Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 223 Rank 8 Lower-Rank Official

Compared to the recent dramatic provincial examinations, the Ministry of Personnel's special examinations were rather lackluster.

On the day of the final examination, the thirteen candidates gathered again outside the Ministry of Personnel's office, where they were received by Xi Yu, an assistant minister of the Ministry. The examination venue remained in the south courtyard of the Ministry of Personnel, separated from their previous examination hall by only a wall.

This wasn't a deliberate arrangement. The Southern Courtyard of the Ministry of Personnel was also known as the Selection Courtyard, which was originally the venue for the selection of officials. The provincial examinations for the imperial examinations didn't have their own dedicated examination halls; they had previously used a portion of the Selection Courtyard for these examinations.

The imperial examination also included a ceremony called "court audience." An incense table was set up outside the examination hall, and the candidates would greet the official in charge of the examination, the Ministry of Personnel. The candidates would address each other as "disciples," hence the term "one-day disciples."

After the court session, everyone entered the hall. Xi Yu briefly explained the rules, format, and techniques of writing judgments, and then distributed the questions. There were three questions in total. The disciples would pass if they answered them within the allotted time. The judgments did not require detailed corrections or rankings; basically, anyone who participated would pass.

Drafting judgments for cases is a basic skill for an official. If one lacks the ability to judge people and matters, or lacks the theoretical basis to support their views, then they are not only incapable of being an official, but also have problems as a person—they are utterly incompetent.

The Tang Dynasty text "Dragon Tendons and Phoenix Marrow Judgment" contains the following judgment: "When General Wang Chang of the Imperial Guard died, he had no legitimate son. He took his nephew as his successor, but his illegitimate son claimed that he was not qualified to inherit the title."

The chief judge's verdict reads: "Abandoning his illegitimate son and taking in his nephew, his intention is not to protect his family, and the gods will surely not approve of his sacrifices. Xun Daoming, the son of a virtuous ruler, is a jewel in the crown; Wei Yuancheng, the son of a prime minister, is a flourishing magnolia in succession. Mei Gao's illegitimate son did not diminish his family's prestige; Pei Xiu, born of a concubine, did not hinder his noble birth. In the house of the Three Sturgeons, silver and gold flourish; at the gate of the Seven Sables, gold and purple robes emerge from within."

The verdict means that abandoning one's son for one's nephew means not even protecting one's own bloodline, and the gods will certainly not enjoy such offerings. Xun Daoming, Wei Xuancheng, Mei Gao, and Pei Xiu were all born out of wedlock, but that did not prevent them from achieving great success and bringing glory to their families.

In powerful families with deep-rooted influence, outstanding offspring will naturally emerge. But engaging in such foolish acts of passing on titles and honors will inevitably lead to the complete ruin of the family.

A good judgment is not only upright and fair in its viewpoint, but its reasoning process is also a literary work worthy of appreciation. Judging judgments was a basic skill for officials in the Tang Dynasty; the "judgment" in the phrase "body, speech, and written judgment" refers to this. Collections of judgments such as "Dragon Tendon and Phoenix Marrow Judgment" and "Bai's Hundred Judgments" have been passed down to later generations.

Zhang Dai did not have in-depth research on judgments, but he had a large collection of practical texts at home for reference. Moreover, apart from judgments on the special imperial examinations for outstanding candidates, most judgments did not need to be written in a particularly ornate style; they only needed to be logically coherent and express the meaning accurately.

So after reading the questions, he pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen and wrote his answers. Before long, he had finished answering all three questions. The other scholars had also finished their answers and were waiting for the papers to be collected.

After collecting all the candidates' examination papers, Xi Yu said, "Gentlemen, you have achieved academic success and are virtuous in your arts. You have entered the court as candidates for the national and local examinations, passed the imperial examinations, and now you have passed the final examinations. From now on, you will dedicate your talents to the country and your lives will not belong to you. You will enter this department to record the candidates' reports and documents, receive imperial edicts, and be officially appointed!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted. After going through many hardships and trials, they had finally reached the moment of reaping the rewards!
So they followed Xi Yu back to the Ministry of Personnel, stood in line below the steps, and went up to state their hometowns and origins in order to submit their petitions.

