Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 103 Conversation in Xiyuan
After the transfer policy for officials with non-Jinshi origins is established, the remaining ones will be Jinshi.

Zhu Youjian didn't want them to be promoted too quickly, but if they were promoted too slowly, it would easily arouse opposition——

Yuan Keli's previous attitude represented the understanding of civil servants.

They would never be willing to equate them with non-Jinshi civil servants and military attachés.

So after thinking about it, Zhu Youjian said:
"Jinshi moves every four years. As long as you excel in the exams every three years, you will be rewarded with one year's worth of merit and your grade will be improved immediately."

"Those who have mediocre grades in the original grade will remain in office, but after completing four years at that grade, they will be promoted to a half-grade casual official, and the salary will be determined based on the casual official grade."

"Those who do poorly in exams may even be demoted or fired."

"If an official has completed nine years in the same position, regardless of whether the official rank changes or not, the Ministry of Civil Affairs must depose him and adjust his position."

This is to prevent someone from being suppressed for a long time, and also to prevent officials from serving in the same position for too long. Yuan Keli has nothing to say.

He could barely accept the fact that Jinshi moved every four years.

According to this calculation, it would take thirty-two years for a civil servant with a Jinshi background to be promoted from the seventh rank to the third rank.

For most Jinshi who have no connections, this is already good.

However, Zhu Youjian did not want all Jinshi to be promoted to the third rank, and stipulated:
"Officials who have never made any meritorious service will be promoted to the fifth rank."

"If he has not made any meritorious service when he reaches the fifth rank, let him become an official himself."

"The imperial court will decide on official remuneration based on his resume."

"Otherwise, the official will be impeached by the Ministry of Education and will be given the right to live in peace."

In this way, those Jinshi who have mediocre abilities and cannot make great achievements can only be promoted to full fifth-rank officials normally. If you fail to make meritorious deeds during this period, you will be impeached by Ke Dao.

Yuan Keli deliberately opposed this approach, but he was asked to speak for those officials who had not made great achievements, but he could not open his mouth——

According to the four-year migration process, it will take sixteen years to move from the seventh rank to the fifth rank. If they can't make achievements in such a long time, what are they left with?
It's better to dismiss him as soon as possible, so as not to have a meal without a meal!
As an official who was promoted to censor based on his first performance in politics, Yuan Keli could not imagine that someone could not achieve meritorious service for sixteen years.

Therefore, Yuan Keli finally acquiesced to this provision.

The default is support. Zhu Youjian saw this and said:

"Civil officials of the fifth rank and above can be selected by the ministry, like the Shaoqing of Weiwei Temple, or they can be appointed by me."

"As long as these officials serve at this level for three years, they will be eligible to be elected to a higher level, and they may even be promoted to a higher-level position."

"But if there is no promotion or new achievements in six years, then one level of casual official will be added to the official position."

"For a fourth-rank counselor, a fourth-rank official, and a young minister, you can't say it's a bad treatment, right?"

In his heart, he felt that this approach was a bit harsh, but Yuan Keli couldn't say that he was being unfairly treated.

As long as he has achieved one annual meritorious service, he can be promoted to the rank of fourth-rank Shaoqing at the very least. No matter who you ask, you can't say that you were treated badly?

The official position of a young minister is definitely nice to say, enough to be included in an epitaph or even a biography in the history books.

But the emperor's statement means that when a civil servant reaches the fifth rank, there is a threshold every six years. If he does not get promoted, he will become an official and cannot stay.

This is a good thing for reducing the number of officials, but for civil servants, it means that after the fourth rank, there is a threshold for each level.

Compared with the normal transfer of a military attache to the third rank, it is more difficult.

"It's better to move to the third level in the normal order every five years than before!" 』

When this idea came up, Yuan Keli even wanted to change the method of transferring military attaches, but he couldn't say it out loud.

He had just objected to the transfer of civil servants and military attachés at the same time, but why was he going back on his word now? Therefore, he could only tactfully suggest that the number of military attache officers moved to the third rank might be too high.

