Chapter 1802: Court Meeting (February Monthly Ticket Plus 4)
Before daybreak, Manbao got up, washed, and dressed, then had a simple breakfast. Considering that this was the last grand court meeting of the year and it might last an uncertain time, he stuffed several snacks into his purse and then went to the Taiji Hall with the memorial.
By the time she arrived at the big square, it was already dawn. Ministers were coming in from the palace gate one after another. A cold wind was blowing, and Manbao shrank her neck, put her hands in her sleeves, and went up the stairs.
It was cold outside the hall, so Manbao didn't wait outside. He just talked to the adults standing on the side of the road, whether he knew them or not, and then he went into the hall and found his own seat to sit down.
Several adults who arrived early watched her enter the hall with her neck hunched, and couldn't help but shake their heads and said, "She's still a child, and so is the Minister of the Imperial Household. Why bother with her?"
"Without rules, there is no order. The Chongwenguan compilation has to be submitted to the court. We can't make an exception for one person."
"Alright, alright, why bother bringing up something that's already been settled? Lord Wei seems to be here."
Everyone hurried to greet Wei Zhi.
By the time the hall was slowly filled with people, it was already dawn. Lord Tang and Lord Yang had also arrived. They smiled and nodded to Zhou Man, then sat down in their respective seats.
As soon as the emperor arrived, everyone stood up and saluted. When they sat down in their seats again, the sunlight was already shining through the windows. Although the room was still a little dark, the sun rises quickly in the morning, so it will probably be bright in the room soon.
The main thing is that at a grand court meeting, everyone is working with their ears, so it doesn’t matter if it’s a little dark.
Manbao sat obediently in his seat and listened attentively. First, Wei Zhi and other big guys came out to report on this year's work and mentioned some possible problems that might be faced in the coming year.
They don't take up much time because the main reporting work is still done by the six departments.
Manbao sat quietly and waited. It was a rare occasion that he didn't fall asleep during the grand court meeting.
After the Ministry of Works finished its report and everyone discussed it for a while, Gu Zhong asked on behalf of the emperor, "Are there any other memorials to be submitted?"
What I am asking is whether the ministers have any objections to the previous report. If so, please raise them as soon as possible so that we can discuss them together. People from the six ministries are all here, so we should debate what needs to be debated, otherwise it will be a new year when we meet again.
The ministers were still thinking about the questions they had just raised, and were considering how to ask them, or waiting for others to ask questions, so they took a break.
The emperor and Gu Zhong were used to it and had already prepared to wait a little longer. However, Man Bao waited for four or five breaths and saw no one spoke. He looked left and right, and after confirming that no one was speaking, he supported himself with his hands and climbed to his feet. He stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to report."
Wei Zhi, who was about to stand up and ask the Ministry of War, put his butt back down, pretending that everything was normal and sat in his seat without moving.
The emperor glanced at her. Because she was sitting too far back and his eyesight wasn't very good, he couldn't see her clearly. He could only wave his hand and said, "Go ahead."
Man Bao stepped out of the line and walked to the front. He took out the memorial in his hand, and without unfolding it, he said directly: "I want to report on the situation of the Imperial Medical Bureau."
The emperor and his ministers were stunned. Why did the Imperial Medical Bureau's situation need to be reported in the court? Shouldn't it be reported directly to the Ministry of Revenue?
But before they could react, Manbao started talking about how many students the Imperial Medical Bureau had enrolled this year, how many of them were male, how many were female, how many had already studied medicine for several years before enrolling, and how they would be arranged for the coming year.
As well as the various expenses incurred in the construction of the Imperial Medical Bureau and local medical bureaus this year.
Manbao had participated in these contents before, and went over them again the night before yesterday. She even wrote her own memorial and data yesterday, so even if the memorial was not unfolded, she could still tell them.
Lord Tang and Lord Yang looked up at the young girl standing in the middle of the hall and exclaimed in unison. Lord Tang couldn't help but sigh in a low voice, "It feels like the child has grown up..."
Lord Yang also had the same feeling but couldn't express it, so he could only remain silent.
After talking about the Imperial Medical Bureau's plans for next year, Manbao mentioned the progress of their medical book compilation, and then complained a little about the fact that the Ministry of Revenue and Chongwenguan gave them too little paper, which was often not enough.
The Minister of Revenue was not very happy when he heard this. After she finished her report, he stood up and said that their Ministry of Revenue had given a lot of paper to Chongwenguan.
As for why there is less paper, it must be because the people in Chongwenguan are too wasteful.
Because Zhou Man's report involved the construction of a local medical bureau and the purchase of a lot of medicinal materials, the amount of money was quite large, so even though some ministers initially thought that she didn't need to bring up the affairs of the Imperial Medical Bureau in the court, they didn't stop everyone from discussing it after she finished speaking.
Because the amount of money involved is indeed quite large.
Everyone continued to discuss in low voices, and after Zhou Man left, everyone began to speak freely.
Wei Zhixian stood up and asked the Ministry of War about the suspicious points in their memorial. After a heated debate, everyone moved on to the next person's turn.
Later in the discussion, naturally some people asked about Zhou Man. Some people believed that the Imperial Medical Bureau was extremely expensive and the process was difficult to control. There was no need to build too many medical bureaus. They should only be set up in some important cities, such as Chang'an, Taiyuan, Jinyang, Yizhou, etc. There was no need to set up medical bureaus in ordinary places with vast areas and sparse population.
In addition, there are also issues such as the types of medicinal materials purchased. One minister directly asked how the Imperial Medical Bureau could ensure that the purchased medicinal materials could be used promptly and reasonably for the poor, rather than being left to rot in the pharmacy or being embezzled by others...
All kinds of questions that they had already answered with the Ministry of Revenue were raised again.
I think this is the disadvantage of what you said, there are both advantages and disadvantages.
Manbao took a deep breath and, as his master had instructed, tried to answer everyone's questions calmly.
Then there are always people who can't stand Manbao, just like there are always adults who can't stand Weizhi and find fault with him. Then Manbao, like Weizhi, turns into a fire-breathing dragon and argues back.
The emperor sat on the dragon throne and watched the increasingly fierce debate in the court. He put his hand to cover his face and waved to Gu Zhong.
Gu Zhong stepped forward quietly, bending down slightly and lowering his head.
"What time is it?"
Gu Zhong took a look and whispered, "It's already past noon."
The emperor sighed, so they are not hungry?
He got up late this morning and only had time to eat two steamed buns for breakfast.
The emperor looked at Gu Zhong without saying a word.
Gu Zhong quietly retreated and returned a while later. Then, taking advantage of the moment when a minister finished speaking, he said loudly, "Your Excellencies have worked hard. His Majesty has prepared lunch for you. Why don't you eat before continuing?"
The grand court meeting came to a temporary end.
There were only two or three opportunities a year to be invited to a grand court meeting. But the court officials, including Manbao, didn't want this opportunity at all. Hunger was the least of their worries; the main issue was the inconvenience of changing clothes.
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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