Chapter 784: Because I’m Her Fiance
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Prime Minister Cui was a conservative person. In his opinion, the drawbacks of the Imperial Examination system were huge.
Some young people who had never come into contact with the important matters of the Imperial Court could enter the Imperial Court and become a reserve of talents just by writing a few articles. This was clearly wrong.
True talents need to build up their qualifications, starting from low-ranking positions like assistant officials, going through selections every three years, and finally, climbing up step by step based on their individual abilities. Only then can they be considered truly needed talents.
With this standard, not to mention Wang Chuangui, who had been chosen to be a governor, even this weak Scholar Qin in front of him, who was still very young, was far from qualified.
There was another type of conservative faction in the Imperial Court. Most of their thoughts were the same as Minister Cui’s, but regarding the selection of talents, they placed more emphasis on family background.
In the past, the Great Chang’s government officials were mainly based on the nomination system. When it came to Emperor Minghua, there were many flaws. At the beginning of the political landscape formation, the important officials of the various Imperial Courts and aristocratic families joined forces to protect themselves.
Empress Qin made a prompt decision and personally reprimanded the first-rank officials in the hall. Three of the six ministers were personally abolished by her, and there was even an assistant minister whose blood splashed in the hall.
Behind Empress Qin stood Duke Yong. Even their opponent, Duke An, supported Empress Qin, and all the military officials supported her.
The ministers were dumbfounded and did not dare to say anything.
Empress Qin became famous after that battle, but from then on, she took the initiative to retreat to the harem and did not interfere with the previous court.
However, it was also from then on that the selection of talents was mainly through the Imperial Examination.
For some reason, when they saw Qin Huai standing in the hall today, they vaguely saw the shadow of Empress Qin. Some old people thought of the past and couldn’t help but shiver.
“Wang Zhizhou’s ability is not something that everyone can determine just by gossiping here.” General Hua, who had been silent all this while, suddenly said, “Our Emperor is not a fool. He’s probably sent someone to find out the truth already. Why don’t you discuss the outcomes instead? The first is that Wang Zhizhou is talented. We should think about how to reward him. Should we exaggerate or hide the news, or deal with him in another way? Is that very difficult?”
Seeing that everyone was silent, General Hua rushed to say, “Let me speak first then. If Wang Zhizhou is really powerful and he actually overthrew the previous county governor, wouldn’t it be better to appoint him as the new county governor on the spot and strike while the iron is hot to let him clean up the local area?”
Minister Cui couldn’t help but say, “General Hua, as a military official, it’s best if you don’t participate in the discussion about the reward.”
He did not know what the Emperor was thinking. He actually let General Hua stay here. What could a boor like him know?
He was just spouting nonsense.
Qin Huai said, “He’s just expressing his opinion. Why can’t he speak? Minister Cui, don’t be angry. No matter what, this reward belongs to Wang Zhizhou. It won’t fall to anyone else.”
Minister Cui choked. “When did I say I wanted to give it to others?”
“Cough!” Minister Lu from the Ministry of Personnel coughed heavily and said slowly, “Scholar Qin’s words are not unreasonable. Since we have our own opinions, we should naturally speak freely.”
Someone was dissatisfied. “Minister Lu is quite generous. Your grandson has already become Scholar Qin’s servant. Who knows if you’ve already discussed it in private?”
When Minister Lu heard this, he only smiled and did not answer.
He was a true gentleman, but he had never suffered a loss.
From the beginning to the end, Emperor Minghua did not say anything. He only watched as the officials quarreled below. At first, everyone’s attitude was still considered gentle, but later on, someone attacked first, and the scene became chaotic.
Minister Cui was pushed to the ground and his pants were almost stepped off.
The others did not have an easy time either. The tea was splashed all over their bodies, and even the ceremonial tablet fell to the ground. When they lowered their heads to pick it up, they were kicked again.
The scene was chaotic.
