Chapter 97 Zhang Quan's loyalty
The next process is much simpler.
After a few words, Zhu Chong realized that Zhang Quan was only 32 years old, but his face looked too old, and he looked more like a man in his 40s or 50s.
Moreover, this Zhang Quan was actually a Jinshi who had just been admitted to the throne not long ago. However, as he said himself, he had no backing and no background, and was a pure child from a poor family.
Naturally, he couldn't get into a good government office, and in the end he could only work in a thankless government office like the Baochao Tizhusi.
There was nothing that could be done about it. When Zhu Yuanzhang first ascended the throne, the world had just experienced a series of wars, and people were living in dire straits everywhere. It was really rare for children from poor families to persist in studying and making progress.
And to be honest, the students in the imperial examinations during the Hongwu period had a very miserable life. The reason was Zhu Yuanzhang's capriciousness and self-righteousness!
It was not until the third year of Hongwu that Zhu Yuanzhang reopened the imperial examination system and stipulated that all civil officials at home and abroad must be promoted through the imperial examination, and those who did not pass the imperial examination could not be granted official titles.
But not long after, Zhu Yuanzhang thought that there was something wrong with the system of appointing officials through imperial examinations. Those students who only studied but had no practical experience were just talking big and could do nothing but empty talk.
So after thinking about it, Mr. Zhu suddenly decided to stop the imperial examination system, and it lasted for almost ten years, and has not been resumed until now.
Zhang Quan happened to be one of the poor children who passed the imperial examination and was awarded an official title in those two years. However, as a poor boy with no status or background and no backing, he was naturally treated like a ball and kicked around everywhere.
To put it nicely, they treat him like a brick and move him wherever he is needed. To put it bluntly, they throw all the dirty and tiring work at him, and no one cares anyway.
Zhu Chong also understood this. Being an official during the period when Zhu Yuanzhang first established the Ming Dynasty, or during the Hongwu period, was actually a tough job.
Because Zhu Yuanzhang was so impulsive, he would often just think of an idea and implement it as a national policy, which often left people in the world at a loss!
Take being an official as an example. Those officials who made contributions to the founding of the Ming Dynasty were naturally assigned the best official positions.
At that time, everything was in ruins, so of course Zhu Yuanzhang had to use people he was familiar with. He was born into a peasant family and could not read or write since childhood, so he had very complicated feelings towards scholars. He did not trust scholars, but he had to use them.
Therefore, in the first two years of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang used the method of selecting officials used in the Qin and Han dynasties, that is, officials in the court and talents recommended to the court from all over the country were directly granted official positions, which was the former method of selecting filial and honest officials.
By the time the imperial examinations were held, the Ming court had already occupied almost all official positions by selecting filial and honest people.
So when Zhang Quan got an official position through the imperial examination, the Ministry of Personnel racked their brains on how to assign these people.
It happened that at that time, Zhu Yuanzhang had no money and reopened the Baochao Tizhuo Office. Zhang Quan, who had been passed around by various government offices, was kicked to the Baochao Tizhuo Office to work.
Zhang Quan is an honest man. He has all the qualities of a child from a poor family. He believes that as long as he works hard and makes progress, he will naturally be appreciated by his superiors and rise to a high position.
However, reality dealt him a ruthless slap in the face. He had been in the Baochao Tizhusi for almost five years, and he had never moved from his position as an eighth-rank governor.
It was not until he was thirty years old that Zhang Quan, after so many years in officialdom, finally realized a truth.
In officialdom, thinking that one can advance by relying solely on hard work is simply a fantasy. He was too naive before.
Of course, these are not what Zhang Quan truly understood himself, but what his superiors figured out after changing one after another.
Because in the entire Baochao Tizhuo Division, from the Tizhu to the officials of various bureaus, departments, and treasuries, except for Zhang Quan who was admitted through the imperial examination, all the others were admitted as filial and honest officials.
The group of people who were selected as filial and honest officials had backers, and they knew each other well, so it was natural for them to stick together. They had a natural sense of superiority over people from humble backgrounds like Zhang Quan, and naturally disdained to associate with him, and never thought of accepting him at all.
After a few years of this, Zhang Quan saw that there was no hope of promotion and naturally understood the true essence of officialdom.
But Zhang Quan is not a man who accepts his fate. He has the pride of a scholar and his own ideals and ambitions. He has always been fantasizing that one day someone will discover his shining points and give him a stage to display his ambitions.
And at this moment, Zhu Chong appeared.
When Ye Song and others united to confront the outside world and wanted to give Zhu Chong a warning, Zhang Quan hid alone at the back, observing everything silently. At that time, he was struggling and hesitant in his heart.
Having been in officialdom for so long, he certainly understood that the consequences of standing on the wrong side could be very serious.
Zhang Quan had been suppressed by Ye Song and others in the Baochao Tizhu Division to the point that he was almost losing his position as an eighth-rank governor. Naturally, he knew that if he didn't make the right bet this time, he might not even have the chance to sweep the toilets in the Baochao Tizhu Division.
So Zhang Quan kept hesitating, and until Ye Song and others showed their fangs and confronted Zhu Chong, he just chose to remain neutral and hide behind the pillars of the house.
But after Zhu Chong revealed his identity, Zhang Quan became excited and determined to cling to Zhu Chong.
There are only one or two opportunities in life, and if you miss them, you miss them completely. Zhang Quan believes that Zhu Chong is his only chance in this life!
The Prince of Qin of the Ming Dynasty, the second son of the Emperor and the younger brother of the Crown Prince, is now the number one person in the Treasury and Banknote Administration Office.
No matter which identity, it was out of Zhang Quan's reach, so he plucked up his courage and waited until Ye Song and others left in disgrace before he dared to stand in front of Zhu Chong and express his loyalty.
To be honest, Zhu Chong didn't feel much about Zhang Quan's surrender. In his opinion, it didn't matter who he used. Of course, it would be more convenient to use someone from the Baochao Tizhusi.
As for Zhang Quan's ambition, Zhu Chong could see it. It is easier to use ambitious people around you.
After all, a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier. Zhu Chong has almost no one around him now. It just so happens that Zhang Quan jumps out. He can be used as ten people for a short period of time, so it shouldn't be a big problem.
I believe that if I give him a little promotion, his work enthusiasm will be 100% boosted!
However, for Zhang Quan, this is the maximum he can be used for. Zhu Chong will not let him do anything deeper without special testing.
After all, compared with the people exchanged from the system, Zhang Quan's loyalty is really not enough.
Especially the treasure notes that Zhu Chong is going to produce next, which involve relevant content, it is very likely that Zhang Quan will not be able to accept it.
"Okay, then today I'll trouble Master Zhang to take me to see the workshop where our Treasure Banknotes are made."
At Zhu Chong's command, Zhang Quan quickly bowed and said, "No, no, sir, please come this way!"
Zhu Chong nodded without any courtesy and walked ahead. Zhang Quan nodded and bowed beside him, leading Zhu Chong to the back of the yamen.
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