Chapter 43 Brother and sister talk with anxiety
"Sleep with me?" Jiang Xue said, "I have a family now, why don't you think about it carefully?"
Lu Qiongshuang showed a cunning look, his big eyes rolled back and forth a few times, and said:
"Then I'll go talk to the prince consort and ask him to lend me my cousin for one night!"
Jiang Xue shook her head and said, "Do you want me to tell this to my aunt?"
Lu Qiongshuang grabbed her hand and shook it, whispering, "Cousin, please let me stay. I really don't want to go back home. It's too restrictive. I've only been back for a few days, and my mother has already found several maids and mistresses for me. I want to learn needlework, etiquette, burning incense, arranging flowers, making tea, practicing calligraphy and painting—"
She whined softly, "I'm going crazy."
Seeing that Jiang Xue was indifferent, she turned to look at Jiang Yu for help.
Jiang Yu said: "If I were your cousin, I would order someone to tie you up with ropes and throw you back to the prime minister's residence."
Lu Qiongshuang let go of his hands and sat on the chair, holding on to the armrests and refusing to let go.
"Please, cousin."
Jiang Xue felt helpless and amused when she saw her rogue appearance.
"You can stay if you want. I have some things to deal with later. I'll have someone clean up a room for you. You can go and rest first."
Lu Qiongshuang nodded with a smile, then stood up and gave Jiang Xue a big bear hug.
Her long ponytail fell down and landed on Jiang Xue's shoulder. Jiang Xue smelled a faint fragrance and said:
"What kind of hair oil do you use? It smells good."
Lu Qiongshuang stood up straight, held up her hair and smelled it, and said, "My master gave it to me. It's made from a unique tree oil in the East China Sea. My cousin likes it. I'll get a bottle for you another day."
"No, I have a lot of rouge and powder here, you can keep them for yourself." Jiang Xue smiled and pushed her away.
"Xianglu, go and clean up the east wing for Miss Cousin."
Xianglu bowed her head and turned to leave.
Lu Qiongshuang said, "Can I take a walk around this yard?"
She could see that Jiang Xue and Jiang Yu had something to say, so she wisely walked away.
"Go ahead, but don't go too far, just walk around in this backyard. I'll send someone to find you after you've packed up later." Jiang Xue said.
"Okay!"
Lu Qiongshuang agreed readily and left in big strides.
Seeing her leave, Jiang Xue whispered to Xiaochun, "Go and close the door."
Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow: "Didn't you say you wanted to take a shower? Then I'll go first."
Jiang Xue said, "Wait a minute, my brother."
"Just now, when Qiongshuang was here, I could only think of discussing this with my brother some other day. Now that she is not here, why don't you tell me what is going on in the Ministry of Personnel?"
Jiang Yu said: "Originally, I told my father about my decision to stay in Beijing. He said that if I stayed, I should have a proper job, which would be a good opportunity for me to help him share some of the burden."
"It's not surprising that my father wants to give my brother real power, but my brother is new to government affairs, so shouldn't he take it slow? The Ministry of War is in charge of military affairs, and my brother is familiar with the military affairs of the northern border and can handle it. However, the Ministry of Personnel is in charge of the selection and appointment of civil servants, and my brother is not clear about the situation in the court. There are countless conflicts of interest, and one move will affect the whole body. At this moment-"
Jiang Yu comforted him, "Father and I have considered what you said."
He said slowly: "In fact, it was my grandfather who proposed taking charge of the Ministry of Personnel."
"When I asked my father to stay in Beijing, my grandfather was also in Baohe Hall. My father initially discussed with me and decided to let me take charge of the Ministry of War. Firstly, I am more familiar with military affairs, and secondly, the court has not raised troops for many years, so the Ministry of War is mostly redundant. My father hopes that I can rectify it and establish my authority."
"My father and I had basically the same idea, but when it came time to draft the decree, my grandfather suggested that my father hand over the Ministry of Personnel to me as well."
"Did grandpa tell me the reason?" Jiang Xue wondered.
