Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 71 The Seven Sons of Jiayou
Time flies like water, passing by in a hurry.

The fifth year of the Jiayou era, the first month.

Bianjing (Kaifeng)

Three years have passed since the last imperial examination, and a new batch of candidates has entered the capital to take the exam.

Similarly, this is also the time for the triennial performance evaluation of government officials.

After the imperial examinations, the newly appointed scholars had a three-month rest period.

This period was not only the time for the Hanlin Academy's final examinations, but also a time of significant changes in official positions.

Compared to the minor test when Sheng Hong entered the capital, there are more opportunities for the major test of political performance.

Of course, the competition is also quite fierce.

In the officialdom, the higher you go, the more one is assigned to a specific position.

Fanlou.

Jiang Zhao, Su Shi, Su Zhe, Zeng Gong, Zeng Bu, Zhang Heng, Zhang Dun.

The seven members of Jiayou reunite once again.

This time, the triennial imperial examination was approaching, and Zhang Dun once again went to the capital to take the exam.

He was determined to win back what he had lost to his nephew!

Zeng Gong specifically requested leave to go to Beijing.

As a disciple of Ouyang Xiu and a member of the "Seven Scholars of Jiayou," Zeng Gong was destined to have no shortage of political resources.

Recommended by Ouyang Xiu, Zeng Gong went to the capital to serve as an official, taking up the position of Compiler of the Jixian Academy.

From then on, the seven sons of Jiayou reunited.

Of course, an unofficial member was also added – Sheng Changbai.

Last August, during the autumn imperial examinations, fifteen-year-old Sheng Changbai passed and became a candidate, astonishing the people of Huaizuo with his skill.

As Jiang Zhao's brother-in-law, and with some fame and considerable talent, Sheng Changbai naturally gradually integrated into the inner circle.

"So, Zihou, are you confident you can get second place in the exam?" Jiang Zhao picked up some food and teased Zhang Dun.

Everyone who has ever teased him in the past will not escape!

Three years later, Zhang Dun was twenty-five years old and had gotten married.

Jiang Zhao, Su Shi, Su Zhe, Zeng Gong, Zeng Bu, and Zhang Heng all sent congratulatory poems and gifts.

Perhaps it was his wife's presence that gave him more responsibility, but also made him more composed in his demeanor.

When the topic turned to surpassing his nephew, Zhang Dun couldn't help but blush and his eyes darted around.

Today, he naturally knows that there is a certain element of luck involved in scientific expeditions.

He may be just as talented as his nephew, but in terms of ranking, he might not be as good.

Moreover, relatively speaking, the imperial examination was merely the beginning of one's official career.

Just pass the exam to become a probationary official; there's no need to take it too seriously.

Upon realizing this, Zhang Dun became restless, his face turning red with embarrassment.

What nonsense did I spout during my last scientific expedition?

"Zichuan, don't make fun of me." Zhang Dun said seriously, raising his cup to drink.

Jiang Zhao glanced at it and couldn't help but laugh.

So this was their perspective when they made fun of them last time!

"Don't laugh, don't laugh!"

"Second place!" Just then, Su Shi used the same trick again and shouted it out loud.

Upon hearing this shout, Zhang Dun clenched his fists tightly.

hiss~!

Su Zizhan, if you get demoted, I, Zhang, will absolutely not bail you out!

“Zizhan, you mustn’t make fun of me,” Zhang Dun said seriously.

He could somewhat understand Zichuan's feelings.

"Hey! Zihou, why are you pretending to be normal?" Zhang Heng made his move.

He is the true runner-up, and the one Zhang Dun must surpass.

As Zhang Heng spoke, he couldn't help but smile.

Upon hearing this laugh, Zhang Dun couldn't help but blush.

Zhang Dun finally understood Zichuan's feelings. So that's how Zichuan saw things!
Zhang Dun took a deep breath, and his expression calmed down again.

He looked at each of them one by one, trying to remember their faces.

Each of these people has to repeat the same mistakes!
"I've heard that Zichuan is one of the examiners for this imperial examination?" Zhang Dun looked at Jiang Zhao and changed the subject.

“Not bad.” Jiang Zhao nodded.