The so-called "application register" refers to the official register of officials. This information will be collected by the Southern Bureau of the Ministry of Personnel, categorized and stored, and then reviewed and selected during the selection process to select those who meet the eligibility criteria for official positions.

Yan Tingzhi, who had just been promoted to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, personally sat in the hall and presided over the creation of official registers for his students.

"Zhang Dai, a tribute student from Jingzhao Prefecture, was originally from Kangsu Village, Henan County, Henan Prefecture. In the year of Bingyin, he passed the Jingzhao Prefecture examination and entered the court as the top-ranked tribute student. The following year, he participated in the Ministry of Personnel's examination for tribute students, and in the year of Dingmao, he passed the first-class examination with the highest score..."

After the data was recorded, an official from the Ministry of Personnel stepped forward to call out the names and read them aloud. Then he asked Zhang Dai, "Does Zhang Dai, a Jinshi from the Dingmao year, have any objections to his registration here?"

"This humble official has no objection!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly replied, while inwardly sighing, "So this is how someone becomes a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)."

After passing the prefectural examination, one is called a tribute student, also known as a Jinshi. After passing the Jinshi examination, one is called a newly appointed Jinshi. After passing the final examination, one is called a former Jinshi.

"Zhang Dai, a scholar who passed the provincial examination with top honors, was assessed by the Ministry of Personnel. His literary and scientific abilities were both outstanding. According to precedent, he was eligible for promotion to the rank of Senior Literary Gentleman of the Ninth Grade. However, Zhang Dai came from a distinguished family. His grandfather, Zhang Shuoguo, was a meritorious official who was enfeoffed as Duke of Yan and served as Right Chancellor of the Ministry of Personnel. His titles and positions were both prominent. He was granted the second rank and promoted to Senior Literary Gentleman of the Ninth Grade..."

After Zhang Dai finished registering his rank, Yan Tingzhi stood up again and read out his imperial edict of appointment.

Only those who passed the provincial examination could become formal reserve officials and participate in the selection process. One of the hallmarks of becoming an official was being granted a rank and the corresponding honorary title.

However, the initial appointment times for honorary titles varied. Some were granted immediately after passing the preliminary examination, while others were granted after participating in the civil service examination or the special examination. The timing didn't make a significant difference, but obtaining an honorary title early undoubtedly brought more convenience and satisfied vanity sooner. Yan Tingzhi, having been promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was in charge of assessing and appointing officials based on their ranks and titles, so naturally, he needed to get his protégés' appointments sorted out as soon as possible.

Although the Jinshi examination was hailed as a prestigious selection of scholars, the initial treatment was not high. After passing the Jinshi examination, the lowest rank was usually granted to a junior official of the ninth rank. Zhang Dai passed the Jinshi examination with the highest rank, so he was granted the higher rank of senior official of the ninth rank.

But that wasn't all. He came from an official family and also had a privileged background, which came from the favor bestowed upon his father and grandfather. His father was nothing more than a lowly fourth-rank official, but his grandfather was a Duke and the Right Chancellor, a second-rank official, so he was able to be promoted two ranks.

However, this is not Zhang Dai's final promotion. After all, his mentor was in charge of this. If he did not promote his disciple to a higher rank within the rules, then his old mentor would have wasted his time.

So Yan Tingzhi continued reading: "In the summer of the fourteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, Zhang Dai, as a commoner, presented a memorial, offered excellent strategies, and recommended virtuous and capable individuals. The Emperor personally reviewed it and deemed it excellent, and bestowed upon him the rank of one grade. Later, when Crown Prince Huiwen passed away, his disciples participated in state rites and made meritorious contributions, and were all promoted one grade and appointed as Senior Attendant Gentlemen of the Eighth Rank..."

