Chapter 2356 Earnest Instructions
So the arrangements were made. Manbao gave the four Xicao to his fifth sister-in-law, asking her to take them away and make arrangements. He gave the Xicong to Zhou Lijun, asking her to teach them, and the other five were sent to Old Lady Liu.
Old Madam Liu was silent for a moment, then she accepted it with a smile. Just as she was about to speak, Bai Shan and the others came back chattering from outside. Manbao immediately greeted them and ran out to find them.
Madam Liu sighed, thought for a moment, and then asked Xibing and Xihua to continue serving Manbao. She also called over the two maids from Manbao's room, Wuyue and Jiulan, and said, "From now on, the four of you will take care of Miss Man together. Which young lady out there doesn't have two or three maids around her? Your Miss Man is still out there on official business, so she will only be busier. So the things to do in this room will only increase, not decrease."
She said, "In the past, I wanted to prevent the children from developing bad habits, so I let them do many things themselves. But now they have grown up and their temperaments have been formed, so there is no need to do this anymore. When Miss Man marries in the future, there will be more and more things to do in the house, so there is no need for you to argue. You will have time to be busy in the future."
The four of them immediately nodded in agreement.
Madam Liu said, "While we still have time, the four of you should learn some skills from the housekeepers. Not only needlework, but also kitchen work. You will need them in the future."
She gave them a lecture, arranged their seats, and then sent them away.
When only Madam Liu and Madam Zheng were left by her side, she said to Madam Zheng, "From now on, you will be in charge of this mansion."
Zheng looked at her mother-in-law in surprise. Hadn't she always been in charge of the mansion?
Madam Liu said calmly, "I mean, from now on you have to make your own decisions about managing the household and don't have to listen to me."
Zheng suddenly felt guilty and nervously grabbed her handkerchief, "Mom, why are you suddenly talking about this?"
Madam Liu sighed and said, "How much longer do I have left? From now on, this family will be handed over to you to manage."
Zheng shook her head repeatedly. She couldn't make up her mind. "Don't we still have Manbao?"
She whispered, "Didn't mother say that from now on, Shanbao and Manbao will take charge of all family matters?"
She said so, but Manbao didn't look like she would be able to take care of household affairs. Didn't she even have to bring people to her to arrange for five maids?
Madam Liu thought for a moment and said, "You still have to listen to Shanbao and Manbao on major matters. Leave the external affairs to them, but you still have to take care of the affairs at home."
She said, "You can see that Manbao is an official in a foreign country. He spends no more than two hours at home a day, except for sleeping. During these two hours, he has to eat, study, and handle official business. How can he have time to take care of household chores? So from now on, you will have to take care of all the household affairs."
Zheng nodded blankly.
Old Lady Liu felt half relieved, but the other half was still worried, because she suddenly remembered something. Manbao was now a fourth-rank editor, which seemed to be much higher than her grandson's official rank. Even though it was increasingly difficult for women to get promoted as time went on, with Manbao's ability, she would definitely be promoted in the future.
Household chores aren't difficult; there are people at home who can help her with the burden, but...
Madam Liu called Bai Shan to talk that night and asked, "After the exam, are you going to be sent out?"
Bai Shan nodded and said, "I will send him out if there is a suitable position."
He said, "Look at Brother Yang and Brother Tang. They will be sent out to study and handle government affairs first, and then return to Beijing later."
Madam Liu asked, "If you are sent away, won't you be separated from Manbao?"
She frowned, "How can a husband and wife be separated, and so far away..."
Bai Shan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Grandmother. Manbao and I have already discussed it. If I am sent out, she will also seek an official position there. By then, we will either be in the same place or nearby. We won't be far away."
"...What kind of official position does she want to be assigned?"
"The Imperial Medical Bureau is a local official position," Bai Shan said. "Last year, the Imperial Medical Bureau began to go to the local areas. Now several of her disciples are working there, but it's not going smoothly. They wrote back saying that sometimes they can't even see patients because local pharmacies are wary of them, and those poor people who need help don't trust the Imperial Medical Bureau, so few people go to the Imperial Medical Bureau for treatment."
He said, "The Imperial Medical Bureau's main responsibility is to handle public health issues, but as long as the country is peaceful and the people are safe, there won't be a sudden epidemic. So, it's only busy for a while during the summer, and then it becomes less busy. Some people in the court have already proposed abolishing the Imperial Medical Bureau."
Madam Liu was surprised. "It's only been a few years, why is it being cancelled?"
"So we thought that if Manbao applied to be in charge of the local medical department, the Imperial Hospital and the Xiao Court would not stop him, as long as His Majesty is willing to release him."
Old Lady Liu understood that the Imperial Medical Bureau was unwilling to give up, so she thought of letting Manbao go to rescue it. As long as one place was successful, the other places could be revived according to that place.
However, "Can the emperor agree?"
Old Madam Liu is not bragging. Although Manbao is young, her medical skills are well-known. Now she is more famous in the capital than Xiao Yuanzheng. Even when she went to the Western Regions last year, people occasionally came to her for medical treatment and medicine.
Will the emperor let her go?
Bai Shan said confidently: "We will appeal to His Majesty's emotions and reason, and he will definitely agree." If not, there are still Bai Er and Princess Mingda.
He felt that convincing the emperor should not be difficult, but the difficult part was how to convince the prince, who was much more difficult to convince than the emperor.
Manbao has always been the imperial physician of the Eastern Palace. Even now, Manbao is the closest imperial physician to the Eastern Palace. Since she returned to Beijing, the prince has summoned her to take her pulse and examine her body. The Imperial Medical Bureau also follows the prince's instructions and entrusts Manbao to perform the major examinations every ten days.
So Bai Shan was worried about the prince.
He worried for a moment and then curiously asked Madam Liu, "Grandma, why did you suddenly think of asking this?"
Madam Liu glanced at him and said, "I was thinking of asking you where you want to be exiled, so we can go there and make arrangements in advance. It would be great if our whole family could have a safe place to stay when we go."
Bai Shan nodded in agreement, "We have to go there in advance to make arrangements."
Madam Liu laughed and said to Bai Shan, "When the time comes, I'll see how things go and I won't go. I'll let your mother take care of the backyard for you."
Bai Shan was stunned and asked, "Why?"
Madam Liu said, "The Bai family finally returned to the capital, and someone has to maintain the relationships here. You will need to make connections in the capital many times in the future when you are away from home."
"While I can still watch over you, I will help you for a few more years. Shanbao, you have to do your best too."
Bai Shan nodded emotionally, leaning on her grandmother's shoulder and saying, "Grandma, don't worry."
See you tomorrow, spin happily, turn around and fly away, la la la la
(End of this chapter)
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