If it were me, I would dare to state clearly in front of Grand Tutor Ge and a group of royal relatives who, although not in high positions of power, at least have a certain opportunity to talk to the emperor, that if the court does not value me and only intends to treat me as an insignificant clerk, then, my work for the court is also limited, and this limit is only five years
Everyone, including Yan Yuxi, was quietly asking themselves the same question, and in the end, it was clear that everyone had different opinions. Yan Yuxi shook his head and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Baisha has been working diligently for five years, but if it were me, I would say that even though I have eaten the rice of a student in the imperial academy and enjoyed the tax-free land of a juren, I would rather return to my hometown to teach than be a petty official."
"Because, as a minor official, I may make some small contribution to the court, but compared to my teaching and educating people, it is really far from it. Who says teaching students is not contributing to the country? Moreover, if the superior is virtuous and talented, then I will naturally be convinced. But if the superior is fat, idling in office, and still finds fault with him, I cannot tolerate it."
"In the past, Tao Wuliu once said that he would not bend his back for a few pieces of silver. Although I am far less noble than Mr. Wuliu, I am also unwilling to be a mere clerk, because if I become a clerk, I will certainly not be as skilled as those clerks who have been clerks for generations. And burying myself in paperwork every day and neglecting my studies is undoubtedly not worth the loss."
The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly at Yan Yuxi's equally sharp statement, but also did not make any judgment, but looked at the other three people. As a result, the statements of the three people were slightly different from those of Chen Xianzhang and Yan Yuxi.
One person said that the imperial court's rice stipend and exemption of some taxes and labor service were all for the purpose of supporting scholars. Since it was for supporting scholars, rather than forcing students to compete with clerks for jobs, then since the emperor and the ministers were unwilling to value talents and only let him be a mere clerk after being recommended by important officials, he could only walk away.
Another person said that even if a famous scholar is well-versed in the classics, it is unrealistic to rashly ask for a high official position and the trust of his superiors since he has no experience in practical affairs. Although Zhuge Wuhou's Longzhong Plan is famous throughout the ages, the facts have proved that there are more people in the world who claim to be Zhuge Wuhou but do not have his talent.
One should be down-to-earth and become familiar with practical affairs before looking forward to higher official positions and policy space.
The attitude of the last person was equally tough. He said that the assistant officials such as the county lieutenant, county magistrate, Tongpan, and prefectural magistrate in the local area, and the Zhaomo and Jianxiu in the six central departments of the imperial court were all reserved for those low-ranking clerks to enter the officialdom after accumulating qualifications. If a real scholar was recommended by others but still wanted to settle for such a position, then saying this would not only make him compete with the clerks for positions, but also lower himself to the level of a clerk.
After the emperor listened to the five people's statements one by one, he finally glanced at his teacher Ge Yong who had been calm and composed, and then smiled and said, "The teacher's vision of people is indeed extraordinary. Although these five gentlemen who once taught in the public school have different personalities and different knowledge, they are all people who dare to speak out, and they dare to speak the truth."