At the end of Baqiao Bridge, two men came from the east on thin horses, each followed by an entourage. Both of them were about 27 or 28 years old. They looked like scholars at first sight. Perhaps because of the long journey, their expressions were very different.
Looking a little haggard.
The taller of the two was named Wu Fu, a native of Taizhou. He was a Jinshi in the second year of Shaoxing and was appointed as secretary. In the fifth year of Shaoxing, he was dismissed from office because he wrote a letter criticizing Qin Hui for his traitorous power.
The other one was shorter and darker-skinned, Liu Xuan, who lived in the same hometown as Wu Fu. He was a Jinshi in Shaoxing for four years. Because of his poor appearance and poor family background, he had been serving as an alternate official and had been on the bench for four years.
When Chen Qing led an army of 100,000 to escort the late emperor to Lin'an, it caused great shock in the government and the public. Some people criticized Chen Qing for following Dong Zhuo and being devoid of a monarch. However, many officials felt that Chen Qing was very courageous and daring to act.
Soon after Chen Qing withdrew his troops, there was a wave of people in the Lin'an court seeking jobs in Sichuan and Shaanxi, mainly composed of many frustrated officials who were sitting on the bench.
Wu Fu and Liu Xuan are typical representatives. One of them was dismissed from office, and the other was benched. They were both waiting in Lin'an, receiving a subsidy of three guans a month. Life was really hard. The two finally decided to send their families first.
After returning to their hometown, the two of them came to Jingzhao to find jobs, and then brought their families back after settling in.
It was noon the next day, and the two of them were hungry and thirsty. They saw two or three tea shacks on the roadside in front of them. They couldn't help but cheered and ran away at a faster speed.
The two of them were short of money, so they stayed in the cheapest foot shops and ate at roadside teahouses along the way. Wu Fu's wife supported them with their two skinny horses and Panmao, who gave them their dowry.
The two of them sat at the table, and the two attendants sat at another table. Wu Fu ordered a large bowl of noodles for each of the two attendants, and ate them loudly. They didn't care what they ate, as long as they were full.
As for Wu Fu and Liu Xuan, they were Jinshi scholars after all, so they were not so rude and didn't eat much. They ordered two dishes, each asking for a bowl of rice.
At this time, the shopkeeper came over and said with a smile: "Are you two from Lin'an?"
Wu Fu said in surprise: "How does the shopkeeper know?"
"Looking at your appearance, many officials from Lin'an have come to defect to our prince in the past few days, and they are similar to you."
The shopkeeper put a jug of wine on the table and said, "I'll give you a jug of wine! It's not sake, but you can still drink it."
The two of them were overjoyed and stood up to thank each other. The shopkeeper took another copy of the Beijing News and pointed at the bottom, "There's one here! It's clearly written here where you should report."
Wu Fu looked at the newspaper and said, "Can the shopkeeper give us this newspaper?"
"I'll give you paper and pen! Copy it down yourself. I only have this copy of the newspaper. If you take it away, I won't be able to tell others."
"We have pen and paper, thank you!"
Liu Xuan got a pen and paper, copied down the address, and returned the newspaper to the shopkeeper.
Wu Fu couldn't help but ask again: "Shopkeeper, is the rent in Jingzhao expensive? How much does it cost to rent a house?"
"rent?"
The shopkeeper laughed and said: "If you are a Jinshi, don't worry about the rent. Once you are hired, you will have an official residence. Even if the official position is lower, at least there will be a small private courtyard. It is said that the smallest one is a small courtyard with three rooms.
If you rise to level five or above, you will have an official residence."
"There is such a good thing?"
Wu Fu said in surprise: "Only those with a fifth rank or above in Lin'an can have official residences, and those below the fifth rank have to rent a house by themselves."
"That's why our prince criticized the court in the newspaper a few days ago for not caring about the lives of lower-level officials. Their salaries are low and they have no place to live, so that the lower-level officials can no longer live in Lin'an and can only come to Sichuan and Shaanxi to find jobs."
Wu Fu and Liu Xuan knew very well that there were probably too many officials defecting to Jingzhao, and King Yong passed the responsibility to the court!
