Top Scholar

Chapter 537 Silver and bronze are not as good as gold
The assignment of officials to the imperial examinations usually takes place after the palace examinations in March. It generally doesn't drag on into April, but this time, due to the Dragon and Tiger Class, it's almost June now, and they still haven't decided where to go.

There are also rumors that the "Dragon and Tiger Class" might be abolished because of its existence...

Can everyone please stop rushing to ask and get to the bottom of this?

"Brother Zhuangyuan, are we still going to observe the political proceedings or not?" All eyes were on Su Lu.

"No, thank you." Since it concerned everyone's future, Su Lu didn't keep them in suspense and gave a clear answer.

"You have all received the highest level of instruction at the Dragon Tiger Academy. Going to the Six Ministries to observe governance would be a waste of time. Therefore, His Majesty's intention is to directly appoint you to official positions based on your overall performance during your time at the academy!"

"I see." Everyone nodded in agreement, expressing their gratitude for the Emperor's boundless grace.

Moreover, from the perspective of his personal career, being granted an official position earlier is a good thing. The only regret is that he can't go home to visit his family.

“However, breaking with convention like this and appointing over three hundred officials ahead of schedule puts a lot of pressure on the Ministry of Personnel… Firstly, they need to follow the Emperor's requirements and tailor their appointments accordingly; secondly, they need to verify the staffing quotas of each department and find suitable vacancies, so it will definitely take more time.” Su Lu continued:
"You may all return to your lodgings and rest for a few days. The appointments will be issued soon."

Then he laughed loudly, "Don't worry, we'll give you time to return home in glory!"

"Haha, as expected, the top scholar understands us best." The other students laughed sheepishly.

The past two months have been filled with heavy coursework, especially this month with writing surveys, applying for exams, and dealing with various assessments, which has left them physically and mentally exhausted. The students were naturally overjoyed to have a few days to rest, and they agreed to go somewhere else for a second round of drinks after the gathering.

~~
Over the next few days, amidst the feasting and revelry, the most frequent topic of discussion among the classmates was which government office they would be assigned to based on their performance.

Few people know that their achievements are only one aspect.

Because of the publicly available four-dimensional assessment results, there is also the existence of a 'three-dimensional nine-item' evaluation system—

This is a secret evaluation system established by Su Lu based on methods from later generations. Its core is divided into three dimensions: loyalty, ability, and character. Each dimension has three specific evaluation items.

The loyalty dimension includes three aspects: steadfastness of stance, awareness of confidentiality, and gratitude.
The competency dimensions cover three aspects: practical government affairs skills, teamwork skills, and emergency stress resistance skills.
The personality dimension focuses on three aspects: fairness and impartiality, sense of responsibility, and composure.

Compared to the objective 'four-dimensional assessment', the three-dimensional nine-item assessment seems somewhat subjective... In fact, it was the result of Su Lu, Su Man, Zhu Zi, and the other two observing and even secretly testing their peers from the first day of school.

Although they never stopped working on the 'three-dimensional nine-item questionnaire,' they all hoped to evaluate each person as fairly as possible.

However, loyalty and character can be faked in the short term. Just as men and women try to present their best selves during courtship to increase their chances of mating, the newly appointed scholars will naturally present their best selves in the Dragon and Tiger Lecture Hall, even deliberately pretending to be a better version of themselves.

The only aspect that can be considered objective is the assessment of ability. The other two dimensions can be faked, but ability is something you can't fake... You either have to be good or you don't. After several simulated government performance evaluations, you'll clearly understand a person's level.

Moreover, the focus of the competency dimension survey is on areas that the 'four-dimensional assessment' cannot cover. For example, in group discussions and simulated cross-departmental collaboration, the three people closely observe who can proactively communicate and coordinate with all parties to prioritize the overall situation. Who is difficult to communicate with or unwilling to cooperate... The strengths and weaknesses of teamwork abilities are immediately apparent.

In the most challenging simulated dispute mediation and emergency response training, they will focus on observing each student's coping strategies and actions, recording who can calmly and methodically resolve problems, and who is at a loss and shirks responsibility.

Outstanding people are like stars in the night; they can stand out after just a few simulations...

~~
Although the 'three dimensions and nine items' are too subjective, they are an excellent supplement to the four survey items—human nature is subjective, and sometimes subjective judgment is more accurate than objective standards.

Combined with subjective evaluations based on objective standards, and based on the survey results given by three individuals, this is already a far more advanced "person physiognomy" in this era!

Moreover, the four-dimensional assessment is public, so we have to consider everyone's feelings and try to give everyone a passable score so as not to be too embarrassed.

The three-dimensional, nine-item survey is kept secret, allowing for the most objective and direct evaluation of each individual without any reservations.

For example, the three people's negative assessment of Shao Rui: outwardly respectful, inwardly opportunistic.

Reasons for the evaluation: First, during the simulated government affairs, they only chose tasks that were easy to get good results on, while avoiding complex and difficult problems; second, during group discussions, they changed their viewpoints to cater to the examiners.

Assessment Dimension Correlation: Loyalty Dimension – Insufficient Stance Firmness.

There are also negative assessments of Hu Zuanzong, who was ranked third in the imperial examination: he was somewhat perfunctory and showed signs of being afraid of difficulties.

Reasons for the evaluation: First, when calculating taxes, they relied on colleagues' data and never reviewed it themselves; second, the simulated dispute mediation seemed clear and organized, but in reality, they avoided the core contradictions and shirked the difficult problems to their superiors.

Assessment dimensions are related to: Ability dimension – there are deficiencies in emergency stress resistance and sense of responsibility.

