Chapter 305 Targeted Distribution
But after Ming Xiaoshuang finished speaking, not only Xu Zhenying laughed, but everyone in the room also laughed. "Well, now I have some impression of him. How come this guy, who has such a good tongue, was assigned to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security? This kind of person should be working in the Ministry of Commerce to deceive others or in the Ministry of Supervision to catch corrupt officials!"
Huang Weiguang wanted to kneel down and apologize: "Your Highness, please forgive me. At that time, I was young and arrogant, and I spoke and acted with confidence..."
Xu Zhenying interrupted him with a smile, "Alright! Look how scared you are! There are so many people in this room who have scolded me! You're not the only one."
Elder Lin also stroked his beard and said, "Your Highness is as magnanimous as the sea and will not take your mistakes to heart. Besides, only mediocre people are not cursed. What Your Highness did is rare and unique, and the rumors and gossips he has suffered are countless. How could he remember what you cursed him for?"
Even Liu Jianlin added calmly, "Don't be afraid. Not only have you scolded me, I've scolded you too."
Huang Weiguang was a little surprised, but then he finally felt relieved.
It turns out that I have scolded His Highness before.
Then he felt relieved.
But he never realized that Liu Jianlin had actually scolded His Highness.
Zhao Qiaonian seized the opportunity to say, "Your Highness, Director Huang has a business background and is familiar with how merchants bribe officials. He's perfect for our Supervisory Department! Aren't you planning to carry out a rectification campaign in the officialdom next year? We need talent like him!"
Xu Zhenying laughed: "Don't tell me, I can't make the decision. If you want to snatch someone away, go talk to Liu Jianlin yourself."
There was laughter and joy in the house, and everyone was having a great time.
But it’s hard for those who are still waiting outside.
Although the secretary beside His Highness sent someone to deliver charcoal, and even the conditions were much better than the situation when they first met the Lord of the Mansion and were extorted, they still couldn't help but feel restless when they heard His Highness's voice from time to time and saw the heated discussions in the room.
An impatient young medical student said, "How much longer will this take? It's already been almost an hour and a half."
An elderly woman dressed in silk and satin stood beside him. She looked like a representative of the Chamber of Commerce. She held a cup of hot tea in her hand and slowly exhaled a puff of white air. She said slowly, "Your Highness is very busy. This meeting will probably take the whole morning. Let's just wait patiently."
The medical student looked at the other person curiously, but saw that the man was nearly sixty years old, hunched over, with a head full of silver hair and a face full of wrinkles. He couldn't help but admire her: "Grandma, you are still working at this age. I really admire you."
"We're just answering His Highness's call. We're all trying to make money. We can't compare to you doctors."
"We're not doctors yet. We're just graduating soon."
Mrs. Luo liked these childish children. "Come to think of it, my little granddaughter is also studying in medical school, but she's in her third year this year, so she's considered your junior. What are you doing here today?"
When talking about their fellow students, the students immediately started chattering.
"Our batch is about to graduate, and the academy has come up with a placement plan, so we should discuss it."
"I need to have a good talk with His Highness. Should we decide now that all future medical students will follow this allocation plan?"
"Yes, this concerns the careers of countless younger students, so we must be very careful."
Someone else asked, "Grandma, what are you doing here? It's so cold today, why are you waiting so early?"
Mrs. Luo smiled and said, "Alas, I just wanted to get some of His Highness's dragon energy—"
"Alas..." someone reminded him, "A gentleman should not speak of strange things. His Highness doesn't like us talking about such things."
"I know, I know. His Highness hasn't allowed us to worship yet." Old Madam Luo said this, but her skinny hands quietly pulled out a palm-sized wooden statue from her bosom. She had a smug look on her face. "Here, this one came from the west. It's your Highness's statue. Isn't it lifelike? Such a small thing is now being sold for ten taels of silver in the west! Even if it were an ordinary family's offering, it would cost dozens of coins!"
The faces of several medical students changed slightly. "Mother-in-law, His Highness will definitely scold us if he sees us!"
"Let her curse. I'm old and my ears aren't very good, so I can't hear you." Old Madam Luo didn't care and put the statue back in her pocket. "Your Highness quelled the plague in the west and is revered as a god by the people there. What's wrong with ordinary people worshipping gods? Don't you think so, children?"
Several students didn't dare to speak, but a girl smiled and said, "That's right. We're going to pay our respects to His Highness, but can't we just keep it a secret from His Highness? His Highness certainly doesn't like the common people praising her. But she's been kind to the people, so how could they not know? In my opinion, His Highness is just too low-key and honest. Any other emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, given Jinzhou Prefecture's achievements, would have built an ancestral temple and climbed Mount Tai to make it known to everyone!"
