Chapter 262: 272. Rising Rapidly

272. Rising Rapidly

Longcheng County Magistrate's Office.

Ouyang Rong's figure had just appeared.

The old Assistant Magistrate greeted him with a wink.

The way of speaking was still the familiar flavor.

Ouyang Rong glanced at him.

"Assistant Magistrate Diao arrived earlier than this official, and is also more anxious than this official."

Assistant Magistrate Diao was righteous: "The Magistrate is a model for our generation. The Magistrate's business is our business, so how can we not be anxious?"

Ouyang Rong nodded.

Xie Lingjiang, Yan Liulang, and the Wang Lixian family who followed, all stopped outside the government gate.

They waited together with Assistant Magistrate Diao and other officials of the County Magistrate's Office, watching the slender back of the young Magistrate.

Ouyang Rong entered the gate alone.

Like a lone knife attending a banquet, he walked into the public hall of the County Magistrate's Office with large strides.

In the main hall, a group of people were already waiting, some drinking tea, some sitting upright.

Their official uniforms were of different colors and accessories. At this moment, as the young Magistrate's figure entered, the eyes of all the officials fell on the latter.

Facing the scrutinizing gazes, Ouyang Rong's expression remained as usual. His gaze swept across, and he quickly categorized the people in the hall in his heart.

There were seven or eight officials, most of them unfamiliar faces. The rest were officials from the Jiangzhou Jiangzhou Cishi's Office, whom Ouyang Rong was quite familiar with. As for the unfamiliar faces, they should all be from the capital, following the Luoyang imperial envoy.

Surrounded by these officials, whether enthusiastic or respectful, at the very head was a middle-aged official in a deep-green official uniform, with a tall official cap and a fish bag hanging from his waist.

The green-clad official was tall, with a thick beard on his cheeks, deep eyes, and a square face as steady and majestic as a sculpture.

Ouyang Rong saw that he was holding a brocade memorial in his hand, not smiling, his demeanor serious, making the atmosphere in the main hall solemn.

He must be the imperial envoy from Luoyang, the main character today.

Beside this Luoyang imperial envoy, there was also a familiar green-clad official sitting in accompaniment. He was the Secretary of Merit of the Jiangzhou government, surnamed Yu, in charge of the examination and assessment of officials in Jiangzhou.

At this moment, Ouyang Rong discovered that the gaze of this Secretary Yu, with his graying hair and temples, looking sideways at him, was vaguely somewhat envious, even mixed with a trace of jealousy.

"Are you the Longcheng Magistrate, Ouyang Lianghan?"

Ouyang Rong bowed and saluted, "It is indeed me. May I ask who you are, my lord?"

Secretary Yu answered preemptively:

"Magistrate Ouyang, this is Lord Song, a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, an imperial envoy specially dispatched by the Divine Capital to conduct the selection and appointment of officials."

Ouyang Rong turned calmly, cupped his hands and saluted: "Lord Song, I failed to welcome you from afar, please forgive me."

The so-called Ministry of Personnel was the original Ministry of Personnel, but it had been renamed by Empress Wei.

Similar to this, the Ministry of Revenue was renamed the Ministry of Earth, and the remaining four ministries—Rites, War, Justice, and Works—were renamed the four ministries of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

The Secretariat was renamed the Luan Terrace, the Chancellery was renamed the Phoenix Pavilion, and the Department of State Affairs was renamed the Wenchan Terrace.

Boring? Boring, but what can you do?

The elderly Empress sitting at the top of the Zhou court had been fond of grandiosity and auspicious omens in recent years, loving to seek good luck.

In the court where the top intellectual resources of the whole country flowed, a group of old men were racking their brains to please her.

Ouyang Rong complained in his heart, but naturally couldn't say it out loud.

Vice Minister Song Hao had a serious expression and routinely asked about local affairs, and Ouyang Rong answered fluently.

Song Hao noticed that the young man's speech was extraordinary and orderly. He scanned the young Magistrate, who stood as straight as a pine, from top to bottom. After a while, a smile appeared on the corner of his square face:

"What a 'standing like a jade tree in the wind, smiling like the bright moon entering the bosom'... The standards for the Ministry of Personnel's selection—four talents and three realities, body, speech, writing, and judgment—are all fully possessed, and even far exceeded."

He showed satisfaction, turned his head, and said to his colleagues on the left and right:

"The colleagues who examined Ouyang Lianghan in the capital before were not wrong in their praise."

The so-called body, speech, writing, and judgment referred to the fact that after scholars passed the Ministry of Rites examination and the imperial examination, they were not directly granted official positions; they had to pass the Ministry of Personnel's selection.

