In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the system of recruitment by the government office fell into two categories:the monarch government recruitment and the state and prefecture government recruitment. Head officials from both level of governments could appoint their own subordinate officers. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, with the establishment of the influential kindred clan system, the recruitment of monarch government was controlled by the powerful aristocratic families, while the state and prefecture recruitment declined in status and became the way for the poor to enter the government. In the Southern Dynasties, most of the high-ranking officials' children were elected directly to the government by the civil service department. The monarch government recruitment was somewhat quiet, while the state recruitment showed a tendency towards noble families. After the Reform of Taihe in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the monarch government's recruitment merged with "the system of obtaining official title by virtue of the meritorious service or rank of the previous generation." During the reign of Qi Houzhu (Last Ruler Qi), there was a change in the recruitment of the state and prefecture officials. The state and prefecture officials were appointed by the monarch, and the power of local clans began to decline.