In the local official system of the Qing Dynasty, the magistrate was the first at the grassroots level, and also had the nickname of "Seven Sesame Officials". Since Qianlong, the magistrate no longer had the opportunity to be promoted to a small Beijing official, and could only serve in the local area, and gradually promoted through the positions of governor, prefect, and Taoist.
The chances of promotion are unpredictable for most prefectures, and even for those who are born as jinshi, the counties where they take office for the first time are usually small prefectures, and in official parlance they are "shortages".
In the Qing Dynasty, there was a clear hierarchy of official vacancies, and the prefectures, prefectures, and counties across the country were divided into the most important, essential, medium, and simple shortages. For the magistrate, if he obtains the first class in the general assessment once every three years, he will be promoted according to the regulations.
However, there is a tradition in the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty that promotion does not mean the promotion of rank, and the transfer from simple to medium or to important is also regarded as promotion. In fact, most of the magistrates have worked at the grassroots level for decades, working hard for qualifications, and the ideal state is only to be promoted to "shortage".
To put it bluntly, most of the county magistrates are still seven-grade officials when they are old. Only a very small number of people will be set up as exemplars by the imperial court and promoted to the prefect and prefect. However, once you reach the prefect level, you basically reach the ceiling of officialdom, and if you want to be promoted to a Taoist and an envoy, it depends on the arrangement of fate.
Although under normal circumstances, the outstanding achievements of the magistrate during his tenure are not enough to make them exceptionally promoted, this situation may change if it is a real God-given opportunity and the emperor's attention.
Recently, when Yushi was reading "Yong'an Notes", he found a county magistrate named Zhao Renji from Wujin, Jiangsu. He received a special promotion from the emperor on a special occasion, and within only a few years he was promoted to the rank of envoy, and if he had lived longer, he might have become a feudal official.
Although Cho In-ki's name is rarely recorded in the official history, it often appears in the wild history. He was born in the 54th year of Qianlong (1789), and his ancestors were officials for several generations.
In the fifth year of Daoguang (1825), he was promoted, and the next year he passed the examination and became a third-class jinshi. Despite his poor test scores, he had a chance to make the waitlist.
In the Daoguang period, the candidate ** is like a carp crossing the river, even if it is from a Jinshi, it will take several years to obtain the real shortage.
Zhao Renji sat on the cold bench in the capital for more than three years, and was later exiled to Renzhi County, Jiangxi, and then transferred to Jingxian County, Anhui. Although he had excellent political performance and was also superior in the overall evaluation, he was never promoted and was frequently transferred during his tenure.
Jing County is a small county, and Zhao Renji was reappointed as the magistrate of Huaining County after his three-year term, and it looks like he may retire as magistrate. However, while serving in Huaining Zhixian County, Zhao Renji solved a major case of Qin Ming by chance.
In the early years of Daoguang, a major flood occurred in Taoyuan County, Jiangsu Province, and the local government did not release water in order to ensure the transportation of water. Chen Rui led the people to open the floodgates, which led to the blockage of downstream water transportation.
Chen Rui knew that he was going to be held accountable, so he took his wife and children to change their names and surnames, and fled to the countryside of Huaining, Anhui.
Emperor Daoguang was extremely angry at a certain situation, and ordered to severely punish Jiangsu ** and solve the case within a time limit. Jiangsu ** was frightened, and dispatched all troops to search for several years but still found nothing. This case has led to many ** demotion, and Emperor Daoguang has repeatedly emphasized that those who solve the case will be rewarded.
When Zhao Renji was transferred to Huaining County, it was the tax season. Once, while collecting taxes in the countryside, a government servant stumbled upon a woman who addressed a man as "Mr. Chen."
The official suddenly remembered Chen Rui's case and shouted loudly, "Chen Rui, you are here", and Chen Rui answered him unexpectedly.
It turns out that he is so soaring! By chance, Zhao Renji captured Chen Rui, and the matter was reported to Emperor Daoguang by the governor of Anhui, who immediately summoned him and granted him the official position of governor of Chuzhou.
From the seven-rank Zhixian to the fourth-grade Taoist, it took him less than two years, which can really be described as soaring! However, it is a pity that he died less than half a month after receiving the edict to be promoted to the envoy of Hubei.
Cho In-ki's success in officialdom was not entirely due to manpower, but due to the advent of the opportunity, which made his official career accessible and exceeded his expectations.