After the woman finished speaking, she seemed somewhat guilty, as if afraid of standing out too much. She muttered softly, “In truth, many people did the same back then. After the flood, many southern officials were dismissed or punished by the court for failing in disaster relief. A number of overly prominent corrupt officials who left traces were also executed, leaving many vacancies in the local government offices.”
“Besides the positions promised to the bandits colluding with officials in the capital, many others could be bought with money.”
“At the time, two hundred taels could buy a clerk’s position, five hundred taels could make you an advisor, and if you paid five or six thousand, or even ten thousand taels, and had the right connections, you could secure a county magistrate or an external official…”
The southern regions had many prefectures and were inherently wealthy. There were countless people with money but no power.
In the past, official appointments were tightly controlled by the court, and even the lowest positions required the Ministry of Personnel’s approval. But during the chaos in the south, opportunities arose. The prefecture offices were flooded daily with people offering silver to “donate” for an official post.
Due to the failure of disaster relief leading to civil unrest, many officials were punished. Some were too upright and “uncooperative,” while others were too greedy and failed to cover their tracks, leaving them unable to escape blame. All told, the number of vacant positions was too many to count.
In a single county office, from the magistrate down to the runners, even village scribes and headmen could be bought with silver. Except for those in the capital who were unaware, the southern officialdom was like a pond scattered with fish bait, anyone willing to spend money could follow the scent and scoop up a position.
The woman, as if fearing no one would believe her, added softly, “I remember even the Governor’s Office and prefecture offices could be entered if you paid enough. A few tens of thousands of taels at least, or over a hundred thousand at most. Pay even more, and you might even get a chance to be promoted to the capital.”
“My husband originally wanted to enter the Governor’s Office, but because our family lacked the funds, he could only stay in the Shezhou prefecture office…”
*Hiss—*
Everyone listening to the woman’s words couldn’t help but gasp. Marquis Wenxin and the others had faces as dark as iron.
Official promotions tied to money? It was bad enough in the provinces, but to dare covet positions in the capital…
Though Cao Dejiang had long known some things about the southern officialdom and the shady dealings in the disaster relief case, he had never inquired into the details. Hearing this now, even a seasoned minister like him felt his chest heave, his breathing labored.
General Yin, who had cultivated restraint for years, could no longer contain himself. He kicked a table heavily, his face full of rage. “What audacity!!”
Someone nearby sneered, “Audacity? It’s beyond that. Using civilians as bandits, colluding with criminals, eliminating dissenters, they treated the entire southern officialdom as their personal property.”
The bandits who should have been exterminated entered officialdom, openly becoming court generals.
What did that make those who risked their lives on the battlefield, surviving countless dangers to earn their ranks? What about the soldiers still struggling at the bottom, hoping for a chance at promotion through military merit?
They weren’t even worth as much as those bandits who wantonly slaughtered civilians.
It was an utter farce!!
It wasn’t just the generals; the civil officials were furious too.
Those who made it to the court, even from noble families, had some foundation of talent. Reaching high positions required more than just family backing, especially for the upright “pure stream” officials.
Every step they took was arduous, their lifetimes spent working diligently to climb to their current positions.
Yet now they were told that with enough money, anyone could enter officialdom. With sufficient silver, even third- or fourth-rank positions weren’t out of reach.
How could those with lofty principles and disdain for worldly corruption accept this?
An elderly civil official scoffed bitterly, “Scholars toil to enter officialdom, and even learned men from humble backgrounds languish in obscurity. Yet these people—bloodthirsty bandits become generals, and merchants reeking of copper coins casually enter the court. What irony!”
“Utterly laughable, utterly absurd. These people are shameless!”
“Who dares to be so bold as to trade official appointments for money, letting such people govern the lives of entire regions? Aren’t they afraid these men will become mindless parasites, gnawing away at the foundation of our Great Wei?”
“They’re trying to destroy the roots of Great Wei! To let such people into the court is the heart of a jackal!”
The hall was filled with angry curses. Even the usually refined courtiers wanted to roll up their sleeves and fight.
A sharp-tongued censor, in a fit of rage, turned directly to Emperor An. “Your Majesty was also sent south with the Lu family for disaster relief. Were you truly unaware of this buying and selling of offices?”
“How dare you!”
Emperor An roared, but the censor didn’t back down.
“This humble minister is merely puzzled. How could such matters, which undermine the court’s foundation and corrupt officialdom, go unknown in the capital? Even if no one reported it, Your Majesty was in the south. Could you truly have known nothing?”
“You…”
As the censor’s words landed, everyone in the hall turned to look at Emperor An. Not just the courtiers, but even the imperial clan’s princes showed shock and suspicion, making his heart tremble.
His face taut, Emperor An struggled to suppress his anger.
“When I was sent south, I was merely a deputy general, not a prince favored by the late emperor. Though I was dispatched for disaster relief, I had no authority to interfere in southern officialdom…”
At this moment, he didn’t hesitate to admit his low status back then, his lack of favor from the late emperor, desperate to clear his name.
“The appointment of southern officials was a major matter. Neither generals nor civil officials were within the power of a powerless prince like me to influence. Besides, I returned to the capital as soon as the southern unrest was slightly quelled.”
He genuinely didn’t know about this!
Emperor An felt utterly wronged.
Back then, he had indeed gone south with Lu Chongyuan for disaster relief and was aware of the “rebel” situation. He even played a role in tarnishing the Crown Prince’s reputation.
But after gaining praise for the relief efforts, he returned to the capital immediately to claim credit, leaving the rest to Lu Chongyuan to handle.
At the time, he was busy establishing himself in the capital, pulling strings under the noses of his imperial brothers to win over useful courtiers, with no time to spare for southern affairs.
Emperor An only knew that the Lu family was highly capable, quickly stabilizing the southern officialdom and making officials unusually compliant. They even helped him win over several key southern officials, bolstering his position. But he truly didn’t know the Lu family was selling offices.
His hands trembling slightly, Emperor An forced a stern gaze. “I swear I speak no falsehood. I dare to vow before the ancestors in the Imperial Ancestral Temple that I knew nothing of the sale of offices back then!”
The censor, frowning tightly, seemed about to speak again when Cao Dejiang suddenly interjected, “This old minister believes Your Majesty was unaware of this matter.”
“Lord Cao!”
“Lord Cao!”================
You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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