What exactly does Fu Qionglin mean? Logically, Su Jingchen, being the top scholar, should have started in the Hanlin Academy, but the Emperor did the opposite, sending Su Jingchen to the Northern Land to start as a County Magistrate.
According to the laws of Great Liang, officials are not allowed to serve in their hometowns, for fear that they might be entangled with the local family powers, unable to judge cases impartially, or become local tyrants, like little emperors.
It's unclear how Fu Yi spoke to the Emperor at the time, but in any case, Su Jingchen's official career trajectory was completely different from what was in the book.
Not entering the Hanlin Academy means he won't have the opportunity to enter the Cabinet in the future, so Su Jingchen might very well be stuck at the third-rank official for his whole life.
