Chapter 1709 Who is afraid of whom
The emperor glanced down at him and asked, "Are Minister Zhou and Minister Wang at odds?"
Doesn’t the whole court know about whether they are getting along or not?
It was Wang Ji who impeached Zhou Manchi when he entered the palace a short time ago. Later, when Wang Ji beat his nephew and got into trouble, it was Zhou Man who rescued him. Because of Wang Rong's incident, Wang Ji not only had his family divided, but his reputation also suffered a lot. It would be strange if he could reconcile with him.
However, this kind of thing, which everyone knows, is only known to the heart and never spoken aloud. When Wang Ji was questioned, he immediately realized that he had made a mistake. His forehead was sweating, but he still insisted, "Your Majesty, doctors have always started as apprentices. They have never been required to pay tuition when they became apprentices. This shows that the cost of training is not as high as Zhou Man said."
"She called us blighters of the nation, but we dare not admit it. The Imperial Medical Bureau's establishment of private classes was indeed a gesture of consideration from His Majesty and His Majesty, but she and the Imperial Medical Bureau used it to profit. She is the blighter of the nation!"
The Ministry of Revenue official, still standing, said, "Here are the invoices submitted by the Imperial Medical Bureau, estimating the approximate annual losses and the approximate expenditure of these two thousand taels. It can be said that most of it was spent on teaching."
Wang Ji asked, "Does this mean that the Imperial Medical Bureau's expenses will be borne by the families who send their children to private schools? Then what right does Zhou Man have to call us national pests?"
When these words were spoken, most people felt uncomfortable. Yes, does that mean that in the future the expenses of the Imperial Medical Bureau will have to be borne by families who send their children to private schools?
The Ministry of Revenue official said, "Master Wang, you're overthinking it. The Imperial Medical Bureau's expenses are much more than this."
"So, what else are there?"
The official from the Ministry of Revenue was choked. What could he say? He was not an imperial physician.
Yang Heshu, who had been sitting quietly in the back, stood up and stepped out of the line. "The Imperial Medical Bureau's teaching materials and instruments are quite wasteful. I've seen Dean Xiao and the other imperial physicians calculate this. Your Majesty, if you want to know more, why not have Dean Xiao and Lord Zhou come to court and ask?"
Imperial physicians generally did not attend court because they did not participate in state affairs.
However, Old Master Tang raised his eyelids and said, "Zhou Man is still a fifth-rank editor, right? Why didn't she attend the grand court meeting?"
Sixth-rank officials in the capital had to attend every grand court meeting.
Everyone was silent for a moment. The emperor looked at Gu Zhong and waved his hand, saying, "Go summon Dean Xiao and Lord Zhou."
Gu Zhong agreed, bowed, and left to give instructions.
The Ministry of Personnel finally reacted and explained, "Because Zhou Man was compiled by the Chongwenguan, and the Chongwenguan belongs to the Zhanshifu..."
So why can't she ask the Ministry of Personnel why she didn't go to court? She should ask the Ministry of Household Affairs, right?
Guo Zhanshi: ...Can this blame be put on him?
Zhou Man was specially recruited by the Emperor and the Crown Prince for the Crown Princess, saying that she was to edit books for the Chongwenguan. But seeing her running to see the Crown Princess from time to time, one knew that her role was to ensure the safe birth of the Crown Prince's children. Plus, she was so young, who would think of letting her attend court?
However, the situation was favorable to them at the moment, and Guo Zhanshi really didn't want to miss the topic, so he admitted his mistake very straightforwardly, "This is my negligence, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
The emperor waved his hand and said, "Go to the Ministry of Personnel to receive your punishment."
Just let the matter go.
Wang Ji and others wanted to say more, but Guo Zhanshi admitted his mistake so straightforwardly that they really couldn't say anything more. They couldn't find a reasonable reason to change the subject, so naturally they continued with the previous question.
Although he defended himself, those who impeached him continued to impeach him. Taking advantage of the time when Xiao Yuanzheng and Zhou Man were not there, more than a dozen ministers who came out took the opportunity to present their impeachment memorials.
