At dusk, as Sima Yi was riding back to his mansion, he kept thinking about things.
Although there are four candidates for the commanders of Chang'an, among them, Man Chong, Cao Tai, Zhu Gai, and Qian Zhao, according to the new style of the emperor, it is likely that most will still lean towards the generals with the surname Cao.
The trend of the Zhanghou family Cao, these ancestor-led troops, the impetus, is not a half and a half can change.
"Father, why do you seem so burdened with concerns?"
Sima Yi was thinking about walking into the mansion, and Sima Shiyu saw him and asked him.
Sima Yi looked up at his eldest son: "It's just some trivial affairs in the court. By the way, Zi Yuan, join me in the study. I have something to ask you."
"Understood, son," Sima Shi replied.
A moment later, Sima Yi sat down behind the desk, and Sima Shiyu slowly closed the door of the study.
Sima Shiyu asked, "Father, did you rest well these past few days while accompanying the emperor on a hunting trip outside?"
Sima Yi replied, "It's like marching an army; how can one talk about rest?"
"Half a day to go and half a day to return, with another day for hunting and drinking, it can be considered a hurried trip."
Sima Shiyu curiously asked, "Did father also go hunting?"
Sima Yi smiled, "I myself shot a deer. The rest of the game was taken by the knights accompanying us."
"We were divided into three teams. The king is in one team, the Grand General is in another team, and my father's team. My father's team obtained the least game, and I was penalized by having to drink more alcohol at night."
There was envy in Sima Shiyu's eyes. To be able to lead a team of his own and compete in hunting with the emperor, for a twenty-year-old young man, was still an unreachable height.
"How is it, Zi Yuan also wants to go on a hunting trip?" Sima Yi asked.
"No, my son doesn't," Sima Shiyu explained: "According to my archery skills, I don't have any soldiers to help drive the game, so it would be difficult to catch wild beasts."
"And the hunting grounds around Luoyang are all the emperor's, how can ordinary people get in?"
Sima Yi secretly sighed in his heart. Not only are the hunting grounds around Luoyang the emperor's, but isn't it the same in other states and counties as well?
A single word can decide life and death, and a single sentence can determine the rise and fall.
In the year since his accession to the throne, the emperor's authority has grown heavier and heavier, and sometimes Sima Yi feels a chill in his heart.
Sima Yi looked at Sima Shiyu: "Let's not talk about court matters. It's only been three days since your wedding, and father has been away accompanying the emperor. How are you getting along with Hui'er?"
Sima Shiyu slightly felt embarrassed: "We get along very well. This... this doesn't require father's concern."
Sima Yi, with a slightly smiling look at his son, advised: "Mutual respect is the basic principle. Early childbirth is the most important thing. With this layer of kinship, you and Taizhi, and the generals of the first family, can also have more communication."
Sima Shiyu nodded, "Son, in the past few months, I have spent more and more time with Taizhi. We often discuss classics, appraise individuals, and make friends with scholars."
Sima Yi thought of something: "By the way, Zi Yuan, did you mention the affairs of the Tai Xuetang before?"
"I heard about it this morning in the North Palace. The emperor has also roughly determined the matters of the Tai Xuetang official."
Sima Shiyu's eyes lit up: "Can a Tai Xuetang official be directly appointed to an official position?"
"Don't rush, let father finish speaking." Sima Yi smiled and stared at Sima Shiyu with a serious look.
"But the emperor's idea is that after graduating from the Tai Xuetang, students have two ways to go: one is to join the army and the other is to enter government service."
"If they choose to join the army, they can serve under officials with a salary of 2,000 stones as military advisors or assistants."
"If they choose to enter government service, they can become county officials in various counties."
"This is not as good as recommending by virtue," Sima Shiyu said directly: "If one wants to be an official in a county, one can simply ask someone to recommend it. Where is there a need to go through the Tai Xuetang?"
"According to the usual way, the descendants of noble families are first recommended to be officials in their respective counties, and then they have a chance to be recommended as Confucian scholars, followed by becoming officials in Luoyang."
"Serving as a young official for several years, they can either be appointed to various official positions in Luoyang, or be sent out to govern in prefectures and counties."
Sima Shiyu looked at Sima Yi with confusion: "Father, what is the purpose of this system? The emperor specially selects people from various prefectures and counties to enter the Tai Xuetang. As a result, scholars who graduate from the Tai Xuetang are not even up to the standard of recommending by virtue!"
Noticing that Sima Yi's eyes had a strange look, Sima Shiyu hesitated for a moment before asking, "Father, is there something else behind this arrangement?"
Sima Yi sighed lightly: "As a descendant of a noble family, it's too easy. If one wants to enter the civil service, one can do so. After being crowned, one can become a county official, and obtaining the title of a Confucian scholar is only a matter of time."
"How many people have such a background?"
Sima Shiyu interjected with a hint of discontent, "The students in the Tai Xuetang are almost all from noble or great families; where are the common people?"
Sima Yi shook his head: "The emperor said so, perhaps the emperor has other thoughts."
"In July, that is next month, the first batch of students can graduate from the Tai Xuetang. According to what the emperor said, five-twentieths of the number of graduates each year."
"After the assessment, they can become Tai Xuetang officials with a salary of 300 stones. At the various counties or in the military, although the position is relatively low, the rank is not."
Sima Shiyu wondered: "Fifteen percent of the number, that is only one hundred people. What about the remaining four hundred?"
Sima Yi replied: "After three years of study, if one still cannot pass the examination within three years, they will leave the Tai Xuetang. The emperor refers to this situation as 'completion of studies'."
