Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 27 The First Lesson in Officialdom
When you, invited to meet the new governor alone in his study, your first impression is: He's a man of letters!

Yes, a scholar.

This feels strange, because "literati" can't be used as an independent adjective, but this is the only word you can think of to describe him.

You've seen provincial governors before. Twenty-four years ago, the Shaanxi provincial governor named Liu Yizhao left a very deep impression on you: capable, shrewd, majestic, and greedy...

[The newly appointed governor, named Ning Bufan, has none of these characteristics. Rather than being a powerful provincial governor, he's more like a gentle scholar.]

Ning Bufan was very happy to see you. After your nervous greeting, he looked at you with great interest for a long time, as if he were looking at a rare animal...

"As expected of the Shaanxi prodigy of the past, seeing is believing!"

He gave a heartfelt compliment, then laughed heartily, "Twenty-four years of failure, how does it feel?"

Upon hearing this, you immediately perked up: "Your Excellency's intention is..."

[Could it be that this new governor is kind enough to help you clear up your confusion?]

"Honestly, even though you've spent the past twenty-four years hating these insects who are clearly deliberately trying to make things difficult for you, you still don't understand why they're trying to make things difficult for you: Have you ever offended them?"

[Twenty-four years! How many twenty-four years can a person have in their lifetime?! These insects really treat me like crops...]

[In response to your cautious question, Ning Bufan didn't answer directly, but instead asked you a seemingly unrelated question.]

"Do you know what the typical age for successful candidates in the imperial examinations in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty is?"

You shake your head blankly.

He replied, "Between twenty-five and thirty."

"Commoners preparing for the examinations must first be enlightened, then study the classics, then apply their knowledge to other subjects, learning a variety of advanced scholarship, and finally learning to write eight-legged essays... This entire process would take an ordinary person at least seventeen or eighteen years old to fully master, and only then could they prepare to take the examination for the scholar."

"Then one will continue their studies at the provincial academy for at least five years before preparing to take the provincial examination... After completing this process, one is around 25 years old. Considering the issue of test-taking ability, many people fail the first time, so they need a second and third attempt..."

"As for those who haven't passed the imperial examination after three attempts or more, they probably don't have the ability to pass. Even if they try again, they generally won't have a chance..."

The Governor slowly said, "So the average age of those who passed the imperial examinations in our Ming Dynasty is around 25 to 30 years old."

【is that so? 】

This made you pause, but you still couldn't figure it out: Is there any necessary connection between this and my low grades? Shouldn't child prodigies be allowed to exist?

The Governor seemed to see your confusion and said with a smile, "Think this has nothing to do with you? Then I'll explain it later."

"Because successful candidates usually fall within this age range, they are considered to have normal potential. If they continue to develop as planned, they will most likely become mid-level officials in the Ming Dynasty."

"So based on this, the younger the successful candidate, the greater their potential, and the greater their chances of moving beyond the middle class and into the upper class. That's why Shangguan likes Shi En to recruit such individuals as his network."

[“On the contrary, the older the successful candidate is, the lower his potential becomes. His future prospects are immediately apparent, and his superiors’ attitude towards him will tend to be colder…”]

【Um? 】

The more you listen, the more confused you become: "That's not right, is it? If this theory is true, then if I had passed the imperial examination at the age of five, wouldn't my potential have skyrocketed? With such great potential, shouldn't Liu Yizhao and the others have shown me kindness back then? How could it be the other way around!"

The governor quickly resolves your confusion: "Because you're too young!"

"How can a five-year-old child be given any important position? Even if you dare to pass the exam, the court won't dare to employ you..."

The Governor said helplessly, "It's precisely because even if you pass the exam, it's useless for the time being, and the imperial court has always turned a blind eye to this matter... That's why local authorities generally won't allow prodigies like you to pass the exam. Instead, they will privately sell your scores to people with connections and wealthy families..."

"Those people with connections and wealthy families who originally wouldn't have passed the exam, but now have achieved fame and status using your papers, are effectively being used by the Governor and his people to gain leverage over them. Therefore, even if they enter politics in the future, they will spontaneously maintain these relationships, thus forming a network of relationships that benefits the Governor and his people..."

"And the governor and his men can earn a large sum of money by selling your papers. An ordinary Juren can earn 100,000 taels, and a Jieyuan can earn 500,000 taels. With such a huge profit, why not do it?"

"The result is that the seller gets money and connections, while the buyer gets the coveted title of Juren, which can be used to gain greater benefits... They both win, and only you, who should have passed, suffer the loss..."

