Chapter 263: Looking For An Official
Zi Congheng knew that Mr. Jiang was seeking an official post in the capital.
Actually, there was a good way right now.
Turn him in.
Mr. Jiang could obtain a good position.
Jiang Changtian just looked at him.
Zi Congheng felt creeped out by Mr. Jiang’s gaze.
Being looked at like that by a person with an illness.
He was very uncomfortable.
He shifted his body, moving a bit closer to Mianmian.
“I am tired, can we stop here?” he said.
He saw a glow of happiness burst from Mianmian’s eyes.
“Is class over?”
Jiang Changtian patted his daughter’s head.
“Class is over.”
She liked to call the examinations “class,” and when the examination ended, she called it “class is over.”
Jiang Changtian didn’t actually care much about his daughter’s academic progress, but seeing how exceptionally happy she was every time she finished an examination and “class” was over—
For the sake of this exceptional happiness, he would reluctantly accompany her to study for a little longer each time.
Actually, teaching his daughter to study was very tiring for Jiang Changtian too.
Mentally tiring.
Zi Congheng felt as though he had said something extraordinary.
A secret buried deep in his heart for many years.
An unspeakable secret.
But this father and daughter were too indifferent.
Their reaction was too indifferent.
They didn’t become more respectful, nor did they become more distant.
Mianmian pulled on him and asked: “Brother, what do you want to eat tonight? I don’t want noodles. Can you go order some dishes? Let’s not eat noodles.”
Zi Congheng:…No, I am the son of the Crown Prince.
Isn’t that more important than eating noodles?
He was so angry he forgot about his headache.
Jiang Changtian spoke solemnly: “Congheng.”
Zi Congheng looked at him seriously.
Was he finally going to say something?
Was there something he needed to entrust to him?
“Congheng, Mianmian is not reciting the analects very well. As her brother, teach her and try your best to help her learn.”
Zi Congheng: “Um, oh… alright.”
The next day.
Jiang Changtian went to the government office to report for duty.
Several officials like him were waiting.
Having been important officials in various regions, local magistrates, and outstanding figures, arriving in the capital felt like successfully cultivating and ascending to the Immortal Realm.
Only to become the lowest class in the Immortal Realm.
They were all waiting at the office to be assigned a post.
There were rules to this.
Family background, whether one was sensible, how many red envelopes and gifts were given, and the order of arrival.
Jiang Changtian chatted a little and found that there was actually a colleague who had been waiting for over a year…
This colleague couldn’t even afford to rent a house and was now sharing with someone else.
People waiting for posts were truly bored.
It was rare to see a newcomer.
Those who came here foolishly to report must have no connections.
Those with connections would have been arranged long ago.
Seeing that the newcomer was so outstanding in appearance.
They wanted to build a good relationship.
They gave him advice, all talking at once.
“The Emperor generally doesn’t handle these matters; it’s all done by Prime Minister Lu. Prime Minister Lu is actually quite fair; if you pay him, he will handle it for you.”
“But Prime Minister Lu’s door is very hard to enter.”
Just to see Prime Minister Lu’s steward would cost several thousand taels.
Not to mention giving gifts to Prime Minister Lu afterwards.
If one were an official without the backing of a major family, one might be able to embezzle such a large sum of money, but if one relied solely on embezzlement, one wouldn’t pass the official evaluations or even enter the capital. However, to pass the evaluations, one could not embezzle; without embezzling, one had no money; without money, one couldn’t operate; and without the ability to operate, one could only waste time here. A strange cycle.
If you don’t have money to pay, there are plenty of people who do.
Nowadays, the buying and selling of official posts in the Imperial Court has become the norm.
So, Jiang the Second, who came from a background of Rebels, was not considered particularly bad.
Some who purely bought their posts were truly fat and ear-heavy, knowing nothing.
Relying entirely on their advisors.
Because they spent a huge amount of money to buy an official post, they naturally had to earn the money back, so they would do their utmost to scrape together money—a vicious cycle.
The current Emperor turned a blind eye to all this; perhaps he knew some of it, but he felt it was harmless.
People spent money to scramble to work for him, so he didn’t care.
For the current Emperor, as long as it didn’t interfere with his enjoyment, everything else could be put aside.
The most favored Prime Minister Lu was just like that; he controlled the Imperial Court, allowed the Emperor to play happily, tried his best not to disturb the Emperor, and maintained a certain tacit understanding with him.
