Han officials

Chapter 319: Moisturizing Things Silently
The next day, at the Hall of State Affairs,

As expected, the debate at Zhixing Academy reached Wei Zhe's ears.

When Wei Zhe learned that Zhang Song and Fa Zheng were at odds, and that Sima Yi and Pang Tong disliked each other, he laughed heartily.

He certainly knew the purpose of Zhang Song's trip.

But Wei Zhe did not summon him; instead, he waited for Zhang Song to come to him on his own.

He wanted to see if Zhang Song would still resort to his arrogant and conceited ways this time!
However, Wei Zhe suddenly remembered something and immediately spoke up:

"Gongjin, go to the Communication Academy and ask about the results of this year's annual assessment for the academy."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu dared not be negligent. He bowed respectfully and hurried towards the outer room.

A moment later, he was seen rushing back with a memorial in his hand, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Hmm~" Wei Zhe didn't say anything, but simply unfolded and browsed it carefully.

As expected, the list begins with names such as Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, and Fa Zheng.

Although Zhixing Academy now has over a thousand students, only twelve students achieved a "Grade A" in this year's annual assessment, while three hundred and eight students achieved a "Grade B" and the rest achieved a "Grade C".

After reading the memorial, Wei Zhe pondered for a moment and then had Zhou Yu hand it to Guo Yuan, Xun You, Xi Zhicai, and Zhang Zhao on either side.

Now that the State of Wei is newly established, there are only four people who can participate in government affairs in the Hall of State Affairs and serve as "Participating in Government Affairs".

Tian Feng could have been among them, but ultimately he missed out.

After a moment, Wei Zhe tapped on the table and asked:
"What do you think... should be done with these people?"

Zhang Zhao spoke first: "Your Highness, I believe that following the old practice, these twelve people should be appointed as junior officials and allowed to enter the Secretariat to observe government affairs. As for the other three hundred or so people..."

He paused for a moment before adding, "It would be better to wait for selection in Ye City, so that vacancies can be filled immediately in other counties."

Guoyuan couldn't help but nod upon hearing this:

"Nowadays, many officials in various counties and prefectures are of dubious character, and it is time to dismiss a number of them and rectify the atmosphere."

It should be noted that the State of Wei had a total of 496 counties under its jurisdiction, and not every county magistrate was qualified.

Many county magistrates were promoted simply to maintain stability, and were not actually competent.

Guo Yuan knew this, and so did Xun You.

However, after thinking for a moment, he frowned and shook his head: "Forcing growth is not the way to cultivate talent!"

Indeed, the scholars who graduated from Zhixing Academy can be considered the direct descendants of the Wei Kingdom, and they are slightly more loyal than the Wei Kingdom.

However, these young people have just graduated from the academy and have little experience in governing a region. Letting them take charge of a region rashly may backfire.

After hearing Xun You's explanation, Xi Zhicai immediately nodded in agreement:

“It is not easy for academies to cultivate students. We should indeed be more cautious in order to cultivate talents for the country.”

Therefore, Xi Zhicai put forward a suggestion that was completely opposite to Zhang Zhao's:
"How about we send these students of both A and B grades to local areas, to serve as village heads, township officials, or county clerks, to observe their administration for a year, and then summon them to the Ministry of Personnel for an examination?"

It must be said that Xi Zhicai has thoroughly understood Wei Zhe's "traditional Chinese studies".

He has thoroughly and diligently implemented both practical learning and practical governance, without the slightest deviation.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe immediately nodded and said:
“That’s excellent. Let’s do it this way from now on, and follow this example in all future cases.”

At this point, Wei Zhe paused slightly, thought for a moment, and then added:
"When these people return from observing the government, I will personally consult them, discern their merits and demerits, and select virtuous individuals for the country!"

Upon hearing Wei Zhe's words, Guo Yuan and the others naturally had no further objections.

However, Xi Zhicai's suggestion did inspire them, making them realize that they had underestimated "traditional Chinese culture".

