Chapter 32
With the example of Lord Hu in front of them, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue did not want to be publicly disgraced, so they had to shut up.
The second prince's household maids were very efficient. The officials of the Ministry of Revenue did not want to be outdone by the women they looked down upon, so driven by their male pride, they all unleashed their potential and worked quickly and efficiently.
The auditing efficiency of the entire Ministry of Revenue has increased by nearly two times. The Minister of Revenue is so happy that he can't even wait to drive them away.
With the consent of their immediate superior and the tacit approval of others, a group of female relatives successfully settled into the Ministry of Revenue and in less than two days they felt at home there.
The arrival of the female relatives added a lot of vitality to the boring Ministry of Revenue.
They embellished the scenery day after day with flowers, and enhanced the tasteless meals with delicacies. During breaks, they would play around with Chu Huan and talk about many gossips in the capital, which others could also take the opportunity to listen to.
Who doesn’t love eating melons?
I love eating melons during work hours even more.
So that's it. This is one of the four great pleasures in life that Chu Huan mentioned before: slacking off at work.
Very happy indeed.
Today, the Second Prince's Consort Wu brought up the following gossip: "The deputy commander of the East City Military Command just got married a few days ago, but his wife just returned to her parents' home, crying and demanding a divorce. No one knows what happened."
As he spoke, he looked at Chu Huan intentionally or unintentionally.
Normally, Concubine Wu would not bother to waste her breath on such nonsensical gossip, but Chu Huan had a gossip-eating system that allowed her to get first-hand and accurate information as long as it piqued her interest.
If it weren't for this, they wouldn't have been persuaded by the Second Prince's wife to come to the Ministry of Revenue to help.
The others were either drinking tea or eating preserved fruits, with expressions that said, "I don't like gossip," but in fact, they were all listening attentively with their ears perked up.
Chu Huan recalled that there were five city military command offices in the capital, namely the five cities of east, south, west, north and center. They were responsible for daily patrols, catching thieves, fighting fires and other matters, and they served as part-time patrol police and firefighters.
Each city has a commander and four deputy commanders, and the deputy commanders' positions are neither high nor low.
Knowing what they wanted, Chu Hua tapped the system that was watching them eat melons: [Tong'er, let's get started.]
System: [Checking.]
Many people's eyes lit up.
When they heard the news, they made many guesses, but they didn't know which one was true.
Thanks to the melon-eating system!
After reading it, the system exclaimed, "This man was accidentally injured while practicing martial arts as a child. Even at this age of vigor and vitality, he still couldn't be a real man. During this time, his family secretly searched for famous doctors, but he still couldn't be cured until he reached marriageable age."
He was a military commander, and since he didn't pass the imperial examination to enter the government, he couldn't use the excuse of preparing for the exam to postpone his marriage. Seeing that not getting married soon would arouse suspicion, his family had no choice but to find him a wife from a lower-class family.
I had thought that due to their power, even if such a family did find out, they wouldn't dare to say anything. But who knew that the girl, who had been spoiled by her parents since she was a child, couldn't stand being wronged. Once she found out, she started to make a scene and insisted on getting a divorce.
Chu Huan guessed what had happened and sighed, "No wonder they want a divorce. This girl doesn't want to be a widow."
The Second Prince's Consort, who left her sisters as widows: "..."
The Second Prince's family, who were forced to remain widowed: "..."
There is always a feeling of happily eating melon but then eating yourself instead, which is not very happy.
[More than that!] The system said, [If everything had been explained clearly before the wedding, the girl could have chosen whether to marry or not. How could it be her own choice? Instead, nothing was said before or after the wedding. It was only after the girl returned to her parents' home and her mother asked about the discord that she discovered something strange. She only found out after further questioning. How could she not be angry?]
This is tantamount to marriage fraud.
Chu Huanting wanted to say: If it were me, I would be furious too.
But in her previous life, she was a hard-working office worker who worked diligently to buy a house and a car. She had no interest in expensive marriage and having children, which could end in tragedy. So when she encountered something like this...
