Chapter 905 – The Merchants in Charge, Plucking the Goose Feathers (Part 2)
Of course, what they referred to as guidance wasn’t face-to-face teaching, but rather adding a few comments on the bamboo slips they submitted.
Even so, the top three scholars were still so excited upon seeing the name of the reviewer on the bamboo slips that they couldn’t speak.
The reviewer was none other than the esteemed Mr. Yuanjing!!!
In simpler terms, they not only received an autograph from their idol but also some advice from him.
They were about to faint from happiness.
Don’t think that star-chasing is a modern thing; people in ancient times were just as passionate about it.
Throwing fruit until the cars are full was nothing; there were even “crazy fans” composing poetry and lyrics every now and then to express their “affection” for their idols.
Speaking of crazy fans, Mr. Yuanjing had his fair share, such as Tang Yao, who was a die-hard fan of Mr. Yuanjing. Out of admiration for him, he resolutely left his family and traveled thousands of miles to study in Langya County.
Once this news spread, the number of people submitting bamboo slips the next day skyrocketed to over a thousand—
Mr. Yuanjing: “”
Oh no! The old man has to review over a thousand bamboo slips in one night!
Thus, to save his own life, the daily exam turned into a once-every-seven-days affair.
Cheng Cheng saw Mr. Yuanjing looking pale and proactively came over to help him review. If luck was on his side, he might even uncover some promising young talents.
As it turned out, Jiang Pengji’s method proved to be quite effective.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that only ten questions were asked each time; each question hidden targeted probes.
Most scholars didn’t realize the underlying tricks, but a few sharp-minded individuals caught on.
Subtly, they felt that this was related to their future prospects, so they cared even more about the exam questions, pondering them carefully before writing. They didn’t answer vaguely but instead chose to explore deeply and express their thoughts plainly.
In fact, most of their literary skills wouldn’t catch Mr. Yuanjing’s eye, but occasionally, one or two impressive works would pop up.
After several rounds of grading, Mr. Yuanjing couldn’t help but smile wryly.
“There’s quite a few talents here, most likely to be recruited by Liu Xi.”
From the responses over the past few times, many had realized the hidden meaning behind the ten questions.
Initially, there was some half-heartedness, but later, they took it seriously. Even a fool could see what sparked this transformation.
The students from aristocratic families were somewhat unaffected; Jiang Pengji’s allure didn’t hold much sway over them.
What about those from humble backgrounds?
If they were fortunate enough to be recruited by Jiang Pengji, it would be like stepping into the skies, the road to success laid out at their feet.
Cheng Cheng thought for a moment and said, “Though Liu Xi has great power, there aren’t many truly useful people, so she naturally needs to recruit talents. This recruitment assessment is genuinely unprecedented. Compared to this, I’m actually more concerned about another matter—”
Upon hearing this, Mr. Yuanjing’s eyes darted, instantly understanding Cheng Cheng’s worries.
Recruitment is a method for selecting talents; however, it’s not one-sided; it’s reciprocal and does not have coercive power.
Recruitment is basically an invitation.
The recruited party can gladly accept, or they can decline.
Jiang Pengji has the right to recruit someone from her territory, but that person also has the right to refuse the offer.
Refusing an offer might be because they genuinely don’t want to serve and prefer a quieter life, or it could be to gain a reputation, like a beautiful girl from a lowly background rejecting a domineering CEO’s advances, instantly making a name for herself!
Of course, there’s a third possibility: teasing!
In layman’s terms, some people think that things that come too easily won’t be cherished, so they repeatedly delay acceptance.
When the other party’s appetite is piqued to the highest level, they gladly accept the recruitment, creating a delightful story between ruler and minister.
“Declining the recruitment” is a sort of unwritten rule in the industry; it’s common to reject the first, second, or even third offer before agreeing to serve.
Cheng Cheng was a bit worried that the talented individuals he was eyeing would impulsively play hard to get with Jiang Pengji.
From what he knew about the governor’s temperament, if rejected once, she wouldn’t offer a second time.
Those trying to tease might just mess it up!
Mr. Yuanjing and Cheng Cheng exchanged a knowing glance, feeling an inexplicable melancholy.
They both thought there would definitely be someone who would foolishly refuse the recruitment.
Sure enough, someone actually did it, and it wasn’t just one!
After several rounds of testing, the talent assessment was nearly done. Xu Ke, following Jiang Pengji’s instructions, extended olive branches to twenty-eight young men.
Among these twenty-eight, ten came from poor backgrounds, eleven were from fallen aristocratic families, and the remaining seven were from middle-class gentry.
They were all between twenty and forty years old, right in their prime—there was plenty of room for development.
The result—
Out of the twenty-eight, twenty accepted the recruitment, while all the others refused.
Xu Ke: “”
Upon hearing this news, his expression was as dark as charcoal.
Free education, borrowing books, copying texts, indulging in the meat porridge provided by Golden Scales Pavilion, dining with guest vouchers—
During recruitment, couldn’t they at least show some courtesy? They outright refused?
Couldn’t they be a bit more tactful and save face all around?
So angry!
Xu Ke was so furious he couldn’t even eat.
Wanzhou had invested significant effort in selecting twenty-eight individuals from thousands, and nearly one-third of them refused.
At this moment, an uncontrollable thought popped into Xu Ke’s mind—
Is Wanzhou really that undesirable?
Is there anywhere in Dongqing that is more peaceful and tranquil?
This is practically a paradise in a chaotic world!
While other places can’t even pay salaries, the average wage here is quite high!
The benefits are all there; once past the probation period, you immediately get a car, house, and savings, stepping onto the apex of life!
What a beautiful prospect.
The only shortcoming of their lord was her gender; everything else could easily outshine other warlords.
What’s wrong with being a woman? Are they eating her rice?
Or do these people think Wanzhou is some kind of ragtag group unworthy of having a golden phoenix?
Xu Ke was so frustrated he wanted to rip his hair out, but he still restrained his impulse.
As the chief accountant of Wanzhou, managing finance, he couldn’t lose his composure.
So, Xu Ke’s mental turmoil was rich, while on the surface, he was cold and staring at the documents on the table as if they were his enemies.
Until Feng Jin entered, glanced at his expression, and leaned over to look at the contents of the document.
After reading, he frowned deeply.
“Do these people really not know what’s good for them?” Xu Ke gritted his teeth.
Feng Jin laughed, “Indeed. Since they refuse recruitment, just pick someone else; there’s no need to get angry.”
Xu Ke scowled, “How can I not be mad? If this gets out, it would embarrass our lord!”
One-time recruitment is fine and dandy, but someone had to refuse—ain’t that slapping them in the face?
Feng Jin was surprised, “How is this related to our lord being laughed at? I’ve also read these several proposals; there’s some talent there. Between the lines, there is ambition. The reason they declined recruitment is likely to create momentum, build their reputation, and then accept recruitment again.”
Xu Ke immediately understood, then again grew angry, “Our lord’s temperament—how is she likely to recruit a second time?”
Feng Jin bluntly replied, “Then just ignore it; there are plenty of other candidates.”
There are plenty of scholars attracted by Golden Scales Pavilion; they can slowly filter out the good ones without getting hung up on a few!