There was even another little girl tugging at Madam Luo's sleeve, "Mother-in-law, where did you buy this little statue? I want one too. My mother keeps talking about His Highness, saying it's all thanks to Him that my brother became a general and I became a doctor. Your Highness is our family's benefactor. Why not make a wooden statue for him?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Mrs. Luo's laughter brightened. Just as she was about to pull the little girl aside to talk about the wooden statue, she heard the secretary beside Xu Zhenying call out, "Students of the Medical School, your time has come. Come in quickly."
It seemed the secretary had spotted Madam Luo again and actually asked, "Madam, why don't you and the others wait inside? It's freezing outside, and it looks like it's going to snow soon. If these kids go in, it'll probably take at least another half an hour."
The little girl had no choice but to say, "Grandma, please don't leave later. Tell me where to buy this little statue."
Qu Min then had the waiting area for the businessmen moved to the side room.
When the medical students entered, the previous meeting had just ended. Many leaders at the ministerial level and above were approaching, making the students afraid to look up. However, the brave ones looked openly at them, occasionally pulling on their classmates' sleeves and saying excitedly, "That's Minister Ming! My God, he looks so young!"
"And Instructor Mo from the military! Look at his muscular body! I really want to dissect him and see—"
Everyone fell backward in silence.
So this guy is not obsessed with love, but is addicted to anatomy?
As they walked into the conference room, everyone immediately became nervous. Some of them didn't even know where to sit. Fortunately, a secretary was there to let them sit in order. A group of people secretly and frantically scrambled for the seats at the back.
Qiu Ju Niang naturally sat in the front row.
Someone secretly began to look at Xu Zhenying in front.
Then, noticing the gaze of Xu Zhenying's secretary, someone immediately blushed and looked away.
The legendary His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
Alive.
It can move!
Many people cheered in their hearts.
However, some people have been observing Jiang Chaoping. Secretary Jiang was also a student of the medical school. In fact, they were from the same class, but he had already reached the position of a close minister to the emperor. He had a bright future, which was better than them being a small doctor.
The students were initially worried that His Highness would exchange pleasantries with them, perhaps even ask them to introduce themselves, but Qiu Ju-niang suddenly spoke directly, "Your Highness, I asked Secretary Jiang to submit the distribution plan a few days ago, and you said there was something wrong with it. What's wrong with it?"
Xu Zhenying seemed oblivious to the excitement of the children below. He was just quickly flipping through the materials submitted by the medical school. Xu Yinxi, standing nearby, pointed to one section and said, "This one gives priority to those with military relatives assigned to the front lines. I don't think this is appropriate. First, our assignment is a five-year program, which is a long time, and there may be few opportunities for transfers later. Secondly, if assigned to the army, they will be military doctors. Military doctors occupy military positions. Will the salaries and benefits be based on the soldiers or the medical school's designated doctors? It's not clearly stated here. Finally, although I shouldn't say this, considering that some people don't want to go to the battlefield for various reasons, we can't force them to join the army. We should focus on encouragement. Therefore, I suggest that the military doctor section be more appropriate and complete."
Qiu Ju Niang immediately wrote it down.
The same is true for the river tide on one side.
Xu Zhenying drummed his hand on the table. "That's right, Secretary Xu made a very good point. Since all future medical students will be following this plan, we should have done a better job in the early stages. Any comments, students? Do you have any? After all, this plan concerns your vital interests. If you have any ideas, please share them."
The students were afraid to speak, so Jiang Chaoping took the lead. "Besides what Secretary Xu just mentioned, there's another question. We now have eleven states, with nearly a thousand villages under our jurisdiction. However, our first class of medical graduates only has a little over a hundred. Many villages are eyeing these one hundred or so spots. You must come up with a specific explanation. Why did some villages get doctors first, while others didn't? What's the reason for this ranking? Is it distance from Jinzhou Prefecture? Is it population size? Or do villages and towns with medical graduates get priority? If the village heads come up and ask, how should we answer them?"
Qiu Ju Niang said sincerely, "What Secretary Jiang pointed out is that this is indeed an oversight on our part. We were originally considering giving priority to villages and towns with medical graduates in allocating doctors, but what you said does seem a bit unfair to other villages, and I'm afraid it won't convince everyone."
Qiu Ju Niang then said to the students behind her, "Didn't you all have a lot of opinions down there before? Before leaving, I collected your opinions. Now, in front of His Highness, just say whatever you want."
Xu Yinxi seemed to understand the students' concerns. She smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. Speak up, even if you have special personal circumstances. This concerns your own vital interests, and the targeted program will take five years. Don't miss out because you're afraid to express your opinions or are shy."
