The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

According to regulations, the selection of officials below the sixth rank in the Tang Dynasty required three rounds of approval and three rounds of announcement, which is equivalent to the public announcement period in later times.

However, under the urging of the Empress Dowager, the entire process was completed in three days. The document was drafted by the Wenchangtai (a government office in charge of literature and literature) using yellow paper and red ink, reviewed by the Luantai (another government office in charge of literature and literature), and then the Empress Dowager drew up the imperial edict, which was then handed over to the Ministry of Heaven for execution.

After entering the palace to receive their official appointments and express their gratitude, the newly appointed scholars gathered together for a day of wild drinking and feasting.

The term "shihe" refers to removing one's brown hemp or linen clothing and donning an official robe, signifying the initial appointment to a new post.

Without Wang Gou and Wen Tui, who were considered spoilsport, Lu Jun was the center of attention, being toasted by everyone.

"Having been appointed a close advisor to the emperor so soon after leaving office, Brother Chu Yu, your future is bright. I hope you will continue to mentor and guide you!"

Her eyes were full of stars.

The positions of Shiyi and Buque were newly established in the first year of the Chuigong era. Although their ranks were low, they were highly coveted by scholars.

Firstly, both were officials who served as court attendants, and they could stand in a separate area during court assemblies and discuss important matters with senior officials.

Secondly, apart from the prime minister, they did not need to avoid their superiors in ordinary times, which made them a noble and respectable position.

When the poet Du Fu was forty-six years old, he was appointed as the Left Remonstrator. He was so moved that he thanked the emperor with tears in his eyes and took pride in it for the rest of his life.

At the age of eighteen, Zuo Shiyi was naturally regarded as an important political resource by his peers, who vied to curry favor with him at banquets.

Lu Jun also has her troubles.

The gathering after the official appointment was called the Guan Banquet, which was all about pomp and circumstance, with the most famous taverns and courtesans selected.

Drinking the strongest liquor, ordering the most expensive girls, queuing all night, and being told by the boss not to touch her... Lu Jun had never heard of such things before, and was forced to go to the front lines.

A group of Confucian scholars, who always referred to sages, started making a ruckus when the courtesan arrived, prompting the top scholar to put on a passionate performance.

It just so happens that Lu Jun's poems have been very popular lately, and the other party took the initiative to sing them to him, exchanging flirtatious glances as they sang.

It wouldn't be right not to reward them with something.

The problem is, Lu Jun is much poorer than the singer, yet he's still trying to collect royalties from her and has no intention of becoming the top influencer.

In the end, thanks to Zhang's chivalry, he spent money to send Lu Jun away and even helped him share the cost of the banquet.

Speaking of Zhang, he is a wealthy man who keeps a low profile. His ancestors moved to Luoyang with Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty and have been local people for nearly two hundred years.

He was already married, and his wife was a descendant of the Northern Wei royal family. She brought a large dowry with her, so his family was very wealthy.

Having a local friend is great.

In the same year, most of them were granted official positions in other regions. After the banquet, they went their separate ways, and everyone bid farewell by breaking off willow branches on the banks of the Luo River.

The wind rises and ripples scatter, willow catkins flutter and dance. The joy of drinking the other day still echoes in my ears. Now, a light boat and a solitary figure quietly disappear into the spring scenery. From now on, we will be separated by vast distances, with no word from each other.

Before you know it, it will be Qingming Festival. Lu Jun will have to return to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors and use this great occasion to comfort his parents.

Luhun is located 130 li southwest of Shendu. There is an official road leading up the Yi River, which is very easy to travel.

Lu Jun had an imperial edict and official document, so he could change horses and stop at post stations along the way, leaving early in the morning and arriving just in time for the evening.

The main branch of the Lu family in Wu County was located in Jiangling. Lu Jun's grandfather, who was an official, settled there and the family line continued for three generations.

Therefore, even if one becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination, there is no scene of returning home in glory and being welcomed by relatives lining the streets.

Moreover, he was studying at Chengjun Academy and was not recommended by the local authorities to participate in the imperial examinations. He did not know any officials in the county. The official gazette only became popular after the separatist regimes of the mid-Tang Dynasty. The results of the imperial examinations and the imperial edicts for appointing officials did not reach Luhun.