General Hua was skilled and had long pulled the old Minister Lu and the others aside in advance to stand with the young Qin Huai.
They sat at the side and watched the show.
When the Empress Dowager and the Empress arrived, the officials were no longer presentable.
The various Officials’ clothes were loose, and their hair was scattered everywhere. There were even all kinds of red marks on their faces. It was unknown if they had been hit or knocked down.
The Empress Dowager couldn’t help but turn her head and hold back her laughter for a long time before telling the eunuch beside her to announce their arrival.
“The Empress Dowager has arrived—the Empress has arrived—”
The officials were shocked and hurriedly bowed.
“Greetings, Empress Dowager. May the Empress and Empress Dowager live a thousand years!”
“Blessings and peace be to the Empress and Empress Dowager.”
The Empress Dowager looked up. “Get up.”
This was because after the commotion, everyone looked haggard. It was nothing, but with the Empress Dowager and the Empress present, the nature of the situation changed.
They only wanted to find a hole to hide in and were not in the mood to discuss this.
Qin Huai accepted the order and recounted the entire matter. After he finished speaking concisely, he retreated to the side.
The Empress Dowager thought for a moment and said, “General Hua is right. I think it’s very feasible. What do you think?”
The officials lowered their heads. “The Empress Dowager is wise.”
The Empress Dowager looked at Emperor Minghua again. “Emperor, what do you think?”
Emperor Minghua retracted the smile on his face and said seriously, “Mother is right. Let’s do as you say. According to the wishes of the ministers, if Wang Zhizhou is indeed talented, we’ll confer him the title of Count-in-Waiting. He shall enjoy the salary of an Earl, and be allowed 300 retainers. If he’s not actually talented, we’ll follow the normal three-year debriefing process and wait for him to return to the capital before making a decision.”
The officials were dizzy and all said, “Your Majesty is wise.”
Qin Huai quickly drafted the contents of the imperial edict on the spot and asked the eunuch to copy it. After the jade seal was stamped, the officials, including Minister Cui, felt that something was wrong.
How did things turn out like this?
However, they still felt fortunate about one thing. If Wang Zhizhou was deliberately exaggerating, they could deal him a ruthless blow.
However, he did not expect that two months later, the people sent by Emperor Minghua would return at full speed. The news they brought back was that not only had Wang Zhizhou uprooted the local corrupt county, but he had also subdued a bandit faction that had been entrenched near Chang’an County for 20 to 30 years.
Not only did he recruit all the other party’s members, but he also brought them to farm the land. The food they planted grew lushly and was about to have a bumper harvest this year!
The officials of the Imperial Court:!!
Why was this completely different from what they had imagined?!
After that, not only was Wang Chuangui promoted to a county governor on the spot, but was also bestowed the title of “Guardian of Righteousness.”.
In addition, the cultivation of the reclaimed mountain, along with the efforts of the local people, helped them successfully overcome subsequent famines. However, this is a story for another time.
After that, Minister Cui still couldn’t figure it out. He once looked for Qin Huai alone and asked him, “Your future is bright and clear. Why do you have to mix with those people from poor families?”
Qin Huai said, “Wang Zhizhou is not from a poor family. His niece is the commander of the Astrology Divination Bureau and is even personally conferred the title of Village Lord Yu by the Emperor. How can they be considered a poor family?”
“A mere Village Lord is nothing. Moreover, what right does she have to become Wang Zhizhou’s backer? You’ve been confused by them.”
“Because I’m her fiance!” Qin Huai said word by word, “If not for the fact that she’s a woman, I might even have to relent to her the position of the Top Scholar. If Village Lord Yu’s status is not enough to support her family, I, Qin Huai, will hold them up. If I can’t hold on anymore, my grandfather and King Xiaoyao will probably be happy to support her family.”
They had to.
Minister Cui:”…”
As expected, they couldn’t let the young people join the government.. It’s become full of childish sentiments!