One male student boldly said, "Your Highness, I... I don't want to go back to my hometown. My father died young, and my mother raised the three of us. Life was hard. Before you came, we brothers and sisters were bullied. The villagers even took our house and made us live in a pigsty. Our land was taken away by the villagers. We are an orphan and a widow, and we don't even have a piece of clothing to keep warm in the winter. They treat us like cats and dogs. You can criticize me for disobeying their orders, but I... I don't want to go back to the village! I don't want to go back to build that hometown!"
After the male student finished speaking, the entire conference room fell silent.
He seemed to be a little scared after he finished speaking, and lowered his head in shame and embarrassment.
Xu Zhenying didn't say much, only instructing Jiang Chaoping, "Secretary Jiang, one more thing: in principle, you must obey the assignment. Adjustments can be made if necessary due to personal circumstances."
The boy's eyes instantly turned red!
Once one person started talking, the others followed suit.
"City Lord, we...female students are quite concerned. After five years of orientation, can we get married? If the man is also a civil servant, what will happen to his future transfer?"
"Yes, after five years of orientation, there's no word on what the follow-up plan will be. Will you stay in Murakami forever, or go somewhere else?"
"A good cook cannot cook without rice. The village can't just have doctors like us. We also need medicine and other things. Otherwise, it's useless for us to just consult without prescribing medicine!"
"Yes, yes, this herbal medicine is a big problem. Nowadays, medicine is generally only available in the county town. If you encounter an emergency, sending the patient to the county town will delay treatment time."
"That's right. Although the targeted allocation plan says there are houses for us in the village, what about the pharmacy? Should we also build a village-run pharmacy in the future? But there are not many people in the village, so building a pharmacy is not worth it."
"Your Highness, I don't want to be assigned. I just want to do experiments in the medical school. Is that okay? Penicillin hasn't been developed yet, and I want to stay in school to continue the experiment."
"Your Highness, we have a classmate whose family is in the herbal medicine business. His parents are counting on him to return and inherit the family business. They asked if they could refuse to distribute the property, but they are willing to pay liquidated damages or donate the herbs, as long as they return the person to them."
Even Qiu Ju-niang chimed in, "How many promising graduates are there among this batch? Can we keep a few teachers at the medical school? Doctor He is getting old, and two or three doctors have opened clinics after becoming famous, making it impossible for them to hold teaching positions at the medical school. And myself, shouldering both the dean's and the director of the medical department, is a bit overwhelmed."
Looking at the excited and eager faces in the audience, Xu Zhenying smiled wryly and said to the secretaries around him, "Look, this submitted plan sounds flawless, but in reality, it still raises so many questions. Okay, Jiang Chaoping, write down all the questions raised today, then go to the medical school to get a feel for how to resolve them, and then come up with a draft plan."
Mrs. Luo in the side room was almost dozing off waiting when she finally heard someone call out, "Delegates from the Ministry of Commerce, please come over and wait. You'll be next."
"Oh my god, it's finally our turn," someone sighed, then looked at Qu Min flatteringly, saying, "Ah, Secretary Qu, you guys are really working so hard! I manage over a dozen shops, and I thought I was almost overwhelmed, but I didn't expect that His Highness and the secretaries are the ones who are most tired! They say His Highness is very busy, and it's really true."
Secretary Qu led the way and said with a smile, "Her Highness is indeed working hard. The livelihoods of the people in these eleven states rest on her shoulders."
A group of people walked into the conference room in a harmonious atmosphere, and then saw the group of medical students coming out chattering, seemingly still discussing their assignments after graduation.
Mrs. Luo walked in front. As soon as she entered the room, Xu Zhenying's eyes lit up and he stood up with a smile to greet her: "Mrs. Luo!"
At this time, the other dozen merchants looked at the plain-looking Mrs. Luo in some astonishment. They saw that Mrs. Luo seemed to become more agile all of a sudden. She took two quick steps and took Xu Zhenying's hand affectionately, asking about his well-being. The two of them were like good friends!
The other merchants were dumbfounded.
This old lady Luo is no ordinary person. It seems that she has a good personal relationship with the city lord.
Even Xu Zhenying's chief secretary, Xu Yinxi, stood up. Everyone was wondering how Mrs. Luo knew His Highness when Xu Zhenying smiled and said, "Mrs. Luo and I are old friends. Five years ago, I made my first fortune selling soap through cooperation with Mrs. Luo!"
Mrs. Luo's face was clearly filled with pride. "That's right. I saw your highness's divine appearance at the time and predicted that he would achieve great things in the future. What a pity! Your highness was wearing men's clothes at the time. He almost became my grandson-in-law!"
Xu Zhenying couldn't help laughing when he talked about the past, and then he said to Xu Yinxi, "This old lady Luo is the one we met when we were selling soap in Xingyuan Prefecture. Qi Er was there at the time, too. Our soap business at the North and South factories was done in partnership with old lady Luo. There was also an old man Lin, whom you should have met."
