It is difficult to employ people, and it is difficult to employ people. Yongzheng did not sigh for the first time. Since ancient times, emperors have ruled the world only by employing people and managing money. "The relationship between employing people is more above managing money." Han Feizi has a famous saying, "He who is good at casting a net leads his outline ... so that his outline and fish are already in the bag." Therefore, being a collector is also the foundation of the people. Therefore, saints govern officials but not the people. "The general idea is that people who are good at fishing will naturally be caught by the net as long as they grasp the rope of the net; The same is true of governing the country. A wise monarch does not directly manage the people, but manages the country through administrative officials, who are the key ropes of fishing nets (country and people).
Since ancient times, rulers of all dynasties have attached great importance to official management (or official management), and its so-called governing the country and the people, to put it bluntly, is to govern officials. The success or failure of official management is not only related to the official style and people's feelings, but also the key factor to determine the rise and fall of a dynasty. In today's words, it is "cadres decide everything." No matter how good the principles and policies are, if there are no solid and reliable cadres to implement them, they will only be crooked monks chanting scriptures in the end, which runs counter to them.
The official selection system in ancient China has gone through different stages of development, from the hereditary system in the pre-Qin dynasty to the inspection and recording in the Han dynasty, and then to the official establishment system in Wei, Jin and Jiupin. Although the selection of officials in this period also advocated taking people by virtue and selecting talents by virtue, there were no certain rules on the objects, procedures and standards of selecting officials, so they were usually monopolized by the upper aristocratic groups, and the sources of officials lacked universality and impartiality. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, with the continuous improvement of the imperial examination system, the monopoly of aristocratic groups on official positions was gradually broken, and the bottom-up talent flow was realized. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the imperial examination system was becoming more and more mature, and the whole process from registration to examination to admission was generally open and fair, which also meant that the selection of officials was open to the whole society.
Opening to the outside world, but it is not easy to become the top scholar. Any official with Jinshi background, from the junior high school entrance examination to the provincial examination and the palace examination, has to go through five hurdles and cut six generals, and then stand out through the wooden bridge. Without extraordinary talent, it is certainly impossible to have the last laugh. It is precisely because of all kinds of cruel competition and hardships that these outstanding talents are regarded as "legitimate" origins, and other "different" officials, such as donors, can only be compared.
Although the imperial examination system is relatively scientific and reasonable, there is still a considerable gap from perfection. First of all, scientific research is generally tried once every three years, and there are only two or three hundred scholars in each subject. In China, there are more than 2,000 counties, plus local officials from ministries and hospitals, imperial academy and above, these new Jinshi are obviously in short supply; Secondly, although officials from imperial examinations have a high reputation and a low corruption rate, there are also widespread phenomena of "high scores and low abilities", conformism and poor administrative ability; Third, because of the teachers and students in the same year, the officials of Kejia often form gangs and tell each other what to do, forming interest groups, and they can't escape the suspicion of cronies.
In this regard, Yongzheng was even more dissatisfied. He believed that "people who want to study and understand should be fair and decent, have customs and be upright." ..... Now we are all entrusting each other, asking for help from each other, learning from the imperial court, and cultivating the partiality of the Party and bad customs. How can we take people from the family? "Yongzheng also specially gave an example, saying that Zhao Shenqiao, the minister of anterior chamber, is also a famous minister. On his deathbed, he told future generations that his three proteges had never seen him, and after a hundred years, he was not allowed to hang himself at home! An upright minister like Zhao Shenqiao can't avoid this bad habit, and everything else can be known.
Then, Yongzheng said, now some people say that I don't pay attention to Hakka officials. This statement is not worth refuting. "The country's first priority is discipline, and I will be employed for a long time. What about Kejia's birth? Moreover, the township will be Chinese, the articles will know each other, and the teachers and students will be polite. I am not banned, but I can take the party's assistance as a warning. " In other words, Yongzheng opposed not Hakka but cronies.
