No war in the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 46: A Month Late Reward (Updated)

Su Ze could only temporarily leave Peach Blossom Spring. Sure enough, not long after he returned to the house, he heard a knock on the door. After opening the door, it was Zhang Yaozuo's close attendant. It turned out that Zhang Yaozuo had returned home from Dengwen Drum Courtyard and asked Su Ze to change his clothes and meet him at the door.

Su Ze was a little surprised. Although Zhang Yaozuo became an official through connections, he was a Jinshi after all, and he was still very rigorous in his official duties.

Today is not a day off, and Zhang Yaozuo rarely skips work without reason.

Su Ze changed into a set of Confucian robes and followed his entourage to the door.

Zhang Yaozuo's carriage stopped at the door, and his personal attendants urged Su Ze to get on the carriage.

Zhang Yaozuo was sitting in the carriage. Su Ze saw that his face looked a little ugly. Could it be that something happened in the court again?
Zhang Yaozuo stared at Su Ze for a long time before saying:
"From today on, you are the chosen one."

Su Ze was stunned for a moment and looked at Zhang Yaozuo in surprise.

Selectors were the lowest level of official status in the Song Dynasty. For example, the Jinshi who had just passed the palace examination were selectors.

How did I suddenly become an official?

Zhang Yaozuo said with an ugly expression:

"It is my grace that has enabled you to become an official."

After hearing this, Su Ze finally understood why Zhang Yaozuo looked so unhappy.

One of the criticisms of the Song Dynasty's problem of redundant officials by later generations was that the Song Dynasty had "excessive favors and favors."

In the Song Dynasty, not only were there many people who became officials through imperial favor, but the scope of the favor was also wide.

Not only can high-ranking officials bestow favors on their descendants, but they can also bestow favors on their relatives, and even on their retainers and students.

Although a background in the imperial examination system was considered the right path to officialdom, there were also a large number of officials who were appointed through imperial favor in the Song Dynasty.

For example, Lu Gongbi, who was defeated by Su Ze, became an official because of the favor of his father, who was the prime minister.

Not only Lu Gongbi, but several of Lu Yijian's sons were appointed as officials by imperial favor. Only Lu Gongzhu had the talent for studying, so he prepared to take the imperial examination.

Although there were many officials who received imperial favors in the Song Dynasty, there were also strict restrictions on the number of officials of each level who could receive imperial favors.

Given Zhang Yaozuo's current official position, he can only bestow favors upon three people.

Judging from Zhang Yaozuo's reluctant look, someone must have forced him to do him a favor.

The only person who could make an important official of the dynasty do such a thing, apart from Zhang Xiuyuan in the palace, could only be Emperor Zhao Zhen.

As expected, Zhang Yaozuo said:

"It was the government that asked me to grant you favors."

Su Ze didn't expect that the emperor would issue the reward so late, and reward him in this way after such a long time.

Moreover, he used Zhang Yaozuo's preferential treatment quota to reward himself.

But Su Ze didn't care. It was actually quite good to be able to get an official position through grace.

Unlike the Ming and Qing dynasties, where officials appointed by imperial favor and officials selected through imperial examinations were clearly distinguished, officials appointed through imperial favor in the Song Dynasty could also take the imperial examinations.

For example, Han Jiang, who passed the first-class examination with Wang Anshi, had already been appointed as an official through imperial favor, but he still obtained the title of Jinshi. This was due to the fact that there were too many officials but too few positions in the Song Dynasty.

Unlike the Ming and Qing dynasties where one could become an official by passing the imperial examination, in the Song Dynasty, passing the imperial examination and becoming a selected person did not mean that one could become an official.

People in the Song Dynasty said that "the sea of ​​selection is endless", which means that after becoming a selected person, one still has to wait for "official selection".

Selecting officials means that when there is a vacant position in the court, only those who are qualified to select people can compete for the vacancy. If there are not enough vacancies, or the vacant positions are relatively remote, there are also cases where people who pass the imperial examinations cannot become officials. They have to spend several months or even years waiting for other positions to become vacant before they can get an official position.