But having said that, the treatment of low-level officials with positions is not bad. They have salaries and various subsidies. They only have about ten guan of money a month. They can still live in Lin'an. The worst thing is that officials like them who only have official ranks but no actual duties, the subsidies are just
No more. I only have a few meager salaries. I spend most of them on renting a house. The rest is not even enough for food. I have to find a job to supplement the family income. Otherwise, I really can't survive in Lin'an. Chen Qing criticized the court for not caring about the bottom class.
Official, he was actually right.
After lunch, the two of them continued riding on horseback. In the afternoon, they finally arrived at Jingzhao City. Jingzhao City was renovated. The city was tall and solid, and the city towers were magnificent. There were four entrances and exits, one on the left and one on the right.
Entering without disturbing each other, in an orderly manner, the small city gate in Lin'an is simply incomparable.
After entering the city, there is the East Street. The street is wide, the ground is flat, and the trees are tall and shady. There are various shops on both sides of the street. The streets are crowded and noisy. Wu Fu and Liu Xuan were dumbfounded. It is just like the capital city.
The grand scene of Chang'an in the past was nothing more than this!
"Look quickly, where is the Jinxian Hall?"
They read in the newspaper that the place dedicated to receiving job-seeking officials from Lin'an was called Jinxian Hall, which was on the right side of the East City Gate, next to the Examination Yuan.
"Where!"
Liu Xuan saw at a glance a beautiful building sign with black letters on a white background and the three characters "Jinxian Pavilion" written on it.
The two were very excited and urged their horses to run forward.
The official who received the two of them was Zhang Yanming, Deputy Order of the Judicial Office of the Ministry of Personnel. Zhang Yanming politely invited the two to sit down and served them tea.
Zhang Yanming looked at their resumes and said with a smile: "Yes, both of them are Jinshi. I have been entrusted by His Highness King Yong to warmly welcome you both."
Liu Xuan was a little uneasy and said: "I passed the imperial examination in Shaoxing in four years, but I never had the chance to become an official. Will it have any impact?"
"Mr. Liu, can you tell me why you didn't become an official?"
Liu Xuan sighed and said: "My appearance is not good, my family is poor, and I am unable to manage the officialdom, so every time I have a real shortage, I have no chance."
Zhang Yanming smiled slightly and said: "You see, my appearance is not as good as Mr. Liu's, and I am not as good as the Deputy Order of the fifth grade. His Highness King Yong must first hire people who are talented, capable, and moral. As long as they are healthy, it will be fine."
, Frankly speaking, many of the Lin'an officials who came here this time are just like you. They either came from Bianliang and were not reused, or they passed the Jinshi examination and had no chance to become officials, so don't worry."
Zhang Yanming smiled at Wu Fu again and said: "His Royal Highness King Yong specifically mentioned a few people, including Mr. Wu. His Highness praised you for your strong character and commendable courage. You are a good candidate to be a supervisor."
Wu Fu was suddenly surprised and happy. His Highness King Yong also mentioned him. He wanted to ask a few more questions, but he was afraid of affecting the mood of his companions, so he held back.
Zhang Yanming smiled and said: "You guys stay here first and have a good rest. Food and accommodation are free here. In addition, His Highness King Yong will also give each person a travel subsidy of ten taels of silver, because many people borrow money to come to Jingzhao, which is not easy."
Liu Xuan was so excited that he almost cheered. He just borrowed 20 taels of silver from Wu Fu as payment. He was worried about how to pay back the money. King Yong actually gave him a subsidy of 10 taels of silver, which was just enough to return it to Wu Fu, with thirty taels left.
Guanqian really made his heart warm.
Zhang Yanming spoke earnestly and said: "His Royal Highness King Yong attaches great importance to the ethics of officials. The money he gives you is actually used to pay for your parents, wives and children's boat fares. It is definitely not for you to spend blindly, so it is okay to go to a restaurant for a casual gathering, but
Remember not to go to brothels and drink wine. Once the records are discovered by the inspector, it will seriously affect your career."