Chapter 354: Probationary Officials

"Good! Good! Well answered!"

Zhu Cilang looked at this Tianjin scholar of "Overcoming Hardship Volunteer" background before him, nodding with a face full of smiles — this fellow was of "Overcoming Hardship" stock, one of his own, reliable! Mm, and not bad-looking either, refined and scholarly, every inch the part.

"Shao'an," Zhu Cilang continued, "since you chose to answer the question 'How may the criticisms of the pure-stream scholars be made to serve the state,' and have proposed a method, it seems you are willing to manage the mouthpieces and pens for Us."

Today's interview had not just one question but four. The first was how the criticisms of the pure-stream scholars might be made to serve the state — this question was for recruiting the court's propaganda cadres.

The second was how to manage and collect rent from official military-agricultural colonies — as the number of military colony guard units increased, many officials would be needed to manage them, and the shortage of talent in this area was also enormous.

The third was how to recruit local militia and trained braves and make them able to fight — this was the question for recruiting county magistrates for the counties north of the Yangtze, Henan, and Shandong.

The fourth was how to collect commercial and customs taxes without harming the foundation of industry and commerce — this was for recruiting county magistrates for the Jiangnan counties.

The tribute scholars participating in the interview had to choose at least one of the four questions to answer, though of course they could choose more, up to all of them.

How many questions one chose and the quality of one's answers determined whether a tribute scholar was rejected or placed high, and in which class and at what rank.

This Lei Shao'an before him had chosen only one question, so he had no chance at the first, second, or third class, but he could still contend for a fourth-class jinshi degree.

"This student is willing to be the mouthpiece of His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Well answered! Zhu Cilang nodded with satisfaction — by saying he was willing to be "the Crown Prince's mouthpiece," he was placing himself in the position of a member of the Crown Prince's faction. And his background also determined that his loyalties would certainly sit on the same side as Zhu Cilang.

A Tianjin man, he had no property in the southeast. Although he had now registered his household in Hezhou, that was merely a formality, to make it convenient to receive his office fields after placing high. In Hezhou, he was still an outsider with no roots.

If his whole family wanted to live well, they would have to follow the Crown Prince to deal with the disobedient scholar-officials of the southeast!

"Good," Zhu Cilang praised again. "You are a Volunteer, and a Donglin man (one Zhu Cilang had arranged to be placed in the Donglin), and you have genuine talent and learning. We grant you the jinshi degree, ranked in the fourth class!"

Lei Shao'an hastily rose and kowtowed to Zhu Cilang. "This student kowtows in thanks for His Highness the Crown Prince's heavenly grace."

"Hehehe," Zhu Cilang laughed. "Rise, rise and speak."

Seeing Lei Shao'an stand, Zhu Cilang smiled again. "Shao'an, your jinshi degree is for life. So long as you are not arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Censorate, it cannot be stripped away. But the office We grant you is not so secure. Beginning in the eighteenth year of Chongzhen, the civil officials of this dynasty will also gradually implement the probationary office system and the last-place elimination system.

The so-called probationary office system means that before formal appointment, one first serves for three months. After three months, the Ministry of Personnel, together with one's superior, assesses one's achievements. Those who pass become formal officials, are granted official rank, and receive full salary. During the probationary period, one is granted the same official rank but receives half salary.

Last-place elimination means that the Ministry of Personnel, together with one's superior, conducts an annual review of a given official. Those rated lowest of the low in the annual review are either demoted, or, if there is no rank left to demote to, stripped of office and eliminated! Moreover, the number of lowest-of-the-low ratings is fixed by quota: for those below the rank of Overcoming Hardship Count, one out of every ten officials must receive it!"

Being an official under Crown Prince Zhu was truly not easy! Not only was embezzlement and law-breaking difficult, even coasting along waiting to die was not permitted — there was actually a last-place elimination system! A lowest-of-the-low annual rating meant demotion or even being stripped of office and eliminated!

And the most terrifying part was that the "lowest of the low" rating had a quota — one out of every ten officials had to receive it!

Of course, not all officials had to worry about "lowest of the low." Zhu Cilang was not that unreasonable.

First, meritorious officials of Overcoming Hardship Count rank and above were exempt from the official examinations. They were meritorious officials who "held shares." So long as they did not let the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Censorate catch them in a major error (if they embezzled a little, Zhu Cilang would have to cover for them) and lose their noble titles, then no matter how incompetent they were, they had to be given a sinecure and supported.

Second, those who commanded their own troops and held territory were of course also not examined. They were affiliated "franchisees." So long as they did not rebel or become traitors, that was good enough — examine them for what?

