Qing Yao

Chapter 43 Too Happy?
The Imperial College was the highest institution of learning in the Ming and Qing dynasties, even more prestigious than Peking University and Tsinghua University in later generations. A student was a student studying at this highest institution of learning.

Among the students, there are Jujian who are Juren, Gongjian who are Xiucai, Yinjian who are Yinjian (Enjian) who are Yinjian by virtue of their fathers’ favor, and Lijian (Minsheng) who are Lijian who are Yinjian by donating money and grain.

During the Ming Dynasty, admission to the Imperial Academy was quite strict. The quota for the Gongjian (Gongjian) system was limited to one student per year at each prefecture, state, or county level. Students had to pass the Hanlin examinations, one on the classics and one on the meaning of books, with a verdict issued. Only those who excelled were admitted to the Imperial Academy. Once admitted as a Gongsheng, they were no longer subject to the supervision of the local Confucian school; this was commonly known as "going out to study."

After completing three years of study, the Ministry of Personnel will host a selection examination. Those who pass the examination will enter the selection process and will mostly be appointed as local officials of the eighth or ninth rank.

In other words, the tribute students were selected from the best and recommended as exceptions, so that scholars with outstanding academic performance could become officials by directly bypassing the provincial and metropolitan examinations.

Although they started from a low point, they are considered to be from a legitimate background, and many outstanding people can reach the fourth or fifth rank or even higher.

This is also a supplementary means of recruiting officials through the imperial examination.

After all, the imperial examinations, whether provincial or metropolitan, were held every three years, and the number of juren and jinshi admitted each time was limited, which could not guarantee the "official shortage" in the entire country. Therefore, a large number of students had to be recruited to make up for the shortage of local grassroots officials.

At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, due to the large number of official vacancies in local areas, tribute students could be directly appointed as assistant officials such as the fifth-rank Tongzhi, the seventh-rank Zhoupan, the eighth-rank Xiancheng, and the ninth-rank Zhubu.

It was not until after the reign of Emperor Yongzheng that the official rank of tribute students began to be lowered, and most of them were used as local teachers and instructors in charge of Confucianism.

After Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, the regulations for the appointment of tribute students were further refined. The first-class tribute students who passed the examination were appointed as Tongzhi, the second-class ones were appointed as Zhoupan, and the third-class ones were appointed as County Magistrate.

Those who are ranked first in the Enjian and Yinjian categories are selected by the chief clerk, and those who are ranked second are selected by the clerk.

If anyone is willing to take up a teaching position, he or she may do so.

Whether it is Jujian, Gongjian, or Yinjian, they are all considered to be from a legitimate background and are treated the same as officials who passed the imperial examination. Lijian, who was bought with money, is considered to be from an unconventional background.

This type of students suffered from discrimination and it was difficult for them to be selected as officials. Even if they were selected, they were mostly sent to local areas to serve as officials, unlike tribute students who could start as ninth-rank officials.

Unless this student is particularly outstanding or has a special supporter.

For example, Li Wei, the governor of Zhili during the Yongzheng period, was born as a regular supervisor, but he was lucky enough to have the support of Yongzheng, who was still in seclusion, and thus he rose to prominence and was appointed as a frontier governor.

Others, such as Tian Wenjing, were all outstanding local students who entered the imperial examination system. Their outstanding abilities naturally attracted the attention of their superiors.

To put it bluntly, being a student is the basic requirement for becoming an official. Clerks in government offices must be students of the imperial examination.

The reason is very simple. How can a person who is not even a primary school student become an official?

No matter how short of money the Qing Dynasty was, it could not allow an illiterate person to become an official official of the empire.

The Yangzhou prefect instructed his subordinate Ganquan County to arrange a place for Zhao An as a regular student. He only needed to donate 160 taels of silver and did not need to go to the Imperial College. It was a "guaranteed admission" at the government level.

It was equivalent to the Yangzhou prefect reporting to the court that there was a good student in the territory who had missed the imperial examination for various reasons, and hoped that the court would make an exception and give this student a chance to serve the Qing Dynasty.