So after the evening court session ended, Guoyuan and the others couldn't help but pick up "The Record of Knowledge and Action" again to study it.

In fact, they were all ministers who belonged to the "practical learning" faction.

Previously, they lacked a systematic theoretical framework, so they mostly acted on impulse. Now, with clear principles of practicality, learning, implementation, and governance, Guoyuan and others suddenly realized that this was the governing program they had followed, but they hadn't summarized it before, so they would sometimes unconsciously deviate from this principle in certain matters.

……

Not to mention how the ministers reviewed the past and learned something new.

The order from the Council of State did not cause much of a stir in Ye City.

But he was just a lowly official in charge of food and drink; no one would care.

Aside from a few scholars in the academy who had some complaints, believing that the Ministry of Personnel was mistreating talented people and did not know how to treat the virtuous with respect.

That's not surprising; in a big forest, you'll find all kinds of birds, and silly birds are no exception.

Fortunately, apart from a few fools, the other scholars in the academy were not picky.

Especially those students who regard "The Record of Knowledge and Action" as their guiding principle, the deeper their understanding of traditional Chinese culture, the more they understand the arrangements made by the Ministry of Personnel. They do not find it difficult, but are instead full of ambition and ready to take this opportunity to put their knowledge into practice.

In their words, this is their first step from mortal to saint!
Sometimes reforms are like that; they happen without much fanfare, and things are done very quietly.

Conversely, if Wei Zhe solemnly promulgated laws and announced to all sides that he intended to implement the imperial examination system, the resistance to this matter would increase significantly.

Spring rain is as precious as oil, nourishing all things silently; how true this saying is!

While the academy was abuzz with discussion, Wei Zhe finally met with Zhang Song.

"Zhang Song of Shu Commandery pays his respects to Lord Wei!"

Upon first meeting Wei Zhe, Zhang Song respectfully prostrated himself on the ground, showing no arrogance whatsoever.

Wei Zhe carefully examined him and finally understood why Cao Cao had misjudged him in his previous life.

To be honest, you really can't blame Cao Cao for this.

Although people still judge others by their appearance and value the dignity of officials, they are very lenient towards talented but unattractive people.

Phrases like "unusual appearance," "rustic features," and "the appearance of an extraordinary person" are all idealizations of such individuals.

But Zhang Song's image is not simply that of a short stature and ugly appearance.

Besides being short and stocky, he also had a large forehead, a pointed head, a flat nose, and buck teeth.

These features are ugly enough individually, but when combined on one person, they become even more shocking.

To put it bluntly, such a face is probably one in a hundred years.

This may explain why Zhang Song, despite being well-read, still appears to have a sleazy demeanor.

Growing up in such an environment, it's no wonder that Zhang Song became dissolute and lacked moral integrity.

After all, the more insecure a person is, the stronger their self-esteem is. Zhang Song's sensitive and impulsive personality was probably developed in this way.

Fortunately, Wei Zhe had already prepared himself mentally and did not show any displeasure or surprise when facing Zhang Song.

He didn't even need to put on a show of being respectful and courteous; as long as he maintained his usual peaceful demeanor, Zhang Song would already feel that he had met a wise ruler.

Before Wei Zhe could speak, Zhang Song took the initiative to report to Wei Zhe on the terrain, features, strategic locations, military secrets such as the armory and troop deployments of Yizhou, and also presented him with a confidential map.

Zhang Song's initiative was somewhat unexpected by Wei Zhe.

He thought Zhang Song would go back and think it over before deciding whether to get in his car, but now it seems Zhang Song is quite satisfied with what he saw and heard in Ye City.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe's heart stirred, and he immediately smiled and looked at Zhang Song:

"Ziqiao's kindness makes me feel somewhat ashamed."

"However... the Zhixing Dibao in Yizhou is still lacking an editor-in-chief. I wonder if Ziqiao would be interested?"

(End of this chapter)