Ancient imperial examinations flourished. People with good family and profound knowledge want to prove themselves and gain glory through the imperial examination, while people with poor family also want to change their family environment and their future through the imperial examination. The imperial examination system can be compared with the current college entrance examination, which is a relatively fair examination that can change their fate. But in ancient times, in addition to the imperial examination, of course, there was another way for people who wanted to be officials in the palace.

First of all, there is a man named "Yin Yin Buguan", that is, if anyone in the family is related to the royal family, whether it is a princess, a concubine or an emperor, or someone is a minister in the palace, they can recommend you to be an official in the palace as long as you catch up with various major events, birthdays, sacrifices, etc. However, this method was the most common in the Song Dynasty. Even if you are a servant of a high official, if your attendants have a good relationship with ministers, they can recommend you. But this method, like the current relationship, will not be so fair. So many rich and powerful children are easy to be officials, and more will not study hard. Therefore, there was a restriction later, that is, only those who entered the palace in this way had an empty title, or had the opportunity to be an official after the exam.

There is also an "off-the-job official". In ancient times, in addition to officials, there were of course some people called "officials". They belong to an ordinary office worker, that is, helping others, and their positions are very low. Although they are also supported by the imperial court, they are not official officials, so their position is very embarrassing. They can't meet the standards of officials, and they are often not loved by ordinary people. So these people really want to get the position of officials. But this is also limited. You must have enough time and a good reputation, so it is difficult for many people to get ahead.

Another is "recruiting officials", that is, they are relatively rich, and when they need relief from natural disasters, they can take out gold and silver to donate money and food. Later, the court will award an official position, but most of these methods are idle.

Finally, there is a "military compensation", that is, when you perform well in the war, you may have an official position waiting for you, but you can only enjoy it if you die.