As a matter of fact, Yongzheng was not indifferent to the origin of officials, but he was very cautious about the scale. He said: "the state employs people, but the reward for merit should not be limited to birth." Since I acceded to the throne, I have always attached great importance to Ke Jia, but I have failed to establish a wise man. It can be said that no one is available outside Kejia, especially those who rely on Kejia and ignore non-Kejia. Since ancient times, famous officials have been good assistants, and there are many Hakka people who don't come. Hakka people are common idlers. "
Yongzheng once said, "I only use my talents and skills and never set an example"; And he said, "I never use people, and I don't know my qualifications, even if there is a class disparity." "Only when people are needed, it is right to promote later!" Of course, Yongzheng did not openly challenge the rules for the promotion and demotion of officials, but in practice, he was not limited by seniority, birth and the difference between the flag and the Han Dynasty, and repeatedly made changes. Just as he said to Yang Zongren, governor of Huguang, "In case of talented people, they will take care of their problems as a reward." If so, officials will persuade and the people will be happy. Is there anyone in this place who will not change? "This is to encourage leapfrog promotion; In April of the seventh year, Yongzheng ordered a bachelor to be a Beijing official or an assistant minister, and a foreign official to deploy officials and provincial judges, each with a secret guard. " It is true that people can win the appointment of the governor, or they can win the appointment of San Francisco. "There is no need to arrest Man Han, and there is no qualification. It is the official of the state and county. If you have insights, I believe that they can be appointed as the chief of border defense and allowed to be listed in the recommendation." Recommend prefectures as governors, of course, is exceptional selection.
Of course, being unconventional is an innovation, and it takes considerable courage to be unconventional in selecting talents. But since there is a precedent, it has its value and brings corresponding risks. In this regard, Yongzheng also has a deep understanding. He said: "It is difficult to know people since ancient times, and people's hearts are unpredictable. Always pay attention to everything and you won't be confused by it. It is not easy to know people, and it is even more difficult to choose people. If you don't have to work hard, choose openly and visit frequently, your eyes and ears are not wide and your spirit is not enough. Mo Yan knows how to choose people. "
In order to overcome the disadvantages of not judging people by words, Yongzheng paid special attention to the introduction of officials. After some officials were introduced, Yongzheng observed their manners and manners, and thought that people with ability problems were usually used by the Ministry for further investigation and exercise. For example, the above-mentioned change from Wuxian county magistrate to the minister of industry. Therefore, if you want to pass the interview of Yongzheng, you should not only have a decent figure and appearance, but also have quick tongue, clear thinking and quick response. If you have a bad impression, it is often difficult to reuse it.
From this point of view, Yongzheng's introduction is quite a fortune teller, and his impression of officials is often marked on the introduction resume. Among them, those who have eyes, such as Chasiting's "wolf posture", Gaoyou's well-known Huang Tingquan's "eyes are uncertain, not necessarily like people", and Qingjiang magistrate Jin Guangpei's "ordinary honest man with loyal eyes"; There are figures. For example, Yang Kuan, a garrison in Guang Hai Village, Guangdong Province, said that "people walk well and men are thick"; Lin Zilong, a guerrilla in Susong Town, is "big and can rise"; and the first-class garrison is "people are like ghosts and clever". Similar records abound, and many of them are very interesting.
Resume is an important confidential document, and no one knows it except the relevant personnel in the military department. Yongzheng used a lot of vernacular to express his impression of the imported officials from the aspects of appearance, temperament, character and ability, which also reflected his great attention to the appointment and assessment of middle and lower officials. In fact, among the emperors of the Qing Dynasty, only Kangxi, Qianlong, Jiaqing and Yongzheng wrote Zhu Pi on their resumes, and Yongzheng was the only one who wrote the most and seriously.
Yongzheng never demanded perfection in employing people. He once said: "Talents are rare, and talents must be guarded. If they are guarded or shorter than talents, they will be both defensive and slanderous, or if they are from humble backgrounds or have no education, they will be both slanderous and cannot restrain their children's homes." And so on, "if you don't abandon the short record, it's useless." In view of this, Yongzheng boldly used new ideas. When a courtier questioned the newcomer's "inexperience", Yongzheng's answer was: "I have never heard of a person learning to raise a son before marriage." "If a person has an upper-middle-class talent, does he have to have experience in urban affairs to take measures?"
Of course, most NSW county officials are "new officials". Although they "read a lot of poetry books", it is also true that they lack professional skills and practical experience in administration, justice and financial management. Therefore, these people will be at a loss or blindly rely on screen friends when facing complicated local specific affairs, and eventually become puppets. To this end, Yongzheng ordered the publication of "Admitting Counties and Counties", covering the main work of county officials, mainly focusing on money, grain and criminal names, in order to help new officials understand their responsibilities and get on the road as soon as possible.
Excerpted from the new book Official's Handbook: Yongzheng and His Ministers published by Shanxi People's Publishing House in May 20 15.