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

In this era, the concept of "local cliques" was quite popular. As the three highest-ranking officials in Huaizuo, Jiang Zhi, Chen Yi, and Zhang Lin were people whom the candidates had to pay their respects to, both out of courtesy and courtesy.

Upon meeting them, the three men displayed the demeanor of senior figures, offering encouragement and sending people to settle the candidates who were going to the capital.

So, after settling in, the group stayed at a restaurant called "Zheguiju".

This is an industry jointly owned by three major families in Yangzhou.

Bianjing has many restaurants, and Zheguiju is not large or eye-catching, but it has the advantage of a special location, near Yuqing Temple, which is relatively quiet.

From the moment the candidates arrived in the capital, Zheguiju officially ceased operations, and the inkstones, brushes, and paper scattered throughout the house were available for the candidates to use at will.

Food and drinks are served almost constantly, and the service is very attentive.

With such arrangements and services, every scholar from Huaizuo who passed the imperial examinations would have to remember the favors of the Jiang, Chen, and Zhang families.

Having checked in, and gazing at the bustling capital, Jiang Zhao felt a desire to explore.

Or rather, it wasn't just Jiang Zhao; other candidates also had similar thoughts to varying degrees.

Bianjing was both an economic and political center, and it had many unique features.

In this era, the journey was arduous, and even a scholar might only have a few opportunities to travel to the capital in his lifetime.

Having finally managed to visit Beijing, anyone would want to sightsee and explore.

Strolling around the capital, reciting poems and lyrics—wouldn't that be wonderful?

The world is so vast that when candidates from Huaizuo travel thousands of miles to the capital to take the imperial examinations, they face candidates from other regions. They are all in competition with each other, so it is inevitable that they will be wary and instinctively divide themselves according to their region.

Because Jiang Zhao was famous throughout the land and was the eldest son of the Jiang family of Huaizuo, he was regarded as the leader among the candidates taking the imperial examination.

Many people have subtly expressed their desires to him.

So, after settling in completely and resting for a few days, Jiang Zhao consulted with the group and decided to invite the scholars who had gone to take the imperial examinations to visit Bianjing.

To be honest, Bianjing (Kaifeng) has some really interesting features.

At the Rainbow Bridge on the Bian River, impromptu couplets were composed. Shops on both banks hung banners printed with half of a poem or verse. If a scholar could complete the second half of the poem, he would be given a "Scholar's Cake".

Even more extreme, the courtesan would pose a question, and answering it correctly would grant one a night of pleasure.

At Jinming Pond, the winding stream flows, and people compose poems while floating on the wine cups.

Glass wine cups floated down the stream, and scholars would stop them, composing poems on the flower-patterned slips in the cups. The best works were tied to the willow trees by the pond, creating a lively atmosphere.

Zhouqiao Night Market: Puppet shows for studying classics, and wordplay on flatbread.

The puppet show, also known as the "Puppet Examination of Classics," involves performing stories from the Analects of Confucius using puppets. The puppets deliberately make subtle mistakes during the performance, and the candidates are required to point out these errors, which is a great test of their knowledge.

"Hu Bing" is a type of Persian mille-feuille sold at night markets. It contains poems and titles, and scholars who buy the pastries are treated like taking an exam. If they answer correctly, they receive a cup of rose syrup as a gift.

Baifanlou, Rose Whispers. A porcelain bowl contains Persian rose dew, and the bottom of the bowl is engraved with a passage from the "Rites of Zhou." If a scholar can explain in detail the origin and source of the passage, the meal will be free.

The various unique ways to play are both elegant and fun.

From the moment the number of candidates for the imperial examinations spread throughout the capital, everything in Bianjing (Kaifeng) was geared towards serving these candidates for the grand spring imperial examinations.

The scholar, who had always been a diligent and hardworking student, had never seen such a thing before.

It's so fun that you'll never want to leave!

Chapter 17 I trust you to handle things!

Quyuan Street, Jiang Mansion.

Raindrops patter on the eaves bells, and lamplight flickers.

Chessboard.

Jiang Zhao, dressed in a light gray brocade robe, stroked the black jade chess piece, his brows furrowed with frost. He paused for a moment, holding the chess piece, before finally placing it.

As soon as the black piece fell, Jiang Zhao couldn't help but smile and looked at the opponent: "Grandfather, you've lost!"

