Chapter 44: In the late Han Dynasty, having money was equivalent to being a high-ranking official
Inside the conference hall, except for Guan Yu leading two household troops still in the depths of Taishan Mountain doing "black eating black" business, all the others came. This time, even Jia Mu and Guan Ping were qualified to attend the meeting. Although they were only listed and had no right to speak, these two deputy captains of the "Little Tiger Team" had long been envious of Li Tiezhu's ability to enter and exit the conference hall, and now their wish was fulfilled.
"Master, you must have had a hard journey to Luoyang!" Zhao Xing stepped forward and paid his respects to Jia Yu with a deep bow.
"A matter of minutes, no need for excessive courtesy!" Jia Yu said with a calm and gentle expression.
"Also, Mr. Li, please tell us in detail about your trip to Luoyang, so that we can gain some knowledge." Li Tiezhu stood up, bowed and saluted, surprisingly quite properly.
Thus, with Jia Xu's description, the crowd learned that the central government of the Han Dynasty was now unstable, the capital city Luoyang was plagued by evil spirits and treacherous officials who controlled the government, the Emperor was indulgent and reckless, and the sale of official positions and titles had become even more rampant.
The sale of official positions in the Eastern Han dynasty originated with Empress Dowager Deng, but at that time it was only occasional and done in a relatively mild manner to collect money from the rich to "assist the urgent needs of the state", and not as a means of making a profit.
But Han Lingdi's situation was different, he treated this as the number one business in the world and naturally was not satisfied with the small tricks of previous generations, but wanted to "operate regularly", so he clearly priced each official position, listed a price list.
At that time, the preliminary price was set as follows: an official position with a salary of 600 dan (a unit of measurement) cost 6 million taels of silver, and an official position with a salary of 2000 dan cost 20 million taels of silver. This pricing applied to all official positions, from the Three Dukes down to county magistrates. Even specially selected talents by the state had to pay half or one-third of the fee. For lucrative or important positions, additional money was required.
Of course, it's a bit unpleasant to say that buying official positions directly with money, so the money obtained from selling official positions was given a special name called "gift money" - it's just that loyal and dedicated officials were giving gifts to the imperial court, so both the buyer and seller didn't feel embarrassed anymore.
The sale of official positions by Emperor Ling of Han lasted from the first year of Guanghe (178 AD) to the first year of Zhongping (184 AD). As time went on, prices had to be adjusted according to market conditions. Local officials, being in direct contact with the people, found it easier to extort money and therefore their prices were about twice as high as those of court officials. The prices for county officials also varied greatly due to the differing wealth levels of the various counties.
Not only do ordinary people have to buy their way into office, but officials who want to be promoted also have to pay. To encourage them to spend money enthusiastically, those seeking office can even bid on the position, with the highest bidder winning the appointment. Of course, the price of buying an official position is not fixed and can be adjusted at any time based on the individual's social status and wealth.
Jia Xian told a story that was about 70-80% similar to the historical records: Sima Zhi, the county magistrate of Hongnong, had a reputation for being virtuous. Even eunuchs spoke well of him in front of the emperor. After the news of the murder of the governor of Shangdang by mountain bandits was reported to the imperial court, Sima Zhi was appointed as the new governor of Shangdang.
When the letter of appointment was handed over, Huang Men stretched out his hand and asked Sima Zhi for money. He also said that the Emperor had heard that he had a good reputation and that his family's economy was somewhat difficult, so he gave him a 30% discount. According to the market price, Sima Zhi had to pay 140 million taels of silver to buy the official position.
Simazhi was then covered in tears, looking up at the sky and sighing that as a father to the people, he still had to rely on exploiting and oppressing the common folk to hold office. This official position is not worth holding, and in a fit of anger, he even resigned from his post as Magistrate of Hongnong County!
After the matter reached the imperial court, the imperial court originally wanted to order Sima Zhi not to resign. Coincidentally, Jia Yu went to Luoyang to buy an official position. The emperor was overjoyed when he heard about it - this time there's no need for a discount! He surprisingly bundled Sima Zhi's position as the magistrate of Hongnong County together and sold it to Jia Yu in a package deal.
Jia Xu spent a total of 90 million taels of silver to buy the positions of Governor of Shangdang Commandery, Commandant of Shangdang Commandery, Magistrate of Hongnong County, Magistrate of Changzi County, and other officials in charge of personnel, clerks, inspectors, and over twenty other major and minor government posts.
When Zhao Xing heard that Sima Zhi did not commit suicide due to the emperor's forced buying and selling, he sighed with relief in his heart. It is said that "good people do not live long, and disasters leave a legacy for thousands of years." History took a sudden turn and unexpectedly saved Sima Zhi's life. "I wonder if this Sima Zhi has any connection with the Sima family of Hebei?" Zhao Xing asked with concern.
"After investigation, there is no relationship. Guo Chang's question, could it be that he has some apprehension towards the Sima family in Hanoi?" Jia Yu asked with some doubt.
"Remember, everyone, from now on, the Sima family of Luoyang has produced many talented people and has a great ambition for this world. Once you discover that someone from the Sima family is sneaking in, you must report to me immediately!" Zhao Xing ordered.
"I don't want to be overthrown by the Sima family in the future and establish an even darker Jin dynasty than the Three Kingdoms!" Zhao Xing said fiercely to himself.
"I have another thing to tell you, when I was waiting in Luoyang at that time, with nothing to do, I went to Hongnong with Jin Si, and persuaded Sima Zhi, who had resigned from his official position and returned home, to come back with me to Changzi County. I also asked Guo Chang not to be stingy about meeting him, treating him as an honored guest. I think this man has the talent to govern a prefecture or a province!" Jia Yu said to Zhao Xing.
"Sir, your vision is far-reaching, and you are always thinking of the prosperity of the country. My heart is filled with anxiety!" Zhao Xing was moved to say after hearing what Jia Yu said. It seems that his habit of abducting people had already been seen through by his subordinates. "I wonder how you plan to deal with Sima Zhi?"
Jia Yu thought that as the eldest son of County Magistrate, Guo Chang's uncle Li Taigong could go to Hongnong to be a county magistrate.
"This arrangement is quite reasonable! Besides Mr. taking the position of Shangdang Governor, Guan Yu taking the position of County Magistrate, how will the rest be arranged?" Zhao Xing asked with concern.
"Now, there is no lack of capable generals, I heard that Guo Chang has recently received Xu Huang's surrender, but forgot to congratulate him." Jia Xu turned around and looked at Zhang Liao, then stood up and congratulated, "At present, people who are good at governing counties and prefectures are hard to come by, does Guo Chang have a solution?"
"With the current county government personnel as the backbone, we will do our best to maintain the status quo. After selecting the best and eliminating the worst, we will search for talents everywhere to fill the vacancies." Zhao Xing replied.
"This plan is feasible and can be implemented." Jia Yu nodded and said.
