Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 254 The journey is difficult and there are many forks in the road!
half an hour.

Hua Lun finally arrived.

As an official in the Ministry of Revenue, he now has a lot of political affairs to deal with.

As soon as he came in, he saw that the atmosphere was a bit solemn. Hua Lun didn't know what was going on, and he took the initiative to joke: "We haven't seen Brother Xia for many days. Even if he is going to the south, he shouldn't be so depressed, right?"

Lian Zining glanced at Hua Lun and said unhappily, "Hua Lun, you make it sound easy, but do you know what Xia Zhibai is going to do?"

"They say that someone can use chicken feathers as a token of authority, but Xia Zhibai used them as more than just a token of authority. He used them as a sword of authority, and used the name of His Majesty to directly intimidate and threaten local officials. I'm afraid that only Xia Zhibai in the world can do such a thing."

Hua Lun frowned, looked at him suspiciously for a few times, and asked cautiously.

Jie Min told Xia Zhibai everything he was thinking.

After listening.

Hua Lun was stunned on the spot.

Hua Lun was surprised and asked, "Did Xia Zhibai really say that?"

"It's absolutely true. How could we lie about this?" Fang Zhiding smiled bitterly.

"Where is Xia Zhibai? I'll go ask." Hua Lun looked around and didn't see Xia Zhibai, so he took the initiative to ask.

Lian Zining said, "He just finished speaking and entered the Hanlin Academy. He also hasn't finished handing over the work in his hands."

"It should be out in a while."

"We were really taken advantage of by Xia Zhibai."

"He played me around in the imperial examinations and nearly ruined my reputation. He even deliberately suppressed my appointment to a position at the court. After all the hard work, I finally got the respect of the court, but now this Xia Zhibai is here again."

"What the hell is this?!"

Lian Zining spread his hands, his eyes full of helplessness.

Xie Min rolled his eyes and asked in a serious tone, "Is the situation in the south really that serious?"

He knew something about the South, but because he was born in the North, his understanding was not very detailed. However, given Xia Zhibai's arrogance, he had to take this risky move, which made him immediately realize that the South was unusual.

Lian Zining glanced at Jie Min and Ding Zhifang hesitantly, and said in a low voice: "You are not from the South, so you don't know much about the South."

"The South is prosperous, but the South." Lian Zining took a step towards Jie Min and lowered his voice: "The situation in the South is also very serious for clan brothers, old friends, guests from all over the world, officials and disciples, etc. The concept of 'one person's success brings prosperity to the whole family' has long been popular in the South."

"If there is an official in a local area, many of his family members and relatives can enjoy special treatment. This has led to a complex local power structure in the south, especially in the middle and lower levels, which is even more impenetrable, because you are in me and I am in you, and none of them are clean."

“A lot of things are hard to handle.”

"Even if it's just a simple matter, if there are relatives or friends involved, it is very likely that an 'official' will be implicated."

"To a certain extent in the South, local family rules are more important than national laws."

"Family interests are above all else."

"The more educated people there are in the family, the more serious this situation is."

"Whenever a scholar passed the provincial examination, or the provincial exam, someone would take the initiative to befriend him, give him land, or even marry him. I also experienced this when I passed the provincial examination, but I had a good reputation and a certain reputation, so I had a hard time turning it down."

"But the other Jinshi scholars may not be so."

"It is precisely because of this that the scholars and officials in the south stick together."

"Because from the moment they entered the officialdom, they have been tied up with the interests of others. Many things are no longer up to them. Although there are indeed so-called clean officials, they also need to eat. The matter of salt administration, as Xia Zhibai said, originally only involves the top meritorious officials."

"But," Lian Zining said with a wry smile, "Why would a meritorious man be so sad about this?"

"They just said a few words to the local government, and it turned into pressure from the local government on the imperial court."

"These people in the area do not take it as an offense, but rather take it as an honor."

"The emperor is far away, and these nobles only appear in front of us from time to time. If we can make friends with them, even if it's just showing our faces, it will be a huge benefit to many people in the local area. They even work harder than many nobles themselves."

talking.

Lian Zining's eyes dimmed slightly.

He thought of a good friend of his.

Jin Youzi.

At that time, the two of them even joked to each other: "You will be a good minister in the future, and I will be a loyal minister. There will be no room for mutual disappointment."

But not long ago, in the Guo Huan case, Jin Youzi's father Jin Shouzheng almost faced imprisonment.

He went back to visit privately.

However, what Jin Shouzheng said left a deep impression on him.

Father Jin said: What a person wants to do is different from what he has to do.

As an official of Xingan County, Linjiang Prefecture, he sometimes wanted to do something big, but when it came to practical politics, he realized how difficult everything was.

The Ming government gave people a feeling of being forced together. It was difficult to achieve true unity in terms of economy and administration. When the court gave orders for something, as soon as the court officials left, the people below would take up knives and chop down the new policies.

In the end, everything went backwards.

The court blamed everyone and no one was blamed.

