Chapter 120 The Ministry of Revenue Investigates the Censors
By the time Jiang Yu finished speaking, half an hour had passed. Her mouth was parched, and she couldn't resist picking up the teacup on the table and taking a large gulp. The Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan felt a pang of sympathy, while the Emperor couldn't help but smile.
He had Zhao Fuquan serve Jiang Yu another cup of tea, then looked at the Prime Minister and asked, "What do you think, my dear minister?"
Prime Minister Pei Chengkun stood up, glanced at the Duke of Chu, and then at Jiang Yu, saying, "I have benefited greatly from Jiang Yu's words."
The emperor casually waved for him to sit down, a seemingly unintentional gesture that sent shivers down the spines of everyone present. The past between the Duke of Chu and Pei Tinglan, the Prime Minister's sister, though not widely publicized, was no secret within the powerful circles of the capital.
Although there has been no apparent conflict between the Prime Minister and the Duke of Chu over the years, who knows what has been going on behind the scenes? Many even suspect that the Prime Minister was behind the intimidation of the Minister of Personnel.
What does it mean that the Emperor is now asking the Prime Minister to comment on Jiang Yu? Does he also suspect that the Prime Minister was behind the intimidation? Or perhaps, the Emperor wants to stir up conflict between the Prime Minister and the Duke of Chu?
Regardless of the Emperor's thoughts, the Prime Minister's answer was very magnanimous. The Emperor nodded in approval, looking at Jiang Yu and saying, "I never expected that my great empire would produce another woman who is just as capable as any man. If you were to enter the court as an official, which position would you like to hold?"
This meant that he had passed the test. Both the Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan breathed a sigh of relief. Jiang Yu stood up and knelt in front of the emperor's desk, saying, "This humble woman is all right."
The emperor grunted and told her to rise, then looked at the Duke of Chu, "What are your thoughts, my dear minister?"
The Duke of Chu naturally agreed that anywhere was fine, and then the ministers of the six ministries discussed the matter, which was when the strength of the Duke of Chu's mansion was truly demonstrated. In the end, the six ministers decided that Jiang Yu would be admitted to the Ministry of Personnel, serving as its head, a sixth-rank official.
Although this position is not high-ranking, it is a position that requires real work, and it is also a position that the Duke of Chu and Jiang Yu had agreed upon.
After hearing about the position, the emperor remained silent. At this moment, the prime minister stood up and said, "In my opinion, Jiang Yu is most suitable for the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of money and finances, and women are meticulous and can better utilize their abilities."
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Chu clenched his fist. The Ministry of Revenue sounded like a good place, but in recent years the national treasury had been empty, and several large-scale embezzlement cases had yet to be solved. Moreover, the Duke of Chu's mansion had weak influence within the Ministry of Revenue, so if Jiang Yu went there, she would likely face many difficulties.
The emperor, upon hearing the prime minister's words, smiled slightly; this was exactly the outcome he desired. Sometimes, infighting among high-ranking officials wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him.
The emperor pretended to ponder for a moment, then asked the Minister of Revenue, "Are there any vacancies in the Ministry of Revenue?"
The Minister of Revenue stood up. "Yes, the Ministry of Revenue is investigating the Censor, a sixth-rank official."
It's half a rank higher than the previously decided position of Director of the Ministry of Personnel. It's a position that involves doing real work, but it's also a position that can offend people, and if you don't do it right, you'll end up with nothing to show for your efforts.
The emperor tapped his fingers on the table and then said, "In that case, let the Ministry of Revenue investigate the censors."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Yu knelt down again to express her gratitude. The matter was already settled; there was no point in struggling anymore. Accepting it and seeking a change of fortune was the right approach.
The emperor told Jiang Yu to stand up, "You've worked hard these past few days, go back and rest. You can start your shift in ten days."
Jiang Yu thanked the emperor again, then helped the Duke of Chu out of the imperial study. The Duke of Chu had been granted special permission by the emperor to ride in a sedan chair, which was parked not far away. Jiang Yu helped him into the sedan chair, and together with the Marquis of Anyuan, they walked towards the palace gate.
