Chapter 3257 Quiet Gossip
Xiao Yuanzheng thought about it carefully and found that there really was no such thing.
The two looked at each other, neither of them understanding what the emperor meant.
But… Xiao Yuanzheng slammed the signed document in front of Zhou Man, "I've signed it all for you. Take it to the Ministry of Personnel for signature and filing. Don't worry about these things. We are doctors. We just need to cure the disease."
If they could figure out what the emperor was thinking, wouldn't they be able to become emperor too?
So don’t think about things that you don’t understand, and don’t think about things that don’t suit your identity.
Just as he finished thinking this, he heard Zhou Man lower his voice and say, "One last question, Xiao Yuanzheng, do you think His Majesty actually doesn't believe that the Tianzhu monk really lived for two hundred years?"
Xiao Yuanzheng immediately put his previous words behind him and fell into deep thought. After a while, he nodded and said, "Your Majesty should be suspicious."
"You're skeptical and still dare to eat the pills he made?"
"Although I doubt he lived to be two hundred years old, his longevity is certainly true," Xiao Yuanzheng, who had served the emperor longer and understood him better, whispered, "Your Majesty is very broad-minded. Often, he doesn't look at people's faults, but only at their good points and usefulness."
"Even if Luo Er lied about his lifespan, given his appearance and experience, he is certain to live a long life. Since he can live a long life, he must have experience in health preservation. Your Majesty only wants to prolong his life. He has what Your Majesty wants, so Your Majesty will naturally tolerate him."
Zhou Man sighed, "Your Majesty is worthy of being the emperor. I can't do that. I must take revenge."
Xiao Yuan was not going to chat with her anymore, so he waved his hand and said, "Let's go, let's go. Didn't His Majesty ask you to find a way to detoxify? Leave the rest to me. You just need to take care of this matter first."
Zhou Man took the official documents to the Ministry of Personnel to handle the formalities.
The official from the Ministry of Personnel who was handling Zhou Man's employment paperwork had been congratulating her non-stop since he saw her. "Mr. Zhou now holds three positions, and they're all quite high."
Zhou Man said modestly, "I'm not even as good as the senior officials in the court. Some of them govern two or three states."
There were many officials in the court who held multiple positions like Zhou Man, but...
The official complained in his heart: But who has a position like Zhou Man, who has all the three advantages of being an official?
As an official in the court, one serves the people, the king, profit and fame.
Zhou Man was an editor at the Chongwen Academy, a man of high rank and prestige, well-known for his reputation. The Imperial Hospital was directly under the emperor, and Zhou Man was labeled the crown prince. Furthermore, the emperor trusted her greatly, indicating that she was in his good graces. In the past two years, thanks to the profits from the pharmacy, many positions in the Imperial Medical Bureau had become lucrative, which was beneficial...
It can be said that all three of her positions are very critical. She has both fame and fortune. Other people's part-time jobs are mostly nominal ones. Even if they have real jobs, they will not have such a good combination.
The official completed the formalities, filed the documents, and handed the receipt to Zhou Man. "Okay, congratulations, Mr. Zhou."
Officials in the same office also stood up and congratulated Zhou Man.
Zhou Man smiled and thanked him, and an official started to ask, "Since Lord Zhou has been promoted, are you going to have a banquet at home?"
How could she possibly hold a banquet when the emperor was in such a state? Besides, she didn't have the time, so Zhou Man smiled and shook her head, "Don't bother. I'll treat my colleagues to a drink when I have time."
Everyone expressed their understanding and watched Zhou Man leave.
"At this age and with this rank, I can't compare to him, I can't compare to him."
"If you had that kind of ability, you could do it. Perhaps you don't know this yet? I heard that just yesterday, Lord Zhou arrived in the capital and went to the palace to report on his work. He happened to run into the person from the Changsheng Temple who presented the elixir. With just a few words, she persuaded His Majesty to stop taking the elixir. The expensive elixir then changed hands and ended up in her hands."
"So many officials in the court have tried to persuade His Majesty, but to no avail. Yet, she was the only one who managed to convince His Majesty. Her ability is no less than that of Duke Wei back then."
"That's an exaggeration. How can she be compared with Duke Wei?"
"Alright, alright, stop talking about this. The palace hasn't made a final decision on what's going on at Changsheng Temple yet, so stay out of it."
"Everyone can participate in the discussion of state affairs, so why can't we have a say?"
"That's right. When Duke Wei was here, he allowed us to speak freely, and Your Majesty didn't stop us. Why are you trying to stop us now?"
Zhou Man was completely oblivious to the discussions behind her. She stood on the main road of the imperial city, hands clasped together, thinking for a moment before turning around and grabbing a passing official. "Excuse me, how do I get to Changsheng Temple?"
The official glanced at Zhou Man and pointed in a direction, saying, "It's not outside the Imperial City. It's in the northeast corner of the Imperial City. Sir Zhou, follow this road to the last intersection and turn left. It's the one that's at the end."
Zhou Man stood on tiptoe and stretched her neck to see, but she felt that it was too far. She was now in the middle of the imperial city, and it would take a long way to reach the northeast corner.
So she thanked the official, turned back to the palace gate, and waved to Daji, "Let's go to Changsheng Temple."
Changsheng Temple was originally an empty courtyard belonging to the Ministry of Personnel. After Master Naroer came, the emperor ordered it to be converted into a temple and named it Changsheng Temple.
For this purpose, not only were several Buddha statues set up in the courtyard for worship, but the gate and courtyard were also renovated at great expense.
I heard that they are planning to renovate the entire yard, starting from the backyard towards the front, tearing down the old buildings and rebuilding them in the style of a temple. It will cost a lot of money, and the Ministry of Works has already accepted the job and is making preparations, and even has funding.
This was also one of the reasons why officials in the court disliked Naropa. The cost of building a temple was too high. Together with the furnishings and Buddha statues inside, the cost was no less than renovating a palace.
The Daming Palace has not been completed yet.
I don't know if it was because of yesterday's lunch, but the Ministry of Works didn't send anyone to continue the measurements today. The entrance was also deserted.
However, the temples built in the imperial city were not very popular. Apart from the royal family, only the officials' families would come in to burn incense and pray to Buddha.
But who doesn’t have time to come here to pray to the gods every day, so there are not many people here.
Zhou Man helped Daji get out of the car, first looked up at the plaque of Changsheng Temple, and then walked in.
A young monk came to greet him. Seeing Zhou Man, he was stunned for a while before stepping forward and saying, "This humble monk greets Master Zhou."
Zhou Man was surprised, "You still recognize me?"
The young monk took one look at Zhou Man's official uniform and said with a smile, "Mrs. Zhou is the only woman in the whole court who can wear a deep crimson official robe."
Zhou Man glanced down at his official robes and smiled, "I was negligent. I should have come in plain clothes. Is Master Luo Er here? Please let him know."
"Please wait a moment, sir." The little monk turned around and walked quickly to the back to report.
Master Na Luoer was meditating. When he heard Zhou Man coming, he opened his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "Please come to the backyard lobby."
"yes."
When Zhou Man arrived at the lobby, Master Na Luoer had already made tea and was waiting. He extended his hand and said with a smile, "Master Zhou, please take a seat."
There are only two chapters today, and one more will be added tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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