Chapter 2523 Salary Penalty
Minister Liu assured him, "Don't worry, Lord Zhou. Whether it's Liu Huan or your third wife, once they come to my house, my wife and I will fully support their careers and will never stand in their way."
Manbao rolled his eyes and asked, "Madam Shangshu doesn't mind girls pursuing a career in government?"
What's there to mind? Didn't the couple claim from the beginning that they couldn't support Liu Huan, so they supported their grandson's wife to take care of the great-grandson in the future?
One of the couple must have made some achievements in their career so that they can pass on their network of connections to their great-grandchildren in the future, right?
Liu Huan can't rely on his elder brother for everything, right?
When his elder brother Liu Yi's children grow up, they will definitely take care of their own sons first, and then their nephews. No matter how close their nephews are, can they be as close as their sons?
Minister Liu felt that he had a truly kind fatherly heart. After worrying about his son, he worried about his grandson, and now he had to worry about his great-grandson. There were not many elders in the world who cared as much as he did.
Minister Liu and Zhou Man promised that they would never hinder Zhou Liru's career. As for Liu Huan's biological parents, his son and daughter-in-law, Minister Liu did not consider them at all.
Manbao didn't consider it either. Liu Huan didn't even go to Suzhou City to visit his parents when he passed by Suzhou, so the influence on his parents would be limited.
Although they are elders and enjoy natural status advantages, the person with the most say in a family is actually Liu Huan, the person involved, followed by Liu Hui, the head of the family. As for Liu Huan's parents, they have to rank lower down.
Even if Liu Hui hands over the power of the head of the family to his eldest grandson Liu Yi in the future, Liu Yi will have more say than his parents.
Manbao was delighted, but she didn't agree outright. She still had to let Zhou Liru and Liu Huan decide. So, she said, "Minister Liu, the New Year is almost here. How about we arrange a date after the holiday to go to Huguo Temple to see the plum blossoms?"
It’s a pity that the peach blossoms in Xuandu Temple are not in bloom, otherwise, watching the peach blossoms would be the most appropriate way to deal with this kind of thing.
Minister Liu had no objection. The matter that had been stagnant for a long time finally made some progress. He was so happy that he couldn't contain his joy. He immediately smiled and said, "Okay, we'll make an appointment later. Lord Zhou, please call your father, mother, second brother, and second sister-in-law."
Manbao said it was no problem.
After the two of them agreed, they both felt relieved. They looked at each other and were extremely happy.
A light cough suddenly sounded, and Manbao and Minister Liu both froze.
Being caught lazing around here isn't scary, what's scary is that this voice sounds familiar.
Manbao then realized that there seemed to be a human figure reflected on the bluestone slab in front of her. She screamed in her heart, "Why didn't you tell me there was someone? When did they come? How long have they been there? No, who is that person on the bridge?"
Koko waited until she finished asking before saying, "We detected no ill will toward the host from these newcomers, and we inferred no threat to the host. They arrived when the host first slapped his thigh and said, 'If we were to simply talk about the character and personality of these two children, I have no objection.' There were eight people on the bridge..."
Minister Liu had already stood up tremblingly. Seeing Zhou Man still squatting, he couldn't help but shake his head secretly. He was still a child and could not compare to him in terms of calmness.
Minister Liu was pleased in his heart, but he did not dare show it on his face. He reached out and pulled Zhou Man, then walked out from under the bridge with his head lowered, and then looked up.
Manbao looked over and saw the emperor, the crown prince, Lord Wei, Old Lord Tang, and Li Maoyue standing on the bridge, with Gu Zhong and two eunuchs standing behind them.
Yes, there are indeed eight people. Koko’s count is absolutely correct.
Manbao was lost in thought, and his hand automatically raised to greet the Emperor and the Crown Prince together with Minister Liu.
The emperor looked down at the two of them and said quietly, "Why are you two ministers here having a private conversation instead of going to the Ministry of Revenue or the Imperial Hospital to handle official business?"
Being caught talking privately by your superiors is a very embarrassing thing, but Minister Liu was very thick-skinned and said respectfully without changing his expression, "I was just about to leave when I unexpectedly ran into Lord Zhou here. Thinking of my unengaged grandson at home, I couldn't help but complain a few words. Unexpectedly, Lord Zhou also had the same problem, so we started chatting. I didn't expect time to be like quicksand, slipping away without returning, and it's already here now. Time really is fleeting."
Manbao looked at Minister Liu in shock, and was filled with admiration.
Several people who also have children or grandchildren of school age at home couldn't help but feel sad. Except for Old Master Tang, everyone else understood.
Old Lord Tang couldn't understand it. Firstly, he had no unmarried children of marriageable age, nor grandchildren of marriageable age; secondly, he was the chief official of the Censorate!
The emperor softened his tone, but still said, "It's fine for you to talk about your children's marriages, but how can you gossip about others?"
Minister Liu didn't react for a moment. Who was he talking about?
Wei Zhi said quietly, "So the officials are all cursing me in private. I wonder if Minister Liu has ever cursed me?"
Minister Liu's spine tightened and his entire back bounced up. He widened his eyes slightly. Did they come so early?
The emperor also said quietly, "How can Minister Liu so recklessly speculate on my intentions? When have I ever scolded Lord Wei in private?"
He usually scolds people in person.
Whether he was able to scold me or not is another matter, but he always scolded me to my face.
Wei Zhi also glanced at the emperor quietly, and then everyone lowered their heads to look at the two people under the bridge.
Seeing that all the firepower was directed at Minister Liu, Manbao quietly took a few small steps, trying to stay away from him.
I wonder if today's inaction will affect the marriage between the two families in the future...
Zhou Man did not have the opportunity to stand by and watch, because Lord Tang and Li Mao had an appointment there, so Lord Tang directly impeached Minister Liu and Zhou Man for dereliction of duty to the emperor in person, and requested that each of them be fined one month's salary depending on the severity of the offense.
Li Mao asked the Minister of Personnel to approve the document on the spot, so the emperor nodded slightly to the two of them and said, "Okay, you can go back. The Minister of Personnel will hand the list to them for signature later."
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Wei Zhi stopped him and said, "Your Majesty, aren't we here to look for Minister Liu?"
"Oh, yes," the emperor patted his head, then remembered the important matter. He waved to Minister Liu and said, "Liu Qing, let's go for a walk in the Imperial Garden. It's a good opportunity to discuss the items reported by various ministries for next year's expenditures."
The emperor felt bored after returning to his study room after the grand court meeting today. Seeing Wei Zhi and others coming together to discuss next year's spending, he simply took them out and planned to talk while walking in the garden. Anyway, it would take several days to decide on the spending issue every year.
Since the dispute was about the use of money, the Minister of Revenue naturally had to be present. The emperor immediately sent someone to find him, but the eunuchs failed to find him, and they encountered him first.
Minister Liu was also a little depressed. He glanced at Zhou Man who lowered his head, then caught up with him on the bridge and walked away with the emperor and the others.
After they walked away, Manbao let out a long sigh, patted his chest lightly, and then ran away quickly with his official robe in hand.
The emperor occasionally looked back and saw that his mouth moved involuntarily, but in the end he did not say anything. However, he had already decided to go back and talk to the Prince of Hejian, who was also the Minister of Rites, about the official's etiquette.
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
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