Opposite him, an elderly man with gray hair and beard kindly put down the white pieces in his hand.

"What a promising young man!" the old man praised, adding, "He truly deserves to be called the prodigy of the Jiang family!"

The old man's eyes were sharp and piercing, like those of a hawk, which inspired awe. His smiling face made many of his wrinkles disappear.

This man was Jiang Zhao's grandfather, Jiang Zhi, an old censor who had stood firm in the imperial court for more than twenty years.

Today, he holds the official position of Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, which is a rank of third grade.

The position of censor has always been one of low rank but high power.

If we're really going to talk about it, this is a knife!

A political weapon.

It has the power to supervise and impeach civil and military officials, assess their governance performance, grant them the privilege of reporting rumors, provide central government advice, and make final judicial decisions on major cases.

Each and every case not only implies a significant amount of power involved, but also an extremely high level of personal connections.

Perhaps an official violated regulations, but the censor concealed the truth; perhaps an official's performance was poor, but the censor chose to let it slide; perhaps an official should have been dismissed, but the censor spoke on his behalf.

These things all accumulate too much goodwill.

Therefore, officials who served as censors for a long time were undoubtedly "pure and upright," and once there was any sign of them being slandered, a lot of people would submit memorials to clear their names.

This is the protective umbrella for some people!

As a veteran censor who had served in the Censorate for over twenty years, no one knew exactly how much goodwill Jiang Zhi had accumulated.

However, perhaps we can glean some insight from the sidelines.

Jiang Zhao smiled modestly: "Speaking of which, your grandson has not yet congratulated grandfather on his promotion!"

A few days ago, Jiang Zhi was promoted again.

A third-rank official, Right Vice Censor-in-Chief!

"Ha!" Jiang Zhi shook his head repeatedly, looking indifferent: "It's not surprising to get promoted when you're about to retire."

According to the national system, officials should retire when they reach the age of seventy, while military officers may retire with special approval from the government if they are physically unable to continue.

In other words, seventy years old is the legal retirement age.

However, the path of an official is always unpredictable, and very few officials actually manage to retire at the age of seventy.

Firstly, due to health factors, the vast majority of officials rarely live to be seventy years old, and almost all of them die suddenly before retiring from office.

Secondly, political struggles have winners and losers; once a person loses political power, they are almost always forced to retire prematurely.

Therefore, very few officials actually served until the age of seventy and then retired.

Jiang Zhi is now 65 years old.

The old man is in good health, but after a lifetime of ups and downs in his official career, he should at least enjoy his retirement.

If nothing unexpected happens, once Jiang Zhao passes the imperial examination and becomes a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), the old man will take Jiang Zhao around for a year or two to pass on his connections.

Then, he would write a letter requesting to retire, voluntarily resigning so he could enjoy a peaceful and comfortable retirement.

In fact, Jiang Zhi was quite pleased with his promotion.

Historically, retirement from officialdom has generally been divided into two types: retirement with improved benefits and retirement without improved benefits.

Of ten officials, often only one or two have the opportunity to be promoted one rank upon retirement.

Of course, this is a compilation of data from lower-level officials.

In the imperial court, the probability of being promoted one rank upon retirement is nearly 70%, which is not unusual.

While many receive a promotion in terms of salary and benefits, it is rare to receive a promotion in rank.

Jiang Zhi, a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), started as a minor county official and remained in the Censorate for over twenty years after arriving in the capital. He was always adept at navigating social situations, never vying for power or influence. Even the highest-ranking official, the Left Censor-in-Chief, a second-rank official, had received favors from him, demonstrating his extensive network of connections.

Originally, Jiang Zhi had planned to honestly accumulate experience over the past few years and eventually retire as a third-rank official with the title of Silver-Green Grand Master.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhao became Han Zhang's only disciple!

In the past few years, ever since Jiang Zhao became Han Zhang's apprentice, Han Zhang has enjoyed a meteoric rise in success.

As a result, Jiang Zhi also benefited and was promoted to the third rank.

Coincidentally, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief recently requested to retire, leaving the position of a third-rank official vacant.

Jiang Zhi didn't really intend to compete; he merely expressed his meaning tentatively and subtly.

