Chapter 544: Advance and Retreat Together
Cai Wenxu was speechless after being retorted by Zhao Sicheng. He choked for a long time and had to look to Zhou Xianqing for help.
"Mr. Zhou, as the Minister of Rites, this move... aren't you going to say anything?"
Zhou Xianqing's name was suddenly called. He was stunned for a moment and had to stand up.
Yan Xiuyun asked: "Lord Zhou, what do you think should be done now?"
"This..." Zhou Xianqing was also stumped, and said while thinking:
"Your Majesty, I think... this action does not violate the law...
But, perhaps, there is still something wrong. "
Cai Wenxu had a "wait and see" expression on his face and immediately said:
“Your Majesty, think about it, one of them is the Minister of Works, the other is the Minister of Revenue, and both of them have heavy fists.
Once these two become husband and wife and unite, it would be easy for them to use the fortifications to enrich themselves, and it is possible that they could even empty the national treasury.
Such a precedent must not be set, Your Majesty!"
Yan Xiuyun thought for a moment and asked, "Then according to Lord Cai, how should we deal with this?"
Cai Wenxu thought for a while and realized that what Zhao and Xiao did did not violate the law and it was difficult to punish them, but he could not just leave it alone, so he said:
"I think that as long as one of them is willing to resign, the risk can be avoided and the matter can be solved."
"Yeah." Yan Xiuyun nodded and looked at Zhao Sicheng and Xiao Wan.
"You have all heard what the Minister of the Ministry of Rites said. If you can only keep one person in the court, what will you choose?"
Zhang Lun, the Minister of Finance, was a little anxious and stood up and said:
"Your Majesty, the war has just subsided, and the Ministry of Revenue is busy with money and grain turnover, tax adjustments, and many other matters.
At such a critical time, without Minister Xiao's help in the Ministry of Revenue, I would be unable to handle it alone!
No matter what, Minister Xiao cannot leave."
"Sir Zhang, what do you mean by this?" Minister of Works Feng Yan said dissatisfiedly.
"You have a lot of things to do in the Ministry of Revenue, so are we in the Ministry of Works idle? Right now, the palace of Concubine Rong is still waiting for Minister Zhao to personally design the sketch. If he leaves, will you draw the sketch?"
"In any case, Minister Xiao must stay in the Ministry of Revenue!"
"The Ministry of Works can't do without Minister Zhao!"
"Shut up." Yan Xiuyun looked unhappy and scolded.
"How can a minister, a senior official of the court, quarrel like this in the court?"
He looked at Zhao Xiao and the others again and asked them if they had made a decision in their hearts.
Zhao Sicheng and Xiao Wan looked at each other and smiled at the same time.
The person in front of you is not only your sweetheart, but also the person you have experienced the ups and downs with, the joys and sorrows with, and the person you trust and rely on the most in this world.
It means being willing to go through fire and water for the other person no matter when and where.
Fame and honor are important, but what is the meaning of wealth and glory if you cannot be with the one you love for your whole life?
What's more, they all believed that even if they left officialdom, the world outside was vast, so how could they not make some achievements?
The two of them understood each other at a glance.
Zhao Sicheng looked at Yan Xiuyun, bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, I will not marry anyone other than Xiao Wan in this life. As for where we two will go, it is entirely up to Your Majesty to decide."
Xiao Wan knelt beside him and kowtowed together, making her attitude clear.
Yan Xiuyun lowered his eyes and looked at the two of them with an inexplicable expression.
His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne, and for a moment he found it difficult to make a decision.
At this time, Zhu Lan's voice suddenly sounded in the hall:
"If Your Majesty really dismisses either Minister Zhao or Minister Xiao from his post because of this incident, I'm afraid it will chill the hearts of scholars all over the world."
"What do you think, my dear?"
Zhu Lan bowed and said:
“Your Majesty, since the last emperor, Daliang has gone through countless difficulties before it was able to create a precedent for women to go to school and join the government.
To date, the number of female officials across the country has reached 1,820, and their political achievements are no less than those of men. The effectiveness of the new policies is obvious to all.
Today's grand scene is not only the late emperor's last wish, but also the lifelong wish of Concubine Lan.
If Your Majesty dismisses one of them today because of the marriage, it will be equivalent to announcing to the world that if one of the couples in the world enters the government, the other will lose the opportunity to serve the court forever. "
Zhu Lan looked at Zhao Sicheng and Xiao Wan behind him, and said to Yan Xiuyun:
"Your Majesty, the abilities of Minister Zhao and Minister Xiao can be seen from the reactions of the two ministers just now.
If such a talented person were to leave the court because of something as ordinary as marriage, wouldn't it be a loss to the Daliang court?
If this precedent is set, wouldn't any women in the world who want to serve as officials in the court have many concerns in the future?
Your Majesty, if you have the heart of Zhou Gong spitting out food for his guests, you certainly don’t want to see such a situation.”
Upon hearing this, Cai Wenxu sneered and said:
"According to what Zhu Zhongcheng said, if officials marry each other in the future, husband and wife will be one. What is the difference between that and forming a clique for personal gain?"
Zhu Lan was neither humble nor overbearing:
“Institutional problems can naturally be solved by the system.”
She looked at Yan Xiuyun and said:
"Your Majesty, regarding how to deal with this matter, I have recently drafted a preliminary plan.
Since this is just a preliminary idea, please allow me to report to Your Majesty alone after leaving the court."
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