Huang Xiu and Ning Shang also reached a critical moment, and everyone gathered around, showing great concern.
Probably because of the bias, everyone was very nervous about the outcome.
In the end, Ning Shang, who was more familiar with foreign languages, stumped Huang Xiu with a very obscure piece of knowledge and won the final victory.
At that moment, someone in the hall let out a low exclamation of surprise, the admiration evident in it. He Qing glanced at the ministers standing below and realized that this was probably what most of them were thinking, but they were all able to suppress it, with only a few who were less calm and expressed it.
Huang Xiu was a eunuch, while Ning Shang was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, the most orthodox scholar. It was obvious which side the court officials would support. Now that Ning Shang had won, meaning that the civil officials had won, it was a great honor for them. How could they not be happy?
What's more, He Qing had previously vowed that Huang Xiu knew Nanyang very well. Now that he has been defeated and ranked below Ning Shang, although it cannot be said that he no longer knows, it has lost He Qing's face.
So at this moment, some people looked at He Qing with a hint of gloating in their eyes.
On the other hand, everyone admired Gu Zheng from the bottom of their hearts for coming up with this method. Gu Zheng was indeed the head of the government, and he always acted in a disciplined manner, always putting He Qing at a disadvantage.
But He Qing's attitude was bound to disappoint them.
She raised her hands and clapped them in encouragement, smiling at them, "Excellent performance. It seems you both understand the South Seas very well. This arduous voyage was well worth it; it certainly paid off."
As she spoke, she looked at Gu Zheng, "I suddenly have a suggestion. Whether it's the Maritime Customs Office or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since they're dealing with foreign affairs, they can't be completely ignorant. Why not, after selecting officials, let them go out to sea on a ship and experience the scenery overseas? I think they'll be more competent for the job at hand."
"..." This behavior of doing whatever he wanted made the court officials feel uneasy.
Huang Xiu and Ning Shang should have declined politely, but He Qing's words stopped them, leaving them no room to speak.
Gu Zheng said, "Now the establishment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the expansion of the Maritime Customs are imminent. I'm afraid there is no time to go to sea."
"Then we can take turns going out to sea, a few at a time." He Qing said.
Now Gu Zheng had nothing to say.
He Qing then nodded slightly and said to Huang Xiu and Ning Shang, "The court has generously nurtured you, but your achievements today are also due to your own hard work. Remember to guard against arrogance and impatience, and do your job well. When you go out, you will be the face of the Great Chu, so don't bring shame to the court."
He turned to look at Gu Zheng and suddenly smiled. "After the competition just now, I understand why Mr. Gu insisted on having them assessed fairly. This way, it will surely convince the public. Now is the time for the court to recruit personnel. Now that the winner has been decided, it's time to appoint troops and generals. Let Prince De register his name in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The position of Left Vice Minister will naturally go to Ning Shang, who is ranked first. Huang Xiu will be ranked second and will be the Right Vice Minister. I think Mr. Gu and the other officials will not object, right?"
The assessment was proposed by Gu Zheng, and the results were selected in public. There was no possibility of falsification, and there was no room for maneuver. So when He Qing said this, everyone thought it was natural at first, but then they were shocked and realized that something was wrong.
Wait a minute! Their goal was clearly to prevent the royal family and eunuchs from interfering in court affairs, and to have their own people in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So how did the final result result in not only did Prince De and Huang Xiu stay as He Qing intended, but even the last position originally reserved for a civil official was given to Ning Shang, a 7th or 8th rank interpreter?
It should be noted that a vice minister is a third-rank official position, responsible for the specific affairs of each ministry. It is considered to be a formal entry into the power center of the court. It is very important. Many officials who are sent to other places cannot get such a position in their entire lives. They can only rotate outside and remain as low-level officials for life. However, Ning Shang has reached the top without any effort.
This was completely contrary to their original idea.
Seeing their expressions of surprise and doubt, He Qing finally couldn't help but sneer. "Don't you want fairness? Then I'll give you absolute fairness." Ning Shang's qualifications meant he wouldn't have been eligible for a position like this, but since it was an open selection, whoever was more capable would take the position. So, she wouldn't allow anyone to dispute the final decision!
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