Looking at the curious eyes of his many friends, Gu Yong shook his head helplessly and said, "Alright, this is the result of my training at the grassroots level. The Duke of Wu said that a prime minister must rise from the grassroots. Anyone who wants to become a high-ranking official must have experience working at the grassroots level. So, it's normal to work hard to fulfill my dream of becoming a minister, or even a prime minister."
Upon hearing this and seeing Gu Yong's serious expression, everyone stopped teasing him. This meant that the jokes were over, and it was time to get serious.
"So, Yuan Tan, you really have a very positive outlook on the future of the Wu Kingdom?" Kuai Yue asked.
“That’s right. I watched the Wu Kingdom grow from nothing to something, from ten thousand people to a million citizens. And the time it took was only a short year!” Gu Yong said excitedly.
Long before the Xu family was wiped out, Gu Yong joined Lin Yang's ranks. He rose from a small village chief to his current position as a township head. Therefore, when he speaks, he subconsciously exudes a sense of honor and accomplishment.
Seeing this, Pang Tong frowned, and then said, "But the Wu Kingdom is still very weak. You've worked so hard, and you're only a village head. Is it worth it?"
“Yes, that’s what I think too. Is it worth it? You know, with your status, if you wanted to become an official, you could have easily taken the imperial examination and become a Jinshi, and then become a county magistrate!” Ma Liang said, somewhat puzzled.
For scions of prominent families, there are at least three ways to enter officialdom.
The first method is to cultivate reputation, then through various means, make your name known throughout the prefecture, the state, or even the entire country. Then, naturally, high-ranking officials will come to recruit you! And then, you'll become an official, right?
This path is only taken by scions of prominent families with deep connections, extensive networks, and great wealth! Ordinary people simply cannot take this path.
Taking this path, once one becomes an official, one will at least serve as a staff member for a high-ranking state official. Therefore, generally speaking, only scions of first-rate aristocratic families at the state level would do this!
(Even second-rate aristocratic families at the prefectural level can do this, but the success rate is low, and the starting point is not very high. They usually just become advisors to the prefect, which is often not worth the effort.)
The second method was the imperial examination. One could directly participate in the imperial examinations. Then, by passing the county-level exams, the prefecture-level exams, and the state-level exams, one could finally enter the Imperial Academy and become an official. This was known as the "three exams determining one's fate"—after all, entering the Imperial Academy meant immediate appointment to an official position!
Of course, if you wished to continue taking the exams, you could study at the Imperial Academy while simultaneously participating in the final examination in Luoyang, the capital. The winner would become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).
However, after becoming a Jinshi, there is still the palace examination to determine whether you are ranked first, second, or third.
This path is the main way for truly penniless people to improve themselves, relying entirely on their own abilities without connections.
Unfortunately, due to the unequal distribution of educational resources, even in the imperial examinations, the average scores of children from aristocratic families were far superior to those of ordinary scholars!
The third method is self-recommendation. In a sense, it's similar to the first method. The only difference is that you personally recommend yourself, finding the prefect or governor of the prefecture and submitting your calling card (also known as a business card) along with a self-introduction.
Then, see if this high-ranking official takes a liking to you. If they do, congratulations, you'll become an official right away!
“Yes, Yuan Tan, even if you went to recommend yourself, you wouldn’t just be a small township head.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Yong shook his head helplessly. It had to be said, this was a truly difficult question to answer, even somewhat accusatory! However, it seemed that not answering would affect subsequent matters, so he decided to be frank.
"As you know, due to certain unspeakable reasons, the talents of Jiangdong have not been to the Central Plains for a long time. There is some distance between us and the Central Plains. Therefore, whether it is cultivating prestige, self-recommendation, or even the imperial examination, it is much more difficult than for ordinary scions of aristocratic families."
As for the exact reasons, it can only be said to be a legacy of history. This wasn't just the case in Jiangdong, but also in Jingzhou. The scions of powerful families throughout the south received the same treatment. This is what's called the North-South conflict, or regional discrimination!
Even in later generations, this situation remains unchanged: the people of Beijing look down on the people of other regions, and the people of Hong Kong look down on the people of the mainland. Can anyone change this situation?
