"The Xiaoshu Assessment has concluded, with the content being 'Disaster of Grain Birds.' This time, the results will be determined based on the damage to the farmland each official is responsible for."
"Those with less than ten percent damage to the vital rice will be rated as First Rank."
"Those with less than twenty percent damage will be rated as Second Rank."
"Those with less than half damage will be rated as Third Rank."
"Those with over half damage will receive no score for this assessment and will be penalized to replant, using cultivation techniques to accelerate growth. If they can make up for it, they may be rated as Third Rank."
"The scores for the Xiaoshu Assessment have been publicly posted. Please check for yourselves, officials. Regardless of the results, one must work diligently and avoid arrogance and impatience."
After Chen Shijie finished speaking, a clerk from the flying boat waved his hand, and a yellow paper floated in the air, accurately sticking to the nine notice boards in the public fields and pastures.
The officials bowed to the flying boat, and once the cloud-flying vessel drifted away, they rushed over with a loud noise.
"What? Only thirty people on the First Rank, and only five on the First Rank?"
"It's over, it's over. There are only two hundred fourteen people on the list. Does that mean half of the officials are unqualified?"
"Brother in front, please help me check if my name, Liang Bai, is on the list?"
"Yes, you are on the Third Rank, ninth place. Congratulations, Brother Liang."
"Sigh, only Third Rank? Last time I was on the Second Rank..."
"The Xiaoshu Assessment is this difficult. How will the Qiu Yue Evaluation be? Next spring, there will only be a few who can be appointed as officials. What’s the point of trying? Let’s go drink!"
"Hey, that’s true. At worst, I’ll just quit!"
The Xiaoshu Assessment was significantly more challenging than the previous ones, so the atmosphere in front of the list was filled with gloom.
There were very few who were happy, and most felt they had performed poorly.
Among them, a small portion were indifferent.
After all, only three to five people are appointed as officials each year, and the difficulty of assessments only increases, filtering out those officials who are neither diligent nor talented.
If they were already destined to have no chance, why rush? They might as well relax and not even consider a retake.
What? You say they were dismissed? So be it; there’s not much salary anyway. In a peaceful world, not being a small official won’t starve anyone to death, right?
Of course, the vast majority still cared; otherwise, why would they have chosen this path in the first place? Moreover, they had worked hard for so long, with sunk costs in play, so they naturally still held onto hope.
Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong were also desperately pushing forward.
Soon, they squeezed out, looking disheartened.
The two of them received a Third Rank, just barely passing.
As they exited the crowd, Chen Ziyu slapped his forehead: "Right, Qian Dong, how did your brother do? Did you check just now?"
Qian Dong lifted his drooping head, hesitating: "I didn’t see my elder brother's name on the Third Rank. Could it be…"
"What do you mean could it be? Are you saying my brother didn’t make the list? Not even on the Third Rank? He worked so hard before; if he didn’t even make the Third Rank, how miserable would that be? No wonder we can’t see him; could he have lost hope?"
Qian Dong quickly shook his head: "N-No, it shouldn’t be. My brother is usually so carefree; how could he be upset over this? But he will probably be sad."
Chen Ziyu worriedly said: "I’ll go check the list one more time. Qian Dong, you go look around for your brother. Let’s meet at the triangular field later."
A quarter of an hour later, at the triangular field.
Qian Dong saw Chen Ziyu, who looked even more disheartened than before, and thought something terrible had happened.
"I still haven’t found my brother. What’s wrong with you?"
Chen Ziyu looked up in confusion: "My brother's name isn’t on the Third Rank."
"If it’s not on the Third Rank, that’s no surprise..." Qian Dong started but then stopped: "On the Second Rank?"
Seeing Chen Ziyu not answering, Qian Dong's mouth gradually opened wide: "Could it be…"
"Yes, my brother is on the First Rank, and he ranks among the top five with Wen Nanxing, Li Chengfeng, Zong Shichang, and Xiao Ze."
"…"
Qian Dong's expression changed to match Chen Ziyu's.
Not far from the First Rank list, Li Chengfeng was surrounded by people, resting on a stone.
He naturally didn’t need to check the list himself, as he had enough confidence to know he was on it.
What he enjoyed was not the moment of the announcement but the flattery from the crowd.
"Congratulations, Brother Li, once again ranking on the First Rank and achieving the top position!"
"Brother Li truly deserves his reputation for exceptional talent. How many times has it been on the First Rank?"
"This is the sixth time!"
"Next spring, you might just be called Lord Li."
Li Chengfeng smiled and cupped his hands to the crowd: "Everyone, don’t joke around. What lord? We are all brothers. Besides, this top position isn’t just mine; I’m not as good as Brother Zong..."
Zong Shichang, the burly youth beside him, heard Li Chengfeng calling him and returned to his senses with curiosity: "I was looking at the list, Brother Li. There are five on the First Rank. Excluding you, me, Wen Nanxing, and Xiao Ze, this fifth person I’ve never heard of."
"Oh?" Li Chengfeng stepped forward to take a look, and when he saw the unfamiliar name Zhao Xing, he frowned: "Indeed, I’ve never heard of him. I know most of the people from the Agricultural Affairs Bureau’s seven divisions; where did this person come from?"
"Could he be under the old Agricultural Affairs Director?" Zong Shichang suggested.
"Don’t think too much; I’ll visit him another day to find out." Li Chengfeng narrowed his eyes.
At the same time, Wen Nanxing, Xiao Ze, and the others on the First Rank also noticed the name Zhao Xing.
The Agricultural Affairs Bureau only appoints three to five officials each year. Other ranks can be disregarded, but those on the First Rank are all competitors.
If someone else is on the list, it means they can’t be, and they might even become their superior. How could they not pay attention?
However, Zhao Xing usually kept a low profile and was inconspicuous. Asking friends about him, almost no one had heard of him; at most, they knew he was a small official under the old Agricultural Affairs Director, which made them even more curious.
Zhao Xing was still unaware that he had caught the attention of many officials; he hadn’t even looked at the list.
After Chen Shijie announced the rules, he immediately knew he would definitely be on the First Rank. Why bother sweating in the heat? It was better to go home early, take a bath, change clothes, and have a meal.
If he returned late, Madam Cai might hide the meat; she was indeed someone who could do such a thing.
"This year’s evaluations, counting Xiaoshu, have already been six times. According to tradition, there will be six more small assessments following the seasonal changes."
"My previous five assessments included one on the Second Rank, two on the Third Rank, and two on the lower Third Rank. Quite mediocre."
"But it’s okay; rapid progress can also be considered a highlight. These small assessments don’t solely focus on results; good potential can also lead to recommendations."
"If I can make it onto the First Rank in every small assessment before the winter evaluation, I will surely catch the attention of the higher-ups, especially the old Agricultural Affairs Director. I wonder how much support he can provide me then." Zhao Xing thought to himself.
"The old Agricultural Affairs Director, Xue Wenzhong, is known to be a good person. He doesn’t compete or grab, and he’s very honest, never accepting gifts from others. If I’m not much different from others at that time, it will depend on whether the superiors will fight for me at a critical moment."
"Sniff sniff~" The aroma of meat suddenly wafted into Zhao Xing's nose, interrupting his thoughts. He realized he had already arrived home, and the smell was coming from the kitchen.
"Hmm? It seems they are making ginseng black-bone chicken soup... Hey, it’s better to arrive early than to arrive just in time!"
(End of Chapter)