The Demon Lords

The post station in Ying Capital City was converted from the original Xiangguo Temple of the Cheng State, and it covers a spacious area.

In the main room of the courtyard,

Lord Zheng reclined on a chair, his eyes slightly lowered.

Below him, two people were sitting.

On one side was the Blind Man;

on the other, the King of the Wild People.

Earlier, there was also an instructor from the Snow Sea Pass who had just finished asking questions and had now departed.

Many influential figures in Ying Capital City knew that Lord Pingye had entered the city tonight, and after entering, he had gone to the post station to rest. They were waiting to send visiting cards the next day to pay their respects.

Those who were certain they would be summoned were already preparing gifts;

those uncertain, held a bit of anxiety as they awaited tomorrow.

At present, as long as one’s eyes weren’t blind, it was clear that this lord’s future prospects were naturally limitless.

Some, though having no official status, felt unappreciated and hoped to catch the eye of Lord Pingye by this means to achieve their ambitious plans;

some held official positions but were unwilling to continue muddling along in Ying Capital City and wished to escape this cage to swim freely in rivers and seas.

In their view, Lord Zheng, being of commoner origin and rising swiftly, naturally lacked a solid foundation and without sufficient clan relatives to support him, provided them with opportunities.

Of course,

if they witnessed the scene before them,

perhaps they wouldn’t think that way anymore.

Possibly for the Blind Man, who had always hidden behind Zheng Fan as "Mr. Bei", apart from people from the Snow Sea Pass, few outsiders knew. However, there was also a King of the Wild People, now sitting below as an adviser, which was truly enough to frighten anyone.

Lord Zheng played with two walnuts in his hand,

and said:

"Speak."

The Blind Man spoke: "My lord, I believe this matter is true. Not only scholars from my Snow Sea Pass who came to participate in the provincial examination, but also scholars rushing from other places outside Ying Capital City, have been unable to gain entry to the examination institute.

Those who pass the provincial examination can become officials, and even if they fail, there is a high probability of becoming clerks, almost as if just stepping one foot into the examination institute guarantees a stable future as a government official.

Wealth moves the heart, but this secure government position is in no way inferior to wealth;

like a barrel of water and a spring that continuously bubbles water, even if the latter is very small, its value still surpasses the former, and most people can understand this logic."

The governance of the region and the implementation of the administrative system require the filling of officials. Previously in Yan, it was the clans and the emperor who co-governed the world, with most officials emanating from clans, and many of the rest still maintaining ambiguous connections with them.

Therefore, the Yan Emperor, having two lords march with strong armies into the capital, trampling over the clans with cavalry, did not do so out of a love for gambling, but because this strategy had the highest chance of success. If he had attempted to conduct reforms through top-down means to unify power peacefully, did he really consider those clans, many with histories spanning over hundreds of years, to be foolish?

However, after trampling the clans, a problem emerged in Yan, exemplified by the situation of a certain Left General Zuo Jiqian from the Snow Sea Pass. As a son of a clan, he was directly degraded to a prisoner back then, and many similar clan progenies were turned into prisoner soldiers during the war years, sent to the front lines either to serve as auxiliary soldiers or to be expended.

Moreover, even if they were later able to rise again through their endeavors, their family backgrounds and political taboos would easily subject them to suppression from above.

Hence, Yan State experienced a shortage of officials. Although the Yan Emperor prepared beforehand, it was still insufficient. After trampling the clans, he even resorted to transitioning clerks to officials to fill the vacancies, and after cleansing the clans, the imperial examination was employed to reinforce the imperial court with individuals from humble families.

Jin land faced a similar situation,

originally the Helian Family, Wenren Family, and Situ Family divided Jin, each with its own distinct yet several generations-old bureaucratic system. Following the outbreak of war, the Helian Family and Wenren Family were directly exterminated, with uncountable numbers affected.

While Situ Lei of the Situ Family had intended to proclaim allegiance to Yan, thus preserving the entire eastern Jin, the situation changed with the two brothers Situ Yi and Situ Jiong establishing a new regime, coupled with the wild people crossing the borders, leading to fierce battles. Subsequent to Yan’s two eastward campaigns, the Cheng State was also decimated.

Simultaneously, if it had originally been a vassal state, it would have retained a modicum of dignity by being allowed to keep its forces and bureaucratic system. However, since the wild people were expelled by the Yan Army, taking over Cheng State, preserving its system would have been digging a pit for themselves.

Therefore, there is currently a shortage of officials both in Yan and Jin land. The rapid implementation of the imperial examination system aims to quickly rectify this gap.

And because the demand is high, the acceptance rate is also high, and employment placement is nearly guaranteed.

No wonder the instructors from Snow Sea Pass were moved by this.

According to the Blind Man, the indication is that these quotas, due to their immense allure, have been manipulated or "blackened". The quotas originally distributed by the court were supposed to be according to the court’s planned regional distribution, intended for fair allocation, but with so many aspiring individuals, even clerical roles are fiercely contested.