Zhang Gen sat silently in the "Human Officials Division" Yamen, watching the chaotic situation here, and sometimes he didn't like it and wanted to help.
Zhu Guoxiang's official reform is still in the exploratory stage. In particular, increasing the salary of subordinate staff is somewhat unrealistic in Zhang Gen's opinion, but it seems that it can be tried.
Mid-level and senior officials in the Song Dynasty needed to take exams, which were similar to those taken by civil servants in later generations.
There has been a quota limit from the beginning. Those who have been established are called official officials, and those who are waiting to be admitted are called officials who are in the vacancy, posting books, studying, private names, department names, etc.
Since Wang Anshi's Reform, officials with official establishments have been paid wages.
Initially, only officials in key departments could receive wages. Yuanfeng's restructuring expanded the scope of officials who could receive wages. Now Zhu Guoxiang has expanded the scale of "paid officials" again.
The finances may not be able to bear it!
Due to the reduction of exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, although the official tax remains unchanged and although subordinate officials still earn gray income, this year's autumn grain collection went very smoothly.
One month after the autumn harvest, 80% of the tax amount had been completed, and Zhu Guoxiang began to preside over the examination.
Officials in various states and counties purge redundant officials according to government orders. Those who are eliminated can take exams locally. Those who pass will gather in Hanzhong and Zhu Guoxiang will preside over the re-examination.
Officials who are proud of their talent and learning can also resign on their own initiative and directly participate in the re-examination. Civil servants can also sign up to participate on their own.
Qualified people will be sent to the newly occupied territories as senior officials. Among them, a very small number of outstanding ones can skip the junior staff level and be immediately awarded official positions.
On the day of the exam, dozens of spectators came to watch.
The Song Dynasty also had to examine officials, but they were all conducted locally. It never happened that the examinations were conducted together. This was very similar to the imperial examination.
However, the scope of the examination clearly states that it does not include Confucian classics.
There were about four hundred officials sitting in the Gongyuan examination room feeling anxious, and observers took the initiative to serve as examiners.
"The subordinate officials paying tribute to the courtyard are the most embarrassing thing in the world." Liu Huiyuan said sarcastically.
Xu Fuyan said: "I took the exam before and now, but the exam location is different."
Liu Yao said: "It seems that even in Hanzhong, there are not many scholars who are thieves. The Zhu thieves want to select the outstanding ones from the subordinate staff for official positions. This is an extraordinary law and a temporary measure. It will not form a system."
The test questions were announced on the spot:
An official recited while walking: "The first question is, A stole B's money, and the other party got the stolen goods. B did not send A to see the official, and ordered his servants C and D to kill five members of A's family and throw their bodies into the river. The bodies were not found. Basis
"Song Xingtong", please try writing the verdict!"
The first three questions were all about judiciary, followed by two questions each on official document writing, arithmetic, water conservancy, and famine relief. The last question actually asked officials to write policy papers.
Zhang Gen stood up and inspected the examination room, quietly observing the answering situation.
The standard answer to the first question is: Killing more than three people in a family, which is not a capital crime, is one of the ten heinous crimes. According to the law, all the subordinates should be beheaded, regardless of the head, and no copper fine is allowed to atone for the crime. The wife was exiled two thousand miles away, but no bones were left.
, if an autopsy cannot be used as evidence, it must be submitted to the emperor for personal judgment, or for review by an official designated by the emperor.
Zhang Gen went around in a circle. For such a simple question, nearly half of the officials answered incorrectly. These guys probably have never read "Song Xingtong".
"Sure enough, we still need to rely on scholars to govern the people." Zhang Gen shook his head and sighed.
Dozens of political observers followed Zhang Gen's example and made the "candidates" nervous and there was absolutely no possibility of cheating.
Everyone walked around for a while, all suppressing laughter. Some of the answers were too outrageous.
At noon, meals are arranged uniformly and brought directly to the examination room.
About two quarters in the afternoon, an old official handed in the paper in advance.
"Wait, don't leave." Zhu Guoxiang started marking the papers on the spot.
All the previous questions were answered extremely well.
The content of the policy theory is to discuss the policy mistakes of Song Huizong.
This old official's literary talent is average, even simple and vulgar, and he doesn't talk much.
He just listed various data, such as households in the first, second, third, fourth and fifth grades, the income of the people in the city and the income of the people in the countryside, and then compared the tax amount of the court, the corruption of officials, and the losses during transportation. Then he came to the conclusion,
If we continue to collect taxes like this, the third-class households will no longer be able to make ends meet, and the fourth- and fifth-class households must borrow usurious loans to make a living.
"Xue Fang?" Zhu Guoxiang looked at the name on the test paper.
The old official hurriedly came forward and bowed: "This is my humble duty."
Zhu Guoxiang said: "Briefly introduce yourself."
Xue Fang said: "My name is Xue Fang. I have no words. I am fifty-two years old this year. Three generations of my ancestors have been officials in Xicheng. I have been working as a household record clerk in Xicheng for seventeen years. I recently resigned from my job and came to Hanzhong to take the exam.
a future.”
Zhu Guoxiang said: "When Bazhou is defeated and the fighting stops for a while, you can become the governor of Bazhou."
Xue Fang was stunned for a moment, thinking that she heard wrongly, and just stood there stupidly.
"Why, do you think the official position is too small?" Zhu Guoxiang asked with a smile.
Xue Fang suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, shouting: "My husband is my reborn parent. From now on, my old life will be given to my husband. I... I... I will give my best and die!"
As he spoke, he burst into tears.
Zhu Guoxiang asked: "Are there any grandchildren at home? They are in their teens."
