I am a temporary worker in Jinyiwei, how did I become a powerful official?

Chapter 229 My Masters Hai Rui and Hai Gangfeng

Regarding the Beijing inspection, Yang Bo was selfless and devoted to public service, while Zhang Siwei was self-serving.

Controlling the Beijing Inspection is tantamount to controlling the appointment and removal of officials in the capital. How could he not promote his fellow Shanxi natives?

Two months later, the imperial examination in the capital concluded. The Ministry of Personnel posted the results of the public review in front of the government office.

Thousands of names and fixed patterns were pasted on the walls along the entrance of the government office, spreading out for a full half mile.

Officials in the capital searched for their names and qualifications with trepidation.

Every now and then, officials would collapse in a cold sweat after being dismissed from their posts.

Lin Shisan knew that trouble was bound to break out in front of the Ministry of Personnel today, and that dismissed officials might even storm the main hall of the Ministry. Therefore, he personally led his men to the Ministry of Personnel today.

Lin Shisan sat upright in a chair outside the Ministry of Personnel. A tea table was placed next to him, and Sun Yue poured him a cup of tea.

Sun Yue said, "Good heavens, it's a sea of ​​people. This early in the morning, as soon as the Ministry of Personnel posted the notices, all these officials from the capital rushed here."

"They might not be that enthusiastic about official business."

Lin Shisan said, "To officials, their official hat is their life. You don't need to mock them."

"If the Embroidered Uniform Guard were to start their own inspections, you'd be even more enthusiastic than they are."

Suddenly, Lin Shisan heard a scream as loud as a pig being slaughtered.

"Ow!"

The wailing was so intense that it nearly made Lin Shisan drop the teacup from his hand.

Lin Shisan instructed Sun Yue, "What's wrong? Go and see."

It turned out to be a clerk surnamed Yang from the Ministry of Revenue's Huguang Bureau of Officials, whose four categories were "guarding - peaceful", "political - lazy", "talent - short", and "age - old".

The Eight Methods were further evaluated using four criteria: "non-action," "lack of caution," "old age," and "weak talent."

His investigation in the capital resulted in his dismissal from office.

Chief Clerk Yang cried out, "Heaven and earth bear witness! I have served as an official for thirty years, honest and conscientious. How could I be dismissed from office?"

"I've served as a chief clerk in the Ministry of Revenue for twenty-six years! Instead of promoting me, they want to dismiss me?"

"God, open your eyes! The Ministry of Personnel is unjust! I'll risk my life to find the official in charge of the Ministry of Personnel and settle this score!"

A clerk surnamed Wang from the Ministry of Justice chimed in, "I've also been an honest and upright official, diligent in my work. Yet I've been demoted three ranks?"

"I was the second-place scholar in the imperial examination of the thirty-second year of the Jiajing reign! Why?"

"Old Yang, I'll go with you into the Ministry of Personnel and have a serious argument with the officials there. If those surnamed Yang, Liu, or Zhang can't give me a reason, I'll smash up their entire Ministry of Personnel!"

Normally, no official in the capital would want to offend the Ministry of Personnel.

This time, however, things were different. The Ministry of Personnel was trying to cut off their official careers; how could they not be furious?

Wang Langzhong pulled Yang Zhushi towards the main hall of the Ministry of Personnel.

A junior official from the Ministry of Rites chimed in, "Brother Yang, Brother Wang, we've passed the prefectural, provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations one after another. Don't embarrass yourselves!"

Wang Langzhong straightened his official hat. This well-read, refined, and erudite second-place scholar squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth: "Zhuo!"

A group of officials chimed in, "Yes!"

"Well done!"

"Be more alert!"

Seeing that the two were about to cause trouble, Lin Shisan stepped in front of them.

Lin Shisan said solemnly, "I am Lin Shisan, the Northern Garrison Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. You two, state your official titles and names."

When Wang Langzhong saw the third leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he instinctively shrank his neck.

The officials who had been egging him on also shut their mouths.

Offending someone from the Ministry of Personnel might at most result in losing your official position, but offending someone from the Embroidered Uniform Guard could cost you your head.

Wang Langzhong cupped his hands and said, "I am Wang Zhiyuan, a Langzhong in the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Justice." Yang Zhushi replied, "I am Yang Zaidao, a Zhushi in the Huguang Provincial Department of Revenue."

Lin Shisan asked, "You feel that the evaluations given to you by the Ministry of Personnel are unfair, so you want to cause trouble at the ministers' offices, right?"

Doctor Wang said, "That's right!"

