Governor Wang stared fixedly at Wenren Sheng.
He knew that ancient times had so-called physiognomists. For example, Liu Bowen, who helped found the dynasty, was said to be able to discern loyalty, treachery, good, and evil in people. Then there was Bao Zheng from folk legends, who was supposedly capable of the same.
Yet such things carried a rather supernatural flavor, and those of orthodox Confucianism did not really believe in them.
Of course, it could not be said that they completely disbelieved them either.
It could be seen from the imperial examinations. When selecting talent, they preferred those with upright and proper appearances, while those who looked wretched and vulgar often ranked lower.
Even if they were not failed outright, they would usually end up in the third class.
Whether xiucai or juren, all were affected in this regard.
For jinshi, the effect was even greater because they had to appear before the emperor.
He watched for a while before saying, "Good. Then I'll put you to the test."
He then had Old Butler summon more than twenty servants from the household.
He knew the character of most of these people.
Aside from the few who had been fortunate enough to enjoy the protection of elders, most men who rose to become provincial governors possessed particular skill in judging people and dealing with matters.
In other words, their social skills had absolutely passed muster.
At the very least, they could judge people with seventy percent accuracy.
"Go ahead and distinguish them. I won't make things difficult for you. So long as you are sixty percent correct, I will recommend you," Governor Wang said.
A xiucai could become an official, and even someone without scholarly credentials could take the route of a Minor Official if recommended by someone. They could