It's not that the Lord of the Prefecture doesn't want to find a tribute inspector from a legitimate background for Zhao An. The fact is that there is only one quota for tribute inspectors in the prefecture and the county, and Yangzhou is where salt merchants gather, so that quota has already been reserved by the children of salt merchants.

If the salt merchant's son was forcibly removed and Zhao An was forced to take over, too many people would be offended, and if things went wrong, it would lead to special scrutiny from the "relevant parties".

Instead of asking for trouble, it is better to just become a regular supervisor. Although the prospects of a regular supervisor are limited, it is worse than not being able to become an official.

The Lord of the Prefecture clearly values ​​talent, but of course, he also has his own selfish motives. Just as the County Lord keeps people by resolving staffing issues, the Lord of the Prefecture also hopes to provide a ladder for advancement and keep them by his side forever.

He took him with him wherever he went, just like Chen Huizu, the former Governor-General of Liangjiang, who always kept an outstanding advisor.

If Zhao An was already in his forties or fifties, the prefect wouldn't have to go to so much trouble and could just hire him with a high salary.

The problem is that Zhao An is only twenty-one years old. As a young person, which one doesn't want to have a good future?

So the prefect had to make special arrangements.

The prefect came forward and the county magistrate took charge, and donating money to the prison was a trivial matter.

Moreover, the requirements for student status for donating to become a tutor are not strict. Not to mention the same prefecture, you can donate even in different provinces.

As long as you have money.

What's more, Zhao An's hometown Xinghua and Ganquan both belong to Yangzhou Prefecture, so this is an extremely simple matter. All we need to do is transfer Zhao An's academic records in Xinghua to Ganquan, go through the process, and then get the prefecture's stamp and approval and report it to the Imperial College.

"The governor and this county both value and cherish talents. You are still young and with the title of Jiansheng, you will be able to make a difference in the officialdom in the future."

The county lord's words were a bit insincere, because the intention of the prefectural lord was obvious. As long as this student was approved, the young man in front of him who he had appointed as an exception would probably be officially taken away by the prefectural lord immediately, and they would be separated from each other from then on.

No matter how reluctant I am, I can only do as the Lord of the Mansion wishes.

It is not just a saying that a higher-ranking official can crush someone to death.

This year, the reputation of the county magistrate depends entirely on the prefectural magistrate.

Zhao An could be described as flattered, especially when the county magistrate said that with the title of student, he would be able to make a difference in officialdom.

Isn't this exactly what he has dreamed of!
With excitement, he knelt down before the county magistrate. Without saying a word, he kowtowed three times and then said in tears: "The county magistrate is so kind to me. I have no way to repay him. I am so grateful. I am so grateful."

I really don’t know what to say, I can only express my gratitude again and again.

The county magistrate couldn't help but feel better when he saw this attitude. He also hoped that the young man in front of him could make a name for himself. After all, he was appreciated and supported by the prefect. Even if he could not be promoted to the position of county magistrate in the future, he could be the county magistrate or chief clerk.

In official circles, it is said that one should not make enemies and should show more favors. Besides, I have indeed been very kind to this kid in promoting him. If he really succeeds, the first person I will thank is the county magistrate.

When the situation opens up, laughter and joy will come.

After some encouragement and praise, the county magistrate got down to business: "The government holds you in high regard. This county cannot hinder your future. Tomorrow we will send someone to Xinghua County to retrieve your academic records. We will instruct the county magistrate to handle the relevant procedures and submit them to the government. If nothing goes wrong, the Imperial College will be able to report to you next month."

After a pause, he specifically explained, "By the way, don't worry about the cost of donating to the prison. The county will cover it for you."

After saying that, he looked up at Zhao An, as if asking, "Young man, are you satisfied?"
He was immediately a little surprised. Why did the young man in front of him look like he had a serious illness in June? Not only was his face and forehead pale, but his whole body was shaking slightly as if he had a fever.

Is this too much joy?
(End of this chapter)