Third, there were still many officials great and small in various places coasting along waiting to die, and for the time being they too did not participate in the official examinations. Because Crown Prince Zhu simply had too few usable civil officials on hand. If the examinations were too harsh and everyone failed, that would not do either — someone had to hold office, right?

Excluding the above, the officials now being "examined" were mainly: mid- and low-ranking military officers without noble titles in the Overcoming Hardship New Army system; low-ranking officials of Dengzhou and Laizhou special examination background serving in central offices such as the Grand Marshal's Office or the six ministries of the Grand Secretariat; censors within the Censorate system; new jinshi of the special examination of the eighteenth year of Chongzhen; and all officials under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War who had entered service after the ninth month of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen.

The basic principle was: old officials, old methods; new officials, new methods!

Of course, new officials not only faced the new method of official examinations — their salaries also followed the new method!

Zhu Cilang continued, "Not only will We implement official examinations and eliminate incompetent officials, We will also support officials with high salaries! Shao'an, you are of jinshi background, so your appointment will carry the rank of junior seventh grade or full seventh grade. According to the newly drafted salary regulations, your monthly salary will be twenty taels, and in addition there will be three hundred mu of office fields.

You are now registered in Hezhou, so your office fields will also be received in Hezhou. Although Hezhou is north of the Yangtze, it is still a prosperous place. Three hundred mu of office fields should yield one hundred to one hundred fifty shi of white rice in rent each year. Added to the two hundred forty taels of annual salary, that is quite decent."

One hundred fifty shi of white rice would sell for at least three hundred taels of silver in Nanjing. Add the two hundred forty taels of official salary, and once Lei Shao'an passed his probationary period, his annual income would reach five hundred forty taels — an average of forty-five taels of silver per month.

In addition, if he served as an official in Nanjing, the court would also provide free housing.

For a seventh-grade official just entering service to receive this amount was, by any measure, a high salary!

"Shao'an," Zhu Cilang asked with a smile, "are you satisfied with this income?"

"Satisfied, far too satisfied. This subject kowtows in thanks." Lei Shao'an immediately rose, about to kowtow again in gratitude.

Zhu Cilang waved his hand. "No need to bow. If you are satisfied, We shall appoint you to the office of Hanlin Bachelor in the Hanlin Academy."

What? Hanlin Bachelor in the Hanlin Academy!?

Lei Shao'an froze, staring at Zhu Cilang with a shocked expression.

Zhu Cilang understood his thoughts and said with a smile, "Now that the court is reforming the official system, the Hanlin Bachelor is no longer as exalted as before. We are arranging this office for you because the post you will hold is in the Donglin General Association. The Donglin General Association is not a court office, yet you are a court official, so you need an office to be attached to — thus it is placed in the Hanlin Academy.

As for how you should carry out your duties in the Donglin General Association, We will tell you later. For now, go to the Ministry of Personnel to collect your commission and official robes, then report to the Hanlin Academy to take up your post. Your probationary period begins on the first day of next month. If you prove capable, your fields will be granted after three months."

As he spoke, Zhu Cilang wrote on Lei Shao'an's interview paper the ten characters "Hanlin Academy Hanlin Bachelor, junior seventh grade rank," then handed it to Lei Shao'an. With that, the interview was concluded.

Watching Lei Shao'an kowtow and depart, Zhu Cilang picked up the roster of tribute scholars and looked at it. Next was Qi Yuanbi of Fengyang — this man was the third son of Qi Jin. Qi Jin was a clan nephew of Qi Jiguang, who had followed Qi Jiguang on campaign in his youth, repeatedly winning merit and rising all the way to Regional Commander. Later he resigned due to illness and returned to his ancestral home of Dingyuan in Fengyang to live in seclusion. When the Later Jin rose again, he came out of retirement and was killed at the Battle of the Hun River. His three sons, Yuangong, Yuanfu, and Yuanbi, all lived in Dingyuan, Fengyang. Yuangong and Yuanfu both held office under Zhu Chunchen's Garrison Command. Qi Yuanbi was a juren, and this time he too had come to sit the special examination. Because he had not handed in a blank paper, he had placed high. His interview topic was "how to recruit local militia and trained braves and make them able to fight" — it seemed he wanted to become county magistrate of Fengyang Prefecture.

Listed below Qi Yuanbi was Xu Ermo of Songjiang, a grandson of Xu Guangqi. He had originally held only xiucai status, but in order to sit this special examination he had donated over a thousand shi of rice and purchased a juren degree. His interview topic today was "how to manage and collect rent from official military-agricultural colonies." In addition, he had volunteered a "unique skill" — he was proficient in the written languages of several Western countries! This was a rare talent indeed!

And the one to be seen after Xu Ermo was the tribute scholar Yan Yingyuan of Tongzhou in the Metropolitan Prefecture.

(End of Chapter)