Among them, 'body' meant a majestic appearance; 'speech' meant correct and eloquent speech; 'writing' meant beautiful calligraphy; and 'judgment' meant excellent literary reasoning.

In short, to be a civil official in this Great Gan and Great Zhou dynasty, one not only needed talent but also a good appearance and temperament, which was also an important standard for selecting officials.

Back in Luoyang, after Ouyang Rong passed the imperial examination, he went to the Ministry of Personnel and experienced the selection process. As the recognized 'flower vase'—no, the third-place winner—of that year's examination;

And he was personally selected by Empress Wei, a senior member of the 'appearance association,' at the Apricot Garden Banquet.

Ouyang Rong naturally didn't lose in terms of appearance and temperament, adding greatly to his score, and he was somewhat proud among his peers.

The officials beside Song Hao all showed smiles and echoed:

"Magistrate Ouyang is young and has achieved such merits, governing a county so neatly. It really is the waves behind the Yangtze River pushing the waves in front."

"In my view, seeing him makes one forget the vulgar... truly a hero and talent."

Seeing the trend of praise in the hall, Secretary Yu, who had rushed over from Jiangzhou to accompany them, had a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

He leaned over and whispered:

"Lord Song, this is the assessment report written by Lord Wang of Jiangzhou for Magistrate Ouyang. The superior entrusted the little one to hand it to you."

Secretary Yu silently took out a scroll of documents from his sleeve and handed it to Song Hao's side.

The so-called assessment report was actually a routine process that determined the promotion of officials; it was an evaluation written by the chief officials of various prefectures for their subordinates.

Hearing this, everyone's eyes fell on this 'assessment report' written by Jiangzhou Cishi Wang for Ouyang Lianghan.

"Oh? Lord Wang is quite thoughtful."

Song Hao tilted his head to look at the sheepish Secretary Yu, nodded lightly, and took the assessment report.

This middle-aged capital official lowered his eyes and browsed for a while, his expression calm, put the assessment report into his sleeve, turned his head, and continued to talk with Ouyang Rong.

Secretary Yu, who had lowered his head, rolled his eyes upward, carefully seeing that Song Hao was chatting and laughing as usual, as if it had no influence...

In the main hall, other accompanying officials also noticed this, but they tacitly didn't ask, and the atmosphere in the hall continued.

Facing the hidden undercurrents in the hall, Ouyang Rong turned a deaf ear, smiled politely, and looked at Secretary Yu with kind and peaceful eyes. The latter nodded in response with a sheepish smile.

After some examination and questioning, Song Hao was vaguely less serious than before, and there were more relaxed smiles on his face.

Seeming to have asked enough, this imperial envoy specially dispatched by the Ministry of Personnel finally opened the brocade memorial in his hand, which was also the focus of everyone's attention in the hall today.

Actually, Song Hao knew clearly in his heart the thoughts and intentions of Secretary Yu beside him and Jiangzhou Cishi Wang who had submitted the 'assessment report' behind his back.

But coming here this time, he was simply going through the motions, while incidentally building some goodwill in advance.

Did he really think he was here to examine and decide on the spot? Although nominally it was so, and he needed to come to complete the final process.

However, after the Ministry of Personnel received a decree from the Wenchan Terrace under the Secretariat of the Divine Capital, the fate of the promotion of this originally small Grade 7 Longcheng Magistrate was no longer under the control of the Ministry of Personnel.

There was a noble person behind him.

However, that magnificent and unheard-of Zhe Yi Canal outside the city... it was hard to say whether it was self-help or help from a noble person.

Or rather, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, which still retained the traditional politics of noble families, if one wanted to move up, both were indispensable.

As for who this noble person was—whether it was Empress Wei, the greatest noble person in a sense in the Great Zhou Dynasty, or the Zhu-Zi Prime Minister of the Secretariat—that was temporarily unknown.

Song Hao had a steady expression, lowered his eyes to browse, and after a while, raised his head and asked suddenly:

"How old is Magistrate Ouyang?"

"After October, I will be twenty-one," Ouyang Rong answered truthfully.

"Just reached the age of twenty..."

Song Hao sighed, closed the brocade memorial, pointed his finger at Ouyang Rong, and said to his colleagues on the left and right:

"A Censor of the Censorate at the age of twenty should be the youngest in our dynasty!"

The whole hall was instantly in an uproar.

Even the accompanying officials who had vaguely guessed that this young Magistrate, who had made great achievements in flood control and was famous, might be promoted and granted a title this time, were stunned at this moment.

Censorate, Censor!

Not to mention being promoted and changing positions, being promoted from a remote place back to the capital.