【you:……】

【you:……】

You: (CPU not responding...)

[You are shocked: There is such a thing?! ]

[At this moment, you finally have a clear understanding of the darkness and corruption deep within the Ming Dynasty...]

After a long pause, you said dryly, "So the fundamental reason I've failed for the past twenty-four years is that I'm too young?"

The Governor shook his head. "You were indeed suppressed at first because you were too young, but later on there were more reasons than just that..."

"If a normal person was deliberately suppressed, they'd learn a lesson and either take the test again when they grow up, or just pay the money and admit defeat... But you're different. You're such a stubborn kid, you know you're being targeted, yet you still take the test every time. It's obvious you're going to challenge them head-on, and that's when they'll really challenge you!"

"Although Liu Yizhao was transferred long ago during these twenty-four years, the subsequent provincial governors also heard of your great name. Seeing that you were really stubborn, they simply followed their predecessors to suppress you. After all, you took the exam every time, and each time you won the first place, you could sell for 500,000 taels every time. You are a cash cow that can always make a profit..."

【you:……】

[Alright, alright! You're going to give me all my gold coins, right? Sooner or later, I'll let you bugs eat all the purple eggs!]

You're filled with resentment, as if it's about to burst forth... After a long moment, you say dryly, "Is it possible that it's not that I'm stubborn, but that I simply can't afford a hundred thousand taels of silver?"

“This one?”

The Governor seemed to have anticipated this and said with a smile, "This is actually very simple. Although one hundred thousand taels of silver is a lot, it's still something a local governor can afford. Why don't you just go and borrow it from your Shaanxi governor? You had such great potential when you were young, the governor would definitely lend it to you!"

"The provincial governor loves to build connections, as do the prefects, other officials, and wealthy businessmen. As long as you're willing to establish a relationship of interest with them, what's a loan of 100,000 taels of silver to them? They might even adopt you as their adopted son or son-in-law..."

The Governor clicked his tongue, "I remember a retired old gatekeeper saying that he had a liking for you and had hinted to you more than once to ask the prefect or other wealthy people to borrow money, and to not be so stubborn. But you never listened, tsk..."

【you:……】

[So, I don’t understand officialdom…]

You suddenly laugh at yourself: It seems that I'm really not cut out for being an official. The Ming Dynasty is filled with corruption and darkness, yet I still don't know how to go with the flow...

Just like how the butcher cuts the beef, even the butcher knows to cut along the bone seams to avoid damaging the knife. Yet, you're using a fruit knife to angrily chop at the hard beef bones. Isn't that asking for trouble?

[Amidst pain and helplessness, you completed your first lesson in the Ming Dynasty officialdom...]

After a long pause, you said bitterly, "So, I passed the exam this time because you saw I was finally old enough, so you let me off the hook?"

[This is very rude, even offensive!]

But Governor Ning did not get angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "No, that's not what I think."

"I accepted you because your drive is exactly what I want!"

He suddenly became serious: "Zhou Liang, I know you are a young genius, and from your years of refusing to give in, I see your faith..."

"You refuse to follow the officialdom's mainstream, nor do you bow to corruption. I've also learned about your reputation in northern Shaanxi, and I know you've never indulged in lust since childhood. If you become an official, you will be an honest and upright official... The Ming Dynasty is most in need of officials like you!"

"I swore an oath the day I became an official that I would not only be loyal to the Ming Dynasty but also strive to cultivate and promote upright officials who share my aspirations for world peace!"

"Now that I have the good fortune to meet you, I must fulfill my oath."

There seemed to be a bright light in his eyes, something you hadn't seen in anyone else's eyes in years. There was no greed, no darkness, only purity.

He smiled at you and said, "From now on, you must be loyal to the Ming Dynasty and His Majesty, so as to live up to my words today..."

"In that case, the honor of being a successful candidate in the imperial examination will be yours."

You stare at him blankly for a long time, speechless...

He is undoubtedly a good official, and you have no objection to the greatness of his favor to you, but...

【loyalty?】

You sigh inwardly.

[“The Ming Dynasty is unworthy, and the Divine Emperor is even less worthy…”]

【…】

In September of the 72nd year of the Chongzhen reign, the newly appointed Shaanxi Provincial Governor, Ning Bufan, personally selected you as the top scorer in the provincial examination, intending for you to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty and the Divine Emperor, and to work for the well-being of the world!

【But, will you really do as he wishes? 】

……

(End of this chapter)