Upon hearing this, Lin Tailai patted the copy of the sinner's edict into Chen Younian's hand, pointed at it and said, "Does it contain the words 'Lin Tailai was reinstated and promoted'?"
Chen Younian was worried and read the full text of the Sinji Edict carefully again before nodding and saying, "Yes."
There is no room for sloppiness in government affairs. The old government cadres are so rigorous.
Lin Tailai said in an orderly manner: "It goes without saying that the official reinstatement is easy to understand. It is nothing more than restoring my treatment as a doctor of the Hanlin Academy's Editor and the Department of Etiquette.
It is this promotion of official positions that requires careful consideration by your officials.
This is the emperor's order, and I am not confident about your professional level and doubt whether you can carry out the order well."
Chen Youqing smiled contemptuously, "Who gave you the confidence to question the old government cadres?"
Then I heard Lin Tailai continue to say: "So I want to give you a test. Can you explain to me, what does it mean to be promoted?"
Chen Younian replied without hesitation: "There are roughly two explanations for the so-called promotion of official positions. One is promotion and rank improvement; the other is holding other official positions concurrently."
However, Lin Tailai showed a look of disappointment on his face, "Superficial, too superficial! Is this your professional level?
In your mind, does it mean promotion only when one’s character is improved?
Don’t you, a literary anthologist, really know that in our Ming Dynasty, an improvement in one’s character is also regarded as a promotion?
For example, if the county magistrate is appointed as the censor, he is also at the seventh rank, but it is considered a promotion!
There are also third-rank inspectors who are transferred to third-rank deputy censors, and they are also regarded as promotions!"
Chen Younian had a tight face and said nothing, saying nothing about Lin Tailai's statement.
Lin Tailai said loudly in surprise: "No way? As the current person in charge of the Ministry of Personnel and the doctor of the First Department of Literature and Selection, you don't even know these common sense, right?"
Chen Younian: "."
This kind of saying about high-level and low-level official status is not clearly written in the system. To put it bluntly, it is an unspoken rule established by convention!
Lin Tailai can do whatever he wants, but Chen Younian, as the doctor of the literary selection department, represents an official status on the issue of government affairs, and cannot publicly express or admit such unspoken rules!
But this kind of helpless silence was deliberately ridiculed by Lin Tailai as "ignorance", which was so frustrating!
What's even more disgusting is that the other officials who were watching in the corner burst into laughter, as if they were very happy to see the superior official boss suffer.
At this time, Zhao Nanxing, the former member of the Wenxuan Department, the former member of the Examination Department, and the current head of the Examination Department, Zhao Nanxing, rushed out and came to Chen Younian's rescue: "Lin Tailai! Are you here to do something, or are you here to talk nonsense?"
Lin Tailai replied: "As the saying goes, nothing can be achieved without rules. We must first define the concept of promotion, and then set the rules accurately, so that we can act according to the rules!
Start working now! There is nothing to discuss about reinstating the official, but I have some personal opinions to express about the promotion, lest you mess up the emperor's will."
Chen Younian came to his senses and responded: "Our official department welcomes expressions of opinions, but our official department also has its own rules!"
Lin Tailai ignored Chen Younian and talked eloquently: "First of all, it is not appropriate to use my official position in the Imperial Academy.
Because Hanlin officials were promoted by the emperor himself and did not go through the Ministry of Personnel, so the Ministry of Personnel was not qualified to increase their rank.
At the same time, Hanlin official rank is precious, and I have no great achievements, so it is indeed very inappropriate to be promoted to an official rank.
Therefore, the official position can only be used for the official position of Doctor of the Ministry of Rites. I believe your Ministry of Personnel has no objection to this, right?"
Chen Younian kept a straight face and said nothing, because these are the truth and cannot be denied even if they are denied.
Lin Tailai continued: "But it is unrealistic to upgrade my rank as a fifth-rank gift doctor.
First of all, I have not made any great achievements and am not qualified to upgrade my level.
Secondly, there are no fourth-rank official positions in the six ministries, and it is impossible for me, a doctor, to surpass the fourth rank and be directly promoted to the third-rank minister.
If the yamen were transferred through other temples, the impact would not be good. After all, the quality of these yamen would be much worse than that of the Ministry of Rites.
I am asked to be demoted from the Ministry of Rites to go to a government office such as Taichang Temple or Honglu Temple. Can that be called a promotion?
Therefore, it is completely unfeasible to upgrade me to a higher level. Do your officials agree with these analyses?"
Chen Younian didn't want to speak, but nodded. These analyzes were also reasonable.
The surrounding officials were talking a lot. They were all professional bureaucrats and knew the hierarchy of the officialdom. Lin Tai was fine with it.
Lin Tailai saw that no one objected, so he continued his analysis: "So if you want to give me, the doctor of the Ministry of Etiquette, a job, there is only one way, and that is to add a part-time job!
After all, Chen Bulang said just now that there are two categories of promotions, one is promotion and the other is increase.
Since you can't get promoted, you can only rely on adding part-time jobs.
But part-time jobs also have rules for part-time jobs. The quality of a new part-time job cannot be lower than that of a doctor in the Ministry of Etiquette, otherwise it is meaningless and cannot be counted as a promotion!
For example, if a doctor in the Ministry of Rites is concurrently appointed as the Prime Minister of Taichang Temple, the position of Director of the Imperial College will not change at all from the original position, and it is definitely not considered an additional official position!"
Lin Tailai's analysis sounds reasonable and compliant, but it is too trivial and the more you listen to it, the more annoying it becomes!
Chen Younian scolded him angrily: "What exactly do you want to say?"
Lin Tailai calmed down and said comfortingly: "Don't be anxious, don't panic, the answer will be revealed soon!
What I mean is that if you use the official position of Doctor in the Ministry of Rites to add a part-time job, you cannot look for it at a lower level.
Not to mention temples and prisons, even among the six ministries, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Ministry of Works, which are obviously inferior in quality to the Ministry of Rites, cannot be considered.
As for the Metropolitan Procuratorate, which has sufficient moral standing and does not have a fifth-grade official position, there is no need to consider it.
So the only yamen where I could work part-time were the civil service department and the household department. As a Suzhou native, according to the ancestral system, I couldn't work as an official in the household department.
So at the end of the analysis, the only government office I can work part-time in is our noble staff department!"
The sky was clear during the day, and it seemed as if a thunder suddenly exploded in everyone's ears!
Fortunately for others, Chen Younian, Zhao Nanxing and other officials present were stunned!
Even Wang Xiangmenghao's eldest nephew, a member of the Literary and Selection Department, who secretly ran out to watch the fun, was petrified on the spot!
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Lin Tailai has been arguing for a long time, and the final answer is this!
You won the civil and military nine yuan. Apart from relying on force, do you still have a thick skin?
Lin Tailai didn't seem to notice the abnormality in other people's expressions, and said enthusiastically:
"In other words, the only way to give me an official position in accordance with the decree is to let me work part-time as a doctor in the Ministry of Civil Affairs!
I came to the Ministry of Civil Affairs today just to say hello to my future colleagues in advance!"
All the officials thought they were dreaming and were unwilling to wake up.
But other officials around him who came to do business came to their senses and suddenly burst out into loud cheers.
The great fun of the high-ranking No. 1 Yamen may only be seen once in this life!