Approaching the village entrance, it was very deserted.

All that's left in the family is an old servant, an old house, an old locust tree, and twenty-three acres of farmland.

The old servant's name was Lu Zhong, and he was fifty-two years old. He had followed his father into the family after his father became an official, and was called Uncle Zhong.

He wasn't actually that old, but he worked in the fields year-round, making him look older than people his age in the city.

When he saw Lu Jun return home looking travel-worn and presenting him with an eighth-rank official document, his eyes immediately welled up with tears.

Under the oil lamp, his face wrinkled, as if frozen, his gray hair trembling, unable to believe it for a long time.

"Heaven has eyes! My master will surely be very pleased to hear of his son's great achievements..."

She choked up.

Wiping away her tears, she hurriedly boiled water and cooked for Lu Jun, sitting at the stove for a long time without saying a word.

When the rice and vegetables were served, tears were still visible, but a smile had already appeared on her face.

The next day, the master and servant carried millet into the city, exchanged it for money, and bought sake, mutton, pork, dried fruit, and paper money. Uncle Zhong also steamed cakes and cooked rice, and the sacrificial offerings were very plentiful.

On the day of Qingming Festival, the two dressed in plain clothes and went to the graves of their grandfather and father to clear weeds, add soil, and offer libations.

Lu Jun brought paper and pen, wrote a long eulogy, knelt down and read it aloud, then burned it before her parents' spirit tablets.

Uncle Zhong's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face before he could even speak.

"My lord, your son has studied diligently, achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, and been granted a noble title. He has already become a pillar of society..."

"One day I will surely uphold the family business and revitalize the family name..."

"This old servant will be loyal to you forever and serve you well, my lord..."

"Master can rest assured..."

Many words were lost in the wind before they could be heard clearly.

Supporting a family business is not an easy task.

This year's ancestral worship was much more elaborate than in previous years, and we sold a lot of grain, leaving only one and a half shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain at home.

Uncle Zhong was of medium height and very thin. If he ate alone, he could barely last until the summer harvest in May. However, Lu Jun had already graduated from the Imperial Academy, and the days of freeloading meals were over. If all the young men were together, they would be starving by the end of the month.

The Lu family cemetery was right by the field. After paying their respects, Uncle Zhong took Lu Jun to check on the newly greening winter wheat, his face full of worry.

"I'm afraid the harvest won't be ready in time..."

"Furthermore, things are different now that you've become an official. You'll need to rent a decent house for receiving guests and for your daily life."

"The capital is very large, and the journey from court to home is not short. We need to rent or buy packhorses to travel, so as not to miss the appointed time."

"Although my husband is used to a simple life, he still needs to buy new clothes so that he can look presentable when making friends."

"I'm afraid we'll still need to hire servants..."

"This old servant can handle washing clothes and cooking, but I'm not up to the task of grinding ink, serving reading, or receiving distinguished guests."

"In addition, although the family has little land, if no one is there to look after it, the farming season will be missed, and we will have to hire someone to do the farming."

"Regarding all the expenses, is your salary sufficient, sir? Would you like this old servant to calculate it for you?"

After being granted the official position, Lu Jun also began to think about the issue of money.

Actually, the expenses are not limited to those.

When Shen Quanqi, Li Zhaode, and Princess Taiping rescued him, this kindness could not be repaid with mere words; he had to personally visit them with visiting cards and gifts.

There are also some classmates I met recently who stayed in the capital. I used to eat and drink with them, so I have to reciprocate.

Paper and ink are consumables that you have to buy regularly, and you also need to replace some furniture when you move to a new house.

Not to mention, it's always customary to give money or gifts at weddings and funerals; there's no escaping it.

"Uncle Zhong, I'm not worried about food; I have my own rice allowance. As for renting a house, I'll take another look when I have time..."

Dede dede, dede dede—

Just as Lu Jun was about to explain, several fast horses galloped to the main road by the field, and five people jumped off and walked quickly towards the field.

There was another carriage parked by the roadside, and the driver, dressed in the clothes of a minor official, got out to help tie up the horses.

