kingnovel Chapter 1264 1
Chapter 1264 1
At 9:00 AM, information on those who had applied for the position in each county was sent to the prefectural government.
In the study, Shen Zheng was engrossed in writing, her expression focused.
Several sheets of paper were spread out on the table, on which she had drafted the newspaper's practical assessment. The ink was still wet and damp.
"Knock knock knock—" The sound of knocking on the door broke the silence inside the room.
Shen Zheng rubbed her neck: "Go in."
The door was gently pushed open, and Fang Xianyue stepped across the threshold, respectfully asking, "Sir, I have compiled the identity information of those who have applied for the position in each county. Would you like to review it now?"
Looking at the thick register in his arms, Shen Zheng nodded: "Give it to me."
The roster was handed to Shen Zheng by Fang Xianrui with both hands. Shen Zheng took it, placed it on the table, and slowly opened it.
The paper contained neat handwriting and clearly listed the applicants' names, household registration, age, academic achievements, and other basic information.
Fang Xianyue stood by with his hands at his sides. Seeing Shen Zheng carefully flipping through the documents, he took the initiative to add, "My lord, a total of 223 people have applied for the position this time, including 86 from the prefectural city and 137 from the twelve counties under its jurisdiction."
Shen Zheng nodded as she turned the pages.
When she saw the words "Twenty-six people from Tongan County have applied," her gaze suddenly froze, and the indifference on her face vanished.
When did Tong'an County produce so many accomplished cultural figures?
Shocked, Shen Zheng carefully read through the twenty-six names.
I don’t know, I’m scared.
Goodness... she vaguely remembered most of them.
In her memory, several people were still in the learning stage and had not yet graduated. How come they were all able to apply for the position of community official in the blink of an eye?
Are all the people of Tongan County geniuses?
With a slight doubt, Shen Zheng pointed to the three characters "Tong'an County" on the register and asked, "Is the person in charge of the initial qualification review in Tong'an County Lord Shen Xingjian?"
Fang Xianyue immediately nodded: "Reporting to Your Excellency, it is Lord Shen Xingjian, and the original register submitted by Tong'an County also bears Lord Shen Xingjian's personal signature."
Upon hearing this, the last trace of hesitation in Shen Zheng's heart vanished.
Clearly, Tong'an County is a county where geniuses gather!
A slight smile played on her lips as she turned the page and asked, "What are the applicants' academic achievements?"
Fang Xianyue immediately replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, of the 223 people who applied this time, 56 were students, 12 were scholars, and 155 were literate but without official rank."
Shen Zheng nodded, then asked, "The male-to-female ratio?"
This intrigued her.
Fang Xianyue paused for a moment in his mind, then answered directly: "Reporting to Your Excellency, one hundred and ninety-eight men and twenty-five women should be recruited."
Upon hearing this, Shen Zheng immediately wrote down a division equation on the paper.
After getting the results, she couldn't help but draw circle after circle on them.
11 percent...
Women who applied for the positions accounted for only 11 percent of the total.
It's still not enough.
After pondering it over in secret, Shen Zheng became even more determined to popularize education. If a society with similar literacy rates between men and women could be built, the proportion of women taking the civil service exam would not be as bleak as it is now.
—Promoting women's participation in civil service examinations is our inescapable duty.
Just then, a name marked "female" in the register caught Shen Zheng's eye.
"Xue Li?"
Suddenly, a smiling face appeared before Shen Zheng's eyes.
After carefully reviewing the information about "Xue Li," Shen Zheng confirmed that the "Xue Li" listed in the register was the same "Xue Li" she knew.
Xue Li, the one who stood with her in the night breeze on the restaurant's veranda, asking her, "Will you come back?"
Xue Li, who pushed a snack cart late at night and shyly asked, "Would you like to try my cooking?"
Seeing that Shen Zheng's gaze lingered on this page for a long time, Fang Xianyue hesitated and asked, "My lord, is there something wrong with this page of the register?"
Shen Zheng slowly shifted her gaze away from the name "Xue Li" and shook her head with a smile: "There's nothing wrong with it."
Fang Xianyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After reviewing the roster, Shen Zheng had a general understanding of the applicants. After closing the roster, she gathered the scattered papers on the table and handed them to Fang Xianyue.
"These are the practical assessment criteria I have drafted. Take them and take a look. If you have any questions or find anything inappropriate, feel free to discuss them with me. Once the assessment criteria are finalized by tomorrow, I will issue a public announcement."
Seeing the few pages of scrap paper filled with small writing, Fang Xianyue quickly reached out and took them.
Shen Zheng handed the roster back to him and asked, "Has Lord Xu gone out?"
Fang Xianyue thought for a moment: "Reporting to Your Excellency, Lord Xu went out at Chenshi (7-9 AM), saying he was going to take a look at the selected location, 'Chengxintang'."
Shen Zheng sighed inwardly and waved her hand: "Alright, go ahead and get busy."
Fang Xianyue respectfully left the study. Shen Zheng thought of Xu Yunyan, who was still not fully recovered but had secretly been running around, and couldn't help but sigh again.
A somewhat inappropriate saying slowly surfaced in her mind—a man can only be kept obedient if he is kept in check.
......
After leaving the yamen at dusk, Shen Zheng abandoned Yu Shizhang and Xu Yunyan and rode alone to the Salt and Iron Bureau.
The Salt and Iron Bureau was located in the northwest of the prefectural city, diagonally opposite the Prefectural Education Bureau. When Shen Zheng arrived, the yamen runners had just lit the pillar lamps in front of the gate.
"That's the end of the day!" The bailiff turned to her without turning his head and said, "Come back tomorrow if you need anything, but come earlier!"
Shen Zheng pulled on the reins and lowered her head slightly to ask, "Has Lord Fang also left the office?"
The yamen runner paused in his hand as he sealed the tinderbox, turning his head and scolding, "I already said we're off duty, why are you asking so many questions... Lord Shen?!"
Shen Zheng nodded and asked again, "Is Lord Fang in the yamen?"
"Here! Here! Here! Lord Fang is here every day!" The yamen runner, who had been impatient, stepped down three steps in one stride and took the reins: "I'll lead your horse... no, no, I'll lead your horse."
Before Shen Zheng could speak, the horse started moving under his lead.
“No…” Shen Zheng looked at the steps in front of the yamen and asked, “Where are you taking me?”
As the constable taught the horse to step over the stairs, he replied respectfully, "I will lead the horse in directly, so you can save yourself the trouble of walking."
"..."
Shen Zheng knew she couldn't do such a thing, so she immediately pulled the horse to a stop.
"I will go by myself." She landed gracefully, tied the horse's reins to the lamppost, and gestured with her head, "Lead the way."
The constable secretly regretted it, but still obediently led the way.
The layout of the Salt and Iron Bureau was quite similar to that of the Liuyang Prefecture Government Office, but the feeling it gave Shen Zheng was completely different.
This sense of unease reached its peak the moment she stepped into the main hall.
The plaque hanging in the hall was not the common "a bright mirror hanging high," but rather the inscription "dutifully performing one's duties, enriching the country and benefiting the people," which exuded a somber aura.
What chilled her to the bone even more was that on the floor of the hall were blatantly laid out instruments of torture such as canes and chains, some of which were even stained with blood...