After Zhu Youjian listened, he immediately decided that military attachés were the same as civil servants. Those who had not made any meritorious service would be moved to the fifth rank: "Military officers are the same as civil servants. They can be appointed above the fifth rank."

"But military attachés with worldly command positions are not subject to this restriction."

"They can advance to the secular level and then choose to be promoted."

"Similarly, noble disciples can move to the third rank."

After telling Yuan Keli about this decision, Zhu Youjian asked him to implement it at the Ministry of War. In the future, the transfer of military attachés will be carried out according to this system.

It failed to make the emperor change his mind, but instead lowered the rank of military attache Xu Qian. Yuan Keli felt that if this conversation was spread, he, the Minister of War, might be scolded by the military attache.

Luckily the conversation was confidential and no one else was around. Yuan Keli wiped the cold sweat on his head and did not talk about the military attache's affairs anymore. He just interceded for the civilian officials and believed that six years was too short:
"The national examination method is that after three years for internal and external officials, there will be one examination, another examination after six years, and a general examination after nine years."

"I thought that after the nine-year general examination, I would decide whether to become an official."

This will buy another three years for civil servants above the fifth rank, giving them more time to make meritorious deeds.

Zhu Youjian thought for a while and decided to adopt Yuan Keli's opinion and said:
"Then the old system will be followed for students above the fifth rank, with the three-year preliminary examination, the six-year re-examination, and the nine-year general examination."

"The minimum promotion time is three years and the maximum is nine years. The increase or decrease is determined by annual merit."

"If you haven't made any achievements in nine years and haven't been promoted, then you can become an official."

"If there is no fault, a half-grade penalty will be added. If there is a fault or incompetence, the person will serve in the same position."

This relaxes the time, but it also puts forward requirements to prevent those officials from feeling that they cannot be promoted and fail in their last term.

Barely acceptable, Yuan Keli ended the topic. I feel that I can just take care of the affairs of the military attachés. How to transfer the civilian officials is a headache for the staff.

He knew that the transfer method set by the emperor was better than the previous opaque and irregular method, but because of this, some officials would object——

Those people may not have much merit, but they are promoted very quickly. They are often promoted, and even promoted beyond the next level.

Unless these people are dealt with, the grinding survey law cannot be implemented.

Of course Zhu Youjian knew that the grinding method was difficult to implement, but that was just normal times.

Now everyone in the court needs to pass the test, so what qualifications do they have to object?
Other civil servants who have the guts to object are not yet in office!

Therefore, Zhu Youjian planned to recommend a minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs as soon as possible to implement the grinding method in the court.

Who should be the Minister of Civil Affairs?
With this question in his mind, Zhu Youjian felt that the ministers in the court were really ignorant. They all needed everyone to pass the test, but no one had come to seek refuge with him.

Do they really think that their ministers and ministers can continue to work?

If it doesn't work, I can only let the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Shangshufang Zhuangwei, take charge first.

It's just that Fang Guangwei is too old, and he promoted him just to occupy the position of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Can he bear such a heavy job if he is given it?

Zhu Youjian plans to observe for a while to see if there are any candidates.

Over there, after Yuan Keli calculated it, he found that the emperor had already adjusted the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War, and the adjustments to the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Personnel had also been decided. Except for the Ministry of Revenue, which has to wait for Bi Ziyan to take office, only the Ministry of Industry is left.

Regarding the Ministry of Industry, the last department of the six departments, Yuan Keli felt that there was no need to discuss it. No matter how the emperor wanted to change it, it would not have much impact on the court.

Considering that he is only the Minister of the Ministry of War, not a bachelor of the cabinet, he frequently interferes in the affairs of other departments and is easily criticized for overstepping his authority.

Therefore, Yuan Keli planned to manage the affairs of the Ministry of War well after returning, do a good job in the affairs of the Ministry of War officials and civilian officers, and promote the improvement of the Three Laws Department.

After many exchanges between the monarch and the minister to bridge their differences, the conversation ended.

(End of this chapter)