Chapter 3203 Political Discussion
This was not the first time Zhou Man had spoken about the restructuring of the local medical bureau. Dean Xiao and Lord Luo also brought it up in the court from time to time, but for various reasons, the matter had been shelved.
Bringing this up again at this time, perhaps everyone had received the news and knew that the emperor had already agreed to Zhou Man's proposal, so today's small court meeting went relatively smoothly. There were not many people who opposed it, and they only had objections to the authority of the local medical bureau.
Zhou Man talked with them for a long time, but in the end he was unable to resolve all the disagreements.
The emperor glanced at the hourglass, and Gu Zhong instantly understood. He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. Would you like to have lunch first? The Secretariat has sent in many memorials, all awaiting your approval."
The emperor nodded and temporarily withdrew from the court, declaring that matters would be discussed tomorrow.
The ministers withdrew, and just as Zhou Man was about to leave, he was stopped by Minister Liu. He said with a smile, "Sir Zhou, the autumn harvest is over, the autumn grain has been dried and stored, and now is the time to pay the autumn tax. When do you think it would be appropriate for us to trade for new rice seeds?"
Zhou Man said: "Any time is fine."
She glanced at Yang Heshu standing behind Minister Liu, smiled slightly and said, "However, the rice seeds in my official fields are easy to deal with. As for Longzhou and Mianzhou, the Ministry of Revenue still needs to send people to weigh and escort them."
Yang Heshu said, "The new rice seeds from Longzhou will be transported to Beijing, and those from Luojiang County will be stored in Mianzhou. I will send officials to weigh and distribute them. Over there..."
"My second and third brothers are at home. I will write to them and you can just come to their house when the time comes."
Yang Heshu nodded to Minister Liu.
The three of them walked together to the palace gate. After they left, Minister Liu and Zhou Man smiled and said, "Master Zhou, congratulations."
Zhou Man was stunned for a moment, then he bowed and said, "We are all working for the country."
Minister Liu smiled, nodded to Yang Heshu, and went to work at the Ministry of Revenue.
Zhou Man looked at Yang Heshu curiously, "Brother Yang, aren't you going to the Ministry of Revenue?"
Yang Heshu shook his head. "I'll go with you. This afternoon I'm going to Pu Village to check out your new rice seeds. Who will your family send with me?"
Zhou Man thought for a moment and said, "My eldest brother and Li Zhong."
She couldn't help but laugh, "You're too impatient. The rice seeds won't run away if they're left there."
"This is related to people's livelihood, we dare not neglect it," Yang Heshu waved to the back, Wantian and Daji came over on horseback, and the two of them got on the horses and strolled out of the imperial city together.
Yang Heshu said, "Now that you have entered the small court meeting, you must be more careful with your words and actions in the future. You did a great job today."
Zhou Man exhaled, "I thought you were going to scold me."
Yang Heshu smiled and said, "Why would I scold you? You're an exiled official back in Beijing, so it's normal for you to sleep in. The palace didn't ask you to prepare for the court meeting in advance. But I didn't expect you to admit your mistake so quickly. Well done."
Zhou Man said, "After all, so many people are looking for me. If I don't admit my mistake, will those eunuchs be held responsible?"
Anyway, she had just done the emperor a big favor and had a good relationship with him recently. There was no need to drag others into the matter if it could be solved by admitting her mistake.
Yang Heshu couldn't help but laugh, and gently kicked the horse's belly to speed up. "You are becoming more thoughtful and gentle, not bad."
Yang Heshu sent someone with a letter from the Ministry of Revenue to the Sino-Agricultural Temple to invite Zhou Lizhong. He then took Zhou Dalang with him to Pu Village. Before leaving, he said to Zhou Man, "I don't know how long you can stay in the capital. Tang He will be leaving soon. Let's get together sometime. Your sister-in-law misses you a lot."
Zhou Man nodded, "Okay, you choose the time and place."
Yang Heshu thought for a moment and said, "Xuandu Temple is a good choice. It's the perfect time for climbing in autumn. I heard the Taoist priest there cooks crabs very well. I'll send a few baskets up there so everyone can enjoy the crabs while appreciating the chrysanthemums."
Zhou Man immediately said, "The chrysanthemum wine my mother-in-law made two years ago is still buried. I'll dig out two jars and take them with me when the time comes."
Zheng likes to grow flowers. In addition to making various cakes with the flowers, the rest are dried to make sachets, or used to make wine.
Yang Heshu and Zhou Man were both very busy for the time being. They had to attend small court meetings every day. In addition to the affairs of the Medical Bureau, Zhou Man also began to participate in other government affairs. In fact, it was not that she wanted to participate, but because the emperor would ask about it.
Agriculture has always been the foundation of the country. Zhou Man cultivated new rice varieties, and whether it was the current new rice varieties or the previous new wheat varieties, her shadow was there. Therefore, the emperor began to consult her on promotion, some land policies, and even taxation.
Although some officials present at the small court meeting had some objections, seeing that the emperor supported her, the prince was her backer, and even Lord Tang did not say a word, they could only endure the discomfort.
Minister Li was one of those who did not like Zhou Man's participation in the small court meeting. He felt that this was against etiquette.
So he had a cold face towards Zhou Man these days, and turned his head away and ignored her when entering and leaving the Tai Chi Hall.
This dissatisfaction reached its peak when Zhou Man proposed that the Imperial College and the Imperial Medical Bureau jointly run a school, or that the Imperial College select talents suitable for the Imperial Medical Bureau to study in the Imperial Medical Bureau for a period of time, or that the Imperial Medical Bureau send a certain number of students to study in the Imperial College.
Because Zhou Man prefers the second option, and half of the students she plans to send are female students.
Kong Jijiu didn't say anything, but Minister Li couldn't help but fly into a rage, "The Imperial College has never had any female students. Lord Zhou, aren't you disrupting the order of our court..."
Zhou Man: "Who said there were no female students in the Imperial College? Didn't the Silla princess study in the Imperial College? She was accompanied by two female students."
Minister Li choked and said after a while: "She is a foreign woman, not one of our court members."
"Even foreign women can study at the Imperial Academy, so why can't women from our dynasty?" Zhou Man looked up and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, the students in the Imperial Medical Bureau now only learn medical skills and pharmacy, and are far behind in the management of people's livelihoods. This is one of the reasons why the Imperial Medical Bureau has had a bad relationship with the county government since it was established."
She said, "The teachings of sages are in the Imperial Academy. Doctors practice the sagely way of curing illnesses and saving lives, but they suffer from poor communication skills and limited knowledge, so many things they do fall short of expectations. Why can't they be allowed to attend the Imperial Academy to learn the teachings of sages and broaden their horizons?"
Minister Li: "Male students are allowed in, but female students are not."
Zhou Man said with a serious face: "Minister Li, I am also a woman. If I can do it, why can't they?"
"Is the way of the sages so easy to learn?" Minister Li asked. "Lord Zhou studied under Scholar Zhuang since childhood, which is why he was able to hold such a high position in the court. But they are already that old, and they still need to learn medicine. Do they have the energy for that?"
Zhou Man: "They are all in their teens and twenties, how can they not do it? Life is a hundred years, they still have decades to go. As the saying goes, you never stop learning. As long as they are not dead, they can go in and learn."
(End of this chapter)
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