As a result, with the help of Han's officials, the support of the upright officials led by Hai, and the fact that Jiang Zhi was the most senior censor with extensive connections in the censorate, and was about to retire with the "promotion upon retirement" buff, many people gave him face and actually promoted him.

The Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, a third-rank official, was in charge of the Censorate.

Of course, after this incident, when the old man retires, it is unlikely that his official position will change again.

The Censorate and the Remonstrance Bureau, also known as the Censorate and the Remonstrance Bureau, had a maximum of two chief officials: the Left and Right Vice Censors-in-Chief, both of the second rank. As assistants to the Left and Right Vice Censors-in-Chief, the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief, of the third rank, had almost reached the ceiling of the Censorate system.

Even so, this is something to celebrate.

Retirement from the rank of Third-Rank Silver-Blue Grand Master of the Palace and retirement from the rank of Third-Rank Imperial Censor with Real Power are two completely different things.

"So, should I congratulate my grandson or not?" Jiang Zhao asked with a smile.

"You've made something of yourself, and the Jiang family has a worthy successor. That's the best congratulations," Jiang Zhi said, stroking his beard.

Talented people emerge in every generation, and his future is predictable, but his grandson's future is uncertain.

The future of the grandchildren is the future of the family.

Jiang Zhao nodded without saying anything.

Having enjoyed the benefits of being the eldest son of the Jiang family, he would naturally also shoulder the corresponding responsibilities.

For a family to truly prosper, it is not something that can be achieved in one generation.

Starting, expanding, stabilizing, and achieving great success – this is an indispensable process.

Just like the Han family of Xiangzhou, whose future ruler Han Zhang held power for more than ten years and whose family had secured the rule of two dynasties, they were truly a prosperous family.

Even so, the contributions of their elders should not be overlooked.

His grandfather served as a prefect, and his father as a right remonstrating official. These two generations accumulated considerable official reputation and connections, coupled with the emperor's favor, which enabled him to achieve this.

Jiang Zhao was the same.

My great-grandfather retired from the fourth rank, and my grandfather retired from the third rank. One was the one who started the trend, and the other was the one who expanded the trend. My father, Jiang Zhong, was the one who maintained the status quo.

Having been famous since childhood, he is naturally positioned as a "master of all trades".

However, even if he has a photographic memory from a young age, it will still be difficult for him to become a "master of all skills".

As the saying goes, first-rate scholars reside in the imperial court, while second-rate scholars recite poetry; that is no exaggeration.

Poets and lyricists, unless they are intellectually challenged, unable to navigate the officialdom, or have a frustrating career, who would abandon the imperial court to write poetry and recite lyrics?

Poetry may seem sophisticated, but it is actually just something to cultivate one's mind and body.

Those whose careers are going smoothly are busy with national affairs every day, so they have no time to study poetry. Those whose careers are not going smoothly are so bored that they have time to complain.

There's no such thing as being talented but unappreciated.

Poets and lyricists are a loser's league!

It's harsh to say, but it's the truth.

A glimpse into a part reveals the whole picture, showing just how difficult it is to navigate the officialdom.

Of course, anything is possible with effort, and it's not entirely hopeless.

My grandfather was the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, a high-ranking official in the imperial court, a powerful and upright official of the third rank.

My father was the patriarch of the Jiang clan of Huaizuo, a prominent clan with a prestigious lineage.

Her mother was the eldest daughter of the Hai family, a family of officials for generations, with five members serving as Hanlin scholars, a force to be reckoned with.

Teacher Han Zhang will be the next head of the civil service, the leader of all officials, and the legitimate civil official.

Jiang Zhao himself was a child prodigy and a renowned scholar from the Huai River region.

Child prodigy, famous throughout the world, local bully, from a family of upright officials, orthodox civil servant.

Five buffs!

If he truly has the ability to maintain order, the prestige and influence accumulated by generations of renowned figures from the Han family of Xiangzhou, the Hai family of Jiangning, the Jiang family of Huaizuo, the Chen family, the Zhang family, and even the Wang family of Lanxi will all be under his control. As he is also the core figure of the next generation of the Han faction, he may very well be promoted to a high position.

After finishing a game of chess, Jiang Zhi pondered and said, "Going to the capital should still focus on the imperial examinations. As the leader of the candidates from Huaizuo, you must remember to help them restrain their desire for pleasure."