The Qing dynasty's central administrative institutions included the Two Offices and Six Ministries. The Two Offices were the Cabinet and the Grand Council, while the Six Ministries retained from the Sui and Tang dynasties were the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of War, Ministry of Punishments, and Ministry of Works. There were also the Court of Colonial Affairs, Censorate, Hanlin Academy, and Dali Temple. The functions originally held by the Department of State Affairs, Secretariat, and Chancellery were taken over by the Cabinet.
The Cabinet was mainly responsible for assigning and handling routine affairs. It could be called the emperor's secretariat. It consisted of six grand secretaries and ten assistant grand secretaries, as well as many lower-ranking officials.
There was a Secretariat Drafter named Chen Yunting. He was very familiar with the imperial sons-in-law, and he could be seen at nearly every gathering.
At his reminder, the Provincial Graduate remembered the matter of the "Grand Selection." The Grand Selection chose some provincial graduates who had failed the metropolitan examination three times or more and appointed them as county magistrates or Cabinet secretaries, or sent them to study at the Imperial Academy. It was held once every six years. But whenever it was a Grand Selection year, provincial graduates who had failed the metropolitan examination had to find fellow provincials serving as Beijing officials to guarantee them, pay the registration and certification fees, then have the Ministry of Rites compile their names into a register. After that, they were examined by the Ministers and Vice Ministers of Personnel, and finally interviewed and selected by princes appointed through imperial decree. If they passed, they could become like Chen Yunting.
In other words, such posts could be bought. Moreover, Qianlong especially believed in first impressions. Perhaps not every