Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 155 A vacancy for a Juren (a degree in the imperial examination system) and a probationary official position
Jiangnan Examination Hall.

Jiang Xingzhou, dressed in a blue robe, led three hundred scholars and stepped calmly into the courtroom.

Amidst the swirling sandalwood incense, he lightly brushed his robes aside and sat upright on a jade cushion.

In the hall,

The newly appointed candidates held their breath and took their seats in order of their rank in the autumn examination.

The brocade-woven rushes spread out like lotus blossoms on the bluestone ground.

Three hundred candidates sat upright, the only sound in the hall being the rustling of their clothes.

The gilded water clock dripped softly.

All eyes were fixed on the jade tablet in Governor Wei Guanlan's hand, a symbol of literary rank, awaiting Governor Wei Guanlan to bestow upon him the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination).

The hall was completely silent.

Prefect Wei Guanlan and Education Commissioner Du Jingchen were at the head of the procession, with officials from the Jiangnan Circuit lined up on either side, all dressed in red robes and jade belts, standing solemnly and silently.

"The newly appointed candidates for the autumn imperial examinations in Jiangnan are hereby granted literary robes, swords, and pendants!"

Wei Guanlan shouted.

Three hundred yamen runners, each carrying a sandalwood tray, slowly entered the hall.

When the official called out the names of the successful candidates, the candidates would step forward, bow, and receive the symbol of their achievement from the governor's hands.

The scholar's robe was made of plain blue silk with Suzhou embroidery in subtle patterns, the stitches as fine as clouds. It was adorned with "quail badges" on the front and back, signifying "peaceful residence and official rank".

In addition, she wore a plain silver belt around her waist, a black horn hairpin to tie her hair, and a locust wood tablet in her hand.

He was also given a simple and elegant everyday robe.

The sword is three feet long, its scabbard made of ebony and gilded with silver. Even before the sword is drawn, it exudes an aura of grandeur.

In addition, after becoming a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, a flagpole with the title of "successful candidate" could be erected at the gate of the family home, two zhang high, to commemorate the achievement and bring glory to the family.

"Thank you, sir!"

Jiang Xingzhou stepped forward steadily, taking the scholar's robe, sword, and pendant with both hands. His fingertips were slightly cool, but his heart was burning hot.

"Thank you, Prefect! Thank you, Education Commissioner!"

Three hundred scholars bowed in unison, their voices booming like bells, echoing throughout the Zhigong Hall.

Wei Guanlan's sharp gaze swept over the newly appointed candidates, and he said in a deep voice:
"From this day forward, you are no longer ordinary commoners, but officials of the Great Zhou! Now that you receive the court's salary, you should serve the court, assist the emperor above, and bring peace to the people below!"

"The annual salary of a successful candidate in the imperial examination is one thousand taels! In addition, there are provisions for meals, official carriage allowance, exemption from corvée labor, and reserve allowance, etc."

If managed properly and land acquired, one can enjoy a comfortable life.

"Yes——"

His voice suddenly turned serious, “As an official appointed by the imperial court, one should be honest and diligent. If one is corrupt or breaks the law, the law is strict and will not tolerate it!”

"I will heed your teachings!"

The newly appointed candidates bowed respectfully, their voices echoing across the rooftops.

Upon hearing this, Xie Qihe inwardly scoffed, unconvinced.

What can you do with a salary of one thousand two years?
They spent all their money on food, clothing, and other necessities.

For a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations and pursues spiritual cultivation, the various literary treasures, literary works, food and medicine, and gifts for welcoming and sending off guests can easily amount to several thousand taels of silver a year!

Without the financial resources of powerful and influential families, which scholar could resist bowing down for a mere five pecks of rice?
"quiet!"

Wei Guanlan gave a deep shout, and the room fell silent.

"Today, I request the Confucian Temple of the prefecture to bestow its blessings upon you, so that you may all attain the rank of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination)!"

He turned and bowed solemnly in the direction of the Nanjing Confucian Temple, and said loudly:
"A scholar who has passed the imperial examinations should possess literary courage!"

"However, the development of literary talent requires the tempering of one's inner world. There are countless types of literary talent in the world, some as sharp as a sword, others as deep as the sea, all depending on one's innate talent and temperament."

"Once you enter the illusion within your hearts, you must uphold your true nature and clarify your will, only then can you cultivate your own unique literary courage!"

The words had barely left his lips—

"boom!"

The Nanjing Confucian Temple suddenly burst forth with dazzling light, its accumulated wisdom of a century bursting forth like a river bursting its banks, transforming into three hundred brilliant pillars of light that shot straight into the heavens.