"Zi Yuan, father also wants to know your thoughts. Do you want to become a Tai Xuetang official?"
"If you don't want to, father will ask the emperor to grant you a non-official position and find someone to recruit you as an official. Father just recently recruited the son of Gao Rui into the Ministry of the Ministry last month."
At this moment, Sima Shiyu thought of the people who he had been associating with all day.
Xiachou Xuan is a 400 stone riding vice-regent, Zhuge Dan, who he has met several times while serving as the head of the Secretariat of the Board of State Personnel, and He Yan, who holds the 1000 stone title as the scholar of Chongwen Observation.
If he were to go through the Tai Xuetang to gain experience... after all, he comes from such a family, why go through all that trouble?
Sima Shiyu bowed his hands: "Father, son does not want to become a Tai Xuetang official. The prospects don't seem particularly promising. It's better to follow the usual path to enter government service."
Sima Yi nodded, paused in silence for a moment, and suddenly asked: "Do you know that Cao Shuai's son Cao Shuang has gone to the prefecture of Yin from the military?"
Recalling Cao Shuang's smiling, chubby face, Sima Shiyu felt somewhat uncomfortable and said, "The son of a military officer, why would he dare not go to serve in the army?"
"Father, I am unwilling to serve in the army."
Sima Yi nodded and said: "Then that's good. Zi Yuan's thoughts are well understood by father. When you graduate from the Tai Xuetang, father will arrange something for you."
"Zi Yuan, what about your elder brother? He mentioned before that he also wanted to enter the Tai Xuetang? His abilities are not as good as yours, so it might be a good idea for him to gain experience through the Tai Xuetang official path."
Sima Shiyu smiled: "Father initially did not allow him to enter the Tai Xuetang, saying that we should wait until he graduated."
……
The next afternoon, at He Yan's residence.
Today, He Yan is hosting guests at home. Sima Shiyu and Xiahou Xuan come together as companions.
Although today is not the Tai Xuetang's vacation day, for the two men from high-ranking families who have achieved the Jia stage, it's really no big deal to take a few extra days off.
The strict Professor Gao, who was in charge of managing the Tai Xuetang, has gone to the Chongwen Observation, and Professor Zheng is solely responsible for teaching, taking these daily trivial matters with great equanimity and rarely getting involved.
Who can stop the socializing of these noble families' descendants?
He Yan, with a smile on his face, leaned against the doorframe to greet everyone: "Taizhi and Zi Yuan have come together. Please come in quickly and take a seat. There are many guests at my house today, and I will join you shortly."
Xiahou Xuan bowed and said: "Thank you, my brother for inviting us."
Sima Shiyu also returned the courtesy and said: "Then I'll go in together with Taizhi."
Just as they settled into their seats in the hall, Sima Shiyu saw Bi Gui, Deng Yao, Li Sheng, and Ding Mi had already taken their seats.
After a few simple greetings, some commotion could be heard coming from the courtyard.
Sima Shiyu turned to Xiahou Xuan beside him and asked: "Taizhi, who is this that has arrived?"
Bi Gui, sitting to Sima Shiyu's left, replied upon hearing the question: "Zi Yuan may not know, but it should be Master Zhuge, the viscount, who has arrived."
Among the four friends of He Yan at Chongwen Observation, Bi Gui is the one who gets along the best with Sima Shiyu.
Sima Shiyu thus inquired: "I heard that Master Zhuge, the viscount, has become the general manager of the Secretariat of the Board. What about Yuan Geng?"
Bi Gui smiled and replied, "Yuan Geng has become the general manager of the Examination Bureau, which is also under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Guards. It's just a change of department."
After a moment, Zhuge Dan came in smiling, accompanied by several people he didn't know.
He Yan is also a prominent figure in the world, so he will take care of everyone at such an occasion.
Today, wearing a green robe and a jade hairpin in his hair, He Yan began to introduce everyone after the guests had taken their seats.
"Master Zhuge, there's no need for me to introduce," He Yan smiled: "This one is Yuan Kan, the son of Yuan Geng, who is a member of the Secretariat of the Board."
Yuan Kan bowed to everyone and greeted them. Afterward, He Yan continued the introductions.
"This one is Xu Rong, a chosen official from the Ministry of Personnel, and this one is Cui Zan, a son of Cui Zhang from Bo Ling. They will be leaving tomorrow to become county officials in Puyang County."
Cui Zan greeted everyone present and said with a smile: "Thank you, brother Ping for the introduction. I was able to secure a position as a county official in Puyang County thanks to the efforts of Master Zhuge!"
Zhuge Dan sat at the table with a slightly haughty demeanor, waved his hand, and said, "It's just a small matter. There's no need for you, Mr. Fang, to thank me in public."
Yuan Kan also chimed in, joking: "For you, Master Zhuge, such a big deal is just a small matter. You were once the county official in Xingyang, but within two months back in Luoyang, you took away my position as the general manager of the Secretariat of the Board!"
Zhuge Dan glanced at Yuan Geng with a smile and said: "Ah, Geng is openly blaming me in public."
Gongran is the style name of Yuan Geng. Yuan Geng and Zhuge Dan were very good friends, and he wasn't willing to be outdone with his words: "How can one take someone else's good position and not allow others to talk about it?"
He Yan interjected from the side: "The position of the Ministry of Personnel is a high-ranking one, and the position of the Examination Bureau official is even more important. In my opinion, Yuan Geng has gained some practical benefits and Zhuge Dan has gained some face!" (The chapter ends here)