Just speaking of this Censor, it belonged to the 'pure stream' (qingliu), and among the capital officials, it was also an extremely noble and pure place to be.

And a Censor was even a Grade 6 (Junior).

The Censorate was similar to the discipline inspection commission of Ouyang Rong's previous life, holding the power to supervise all officials and rectify discipline.

The head official was the Censor-in-Chief, and the deputy was the Vice Censor-in-Chief.

Under it, three courts were established: the Terrace Court, the Palace Court, and the Inspection Court.

Among them, the one with the vaguely highest status was the Terrace Court, which had four Censors, with the official rank of Grade 6 (Junior, Lower).

Their duty was to manage corrections, impeach all officials, and push for the trial of lawsuits.

These four Censors were considered the highest-ranking Censor positions under the Censor-in-Chief and Vice Censor-in-Chief, and their independent inspection power was extremely great.

From a Grade 7 local Magistrate to a Grade 6 capital official Censor.

This step was a real, solid rise to power.

Inside and outside the public hall of the County Magistrate's Office, it was a scene of excitement.

But there were also people who were silent as cicadas in winter.

Secretary Yu, who had just reported his superior, stiffened, buried his head in drinking tea, and didn't dare to look at someone.

Ouyang Rong politely dealt with the accompanying officials who were praising and congratulating him.

"Magistrate Ouyang—no, it should be Censor Ouyang, congratulations. From now on, we are both court officials, so we can be considered colleagues."

Song Hao smiled and handed the vermilion-marked brocade memorial in his hand to Ouyang Rong.

Ouyang Rong took a look at the brocade memorial, accepted it silently, but didn't open it immediately.

Seeing that things were about done, Song Hao supported the armrest and prepared to stand up.

"Lord Song, please stay. This time, I have troubled Lord Song to come from afar, but I have a matter here that I must trouble Lord Song to make another trip..."

Song Hao's half-risen body paused, turned his head to look, and saw this young Magistrate with a promising future place the unopened brocade memorial on the table, then silently took out a stack of memorials from his sleeve and presented them with both hands.

"This is..."

Song Hao was slightly stunned, and the other officials in the main hall also had confused expressions.

At the same time, at the entrance of the Longcheng County Magistrate's Office.

Figures gathered.

Xie Lingjiang, the Wang Lixian family, and Assistant Magistrate Diao, Yan Liulang, and other officials of the County Magistrate's Office were waiting with anxiety and anticipation.

The main gate of the County Magistrate's Office was wide open. Standing at the entrance and looking inside, one could vaguely see the scene of the public hall of the County Magistrate's Office inside.

But they couldn't hear the specific sounds, and couldn't help but feel itchy with curiosity.

Yan Liulang broke the silence outside the gate, his tone expectant:

"Is the Magistrate going to be promoted?"

"If there are no accidents, Ouyang Lianghan should be promoted."

It was Princess Li Guoer's crisp voice; she held the Xian Die Nu in her arms, stroking its snow-white fur as if counting her family's treasures:

"Since it is said to be an imperial envoy from the Ministry of Personnel of the Divine Capital, it must be that they brought an imperial decree.

"Imperial edicts are generally divided into two types: one is called a 'Zhi' edict, and the other is called a 'Chi' edict. The former is specifically for handling important matters, while the latter is for handling the daily affairs of the imperial court."

"Therefore, most 'Chi' decrees are official documents submitted by the Prime Ministers of the Secretariat, which are read by the Emperor, and the word 'Chi' is approved at the end. Just the word 'Chi' alone has an effect comparable to the law.

"Coupled with the management of this dynasty, the appointment and removal of officials below Grade 5 only require the Secretariat or the Ministry of Personnel to draft a list and submit it to the Emperor for approval.

"And this 'Chi' decree was sent by an official of the Ministry of Personnel himself, so it must be about personnel transfer without a doubt.

"Ouyang Lianghan has made contributions in building the Zhe Yi Canal, so he should be promoted. Moving from Grade 7 to Grade 6 is certain, but I don't know what official position has been arranged. Is it a direct promotion within this prefecture, or according to the rules, jumping to Grade 6, but having to serve a term in Lingnan or the border?"

The little girl with plum blossom makeup, who had just reached the age of fifteen, spoke with curiosity. She knew the central system of the imperial court like the back of her hand, and seemed naturally keen on it.

Xie Lingjiang, Wang Lixian, Eldest Brother Li, and Yan Liulang and others heard this, their eyes lit up, and they felt honored.

However, immediately after, Wang Lixian's smile faded a bit, he frowned slightly, and looked at the public hall of the County Magistrate's Office with joy mixed with worry.