Xu Zhenying smiled and said to Madam Luo, "Madam Luo, I haven't seen you for a long time. You seem to be in good health. How is the business of the factory in the north these years?"
"Of course I am. Thanks to Your Highness, I am doing very well. I heard that Your Highness has built such a great family business, so I hurried back to see you before the New Year this year."
Several other merchants also laughed and said, "If I had known that Madam Luo and His Highness had such a close personal relationship, you would have brought us directly to see His Highness. You are really patient. We have been talking about this for more than ten days, and you haven't revealed a single word!"
Madam Luo said, "Alas, Jinzhou Prefecture has its own rules. How can I use the back door?"
After this joke, the merchant representatives were not so nervous anymore.
Qian Zhenniang said at the right moment, "Your Highness, the following is what happened. After the Patent Law was promulgated this year, the public response was lukewarm, and many people are still hiding their recipes. So, our Ministry of Commerce and the Propaganda Department jointly launched a campaign. We wanted to have those who are willing to donate their family secret recipes meet you, and then publish a newspaper to praise you, to see if that can mobilize the enthusiasm of the people."
Xu Zhenying nodded, "Yes, this is a good idea."
After saying this, she looked at the other merchants. "Your willingness to share your family's secret recipes is truly a great deed. I've heard Minister Qian mention before that the recipes you hold are all written by family ancestors or treasured by generations. Some of them include agricultural sowing, irrigation, and even flower and fruit cultivation techniques. These are all essential to people's livelihoods. On behalf of the people of the eleven states, I would like to thank you all."
The merchant representatives were flattered and said "no, no" but they could not hide the pride on their faces.
“This is what we should do.”
"Yes, it's just gathering dust at home anyway. Taking it out will firstly protect it under the government's protection and prevent it from being lost in our hands in the future; secondly, it will benefit the people and set a good example for them; thirdly, we will also gain a good reputation. In the final analysis, this is all thanks to Your Highness—"
Someone from the Legal Department happened to be there, and at that moment, they said to the dozen or so merchant representatives with a smile, "Please hand over your recipes. We'll verify them, and if they're useful, we'll give out a reward of 100 to 10,000 taels of silver, depending on their value. If they're useless, we'll return them, but we'll also report them to commend you for your enthusiasm and generosity."
No one expected that there would be an appraiser for the treasure, and they were a little hesitant at the moment, but some people were straightforward and directly took out the recipe and handed it to the people from the Legal Department.
Since Xu Zhenying occupied eleven cities, his subordinates have become increasingly numerous, and there are even many officials from the former Zhou Dynasty. After these officials underwent ideological transformation and went around at the grassroots level again, they quickly grew into green leeks.
Even the entire team under her has become all-encompassing, with people from all walks of life, from the east, south, west, north, nobles or the lower classes, men, women, young and old, all kinds of people. This makes it easier for Xu Zhenying to listen to the opinions of people from different classes.
For example, the one from the Ministry of Justice was also a scholar. His surname was Qiao, and his given name was Zhongyong. He had originally been the magistrate of a prefecture below him. Coming from a prominent family, he had a discerning eye for treasures. He only took a glance and smiled, "Your Highness, Boss Zhao presented me with a recipe for ancient composting. Although we already have the composting method you promoted, this one can be adapted to different terrains and soils, making it worth collecting and promoting."
Xu Zhenying was very satisfied. "Okay, bring more people with you to take a good look at your prescriptions. Also, coordinate with the Propaganda Department. In the next issue of the newspaper, focus on explaining the patent law to the people. This will help the county government handle business disputes without being constrained."
Seeing that their first recipe received such high praise, the merchants were delighted and became more eager to try it.
Mrs. Luo stood up and walked to Xu Zhenying. "Your Highness, my family also has a collection. It belongs to a distant nephew of mine. He even lost his life for this thing. His family disliked it because it was unlucky, so they kept it in the warehouse. I was sorting things out some time ago and found that it was still there. I, an old woman, can't understand it anyway, but before my nephew died, he tried his best to protect this thing. He risked his life to prevent it from falling into the hands of the silk merchant. I thought it might be something valuable. Your Highness is knowledgeable and smart. I will move the thing here today and let Your Highness take a look and see if it is something valuable-"
Seeing Mrs. Luo's seriousness, Xu Zhenying also became interested. "What does that thing look like?"
Mrs. Luo thought for a moment. "There are some wheel-like things that can be cranked by hand... I can't really describe them, but my nephew said they can be used for weaving. I've been studying them for a while, but I can't figure out what they're made of. I've also asked some craftsmen to look at them, but they couldn't explain anything, so I gave up."
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