The beam of light spun in the air, like a cascading Milky Way, carrying the power of heaven and earth as it entered the Jiangnan Daozhigong Hall!

Talent poured in from the heads of all the newly appointed candidates.

In an instant, the robes of the three hundred scholars billowed, and their bodies shrouded in an aura of talent.

Jiang Xingzhou placed his scholar's robe and sword aside, sat cross-legged on a futon, his back straight as a pine tree, and waited for the Confucian temple to bestow its wisdom upon him.

With his eyes closed and mind focused, he suddenly recalled many connections related to academic rank that he had discovered in the library of the Jiangnan Examination Hall these past few days—

Speaking of the rank of Juren (a degree in the imperial examination system).

He discovered that the literary system of this Great Zhou world was actually much older than the imperial examination system, and even existed before the Nine-Rank System.

During the pre-Qin period, various philosophers established their theories, and a hundred schools of thought contended.

The sages of that time did not rely on imperial decrees or Confucian temple initiations; they relied entirely on their own arduous cultivation, allowing their talents to break through the shackles.

Confucianism calls it "enlightened virtue," Taoism calls it "sitting in oblivion," and Mohism speaks of "the will of Heaven." Although the names are different, they all lead to the same goal: to prove one's sagehood through talent and virtue.

—At that time, the literary ranks were not uniformly called Tongsheng, Xiucai, Juzi, Jinshi, Hanlin Xueshi, Diange Daxueshi, Wenzong Daru, Bansheng, Yasheng, and Shengren.

The various schools of thought in ancient China each had their own traditions and lineages!
For example, the entry-level position of Tongsheng (童生) was called by various names in the early Hundred Schools of Thought, such as "Daotong (道童), Shutong (书童), Bingtong (兵童), Putong (仆童)," etc.

Although the paths of different schools of thought are diverse, they all lead to the same goal—all require cultivating talent through books and building character through experience.

The greater one's talent and moral character, the higher one's literary rank will naturally be.

This path of self-cultivation has existed from ancient times to the present and still allows one to achieve sainthood through self-cultivation.

However——

The path of self-cultivation is like walking alone on the rugged Shu Road.

Out of 100,000 people, finding one is already a stroke of luck.

Those who succeed by breaking through the ranks through their own efforts have an extremely low success rate, which obviously cannot meet the needs of the world.

Ultimately, the various schools of thought merged, opening up the path of literature and unifying the orthodox tradition.

The imperial court established a Confucian temple to gather the talents of the nation. It also bestowed literary ranks upon scholars, using the wisdom and talent of the temple to directly empower them.

From then on, scholars enjoyed the benefits of enlightenment, breaking through literary ranks as easily as walking on flat ground.

Of course, because the amount of talent accumulated by the Confucian Temple each year is limited, the quota for breakthroughs in literary rank is not unlimited and can only be given priority to the most outstanding individuals.

The Confucian Temple in Jinling Prefecture, Jiangnan Circuit, conducts a talent infusion every three years to accumulate talent, which is enough to help about 300 new candidates in the imperial examinations to improve their literary rank.

What if I rely on self-study?
It's likely that among all ten prefectures in Jiangnan Province, only a maximum of three people have the ability to break through to the next level of the Literary Rank on their own. That's a hundred times fewer than the number of people who received the initiation at the Confucian Temple. It's just too difficult.

Compared to those who received imperial examinations and were bestowed with rites at Confucian temples, those who became successful through self-study were almost negligible.

Although the imperial examination was difficult,

However, once one passes the imperial examination, one can be promoted to a higher literary rank through the initiation ceremony at the Confucian Temple.

Passing the imperial examination and receiving the Confucian temple consecration is currently the fastest and most successful method for advancing to a higher civil rank in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

If you ignore this great path and insist on cultivating yourself to become a saint, no one will stop you.

Jiang Xingzhou had carefully calculated the speed at which he had accumulated talent and cultivation on the bronze bamboo slips.

In theory,
From elementary school to junior high school, then to scholar, then to provincial graduate, one needs to read a large number of books to accumulate knowledge and skills, which takes up to ten years in total.

It takes about three years of practice to go from a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination) to a Juren (a scholar who passed the provincial-level imperial examination).

By taking the imperial examination route, one only needed to pass the exam to receive the blessing of the Confucian temple and, within a short year, become a candidate for the lowest level of the imperial examinations: a candidate for the lowest level of the imperial examinations in the spring, a candidate for the lowest level of the imperial examinations in the summer, and a candidate for the highest level of the imperial examinations in the autumn.

Breaking through three realms of literary rank in a year, as swift as riding a phoenix!

