From the Mingjing Examination to Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat

The most historically accurate Di Renjie: In the first year of Xianqing (656), Di Renjie passed the Mingjing examination at around twenty-six years of age and was appointed assistant magistrate of Bianzhou (modern-day Kaifeng, Henan, responsible for local judicial proceedings). After taking office, he was falsely accused by a subordinate. Yan Liben, then the inspector of Henan Circuit, happened to be handling the case. Recognizing Di Renjie’s talent, he praised him as “a pearl from the sea’s bend, a treasure of the southeast” and recommended him for promotion to judicial officer in the Binyang Commandery Governor’s Office, setting him on the path to becoming a renowned official.