"Grandfather said that the political situation in the court is complicated, but I will have to take over sooner or later. I have been away from the court for a long time, and it takes time to know whether the people in the court are in favor of me. It is better to take over early and win over the people's hearts."
"He wants you to take this opportunity to enter the imperial court from the Ministry of Personnel?"
"Yes, after all, the Ministry of War is only responsible for military affairs. Ji State has not experienced war for many years, so the Ministry of War does not have a high status in the court. My grandfather said that if you want to win the hearts of the people, you must choose one of the six ministries that is best able to deal with the subjects."
"But it's too hasty to take over the Ministry of Personnel at this time, and the pros and cons are not worth considering. Why did my grandfather..."
"Because my grandfather's students and former officials are all over the court." Jiang Yu looked at Jiang Xue meaningfully.
"He said that even if I couldn't do it at first, he could still help me."
"Help?" Jiang Xue asked worriedly, "Although my grandfather is a loyal minister, if he does everything himself, it may be..."
She looked at Jiang Yu and didn't dare to say anything.
It seems that the royal family relies too much on him.
Jiang Xue said: "It's too tiring. Grandfather is old after all."
Jiang Yu sighed and said, "You can only blame me for being too self-indulgent when I was young. I was unwilling to put my heart into government affairs and just waited for my eldest brother to take on everything."
"But I will try my best to shoulder the burden this time," he comforted Jiang Xue, saying, "It won't be long. I will be able to take charge on my own and share my father's worries."
Jiang Xue could only force a smile.
Jiang Yu said: "Besides, if you can take over the Ministry of Personnel, it will be much easier to investigate Gu Lintan's affairs. The files on the transfer, appointment and dismissal of officials over the years are all in the Ministry of Personnel."
"But Gu Lintan was selected through examinations. The Ministry of Rites is in charge of the imperial examinations. The records of the provincial examinations, the metropolitan examinations, and even the records of successful candidates are all kept and sealed by the Ministry of Rites. If my brother wants to investigate, I'm afraid the Ministry of Personnel will be of little help."
"You forgot that my father also asked me to assist in welcoming the envoy in a few days."
Jiang Yu smiled and said, "The imperial edict to take over the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel has not been issued yet, and the most busy thing right now is to welcome the envoy. I have been staying in the Ministry of Rites for the past few days, so it won't be difficult to find an opportunity to look through these files and records."
"I will find the local official who guaranteed him that day, and the Guanzheng Yamen that compiled the records, and then check with the Ministry of Personnel, and it will be cheaper to do it."
Jiang Xue was silent.
Although my father is not a suspicious monarch and is especially kind, when my brother returned to the capital, my father was able to let him take over the government affairs without any fear.
But Jiang Yu was still a little worried as she had to take on so many responsibilities at once.
Jiang Xue looked at Jiang Yu's face. He was not like his eldest brother. His eldest brother could handle the court affairs with ease and win the support of the people. It was not only because of his integrity and prudence, but also because of his gentleman's heart.
It is also because he can not only observe people in detail, but also understand their hearts and minds, and know when to advance and retreat.
As for his subjects, he was able to use both kindness and severity to control them appropriately. As for the emperor, he was able to preserve both the affection between father and son and the courtesy between the monarch and his subjects.
Although Jiang Yu's wisdom and strategy were not inferior to Jiang Chen's, he had been under Jiang Chen's wing when he was young and was overprotected. It was difficult for him to understand people's hearts and use human nature, given his unruly and extroverted personality for many years.
Jiang Xue knew that her father was in good health, so although Jiang Yu would only be named the Prince of Zhen now, he would definitely be named the Crown Prince and inherit the throne in the future. He would accomplish these things sooner or later.
But if she put all the pressure on him at once, she was worried that he would be powerless and make mistakes in the chaos.
If he is unable to do it, he must seek help, and the only person he can rely on is his grandfather.
Jiang Xue did not doubt her grandfather.
But for some reason, she always felt a little uneasy.
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