Because all places do this, if you are different, you are an outlier, and the government cannot stand on your side. Just like what Xia Zhibai said and what he wanted to do, many times they made sense, but once interests were involved, even if he knew it was right, he had to oppose it, because he was in a different position and he had no choice.

Perhaps if they were not in official circles, they could be friends.

but not now.

Hua Lun sighed softly.

He had the same experience as Lian Zining.

Mutual protection among local officials in the south is very serious. Even if an official is ambitious, it would be good if he could maintain his original intention once he sets foot in that area. If he is really full of ambition to do something, he will only make mistakes in everything he does.

The atmosphere in the side room was somewhat depressing.

Xie Min and Ding Zhifang looked at each other, and their emotions became somewhat complicated.

They are no longer the young scholars they used to be. After so many years in the court, they have also understood the style of officialdom. The lofty ambitions and fighting spirit of the past have been gradually eroded by the atmosphere of officialdom.

Hua Lun said in a deep voice: "Since we are here, let's make the best of it."

"Nanfang has the man's stubbornness, and Xia Zhibai has Xia Zhibai's stubbornness."

"Besides, Xia Zhibai went south on behalf of His Majesty. This might be the Imperial Sword bestowed upon Xia Zhibai by His Majesty."

"Xia Zhibai has considered a lot for us. He only asked us to pass on the message and follow him south. He didn't make any other excessive requests. However, with Xia Zhibai's dark mind, he probably guessed our thoughts and deliberately asked us to follow him to see what's going on."

"Alright."

"Let's go see what Xia Zhibai can accomplish."

"If he can really change the stubbornness of the South and strike a blow against the arrogance among local forces."

"This may not be a bad thing."

"only."

“The journey is difficult, there are many forks in the road.”

"Perhaps only if we abolish the 'scholars' as Xia Zhibai said, can the environment in the south be improved. However, I'm afraid this decree can't even be passed by the court, so how can it be implemented throughout the country?"

Hua Lun shook his head.

Only when one is really in the officialdom can one realize firsthand that even if one is a minor official, one must devote all one's energy to do one's job well. And if one wants to lead the world and correct its accumulated ills, I am afraid that even the current emperor may find it difficult to do so effectively.

Otherwise, why would Your Majesty resort to such brutal slaughter?
But killing does not solve the problem.

The key is to solve the promotion and assessment issues of grassroots officials.

Even if Your Majesty holds on to the Ministry of Personnel, what can Your Majesty really do alone?

The head of a county or the marquis of a hundred miles means that they have absolute power. The personal dependence of grassroots officials has existed from ancient times to the present. No matter how many officials the court arrests, the grassroots can continuously send them up, it's just a matter of one batch replacing another.

In fact, the more frequently you change it, the faster the place will deteriorate.

Because new officials always have to feed themselves first.

He was previously appointed to the Ministry of Revenue. He thought that with his talents, he could give full play to his abilities and help the country in the short-staffed Ministry. But when he actually sat in that position, he realized that all this was self-deception. He could not make any decisions at all and could only go with the flow.

And this is the limit of what he can do.

The more he was in it, the more he could feel how precious Xia Zhibai was.

He also gradually understood why His Majesty was unwilling to kill Xia Zhibai, even if Xia Zhibai had committed offenses many times and took the blame. Because those of them who had just passed the imperial examination and entered the officialdom were easily influenced, let alone those who were promoted from the local area?

Your Majesty needs different voices.

Someone needs to stand against the other officials.

And Xia Zhibai has always done this.

Although his actions were not pleasing, and even made all parties dissatisfied, but after weighing the pros and cons, Xia Zhibai was already the best person. Sometimes Hua Lun wondered why the world was deteriorating and the people's hearts were no longer as they used to be. The literati in ancient times were not so obsessed with profit.

Why have today's scholars become like this? !
He didn't understand.

But he felt that Xia Zhibai had figured it out.

Otherwise, why did Xia Zhibai pursue the "scholar" class so hard? Wasn't it because he thought that the "scholar" class was corrupt? It even seriously affected the normal ecology of the world. Otherwise, Xia Zhibai would not have said such decisive words.

Moreover, as the hub connecting the court and the local areas, the sphere of influence of the scholars was indeed too large.

The four of them stood aside quietly.

They were all a little absent-minded and were thinking about their own things.

Now that the matter is done, they can't refuse and can only go ahead with it.

Now their only thought is that Xia Zhibai can take it easy and not make things too awkward, otherwise they might end up in a bad way. Jie Min and Ding Zhifang are okay, after all, they are from the north, and even if they are offended, the worst that can happen is that they won't go to the south. Hua Lun and Lian Zining are different, they are from the south.

The whole family is in the south.

But given Xia Zhibai's hatred of evil, once things really go wrong, he might even escalate the situation.

Hua Lun whispered, "I hope Brother Xia can achieve his goal of 'conquering the enemy without fighting'. Otherwise, we will be 'disgraced' again when we go south this time."

Lian Zining also looked helpless.

(End of this chapter)