Xue Fang said: "I have two grandchildren, one is seventeen and the other is fourteen."
Zhu Guoxiang said: "Choose a smart person to come to my shogunate to obey orders and do things. When you go to Bazhou, you must govern the people. You can no longer behave like a subordinate official."
Xue Fang was so excited that she shouted: "Long live, long live, long live!"
Xue Fang knelt down, which had attracted the attention of many people. At this moment, she shouted "Long Live Long Live", which made many people change their expressions, and many people also cast envious looks.
Although I don't know what kind of errand Xue Fang received, it is definitely not trivial.
Zhu Guoxiang called the officials: "Give Mr. Xue a seat."
Xue Fang, who was over fifty years old, was sitting next to Zhu Guoxiang, ushering in the highlight moment of her life.
The goal of the three generations of his ancestors and grandsons was just to become a high-ranking official. The title of chief registrar and county captain was already their extravagant hope. However, they never imagined that after spending most of their lives doing nothing, they would suddenly be promoted to the magistrate of the state, and his grandson could also be the Prime Minister of Zhu.
people around you.
Xue Fang sat straight on the chair, her old face exuding an inexplicable brilliance, and her tears couldn't stop flowing down her wrinkles.
From now on, whatever Mr. Zhu asked him to do, he would do it to the death. Even if the officers and soldiers came to kill him, he would risk his life.
With an example, a second person will soon hand in the paper.
The second test paper was much inferior. Zhu Guoxiang asked about the situation and there was no official position arranged for the time being.
Zhu Guoxiang personally graded all the papers. It took him several days to mark hundreds of answer papers and classify them into five grades according to their scores.
In the first class, there is only one person appointed as the magistrate.
The second class, a total of six people, were appointed as county magistrates.
The third class, with a total of twenty-two people, is appointed as the chief registrar.
The fourth class, with a total of sixty-seven people, is appointed as senior officials.
The fifth class, which is the remaining portion, can only be ordinary officials.
Li Bao's troops went south from Micang Road, and they did not bring many civilians with them. All those who participated in the examination this time were thrown into the territory Li Bao had conquered.
All the answer sheets of candidates above the chief register were posted by Zhu Guoxiang for public notice.
Many scholars who came to Hanzhong to observe the wind direction became agitated when they saw the answer sheets.
Xue Fang's answer sheet is too unique and difficult to evaluate.
However, the answer papers written by those county magistrates and chief clerks were mediocre, and the Han Zhong scholars felt that they were not as good as themselves.
If you take the exam yourself, you will at least be a master bookkeeper!
One after another, dozens of scholars ran to Zhu Guoxiang's mansion to ask for an audience. They didn't care whether they were thieves or not. They wanted to become officials first anyway. It was too difficult to get a Jinshi in the Song Dynasty.
Zhu Guoxiang ignored these people for half a month and finally announced an additional trial.
In this exam, the participants were all serious scholars, and their quality was obviously much better than that of the subordinate candidates. However, there were also weak links, such as "rescuing famine" and other practical work, and the answers of the scholars were overall not as good as those of subordinate officials.
Based on the examination results, Zhu Guoxiang appointed one more prefecture magistrate, seven county magistrates and fifteen chief registrars.
When the answer sheet was posted again, more scholars were itchy, but they were worried about the identity of the rebels and could not make a decision. They kept comforting themselves that they could wait and see.
Observers are freer and are allowed to wander around the city as they please.
Since Zhang Gen and Taixue's property was not confiscated and confiscated, they often went to restaurants to have banquets.
Xu Fuyan and others specially drank wine. The guy shook his head and sighed: "Although the officials selected in the two examinations are mixed, good and bad, they can barely be used as state and county officials. Zhu Thief is different from Fang La. He has officials and officials available.
Moreover, by getting rid of redundant officials, redundant expenses and accumulated abuses, I am afraid that the government can be managed better than the Song Dynasty. Fang La suddenly gained power, and there are not many serious officials, so it will naturally not last long. Alas, it is difficult to eradicate the red thieves!"
Fu Xingzhong remained silent, and the two exams further strengthened his determination to join the bandits.
Although the Fu family has been an official for generations, it has already declined compared to its heyday. His family rose rapidly by betting on the new dynasty and produced three queens in a row. Now it seems that they really have to bet again.
.
Moreover, Fu Xingzhong is more courageous than Gao Jingshan and is not afraid of harming the family at all.
Anyway, the emperor did not dare to do anything to the Fu family. He would at most demote the Fu family, and there were currently no important members of the Fu family. His father, who held the title of the founding father of the country, was a serious Jinshi, and he was only a general judge at present. He was dismissed by the court.
The traitor party has suppressed me hard enough.
Now that you have been suppressed, are you still afraid of being demoted again?
After a long drink, this historical official of the Southern Song Dynasty went to see Zhu Guoxiang privately.
"Well done, Zhengmin, please come and have a drink with me." Zhu Guoxiang warmly welcomed him.
Although the Fu family has declined and even its title has been reduced to baron, after all, one family and three queens were a very special existence in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Even if Fu Xingzhong was no longer capable, Zhu Guoxiang would still give him a high position, which was of great political significance.
While changing cups and cups, Zhu Guoxiang began to test his talents and found that this man was indeed a master in governing the people and was by no means an ordinary Jinshi official.
Zhu Guoxiang asked: "This winter, I plan to dredge the mountain and river weirs, which will double the food supply in Hanzhong. Is Zhengmin willing to take on this important task and be fully responsible for the construction of the mountain and river weirs?"
Fu Xingzhong immediately stood up and bowed: "How dare you disobey me!"