After taking a sip of tea, Hongzhou shook his head. "You can't calculate it like that. The rank of an official isn't actually that important. The key is the responsibilities. A scribe is in charge of documents and can work alongside a minister or vice minister, taking the opportunity to learn about the Ministry of Revenue's affairs. Once he's familiar with the Ministry of Revenue's affairs, it will be much easier for him to get promoted."
"If Your Majesty insists on promoting Su Mingfeng to Vice Minister of Revenue, it's not impossible. However, he's not familiar with the Ministry of Revenue yet. What if he's framed and makes a mistake in the accounts? Wouldn't that cause trouble? Then Your Majesty's attempt to protect him would be seen as favoritism."
Those officials are cunning and treacherous; they might actually do something to harm Su Mingfeng, so Hongli has to be careful.
That evening, Hongli spoke of this matter with Su Yushan, asking for her opinion. Su Yushan rested her head on his arm, intertwined her fingers with his, and smiled softly.
“I don’t know much about the affairs of the previous dynasty, so you can make the decision. But I think my elder brother doesn’t care about his official rank. You trust him so much, so he must want to do practical things for the country and the people. He should start from the bottom and wait until he is familiar with the procedures of the Ministry of Revenue and has gained experience before we talk about other things.”
Yu Shan and Hong Zhou shared the same idea. After weighing the pros and cons, Hong Li finally decided to accept Hong Zhou's proposal and transfer Su Mingfeng to the Ministry of Revenue as a clerk. At the same time, he ordered Hong Zhou to work with the Minister of Revenue to manage the Ministry of Revenue, so that Hong Zhou could give Su Mingfeng more guidance and help him become familiar with the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue as soon as possible.
With Su Mingfeng's task completed, it was Su Jiafeng's turn next.
Because Su Jiafeng had fought in the Dzungar Khanate and made military achievements, he was appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War early on. Military officers are more likely to be promoted than civil officials.
However, staying in the Ministry of War would be comfortable for Su Jiafeng, but there would be little room for advancement, since he was still young and it was unlikely that he would be promoted to Minister.
Hongli wanted to further train him and planned to send him to a post as a prefect.
Su Yushan had no objections; being a prefect was safer than fighting a war. However, this was a major matter, and Jiafeng and He Yuning needed to discuss it before making a decision.
If nothing unexpected happens, the prefect's term is three years, which means Jia Feng will have to leave the capital for three years. What will He Yun Ning do then? That is the question.
Jiafeng meant that he could bring his family when he took up his post in another place. He wanted to bring Yun Ning and her son with him, but He Yun Ning had never left the capital before. She was somewhat resistant to being asked to leave the capital so suddenly.
Besides, she's her father's only daughter; he has no sons. Over the years, she's been helping manage the restaurant business. If she leaves, her father definitely won't be able to handle everything on his own.
She wanted to stay, but Manager He wouldn't allow it. In his view, his son-in-law had left the capital to become an official and had been gone for three years. If his wife wasn't by his side, he couldn't possibly stay away from women forever, could he?
Yun Ning can't see it. Who knows, Su Jiafeng might find a beautiful woman outside to keep her company, and then bring her home as a concubine. Yun Ning won't even have time to cry!
If Yun Ning were by his side, at least she could keep an eye on him, and Jia Feng wouldn't make a mistake.
He Yuning believes that whether a man makes a mistake depends on whether his willpower is strong enough.
If he has other intentions, no matter how closely she watches over him, it will be useless; if he has no other intentions, he can remain steadfast even if she is not by his side.
Shopkeeper He chuckled and scoffed, saying his daughter was too young and didn't understand men at all.
Men need to be kept under close watch to reduce the possibility of them making mistakes.
“For example, that Miss Chen who kept pestering him that year. Luckily, she was in the capital. You made a scene with him, and he finally decided to send her away. If you weren’t by his side, and another woman was pestering him, he might have refused at first, but as time went on, he might have lost control and made a mistake.”
Manager He was an experienced man, and he understood men's nature all too well. Therefore, he strongly supported his daughter and son-in-law going together. As for the restaurant, he would ask relatives to help.
He'll do what he can, and if he really can't, he'll just sell it off. Anyway, he's already earned enough for retirement, so he won't have to worry about the next life.
Her father insisted that she take the child with her, and after much deliberation, He Yun Ning finally agreed.
Her younger brother was about to embark on a long journey, and Su Yushan wanted to see him before he left. However, the women of the inner palace and the officials of the previous dynasty were not allowed to meet. To fulfill her wish, Hongli specially sent Su Yushan to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to deliver soup to him. At the same time, he summoned Su Jiafeng.
The siblings finally had a chance to meet. Su Yushan instructed Jiafeng to control her temper, consider the overall situation, and take good care of herself and Yun Ning and her son while traveling.
Su Jiafeng nodded solemnly and agreed, "Sister, don't worry, I will definitely behave properly and live up to your and the Emperor's expectations."
Three days later, Su Jiafeng officially set off for Guizhou with his wife and children to assume the post of prefect.
With an uncertain future ahead, He Yuning felt lost and uncertain. Fortunately, her husband and child were by her side, so she had nothing to fear and could only keep moving forward.
Hongli paved the way for the two brothers step by step, but it was up to them to see if they could seize the opportunity and make some achievements. As long as they could contribute to the court, Hongli could then use their influence to promote Su Yushan's rank.
However, things are unpredictable, and the peaceful days did not last long before another wave of trouble arose.
On this day, Hongli went to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager, who took the opportunity to lecture him on profound principles.
"There are so many concubines in the harem, yet you only favor Su Shi, leaving them all alone in their rooms. It's one thing if you don't like the other concubines, but the Empress is your first wife. You shouldn't neglect her like this. You should go to Changchun Palace to keep her company."
Hongli thought to himself that his mother was clearly making trouble out of nothing. “She is superstitious and stubborn, and her mind is not the same as mine. I have always treated her this way. Your mother has known this all along, so why bring it up again?”
The Empress Dowager did not get angry, but patiently advised, "Before, when you were in the Prince's Palace, no one was in charge, and you could do whatever you wanted. I didn't force you to go to her place. Now that you have ascended the throne, your every word and action is being watched. How can you act recklessly?"
It was the same old story again, and Hongli was thoroughly annoyed. His handsome brows furrowed, and his expression clearly showed his impatience.
"Your Majesty, I have no feelings for the Empress, so why force me? Even if we go to Changchun Palace, I will never touch her!"
The Empress Dowager was not annoyed. She used both soft and hard tactics to persuade him, "If you don't want to touch it, then don't touch it. I won't force you on this point. But you must keep up appearances. On the first and fifteenth of each month, you must stay overnight in the Empress's palace. This is a rule set by our ancestors and cannot be changed!"
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