Chapter 215 Left Vice Minister of the Secretariat
Real warfare is never about arguing over words. What good does it do to win a verbal battle?
Therefore, Jiang Yu didn't take Qingshan Bo's verbal provocation to heart at all. As for Qingshan Bo, he gritted his teeth, thinking to himself that Jiang Yu was truly a difficult fellow to deal with.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yu, after exchanging pleasantries with the officials who came to greet her, walked over to Marquis Anyuan and Duke Wei. Marquis Anyuan was beaming with pride, his face practically screaming, "Look, this is my granddaughter." Duke Wei was equally honored.
Those who came to exchange pleasantries, seeing Jiang Yu talking with Marquis Anyuan and Duke Wei, wisely refrained from crowding forward. Marquis Anyuan whispered to Jiang Yu, "I received news last night that the Emperor will promote you today, but the position will not be in one of the Six Ministries."
After hearing this, Jiang Yu thought for a moment and asked in a low voice, "In the three provinces?"
“I don’t know the specifics, but if you’re not in one of the Six Ministries, you should be in one of the Three Provinces. They won’t send you out to work elsewhere,” said Marquis Anyuan.
Jiang Yu smiled and nodded, "As long as I get promoted, that's fine."
Her frank words made Marquis Anyuan laugh heartily, attracting the attention of the officials around him. Many sighed inwardly, thinking that if their family had such an outstanding descendant, they would have laughed just as much.
Soon the palace gates opened, and officials entered one after another according to their rank. Upon reaching the Taiji Hall, everyone lined up according to their civil and military ranks, awaiting the emperor's arrival.
Jiang Yu was a Duke of the highest rank and a civil official. Although her official rank was low, she still stood at the forefront of civil officials, in the same row as the Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Anyuan.
A moment later, the chief eunuch Zhao Fuquan's voice rang out, "The Emperor has arrived!"
The emperor walked to the dragon throne and sat down, and all the officials knelt down to kowtow. The emperor looked down at the officials below, and his gaze swept over the row of civil officials. He saw a young man in his early twenties standing in the middle of a row of old men over fifty years old. He was a very pleasing person to the eye.
He was once again glad that he had let Jiang Yu serve as an official in the court; otherwise, the Xie family would not have been brought under control so quickly, and there would not have been such a pleasing-looking person in the front row when attending court.
He glanced at Zhao Fuquan beside him, who then unfolded the imperial edict in his hand and read aloud:
By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:
I, having received the mandate of Heaven to rule over all realms, appoint only the virtuous and promote the capable, ensuring clear rewards and punishments. I hereby appoint Jiang Yu, the Investigating Censor of the Ministry of Revenue, who is known for his loyalty, keen insight, and strict adherence to the law. Previously, he was ordered to inspect military supplies, uncovering corruption and embezzlement, dismantling the network of corruption and eradicating the abuses of corrupt officials; he also investigated tax malpractices, clearing up outstanding arrears and recovering millions in illicit gains to replenish the national treasury; furthermore, he investigated the case of illegally minting official silver, thwarting the plot of criminals and protecting the integrity of currency. These three cases, handled simultaneously, have shaken the court and the public, brought about a new order in officialdom, and secured the national treasury.
You, a woman, wield the might of thunder and maintain the integrity of ice and frost; you are truly a pillar of the nation and a model for the court. I commend your merits and hereby promote you to the position of Left Assistant of the Secretariat, a senior fourth-rank official, to assist in the management of the Secretariat's important affairs, supervise the documents of the Six Ministries, participate in the drafting of imperial edicts, and correct any errors.
You must be diligent and cautious, uphold justice and integrity, continue to promote the spirit of integrity and eliminate corruption, and never abandon your unwavering commitment day and night. If all officials were to follow your example of loyalty, what need would there be for unrest within the realm? Respectfully yours!
The Taiji Hall was quiet. The officials present had all expected that the emperor would promote Jiang Yu, and possibly even skip a rank, but they had not expected that he would assign her to the Secretariat.
All eyes of the officials were fixed on Jiang Yu. They had expected the Emperor to give her an important position, but they hadn't anticipated such a high regard. The Left Vice Minister of the Secretariat, overseeing the Six Ministries and local administration, and coordinating the overall operation of government affairs, held considerable power despite being only a fourth-rank official.
Jiang Yu hadn't expected the emperor to assign her this position. She stepped forward, lifted her robe, and knelt on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor!"
Zhao Fuquan walked up to her with a smile and handed her the imperial edict. Jiang Yu accepted the edict with both hands, shouted "Long live the Emperor!" again, and then stood up, took a step back, and returned to her original position.
The emperor seemed to be in a good mood today. He said some encouraging words to start the year, and then said, "The position of crown prince has been vacant for a long time. Although I am still in good health, I am over fifty years old after all. It is time to decide on the position of crown prince."
These words caused a commotion in the Taiji Hall. Jiang Yu turned to look at Marquis Anyuan, and seeing him shake his head slightly at him, he stood there with a concerned expression, making no further move.
After a while, the emperor said again, "That's fine then. As for the selection of the crown prince, we'll discuss it later."
The Taiji Hall fell silent again. The emperor continued, "If there's nothing else, let's call it a day. The Left Vice Minister and the Prime Minister, please come with me to the Imperial Study."
The officials left one after another. Seeing Prime Minister Pei Chengkun approaching, Jiang Yu smiled at him. Pei Chengkun also smiled, "The young Duke of Chu is truly formidable!"
"Not at all," Jiang Yu said modestly, "I still have much to learn from the Prime Minister."
Pei Chengkun glanced at her, then strode towards the imperial study, asking Jiang Yu, "How is your grandfather's health?"
"The same as always, thank you for your concern," Jiang Yu said politely, walking a step behind him.
Pei Chengkun hummed in agreement. "In the past, due to some old matters, I didn't have much contact with your grandfather. I'll go see him later."
Jiang Yu couldn't guess what he meant, but she still smiled and said, "I will inform my grandfather when I get back. I think he will be very happy to meet you."
Pei Chengkun sighed, "We're all getting old. The future belongs to you young people."
Jiang Yu: "The Prime Minister is too modest."
The two men remained silent and entered the imperial study together. After exchanging greetings, the emperor asked them to sit down and then said, "The Xie family's Jufeng Money Shop and Trading Company will belong to the imperial court. I would like to hear your opinions on how to manage them from now on."
Since the Prime Minister was a senior official, Jiang Yu naturally wouldn't offer his opinion first, so he just sat there and waited for Pei Chengkun to speak.
Pei Chengkun glanced at her and said, "I think we can arrange for some trustworthy people to enter Jufeng Trading Company and Bank to familiarize themselves with how Jufeng Trading Company and Bank operate, then gradually sideline Xie Ning'an, and finally bring Jufeng Bank and Trading Company completely under the control of the imperial court."
The emperor nodded in agreement; he shared the same thought. However, he still looked at Jiang Yu and asked, "What does Minister Jiang think?"
Jiang Yu thought for a moment and said, "I think we should set up a department called the 'Department of Commerce and Industry' to be in charge of commerce and industry, inspect commercial taxes, encourage agriculture and sericulture, and enrich the people."
The emperor did not immediately understand what she meant, so he changed his sitting posture and adopted a listening posture.
Jiang Yu had considered this issue before, but she had not yet developed a detailed plan.
She continued, "In my opinion, the prosperity of the court depends on two key points: the people's livelihood and the military. The people's livelihood depends on two things: agriculture and commerce. I would like to establish an office to be responsible for agriculture, commerce, freight, and agricultural taxes, which I call the economy."
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