Chapter 90 Chapter Ninety A Wish Fulfilled
Minister Zheng stared at the strings of copper coins filling the room, lost in thought. Meng Qing didn't disturb him; instead, she asked Du Li to bring out all the account books stored in the wooden box.
Du Min stared at Meng Qing in astonishment. She had orchestrated a grand scheme, establishing free schools across the entire Tang Dynasty, gaining both fame and profit. It was impossible for Minister Zheng not to be tempted. But there was only one flaw: for her, the profits from the free schools would not belong to Meng. Meng Qing had orchestrated the entire scheme, yet she might only receive a small share of the profits.
Minister Zheng also considered this point. The free school belonged to the Ministry of Rites, and the nearly ten thousand strings of cash in profit could not enter his family or belong to Meng Qing.
"How do you plan to distribute this nearly ten thousand strings of cash in profit?" he asked tentatively.
Meng Qing presented the account book and said, "I have recorded the income and expenses of the free school. Before, when you were not in Chang'an, I was in charge of the account book. Now that you have returned, the account book should be handed over to the Ministry of Rites."
Minister Zheng looked at her carefully for a few moments, and he felt a sense of admiration for her. Although this woman came from a humble background, she was clear-headed, honest, and had a long-term vision. She was a rare and good subordinate.
"Will all the account books of the free schools that will be opened in other places in the future also be handed over?" Minister Zheng asked.
“Okay, but I have one request: I want full control over the profits of the local charity school,” Meng Qing said.
Minister Zheng laughed, "That's impractical."
“In fact, the Imperial Household Department could also arrange for craftsmen to open free schools in other counties, and even the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Justice could do the same. Similarly, I can do the same. I can use a different name and continue to take on apprentices and make money according to the Qingniao Paper Craft Free School business model. In this way, I will not only have the right to control the profits of the free school, but also pocket all the profits.” Meng Qing reminded, “My lord, I am neither an official nor a servant, and the free school I operate does not belong to the court or the Ministry of Rites. It is not unreasonable for me to have full control over the profits. The account books can be handed over, and the remaining profits can also be handed over to the Ministry of Rites. This will not be a loss for either you or the Ministry of Rites.”
Du Min suddenly remembered something Meng Qing had said, and he spoke up on her behalf: "Your Excellency, my second sister-in-law is willing to cooperate with the Ministry of Rites. She is not selling herself to the Ministry of Rites."
Minister Zheng also realized that Meng Qing was seeking the Ministry of Rites as a backer, in exchange for the profits she was willing to hand over each year to the Ministry of Rites, not him personally, and in return, she was exempted from the charge of bribing her superiors. This also meant that he could only benefit from the fame and financial rewards brought by the Qingniao Paper Craft Academy by staying in the Ministry of Rites.
"Wait a moment, I will give you an answer in a few days." Minister Zheng was confident that he was going to be promoted. If he could no longer stay in the Ministry of Rites, he would have to take Meng Qing to another department to set up another free school, and let her break away from the shell of the Qingniao Paper Efficiency School to set up free schools in other counties.
"There's no room for the development of paper-made funerary objects in Chang'an anymore, so there's no use for me staying here," Meng Qing hinted.
Vice Minister Zheng nodded, glanced at Du Min, and asked, "Have you decided? Are you planning to take up a post as a county magistrate outside the county?"
"Yes, it is enough for me to have your appreciation." Du Min realized that it was impossible for Minister Zheng to be unmoved by Meng Qing's proposal. The other party would not give up the merit of establishing the free school. With this merit, he was very likely to enter the Council of State Affairs and become the prime minister. This was a sure thing for him to become an important minister of the court. He just needed to stick to Minister Zheng's coattails and didn't need to rack his brains to find another wise ruler.
Zheng Shilang smiled. Yes, Du Min would be his subordinate in the future.
"Focus on preparing for the entrance exam; you don't need to worry about the rest," he promised.
Du Min bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, sir."
