Chapter 507: Selling Official Positions and Titles
The woman felt a little guilty after she finished speaking, as if she was afraid of appearing too "outstanding", and she muttered in a low voice.
"Actually, many people were like that at the time. After the flood, many officials in the southern region were dismissed or convicted by the court for failing to provide disaster relief. A number of corrupt officials who were too prominent were also punished and executed, leaving many positions vacant in the government office."
"Apart from those promised to those bandits who are in league with the officials in Beijing, there are also many who can enter the government office by donating silver."
"At that time, two hundred taels could buy a clerk, five hundred taels could make you a legal advisor, and if you gave five or six thousand or even ten thousand taels, and used some connections, you could even get a position as a county magistrate or a clerk..."
There are many prefectures in the south, and it is a wealthy place, so there are a lot of people who are rich but powerless.
In the past, the promotion of officials was under the control of the imperial court and could not fall into the hands of outsiders. Even the lowest-ranking officials had to be transferred by the Ministry of Personnel. But this time, due to the chaos in the south, there were more opportunities. The provincial government offices were filled with people holding silver coins and wanting to "donate" an official position every day.
At that time, due to the failure of disaster relief, civil unrest broke out and many officials were convicted. In addition, there were some officials with stubborn tempers who were "unsociable", and those who were too corrupt and did not clean up their mess and were caught and found it difficult to escape. All in all, the number of vacant official positions was countless.
In a county government office alone, everyone from the county magistrate to the yamen runners, even the village clerk and the headman can be exchanged for money. Except for those in Beijing who don't know, the officialdom in the south is like a pond filled with fish bait. As long as you are willing to spend money, anyone can follow the smell and catch some fish.
The woman seemed afraid that no one would believe her, and whispered, "I remember that even at the Governor's Office and the provincial government, as long as you can afford the price, you can get in. The minimum is 30,000 to 50,000 taels, and the maximum is 100,000. If you pay more, you may even have the chance to be promoted and go to the capital."
"My husband originally wanted to join the Governor's Office, but because of insufficient family background, he could only stay in the Shezhou government office..."
hiss--
Everyone couldn't help but gasp when they heard what the woman said, and Wen Xinhou and the others' faces turned pale.
Officials' promotions are tied to money, and it's fine if it's just the location, but they even dare to covet the capital...
Although Cao Dejiang had known some things about the officialdom in the south for a long time and knew the tricks in the disaster relief case that year, he had never asked about the details. Now, when he suddenly heard these things, even someone as mature and steady as him felt his chest heaving and breathing became difficult.
General Yin had cultivated his character for many years, but even now he couldn't calm down. He slammed his foot down on the table, his face filled with anger: "How dare they!!"
Someone nearby sneered, "They're more than just daring. They're using the people as bandits, colluding with officials, eliminating dissidents, and treating the entire Southern officialdom as their own."
The bandits who should have been wiped out entered the officialdom and became military generals of the court.
What about those who risked their lives on the battlefield, who had earned their current titles and ranks after many life-or-death struggles? And what about those soldiers who were still struggling to survive, hoping to earn a way out through military merit?
They are not even as good as the bandits who wantonly massacred civilians.
It's absolutely ridiculous!!
Not only the military generals, but also the civil officials were angry.
Anyone who can enter the court, even if he is from an aristocratic family, has some background and talent. To reach a high position, it is not enough to rely solely on the protection of the family, not to mention some upright court officials.
Every step they took was difficult, and they worked diligently and hard for most of their lives to reach their current position.
But now they are told that as long as they pay money, they can enter the officialdom, and as long as they have enough money, they may even be able to become a third or fourth rank official.
How could those who are noble and innocent by nature accept this!
An elderly official among the civil officials was full of sarcasm: "It is so difficult for students in this world to enter the officialdom. Even those who are well-educated from humble backgrounds are frustrated and frustrated. But these people are so lucky. The murderous bandits have transformed into military generals, and the merchants with money can easily enter the court. How ironic!"
"It's ridiculous, absurd, these people are simply shameless!"
"Who is so bold as to trade official selection for money, letting such people take charge of the people's livelihood? Aren't they afraid that these people will become mindless parasites that devour the people and bring disaster to our Great Wei Empire?"
"I think they just want to destroy the foundation of the Great Wei. They dare to allow such people to enter the court. They are definitely wolves!"
There were people cursing in the hall, and even the usually polite court officials wanted to roll up their sleeves and beat people up.
There was a sharp-tongued censor who, in his extreme anger, looked directly at Emperor An and said, "Your Majesty also went south with the Lu family to provide disaster relief. Don't you know about the selling of official positions and titles?"
"How outrageous!"
Emperor An shouted angrily, but the censor did not retreat at all.
"I am simply baffled. Why is it that the capital remains unaware of this matter, which has destroyed the foundation of the imperial court and brought chaos to the officialdom? Even if no one has reported it, Your Majesty is in the South. Could it be that he knows nothing about this matter?"
"you……"
When Emperor An saw that after the censor finished speaking, everyone in the hall looked at him, not to mention the court officials, even the princes of the royal family were all looking at him with surprise and suspicion, and he couldn't help but tremble.
With a tense expression on his face, Emperor An tried his best to suppress his anger.
"Back then, I was only a deputy general, not a prince favored by the late emperor. Although I was sent to the South to provide disaster relief, I had no right to interfere in the affairs of the South's officialdom..."
At this moment, he didn't mind saying in person that he was humble in the past and was not valued by the late emperor. He just wanted to distance himself from the matter.
"The transfer of officials from the South is a major matter. Military and civil officials are beyond the reach of a powerless prince like me at the time. Furthermore, I will only return to the capital once the riots in the South subside."
He really doesn't know about this!
Emperor An felt that he was extremely wronged.
He had indeed gone south with Lu Chongyuan to provide disaster relief that year, and he knew about the "mobs". He even had a hand in the notoriety of Prince Li and his men.
However, after he gained a good reputation for disaster relief, he immediately returned to Beijing to "take credit" and left the rest of the matters to Lu Chongyuan.
At that time, he was just beginning to show his talent in the capital. He was busy gaining a foothold and winning over useful court officials under the noses of his royal brothers. He had no time to take care of the affairs in the south.
Emperor An only knew that the Lu family was very powerful and that they had calmed down the officialdom in the South in a very short time, making those officials extremely obedient. They even helped him win over several high-ranking officials in the South to serve him, which gave him more confidence. However, he really didn't know that the Lu family actually sold official positions and titles.
Emperor An's hands trembled slightly, but he tried his best to keep his eyes calm. "I have never lied in a single word. I dare to swear before the ancestors in the Imperial Ancestral Temple that I had no knowledge of the selling of official positions back then!"
The censor frowned upon hearing this and was about to speak again, but Cao Dejiang suddenly spoke up: "This old minister believes that Your Majesty is unaware of this matter."
"Lord Cao!"
"Master Cao!"
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