In Su Ze's view, the emperor's allowing Zhang Yaozuo to favor him was a reward for his overthrow of Lu Yijian, and also a compensation for his absence from this Ministry of Rites examination.

It's probably just about giving people the qualifications to be an official, and then paying them a little salary and a little political status.

The reason for the redundant officials in the Song Dynasty was that there were a large number of candidate officials who had official positions but no actual work. These candidate officials ate the emperor's salary but did nothing.

But at this time, Su Ze was very satisfied to be a "redundant official" so that he could prepare for the exam with his salary.

"Uncle Zhang, where are we going now?"

Zhang Yaozuo had now recovered from the regret of losing a position that was granted by imperial favor. Based on his understanding of the government, he thought that this time he had shed blood to help Su Ze, and perhaps he could make up for it after a while.

Zhang Xiuyuan had asked him to make good friends with Su Ze. Now that the emperor really saw that he was interested in this guy, Zhang Yaozuo suppressed his dissatisfaction and said:

"Go to the Court of Justice."

Su Ze looked at Zhang Yaozuo in surprise. The Official Examination Office was an important department under the Ministry of Personnel, responsible for the examination, appointment and dispatch of officials below the rank of Shaoqing and Jian. In other words, it was an important department responsible for selecting people and officials, and was also called the "Official Selection Office" by scholars.

Zhang Yaozuo looked at Su Ze. At this moment, he was a little envious of Su Ze.

When he passed the imperial examination, he was ranked low, so he waited in Bian Jing for half a year before he was selected for a suitable official position.

Before attaching himself to Zhang Xiuyuan, Zhang Yaozuo had been moving around in remote counties outside Bianliang. It was not until his niece gained favor in the palace that he was able to enter the fast lane of promotion.

However, Su Ze was originally just a commoner. Not only was he specially appointed to an official position, but the government also gave him a real position, allowing him to really hold an official position.

This is a treatment that many children from powerful families have never been able to enjoy.

Zhang Yaozuo quickly put away these messy thoughts. He remembered what Zhang Xiuyuan had said to him. Su Ze was already a family member. If he could really achieve something, it would be beneficial to him.

Zhang Yaozuo's house was right in front of the imperial palace, and the Ministry of Personnel was located in the Tai Province area south of the imperial palace. The carriage soon stopped in front of a low-key government office.

After getting off the car, Zhang Yaozuo straightened his official robe, then turned around and helped Su Ze straighten his clothes.

Although he had become an important official, Zhang Yaozuo was still full of awe for the Court of Censorship. The Minister of Personnel was called the "Heavenly Official" in the Tang Dynasty because it held the important power of official assessment and promotion. This low-key government office was the key department that controlled the fate of countless low-level officials and was the most important department in the Ministry of Personnel.

Zhang Yaozuo thought about when he had just passed the imperial examination, he had to wait in front of the Court of Examination every day for the notice of vacancies, waiting for a suitable official position to become vacant.

Fortunately, Zhang Yaozuo is now an important official. He does not need to wait with the candidates waiting at the door. He directly takes Su Ze into the Court of Justice, where he is greeted by a middle-aged official.

The middle-aged official obviously recognized Zhang Yaozuo. He bowed and said:

"Cai Xiang, the examiner of the Ministry of Personnel, greets Zhang Dengwen. Mr. Zhang has come to the Ministry of Personnel. I wonder what advice he has for you?"

Su Ze looked up from behind, Cai Xiang? He met another celebrity?
He is one of the four great calligraphers of the Song Dynasty and a famous calligrapher. Couldn't he have collected the spirit of literary heritage?
　The top few people in the imperial examination became officials in Beijing. Wang Anshi ranked fourth in the imperial examination and was appointed as a Beijing official. Being a Beijing official was far more valuable than being selected as a scholar, and this was also a reward for high rankings in the imperial examination.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)