Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 262 Yang Yuan's Shortcomings

"Oh?" Zhao Gou was very happy when he heard it. Is it really good news? My premonition was so accurate.

Zhao Gou said happily: "What treasures do you want to present to me?"

Seeing that it was just a piece of paper, Zhao Gou really couldn't imagine what kind of treasure it could be. Could it be some famous calligraphy or painting?
Xiao Luo smiled and said, "Please look, sir."

He handed the paper over with both hands, and Zhao Gou unfolded it and took a look at it.

When he first saw it, he frowned, as if puzzled, and then began to think about something.

At first he wanted to ask Xiao Luo, but after watching for a while, he had already figured out the trick.

Zhao Gou was a man of both literary and military talents, and he was not an empty-headed person.

He looked at the table again and again, thinking that if he could use it to count taxes and expenditures, to compare and measure the adjustments of generals, to receive and send palace expenses, to count the inflow and outflow of personnel...

"Hiss, this thing is very useful!"

Zhao Gou was secretly surprised.

The form in his hand is just an inspiration. From this point on, it can be varied and applied to all kinds of things.

The Song Dynasty had overlapping institutions and redundant officials, resulting in extremely low administrative efficiency, which has always been a headache for the emperor.

Sometimes, it’s not that those in high positions don’t want to clarify and solve problems as quickly as possible, but they are exhausted just from sorting out the many documents sent by the messy and complicated and overlapping organizations.

The superior has more than just one thing to do. If all things are so cumbersome and unclear, the result can be imagined.

However, the reform of official positions and the merger of institutions involve too many stakeholders and are therefore difficult to handle.

The imperial court was not unaware of the serious drawbacks of this, and the Yuanfeng Reform during the reign of Emperor Shenzong was a reform aimed at addressing this issue.

However, too many stakeholders were affected, especially as it was intended to weaken the power of the prime minister. So although this reform eliminated some redundant staff and institutions, reduced the court's financial expenditure, and clarified the responsibilities of various positions and institutions, it encountered too much resistance and the administrative efficiency was even lower.

This small table in front of us is of course only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution, but it will at least improve efficiency to a certain extent for the current situation that is causing Zhao Gou a lot of headaches but he is unable to change it.

For a country, even if the efficiency is improved by just 10%, the benefits will be enormous.

Zhao Gou was moved and asked, "Where did you get this?"

Xiao Luo said in a soft voice: "Sir, this item was made by Yang Yuan from the Privy Council's Speed ​​Control Office.

Yang Yuan had just taken over the Chanzifang and there were so many details to deal with that he designed this form.

I think this thing is very useful, so I present it to the emperor and leave it to the emperor to decide!"

"Yes, this thing is really useful!"

Zhao Gou tapped the form and said happily, "Isn't this Yang Yuan a warrior who sneaked to the north at the age of thirteen? How could he have such a talent?"

When Xiao Luo came, Liu Wanrong entered the pavilion, sat next to Zhao Gou, and played her role.

When he heard the name Yang Yuan at this time, he remembered that he had heard his brother praise this person, and it seemed that he was a friend of his brother.

Liu Wanrong covered her mouth and chuckled, "How could a mere warrior know such a skill? Could it be that the clerk in the room came up with this idea?"

Xiao Luo became anxious when he heard this, and said hurriedly: "In reply to Madam Liu, this is really Yang Yuan's idea.

"Chanzifang" was punished by the Privy Council for the theft of the Mahuang Crossbow, and all the people are gone. How can anyone come up with this idea for him?"

Liu Wanrong rolled her eyes at Xiao Luo cleverly, "Silly boy, how can I help him 'fight for the pocket' if I don't speak the truth to him?"

If Liu Wanrong was not smart, she would not have been chosen by Zhao Gou, who only liked children, to be his cover.

After hearing this, Zhao Gou really felt that talented people were rare and he should be the one to bring them together.

