"Young Master Jing, you don't seem to be in a hurry. Have you been eyeing the official position for a long time, but just didn't want to tell us?"
Chen Jiannan grew increasingly angry as he watched Jing Zhe flirt with the two women. He was so angry that he forgot about the times he had been humiliated every time he saw Jing Zhe. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and confronted Jing Zhe.
"Brother Chen, I'm not as capable as you. My requirements aren't high. I'll just accept any official position with a higher rank, more power, but less work."
Jing Zhe didn't take it seriously and just said it casually.
"..."
Is this what you call not demanding?
You're practically begging to be the emperor!
Chen Jiannan sneered, thinking to himself that it seemed he was only good at writing poetry and didn't know much about officialdom. How could he miss this opportunity to show off and slap someone in the face?
Ha, today is the day I turn the tide!
"Young Master Jing is overthinking it. I already told my cousin earlier that if we were to enter the court as officials, we would only have two choices: Imperial Academy Doctor or Grand Scholar. By the way, since I came first in the provincial examination, I can choose either one. But you, since you didn't participate in the provincial examination and only won first place in the poetry competition, can only become a Grand Scholar!"
This is not something Chen Jiannan made up off the cuff, but rather a conclusion drawn from patterns observed over the years.
"A Grand Scholar? That would be great, like Grand Scholar Song, who could often be by His Majesty's side!"
"Young Master Jing, you're overthinking it!"
Chen Jiannan shook his head, somewhat disdainfully saying, "Do you think all Grand Secretaries can be like Grand Secretary Song? In the entire An Kingdom, there is only one Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, who is a second-rank official. My father, in his entire life, was only a fourth-rank Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Academy. Do you think being a Grand Secretary is so easy?"
Originally, there were many officials in Anguo who were called Grand Secretaries, but there were many ranks among them. For example, the highest rank was the second-rank Hanlin Grand Secretary, followed by the third-rank Wuying Grand Secretary, the fourth-rank Wenyuan Grand Secretary, and the fifth-rank Wenhua Grand Secretary. The lowest rank was the sixth-rank Baohe Grand Secretary.
Ultimately, the Grand Secretary was essentially a high-ranking secretary assisting the emperor, similar in function to the prime minister. However, his main responsibilities included reviewing memorials in advance and verifying the emperor's issued memorials. Therefore, the Grand Secretary needed not only to have excellent literary skills but also the ability to anticipate and judge important national affairs.
However, only Hanlin Grand Secretary Song Jimao had direct access to Emperor An. The other Grand Secretaries had clear divisions of labor, each serving their own superior Grand Secretary.
Below the lowest-ranking Sixth-Rank Guardian and Grand Secretary, there is actually a Grand Secretary without a rank. These people are mostly selected from those who fail the annual examinations and are responsible for miscellaneous tasks.
For example, the two young scholars who stopped Jing Zhe outside the Wuxian Garden during the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering belonged to this category.
Whether it was to educate Jing Zhe or to show off his extensive knowledge, Chen Jiannan spoke at length, explaining the position of Grand Scholar to Jing Zhe from beginning to end.
Jing Zhe almost wanted to thank him.
Then, out of curiosity, he asked, "Since Brother Chen is so familiar with this, you must also know what positions His Majesty has assigned to him, right?"
Chen Jiannan was somewhat smug, "A sixth-rank Grand Secretary of the Imperial Academy!"
"Grand Secretary of the Imperial Academy? The one at the bottom? Not that great!"
Upon hearing this, Jing Zhe shook his head, quite disappointed.
So what's the point of winning first place in a Mid-Autumn Festival poetry contest if all you get is this lowly official position?
But it also made him realize how determined Yu Zecheng was when he said that Duke Huguo Yu Sheng could get him a fourth-rank or even third-rank official position!
The gap between the sixth and third ranks is more than one insurmountable barrier!
"Not good enough? Why don't you just fly to the moon?"
Chen Jiannan couldn't help but retort, "You think a sixth-rank official and a Grand Secretary are too low, what rank do you want?"
"Heh, at the very least, it must be a fifth-rank official, right?"
He had also heard that the fifth rank was the dividing line between the ranks and power of officials in Anguo; crossing this line meant a bright future.
"Fifth rank?"
Chen Jiannan sneered, "Do you think it's so easy for you to get a fifth-rank official position? My cousin made a name for herself at the poetry competition, but she only got a sixth-rank official position. Two years later, she was promoted one rank because of her outstanding performance and became the fifth-rank Zhongshu Sheren. Even so, she has already broken many records in Anguo and become the youngest fifth-rank official in Anguo. What, do you want to break her records?"
Chen Jiannan first mocked Jing Zhe, and then turned the flames to Zhu Xinning, thinking to himself, "You can't possibly brag that you're better than your sister, can you?"
The more I think about it, the more rational I feel.
Before Jing Zhe could reply, Zhu Xinning said calmly, "It's perfectly normal for a younger brother to surpass his older sister. Besides, Zhe'er has made such a great contribution this time, which is far beyond what getting first place in the provincial examination can compare to. Even if His Majesty were to bestow upon him a fifth-rank official position, it would be only right and proper!"
"..."
Seeing Zhu Xinning so protective of Jing Zhe, Chen Jiannan felt both envious and jealous, his face turning bright red.
Because Emperor An blocked the news, he was unaware that Jing Zhe had dealt a major blow to the Southern Qi Silver Thread Army in the martial arts arena, which is why his analysis was flawed.
Seeing the discussion getting more and more heated, Zhu Tong interjected at the right time: "Jiannan, you sound so confident. Have you already planned out what will happen after you become the Grand Secretary of the Baohe Academy?"
Chen Jiannan immediately said confidently, "Actually, it's not really a plan, I just want to do more and learn more!"
"Well said!"
Zhu Tong praised, "Although the rank of Grand Secretary of the Baohe Academy is not high, he is responsible for a lot of trivial matters. Moreover, most of the current Grand Secretaries of the Baohe Academy are old officials sent from the local areas. They have no ambition and just drift along. People with such awareness as Jiannan are becoming increasingly rare!"
After being showered with praise by Zhu Tong, Chen Jiannan became somewhat smug.
"Actually, the more you learn and do, the faster you can progress. I once vowed to rise to the first rank within five years and become a fifth-rank Wenhua Grand Scholar! Then, at the age of forty, I would become a fourth-rank Wenyuan Grand Scholar!"
Chen Jiannan spoke with great emotion, but Jing Zhe was drowsy and yawned several times, which Chen Jiannan happened to see.
"Young Master Jing seems to have high aspirations but low abilities. I'm afraid you'll be quite disappointed at court tomorrow. But don't worry, Young Master Jing. We'll become colleagues in the future. Given our relationship, I can help you a lot. And once I'm promoted, I'll take good care of you!"
When talking about "relationships," Chen Jiannan deliberately glanced at Zhu Xinning, his sense of superiority overflowing.
However, both Zhu Tong and Zhu Xinning had strange expressions, looking at Chen Jiannan with pity in their eyes.
"Alright, Brother Chen is a true friend. Let's not say anything more, let's drink!"
As darkness fell and it was almost time to go home, Jing Zhe, having filled his stomach, decided it was time to get himself drunk.
————
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