Qing Yao

Chapter 86 Can I say hello?
The title of Grand Secretary was the highest honor a scholar could enjoy in his lifetime. During the Qianlong era, Grand Secretaries were said to have served in "three halls and three pavilions".

The Hall of Preserving Harmony, the Hall of Literary Glory, the Hall of Martial Valor, plus the Wenyuan Pavilion, the East Pavilion, and the Tiren Pavilion.

Those who could become Grand Secretaries of the Three Halls and Three Pavilions were basically all high-ranking officials, representing the pinnacle of a scholar's life.

The Ziguang Pavilion was a place where Emperor Qianlong specially stored portraits of meritorious officials who sacrificed their lives for the country, similar to the Yun Pavilion in the Han Dynasty and the Lingyan Pavilion in the Tang Dynasty.

Of the "Three Halls and Three Pavilions", the Hall of Preserving Harmony was the most prestigious. However, after the death of Fu Heng, the original Grand Secretary of the Hall of Preserving Harmony, the position of Grand Secretary was no longer granted to officials. This resulted in the formation of the "Two Halls and Three Pavilions" structure, with the Hall of Literary Glory becoming the most prestigious Grand Secretary position.

Zhao An proposed the slogan "To enter the Wenhua Hall in life and the Ziguang Pavilion in death," ostensibly to encourage students to study hard, go further and further on the path of the imperial examinations, and ultimately surpass their predecessors, bringing glory to their ancestors and dedicating their lives to the Qing Dynasty.

In reality, it's a disguised way of elevating the art of flattery to an extremely high level, thereby attracting the attention of superiors.

This boss also includes the old man.

Zhao An's current rank is only twelve levels lower than the old master's.

It's not a huge difference, but it's not a small one either; with some effort, we can still narrow the gap between the two sides.

Before this, there may have been some slogans and mottos in local government schools to encourage students, but which slogan or motto was as loud, as moving, as resounding, as soul-stirring, and as unparalleled in loyalty and filial piety as Zhao An's?

No, definitely not.

There is no more shameless academic official than Zhao An.

The professors and instructors in other places were all successful candidates in the imperial examinations, having undergone formal education. No matter how much they wanted to advance, they had to consider their basic dignity and not be ridiculed in official circles as sycophants.

Having this stain on your reputation, you'll never be able to hold your head high again.

Does Zhao An care about this?
If the old man doesn't care, why should he care?
Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, there has been no precedent of a student who purchased a degree to become the head of the prefectural education bureau.

Your grandfather has no shame, so Zhao An's insistence on having a sense of shame is just going against the old man's wishes.

Since it is unique in the education sector of the Qing Dynasty, it must continue to innovate and follow this successful path to the end without hesitation.

This slogan also brought Zhao An a direct benefit: all his bold attempts at studying at the Yangzhou Prefectural School were beyond question.

Because Professor Zhao's core value is loyalty.

Any questioning of Professor Zhao is a questioning of the old master, and a questioning of the great slogan "Born into the Wenhua Hall, died into the Ziguang Pavilion".

On that day, the walls of the temple were painted with large slogans in lime water: "Enter the Wenhua Hall in life, enter the Ziguang Pavilion in death."

Coupled with the countdown sign for the prefectural examination hanging on the three-foot-tall bamboo pole directly in front of the school temple, the effect was immediately apparent.

Regardless of its effectiveness, at least the students preparing for the prefectural examinations were deeply moved upon seeing the slogans at the temple, and their ideological awareness and even personal character were elevated to a certain extent.

Principal Zhao's perspective has also been elevated.

The list of children of officials enrolled in schools on the table greatly elevated his spirit.

The proportion of children of officials studying at the prefectural school was actually not very high, only 48, accounting for about one-eighth of the total number of students.

Based on the weighted values, Zhao An divided the students' parents into three categories.

The first category is officials with real power, also known as officials with official seals.

There are four people in total.

The highest-ranking official was Lord Qiao Bashan, the fourth-rank official of the Huaiyang Salt Circuit.

The official title “Dao” evolved from the Left and Right Assistant Administrators of the former Ming Dynasty’s Provincial Administration Commission. It was located between the province and the prefecture, and in modern terms, it should be considered a regional commissioner.

Qiao Daotai was stationed in Huai'an, and was in charge of salt administration, grain transport, and coastal defense in Huai'an and Yangzhou prefectures. Therefore, he was given the additional title of Judicial Commissioner, which meant he could mobilize the troops stationed in the two prefectures to crack down on smuggling and theft. He was a figure who was both civil and military.

