Xu Qing's forehead darkened; to become a governor was still acceptable.
Within our dynasty, when the position of governor was first established, it was of the Second Rank, but later it was demoted to the Third Rank, and it became customary. Ordinary magistrates are of the Fifth Rank, but in a directly-administered city like Jiangning Prefecture, it's usually of the Fourth Rank, which is the current rank of Magistrate He.
If Magistrate He were the magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture it would be a different story; after all, during the early years of the dynasty, the magistrate of Yingtian was of the Third Rank. After the capital moved North, Yingtian Prefecture was demoted to the Deputy Third Rank but was still considered a high appointment.
However, this high appointment for the magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture is also a helpless move. With a low rank, how could he suppress the powerful officials in South Zhili? Could he still manage his duties?
