The first person that came to everyone's mind was Prime Minister Zhang, but he had already resigned and was still ill. If he were to go to Xiao Liang Kingdom with his ailing body, he would probably die before even arriving there.
Since Prime Minister Zhang couldn't go, everyone thought of Zhang Qing. Everyone had witnessed her competence these past few days; she was comparable to the prime minister of yesteryear. However, the fact that she was a woman made them hesitant to recommend her.
Zhang Qing already strongly supports women's education; if she were to achieve something even more significant, wouldn't that only further embolden her?
Unable to think of a suitable candidate, the Minister of War remembered Er Gou, whom he had overheard in the teahouse.
It seems that Er Gou is quite cunning; he not only fooled the envoy from the Liang Kingdom into regarding him as a god, but also wanted to welcome him back to be the king.
But he didn't really know how capable that Er Gou was, since he had never met him.
He hesitated for a moment, then, considering that the others' recommendations had all failed for various reasons, he finally spoke hesitantly, "I do have someone in mind, but..."
He paused, unsure whether his recommendation was appropriate. The emperor, who greatly admired the new Minister of War, encouraged him, saying, "Speak freely."
Anyway, we might not even need him, so let's hear his opinion first.
Upon hearing this, the Minister of War no longer held back and said, "This person has no official rank or title, and I have never met him. I have only heard some of his deeds and feel that he is different from ordinary people."
As the Minister of War spoke, he recalled what Chuanwen had said about Er Gou, who was said to be the pinnacle of intelligence. He must be incredibly powerful.
Is the Minister of War reliable? They dare recommend someone based on his past achievements? What if those achievements are fabricated?
Upon hearing Chuanwen's complaint, the emperor frowned, finding Chuanwen's words quite reasonable. He had just thought this Minister of War was very shrewd, but now he seemed less than sharp.
The Minister of War smiled wryly. Although he was getting secondhand information, at least it was genuine. Besides, if those stories were all fabricated, spreading them about the Second Miss would constitute spreading rumors, you know that!
Chuanwen didn't know, because she had also thought of Er Gou. [If you ask me, let Er Gou go. A victory from the start! Forget Little Liang Kingdom, he could turn the savages of the surrounding villages into the army of the Great Jin!]
The Minister of War's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, it's that Er Gou!"
The emperor saw the Minister of War's bright eyes and understood his meaning. The others quickly remembered this man and began to ponder it.
But when the emperor mentioned Er Gou, he thought of braised pork, because when he mentioned Er Gou in previous imperial edicts, it was always associated with braised pork. He once thought that Er Gou was a cook.
So he's sending a cook to do something so important?
When the emperor was suspicious, he met the gaze of the Minister of War and felt that there was a lot in his eyes. He wondered, "Why don't you say it? I'm a grown man, I can't understand your flirtatious expressions!"
The Minister of War wanted to recount what he had overheard at the teahouse about Er Gou conning the envoy from the Little Liang Kingdom, but he couldn't because the messenger was there. Moreover, he suddenly realized a problem: he didn't seem to know Er Gou's real name! He couldn't very well tell the Emperor, "Your Majesty, the person I recommended is named Er Gou."
He turned to look at the historian next to He Lingce. If Er Gou really made a great contribution, he would surely leave a mark in the history books. When later generations reviewed and compiled the records, they would find that the historian recorded, "The Minister of War recommended a person to the emperor, named Er Gou." Regardless of whether Er Gou would shed tears, he still had his pride.
So the Minister of War hesitated for a long time but couldn't say Er Gou's name. Instead, Shen Congliang said, "Your Majesty, I also have someone to recommend. His name is Su Heng. He is a talented person. Although he has no official rank, he ranked first in both the provincial and county examinations. I think he will definitely be on the list in this year's imperial examination. Your Majesty, why don't you call him over tomorrow for consideration and then decide whether he is suitable or not?"
The Minister of War, oblivious to being rebuffed, was still preoccupied with Er Gou's real name. But then Chuan Wen's surprised voice came through: "[The God of Urine knows Er Gou? Why did he recommend Er Gou?]"
hiss!
Shen Congliang, who was beaming with pride because he had retorted to the Minister of War, almost bit his tongue. Unbearable memories surfaced, and he was so ashamed that he wanted to crawl under the table. Chuanwen, that girl, really knows how to bring up the most sensitive topics!
The Minister of War only reacted at this moment and looked at Shen Congliang. Although Shen Congliang was a little embarrassed by Chuanwen's nickname "the urinator," he was still so angry that his breathing became heavier. Damn it! Trying to steal credit, huh!
Shen Congliang ignored the disdainful look the Minister of War was giving him. Well, how can this be called robbery? It's your own fault for not doing your homework properly. Who can you blame?
At this point, Chuanwen also discovered why Shen Congliang knew Er Gou: [The fat bookstore owner who treated Er Gou's constipation was the biological father of the concubine's son of the younger sister-in-law of the Niao Shen (a famous Chinese medicine practitioner). The biological father wanted to curry favor with the Niao Shen, so he recommended Er Gou to treat him. Er Gou then prescribed the medicine, and now the Niao Shen's condition has improved...]
Shen Congliang shook out his clothes, sat up straight, and thought, "After I cure myself, let's see who still calls me the 'Pee God'!"
The emperor glanced at Shen Congliang, wanting to facepalm. He felt like none of his ministers were reliable. But wait, wasn't that Er Gou more than just a cook? He was also a doctor?
[However, wasn't the God of Urine planning to offer Er Gou a hefty sum to become his advisor? How could he be willing to recommend him to the Emperor?]
Upon hearing Chuanwen's doubtful thoughts, Shen Congliang coughed. "Isn't it true that all the good talents should be reserved for the emperor? It's mainly because they can't be tempted!"
Sigh, although he can't be my advisor, my recommendation has made him a talent scout. Once he enters the court, he'll be on my side!
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