Lin Shisan clapped his hands. A small flag, uglier than a dog, flashed out from behind him.

This little flag bearer is a well-known "living archive" in the Northern Division. He's useless at everything in the division, except for one thing—he has a good memory.

He could recite the official files in the Northern Division's archives by heart.

Lin Shisan instructed Xiaoqi: "You heard the names of these two just now, right? Think about their secret files in the Northern Division. What outrageous things have they done?"

The "living archive" closed its eyes, then opened them again after a moment: "In March of the 45th year of the Jiajing reign, Huang Cheng, a wealthy merchant from Jiaxing, Zhejiang, colluded with Portuguese to circumvent the Maritime Trade Office to trade silk. When the incident came to light, the case was reported to the Ministry of Justice."

"In June, Wang Zhiyuan, who was then serving as an assistant director in the Ministry of Justice, accepted a bribe of three thousand taels of silver and a box of treasures from Huang Chengcai's family. He then closed the case without authorization."

"In August of the 43rd year of the Jiajing reign, the treasury of the Guangxi Provincial Administration Commission was in deficit. The Commissioner's Office sent a secretary surnamed Hu to the capital to bribe Yang Zaidao, the then Chief Clerk of the Huguang Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue, with 5,000 taels of silver."

"After receiving the silver, Yang Zaidao altered the Ministry of Revenue's accounts, changing the deficit into a surplus."

The "living archive" recited more than a dozen secrets about Wang and Yang.

Both of them were drenched in sweat.

Lin Shisan waved his hand: "Alright, that's enough. If you continue, these two gentlemen will probably not be able to atone for their sins even if they die ten thousand times."

"I say, gentlemen, you have committed so many crimes in the past, and we, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, have not investigated them, or rather, we have been too lazy to investigate them."

"Now that the results of the imperial examinations have been released, one of you has been dismissed from office and the other demoted. This is only a minor punishment! Aren't you going home to secretly rejoice? Or are you going to cause trouble in the main hall?"

"If you don't know how to be polite, don't blame me for turning on you! Once you're in the Ministry of Personnel, we'll settle all the old scores one by one, according to the rules!"

When Lin Shisan said this much, Yang Zhushi and Wang Langzhong were so frightened that they lost six of their seven souls.

Lin Shisan said, "Are there any other people who want to cause trouble? If they want to cause trouble, I, Lin Shisan, will accompany them! Let's settle the old scores slowly."

The officials were terrified by Lin Shisan. They all lowered their heads and remained silent.

Lin Shisan strode back to the chair at the entrance of the yamen and sat down.

Sun Yue hurriedly flattered Lin Shisan: "Master, you are the best. Only you can keep those officials in the capital in check."

Lin Shisan replied, "It's not that I'm particularly capable, but rather that the secrets of officials that our Embroidered Uniform Guard has collected over the years are truly remarkable."

About half an hour later, Lin Shisan suddenly heard a roar: "There's something fishy going on in this capital inspection!"

Lin Shisan put down his teacup and muttered to himself, "Well, here comes another troublemaker."

He strode up to the official who had shouted, "There are ghosts in the capital inspection!"

Lin Shisan asked, "What is your name and what is your official position?"

The official proclaimed loudly, "My name is Chen Yan, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) from the Ministry of Works, and my teacher is Hai Rui, the governor of Yingtian!"

Lin Shisan was taken aback: Hai Rui's student?
Chen Guanzheng stood on a hitching post by the wall and shouted, "Gentlemen, have you noticed anything fishy about this year's imperial examination?"

Lin Shisan shouted, "Chen Yan, you're a newly appointed scholar, yet you haven't been given a real position; you're just observing the government in the Ministry of Works. Are you trying to incite officials to cause trouble?"

"If you cause trouble today, don't blame me for disrespecting your teacher!"

Chen Guanzheng said, "I have long heard that Commander Lin is shrewd and capable. Has he not noticed the huge shady dealings involved in this imperial examination?"

"I've been looking at the list of candidates for the Imperial Examination for ages. This list is absolutely ridiculous!"

Lin Shisan roared, "Explain yourself! If you're spouting nonsense and can't make sense, I'll lock you up in the imperial prison today."

Chen Guanzheng announced loudly: "Commander Lin, fellow officials, please take a look! In this imperial examination, all officials from Shanxi Province have received the highest rank in all four categories of talent! They are not guilty of any of the eight vices!"

"Without exception!"

"The Minister of Personnel, Yang Bo, and the Vice Minister of the Right, Zhang Siwei—are from Shanxi!"

(End of this chapter)