Chapter 87: Embarking on an Official Career

Chapter 87: Embarking on an Official Career

There was a significant announcement during today's morning court session: Pei Jin, who had long been in the Imperial Academy, was suddenly appointed as Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Among the six ministries, in terms of status, the Ministry of Personnel should actually be the highest, as the evaluation and promotion of officials all go through it. However, with the stability of the dynasty, promotions often only require final procedures at the Ministry of Personnel, while most of the time, officials use their own means to reach the emperor directly for appointments. Therefore, the Ministry of Personnel is only nominally ranked first.

Currently, among the six ministries, the Ministry of Revenue is considered the top, controlling the treasury of the entire Great Qi. The Minister of Revenue is essentially the financial god of Great Qi. The current Minister of Revenue is nearing retirement age, and this position will soon be filled by one of the Deputy Ministers. The emperor's decision to specially appoint Pei Jin as Deputy Minister of Revenue is clear to everyone.

Pei Jin is destined to become the financial god of Great Qi.

Holding his ivory tablet, Lin Yi watched Pei Jin receive the imperial decree, feeling a burning jealousy in his heart.

Already a Deputy Minister of Revenue, and soon to be the Minister, he has reached the pinnacle of success in the official world. Why must he also take his woman?

Or perhaps Wen Hui now regrets her decision, realizing that making a living outside is not easy, and is now willing to be Pei Jin's concubine.

The thought of this made Lin Yi particularly intolerant. He couldn't directly confront Wen Hui, but he could use a tactic to warn her, starting with Lin Yingxue.

Yesterday, he sent someone to the Fu family to invite Lin Yingxue, but she wasn't there. He planned to go to the Fu family after court today to fetch her.

If he, as a father, still couldn't bring Lin Yingxue back, it would be considered a great act of filial impiety!

Lin Yi was lost in his thoughts and didn't pay much attention to the second minor matter in court.

This minor matter was the consolidation of three counties under the jurisdiction of Jinnan City near the border. Niusou, Tongwu, and Fenglin counties were merged into one county, retaining the old name of Tongwu County.

Many officials in the capital, being astute, began to speculate on the purpose of this consolidation. Some guessed that these three counties might be given to a new imperial scholar.

Wu Yusheng, the censor whose son was the third-place winner in the imperial examination, felt envious, wondering who was behind this scholar. Although his ranking was not high, he could still go to such a large county to showcase his abilities.

However, thinking about his son who placed third, Wu Yusheng felt proud again. His life was as it was, but his son, having entered the Imperial Academy, could follow the orthodox path to the cabinet.

Fu Bin stepped forward and announced leisurely, "No further business, court is dismissed."

The civil and military officials, having no more matters to report, dispersed like a tide, smiling knowingly as they passed through the palace gates.

Today's noon was the Qionglin Banquet, so the newly minted scholars were all waiting here.

They were originally chatting in small groups, but now they all stood respectfully to welcome the various officials.

The top scholar always draws attention, especially Fu Jiaze, whose tall and straight figure and refined appearance exuded a divine aura.

Pei Jin wanted to support Fu Jiaze, especially since he was about to be posted out, fearing that others might look down on him. He beckoned to Fu Jiaze.

Fu Jiaze bowed to Pei Jin, "Student Jinyuan greets Master. Congratulations on your promotion to Deputy Minister of Revenue."

Seeing Fu Jiaze approach, the civil and military officials commented:

"Deputy Minister Pei can be said to have double joy, not only his own promotion, but also having a disciple who is the top scholar. Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older."

"Indeed, we must have a drink tonight."

"The top scholar should join us too."

"You're stating the obvious. Our Deputy Minister values this student highly, perhaps because of his connection to Scholar Fu's uncle. It's good; today I heard Scholar Fu's voice was a bit hoarse, probably from announcing names yesterday. After all, he's a close relative, so it's natural for him to put in extra effort."

The last comment was sarcastic, but Pei Jin pretended not to hear it. He said to Fu Jiaze, "There's still an hour before the banquet starts. Follow me to the Ministry of Revenue, and we'll attend the banquet together later."

Fu Jiaze naturally clasped his hands and replied, "I will comply with your command."

The new scholars, seeing the top scholar leave with Pei Jin, couldn't help but feel envious.

Someone couldn't resist asking, "How did Scholar Fu know about today's court announcements when he was with us?"

Wu Yusheng looked at the person, remembering him from the exam. This person was clearly from a poor family, with patched clothes.

And after Kong Zheng spoke, others also looked puzzled and whispered, "Yes, how could he know about the appointments in advance?"

"Could he really have gotten the news directly from the palace?"

When entering the official world, these scholars from humble backgrounds naturally started at a disadvantage. Like now, they were still confused about why Fu Jiaze knew the news in advance.

Wu Yusheng slowly said, "Before an official is promoted, there are usually signs. As Scholar Fu is Deputy Minister Pei's disciple, he likely already had access to this information."

Wu Yusheng didn't intend to explain further, "Once you become officials, you will understand many things."

After Wu Yusheng finished speaking, he didn't ask any more questions about Fu Jiaze, but many people moved closer to him.

/

Fu Jiaze followed Pei Jin to the Ministry of Revenue.

The Imperial Academy is known for its quietness, where scholars work quietly on books and compilations, even lowering their voices when collaborating to avoid disturbing others.

The Ministry of Revenue, however, is different, with people coming and going, creating a noisy atmosphere.

