Chapter 28

(An intricately crafted chapter, please vote, another chapter will be posted in the evening.)

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To say that the old man is good at handling things is no exaggeration. Sima Qiu hadn't made any moves yet, but Li Guan had already told his father that he had smoothed things over with the office, and Wang Xian could go to the county office to register. As long as he could pass the test from the Chief Clerk, there wouldn't be any problems.

Wang Xian also felt that Sima Qiu, that old scoundrel, was likely to stand him up. Waiting any longer wasn't a solution, so he agreed to go to the county office to register.

Actually, with a scheming father and a domineering mother, he had no choice but to agree...

His mother took this matter very seriously. She specially found his father's long robe for Wang Xian to wear. In the morning, she made him noodles and two poached eggs. After all, it was the first time in his life that he was going to find a proper job, and it was in the government office. The practical benefits might not be immediately visible, but the prestige!

In this regard, the views of this era clearly differed greatly from Wang Xian's understanding. In the eyes of the people of the Ming Dynasty, clerks were really prestigious...

The personnel in the government were divided into four categories: officials, clerks, clerks (of a different rank), and servants. During the Yuan Dynasty, people were divided into ten classes, among which 'one monk, two Taoists' were followed by 'three officials, four clerks, five clerks (of a different rank), six servants,' which was the clearest manifestation.

The first class was naturally the officials. However, the number of officials was small, and based on the principle of avoiding conflicts of interest, except for monks, Taoists, doctors, and fortune-tellers, who did not receive salaries, all officials were from other provinces and would leave their posts after their terms. Therefore, in the eyes of the common people, their presence was even less noticeable than that of the clerks and clerks (of a different rank).

The second class was the clerks, a group between officials and the common people, selected by the government from local citizens who were virtuous, talented, and of good family background. 'Virtuous' meant law-abiding and without faults, and 'talented' meant being able to write and calculate, as the duty of clerks was to assist officials in handling government affairs and managing the locality. They essentially performed the duties of officials but were still considered commoners in terms of status.

Hence, there was the saying 'clerks, commoners in the government.'

The third class was the black-robed clerks. They were divided into the black-robed class, the fast class, and the status class, collectively known as the three classes of clerks. This class was the government's enforcers, responsible for oppressing the people, and they bore the brunt of the blame. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was likely bullied by these people a lot in his youth. After founding the country, he decreed that actors, black-robed clerks, and their descendants for three generations were not allowed to take the imperial exams...

The last class was the servants, who worked as sedan bearers, horsemen, cooks, watchmen, and gatekeepers in the government offices... These people were divided into two types: those who served as laborers and those who made a living from it, but they were often lumped together.

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In the eyes of the common people, the blue robe and the clerk's cap were symbols of official status. If Wang Xian could be hired, although not on the official payroll, he could at least support himself, and in the eyes of the neighbors, he would become a government official. Could his mother ask for more?

Under his mother's repeated instructions, Wang Xian followed his father out of the house. The neighbors had already heard about it and opened their doors to encourage him, saying, "Xiao Er, do your best, you must pass the test."

"If you can become an official, I'll find you a wife."

"Just don't be like your uncle, who gets nervous when he sees an official."

Wang Xian was originally quite relaxed, but their encouragement made him a bit nervous.

After leaving the alley, they crossed several streets and arrived at the most bustling street in the county, Yamen Street. As the name suggests, it was the street in front of the county office. Besides the county office, there were also the patrol headquarters, medical school, fortune-telling school, pharmacies, inns, teahouses, taverns, banks, rice shops, pawnshops, and fruit stands... The various shops and the bustling crowds surprised Wang Xian, who rarely went out. He didn't expect the small county of Fuyang to be so prosperous.

At this time, Wang Xian didn't know that almost all the businesses on this street were related to his destination—the Fuyang County Office.

After passing the 'Shenming Pavilion,' where the bad deeds of evildoers were exposed, the father and son arrived at the eight-character wall in front of the government office. The wall was covered with notices and judgments. At the base of the wall, a few prisoners in shackles were squatting, on public display.

After passing the eight-character wall, the father led Wang Xian straight into the government office. If it were an ordinary person, they would need to pay a bribe to enter the gate unless it was a day when the government accepted complaints. However, although the old man was no longer in the government, he still had some face.

After entering the main gate, they came to a spacious front courtyard. A path ran through the center, with side courtyards on both sides, the purpose of which was unknown.

The path led to the second gate—the Yimen. After entering the Yimen, they saw a pavilion in the center of the path, with a stone stele inscribed with the words 'Public Justice.' Behind it were sixteen characters:

'Your salary and benefits are the fat and grease of the people. The people are easy to oppress, but the heavens are hard to deceive!'

This was written for the officials to see. When the county magistrate presided over a case in the main hall, he would see these sixteen characters, which was quite stimulating. This was probably why the county magistrate usually held court in the second hall and rarely sat in the main hall.

Between the main hall and the Yimen was the main courtyard. On both sides of the main courtyard were several rows of corridors, where the six departments of clerks worked. The county office was called 'in front of the hall' or 'at the gate,' which referred to this.

