Li Wen, the Prefect of Wei Commandery, had led troops during the Yellow Turban Rebellion to assist Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song in quelling the unrest, achieving great merit. He was a clear and just official, renowned for his prestige, and all officials in Wei Commandery, big and small, held him in awe.
Facing the person before him, Zhang Chen held deep respect in his heart.
The last time, he had killed Zhao Xiong and Guo Dayong. It was the Lord Prefect who had given the order to cover for him and had even given him an official letter of appointment, making him the legitimate Magistrate of Guangping.
Zhang Chen had always kept this gratitude in mind.
"You are Zhang Chen, Zhang Zifan?" Li Wen asked in a calm tone.
"Replying to my Lord, this subordinate is indeed Zhang Chen."
"Raise your head."
Zhang Chen slowly raised his head, observing the person before him.
He saw Li Wen's solemn face, from which an inexplicable aura of authority naturally emerged.
Li Wen looked Zhang Chen up and down, with quite a bit of surprise in his eyes.
"County Magistrate Zhang... is actually so young! How old are you?"
"Replying to my Lord, this subordinate is sixteen years old this year, having just come of age at the beginning of the year."
Upon hearing this, a glint of spirit flashed in Li Wen's eyes: "Indeed, the younger generation is formidable. At such a young age, you have achieved such extraordinary merit. Your future prospects will undoubtedly be brilliant."
"My Lord praises me too much." Zhang Chen bowed again and said, "This subordinate is only here today thanks to the grace of the Lord Prefect. As a Han official, receiving the sovereign's salary and bearing the sovereign's worries is my duty; I dare not claim credit."
"Good, humble and respectful, with the demeanor of a gentleman. This official truly didn't misjudge you!" Li Wen looked at Zhang Chen and smiled with satisfaction: "County Magistrate Zhang, do you know why I protected you that day?"
Zhang Chen thought for a moment and said, "My Lord, as an official, you are upright and discerning, knowing what kind of officials the common people need. Those like Zhao Xiong and Guo Dayong were cruel officials who harmed the people greatly, and my Lord had long intended to remove them. However, firstly, Zhao Xiong was rewarded for his merit, and the Yellow Turban had just been pacified, so it was not suitable to execute someone with merit. Secondly, the practice of selling official positions and titles was prevalent in the court; executing this person would merely result in another person who would exploit the people."
Li Wen nodded and said, "Yes, everything you said is very pertinent."
"Although this subordinate's killing of Zhao Xiong was a reckless act, it happened to align with my Lord's intentions," Zhang Chen continued. "My Lord also wanted to see what this subordinate's capabilities were and whether I could shoulder the responsibility of being the parent of this county?"
"Hahahaha! Good!" Upon hearing this, Li Wen immediately praised, "Indeed, when Hua Tuo came to my residence that day, he spoke highly of you. But this matter is significant, and I could not entrust such a large county town to you based on just one person's words. Therefore, I sent many people to Guangping County to see how you were managing county affairs."
"Fortunately, you did not disappoint me." Li Wen nodded and smiled: "You pacified the refugees, opened up wasteland, and reduced taxes; these are all measures for the people's welfare. You organized county troops, suppressed banditry, wiped out the Black Mountain Bandits, and now you have led troops to rescue Yingtao County, saving the people from suffering. Capable of fighting on horseback and governing when dismounted, such talent is truly rare!"
Zhang Chen bowed again and said, "My Lord praises me too much. If not for my Lord's grace of recognizing my talent, Zifan would not have achieved what he has today."
"Someone, bring the items forward." After Li Wen finished speaking, an attendant walked in, holding two brocade boxes, and placed them before the table.
Li Wen looked at Zhang Chen and said, "County Magistrate Zhang, this official values your talent, and thus ordered my subordinates to summon you here to bestow upon you a great opportunity."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen was startled and quickly asked, "My Lord, what do you mean?"
"Open these two brocade boxes and take a look."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen carefully stepped forward, picked up one of the brocade boxes, and gently opened it.
