Yunyin merely listened respectfully, not saying too much, his seriousness not fading even when questioned by the assistant minister.
Fuliang didn't mind and patiently explained his own ideas, his expression kind and not that of a superior, "Every new official wishes to enter the path of the General Ministry, but what many officials fail to see is that the General Ministry, not overseeing any single province but looking over the whole dynasty, doesn't have any positions for officials below the sixth rank.
Each official of the General Ministry is usually followed by rows of officials stemming from other ministries, giving the illusion that there are officials of the lower ranks inside the General Ministry. But it's just that, an illusion.
The entry isn't an easy hurdle either - first and foremost, you must have fulfilled all the requirements for the rise to the sixth rank. Once you've done so, the real hurdle is the Letter of Recommendation of three assistant ministers. Requiring three means a new General Ministry official will have to have the trust and show his worth to at least two provincial ministries' assistant ministers.
There is also a limit to recommendations – every assistant minister only has one recommendation letter every ten years. This means in the whole capital, from all Ministries of Revenue, only nine people may enter the General Ministry of Revenue. That's roughly one person yearly.
You are quite smart and intelligent, I believe that with several years of experience, your path in the Ministry of Revenue can lead to great heights. But these heights are difficult to achieve without assistance.
I will give you this opportunity – remain in the Yueling Province's Ministry of Revenue in the capital for all three stages from nine to seven, and I will give you my letter of recommendation. Depending on the results, I will consider getting you a second one." Ying Fuliang said so much, yet kept his own plans hidden, mostly painting a grand pie in the sky.
But how could Yunyin not accept this pie? It was exactly what he wanted.
The more he learned about the ministry, the more he understood how difficult a clear path was. These many rules are mostly omitted in the books he read, only giving him a vague image of the path he wished to take, yet not a single one of these requirements were mentioned.
If he only relied on superficially told rules and descriptions, the chance he would reach that stage one day is near nil.
Since that's the case, and since there was such a great opportunity in front of him, he would take it with open arms. Whether the result in the end was good or bad, he couldn't see it yet.
"Official Jie is willing to serve the Yueling Province's Ministry of Revenue until I reach the seventh stage!" Yunyin said aloud while cupping his hands, his expression one of respect.
"Very well, I knew a smart official like you would understand everything. As I said, I will be going out today, but I shall still remain in the city for a meal. I wonder if Scholar Yunyin is able to attend?" Fuliang made a joke at the end.
"Whether it's Official Jie or Scholar Yunyin, there is no difference in people but a difference in attire and position! The assistant minister's invitation, I naturally accept it!" Yunyin clarified and thanked him for the invitation.
"Hehe, that's good. Just come, there is no need to send a visitation card." Fuliang chuckled again and left, giving Yunyin a final casual invitation. Visiting without a visitation card, this is a sign of close friendship, which confused Yunyin.
What had he done to gain the assistant minister's favor?
Theoretically even the opportunity wasn't something he had to give him – just telling him about the requirement and letting him guess would've been enough to 'bait' him into attaching himself to the provincial ministry.
Somehow, Yunyin felt that the assistant minister had many thoughts which he hid quite well, appearing to be a kind and respectable senior official.
Walking out of the room and down the corridor, passing by the grand meeting room, he slowly approached the stairs while looking over to see if there was still someone in there.
Seeing none, he turned and walked down to the stairs, where he found the annoying looking Lai Wenyan.
"Official Jie has made it big, earning the favor of the assistant minister!" Wenyan praised, his eyes looking gleaming with dangerous light, even fiercer than when they met in front of the court the day before.
"Official Lai also gained the favor of the director." Yunyin said casually, not slowing down, about to step down the stairs.
"Does Official Lai look down on me?" Wenyan suddenly asked, his voice carrying a hint of sarcasm.
"Whether it's the assistant minister or director, both are beyond our ranks. Official Lai shouldn't talk too much about them," Yunyin reprimanded him, no longer paying attention to this guy's passive-aggressive remarks.
Outside the Yueling Province Ministries' Office, there were many officials walking back and forth for various matters; clearly, the effect of the dismissal hadn't subsided at all.
Listening to the passersby as he walked back, he heard two key news:
First, the southern inner province, the Qingling Province, a lush province with great harvest year after year, is unfortunately also a hotbed of insects and beasts. The urgent matter was that a plague broke out after a group of insects infected humans. It then spread rapidly through the hands of these insects and beasts, causing five counties to shut down and the survivors to flee.
The first countermeasure was to blockade a whole prefecture and use various means to take care of this plague. Today the Qingling Province's Ministry of Revenue would've asked for a ruling regarding the budget and gain the aid of other Ministries of Revenue, even arranging for a council meeting between the ministries, intending to find solutions quickly.
Who knew that they didn't even obtain the ruling before the court was dismissed?
Now they were extremely troubled, and the council meeting has been said to be rushed to happen tomorrow right after morning court…
Hearing this, a hint of worry appeared in Yunyin's eyes. The southern province, Qingling... was also where the Radiant Silver County resided...