Chapter 1142: Promotion

A line of officials, guided by the protocol ushers, filed into Wansui Hall in single file. The sight of Emperor Liu sitting upright and composed quickly came into view, and with the orderly sound of ceremonial salutations, the tranquility of the hall was broken.

"Your subjects pay respects to Your Majesty!"

"Rise!"

The group rose, then split into two rows, standing respectfully below, waiting quietly for the Emperor's address. Several among them could hardly conceal the complex emotions on their faces—some nervous, some excited.

Judging by the color of their robes, these officials were not of high rank—the highest being only sixth grade. Of course, their ages varied, but most were in their prime.

Looking at these dozen-odd officials, Liu Chengyou spoke, his tone quite relaxed: "Don't just stand there—sit!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The officials, slightly bowing at the waist, once again gave a chorus of thanks, as if rehearsed.

Palace eunuchs served tea to everyone. Liu Chengyou took a light sip, then looked at the assembled officials again and spoke slowly: "Honored ministers present, some of you have met Us before, some have not. But We know all of you—We have personally reviewed each and every one of your records!"

Upon hearing this, several officials revealed expressions of pleasant surprise.

Emperor Liu continued: "You were carefully selected by the Ministry of Personnel from across the realm as men of talent. Each of you has a record of governing a county well, having served at least two terms. The shortest period of official service among you is five years..."

With that, Emperor Liu stated his purpose: "We have selected you to come to the capital for no other reason than to entrust you with an important task!"

As these words fell, the man at the head immediately spoke on behalf of the group: "Please give Your Majesty's orders—your subjects will not fail the trust placed in us!"

This was Zhao Kuangyi. Those with status always speak with confidence and a full voice. Among this group, he was the youngest. The others, though half a beat slower in reaction, quickly followed with their own declarations.

A smile curled at the corner of his mouth as Emperor Liu said: "With your past achievements in governance, you could already be transferred to prefectural posts and bear heavier responsibilities. However, We have selected you to come up precisely to directly appoint you as Prefectural Administrators, entrusting you with an entire prefecture's people!"

At this, most of them showed joyful expressions—no one dislikes a promotion. In the Great Han's bureaucratic system, moving from county to prefecture is a major hurdle in an official's career. And going directly from County Magistrate to Prefectural Administrator constitutes a leap, skipping the intermediate buffer period of assessment.

In the early years, due to a shortage of talent and the need to rebuild everything from scratch with whatever was available, quite a few people received skip-level promotions for outstanding performance. Now, however, such cases were increasingly rare—unless your achievements and merits were exceptionally outstanding, or you came from a high-born background, had connections, and someone to promote you.

After all, Emperor Liu had now ruled the realm for nearly twenty years. Such a long time spans the growth of a generation, and it had brought all aspects of the Great Han to maturity and stability. But stability also brings a certain rigidity.

In the early years, there were numerous prefectural officials under thirty in the Great Han's political arena. Now, those who could govern an entire prefecture at that age were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Moreover, even county officials were getting older and older.

The Great Han's main channel for selecting talent remained the imperial examinations. But passing the examinations did not mean immediate appointment to an actual post. The observation system had been in place for many years—everyone needed two to three years of observation and assessment before receiving an appointment. During this process, a portion would be weeded out. And with over a thousand counties in the Great Han, there were only so many official posts. When waiting for a vacancy to open up, the delay was even longer.

Furthermore, the current examination system was no longer something you could pass merely by having read some Four Books and Five Classics. Practical affairs required sufficient experience and insight to compensate. Many scholars, before participating in the examinations, would try serving as clerks in the localities first, and only after gaining some experience in handling affairs would they come to the capital.

This caused the age of examination candidates to rise steadily. For instance, in the regular examination of the third year of Kaibao, among the thousand-odd candidates who sat for it, the youngest was already twenty-three.

Cases of the dashing young gentleman, the brilliant youth passing with high honors, full of vigor and pride, the winner of life—these had almost completely vanished. Emperor Liu's view was that the ultimate purpose of selecting talent through examinations was to select officials. And being an official meant being able to handle affairs and knowing how to handle them—it was not enough to simply be able to read and study.

As time passed, many scholars who had earlier rejoiced at the passing of the age of warriors gradually discovered that the springtime of the literati had not arrived. Or rather, it had not fully arrived.