As they exited the palace gates, many people congratulated Jiang Yu and the Duke of Chu, who exchanged pleasantries with them. Finally, the Prime Minister approached, gave Jiang Yu a deep look, and then said to the Duke of Chu, "I never imagined that after so many years, the Duke of Chu's family would produce such a talented person."
The Duke of Chu replied calmly, "I have disappointed the Prime Minister."
The Prime Minister smiled at Jiang Yu, "She has done an outstanding job, no less than any man. I am overjoyed, not disappointed. From now on, it will be the era of the young."
After saying this, he got into his sedan chair and left. Jiang Yu, the Duke of Chu, and the Marquis of Anyuan exchanged glances, and then each got into their sedan chairs and returned to the Duke of Chu's mansion.
Upon arriving at the Duke of Chu's study, both Marquis Anyuan and the Duke of Chu breathed a sigh of relief—a truly hearty sigh of relief. Although the positions weren't what they had previously planned for, they had basically given up hope after seeing Jiang Yu's assessment paper. Who knew that Jiang Yu would give them such a wonderful surprise?
Marquis Anyuan looked at Jiang Yu with pride, praising her repeatedly. Then he said to Duke Chu, "Don't always think that this child's excellence is solely due to your Jiang family. She has half the blood of my Lu family flowing in her veins, so she also owes a debt to my Lu family. Hahahaha..."
Duke of Chu: "..."
I won't argue with him about this; anyway, Jiang Yu's surname is Jiang, not Lu.
Jiang Yu was speechless at the Duke of Chu's eye-roll. They say people turn into children as they get older, and it seems that's true. Anyway, she passed the test and was about to become a sixth-rank official—she was happy!
After enjoying themselves for a while, the three generations of the family got down to business. Marquis Anyuan said, "That old bastard Pei Chengkun definitely didn't have good intentions in sending Yu'er to the Ministry of Revenue. We must be careful when he does."
The Duke of Chu nodded, "But there's no need to worry too much; he can't control everything."
Jiang Yu, however, was thinking of something else. She said, "The Prime Minister's wife comes from the Xie family. It seems that the Xie family has rebellious intentions. What about the Prime Minister?"
The room was quiet. After a while, Marquis Anyuan said, "The Xie family wants to rebel because the royal family has been suppressing them. But Pei Chengkun was promoted by the emperor himself."
However, the Duke of Chu said, "It's more accurate to say that Pei Chengkun was promoted by the Xie family rather than by the Emperor. Perhaps the Emperor didn't want Pei Chengkun to become the prime minister in the first place, but he had no choice."
Yes, in recent years the struggle between powerful families and imperial power has become increasingly fierce.
Next, the Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan explained to Jiang Yu in detail the intricate web of interests among the various powerful families in the capital. They wanted to tell her more about the Ministry of Revenue, but since they knew nothing about it, they had to investigate the personnel there before providing a detailed account.
After the three finished speaking, Marquis Anyuan happily went home, as he wanted to share the good news with his wife. Lu Yifang had already arranged a banquet, saying that such a joyous occasion should be celebrated properly.
When Jiang Jiamu and Wu Zhengyan heard that Jiang Yu was really going to enter the court as an official, they were both stunned. Then Wu Zhengyan said, "My younger sister is indeed no less than an ordinary man."
Jiang Jiamu smiled. Envious? Of course he was envious, but he knew very well that only when Jiang Yu was doing well, and the Duke of Chu's mansion was doing well, would his wife and children be doing well.
"Hurry up and pack, we don't want to be late," Jiang Jiamu said with a smile.
Wu Zhengyan saw the hint of desolation in his eyes, went to the closet to get him some clothes, and said, "Mother and the Duke are searching for famous doctors. Maybe one day your poison will be cured."
Jiang Jiamu nodded with a smile, though he didn't have high hopes.
The family of three finished getting ready and headed towards the front yard restaurant, where they encountered Jiang Chengye on the way. Despite their resentment towards him, the family of three still bowed to him.
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