Zhao Gou then asked, "Xiao Luo, does this Yang Yuan have any achievements?"

Xiao Luo was stunned and replied: "Your Majesty, Yang Yuan... was sent to the Kingdom of Jin by the Speed ​​​​Speed ​​Office at the age of thirteen. I'm afraid that in terms of literature...

As far as I know, he has no official title and was promoted through the military class."

Zhao Gou sighed and shook his head after hearing this, saying, "What a pity, what a pity."

Given Yang Yuan's background, if he were to be promoted via the military career path, he would not be suited to leading troops in battles and would not be able to accumulate military merits, so his ceiling would ultimately be limited.

But if he were to pursue a promotion as a civil servant, it would be impossible without his achievements.

He did not meet the requirements of the system of appointing officials through hereditary appointments, and the upper limit of the number of officials who could be appointed through hereditary appointments was also very limited.

Recently, Zhao Gou often heard the name of Yang Yuan. Especially in recent events, Yang Yuan played a significant role. He really had some intention of cultivating Yang Yuan.

It's just that although Yang Yuan is very capable, his shortcomings are too obvious. Zhao Gou wants to cultivate him, but the problem is that he is not qualified.

Now that he is the Minister of the Jisuyuan, his official career has basically come to an end.

If he wanted to move up further, he could either lead troops to fight in battles and accumulate military merits, or become a Jinshi.

Liu Wanrong observed his expression and said softly, "Does the emperor appreciate this person so much? If the emperor values ​​him, then what's there to worry about if he is not a Jinshi? Doesn't the court have a recommendation system?"

Zhao Gou laughed and said, "You are a woman, what do you know?"

The Song Dynasty did have a recommendation system.

This is because from the imperial examination system since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the rulers of the Song Dynasty gradually realized that although it was the fairest method of selecting talents so far, it was not perfect. After all, there were still shortcomings in determining talents based solely on a test paper.

Therefore, the Song Dynasty restarted the recommendation system, with the imperial examination as the main method and recommendation as the auxiliary method, combining the two. The problem is that the recommendation system of the Song Dynasty also requires you to pass the threshold of the "imperial examination" first.

Its recommendation is an exceptional promotion for officials who have achieved fame but whose fame is not competitive and whose actual political achievements are outstanding, so it is difficult for them to be promoted.

Its recommendation procedure is quite rigorous and complicated. The recommended person will finally be evaluated and discussed by officials from various departments of the court. Only after they approve it will it be handed over to the emperor to decide whether to promote him.

Yang Yuan had no achievements, so the recommendation system was not suitable for him.

Zhao Gou had already foreseen that if this person was nominated and submitted to the ministers of various departments for discussion, what would emerge would probably not be the mutual attacks between factions as in the past, but unanimous opposition.

Those officials who entered the civil service through the imperial examination would never allow an outsider who had never called out his name outside Donghua Gate to squeeze in among them.

Zhao Gou thought for a moment and said slowly, "Leave this thing here. I will try it out in the six ministries first. If it works, I will promote it to the whole country. However, you don't need to make it public yet about who created this thing."

Seeing Xiao Luo's aggrieved expression, Zhao Gou couldn't help but laugh and said, "If we spread this out now, it will be a waste of Yang Yuan's contribution. At most, I can reward him with some land, houses and other valuables, which will be of no great use.

The merit of creating this thing should be recorded as one of his achievements. If he has more merits in the future, when the merits are accumulated, he may be promoted to a higher level. "

Only then did Xiao Luo understand the official's painstaking efforts and he happily agreed.

Zhao Gou sighed and said, "What a pity, the system is like this. Even if he has my favor, he can only be promoted to the sixth rank at most in this lifetime.

If this person had a good knowledge of poetry and literature, it would be great if he could pass the imperial examination and achieve a high position.”

When Xiao Luo left the Imperial Garden, he thought to himself that Yang Chengzhi must be a man of real talent and knowledge as he could come up with something that seemed simple but was actually very useful in just a few moments.

