Upon seeing Cao Song, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Cao Song, as one of the Nine Ministers, was in charge of the Han Dynasty's treasury and grain reserves. Now, he was deeply favored by the emperor, and his family background and status were unmatched by any of them.

Although they were all courtiers, they didn't have much interaction with Cao Song. Seeing Cao Song suddenly appear, and thinking that he had probably overheard their conversation, everyone present couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Looking at the officials before him, Cao Song sighed inwardly, remembering how similar he had been to them when he first entered the court as an official.

Then Cao Song chuckled and looked at the crowd before him, "Hehe~ No need for such formalities! Am I that scary? Look at the way you're all acting!!"

"Please don't be offended, Grand Minister of Agriculture. We only admire you! We have no other intentions!"

Seemingly realizing that Cao Song didn't mean anything by it, Song Feng, who was quite familiar with Cao Song, quickly spoke up to help everyone out of the predicament.

"Ah! Yes, yes, yes! The Grand Minister of Agriculture works hard all day long!" The officials quickly chimed in agreement.

Cao Song waved his hand and laughed heartily, "Haha~ You're too kind, everyone. We're all serving His Majesty and the Han Dynasty. What's all this talk about hard work? Aren't we all just trying to make our descendants live a better life? Don't you agree?!"

"The Grand Minister of Agriculture is right! We have been foolish!"

The crowd looked at Cao Song with a hint of respect in their eyes. Regardless of Cao Song's past character, his words and actions after the emperor's ascension to the throne were indeed different from before.

"I just heard you all say that you want to write to the Emperor, hoping to increase the number of positions available for recruitment next year?"

Ignoring the compliments from the crowd, Cao Song brought up the topic they had just discussed, clearly showing great interest in it.

Upon hearing Cao Song's question, everyone exchanged glances. The official under the Grand Granary Magistrate stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Reporting to the Grand Minister of Agriculture, this is indeed the case!"

Cao Song nodded. "Yes! I'm also very interested. Why don't you share your thoughts?"

"Reporting to the Grand Minister of Agriculture, our Great Han Dynasty is vast, with tens of millions of people. Such a large territory and population certainly require tens of thousands of virtuous and capable people to assist Your Majesty in governing the world!"

"Ahem~ Well said! Continue..." Cao Song coughed lightly, signaling the man to continue.

"Therefore, we humble servants believe that Your Majesty's annual recruitment of only a few hundred people is merely a drop in the ocean and cannot meet the needs of the people! The number of recruits should be increased. Only in this way can all the talents of the world be gathered under Your Majesty's command, and only then can our Great Han Dynasty prosper!"

"Haha~ Excellent! Well said! All the talents in the world belong to Your Majesty! Your Majesty likes to hear that!"

Cao Song laughed heartily twice, his gaze towards the official filled with admiration.

Seeing Cao Song's appearance, everyone's hearts stirred, and then one official couldn't help but ask, "Does the Grand Minister of Agriculture also agree with our opinion?"

The others also looked at Cao Song with hope. If Cao Song could agree with and support their opinions, then given his position in the emperor's heart, it would certainly greatly increase the success rate of this matter. With the increase in the number of people the emperor would admit, the chances for their younger generations would also increase.

Cao Song met everyone's gazes with a sly smile, deliberately drawing out his words as he slowly said, "Of course... I don't agree!!"

Everyone craned their necks to watch Cao Song's mouth open and close. When they heard the word "of course," they were overjoyed. Just as they were about to agree, the words "disagree" hit them like a heavy hammer, making them almost spit out blood.

"Grand Minister of Agriculture, you...you..." An official stared at Cao Song in astonishment, speechless.

Everyone couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Would it kill you to just say it all at once?"

Seeing the crowd before him looking as if they'd swallowed flies, Cao Song felt a surge of smugness mixed with disdain. He scoffed inwardly, "Hmph~ Adding more spots, isn't that just benefiting you guys?"

Cao Song knew perfectly well what these people were up to. Even if the emperor increased the number of seats, they would only take the opportunity to stuff their own sons into the seats. The so-called assistance to the emperor in governing the country was just a high-sounding excuse.

However, after careful consideration, Cao Song realized that the suggestion from these people was not bad, and it was indeed extremely beneficial for the emperor in selecting talent.

Cao Song's eyes lit up, and he thought he might as well take advantage of them, since the agricultural college, engineering college, and medical college under his jurisdiction were in dire need of manpower.

Thinking of this, Cao Song shook his head slightly and sighed, "Even if I agree, and you manage to get His Majesty to approve an increase in the number of positions, do you really think the Yuan family and the Yang family will give you those positions?"

Upon hearing Cao Song's words, everyone suddenly realized what was happening and looked at him in disbelief. One of the officials couldn't help but say:

"What does the Grand Minister of Agriculture mean...?"

"Hmph~ Isn't it obvious? You have descendants in your families, but they have even more. Even if His Majesty increases the number of positions, in the end it will only benefit them. Do you think you can compete with the Yuan family, the Xun family, and the Yang family?"

Cao Song snorted coldly, and continued with a hint of disappointment, "Even if your family members are lucky enough to be hired, if one of you is hired, but ten of them are, do you all think that's a bargain or a loss?"

After listening to Cao Song's words, everyone realized that it was indeed true. If what the Grand Minister of Agriculture said was true, then all of them combined would not be able to match the power of that one family, and the gap would only widen.

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