I don't know what he thought of, but he was quite troubled.

Just at this moment, everyone saw the figures in the main hall jumping and swaying, as if it were a happy event. Sure enough, a moment later, a small official who went to inquire about the news ran out from the public hall inside.

The small official said to Assistant Magistrate Diao and the crowd with great joy:

"The imperial decree from the Ministry of Personnel, the Magistrate, has made contributions in flood control, and has been directly promoted to Censor of the Censorate!"

Pairs of eyes cast over in unison.

Outside the government gate, the air was silent for a short while, and then it exploded, everyone surprised and happy.

"Censor of the Censorate?" Xie Lingjiang's pretty face was a bit surprised.

"What kind of official is this? Is it good?" This was the confused Yan Liulang.

"Capital official!" Li Fusu cheered happily.

"Grade 6 capital official!" Princess Li Guoer's tone was complicated.

"One step to the sky! Magistrate, Magistrate, ascend the platform."

Assistant Magistrate Diao's small eyes widened into copper bells, he almost couldn't catch his breath, his face flushed:

"I knew it, I knew it, the Magistrate is not simple! His official career is prosperous, he is blessed by the stars, a true noble person! I didn't bet on the wrong treasure, it wasn't in vain that I worked hard these days! Hahaha, Grade 6 Censor, and it's a beautiful, pure stream position back in the capital, one step to the sky, one step to the sky!"

Assistant Magistrate Diao jumped up on the spot, looked left and right, and shouted happily.

Those who didn't know would think he was the one who got promoted. He seemed even more excited than Ouyang Rong himself, causing Xie Lingjiang and the others around him to look sideways.

However, if you think about it carefully, you can understand it.

After all, from now on, this old Assistant Magistrate can be considered to have hugged a thigh, and can be considered to have "someone in the court." Furthermore, Ouyang Rong, who made the first contribution to flood control, agreed to such treatment of "rising rapidly,"

As the second official of the county, not to mention the second contribution, he also had hard work in flood control, so naturally, the reward was not small. The greater Ouyang Rong's reward, the greater his reward would be. The two were tied to the same boat, sharing weal and woe, and wealth and honor.

At this moment, Ouyang Rong was not only rewarded with an increase in official rank, directly promoted from Grade 7 to Grade 6, but also directly obtained the opportunity to be promoted to the capital.

In the eyes of some people, the latter was even more difficult than the span from Grade 7 to Grade 6.

With the same rank, capital officials are often naturally more noble than local officials.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the official institutions in local areas were very bloated. Often, being promoted several small steps was the same as not being promoted at all, and the perception of improvement was not strong.

And the institutions of the central imperial court were relatively vertical, and the improvement of being promoted one step was very obvious.

But this also caused the vacant positions of capital officials to be usually very popular. One radish, one pit, and the competition was fierce. It is said that people outside can't squeeze in, and people inside have difficulty moving up.

Look at the Hanlin Academy in the Divine Capital, how many "white-haired Hanlin" are there? After passing the imperial examination, they wasted their lives in one position.

For another example, when Ouyang Rong contradicted the Empress in the court, he was transferred out of the capital, from a Grade 9 (Junior, Lower) Lin Terrace Zhengzi, promoted to a Grade 7 (Lower) remote Longcheng Magistrate.

In the eyes of all the civil and military officials in the court, this was a promotion in name but a demotion in reality.

It was not as good as continuing to be a Grade 9 (Junior, Lower) Lin Terrace Zhengzi, being a pure and noble close minister of the Son of Heaven.

Even if you stay for a lifetime, it's worth it. White hair is white hair, and as long as you are not stupid, you can be promoted a few grades by waiting, using your lifespan to defeat others, focusing on a long official career...

This kind of scene is common in the center of Luoyang.

It shows the gold content of the two words "capital official."

After receiving the decree, if Ouyang Rong's Grade 6 capital official status occasionally goes out and walks in prefectures and counties, he will not be afraid of some Grade 5 chief officials in local areas, and he will also be treated as a guest of honor, a proper imperial envoy.

Of course, this situation is only placed in the officialdom of low and middle ranks.

If it is placed in the officialdom above Grade 4, it is another set of rules. After all, being a frontier official doesn't seem bad either.

In short, at this moment, a Grade 6 capital official Censor, who had just reached the age of twenty, was being born before the eyes of everyone outside the gate, rising slowly.

Rising rapidly, nothing more than this.

Brothers, relatives have come, making a fuss all day. In the evening, little Rong was poured a cup of white wine. It was the first time I drank it, and I was dizzy while coding...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 263 =====