Tsai
Pen-Chung
While Tsai
Pen-Chung is only 37 years of age, he has already accumulated much
honor and wealth for his family. At a youthful 24, he earned his
chin-shih degree by passing both the local forwarding exam
in his own prefecture and the departmental exam in the capital on
his first try. His answer to a question on how to handle a subprefecture
where tax revenues had declined was especially noteworthy, and he
was ranked as A third palace graduate among those who passed the
exam that year, meaning that he was third overall of all the men
taking the test. The Tsai family, an important land-owning family
in the prefecture of Hsin-Chou, gained much honor from this notable
achievement, adding to the honor already achieved in the Civil Service
by Tsai Pen-Chungs cousin, Tsai Wan-li.
Tsai Pen-Chung
was immediately made an administrative staff supervisor. Since then,
he has been head of a subprefecture, financial inspector at the
prefecture level, and vice-administrator of the prefecture of Tai-ping
chou. He finally became administrator of the prefecture when the
previous administrator was promoted to an administrative position
in the capital. During his years of service, Tsai Pen-Chung has
helped improve the economic prosperity of his prefecture, and thus
increased its population. Tsai is honored everywhere for his upstanding
morals and lack of corruption.
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