Zheng Shilang stroked his beard, looked at Meng Qing and pondered for a moment, then said, "You take five hundred strings of cash from the profits of the charity school, and the rest, I will arrange for someone to come and transport it away."
Five hundred strings of cash is quite a lot, and Meng Qing was quite satisfied with the reward. She nodded in agreement.
As Minister Zheng was about to leave, he saw the apprentices busy in the front yard. He stopped and asked, "If you leave, can this free school still survive?"
"Yes, of the forty apprentices I took in the year before last, only eleven left. The remaining twenty-nine apprentices mostly came from poor families. They couldn't see any prospects for opening a shop in Chang'an, where paper horse shops were everywhere, and they didn't have the confidence to take their families away from Chang'an to other counties to make a living. I kept them working at the free school, paying them 600 cash a month for wages, plus 100 cash for food and lodging. For each paper effigy they handled, they would also receive a commission of 50 to 300 cash. All these expenses are recorded in the ledger," Meng Qing said.
Minister Zheng nodded repeatedly, "That's a good idea; you have great foresight."
The Qingniao Paper Craft Academy belonged to the Ministry of Rites, and he had been there for seven or eight years. He didn't want to see this cradle of paper craft funerary objects perish because of his departure.
After seeing off Minister Zheng, Du Min pushed Du Li and Meng Qing back to the backyard. As soon as he stepped into the backyard, he knelt down in front of Meng Qing.
"What are you doing?" Meng Qing was startled. She reached out and pulled him. "Even if you're happy, there's no need to do this."
“It’s worth it, it’s worth it. I did it voluntarily, don’t pull me back.” Du Min knelt down and slid back. He pushed away Meng Qing’s hand and excitedly prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly. “Second sister-in-law! You are my greatest benefactor. My career was built step by step by you. I must kowtow to you three times.”
"Alright, alright, that's three enough, get up quickly." Meng Qing stepped forward to help him up, she couldn't stop smiling, "That's too much, it's unnecessary."
Du Min couldn't stop smiling. He was so excited that he wanted to kowtow to her three more times. He would gladly do it. "You not only found a reliable backer for yourself, but you also found a great backer for me."
“You have a powerful backer, but whether you can achieve political success and get promoted still depends on yourself,” Meng Qing said.
“He got a huge advantage,” Du Li said, looking at Wang Zhou. “You should also kowtow to your mother; she is your greatest benefactor.”
Without hesitation, Wang Zhou followed his third uncle's example and knelt down with a thud.
Meng Qing quickly went to help him up, "Does your knee hurt?"
Wang Zhou frowned and nodded, "Mother, move aside, I can't kowtow if you hold me."
"Don't listen to your father. Your mother doesn't want you to kowtow. If you want to kowtow, come and kowtow to me when I turn sixty." Meng Qing picked him up and patted the dust off his legs.
“Second Sister-in-law, I’ll come and kowtow to you on your sixtieth birthday,” Du Min immediately responded.
"Okay, okay, I've got it." Meng Qing said happily.
"Come and have some tea. It was brewed for Minister Zheng, but he didn't drink it," Du Li said.
Meng Qing and Du Min sat down. She took the teacup, drank a couple of sips of water, and asked thoughtfully, "Third brother, do you think Minister Zheng might be promoted to Minister of Rites because of the Buddhist paper verses on the Fengshan ceremony? To be honest, the Qingniao Paper Craft School has already made a name for itself. It's also the first school I personally established, and I really don't want to give up this brand."
Du Min realized, "Does Vice Minister Zheng want to wait until his appointment is finalized before giving you a reply? From this perspective, isn't he also worried that the Ministry of Rites might poach him?"
Meng Qing shook his head. "My scheme is known only to a few of us. The Ministry of Rites probably thinks the free school is worthless, just like the Director of the Imperial Household Department. As long as he doesn't say anything and you don't say anything, how would the other officials in the Ministry of Rites know? If the Ministry of Rites doesn't know, why would they try to take people away?"