The man in the lead among the five was wearing a dark green round-necked silk shirt and looked to be around forty years old. He was waving something as he walked.

Behind them were four people, one in a dark blue robe and the other three in light blue, all made of fine materials, and all of them were officials.

Uncle Zhong exclaimed, "It seems to be the Junior Steward..."

He recognized one of them as the county constable who often went to the countryside to collect taxes, but he did not recognize the other three.

Lu Jun could tell from the colors of their robes that one was a sixth-rank official, one an eighth-rank official, and three ninth-rank officials. If his deduction was correct, then the magistrate, assistant magistrate, registrar, and two county lieutenants of Luhun County had all arrived...

Five men stepped forward, and the one in the lead bowed and said, "May I ask if you are Lu Shiyi, whose courtesy name is Chuyu?"

"Indeed." Lu Jun quickly returned the greeting. "Is your superior the magistrate of this county?"

At this time, many official titles had elegant names, such as...

The county magistrate is called the Mingfu.

The county magistrate praised the prefecture.

The county commandant was called the Junior Treasury Officer...

Lu Jun was asking the other party if they were the magistrate of Luhun County.

The man smiled broadly: "I wouldn't dare, I am Jiang Qianshi, my humble name is Dezhong, and I am honored to serve as the magistrate of Luhun County."

He was of medium height, with a long beard, and when he spoke, he leaned slightly forward, his eyes narrowing into slits.

He turned around and introduced them one by one. Sure enough, they were the county magistrate, the registrar, and the county constable of Luhun County. The entire county government was present.

Then, the five people kept talking:

"Lu Shiyi's success in the imperial examination and his return to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors is a major event for Luhun County. Why didn't you send someone to inform me?"

"If it weren't for the courier seeing Lu Shiyi's official document and coming to inform us, we officials would all have been kept in the dark."

"The poem 'Appreciating Peonies' was brought to me by a traveling merchant, and I have long admired it and wished to pay him a visit..."

"Since I come from the prestigious Lu family of Wu County, and today is a festival, I must also offer my respects..."

"If I had known earlier, I should have arranged for county students, village heads, and neighborhood officials to come and pay their respects..."

They chatted back and forth, vying to be the first to speak, and even trying to take an extra half step forward to close the distance.

"What the hell?" Lu Jun and Uncle Zhong looked at each other speechlessly.

Luhun was a county within the capital region. The registrar was a rank of upper ninth grade, and the county commandant was a rank of lower ninth grade. It was understandable that they referred to themselves as "lower officials"...

The county magistrate is a lower eighth-rank official, one rank higher than me, while the county magistrate is an upper sixth-rank official, many ranks higher!

He actually refers to himself as "this humble official"?

It seems you all have very sharp ears; you've already heard the slightest commotion in the capital.

These people certainly weren't after the "Left Remonstrance Official" position; rather, they sensed something was amiss after learning that the Empress Dowager had personally bestowed upon them the title of "First-Class Scholar" and promoted them to higher ranks.

In any era, seasoned officials who have been in the bureaucracy for many years know that official rank is not important.

It's not even about rights and responsibilities.

It depends on how close one is to the emperor.

If one is a close advisor to the emperor, even if their rank is lower, their future prospects are vastly different compared to those of an ordinary local official.

Jiang Qianshi and his companions had no connections in the court, so in order to build a relationship, they naturally lowered their stance and spoke very politely.

Lu Jun repeatedly said politely, "This humble official is young and inexperienced, and dares not trouble the local magistrate..."

"What are you saying, Shi Yi! Your talent is astonishing, and I have long admired you." Jiang Qianshi grinned from ear to ear.

He held up the object in his hand; it was two pieces of paper.

It appears to bear the official seal of the county government...

"The imperial edict was issued the day before yesterday, demarcating the official lands to be allocated within the county. I completed the demarcation on the same day."

"A total of 250 mu, and the tenants have been arranged; they are honest farmers personally selected by me..."

"Furthermore, I have already surveyed and determined the ownership and perpetual lands of the recluse himself..."

"A total of eighty mu of allotted land and twenty mu of permanent land are located not far from here. I will take you there to take a look."

"I have prepared a banquet in the city. Please do me the honor of hosting a welcome feast for you, sir!"