Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 425: Reporting to the Imperial Academy

"My dear lord, these can only be regulated by the system. Even if there is a reform, new drawbacks will arise in the future. It's just like a person. If you cure a disease, you may not only get the same disease again, but also a new disease. You can't just stop curing it, right?" Li An said.

"Haha, it's me who is greedy." Han Zhang laughed at himself.

How could Han Zhang not understand what Ang Lee said?

But from his perspective, he always wanted to solve the problem once and for all.

"In your opinion, what should we do next after thoroughly investigating the salt business?" Han Zhang asked.

"Salt, iron, tea and horses are all government-run and very profitable. There are big problems in them. We can investigate them step by step. Although we can find a large amount of silver and money in these, grain is still the foundation of the country. After investigating these, we can start to measure the land in the world." Li An said.

The reason why merchants were suppressed in ancient times was because grain production was low. The ruling class did not engage in production and had a large number of servants, none of whom farmed.

If more people engage in business, grain production will decrease, and grain prices will skyrocket.

It is very disadvantageous to both the country and the people.

The Song Dynasty was the dynasty in history that attached the most importance to commerce, but this does not mean that the Song Dynasty did not attach importance to agriculture.

In fact, the reason why the Song Dynasty emphasized commerce was not only because merchants could bring a lot of tax revenue to the court, but also because the grain output of the Song Dynasty was higher than that of previous dynasties.

Here we have to mention Champa rice. Before the Song Dynasty, Champa rice had not been introduced.

Therefore, although Jiangnan has been developed for several dynasties, the output of rice is still lower than that of wheat.

Therefore, before the Song Dynasty, the north was the main grain-producing area.

However, during the Song Dynasty, Champa rice was introduced and large-scale cultivation began in the south, greatly increasing grain production, which gave the court the capital to focus on commerce.

However, as land annexation and hidden fields became increasingly serious, the court received less and less grain, and even had to spend money to buy grain.

By measuring the land area in the country, a large number of hidden fields can be found, which can not only increase grain tax revenue, but the found fields can also be distributed to the people, alleviating the problem of land annexation.

Han Zhang nodded and said, "Your words have given me great inspiration. Unfortunately... Forget it, it's getting late. You should go back."

Li An could understand what Han Zhang meant by "it's a pity". What he felt sorry about was that the emperor was old and the new emperor was a mediocre person like Prince Yong.

Although Prince Yong has not yet ascended the throne, judging from his series of performances, Prince Yong is not a wise man.

No matter how good the method is, what’s the use if the emperor doesn’t use it?

Han Zhang lost interest when he thought about this and had no intention of continuing the conversation.

"Student, please leave!" Li An bowed and walked out.

Although Han Zhang was loyal to his country, he did not care who became emperor.

However, due to the education he received over a long period of time, even if he knew that Prince Yong was mediocre and the government had decided on the candidate, he would not object, let alone do anything.

……

After leaving Han's house, Li An went to Hai's house.

Speaking of which, he and the Hai family are relatives.

Hai Wenren's daughter was betrothed to Sheng Changbai, and he and Minglan were engaged.

When Hai Wenren met Li Ang, he just told him to talk less, watch more, and study hard after taking office.

At noon, Li An was invited to have lunch at home.

In the next few days, Li An taught his nephew to read at home, waiting for the day to take office.

……

In the blink of an eye, it was the day he took office. Early in the morning, Li An put on his green official uniform and took a carriage to the Hanlin Academy.

Fortunately, the hat is not the same color as his clothes, otherwise Ang Lee would have thought of resigning.

The Hanlin Academy is quite special. It is located in the southwest corner of the palace, not far from the Longtu Pavilion where officials work on a daily basis.

Because the Hanlin Academy was located within the palace, the review was extremely strict. After the guard at the side door of the palace checked the appointment documents and the eunuchs searched him, a young eunuch was sent to lead the way.

The eunuch who was leading the way kept telling him things to pay attention to.

When working in the Hanlin Academy, one can only move around in the Hanlin Academy unless summoned and is not allowed to go out.

There is only one road for going to and from get off work, and you are not allowed to walk randomly.

After about an incense stick of time, Li An followed the eunuch to a very shabby courtyard.

If it weren't for the plaque of Hanlin Academy hanging on the gate of the courtyard, Li An would have thought he had come to the wrong place.

But this is normal. The official advocated frugality. It is said that he was reluctant to repair the palace he lived in. He only repaired it when it leaked once.

If the palaces where officials live are like this, isn't it normal for the Hanlin Academy to be a little dilapidated?

The young eunuch took Li An to the door, let Li An go in by himself, and then left.

Li An walked into the gate of the Hanlin Academy and looked around, but didn't see anyone and didn't know who to look for.