If he had waited a few more years, I might have gotten married.
The system is shocked: [Huh?]
The others were also shocked: What's going on? Has Chu Huan ever met the deputy commander of the East City Military Division?
Chu Hua: [I'm not interested in getting married, having children, and serving my parents-in-law. I'm just cooperating with him in the play. How easy it is.]
The second prince's family members couldn't understand: Aren't you afraid that others will accuse you of being infertile for many years and being a hen that can't lay eggs? Every time you go out, you will face strange looks from others, and even if you don't go out, rumors will reach your ears?
The system asked for them: [Then you will bear the reputation of being childless for him.]
"What's wrong with that?" Chu Huan saw it clearly. "If one woman can't get pregnant, it might be her fault. But if two or three women can't get pregnant, it must be the man's fault."
[Besides, the more people who know the secret, the greater the chance of it being exposed. Their family doesn't dare ask anyone else to play along, so they can only let my wife bear the reputation of being childless. That will only make things better for me.]
It would have been fine if Chu Huan told others her thoughts when she was unaware of the situation, but she still said so now that she knew the truth, naturally out of consideration for the Second Prince's family.
The second prince had not slept with any concubines for three years, and even during the second prince's wife's pregnancy, he did not go to other people's rooms. The main reason was probably that he truly loved the second prince's wife and did not want his wife to suffer any grievances.
But the concubines have already come in, and the second prince cannot just find an excuse to send them away.
It is easy for a concubine to leave, but a concubine is listed in the royal jade book. How can she be removed from the jade book without a legitimate reason?
At present, Chu Huan has no ability to help them. She can only ask them to think about the problem from a different perspective and guide them to focus their energy on their careers.
What's a man supposed to do? If he wants to do something, he should do it with his career!
Maybe as time goes by, you will find that career is your true love and men are just an optional seasoning?
Chu Huan uttered the words she had believed in for over twenty years in her previous life: "Men will definitely betray you, children may betray you, but your career will never betray you!"
The men present: "..."
Concubine Wu and others' pupils trembled. Isn't this idea a bit too outrageous?
But if you think about it carefully, it does make sense.
Men may have three wives and four concubines, keep mistresses, and even visit prostitutes. Children will be seduced by their stepmother, father, and grandmother. Only their careers are firmly in their own hands. If they are robbed or stolen, they can go to the government to file a complaint.
As long as you don't give it away carelessly, you can get back the business that was illegally taken away.
Even the Second Prince's wife was a little moved.
The Second Prince treats her very well now, but beauty will eventually grow old. There are so many beauties younger and more beautiful than her in the backyard and outside. Who dares and who can guarantee that the Second Prince can be faithful to her?
The system thought for a moment: [Didn't you say before that you wanted to go to the Second Prince's residence?]
Concubine Wu and others: Huh? Why haven't they heard of it?
If Chu Huan really came to the Second Prince's residence, wouldn't they be able to eat melons all day? Great! Come quickly!
Chu Hua: [The royal family's situation is too complicated, and it's not as comfortable as ordinary families.]
The system suddenly realized: [You mean to say that the Second Prince is not as easy to bully as ordinary people? ]
Chu Huan smiled and said, "You understand me very well."
Everyone: “…”
For a moment, I didn't know whether I should feel sorry for the Second Prince or ordinary people.
After the news here was passed up, the topic in the Imperial Study about "whether women other than Chu Huan should be allowed to enter the Ministry of Revenue" came to an abrupt end.
Lord Hu was like the chicken that was killed to scare the monkeys, and he immediately frightened those who had ulterior motives.
Do you think that only those with secrets will be punished and socially destroyed? No, it can specifically target your weaknesses.
——The melon-eating system is far more versatile than anyone imagines.
Maybe they are even "jealous that women can easily enter the Ministry of Revenue", or "worried that women will do too well and men will lose face", or "worried that women will squeeze out the already scarce official positions"... These reasons can be found out.
Compared to other people's little thoughts, the emperor doesn't care.
