common people not only watched and joined in the fun, but also kept playing around, throwing freshly picked and woven flower wreaths and bouquets into the pile of successful candidates.

The scholars also had smiles on their faces. Some of them simply reached out and caught the bouquets, waving them in their hands, which drew cheers and applause from the onlookers.

"Wang, what does this mean? Why are your people so excited to see officials riding horses?" Henry, who had just arrived in Jingzhou today, happened to see the scene of people wearing flowers in their hair and excitedly joining in the fun, so he couldn't help but ask Wang Qiaosheng next to him.

When asked this question, Wang Qiaosheng was at a loss for words. After racking his brains for a long time, he finally managed to make Henry understand.

Henry picked up his notebook and wrote: "In China, their scholars can become government officials through special examinations. They can even wear government-issued official robes, wear flowers, and ride horses through the streets to be welcomed by the people. It's an extremely friendly country to scholars, even the rebels..."

After recording this part, Henry asked.

"Woof, when are we going to see the King of Han?"

"Wait a minute, we need to report to the government first... um, make an appointment."

"I understand."

(End of this chapter)