In the Great Han, studying remained the fairest path to officialdom. But if you thought you could win everything through study alone, that was also wishful thinking. The status of scholars was rising—that was a fact. But it was also a fact that relying solely on scholarship made it very difficult to reach high office.

Officials and clerks were usually spoken of together, but the difference between the two was especially great. Taking a county as an example, only the County Magistrate, the Assistant Magistrate, the County Defender, and the Registrar were posts appointed by the court. All other salaried positions belonged to the category of clerks.

In the past, those willing to serve as clerks were few. But in the Great Han of today, scholars willing to set aside their pride and start from the lowly station of a pen-pushing clerk were actually growing more numerous.

Passing the examinations successfully was a smooth road, but the examinations were getting harder, the assessments stricter, and the competition greater. By comparison, starting as a clerk had much lower requirements and standards. Even if the climb was difficult, at least there was hope and direction. It was also a means of livelihood, and there remained the opportunity to accumulate experience and continue toward the examinations—the Great Han's examinations had no age limit.

In recent years, there had been many who rose from clerk to official through outstanding performance. In fact, two people in this very hall had climbed step by step from the humblest clerks to County Magistrates—though both had spent at least twelve years doing so.

"However, don't rejoice too early!" Seeing these county officials gradually brighten with delight, Emperor Liu smiled slightly and said lightly: "The responsibility of a prefecture far outweighs that of a county. The posts being granted this time are all in remote frontier prefectures—Hexi, Qianzhong, Guangxi, Annam. These places have complex conditions, with Han and barbarians living intermingled. Only capable ministers and competent officials can govern them, and the conditions are far harsher than where you previously served."

At these words, the joy on everyone's faces slowly faded. In many remote regions, an entire prefecture was truly not worth as much as a county in the Central Plains—some were far worse. If that was the case, then this promotion was something one truly didn't know whether to celebrate or worry about.

Below, Zhao Kuangyi's face showed a hint of sudden understanding—after all, he knew a bit more about the situation than the others.

Seeing the change in everyone's expressions, Emperor Liu remained unhurried, his tone even carrying a hint of laughter, very gentle in manner: "We will not force this matter. If you cannot endure that hardship and would go to your posts unwillingly, We would not feel at ease entrusting a frontier prefecture to you. Those who are unwilling, We permit to return to their original posts, and no account will be taken of it..."

Liu Chengyou spoke lightly, but for these county officials present, there was hardly any room for choice. Because words could be read in reverse.

The world never lacked those who craved ease and comfort. But those who could be selected by the Ministry of Personnel were absolutely not among them. They either had insight, or experience, and sufficient governing ability. And capable people generally harbored ambitions to rise. Now that the Emperor had pointed out a path, no matter how difficult or bitter, they had to walk it.

Moreover, no matter how you looked at it, this was a promotion—a major advance in one's career. Rank and treatment would both improve. Frontier prefectures might be difficult, but they were also places where achievements were easy to make. Starting from the early years of Qianyou, Emperor Liu had issued a special edict granting preferential treatment in promotion and assessment to officials of remote and impoverished prefectures and counties—this was a bonus point.

And the most important reason of all was that this was an appointment personally granted by the Emperor himself, with his own words of instruction. Among all the countless minor officials and petty clerks in the realm, how many could enjoy such treatment?

For them, this was in truth also an opportunity. In the future, this entry would be recorded on their records: In the spring of the fifth year of Kaibao, the Emperor summoned them at Wansui Hall; twelve county officials in attendance, all granted prefectural posts...

None of them were fools. Therefore, this time there was no need for Zhao Kuangyi to take the lead—they all expressed in succession that regardless of which prefecture, they feared no hardship and were willing to shepherd the people for the court. Especially those few of humble origins who had climbed up step by step.

At this, Emperor Liu was not surprised. His expression was satisfied—the Ministry of Personnel's selection was indeed on point. Of course, the role of the Emperor himself could not be excluded.

His smile undiminished, Emperor Liu spoke another line that stirred hearts: "We will gift you all a famous saying: Chancellors must arise from the prefectures!"

As he said this, Emperor Liu deliberately glanced at Zhao Kuangyi. Zhao the Second also felt the Emperor's gaze, and Zhao Kuangyi, who usually had excellent composure, rarely revealed a flicker of excitement on his face.

Clearly, this was Emperor Liu's expectation and encouragement for them. Although, for those present, it might require another twenty or thirty years of struggle, and there was a high probability they would never achieve it—still, it cost nothing to aspire.