Sudden.

"It's coming!" Jiang Xingzhou's sleeves fluttered even without wind, and he suddenly opened his eyes, only to see a stream of talent descending from the dome like a waterfall—

moment.

Jiang Xingzhou drifted into a dreamlike state in his mind.

Amidst the thunderous roar, my mind suddenly became clear.

Past events, like fleeting glimpses, surfaced in the illusion:

From the moment he appeared at the Xue State Duke's mansion in Jiangyin, he suddenly awoke, dipped his brush in ink, and attempted to write a masterpiece, "The Epang Palace," but failed.

Later, he studied at the Xue family's private school, where he was classmates with the Xue brothers, Xue Gui and Xue Fu, as well as Gu Zhimian and others who were also from poor families. He then took the imperial examination for the first time, and his essay "Seeking the Hermit but Not Finding Him" ​​was published in the county, gradually making him famous.

In just one short year,
In just one spring and autumn, he had gone from a child in the Xue family to a student in Jiangyin, from a student in Jiangyin to a scholar in Jiangzhou, and finally to the top scholar in the Jiangnan provincial examination!

Deep within the illusion, in the space of the mind, a glimmer of literary light appeared, and a purple, crystalline "Spring and Autumn Annals Literary Courage" gradually solidified—

The Wen Dan sphere bears the image of the cycle of spring and autumn, with spring rain and autumn frost, just like the two polarities of yin and yang!

Upon seeing this, Jiang Xingzhou couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly.

"The Courage of the Spring and Autumn Annals?"

Why did I come up with the talent to embody the spirit of the Spring and Autumn Period?
Could it be
It was precisely because of his astonishing speed—passing the preliminary examination in spring and becoming the top scholar in autumn!

How did he acquire this "Spring and Autumn Annals" literary courage?
This reputation for literary courage is actually a testament to the speed at which he broke through the realm!

Jiang Xingzhou slowly opened his eyes, the faint image of the changing seasons still lingering in them.

While he was immersed in his inner fantasy, several hours had passed in the outside world.

Inside the hall, the three hundred newly appointed scholars had already formed their own literary advisors and were gathered in small groups, quietly discussing the secrets of their respective advisors.

Several fellow townsmen from Jiangyin County, all scholars who had passed the imperial examinations, were gathered together—Han Yugui, Cao An, Lu Ming, and Gu Zhimian, all of whom, like him, had gone directly from the lowest level of the imperial examinations to become successful candidates.

"Brother Jiang, what kind of literary talent do you possess?"

When Han Yugui saw Jiang Xingzhou open his eyes, he quickly asked.

"A literary genius of the Spring and Autumn period!"

Jiang Xingzhou smiled and asked the four of them, "What literary talent have you condensed?"

"Brother Jiang, my literary talent is like a piece of gold, clear and transparent like a golden jade plate, but I do not know its true meaning?"

A phantom white jade plate appeared in Han Yugui's palm, but he still couldn't figure out what this solidified literary talent meant.

"My voice is bold and outspoken, like the clash of swords!"

Lu Ming immediately laughed, the sword at his waist jingling without wind, clearly very satisfied.

"It is said that the literary talent is the essence of one's life experiences, which is condensed and completely defined the moment one becomes a scholar!"

From this day forward, scholars must bravely and diligently advance along their own path of "literary courage" until they ascend to sainthood!

Cao An said calmly.

"My name is White Cold Inkstone, does it mean that I, a poor scholar, should be like a cold inkstone, able to withstand all kinds of grinding?"

Gu Zhimian was stunned for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

That's it!

He was already very content to have passed the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations).

Even if he faces countless hardships in the imperial examinations and endures ten or twenty years of hardship, he will not worry about it.

The golden roof of the Confucian Temple, once a pillar of light illuminating talent, now shines with the afterglow, illuminating the examination hall.

Governor Wei Guanlan stood inside the hall, his hands behind his back, his purple robe and jade belt exuding a faint scholarly air in the morning light.

His gaze swept over the three hundred newly appointed scholars below the hall, and seeing the glint of literary talent in their eyes, he couldn't help but stroke his beard and smile.

"The two words 'literary courage' are truly the Dao imprints that Heaven and Earth tailored for you, the marks left by a lifetime of cultivation!"

Governor Wei Guanlan's voice was like the clinking of gold and jade, and he suddenly chuckled:
"The literary talents are divided into four grades: white, green, gold, and purple."

Among them, Zi is the most accurate and releases the strongest literary technique.

However, this does not affect your spiritual practice.

Even among those with literary courage, white and blue, there are still those who achieve sainthood.