Their memorials were very short and concise. Each person read them dryly for a while and then finished, and most of the meanings were the same.
If Xiao Yuanzheng and Zhou Man had not arrived yet, the emperor would not have wanted to listen anymore, mainly because he was sleepy.
When the eunuchs and guards from the Taiji Hall came over, Manbao was busy editing a book with a brush in one hand and eating snacks in the other, and he was very happy.
Xiao Yuan was sitting quietly aside, pondering how to write a defense. He had received the impeachment letter early this morning. According to the procedure, he had to either plead guilty or write a defense.
It was impossible for him to plead guilty. The crime of amassing wealth with the prince was a serious one, and he was not stupid.
After pondering for a long time, he picked up his pen and wrote a short paragraph when someone came to Taiji Hall to summon them. "Your Majesty summons Xiao Yuanzheng and Lord Zhou to the court."
Manbao didn't react for a moment. She looked around and seemed to be the only one with the surname Zhou in the entire Chongwen Hall. She pointed at her nose and asked uncertainly, "Me?"
The eunuch bowed his head and said, "Yes, it is Sir Zhou. Sir Zhou, please come in."
Manbao immediately put down the snack, clapped his hands, and stood up. After thinking about it, he felt something was wrong. He picked up the teacup and took a sip of water to rinse his mouth. Then he took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth while asking, "Why did you summon me?"
The question was quite direct, and Xiao Yuanzheng, who had already stood up to follow the eunuch, also pricked up his ears.
The eunuch said with a stern face, "Your Majesty wants to inquire about the Imperial Medical Bureau."
Manbao stopped and asked, "What are you asking about?"
Seeing the eunuchs and guards glaring at him, Manbao said confidently, "There are a lot of things going on in the Imperial Medical Bureau. I knew about it in advance so I could prepare the materials."
At this moment, Manbao finally remembered something. He rolled his eyes and asked, "Did Your Majesty see my memorial impeaching Lord Wang Ji?"
The eunuch felt helpless. If he had informed other officials, who would dare to ask so many questions openly? He shouldn't have slipped him some money secretly. It was good enough to get a reminder from him.
However, Zhou Man was different from others. He had also been to the side hall of the East Palace for acupuncture several times. Last time he caught a cold, it was Doctor Zhou who helped him with some pills made from the Imperial Hospital.
Otherwise, the taste of the soup is too strong and it is basically impossible to hide it.
Just as Xiao Yuan was hesitating whether to give the eunuch a purse, the eunuch spoke directly, "Your Majesty has read the memorial in court, and Lord Wang has defended it in court. Doctor Zhou should leave immediately."
Manbao still didn't understand, and asked curiously, "How did Lord Wang argue?"
She thought the memorial she wrote was already very good, so why was there still room for debate?
And why was he debating in class? Shouldn't he have been debating with her in a memorial, and then using memorials to debate with her remotely?
The eunuch was standing not far from Gu Zhong at the time, so he naturally heard the whole thing. He glanced back at the guards, who only urged them to hurry but didn't stop them, so he said, "Lord Wang said that the Imperial Medical Bureau's future expenses will depend on two thousand taels per year. How can they be called national pests?"
Manbao's eyes widened when he heard this, and he said directly to Xiao Yuanzheng, "He's really shameless. Doctor Liu, where are the brochures and lists we collected the other day? Quickly bring them out for me."
Xiao Yuanzheng was also angry and immediately said, "Find it out quickly."
Imperial Physicians Liu and Zheng immediately helped to search in the table and cabinet. After a while, they found a bunch of booklets and lists. Basically, the lists were tied together, so they were not messy.
Manbao took some and gave the rest to Xiao Yuanzheng.
The two of them walked towards the Taiji Hall with high spirits. On the way there, Xiao Yuanzheng said to Zhou Man, "You're smart. Go and scold him back later."
The next update will be around 4:00 PM
(End of this chapter)
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