People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 623 Blue Sky
A young man in his twenties came riding a horse from a distance. When he arrived at the gate of Qingzhou government office, he quickly dismounted, threw the reins to the gatekeeper beside him, and hurried into the government office.

Although he was not wearing an official uniform, his subordinates had no intention of stopping him and allowed him to enter.

Everyone in the Qingzhou government office knew the identity of this young man. He was Guan Liang, the eldest son of Guan Hai, the current governor of Qingzhou. Since everyone knew his identity, no one would go and cause trouble for their immediate superior.

In Qingzhou, everyone from officials to common people have to look at Guan Hai's face.

The only thing that made them curious was what had happened that made Guan Liang so anxious.

When the officials and clerks below saw Guan Liang's panic-stricken look, most of them thought that Guan Liang had caused some trouble himself and came to Guan Hai for help to settle it. This was not the first time such a thing had happened, and as a father, there is no reason not to clean up the mess for his son.

However, for Guan Hai, the governor of Qingzhou, there was nothing that could not be settled. Such a high-ranking official was a omnipotent person no matter what era. Only Guan Hai became a trouble to others, but no one else caused trouble to Guan Hai.

However, officials from top to bottom in Qingzhou also understood very well that being the governor of Qingzhou was not the end of Guan Hai's career. After the Ministry of Personnel assessment that would be coming soon this year, Guan Hai, a founding hero, might take a further step from the local level to the central government, and truly enter the absolute political center of Xuanxia.

Even so, Guan Hai's promotion was so slow because he, together with Zhang Baiqi and Zhang Rao, had made serious mistakes in the battle against Cao Cao. The other founding heroes had already held important positions in the central government for a long time.

However, with this personnel change in the Ministry of Personnel, it seemed almost certain to make Guan Hai enter the central government, and it was his turn after years of seniority.

This is not only a good thing for Guan Hai, but also a happy thing for many officials under Qingzhou. If Guan Hai enters the central government, it means that many of them will have a backer in the central government.

The relationship between central officials and local officials is such an ambiguous one.

Guan Hai had served in Qingzhou for a long time, and a faction of local officials centered on Guan Hai had already formed here. Once Guan Hai entered the core of power, the officials in the faction would naturally rise with him. Such interest groups have always prospered together.

Everyone in Qingzhou was looking forward to this event, including Guan Hai.

In a small room deep inside the government office, Guan Hai was reclining on a soft couch and dozing off. Although it was a hot day, there were many large blocks of ice in his room. There was also a young woman beside him gently waving a feather fan. He was wearing a wide robe with his chest exposed, feeling very comfortable.

Through so many means, he was able to feel cool in this scorching heat.

It was not until a burst of hurried footsteps interrupted the leisurely enjoyment in the house.

"Father, something bad is going to happen!"

Guan Liang didn't even bother with etiquette and pushed the door open and rushed in.

This startled Guan Hai, and his face darkened after he sat up. But he was his own son after all, so he did not get angry immediately.

After waving his hand to ask the woman to leave, he took a serious look at Guan Liang.

At this time, Guan Liang's face was flushed and he was sweating profusely. His clothes were soaked with sweat and stuck to his body. His hair was messy and stuck to his face. His miserable appearance immediately made Guan Hai dissatisfied.

"Why are you so flustered? What's the matter that requires such a rush?"

Guan Hai was not in a hurry. After a cold scolding, he started to pack his clothes.

His son knew that Guan Liang was just like him, and he had been in trouble for many years, including insulting good families and killing civilians. However, this little thing was nothing to him, the governor of Qingzhou, and he could easily settle it. As someone who had the power of life and death over a piece of land, he naturally had the confidence to face any storm.

However, Guan Liang did not show any of his demeanor. As soon as the woman walked away, he fell to his knees, holding Guan Hai's legs and refusing to let go, with his face completely pale.

"Father, something terrible has happened. Something terrible has happened. I just heard that a major case of cheating in the imperial examinations has broken out in the capital!"

"what!"

When he heard the word "imperial examination", Guan Hai's face suddenly changed.

After the imperial court won a great victory in the southern expedition and recovered Liangzhou, the first imperial examination began. Scholars all over the world finally had a formal channel to enter the officialdom. From then on, people all over the world who wanted to strive for public office, whether they were officials or clerks, had to pass the imperial examination.

The emergence of the imperial examination system completely broke the monopoly of official careers by the aristocratic families and powerful families through the system of recommendation, thus providing everyone in the world with a path for upward mobility. This move was extremely important.

But some people may not like this, for example Guan Hai was not very happy about it.

This empire was conquered with great effort by myself, so as a family of meritorious officials, I should share it with the country. My descendants should not need to take any exams to be eligible to become officials. Only by recruiting officials through conscription and recommendation like the Han Dynasty could I be worthy of my hard work and great achievements.

It's outrageous that the peasants below can just come and pick peaches without doing anything!
Of course, he would not show the resentment in his heart. He had no say in the policies made by the court. No matter whether he accepted it or not, as long as he wanted to continue his family's wealth, he could only let Guan Liang take part in the imperial examination.

However, Guan Liang was not born smart and had no expertise at all, so Guan Hai had to try his best to get him some connections, and only then did he finally get Guan Liang to Beijing and pass the imperial examination last year.

But now that he heard about the imperial examination cheating case, Guan Hai could no longer sit still.

Although the probability is small, Guan Hai still has to consider the possibility that the investigation may lead to the discovery of himself?

"What are the details? Who is responsible?"

Guan Hai grabbed Guan Liang by the collar and started asking questions with a dark face.

Guan Liang had a sad face and whispered a name, and after saying the name, Guan Hai's pupils contracted.

It’s terrible. This name is exactly the official he had contacted, and this person has been captured by the court.

"I heard the news that the court attaches great importance to this case. The prime minister ordered the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice to jointly try the case. Dozens of officials have been convicted under their handling of the case!" Guan Liang said tremblingly.

Guan Hai glared at him and said, "What did you say? Already convicted?"

Guan Liang smiled bitterly and nodded, "This case has actually been tried in secret all along. When I learned the news, the court had already announced the case. If my guess is correct, I'm afraid the next court bulletin will report on this case."

Guan Hai was stunned for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, "I'm afraid the court report will arrive before I can wait."

As if the heavens were responding to his words, he heard footsteps outside, followed by the panicked shouting of the clerks in the government office: "Governor, please come out quickly! Someone from the Censorate is here!"

(End of this chapter)