In private, the court officials called Prime Minister Lu the ‘Three Corpses’ or ‘Five Ghosts.’ The Three Corpses and Five Ghosts were not as greedy as Prime Minister Lu.
Jiang Changtian listened to his colleagues’ earnest popularization of knowledge.
He was very interested in this Prime Minister Lu.
He recalled that during the morning court session, he had seen a figure next to Prime Minister Wang who looked like a stout, honest-faced old gentleman; that must have been Prime Minister Lu.
He had heard his in-law mention him.
When his in-law said that civil officials were the worst, he was referring to Prime Minister Lu.
He was very bad.
Old General Meng was fighting on the border, and the fact that the provisions hadn’t been transported over was most likely because Prime Minister Lu had embezzled them.
Prime Minister Lu had misappropriated the army’s military pay and had been caught by Old General Meng once, who reported him directly to the Emperor.
However, the Emperor did not punish him.
Because the money Prime Minister Lu used to misappropriate the military pay was to build an opera house for the Emperor.
If the Emperor wanted to punish Prime Minister Lu, he would be punishing himself.
In any case, through repeated struggles, Prime Minister Lu was always like this—an old fox, slippery and elusive.
Even Censor He couldn’t catch him in the act.
Prime Minister Lu seemed arrogant and full of flaws, but in reality, these flaws were ones he intentionally displayed to others.
Qichi had also analyzed the Imperial Court with him.
Currently, the one with the highest power was Prime Minister Lu, the ‘Three Corpses.’
He controlled the Imperial Court, one person above ten thousand.
Prime Minister Lu was very petty, but he was very good at doing things, so the Emperor liked him.
Jiang Changtian came to report and understood the situation; sure enough, no position had been assigned to him.
Such matters were the biggest events of a lifetime for officials.
But to the Emperor, it was just assigning work to subordinates, a matter so small it couldn’t be smaller, and not something for him to worry about.
To Prime Minister Lu, it was also the norm.
If you haven’t come to pay your respects at the temple door, why should you be promoted? Who are you?
Another official, seeing that Jiang the Second looked kind, was polite, and even brought them food, couldn’t help but add: “Actually, if you have connections in the Inner Court, that would also work. Currently, Eunuch Duan and Eunuch Liu, who are favored in the Inner Court, have some power. If you can pave the way and give gifts, and let them put in a good word for you in front of the Emperor, perhaps it could be faster. Of course, the most powerful one is Eunuch Yan, but unfortunately, Eunuch Yan generally doesn’t get involved in these things; otherwise, if he were to speak up, the Emperor would definitely handle it.”
Everyone sat in the small gatehouse; it was very cold in winter, and they were cracking small almonds. There was no charcoal fire, so they huddled together, relying on body heat to keep warm, talking about their bitterness and lack of success—it was truly not easy.
Jiang the Second took out a notebook, recorded everyone’s contact information, and simultaneously handed over his own contact information.
This method was inspired by the cards he saw his daughter making; he felt that making a name card like this was also very recognizable.
With this exchange and recording, everyone indeed remembered him.
They felt that Jiang the Second was a truly good person.
Jiang Changtian looked at the sky; it was already afternoon, and if he hurried home, he could still eat a warm meal.
He planned to return.
Anyway, according to everyone’s experience, waiting was in vain.
Either give gifts or find connections.
The others were also preparing to leave.
Most people still wanted to stay and try their luck; what if they happened to run into Prime Minister Lu? Saying hello, getting recognized, and becoming a familiar face would be good.
Actually, among them, some had tried using connections and some had given money.
But unfortunately, it was too competitive. Some people had stronger connections and gave more.
Jiang Changtian walked outward, almost reaching the door, when he was called out by someone.
“Lord Jiang, stay a moment. Prime Minister Lu requests your presence.”
The officials waiting for posts together looked over in surprise.
Jiang Changtian also stopped his steps and turned his head, somewhat surprised.
He hadn’t even gone to look for Prime Minister Lu yet.
Official rules—he knew how to give gifts too.
Courtesy demands reciprocity, after all; at worst, he could just take it back after giving it away.
But he hadn’t expected Prime Minister Lu to seek him out first.
Jiang Changtian was a bit surprised.
He followed that official inside, and as he passed by the group of colleagues, he bowed.
At this moment, the expressions of the group of people waiting for posts were all different.
There were those who were envious, jealous, curious, and resentful.
The many faces of the officialdom.
All displayed in a small gatehouse.
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