While he was hesitating, a middle-aged man in his early thirties, wearing a green official uniform, walked out of the room next door.

"Are you new here?" the man asked.

"Exactly."

Li An smiled and bowed, saying, "My name is Li An, also known by the name Ziqian. I was recently appointed as a Hanlin Academy Scholar. I just took up the position and don't know who to look for."

"You are Li Ziqian. I've heard of you. Come with me." The man said with a smile.

"Thank you."

Li An thanked him and followed the man inside.

On the way, I learned that the man's name was Yu Zeyou. He passed the imperial examination nine years ago, but was only in the third place at that time. Later, he passed the imperial examination and was selected as an assistant official in the Hanlin Academy.

The Hanlin Academy is different from other government offices because it is inside the palace and cannot recruit minor clerks to assist with miscellaneous matters.

We can only select some officials to assist and help with some chores.

Although they were just odd jobs and not official positions, but in the words of later generations, they could still add a stroke to their resumes.

Yu Zeyou is now also at the seventh rank, the same as Li An, but his status is vastly different.

He was very polite to Li An along the way and introduced the situation of the Hanlin Academy to Li An.

There are more than fifty people in the Hanlin Academy and its assistants, among whom there are five Hanlin Bachelors. The person in charge of the Hanlin Academy is one of them, also known as the Grand Secretary.

Previously, the Hanlin Academy was headed by Hai Wenren as Grand Secretary, but later Hai Wenren was promoted to Vice Minister of Rites, and the Hanlin Academy was headed by Wu Xue Shi as Grand Secretary.

This Grand Secretary Wu was Qi Heng’s teacher.

Li An had inquired about all this before he came. He heard that Academician Wu was a rigid person with extremely strict demands and was difficult to get along with.

Yu Zeyou took Li An all the way to the public housing of Wu Xueshi and said, "Wu Xueshi hasn't come yet. Please wait here for a while. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

"Thank you, Brother Yu, for leading the way. You can go and do your thing first." Li An said.

Not long after Yu Zeyou left, Sheng Changbai arrived in a hurry, finally having someone to talk to. "Ziqian, my fourth and fifth sisters' marriages have been arranged. When do you plan to come to my house to propose marriage?" Sheng Changbai said with a smile.

"I've heard some things too. When will it be held?" Li An asked.

"My fourth sister will be married in two months, before me. My fifth sister will be married half a month after me." Sheng Changbai said.

Although the girl and the boy were calculated separately and there was no rule of seniority, but Sheng Changbai had decided it first, so there was no need to rush in the next two months.

However, Molan and Liang Liulang were having an affair without a matchmaker. In order to avoid any future troubles, the two families discussed and decided to arrange the marriage as soon as possible.

But of course it was not convenient for him to tell Li Ang about this.

"Okay then. I'll ask someone to choose a good day, and then I'll go and propose marriage when I'm on vacation." Li An said with a smile.

Minglan is sixteen now, and if the wedding date is set after the New Year, she will be seventeen already.

It’s a little small, but it’s considered late marriage in this era.

"There's no need to worry. My sixth sister went back to our hometown in Youyang with my grandmother two days ago." Sheng Changbai said.

Li An frowned slightly and asked, "What's the matter with returning to Yuyang hometown?"

Ang Lee remembered that in the original drama, Minglan went to Youyang three times in total, once for the eldest son of the eldest house and grandson's wedding, and the second time for the wedding in Changwu.

The third time was when the old lady in the first house passed away, and I went back to attend the funeral, and that was also the time I encountered danger.

Thinking of this, Li An breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't encounter any danger this time he returned.

"A cousin of mine from the eldest family is getting married, so grandma is going back to visit him and relax at the same time," said Sheng Changbai.

In fact, there was no need for Old Lady Sheng to make a trip to see Sheng Changwu getting married.

In the original drama, Old Lady Sheng wanted to register Minglan under the name of Madam Wang, so that she could be known to the outside world as a legitimate daughter.

However, Minglan and Li An had been engaged for a long time, so she did not need the status of a legitimate daughter to elevate her status.

The reason he went back was because Old Madam Sheng was angry about Molan's matter. He didn't plan to see Molan get married and planned to live in Youyang for a few months before coming back.

The two were chatting when they suddenly heard footsteps. They turned around and saw that it was Lin Yizhi coming over.

When they saw him, they just nodded and greeted him, then started chatting in low voices again.

A gloom flashed across Lin Yizhi's eyes. Although he looked down on Li An and Sheng Changbai, he felt uncomfortable when they simply greeted him.

However, on his first day in office, he did not dare to cause trouble. He stood on the other side and looked at the scenery in the courtyard by himself.

After waiting for about half an hour, Mr. Wu finally arrived.