However, the six departments were not just six rooms but several rows of rooms. A county's affairs were complex and far from being covered by just six departments. Therefore, besides the 'administration, household, rites, military, works, and criminal' departments, there were also the receiving and dispatching department, the archive room, and other internal departments, collectively known as the six departments.

The old man led Wang Xian to the second row of rooms on the east side. They saw a stone plaque on the door of the first room, inscribed with 'Clerk's Office.' Inside was a suite, with a clerk in a white robe sitting in the outer room, daydreaming. Seeing the father and son enter, he came to his senses and asked, "What brings you two here?"

Clearly, this gentleman was new and didn't recognize the famous Wang Xing. The old man coughed awkwardly and said, "I'm looking for your clerk Zhang. Tell him Wang Xing is here."

Before the clerk could answer, a voice came from the inner room, "When did you become so polite, old brother? Come in quickly." As he spoke, a middle-aged man wearing a blue robe and a black clerk's cap... the cap was similar to an old man's cap but had a pair of black gauze wings, a symbol of official status... came out with a smile.

The middle-aged man was plump and affable, with small eyes that sparkled with shrewdness. He was the head of the county's clerks, named Wang Ziyao.

Wang Xing smiled and greeted him, then had Wang Xian bow to Wang Ziyao, scolding, "To ask for help, one must lower oneself. For this brat, I have to be formal."

"What's the point of being formal among brothers?" Wang Ziyao laughed. "Please come in."

In the inner room, the two men exchanged pleasantries for a while. Wang Xing insisted on sitting on a row of chairs against the wall, and Wang Ziyao didn't take the seat of honor but sat beside him.

Naturally, there was no place for Wang Xian to sit, so he stood beside his father.

The two men didn't rush to discuss the matter but exchanged pleasantries. Wang Ziyao said, "Old brother, you've turned a crisis into an opportunity. You will surely have a bright future. Don't forget your little brother when the time comes."

"What bright future?" Wang Xing smiled bitterly. "After this ordeal, I've become indifferent. I'm content with a few peaceful days."

"But the court won't let you, a 'good official,' off the hook," Wang Ziyao said with a smile. "You will definitely be appointed, whether as a registrar or something else."

"As long as it's not a postmaster, I'll be grateful," Wang Xing said with a bitter smile. "What's the point of being an official? I'll be far from home, in a place where I don't know anyone. It's much better to stay in my hometown." He glanced at Wang Ziyao. "With your abilities, you could easily get a top rank and an official appointment. Why haven't you been promoted? You've seen through it and don't want to be a minor official."

"Hehe..." Wang Ziyao, whose thoughts were revealed, laughed. "Only an old brother like you understands me. It's laughable that a bunch of young people always criticize me for being incompetent, sitting on the toilet..." Seeing Wang Xian standing beside him, he didn't continue. "It's a pity that you, my brother, have such a high connection that no one dares to play tricks. Otherwise, I could have helped you, and we could continue to work together. How happy that would be!"

"That would be great..." Wang Xing sighed.

"By the way, why didn't you go to Nanjing to smooth things over?" Wang Ziyao asked.

"Ah, just thinking about it gives me a headache," Wang Xing said. "I've been dragged into a lawsuit that has left me penniless. Those guys in the capital, who act like brothers, only recognize money. Even if I had found out, I couldn't do anything, so I just gave up."

"Ah, these days, nothing can be done without money," Wang Ziyao said, afraid that Wang Xing would ask for a loan. He changed the subject. "But among brothers, we don't need such formalities. Xiao Er's application has been prepared. Has the old brother brought the guarantee letter?"

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the government has been dedicated to replacing the corrupt Yuan Dynasty officials with a high-quality team of clerks. Therefore, the selection of clerks is very strict. Even though it's just a non-regular clerk, it's not easy to become one.

According to the rules, this is a top-down process, with the county magistrate selecting from virtuous citizens. Even for someone like Wang Xing, who used to work in the government, if he wants his son to become a clerk, he must first obtain a certificate of no criminal record from the government, then get the neighbors to sign the guarantee letter, and finally pass the county magistrate's examination to qualify as a clerk.

According to the regulations, regular clerks are tested by the county magistrate, while non-regular clerks are tested by the chief clerk. Wang Xian would see the latter.

After receiving the guarantee letter, Wang Ziyao had Wang Xing wait in the room while he took Wang Xian to the chief clerk's office through the door on the left side of the main hall. The chief clerk's office was a separate courtyard, located on either side of the main hall, reflecting their status.

Wang Ziyao had Wang Xian wait at the door while he entered the main hall and found out that the chief clerk, Diao, was free. He asked someone to inform him and then entered to bow and say, "Third Sir, the person I mentioned to you yesterday has arrived. If you have time, please test him."

The chief clerk, Diao, had a fair complexion and a long beard. He nodded and said, "Bring the application."

Wang Ziyao presented it with both hands. The chief clerk glanced at the name and frowned, "Wang Xian..."

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