Qing Yao

Chapter 23: Get a Big Block
Good news from the delivery room, promotion!

Although this certification department is not part of the county-level government system and is an institution temporarily approved by the county magistrate for special matters, it is still an institution no matter how big or small.

Who dares to say that the Red Cross and the Consumers Association are not legitimate government agencies?
After being seconded to the household department as a temporary worker for more than a month, he was promoted to the president of a similar association. In terms of rank, he was at least a deputy section chief. This made Zhao An, who was determined to follow the right path, very happy.

I am truly grateful to the county magistrate and his eight generations of ancestors from the bottom of my heart.

It's not an insult, it's a sincere thank you.

Compared with the officials Zhao An knew in his previous life who took money but did not do their jobs, County Magistrate Ding was a rare good official.

At least, he treated his subordinates who could help him do things very well. This incident also shows how much County Magistrate Ding valued talents.

This is the basic quality of a qualified official.

In order to get the Certification Department started working as soon as possible, County Magistrate Ding specially wrote a note to ask the Household Department to allocate 500 taels for the expenses of the newly established Certification Department. At the same time, he adopted the suggestion of Master Ji and had Zhao An, the person in charge, select capable personnel from various units in the county to strengthen the Certification Department.

It really means that the salary, funding and people are provided.

Just waiting for a grand opening and a lot of money.

The only regret is that this certification department is a temporary institution after all, so don’t listen to the county magistrate giving Zhao An an ambassador title, because the value of this ambassador title is far from enough because it has never been registered with the Ministry of Personnel.

The prerequisite for becoming an official is to have the title of scholar.

This is difficult to do given Zhao An’s current situation.

To put it in a more vivid way, Ambassador Zhao An is like an outstanding private entrepreneur in his previous life who spent some money to become the deputy head of a township for fun.

It is said to be official, but there is no formal procedure;

Although he is not an official, at least people call him deputy township head.

To put it more accurately, positions are assigned according to the people.

When people are on the job, they are there; when they are not on the job, they are not there.

Therefore, if Zhao An wanted to become a formal official recognized by the Qing court, he had to find a way to solve the academic qualification issue.

But now is not the time to think about this. We still have to do the job we have worked so hard to do well and lay a good foundation for the next step of development.

Zhao An was unable to become a regular employee due to his academic qualifications, which was a pity for Master Ji. As the "deputy county magistrate in charge" who was directly responsible for the Certification Department, he led Zhao An to prepare for the establishment of the Certification Department.

This unit has no direct relationship with any other institution in the county, and does not need to report to the chief clerk or the county magistrate. Its only direct leader is the county magistrate.

This point was repeatedly emphasized by County Magistrate Ding.

Why do I emphasize this point? I know it very well.

First of all, the certification department must have an office location.

County Magistrate Ding suggested that two rooms in the yamen be vacated for use as office space, but Zhao An felt that as the largest taxpayer in Ganquan County this year, next year, and the year after until the county magistrate leaves office, the Certification Department must have a separate office space, just like the Taxation Department and the Inspection Department, with a separate sign. This would not only look impressive, but would also make it convenient for the people to do business.

Otherwise, they could just randomly set up two rooms in the county government office for office use. Firstly, this would give people the impression of lacking authority; secondly, it would be inconvenient for people to come in and out.

Too many people mean too much, and too much money can easily lead to trouble.

Mr. Ji agreed with this and reported the situation to the county magistrate. The county magistrate was kind enough to let Mr. Ji handle it.

Finally, at Zhao An's suggestion, the Certification Department's office was located in the vacant house of the Taxation Department - the courtyard located in Renfengli Lane.

The reason why we chose this place is because it is close to Dongguan Street, and it has its own door and yard, and there is a lot of space inside. It would be a pity to use it as a staff dormitory.

Besides, Zhao An was used to living here and didn’t want to run back and forth between the unit, dormitory and county government office every day.

When the Taxation Department received the notice from the County Office that the office was being vacated for the Certification Department, everyone was baffled. Ambassador Ding Zhenglong racked his brains to understand what this Certification Department was. He went to the County Office to inquire about the situation, but none of his familiar colleagues in the Sixth Office knew what this Certification Department was for. They only said that the County Magistrate had recently established it and that the person in charge was Zhao An, who had been seconded from the Taxation Department to the Household Affairs Office.

"Zhao An?"

Ambassador Ding was completely bewildered and could not accept the fact that a temporary worker under him suddenly had to be on equal footing with him.