Hearing this, Zhang Dai felt even more pleased. Since arriving in this world last year, he had been busy and had made many gains, but his status had not changed significantly; he was still just a commoner.

Now he has finally overcome all obstacles and become the top scholar in the imperial examination. After the final examination today, he can be said to have received a stage reward.

These repeated pronouncements of "add one rank, grant one rank" sounded like heavenly music to his ears. Although they were just a few simple syllables, they represented extremely difficult hurdles to overcome. Especially since he was also burdened by the personnel turmoil caused by his grandfather Zhang Shuo's fall from power, the difficulty of overcoming each hurdle was even greater.

Zhang Dai just wanted to close his eyes and listen. With each step added up, it wouldn't be long before he was promoted to the first rank of "Kaifu Yitong Sansi"!
However, he listened for a while without hearing anything, and then he heard Yan Tingzhi say in a deep voice, "Why don't you hurry up and go forward to receive the imperial edict and express your gratitude?"

Is this gone?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai felt a sense of loss. Still feeling unsatisfied, he hurried forward and took the imperial edict that ultimately appointed him as a "Lower-Rank Eighth-Rank Official". He glanced at Yan Tingzhi and sighed, "This teacher is no good either. He couldn't even get him a seventh-rank official position!"

In addition to the imperial edict granting him his official rank, he was also bestowed with a dark blue official robe and a brass belt befitting an eighth-rank official. Brass is copper ore that is mined directly from nature without smelting. But whether it is smelted or not, it is still copper.

This official robe was not bestowed upon them directly; it was merely a ceremonial item. It was meant to be worn briefly and then taken back. If one wanted it, they had to pay money to the Ministry of Personnel to buy it. If one did not want the official robe, they could go home and buy cloth to make one themselves.

However, Zhang Dai did not intend to prepare an official robe, as it was not worthy of his silver fish pouch!

As the top scholar, he was the first to enter the hall to register and receive the imperial edict, while his fellow graduates stood outside craning their necks in anticipation. When they saw Zhang Dai emerge carrying the imperial edict and his dark blue official robe, they couldn't help but reveal envious and hopeful glances.

Next, everyone took turns to register and receive their official titles according to their ranking in the imperial examinations. Although Zhang Dai looked down on his dark blue official robe, he felt somewhat better when he saw the light blue official robes that the others received.

As the top scholar in the imperial examination and the grandson of a duke, he had also presented a book to the emperor and served as a mourner for the Prince of Qi, among other things. Yet, in the end, he only received a low-ranking official position of the eighth grade.

The others, naturally lacking his background and experience, were mostly granted the rank of Junior Ninth Grade Literary Gentleman. The reason for the higher rank was to compensate them with an additional essay examination, making the passing of the examination even more difficult.

Li Yi and Du Wei, who topped the list of candidates in the Imperial Academy, were awarded the rank of Dengshilang (a lower-ranking official) in recognition of their outstanding academic performance in classical Chinese studies.

Only now have all the procedures for this year's imperial examination for Jinshi been completed, and everyone's status has undergone a fundamental change.

"Fellow candidates, we all took the exam in the same venue, but Zhang Liuxu achieved the highest rank. Today, as we celebrate with a banquet, shouldn't he be the one to pay for the meal to comfort his disappointed classmates?"

Li Yi was naturally delighted to be granted two additional ranks of official rank, but when he saw Zhang Dai's imperial edict for the eighth rank, his joy was greatly diminished. He stepped forward, grabbed Zhang Dai's robe, and then shouted to the crowd.

"Zhang Lang, you should pay the bill! Let's go to Song San Niang's house and have some fun on the lake!"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, each grabbing a corner of his robe to prevent him from escaping, and then escorting him all the way to the neighborhood.

Zhang Dai was innocently kidnapped, and he was thinking about whether to lure these guys to Gao Chengxin's house and ask his sister-in-law to perform a sword dance, so that when Gao Chengxin came back, he could throw them out one by one!
(End of this chapter)