I don't know how good his literary talent is, so I'll have to remind him when I get back.

If possible, Yang Chengzhi should take the imperial examination and become a Jinshi.

Otherwise, it would be a waste of his talent for such a capable and visionary man to work hard all his life and only be promoted to the sixth rank at most.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you still can't win someone over. Sometimes, just a word or an action can make someone regard you as a close friend.

When Xiao Luo was caught eavesdropping by Yang Yuan many times, what he saw in Yang Yuan's eyes was not disgust or contempt, but a kind of amusing tolerance.

And today, he got Mr. Fan and Mr. Wang into the speed room just a little faster, and Yang Yuan praised him as a great treasure.

A gentleman will die for his confidant. Now Xiao Luo truly regards Yang Yuan as his confidant and wants to repay him.

Just as Xiao Luo was thinking, a person suddenly jumped out in front of him.

Fortunately, Xiao Luo was very agile. Just as the two were about to collide, Xiao Luo dodged like a ghost and separated himself from the man.

"Ah, it's you, the king. I greet you, King Enping."

Zhao Yu said with a grin, "I wanted to scare you, but you dodged so quickly, like a ghost.

"Xiao Luo, what are you thinking about? I find it very interesting to see you rolling your eyes as you walk along."

Xiao Luo said, "I just presented something to the emperor on behalf of Yang Yuan of the Privy Council. I was so happy to receive his approval that I was a little dazed for a moment. I hope I didn't offend the king."

When Zhao Yu heard that it was related to Yang Yuan, he became interested.

He recommended Yang Yuan to his elder brother Zhao Yuan, who had Yang Yuan appointed to the Privy Council. After that, there was almost no news about Yang Yuan.

In fact, there is quite a lot of information about Yang Yuan, but this hands-off king has no interest in court affairs, so naturally there is no way of knowing it.

After hearing what Xiao Luo said, Zhao Yu was curious and asked, "What did you offer on behalf of Yang Yuan? Did that kid learn some flattering tricks to curry favor with the emperor?"

Xiao Luo said in embarrassment: "The government has ordered that we should not publicize it now..."

Zhao Yu rolled his eyes and said, "I have never been involved in the affairs of the court. If I know about it, who can I tell? Tell me quickly, what is it?"

Xiao Luo had no choice but to tell Zhao Yu what happened. Zhao Yu asked curiously, "How can a table with horizontal and vertical lines have such a wonderful use?"

Xiao Luo said: "Of course, the emperor will be very happy to see it.

The emperor also said that it was a pity that Yang Yuan had no achievements. If not, the emperor would not have to keep this matter secret and use it as a reward for Yang Yuan's achievements.

"Oh? I know. Don't worry. I'm very tight-lipped and won't make it public. You can go ahead."

Zhao Yu waved his hand, sent Xiao Luo away, then stroked his chin and pondered:

"Fame? Yes, without fame, even if Yang Yuan has great abilities, he will still be in tatters.

Eh? I wonder how talented this kid is, whether he can pass the imperial examination..."

Zhao Que is a rebellious young man at heart, who always ignores and challenges the rules.

In his eyes, anyone with the ability can get the job, and a piece of paper of honor should not be the only criterion for selecting talents.

However, although he was unrestrained and romantic, he also understood how stupid it was to challenge the official selection system.

Once this hornet's nest is disturbed, all the civil servants in the world will rush over and drown him to death with a mouthful of spit.

Well..., since becoming a Jinshi is the only way forward, how about letting him become a Jinshi?
Zhao Qu's eyes rolled around and he gradually became excited.

This is so damn difficult to do, so he really wants to give it a try!

Hey, when does this year's "Fajie Examination" start? I have to find out quickly and let his kid take the exam to become a juren first!

Anyway, I'm quite bored lately...

(End of this chapter)