My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 291 The Grand Plan for Selecting Officials
How can we solve this problem?
Su Ze recalled the history he knew, one method of which was the so-called "cage of patriots".

In other words, the imperial examination system confined all scholars, allowing them to dedicate their lives to studying diligently and peacefully as long as they had the hope of passing the exam.

This path reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty of the original timeline, giving birth to classic scholar figures such as Fan Jin and Kong Yiji.

But it's clear that Su Ze doesn't want to go down this path.

When the sole purpose of education is to pass exams, and the talents cultivated are all for becoming officials, this society is bound to decline.

The coming centuries will be a period of great competition, and it would be a waste to confine talented people to the imperial examination system.

Another solution is to relocate talent to other places.

This is why Su Ze emphasized "equality among the four classes of people".

Overcoming the prejudices of scholars against commerce and industry, and allowing some talented individuals to enter these fields, would naturally be the best solution to promote economic and industrial development.

However, this method is not a panacea.

"Of all professions, only studying is noble"—this is not just a saying.

The obsession of scholars with becoming officials for thousands of years cannot be resolved by simply advocating "equality among the four classes."

The most fundamental solution to this problem is to develop productivity and provide more lucrative jobs for the knowledge-based class. As long as they can live a good life, society will naturally stabilize.

In the short term, the most pressing issue is the problem of the Juren (successful candidates in the imperial examinations).

This refers to people like Zhang Chun, who realized that the imperial examinations were hopeless and did not intend to continue participating in them.

Su Ze thought about it for a while, and realized that just closing the door and daydreaming wouldn't work. He decided to go to the Ministry of Personnel tomorrow to check on the situation of candidates waiting for vacancies.

Just then, the gatekeeper delivered a visiting card and a letter.

The visiting card was from Tang Xianzu; it was a rather simple visiting card.

"The young man left a visiting card and a letter and then left?"

Su Ze asked the gatekeeper.

The doorman quickly said:

"My lord, I wanted to keep that young master here, but he insisted on leaving, and there was nothing I could do."

Su Ze did not make things difficult for the gatekeeper who was usually dutiful. After letting him go back to his post, he opened Tang Xianzu's letter.

After reading the letter, Su Ze smiled.

Tang Xianzu was quite a remarkable person.

He learned about Su Ze and Shen Yiguan's appearances and ages from the troupe leader and guessed that he was not Xu Wei.

Since it wasn't Xu Wei, and the visiting card contained the address of Su Ze's residence, Su Ze's identity wasn't hard to guess.

Tang Xianzu's letter is a common format for a junior scholar to pay respects to his teacher. The first half is a small compliment to Su Ze, expressing his admiration for this junior.

The latter half is a polite refusal of Su Ze, as she is unwilling to associate with such an important figure as Su Ze before the imperial examination.

Tang Xianzu's reasoning was also quite confident; he wrote:
"If I were to pay homage to Master Su at this time, I fear it would damage his reputation, and I also fear that people would suspect that my future fame in the examinations was solely due to my reliance on his connections."

Su Ze could only say that Tang Xianzu truly deserved to be called a renowned opera master in later generations; his confidence alone set him apart from others.

Since that's the case, Su Ze gave up the idea of ​​befriending him.
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The next day, the Ministry of Personnel.

Su Ze arrived at the Ministry of Personnel's Office for Selecting and Appointing Officials.

Just like last time, as the most central government office of the Ming Dynasty, the Wenxuan Qingli Division had a solemn atmosphere that was different from other government offices.

This place could decide the fate of countless officials; many people waited in front of the Wenxuan Qingli Si (a department for selecting officials) for the results of the selection process.

In front of the Wenxuan Qingli Si (Office of Selecting Officials) was a copper water clock. As the most important institution for selecting officials in the entire capital, the clerks of the Wenxuan Si had to go to the office at 5:30 in the morning.

The Wenxuan Division has five functions.

These are "vacant positions" and "nominal positions for officials below the fourth rank (excluding officials in the Censorate and Imperial Academy).

"Performance evaluation and assessment" involves reviewing the "eight evaluation criteria" after three years of performance evaluation to determine the performance of officials.

The "ranking" determines the "seniority order" of the candidates, which is the order of their qualifications.

"Receiving a certificate to assume office" refers to issuing a certificate of office and a travel permit.

Finally, there is the "reinstatement after mourning" period, which involves verifying the length of mourning leave. Officials who have completed their mourning period must also come to the Ministry of Personnel to be nominated for new positions.

The duties of the Selection Office lie in "filling vacancies" and "selecting candidates".

The term "vacancy" refers to the number of vacant positions identified through statistical analysis.

On the fifth of each month, the Ministry of Personnel would compile a list of vacant positions nationwide and post it on the white wall outside the Ministry of Personnel.

Candidates awaiting election would submit their files to the Selection Office.

The Selection Office would review qualifications, nominate candidates, and then the selection officer Zhang Siwei would conduct a departmental discussion at the Ministry of Personnel.

After Minister of Personnel Gao Gong nodded, the memorial was sent from the Ministry of Personnel to the Grand Secretariat, where it was drafted and then sent to the palace for final approval before the 25th of each month.