He was planning to let Chu Huan go to court in her own capacity, so he had to test the officials' reactions to a woman holding an official position.
At the moment, it’s not very optimistic. We have to wait a little longer until Chu Huan does a better job.
They are just afraid that the system will embarrass them. This can only scare them temporarily, but it cannot intimidate them forever.
Once their vital interests are violated, these officials will never show mercy out of temporary favoritism.
With this in mind, the emperor said, "Since my dear ministers have no other opinions, then let's leave it as it is. Next topic: the autumn hunt."
The Great Sheng Dynasty conquered its empire on horseback. In order to let future generations remember the skills gained on horseback, an autumn hunt was held every three years.
At that time, court officials and their families would rush to the hunting grounds to hunt. The emperor would reward the top five based on the number and value of the prey hunted.
If the top three perform well, they can skip the recommendation process and directly become military officers and enter the court.
If you perform very well, you may even be able to become a royal guard, or directly become a close minister to the emperor, and serve him at his side.
The autumn hunt was proposed by the third emperor of Da Sheng, also the previous emperor. At that time, the national treasury had a little money. The children of the official families of Da Sheng were more inclined to enter the officialdom through the imperial examination. Few people practiced martial arts, and the phenomenon of emphasizing culture over martial arts became more and more serious.
In order to encourage noble families and common people to practice martial arts, the late emperor offered such generous rewards, and all officials agreed with reluctance.
However, the autumn hunt involved a large number of people, and all the expenses for the round trip came from the national treasury. It was really too expensive. The Minister of Revenue fainted several times in the court, and only then was the annual hunt changed to once every three years - to save as much as possible.
The frequency of the three-year event is the same as that of the imperial examination. In everyone's mind, the autumn hunting is equivalent to the imperial examination for military officers.
This is not the first time the topic of autumn hunting has been brought up.
The emperor had brought up the issue once a month ago, but the then Minister of Revenue Yuan Wei fainted and the issue had to be shelved.
Now that it is brought up again... the emperor and his ministers all looked at the Minister of Revenue.
The Minister of Revenue smiled generously, "The Ministry of Revenue has Chu Huan and the money, so let's do it!"
emperor:"……"
Others: “…”
The issue of the autumn hunt can be discussed properly, and this year we probably won't be so stingy as to make all officials and their families provide their own food, but...
Why are they so unhappy with this honest man?
With the wealthy Ministry of Revenue giving the green light, the autumn hunting issue was quickly concluded.
The emperor then moved on to the next topic: cowpox.
Lin You stepped forward and reported, "Those who recovered from the cowpox vaccination did not contract smallpox after coming into contact with it. It's still so short a time, and the imperial physicians are hesitant to make any rash conclusions. We'll have to wait another seven or eight days before we can reach a final conclusion."
Minister of Rites: "Who are the people involved in this experiment?"
Lin You: "From the imperial prison of the Pacification Division."
The officials fell silent, and the emperor continued, "There's still nearly a month until the autumn hunt. If it's confirmed that cowpox can prevent smallpox, we'll start vaccinating all officials."
Many officials' expressions changed slightly. The emperor was about to start planting after just trying out a batch of people. Wasn't he being too hasty?
The emperor naturally had reasons for being anxious: "Was it not enough for the Western Rong to infect all the officials with venereal diseases? What if they contracted smallpox?"
At this moment, all the officials' expressions changed, and Chen Jiu, who was standing beside them, was also trembling.
Everyone knew how terrible smallpox was. Once it got out of control, villages would have to be burned down and everything would be destroyed. But what if the entire capital or the entire Dasheng was infected?
It will become a country of death, a real hell.
Although Xirong did not have a good way to treat smallpox, if Dasheng was infected, Xirong would also be affected. They should not be so cruel, but who can guarantee that there are no lunatics?
Isn't it a scheme thought up by a madman to let all the officials of Dasheng get infected with syphilis?
The old Grand Tutor was the first to agree: "It's a confirmed fact that people who have had cowpox will not contract smallpox. The Imperial Hospital is currently just experimenting with how to infect people with cowpox more accurately and treat them more quickly. It's not dangerous."