He was the top scholar in the imperial examination and also served as a secretary in the Ministry of Rites.

He can choose to either proctor the exam or set the questions; he has to choose one of the two responsibilities.

However, setting exam questions is more troublesome than proctoring them.

The examiners had to be imprisoned from the beginning of January until the beginning of March, when the imperial examination ended.

This is to prevent examiners from leaking the questions and causing cheating.

Compared to the question setters, the examiners only need to supervise the exam in a closed environment for nine days and grade the papers for fifteen days. In total, including the palace examination, the time is less than a month.

Moreover, examiners are involved in grading papers, so they are considered "referees" and have far more power than the question setters.

Since there is a choice, it is natural to prefer a better invigilator.

Of course, whether they are proctors or question setters, it is all about building up their qualifications for the important task of the imperial examinations, and there is no distinction between them.

"Alas!" Zhang Dun sighed, "They are all among the Seven Scholars of Jiayou. Some are already examiners, while others are still taking the imperial examinations. It's tough!"

Jiang Zhao smiled faintly and said nothing.

As a friend, he would definitely lend a hand.

Originally, Zhang Dun ranked fifth in the second imperial examination, so his ability was not bad.

He was also familiar with Zhang Dun's writing style, and he would definitely seize the opportunity to make a move.

At the very least, we could try to get Zhang Dun's exam paper into the top three.

The difference in strength between the top three in the first division and the second-place finisher in the second division is negligible; the difference lies in whether someone will support the top two at the right time.

"Three years have passed, and Zichuan and Ziping are about to be appointed to official posts outside the capital. Have you decided where you will serve as officials?" Su Shi asked.

Historically, the top three scholars have also varied in terms of their backgrounds.

Jiang Zhao and Zhang Heng are undoubtedly among the top three scholars with the most powerful backgrounds.

As for the matter of being sent out to other places, the destination can be decided in a single sentence.

Jiang Zhao pondered and said, "I am already a fifth-rank official. After completing my three-year term as a top-ranking official, I should be promoted one rank according to regulations. If I am transferred from the capital to a local post, I will be promoted another rank."

Therefore, the official position to be held must be a substantive post of the fourth rank.

Shaanxi Circuit is a frontier region, bordering the Western Xia. If nothing unexpected happens, I will be appointed as the Transport Commissioner of Shaanxi Circuit.

The Transport Commissioner was in charge of finance, the transport of goods, and the supervision of local areas.

In border regions where wars are frequent, the transport commissioner is responsible for escorting grain and fodder.

This is an official position with immense power, and it is relatively easy to achieve merit.

"Where is Ziping?" Su Shi asked again.

"In Shaanxi Province, I will be in charge of the Ever-Normal Granary and concurrently serve as the prefect of a prefecture," Zhang Heng replied.

The Director of the Ever-Normal Granary was mainly responsible for managing the granaries and charitable granaries along the route, regulating grain prices, providing disaster relief, and overseeing trade with the Maritime Trade Office. He also oversaw tea and salt.

The position of Director of the Ever-Normal Granary is a fifth-rank official.

Zhang Heng diligently recorded the emperor's daily activities and had previously received praise from Grand Chancellor Han Zhang, which led to his promotion to the position of Director of Works, a sixth-rank official.

After three years, he was transferred to a local post, which naturally resulted in him holding the rank of a fifth-grade official.

As for the position of prefect, it was intended to hone his governing abilities.

Not everyone is like Jiang Zhao, who traveled the world and observed politics in his teens, and even personally took charge of governance.

Although Zhang Heng was the second-place scholar in the imperial examination, he had no experience in governing.

The skills that need to be developed still need to be developed.

After he finished speaking, they all nodded slightly.

"Come on, cheers!" Jiang Zhao smiled and raised his glass.

In a few days, he will be proctoring exams, Zhang Dun will be taking the imperial examinations, and Su Shi, Su Zhe, and Zeng Bu will be taking their final exams. They all have things to do.

After that, he and Zhang Heng will be sent to other places, and it will probably be several years before they see each other again.

"Come!"

All eight people raised their glasses together and drank them down in one gulp!

(End of this chapter)