Logically, since Magistrate Qiao was stationed in Huai'an, his son should have been studying at the Huai'an Prefectural School. Why did he come to Yangzhou Prefectural School to study?

There wasn't any particular reason. It was just that before Qiao Daotai was promoted to Huaiyang Salt and Maritime Circuit Intendant, he had served as Assistant Prefect in Yangzhou for a few years. During those years, Qiao's son had been studying in Yangzhou. Huai'an and Yangzhou were close to each other, and the education in Yangzhou was better than that in Huai'an, so there was no need for him to transfer schools.

The second official with real power was Prefect Zhen Youqian of Gaoyou, a fifth-rank official.

I wonder what kind of name Master Zhen's father gave his son. It sounds almost like someone who is really rich.

The name of Young Master Zhen was on the list of people Zhao An was left by Professor Jiang, who had gone to Jiangxi to serve as the county magistrate. He was to be ranked seventeenth, which was the first class.

The other two were Liu Songtao, the magistrate of Yizheng County, who was a seventh-rank official, and Ma Weijun, the deputy commissioner of the Salt Transport Commission, who was a fifth-rank official.

The four adults were in a league of their own, and Zhao An circled each of their names.

The second category consists of low-ranking officials who wield real power.

The list mainly included officials of the seventh and eighth ranks, among whom Zhao An also circled the names of those related to the salt industry, such as transport judges, salt tax ambassadors, salt permit inspectors, and patrol inspectors.

The third tier consists of those with low rank and little real power, such as clerks, granary ambassadors, and river and lake ambassadors.

Zhao An would definitely have to curry favor with the four powerful figures in the first tier, because his smuggling salt business required their assistance.

The second tier of grassroots officials must be bribed and won over, and it is even possible to recruit them to work together.

As for the third-tier officials, the principal is too busy to visit them. However, if they care about the children's studies and take the initiative to visit the principal, they can have a simple meal together.

Being open and welcoming to everyone was a good habit that Zhao An had cultivated in his previous life.

With the prefectural exam just days away and students' parents scattered across various locations, it's impossible for them to just call and drive over for a parent-teacher meeting. Therefore, Zhao An plans to organize a social gathering after the prefectural exam, notifying parents in advance to ensure that those he needs to curry favor with and win over can take the time to have in-depth conversations with him, the prefectural professor.

The son of the Lianghuai Salt Commissioner, who was presided over by the Prefect as the top candidate in the prefectural examination, did not study at the prefectural school. Instead, he received private tutoring at home and only participated in the preliminary examination in Yangzhou.

In principle, taking the exam in a different location is not allowed, but principles are sometimes hard to define. As long as the young master takes the provincial exam, he can use the official examination papers instead of the civilian papers.

During the Qing Dynasty, the sons of officials and commoners did not take the same exam; instead, they took separate exams for officials and commoners.

The selection rate for official candidates was 1 in 30, while the selection rate for commoners was 1 in 100. This ensured that the career paths of officials' children were guaranteed, while avoiding the crowding out of places for children from poor families.

Thinking of the prefect's disdain for him in the yamen yesterday, and even his attempt to strip him of his power as deputy examiner together with Teacher Lou, Zhao An couldn't help but snort. Although he, as an academic official, couldn't control the prefect, he could still annoy him.

However, that young master is the son of the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai. If I were to hold the young master back during the grading of the examination papers out of revenge, it would likely attract his father's close attention.

Although even Lord A couldn't control Zhao An, the academic official, Zhao An still planned to make a living under everyone's noses.

If Lord Ah keeps an eye on this, it will be quite troublesome.

Just as he was pondering how to make the prefect suffer a setback without offending Lord A, who was in charge of salt administration, his cousin Wang Defa came to the prefectural school.

Upon hearing that the professor was his great-uncle, the gatekeeper quickly led Wang Defa to the principal's office as if he were an old patriarch.

Wang Defa, unaware that his cousin had been promoted from student to professor, was quite pleased.

"Uncle, I was just thinking of coming over for a couple of drinks tonight!"

Zhao An assumed his uncle had come to inform him of his grandson's one-month celebration, so he smiled and got up to pour him tea. However, his uncle glanced outside to make sure no one was there, then his face fell, and he said anxiously, "Little An, your cousin beat up your cousin's older brother. The Jiangdu County government has arrested him. They say your cousin's older brother is a scholar with official rank, and they're going to sentence him to three to five years in prison."
"Now that you're a minor official in the prefectural school, could you perhaps put in a good word for Jiangdu County and ask them to give your cousin a lighter sentence? We're willing to pay any amount of compensation."

(End of this chapter)