This was exactly the situation that Pang Tong and his group were worried about. The powerful families of the north already looked down on the powerful families of the south. And the powerful families of the capital, who looked down on even the northern families, how could they possibly respect the southern families?
Unfortunately, the powerful families of Jiangdong were at the very bottom of all the powerful families in the south! How miserable were they? So miserable that no one would acknowledge it!
Throughout history, no matter how outstanding the scions of prominent families in Jiangdong were, the vast majority of them ultimately only held the position of prefect of a county!
"Of course, there's another reason. Do you know where you are right now?" Gu Yong suddenly asked excitedly.
"Is Jiangdong beneath my feet?"
"Is it the Kingdom of Wu?"
"It is Yuan Tan Township. The name of this township has been decided, and it will be called Yuan Tan Township forever! And the two characters Yuan Tan will be my courtesy name. In the future, even if something unexpected happens to the Wu Kingdom, at least Yuan Tan Township can still be preserved!"
Upon hearing this, Pang Tong and the others' eyes lit up instantly. They were all scions of noble families, having received years of elite education; how many of them were fools?
"Alright, what's the point of just standing at the intersection? Come inside with me." With that, he led the second generation towards his residence, which was also the location of the township government office.
The rural dwellings are quite simple. The advantage is that everything is new, and the architectural style is quite novel. Well, I've never seen anything like it before.
They are all three-story buildings. Inside each building is a courtyard with a well and a cellar.
Well, because of Lin Yang, this style is basically the norm throughout Jiangdong. Only high-ranking officials, truly high-ranking officials, possess mansions that are different from others.
For example, Lin Yang himself now owns a villa covering several dozen acres. The scenery inside is beautiful, complete with pavilions and towers!
Guo Jia and Taishi Ci also lived there. However, they rarely resided there. They set an example by living in three-story houses, encouraging the officials of Wu to work hard!
"Come, come, try some of our local big bowl tea. These tea leaves are all from this year's harvest. They're not pre-rain tea, and although the quality is just average, they're tea leaves that I picked myself. I usually keep them carefully, but I'm only bringing them out today since you're here. However, the taste isn't great, so please don't be shy."
As he spoke, Gu Yong took out more than twenty large bowls and began to brew tea for Pang Tong and the others. The boiling water poured in, and the tea leaves danced in the air. It looked quite beautiful. To put it more poetically, it had a unique charm!
Pfft, cough cough...
"I'm sorry, I really didn't expect this tea to be so bitter. It seems you've really suffered a lot this past year, Yuan Tan," Pang Tong said, his brows furrowed.
However, after saying that, he made a face, gritted his teeth, and took several large gulps. This time, he didn't spit it out.
"Well, that's normal. When I first went down to the grassroots level, I wasn't any better off than you. In the beginning, I lived a life of luxury every day. Although I worked very hard, the people always looked at me with strange eyes. In the end, I had no choice but to start living with the people."
“I ate what they ate. I drank what they drank. If any people were still hungry, I would help them solve their problem before I ate myself. In this way, after six months, Yuan Tan Township came into being!”
"I can only say that I was truly out of touch with reality and didn't understand the common people very well before. So, in the process, not only did Yuan Tan Township develop, but my own strength also improved by leaps and bounds!" Gu Yong said with great enthusiasm.
As he spoke, he was radiant with confidence and optimism, which unconsciously infected his companions! His image would have been even better if he hadn't taken those occasional sips of tea from his large bowl.
"So this is the purpose of going down to the grassroots level: to enhance one's abilities and refine one's mindset? I understand now. In the past, when we did things, we always viewed everything from the perspective of aristocratic families. But after going down to the grassroots level, we have to live from the perspective of ordinary people. As a result, our values will inevitably change. And as a result, the improvement in our mindset is understandable," Pang Tong analyzed.
“Yes, I’ve heard that those highly skilled individuals, after obtaining information from other worlds, often ponder it seriously for a period of time, and their state of mind improves. Their accumulated strength then increases again. Yuan Tan, your current work at the grassroots level is actually quite similar!” Ma Liang said with a smile.
"So here's the question: were these orders from the Duke of Wu unintentional, or were they something he had anticipated?" Suddenly, Pang Tong raised his head and said very seriously.