"This old minister is willing to be the first to be vaccinated against cowpox." The old Grand Tutor stepped forward and took the lead.
The emperor's lips trembled. He knew that cowpox was not dangerous, but he was not sure if a man who was nearly seventy years old could be vaccinated.
No, the teacher is too old and can’t be among the first group to plant!
The emperor was about to object when he saw the old master shaking his head slightly and his eyes firm.
Only a seventy-year-old man could remain healthy after being vaccinated against cowpox. Only a minister of the first rank could be the first group to be vaccinated against cowpox in order to prove to all the people of Dasheng that cowpox was not dangerous.
The old master was willing to sacrifice his life to support the emperor's decision and maintain the rule of Dasheng.
The emperor felt bitter.
The next moment, the old tutor stood up again and said, "This old minister is willing too."
Another sixty-nine-year-old first-rank minister.
The emperor knew that his decision was correct, but when he saw that these two were willing to be the first to try, he couldn't help but worry.
If this happened, wouldn't he have personally destroyed two of his most loyal ministers to him and Dasheng?
The old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor both stood up, and the six ministers had to come out and express their opinions. There was also concern that "the Western Rong might poison smallpox", so this topic was also carried out smoothly.
After today's meeting, the emperor locked himself in his study for a long time, then summoned Lin You: "Ask the Imperial Hospital Director how confident he is."
After a pause, he added, "Go ask Chu Huan as well."
"I obey your order." Lin You first went to Chu Huan's farm to ask the Imperial Physician, and after getting the answer, he hurried back to the city.
At this time, Chu Huan had already finished her shift and was taken by the second prince's family to Tianxianglou, the largest restaurant in the capital, for dinner.
Lin You was dressed in a bright red flying fish suit and had an imperially bestowed embroidered spring sword on his waist. He looked arrogant and eye-catching, and attracted everyone's attention as soon as he entered Tianxiang Tower.
He learned the whereabouts of Chu Huan and others from his subordinates, and went straight past the front yard of Tianxiang Tower and headed straight for the backyard. Although it was called a backyard, it was actually a series of small courtyards, very large, specially used for dignitaries to entertain guests.
As soon as Lin Youyi opened the door of the box, the laughter and joy in the box disappeared instantly, and everyone looked tense.
"Master Chu, can you please excuse me for a moment?"
"Don't worry, sisters. I'll be back soon." After Chu Huan comforted the sisters, she went to the center of the empty yard with Lin You. There were not many people here, so it was more convenient to talk.
Lin You didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "How confident are you, Lord Chu, about the cowpox issue?"
Chu Huan was stunned for a moment: [Tong'er?]
The system quickly replied, "Oh, I see. All officials in the imperial court must be vaccinated. The emperor was worried, so he asked me to come and ask."
Chu Hua then said, "It's fine if the cowherd boy handles it casually, but the imperial doctors handled it even more meticulously, so how could anything go wrong?"
Lest this sound too absolute, she added, "As long as the cowpox vaccine hasn't been tampered with, contaminated, or poisoned, and the person receiving it is healthy, the likelihood of something going wrong is very small."
"Thank you, Lord Chu." After getting the exact answer, Lin You immediately returned to the palace to report.
"I'm so busy. It's not easy to be a favorite of the emperor." Chu Huan shook her head and was about to go back when a slightly embarrassed figure emerged from the rockery in the small courtyard.
The clothes were made of very ordinary material, which had turned a little white due to washing, and were worn in some places. The clothes were wrinkled, and there was a lot of dust on the boots. There were many sweat stains and dust on the face. It seemed that he was in a very hurry to travel and had not changed clothes for many days.
The first thing the other party said was: "Chu Huan?"
Chu Huan confirmed that she didn't know this person, so she didn't dare to respond casually. She was ready to run away and shout fire at any time.
The man seemed to see through Chu Huan's defensiveness and didn't approach casually. He just said, "I was introduced by your brother Chu Qin. He said you needed me."
Chu Hua: ???
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