Du Min said "Oh," indicating, "You're testing me."
“Let me interject,” Du Li said, looking at Meng Qing. “I remember you said that the Imperial Household Department could also arrange for craftsmen to open free schools in other counties, and the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Justice could do the same. If they are vying to open free schools, will it affect us?”
“Minister Zheng will handle it. As long as this matter reaches the Emperor’s ears, he will take charge of it.” Meng Qing shook his head. “The officials of the Six Ministries serve the court and each has their own responsibilities. They are not merchants who can act on their own for personal gain.”
Du Li understood. He nodded and said, "It's time to make dinner. I'll go make dinner."
"I'm going to review some Buddhist scriptures to calm my mind." Du Min stood up; he was too restless at the moment.
Meng Qing looked at Wang Zhou and asked, "Should we go to the ferry to let the geese graze?"
Wang Zhou nodded excitedly. He immediately went to the goose shed and released all four geese, herding them outside.
Before Meng Qing had even finished walking out, Zheng Shilang's servants arrived and took away two boxes of account books.
After spending two days reviewing the accounts at the Ministry of Rites, Minister Zheng was invited to the Hall of State Affairs by a servant of Prime Minister Lu.
Prime Minister Lu had just come out of the palace when he saw Vice Minister Zheng approaching. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he got straight to the point: "The Prefect of Bianzhou has submitted his resignation and is returning to his hometown to retire. You have been in the Ministry of Rites for seven or eight years. It is time for you to move to another place. You will take over the post of Prefect of Bianzhou."
Zheng, the Vice Minister, hesitated. Prime Minister Lu noticed something amiss and asked, "What? Do you have a problem with leaving Chang'an?"
Bianzhou was a superior prefecture, and the prefect of Bianzhou was a third-rank official, on par with the Minister of Rites. However, once he arrived in the local government, he was no longer under the protection of the Ministry of Rites, and his words might not carry as much weight as those of the Vice Minister of Rites. If it weren't for his conversation with Meng Qing, Vice Minister Zheng wouldn't have had any objections. The drop from the fourth rank to the upper third rank was a huge chasm, and without an opportunity, he would have to endure several more years of hardship.
“Your Excellency, have you heard of the flourishing of paper-craft shops throughout Chang’an? This was promoted by a free school under the Ministry of Rites. I have now come across a brilliant plan to emulate this method and promote paper-craft funerary objects in the prefectures and counties outside Chang’an. I prefer to keep it within the Six Ministries.” Vice Minister Zheng handed over a memorial from his sleeve.
Prime Minister Lu took it, and after reading it, he pondered for a moment and said, "Let me think about it. You may leave now."
A few days later, the Emperor summoned Vice Minister Zheng to the palace, where Prime Minister Lu was also present. Vice Minister Zheng explained his plans in detail to the Emperor, mentioning Du Min and Meng Qing during the conversation. He concluded by guaranteeing, "The Tang Dynasty has 358 prefectures. Even if the free schools only flourish in 58 prefectures, the Ministry of Rites will not need to ask the Ministry of Revenue for money for the next ten years."
“Alright, since you have such ambition, I'll let you give it a try.” The emperor looked at Prime Minister Lu and said, “Let the Minister of Rites be appointed as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, and let Vice Minister Zheng be promoted to Minister of Rites.”
Lu Zai responded accordingly.
Zheng Shilang was secretly delighted. No matter how the free school developed, the position of Minister of Rites was his.
*
On May 17th, Zheng Shilang's appointment was secured, and Du Min also achieved the results he desired in the special imperial examination, winning the top prize in the "Talent and Knowledgeable, Skillful in Application" category, becoming a disciple of the emperor, and was personally appointed by the emperor as the magistrate of Heqing County in Luozhou.
After three years in Chang'an, Du Min finally obtained an official position, but instead of taking office immediately, he submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Personnel, requesting leave to return to his hometown to visit his family and report the good news.
The Ministry of Personnel approved the order, allowing him to take up his post in Heqing County before October.
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