"Greetings, Mr. Wu." The three of them bowed.

Scholar Wu was in his fifties, thin, with silver hair, and a serious expression. He nodded slightly and said, "You three are the new Jinshi who were assigned to the Hanlin Academy in this imperial examination?"

"That's right." The three of them replied.

"Come with me." Scholar Wu nodded and entered the public housing.

The three followed behind and walked in.

After Wu Daxueshi came to his desk and sat down, he looked at the three people and said, "The imperial examination is only a way to enter the officialdom. Now that you have come to the Hanlin Academy, it is just like when you first entered school. You have to learn everything from scratch. The Shujishi are responsible for drafting imperial edicts for the emperor, and there cannot be any mistakes. The editors are responsible for recording the words and deeds of the emperor, and there cannot be any carelessness. You will follow and learn for a while, and then I will arrange for you to try to do some specific things."

"Yes!" the three responded.

"Everyone says that the Hanlin Academy is noble and elegant, but whether it is noble or not is not said by others, but is determined by the officials of the Hanlin Academy throughout the generations. Once you enter the Hanlin Academy, you must abide by the rules of the Hanlin Academy and must not bring discredit to the Hanlin Academy. Otherwise, no matter what your background is, I will kick you out of the Hanlin Academy. Do you understand?" said Grand Scholar Wu indifferently.

"Remember the teachings of Grand Secretary Wu!" the three bowed.

"Ah."

Scholar Wu nodded with satisfaction and asked his assistant to take the three of them to the public housing.

The Hanlin Academy covers an area of ​​more than ten acres, and the public housing for editors and scholars is not in the same place.

He first sent Lin Yizhi to the courtyard of the editors, and then took Li An and Sheng Changbai to the courtyard belonging to the Shujishi.

Entering the public housing, at first glance, it is not much different from the school teachers' offices in later generations.

There were more than a dozen tables in the huge room. Seven or eight officials in green robes were sitting at their respective seats, drinking tea or reading books, looking very leisurely.

The leading officer brought the two men in, briefly introduced them to each other, and then left.

"My name is He Kun. Like you, I am a scholar-official. I am in charge of this place under the orders of Grand Secretary Wu."

A slightly plump man in his early twenties stood up and said.

Upon hearing this, Li An and Sheng Changbai bowed immediately.

He Kun returned the greeting and said, "We don't have so many rules here. Except for the morning court, when we need to sit in the hall and draft imperial edicts, there is nothing to do at other times. If there are any imperial edicts that need to be drafted, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will send them over."

After that, he pointed to two empty tables in the corner and said, "There's no one there. Choose a seat for each of you to sit."

"Thank you."

Li An and Sheng Changbai came to the corner and each chose a seat.

There were only simple writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone on the table. It was very clean and it was obvious that someone cleaned it regularly.

He Kun brought a stack of papers over, put them on the table and said, "These are some examples of draft imperial edicts. You can take a look at them when you have time. In addition, there is a library in the Hanlin Academy. They are all ancient books treasured by the royal family, and many of them are rare copies. You can borrow them as long as they are not damaged."

"Thank you, Master Fang."

"Also, has the Ministry of Personnel told you about your salary?" He Kun asked.

The two men shook their heads when they heard this. The Ministry of Personnel had never mentioned this matter, and they didn't care about this little salary.

"We are seventh-rank scholars, with a monthly salary of twenty taels of silver and ten taels of money for servants. In addition, we receive thirteen pieces of silk each year in spring and winter, one piece of spring silk, and thirty taels of cotton. In addition, we also receive pens, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as money for ice and charcoal in summer and winter..." He Kun said a lot in a rambling manner.

Li An was surprised by the salaries of Song Dynasty officials.

Although he had been a civil official before, he only received a salary and no other subsidies, silk, cotton, etc.

Not to mention the servant fees.

As the name suggests, servant fees are the money given to officials to hire servants.

You read that right. In the Song Dynasty, officials were paid by the court to hire servants.

Of course, the court gives it according to the rank of the official. If you hire a lot of officials, you have to pay for it yourself.

The salary plus miscellaneous items and subsidies, plus the salary of civil officials, a rough calculation shows that the monthly income is nearly two hundred taels of silver, which is about two thousand taels of silver a year.

This is only the seventh rank. No wonder the Song Dynasty had three redundant problems, one of which was redundant officials.

You should know that the number of officials in the Song Dynasty was about three times that of the Tang Dynasty.

With such a large number of officials and their high salaries, the salaries alone are a huge expense every year.

It is no wonder that there is so much resistance to the reform. Apart from other things, just reducing the salaries of officials is unlikely to be agreed upon by anyone except some who truly serve the country.

(End of this chapter)