Inside was a piece of silk.
Zhang Chen took out the silk, gently unfolded it, and looked at the contents, but could not help but turn pale with fright.
"My Lord, this..." Zhang Chen's expression changed, and he couldn't help but exclaim.
This was an imperial decree, a decree promoting Zhang Chen to Prefect of Wei Commandery!
"My Lord..." Zhang Chen looked at the imperial decree, momentarily feeling at a loss.
Official positions above Prefect had always been appointed by the imperial court. But he had not yet established connections in the court, so how could the court issue this imperial decree, appointing him as Prefect of Wei Commandery?
Who had recommended him?
Zhang Chen felt deeply puzzled.
Li Wen said indifferently, "The Qiang people in Liang Province are rebelling. His Majesty has already issued an imperial decree, ordering General Huangfu to lead troops to suppress the rebellion, and appointing me as the Prefect of Wuwei. The imperial decree has been issued, and I will be transferred soon. You are a person of great talent; it would be a pity for you to remain in Guangping County. Therefore, I submitted a memorial recommending you as Prefect of Wei Commandery. Wei Commandery is an important town in Ji Province. I hope you will not disappoint me and will govern this place well."
"My Lord..." Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen's heart turned from surprise to ecstasy, but he still said with tears in his eyes, "My Lord's grace of recognizing my talent is something Zifan cannot repay. I will surely remember my Lord's teachings and will never fail my Lord's trust!"
"Good, good!" Li Wen nodded and pointed to the other brocade box: "In this second brocade box is a great gift from me to you. Open it and take a look."
Zhang Chen picked up the second brocade box again and gently opened it.
He saw that inside was an envelope. Zhang Chen tore open the envelope and slowly took out the letter inside.
This was a letter of recommendation, and it had already been stamped with the Prefect's great seal.
Zhang Chen looked at the contents and couldn't help but bow to Li Wen again.
"My Lord, what virtue and ability does Zifan possess to receive such favor from my Lord?" Zhang Chen covered his face and wept, his gratitude overflowing.
This was not an ordinary letter of recommendation, but a recommendation letter for "Filial Piety and Integrity"!
The Han Dynasty implemented the Recommendation System. The saying goes, "Counties recommend Filial Piety and Integrity, Provinces recommend Outstanding Talent." Filial Piety and Integrity and Outstanding Talent were like the academic degrees of later generations. With such a degree, one's future official career would be vast and smooth sailing.
Those with outstanding talent were called Xiucai. The Eastern Han Dynasty changed the name to Maocai to avoid the taboo name of Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu. One could only obtain this degree through recommendation by provinces and commanderies if their talent was outstanding. Ju Shou entered officialdom through being recommended as Maocai.
As for Filial Piety and Integrity, as the name suggests, it means being filial to parents and being clean and diligent in governance. Officials who rose through Filial Piety and Integrity were generally considered to be from the proper path and the pure stream, highly valued, and had vast prospects and rapid advancement after entering officialdom. Dong Zhao, the Magistrate of Yingtao County, entered officialdom through being recommended as Filial Piety and Integrity.
If Zhang Chen had the degree of "Filial Piety and Integrity," he could completely shed his merchant identity and leap into becoming a pure-stream Scholar!
This great gift might not be much to others, but for Zhang Chen, it was incredibly valuable!
Li Wen said, "I know you come from a humble background. With this degree, you will surely achieve great success in the future. I only hope that when you achieve fame and great accomplishments in the future, you will not forget your original intention today and will prioritize the common people."
These few words, though few, were powerful and resonant. Zhang Chen felt a surge of emotion in his heart, deeply moved and impressed.
Zhang Chen looked at Li Wen and saw his vigorous face filled with hope. His deep eyes seemed to hold a profound message for him.
Zhang Chen couldn't help but tremble, knelt down, and kowtowed heavily to Li Wen.
"This subordinate will certainly live up to my Lord's high expectations!"