Apart from that, there is no superiority or inferiority among the various categories. Whether it is the sword's embryo or the pen's inkstone, there is no distinction between them.

—They are merely different paths to inquire into the sacred way.

These words put the assembled scholars at ease.

Those who were able to stand out in the autumn imperial examinations in Jiangnan Province, weren't they all the best of the best who fought their way out from among 100,000 students and 10,000 scholars?

There are no mediocre people left to mingle among them!
The three hundred successful candidates in the autumn imperial examinations were selected from among ten thousand candidates for the lowest level of the imperial examinations and one hundred thousand candidates for the lowest level of the imperial examinations.

Those who could pass the imperial examination and become a Juren were no longer considered "mediocre".

Governor Wei Guanlan and Education Commissioner Du Jingchen exchanged a smile, and the officials of Jiangnan also withdrew their protective formation, gradually calming the solemn atmosphere in the hall.

Wei Guanlan took his seat in the main position, gently stroked the jade paperweight on the table, and smiled:
"Now that you have passed the imperial examinations, you should go to the capital of our Great Zhou Dynasty in March next year for the spring imperial examinations to compete for the title of Jinshi."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three hundred scholars below, and slowly said:

According to the ancestral system of the Great Zhou Dynasty, all candidates who wish to participate in the imperial examinations must first undergo six months of practical training in officialdom.

Those who have not undergone practical training are not allowed to take the imperial examinations!

Immediately, all three hundred scholars in the hall were stunned.

"grown ups!"

A candidate suddenly stood up, cupped his hands, and asked urgently, "We newly appointed candidates have not yet been appointed to official positions, and the selection process by the Ministry of Personnel takes at least several months. How can we possibly make it in time for next year's spring examination?"

Wei Guanlan laughed and waved his hand: "It is not an official post actually appointed by the Ministry of Personnel, but merely an internship to observe the administration."

"I can then decide to assign you vacant positions."

He lightly tapped the map of Jiangnan Circuit on the table with his fingertip, and the illusory images of prefectures and counties rose into the air.

"In Jiangnan, there are three levels of government: the Circuit, the Prefecture, and the County."

There are 310 vacancies in Jiangnan Circuit, including positions such as assistant clerk in the prefectural government, instructor in the county school, and clerk in the canal transport department. You may choose one of these positions for a six-month internship!
Six months later, when your internship is completed, you will go to Beijing to take the exam, and your internship status will be terminated!

Regardless of the outcome of the imperial examination, the Ministry of Personnel of the court will assign you to other substantive positions.

Registrar Liu, I would like to inform you, fellow candidates, of the internship vacancies!
As for the power to select officials, it naturally begins with the top scholars (jieyuan, yayuan, jingkui) and those on the first, second, and third lists, in that order!

"Yes, my lord!"

Liu Mingchuan, the chief clerk standing to the side, lightly fluttered his purple ribbon and immediately stepped forward a few steps. A scroll of jade slip from his sleeve unfurled in mid-air with a "clang".

Three hundred vacant official titles, like stars in a constellation, shone brightly in the hall:

"In my Jiangnan region, there are the following vacancies:"
1. Sima of Jiangnan Circuit – in charge of military affairs in the circuit and assisting the governor.

II. Suzhou Prefectural Assistant - Inspects various counties and handles local affairs.

III. Commandant of Jiangyin County – in charge of naval patrols!
IV. Registrar of Taicang County – in charge of the county's finances and records, and verifying tax revenue and expenditure.

200. Assistant Magistrate of Qiantang County – Assists in the administration of the county and oversees the documents of the six ministries.

Three hundred, Zhouzhuang Town Instructors—to educate the children of the nine villages in this town!

Immediately, the entire room held its breath.

The three hundred scholars looked up and saw the last glimmer of golden light dissipate over the two characters "Zhouzhuang Town Instructor," their faces tense, even their breathing catching in their throats.

Everyone understands that this seemingly simple internship arrangement is actually the most important experience before the Beijing spring imperial examination!
Although it is only an internship, once you take office, you will have real power. If you can make achievements within six months, you will surely win the favor of the examiners in the spring examination next year!

From "Sima of Jiangnan Circuit" to "Instructor of Zhouzhuang Town"?
How far apart are they?
One was a state-level official, holding an important position close to the governor. The other was a minor town-level official, ignored by everyone.

Some of the candidates in the hall were already sweating profusely.

The two vacant official positions, "Sima of Jiangnan Circuit" and "Biejia of Suzhou Prefecture," were like the most dazzling pearls, attracting the attention of all the newly appointed candidates.

(End of this chapter)