Chapter 10: The Reality of Officialdom
After Zhou Jin and Fan Jin entered officialdom, they began to encounter the true face of the bureaucracy. They found that this place was not as clean and upright as they had imagined, but was filled with power struggles and corruption.
Inside the imperial court, there were factional struggles, and various factions used unscrupulous means to fight for power. Officials attacked each other, even framing opponents, and this internal friction made state governance difficult.
The Hanlin Academy where Zhou Jin worked was also not peaceful. Here gathered the most talented scholars from the entire country, but there was also competition and jealousy among them. Zhou Jin tried to remain neutral and unwilling to be involved in these struggles.
Fan Jin was responsible for financial affairs at the Ministry of Revenue. He found the accounts were chaotic and corruption was serious. Many officials took advantage of their positions to enrich themselves, damaging the country's interests.
Facing these corrupt phenomena, Zhou Jin and Fan Jin felt disappointed and angry. They once believed that officials who passed the imperial examination should be morally noble, but reality awakened them.
However, they also knew that they could not change the entire system alone. They could only do their best to be honest officials in their positions and do some practical things for the people.