Chương 614: The System of Standardized Training and Internship for Officials

Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai's eyes lit up, and they rubbed their hands together excitedly, saying:

"Great! Finally, we have someone who thinks like us!"

Xun Yu stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Kongming is calm, steady, and meticulous; he is a born prime minister. We will certainly impart all our knowledge to him and not disappoint His Majesty."

......

As they were talking, Fang Xuanling stepped forward, his expression somewhat grave, and said:

"Your Majesty, we have two more thorny matters to report to you. Please make your decision."

"Oh? What's wrong? Is it something serious?" Liu Ce picked up his milk tea and took a sip.

"The first problem is that there are too many officials. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, we have held six imperial examinations and recruited 1, 236 people. Now, the vacant positions in all provinces, prefectures, and counties across the country have long been filled, and there are even more than 100.

There are still nearly a hundred people in the Ministry of Personnel, but they have nowhere to be placed. They sit in the Ministry of Personnel office every day, clocking in and out, drinking tea and reading newspapers. They've practically worn down the threshold of the Ministry of Personnel, leaving no room to even put their feet down.

"Your Majesty, what should we do?"

Liu Ce was stunned for a moment, forgetting to peel the chestnuts in his hand:

"Is that so? I thought there would never be enough officials. What are your thoughts? Tell me all."

Everyone started discussing it animatedly...

Xun Yu said, "I think we should reduce the number of people admitted to the imperial examinations for the next three years. In the past, we were short of officials, so we increased the number of admissions to two hundred each year. Now that we are not short of officials, fifty people should be admitted each year. We should be better to have fewer but better candidates."

Du Ruhui said, "I believe that an early retirement system should be implemented. Any official who is 55 years of age or older and in poor health can retire early, and the court will provide a pension to make room for younger people and replace them with new talents."

Xun You said, "I think we can send the surplus officials to the newly conquered territories. The Western Regions, Kangju, and the Japanese islands... are all in dire need of officials. It would be a good opportunity to let them train and, incidentally, spread Han culture."

Guo Jia said, "I think we can establish a waiting list system, where people wait and are filled in based on their performance when a position becomes available, in a queue."

Xi Zhicai said, "I think we can send them to repair water conservancy projects and develop agricultural settlements. There is a shortage of manpower everywhere, and these scholars know more than ordinary people."

After listening, Liu Ce shook his head and said, "What you all say makes sense, but it's all just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. I have a method that can solve the problem at its source and also improve the quality of officials. It kills two birds with one stone."

"What method?" Everyone turned to look at Liu Ce, their eyes lighting up.

"Students cannot immediately become officials after passing the imperial examinations."

"Huh?" Du Ruhui looked bewildered.

"Not wanting to become officials? Then what's the point of studying hard for over ten years? Isn't it all for passing the imperial examinations, entering the government, and bringing honor to their ancestors?"

"Don't rush, it's not that I won't let you become an official, it's that you'll have an internship first, then you can become a full-fledged official. It's called 'get on the bus first, buy the ticket later'," Liu Ce said with a smile, keeping everyone in suspense.

"I call this the 'Standardized Training and Internship System for Officials'."

"The so-called standardized training internship means that no matter whether you rank first, second or third in the exam... you will not be directly given a substantive position."

Those who wanted to join the eight ministries of the central government were assigned to various departments, working as assistant doctors, junior officials, and clerks, doing odd jobs such as serving tea and water, organizing documents, running errands and delivering letters, and conducting research in rural areas. They did everything, starting from the grassroots level.

Those who wanted to work in local areas were assigned to counties as assistant county magistrates, helping with government affairs, mediating disputes, collecting grain and taxes, and carrying out flood relief and disaster relief, experiencing the hardships of ordinary people.

"The internship period is fixed at three years. During these three years, there is no real power, and the salary is only half that of a regular official, but room and board are provided. There is an annual assessment, which includes work attitude, ability to handle affairs, public opinion, and integrity."

Those who pass the comprehensive assessment after three years will be officially appointed; those who pass will have their internship extended by one year; those who fail will be dismissed immediately and sent to find somewhere else to cool off, as they will not even be able to keep their jobs.

"Even if you're number one and write an eloquent article, if you don't perform well during your internship, you're still fired. What we need are officials who can get things done and solve problems, not bookworms who only know how to read books and write articles. Anyone can talk the talk, but the key is real ability."

Liu Ce paused, then gave an example, raising his voice slightly:

"Take that new county magistrate from a certain province for example. He came in second in the imperial examination and wrote exceptionally well. But after taking office, he couldn't even use an abacus. He was tricked by his subordinates into signing documents that lent out all the silver from the county treasury, which he couldn't get back."

"If he had first interned for three years, learning from the old county magistrate how to handle government affairs, how to deal with those slippery officials, and how to distinguish truth from falsehood, would this have happened?"

After hearing this, everyone suddenly realized what was going on, and they all slapped their thighs and cheered, their voices rising and falling.

"This method is brilliant!" Fang Xuanling exclaimed excitedly, almost tearing his notebook apart.

"In the past, when new officials took office, they were completely clueless and knew nothing. They were led by the nose by their clerks. Some were even sold out and helped count the money! Let them practice for three years first, so they can figure out the ins and outs of the government office and hone their skills before officially becoming officials. Who would dare to deceive them then? Those old clerks can't fool the new officials at all!"

"That's right!" Xun Yu nodded, his eyes shining.

"Not only will it improve the quality of officials, but it will also solve the current problem of an oversupply of officials. From now on, those recruited each year will first undergo a three-year internship, without being immediately assigned positions, so the Ministry of Personnel won't be overstaffed. It's a win-win situation! It will also save on the court's expenses!"

"Your Majesty is wise! We are ashamed of our own inferiority!" The crowd bowed in unison, their faces full of admiration, and some even gave a thumbs up.

Liu Ce waved his hand and said with a smile, "Stop flattering me. Quickly draft this system, and start implementing it next month. From now on, all newly appointed officials must undergo three years of standardized training first, without exception..."

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

After a while, Fang Xuanling stepped forward again, bowed, and said:

"Your Majesty, there is a second matter concerning the fairness of the imperial examinations and entrance examinations. We have compiled data from the past six years and found that the number of students admitted from the north far exceeds that from the south. The disparity is enormous."

He opened the small notebook and read aloud, his voice heavy:

"The northern regions, namely the former Youzhou, Jizhou, and Bingzhou, accounted for 70% of the total number of admitted students. Youzhou alone admitted 42 students this year. In contrast, all the southern provinces combined only admitted 36 students. The ratio is severely imbalanced."

Liu Ce frowned, tapping his fingers on the armrest: "Is there really such a big difference? Have you investigated the reason?"

"I've checked," Fang Xuanling nodded, turning to another page.

"The main reason is that when His Majesty was still the Prince of Yan, he was the first to promote universal education in Youzhou, Jizhou, and Bingzhou, building nearly a thousand schools and hiring a large number of teachers. In contrast, in many places in the south, it is difficult to find even one literate person."