This final list approved by the emperor, also known as the "list," will be posted before the end of the month.

Once selected, officials would obtain the relevant credentials from the Ministry of Personnel and proceed to their new posts.

This demonstrates the importance of the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Department.

Whether it was a "vacancy" or a "selection," the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Office had firsthand information on the Ming Empire's personnel needs, and the potential for profit from this was enormous.

For example, when reviewing the qualifications for official appointments, the clerks of the Ministry of Personnel had various means such as "claiming credit," "washing one's hands of the job," and "buying seniority" to help officials who paid money to obtain their positions earlier.

"False merit" means fabricating merits. Officials' files are also stored in the Ministry of Personnel. These clerks can add merits to officials waiting for vacancies out of thin air by colluding with the clerk in charge of personnel files.

"Washing one's feet" refers to falsifying one's resume. Some positions have age and birth restrictions, and the Ming Dynasty also required officials to avoid their place of origin. Clerks could help falsify the files to make the officials fit the vacant positions.

Finally, there's still one trick: "buying experienced professionals."

Because there are too many candidates for the position, there must be a certain order of appointment. Therefore, when each official begins his/her appointment, he/she is given a "vacancy period".

The longer one's years of service are without official rank, the longer one has been waiting for an official position, and the higher one's ranking will be when it comes to selecting officials.

By bribing the clerks and negotiating with these senior officials, one can buy vacant years of experience from them and thus be placed at the top of the candidate list.

Therefore, the clerks of the Wenxuan Qingli Division were all arrogant and disdainful. Even high-ranking officials who were in mourning for their fathers had to treat these clerks with utmost respect and dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Even though the current dynasty's officialdom is much better than that of the previous emperor's dynasty, and the Ministry of Personnel has been rectified by Gao Gong many times, and the censors and officials of the Censorate are keeping a close eye on the Department of Personnel Selection, these officials still hold enormous power.

Even if they can't help with the fraud, it's easy for them to punish certain officials by deliberately excluding them from the candidate list.

Besides the Ministry of Personnel, many officials waiting for vacancies also frequently came to inquire about information.

However, being a clerk in the Ministry of Personnel, he naturally had some insight and knowledge. Seeing that Su Ze had an extraordinary temperament and was wearing a fifth-rank official robe, no one made things difficult for him.

Upon receiving Su Ze's visiting card, the clerk, recognizing the renowned scholar Su Ze in the capital, hurriedly ran to inform Zhang Siwei.

Before long, Zhang Siwei personally came to the gate of the Wenxuan Division to welcome Su Ze inside.

The Ministry of Personnel was immediately thrown into an uproar.

"Who was that just now? Even a fifth-rank official can be personally greeted by the Selection Officer? I've been waiting in front of the Selection Office for three months and only saw Selection Officer Zhang once."

"You don't even recognize that official?" "Isn't he just a fifth-rank official? I've even seen fourth-rank officials waiting for vacancies in the Selection Department. In the capital, 'of the fifth rank, the Selection Officer is the most prestigious.' Who could be more valuable than Zhang, the Selection Officer?"

"That man is Su Ze, also known as Su Zilin, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Daily Lecturer, the Crown Prince's Lecturer, the Chief Editor of the Newspaper, and the Director of the Military Academy."

"Ah? Is it Su Ershu, the one who submits two memorials a month?"

"Nonsense, Su Hanlin submits more than two memorials every month."

There was a great deal of discussion outside the Wenxuan Office until a clerk couldn't help but come over and shout "Silence!" and everyone quieted down.

However, many people were watching the selection office closely. Was Su Ze coming to the selection office to seek an official position for someone?

That's unlikely. If Su Ze wanted to help someone get an official position, why would he come to the Ministry of Personnel in person?
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"Brother Zilin, there's no need for you to come in person. You could have just sent someone to tell me about this little matter."

"Someone, bring the 'Que Ce' here."

Before long, a clerk brought over a thick booklet.

Su Ze looked at the booklet with curiosity; this was the famous "Que Ce" from the Wenxuan Division.

Zhang Siwei personally flipped through the "Miscellaneous Records" and finally found the vacant position of educational administrator.

“That scholar was from Shandong, and the Shandong education officials had to recuse themselves.”

"Guangxi and Yunnan are too far away. How about Southern Zhili? There are also vacancies for educational officials in Zhejiang and Huguang."

"Jiangxi is also good."

Su Ze was in a daze. Before he transmigrated, he never thought that one day he would be able to decide the education commissioner of a county or even a city as easily as picking vegetables at a market.

Although the position of educational commissioner was not of official rank, it was still an official position that could determine the fate of scholars in a county.

In some novels about the imperial examination system, such a character would be an important figure who would only appear in the last few hundred thousand words.

"Brother Zilin? Why don't you go back and ask your disciple first?"

Su Ze collected his scattered thoughts and continued:

"Thank you very much, Brother Ziwei."

Su Ze asked again:
"Brother Ziwei, how many candidates are waiting for the Ministry of Personnel to be selected?"