Of course, there were also positive reviews. For example, Shao Rui was described as meticulous and insightful, with a keen eye for detail. Hu Zuanzong was praised for his intelligence, resourcefulness, and emotional stability.

The same applied to everyone else; their strengths and weaknesses were thoroughly investigated, so the results of this covert evaluation were actually valued even more by the emperor.
Therefore, the final selection and appointment of officials is jointly determined by the 'four-dimensional assessment' and the 'three-dimensional nine-item investigation'.

In addition to excelling in the four dimensions of the assessment, candidates for the Silver Badge Secret Service must also have a total score of no less than 40 points across the three dimensions and nine categories, with each loyalty dimension score of no less than 4 points.

Some might ask, what if someone gets an excellent score in the four dimensions assessment but fails the latter? Su Lu will naturally manually downgrade his assessment to good... As long as the standards are flexible enough, it's not difficult at all, okay?
As for the selection of Shujishi, they were basically the disciples of Longhu who held silver seals... Some people may ask again, wouldn't it be a waste for Shujishi to study in the capital for three years to have the right to submit secret memorials with silver seals?

That's because they didn't know that Eunuch Liu was about to launch a retaliatory measure against the Hanlin Academy... uh, no, a reform.

Liu Jin wanted to kick all the Hanlin scholars, including the junior scholars, out of the capital, so that these potential prime ministers could be sent to the most difficult places to be trained and understand the hardships of the people firsthand, so that they could become good prime ministers in the future.

Su Lu thought that this move... was pretty good.

He always felt that the Grand Secretaries of the Ming Dynasty seriously lacked grassroots experience and should learn from the Song Dynasty's practice of "prime ministers must rise from the prefectures and counties".

He himself even wanted to become a county magistrate to gain experience, but unfortunately, he had no choice in the matter; it was Zhu Shou who made the decision.

As for the remaining candidates, their placement was entirely based on their combined scores from the four-dimensional assessment and the three-dimensional nine-item survey, with each candidate's strengths matched to a corresponding department—those with outstanding practical skills in government affairs were assigned to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Justice for training; those with excellent teamwork abilities were transferred to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works; and those suited to independent leadership were assigned to prefectures and counties…

Therefore, although the assessment and investigation consumed a great deal of energy from the three brothers, it provided a solid foundation for the final selection and appointment of officials, allowing the emperor to clearly and intuitively make the best use of everyone's talents, rather than making arbitrary and haphazard appointments.

Of course, Zhu Shou, that lazybones, was already at his limit in patiently deciding the destinations of the top 36. The destinations of the other 309 Jinshi were all decided by the three brothers through discussion.

When Su Lu, with dark circles under his eyes, tossed the list of proposed officials to Zhu Shou, Zhu Shou clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "I think you are ready to be the Minister of Personnel right now. You would be the perfect person to manage the officials of the country on behalf of the Emperor."

He wasn't joking; it was a sudden whim to appoint Su Lu as Minister of Personnel...

"Thanks," Su Lu said irritably, "Do you think I can pass the court recommendation process?"

As a rule, the Ministry of Personnel decided on the appointment of officials below the fourth rank. For high-ranking officials of the fourth rank and above, the appointment was decided by a vote of the Six Ministries, Nine Ministers, and the Censorate, through a process of court recommendation. The Ministry of Personnel then recommended these officials to the emperor for appointment.

Although the emperor could bypass the imperial decree and directly appoint high-ranking officials, the appointed officials would not only be ungrateful but would also feel ashamed, refuse the appointment, and even resign and return home…

Of course, if you're shameless, there's nothing anyone can do about it.

But Su Lu was a top scholar, the sixth-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations. His self-expectations were much higher than those of ordinary officials, and he couldn't do anything shameless...

Therefore, even the emperor could not directly promote him to a high-ranking official position, let alone the Minister of Personnel.

“That definitely won’t work…” Zhu Shou sighed, recalling the court recommendation. He knew Su Lu was concerned about his reputation, so he had no choice but to give up and say, “Well, you’ll just have to endure it for now…”

“I’m also a newly appointed scholar, having only been the top scholar for less than three months…” Su Lu said speechlessly, “What’s wrong with me enduring it?”

"Haha, isn't this just my way of giving you a promotion?" Zhu Shou put his arm around his shoulder and laughed, "My friends have to be good enough for me."

“But you can’t force things to grow faster,” Su Lu said, his expression softening slightly. “Besides, I haven’t stopped working for you right now.”

"Alright, alright, I won't force you to become the Minister." Zhu Shou said, taking out a gold medal and handing it to Su Lu, "Then I'll give you this, you can't refuse it anymore."

Su Lu was no stranger to this gold medal; Zhu Shou had given it to him before, instructing him to use it to chase away the Marquis of Jianchang, though he hadn't managed to do so...

But this was indeed a "golden plaque as if the emperor were personally present," meaning that Zhang Yanling's backer was even higher than the emperor's, and no one else could have been driven away.

"Why are you giving me this?" Su Lu grasped the heavy token, which was made of pure gold.

"Look at how the Emperor bestowed silver and bronze seals upon each of your classmates. Aren't you envious?" Zhu Shou asked with a smile.

“Of course,” Su Lu said, “I don’t yet have the authority to submit secret reports with the Silver Seal.”

"You don't need to. Just tell me what's wrong." Zhu Shou laughed. "You don't need it, but you'll feel uncomfortable if you don't have it, right?"

“Yes.” Su Lu nodded. “You’ve said both the truth and the sarcasm.”

"That's why I gave you a gold medal! They're all silver or bronze, and all of them combined aren't as valuable as this one," Zhu Shou said with a grin, then added seriously, "Take it out when necessary; it represents the Emperor!"

P.S. This is a post to be edited later. Please vote with monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)