Chapter 147 The New Year's Gift Was Too Little
Wei reminded her, and Yu Qingci pretended to suddenly realize something, and said in a drawn-out tone, "Officer? So it's just a minor official of the seventh rank. I always thought it was a temple assistant of the seventh rank."
The differences between official ranks in the capital city of this dynasty are actually quite obvious. Even a minor official of the seventh rank is considered a formal official of the Court of Judicial Review. Those below the seventh rank are basically just errand runners or menial workers. That's why their superiors can dismiss them at will without even needing to alarm the head of the Court of Judicial Review.
Yu Qingci continued with a puzzled expression, "I remember my second cousin has been at the Dali Temple for a long time, how come he's still only a seventh-rank official? No wonder his superior didn't even give a heads-up and just let him go."
Wei and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.
Yu Qingci: "However, since my second cousin values this position so much, I will mention it to my father. I think it's just a menial job, and it's not considered favoritism."
Lu Yunbo felt extremely humiliated upon hearing the words "errand boy," but he had to clench his fists and control his emotions because he needed someone's help.
Madam Wei didn't care what she said. Seeing that she had actually agreed, she was immediately delighted, but quickly became even more demanding:
"The position of steward is indeed ridiculously lowly, niece-in-law. Since the Earl of Nanping has gone to such lengths, why not ask him to put in a good word for your second cousin with the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review? Surely the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review wouldn't dare refuse the Earl's request? What do you think of this matter—"
Yu Qingci's pretty face immediately darkened as she said, "Second Aunt is joking. This Dali Temple is not run by our family. We can't just promote officials and ranks as we please. If the censors find out about this, it will be a big deal. Second Aunt doesn't understand the implications. Does Second Cousin not understand either?"
Furthermore, my second cousin hasn't been promoted in the Dali Temple for so many years, which shows that his abilities are limited. If we rashly promote him, what if he can't handle the work? Wouldn't that just give people more reason to gossip?
Yu Qingci drew out her words and glanced at Lu Yunbo with a mocking look, as if she could practically write "he's nothing but a piece of trash" on her face.
Lu Yunbo could no longer bear it. He was a grown man, and he couldn't stand such mockery from a woman in the inner quarters, especially one he had once coveted. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and said with a stern face:
"No need!"
Everyone was startled by the sound and looked in the direction of the noise.
"There's no need to trouble your younger brother, sister-in-law, and uncle with Yunbo's affairs. Actually, Yunbo's ambitions never lay in this, which is why he has never cared about promotions. It was only because Father and Mother wanted Yunbo to have an official position so he could secure a place in the world. Now that he's gone, it's just as well. There's a vast world out there where he can make his mark."
Madam Wei and the Second Master were stunned. Before they could speak, Yu Qingci nodded in agreement, saying:
“Well said, Second Cousin is indeed ambitious. So, Second Cousin doesn’t plan to go back to the Dali Temple to do odd jobs? No, to serve? Then I won’t mention it to Father.”
Lu Yunbo's face was ashen, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything else, feeling suffocated.
Madam Wei panicked and hurriedly said, "What do you mean it's unnecessary? Nephew's wife, don't listen to him, he..."
Yu Qingci pretended to be troubled: "One of you wants me to plead for them, while the other says that you have other plans. Whom should I listen to? But in the end, it is my second cousin's business, so we have to see what he says."
After saying that, he picked up the teacup and began to sip his tea, not even glancing at them.
She wanted to embarrass Lu Yunbo. He dared to scheme against her; the previous beating was too lenient.
If Lu Yunbo is willing to swallow his pride and beg her, she wouldn't mind helping him get a position that's even lower than the seventh rank.
Lu Yunbo knew he had seriously offended his sister-in-law, and there was no point in saying anything now. Dejected, he said:
"Mother, don't beg her anymore."
Mrs. Wei was frightened by her son's gaze and dared not utter a sound.
But that's it? All that talk was for nothing?
The fourth master said impatiently from the side, "Yunbo is more open-minded. It's just a seventh-rank job. If he loses it, he loses it. It's better if he doesn't have it. It saves him from working hard every day, only to end up not earning any money and not getting promoted."
Madam Ma: "That's right. How much salary does a seventh-rank official earn in a month? It certainly isn't as much as the red envelopes that my sister-in-law gives out casually. I think you should change your profession and go into business."
Look how capable my niece-in-law is! She's only been separated from the family for a little over a month, and the shops under the eldest son's name are thriving. Who in the whole capital doesn't envy her? Tsk tsk tsk.
I said, "Sister-in-law, now that you've made a fortune, you should at least prepare more red envelopes for the children. How come you're only giving us this little bit?"
Fourth Master: "And the New Year's gifts? I've inquired around the clan, and it seems that our two families received less New Year's gifts than Second Uncle and his family. Sister-in-law, that's not right. We're family, how come the New Year's gifts we received from the branch family were less than those from other clan members? That's really not fair."
Anyone who didn't know better would think the General's Mansion was stingy, unwilling to even prepare more New Year's gifts for their own brothers who had separated from the family.
Distracted by the Fourth Master and Madam Ma, the topic was completely steered off course, and Yu Qingci continued to enjoy her tea with satisfaction.
Madam Ning: "There are rules about who should receive New Year's gifts and how much. It would be against the rules if everyone just said whatever they wanted. Second Uncle and the others are elders, and they have helped us before, so it is only right to give them more."
The fourth master waved his hand: "We don't really care about New Year's gifts. We'll accept whatever our sister-in-law gives us. But there's one thing our sister-in-law is really not kind about, like that 'Radiant Brocade'..."
Yu Qingci: "Speaking of Xiaguangjin, I made it very clear to my two aunts last time that it was all thanks to my mother. If my mother hadn't seen that the shop I took over was losing money so badly and hadn't taken pity on me and given me a hand, our family wouldn't have had this good fortune."
Madam Ning looked apologetic: "It's all my fault for not being able to manage this family well. I could only entrust the outside businesses to your second and fourth aunts. Who would have thought that they were not cut out for business? They turned a perfectly good shop into a loss year after year. In the end, when it was handed over to you, you had to rack your brains to run it."
Ma rolled her eyes: "Sister-in-law, what do you mean by this? We've already divided the family property, why are you still holding onto old grievances? The shops we each received weren't much better, otherwise we wouldn't have come to beg you last time."
Wei said, “That’s true. If we’re going to get rich, we should all get rich together. We can’t just watch our own brothers eat and drink like this. You didn’t help Yunbo with his business, but you should at least give us a hand when it comes to making money.”
Yu Qingci: "I can't help with Xia Guangjin's matter, so please don't ask. Today is the New Year, so let's talk about something good. Second Aunt, Fourth Aunt, how are the wedding preparations for my cousin Yunli and cousin Yunbing going?"
Upon hearing this, both families immediately lost their appetite for conversation.
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