He couldn't accept it, and Zhang Qingting, the head of the human resources department, couldn't accept it even more. After knowing this, he went to the county magistrate to report that Zhao An, the new temporary worker, was not suitable to be the head of a department in terms of qualifications or academic qualifications. As a result, he was severely reprimanded by the county magistrate, who said that he, Zhang Qingting, was jealous of talented people and didn't want others to make progress. This made Zhang Qingting feel ashamed and depressed when he came back.

There was nothing I could do but watch with hatred as Zhao An's building collapsed.

The news that Zhao An was appointed by the county magistrate as the head of the certification department caused a great sensation when it reached the tax department. It was only when people congratulated his cousin Wang Defa on having a good nephew that he realized that his cousin had become a famous figure around the county magistrate in just over a month after going to the county government.

I was really moved and wanted to find my cousin right away to ask him to keep a low profile and not to become arrogant just because the county lord holds me in high esteem, or to abuse his power to do anything wrong.

On second thought, he believed that his nephew's good fortune was due to his own efforts, and that he had always left the impression of being a very good young man, good in all aspects of his conduct. Although he was his uncle, he had worked for more than 30 years but was not as lucky as his nephew. He decided to wait and see.

If it is really reported that my cousin has done something bad, I will give him some advice as an elder.

Zhao An has confirmed the unit address, and the next step is to transfer people.

Zhao An didn't dare to make his own decision on the matter of transferring people, so he asked Master Ji to make the decision. He only mentioned Liu Xiaolou, the accountant of the Taxation Department, to Master Ji.

It's not that he didn't want to call Bao Dawei and Yang Xiaoshuan from his hometown, but he was really worried that these two guys would reveal the fact that he was not a Tongsheng at all.

At this moment, countless people in the county are staring at him and jealous of him. If it is really revealed that his academic qualifications are fake, all his efforts will be wasted.

Just ask yourself, how much integrity can a person who dares to falsify his academic qualifications have?

Which leader would dare to employ such a person, or employ him in such a high position?

Master Ji transferred a total of eight people to the Certification Department to be under Zhao An's command. Except for Liu Xiaolou, three of the remaining seven people were temporary workers in the Household Department, two were errand runners in the Gift Department, and the other two were strong men transferred from the Class Room.

No regular workers (clerks) were transferred, obviously because they were afraid that the clerks would rely on their seniority and refuse to be ordered around by the newcomer Zhao An.

It was also done with care.

Eight people are definitely enough for an association that specializes in issuing honorary certificates, but Zhao An has another thing on his mind.

After accompanying Master Ji to purchase some office supplies for the Certification Division that day, he finally couldn't help but say, "Sir, I'm deeply grateful to you and the County Magistrate for your trust and the important task you've entrusted me with. I've been working diligently these past few days, fearing I'll disappoint you and the County Magistrate's high hopes. However, as an ambassador of the Division, if I dress casually, it'll be easy for merchants to look down on me. So, please help me dress more formally."

What do you mean?
No big block!
Without an official uniform, the job is not a matter of whether it goes smoothly or not, but a matter of whether it can be accomplished or not.

"That's the truth."

Mr. Ji nodded, but did not give Zhao An any confirmation on the spot. However, when he came again the next day, he brought Zhao An a surprise.

A white straw hat woven with bamboo mats and wheat straw and covered with silk, a brown long gown, and a pair of black boots that only officials could wear.

He had no hat or robes, no court beads, and no peacock feather, because Zhao An was a man of no official rank.

Strictly speaking, Zhao An is not even qualified to wear this official uniform.

It was still specially approved by the county magistrate.

Looking at the official uniform he had always dreamed of, Zhao An couldn't wait to put it on. Not only did the change of clothes instantly change his appearance, but his entire mental state was also different. When he walked out of the room, Liu Xiaolou was the first to step forward, half-kneeling on one knee and saying with a smile on his face, "I pay my respects to Ambassador Zhao!"

There will be only two updates today, I have something to do in the evening.

Readers who like President Zhao are also requested to give more support, such as monthly tickets, comments, and rewards. The most important thing is to keep reading.

In addition, the book's description of how county magistrates in the Qing Dynasty amassed wealth and how they respected their superiors is basically based on the diaries written by some county magistrates in the Qing Dynasty. It is an artistic re-creation based on this and is basically in line with historical facts.



(End of this chapter)