Fu Jiaze overheard someone discussing the situation in Jinnan.

"How can we just accept whatever Jinnan says? If they say the bridge is broken, should we give them money? The national treasury is already tight; we can't just give it to them. They should find a way to raise the funds themselves."

"But how can they manage that? You know the situation in Jinnan..."

The Minister of Revenue clapped his hands, silencing the noisy ministry, and everyone came to greet the newly appointed Deputy Minister.

When it was Fu Jiaze's turn, the Minister of Revenue cleared his throat, "He is Deputy Minister Pei's beloved disciple."

A quick-witted official smiled and said, "Then we will likely see Scholar Fu often in the future."

Fu Jiaze was wearing the ceremonial attire of the top scholar, with three gold lines on his hat, making his identity unmistakable to anyone.

The Minister of Revenue, knowing that Fu Jiaze would not stay in the capital, said, "Perhaps not. Alright, everyone, get back to work."

The Minister of Revenue first led the newly appointed Undersecretary to the prepared side room. Compared to the Imperial Academy, the Undersecretary's side room in the Ministry of Revenue was much larger, with an unfolded screen and a bed behind it, clearly for resting when busy official duties prevented one from returning home.

After inspecting the office, they went to the reception hall, where the Minister of Revenue wanted to have a private conversation with Pei Jin but did not want to neglect Fu Jiaze. After some thought, he decided to show Fu Jiaze all the financial records of Gan'nan.

"Just take a casual look; just don't write anything down. When you meet the local magistrate in Gan'nan, you must not reveal that you've seen these."

Fu Jiaze naturally agreed.

Even before taking office, he could access the financial records of his superiors, which filled Fu Jiaze with gratitude. Since these records could not be written down, Fu Jiaze slowly organized the financial situation of Gan'nan over the years in his mind and memorized it.

/

With half an hour left before the Qionglin Banquet, the civil and military officials gathered again toward the palace.

Fu Jiaze entered the palace with the people from the Ministry of Revenue, and immediately an eunuch led him to where the newly passed scholars were gathering.

Seated according to their examination rankings, the Qionglin Banquet soon began.

Emperor Chengde said, "According to tradition, the top three of this year's examination should enter the Imperial Academy. However, this year is somewhat special. One of them will not enter the Academy but will be sent out to serve as the magistrate of Tongwu County under Gan'nan City. This Tongwu County is no longer a small county as it used to be; it has merged with Niushou and Fenglin, making it a large county in terms of tax revenue."

Counties were classified into upper, middle, and lower grades based on their tax revenue, corresponding to the ranks of Sixth Junior, Seventh Principal, and Seventh Junior, respectively.

Even if it was a large county, it was still considered a minor position, not a desirable post.

All eyes fell on Zhou Bang, the second-place winner.

In everyone's view, the new champion Fu Jiaze, being Fu Bin's nephew and Pei Jin's disciple, would certainly not be sent out.

Wu Yusheng, the third-place winner, was the son of Censor Wu and should also not be sent out.

Thus, it was deduced that only Zhou Bang, who had no background, would be sent out.

Zhou Bang's face turned pale, clearly thinking the same thing himself.

Having barely won second place, did he now have to be sent out? He knew well about Gan'nan, which had suffered from Dili invasions, leading to a decline in living standards and a decaying appearance of the entire prefecture. Even if he were sent out, Zhou Bang did not want to go there.

But both thunder and rain are the emperor's grace. Zhou Bang, dazed, was about to stand up to thank the emperor, but Fu Jiaze, the champion, moved first.

With Fu Jiaze's movement, all eyes focused on him.

Perhaps disliking Fu Jiaze from the start, Emperor Chengde felt even more that Fu Jiaze was seeking attention.

Emperor Chengde said coolly, "Indeed, Champion Fu Jiaze will be sent to Tongwu County in Gan'nan as the county magistrate."

Upon receiving the appointment, Fu Jiaze was no longer a commoner. He lifted his robe and knelt to receive the imperial decree.

There was inevitably some commotion among the attendees, with many looking at Pei Jin, trying to read his expression as the newly appointed Undersecretary of Revenue.

Lin Yi was also like this, quickly concluding that Pei Jin was aware of the matter and even suspected that Lin Yi had pushed for it.

Lin Yi also attended the Qionglin Banquet. While surprised by Fu Jiaze's assignment, he thought of something else: if Fu Jiaze was sent out, would Lin Yingxue follow, and would Wen Hui leave the capital city?

Lin Yi had already planned to visit Lin Yingxue at the Fu residence after his shift today, and now he was even more determined.

Fu Bin took out the imperial decree he had already written and read it aloud, after which Fu Jiaze received it.

Everyone's gaze still burned intensely on Fu Jiaze, with Zhou Bang feeling grateful, especially after hearing the decree that allowed him to enter the Imperial Academy, giving him a sense of relief after a close call.

Many of the newly passed scholars had questions in their minds, but since this was the emperor's Qionglin Banquet, it was not appropriate to ask too many questions. They waited until the banquet ended and went to Laiwangju for tea, where the scholars could freely exchange information.

Wu Yusheng asked the question on everyone's mind, "Champion Fu, since you are the champion, why are you not entering the Imperial Academy?"

Fu Jiaze smiled, "I've been to the Imperial Academy before, and I prefer to do practical work. Tongwu is precisely where I can fully demonstrate my abilities."

He had longed for this day for a long time.