Zhang Siwei glanced at Su Ze with a puzzled look, then quickly announced a startling number:
"As of this month, there are 5,300 people on the list."

How many positions are currently vacant?

Zhang Siwei quickly flipped through it and said:

"There are forty educational officials, as well as border garrison officials in the nine border regions, grain transport officials, and officials in charge of pestilence in Yunnan and Guizhou. In total, there are probably less than a hundred."

Now Su Ze understood the cruelty of the selection process for officials after passing the imperial examinations.

Without any support or promotion from the court, waiting for a hundred or so vacant positions among these five thousand people would truly be an eternity.

Su Ze couldn't help but ask again:

"Brother Ziwei, why so many?"

Zhang Siwei suddenly opened his eyes wide and said:

"Brother Zilin, are you trying to help our Ministry of Personnel resolve the issue of vacancies?"

Su Ze hesitated for a moment. After all, this was Zhang Siwei's official business, and it would be impolite for him to interfere rashly.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Siwei immediately said:
"Brother Zilin, it would be wonderful if you would lend a hand!"

"The shortage of vacancies is a problem that has always been a headache for the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Personnel. If Brother Zilin has any good suggestions, I will definitely sign them in support!"

Su Ze looked at Zhang Siwei, who seemed genuinely happy. It seemed that although the job of selecting a husband was prestigious, it was also quite difficult.

Su Ze asked:

Why are there so many people backed up?

Zhang Siwei said:
"It all started during the reign of the late emperor. During the most difficult years of the anti-Japanese war in the southeast, the imperial treasury was struggling to survive. Yan Song implemented a system of donations for the position of Imperial Academy student to raise funds for the army. In Zhangzhou alone, local merchant families donated hundreds of Imperial Academy students, who were waiting for vacancies just like the Juren (successful candidates in the provincial examinations)."

Su Ze finally understood: due to financial difficulties during the anti-Japanese war, the imperial court resorted to the traditional method of raising funds by "selling official positions and titles."

The Jiajing Emperor was relatively restrained; he sold the "regular donation" qualification, which was equivalent to that of a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, instead of directly selling official positions.

However, these people obtained their qualifications by donating money and had no intention of continuing the imperial examinations. They only wanted to become officials as soon as possible, and their backlog was quite large.

Zhang Siwei then said:

"The number of people taking the imperial examinations in the current dynasty is also increasing, and the number of successful candidates is also growing. Many of these successful candidates have given up taking the imperial examinations and come to the Ministry of Personnel to wait for vacancies."

"Speaking of which, Brother Zilin also deserves some credit. After Shuntian Prefecture and Shanxi implemented the civil service examination, many candidates were afraid that their own provinces would implement the civil service examination and cut off their path to officialdom, so they came to the capital to wait for vacancies."

Su Ze asked, "Has the imperial court not tried to clear the blockage of vacancies for successful candidates in the imperial examinations?"

Zhang Siwei said:
"Of course there are. At the beginning of His Majesty's reign, Governor-General Wang Chonggu submitted a memorial stating that 'those who are willing to go to the three border regions should be appointed without waiting.' His Majesty approved it with his imperial edict, but so far only thirty-seven people have taken up their posts."

“There are vacancies in Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi, which are plagued by miasma. People can take up these positions without waiting for them to become available, but there are very few applicants.”

"However, in the Southern Zhili region, there are always thousands of people competing for official positions each time."

Indeed, the human heart is the most difficult thing to understand.

Su Ze recalled reading time-travel novels in his previous life, where there were always calls to immigrants to develop the land. It was as if a government decree was issued, and the people would automatically move to the areas that needed to be developed, just like immigrants in a game.

In fact, every major migration in history has been accompanied by countless tears and blood; the migration route is paved with bones.

No one will leave their homeland unless they are forced to live on.

Let alone ordinary people, even if someone were asked to serve as an official thousands of miles away, they would be unwilling.

Li Wenquan was colonizing Penghu, and across the strait were the Fujianese, who were the most fond of traveling in all of China. The size of the Han Chinese colonization group was less than that of a county.

The main labor force consisted of native Southeast Asians who had been purchased from abroad.

Therefore, every time Li Wenquan wrote to the Crown Prince, he would complain about the shortage of people in Penghu.

Zhang Siwei asked Su Ze:

“Brother Zilin, the blockage of official career paths has been a long-standing problem for the Ministry of Personnel and a major concern for the Prime Minister.”

"If you have a good idea, you must speak to the court about it."

"If it is feasible, the entire Ministry of Personnel's Selection Department will certainly do its utmost to push it forward!"

Su Ze looked at Zhang Siwei and saw the sincerity in his words.

Zhang Siwei was indeed a smart man. If Su Ze could really solve this problem, he, as the Wenxuan Sixuan Lang, would definitely benefit.

Su Ze had some ideas in mind, and he said to Zhang Siwei:
"Brother Ziwei, please take a look at my memorial after I have written it down."

Zhang Siwei was overjoyed and said:

"Then we, the entire Wenxuan Division, await Brother Zilin's good news!"

(End of this chapter)