inspire-indiana Chapter 611 The Emperor Promotes Shen Zheng
Chapter 611 The Emperor Promotes Shen Zheng
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Yue Zhenchuan's heart was also floating up and down with the letter paper. He dared not be angry or speak, and could only flatter: "Your Majesty, you are..."
I gave it to him, why do you want to take it back? Lord Shen from Tongan County didn't say anything, but Your Majesty is making trouble? Your Majesty and him are in the same group in Shangjing, so there is no reason for them to embarrass each other...
The emperor held the paper between his two fingers, shook it up and down, and asked him, "Does Lord Yue want to eat free food from Tong'an County and Lord Shen?"
Your Majesty is really in cahoots with Lord Shen!
Yue Zhenchuan was stunned when he heard this. He was called a freeloader at his old age, and his face turned red.
Didn't Lord Shen put the method directly into Liang Fu's letter? The letter was supposed to be received by Yue Zhenchuan, so didn't that mean it was sent directly to the Ministry of Industry?
How can you say he's eating for free?...
"Your old minister..." Yue Zhenchuan was unsure of the emperor's intention, and his face turned red: "Your old minister has absolutely no intention of eating...eating for free. Your old minister is old and stupid, so I hope Your Majesty will make it clear."
The emperor took back the letter, chuckled and asked him, "What do you think of Shen Qing, Yue Qing?"
What's the problem? Yue Zhenchuan complained in his heart, if he could say anything bad about Lord Shen, His Majesty would have to kick him out today.
He bowed his head and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, Lord Shen is a pillar of the country and a rare talent. Being a county magistrate is... a waste of talent."
He paused for a moment and added the last sentence, unexpectedly highlighting the emperor's intentions.
"Oh?" The emperor raised his eyebrows, still smiling: "Mr. Yue also thinks that Mr. Shen is a waste of talent with only the title of county magistrate? Then in Mr. Yue's opinion, what kind of official position should Mr. Shen seek right now?"
After hearing this, Yue Zhenchuan was shocked. He didn't dare to answer anymore and secretly looked at Ji Benchang.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Ji Benchang's eyes widened and he tilted his head to look at him secretly.
What does His Majesty mean? The two old men began to exchange glances - do you want to recall Lord Shen to the capital in advance? But His Majesty said before that Lord Shen's foundation is not deep enough, and Tongan County also needs Lord Shen for the time being...
Seeing that the two did not answer, the emperor asked, "Tell me, both of you, what other positions do you each hold besides being a minister?"
When the two heard this, they immediately understood as if they had smelled mint.
So they are waiting here for them!
——Who says a person can only hold one official position? Those who are capable should do more work, and those who can get things done will not think it is too much to receive four or five salaries from the court!
Can......
But isn't this a privilege for these old guys? There has never been a precedent in the Great Zhou Dynasty for a county magistrate to hold other official positions concurrently... Not to mention a county magistrate, even a prefect of a prefecture rarely holds multiple positions.
The two old men looked at each other again.
——Your Majesty may have had this intention for a long time, and has been waiting for today. And this position cannot be forced upon Lord Shen by His Majesty, but must be recommended by other high-ranking officials!
Yue Zhenchuan knew in his heart that he had to set a precedent for the emperor today.
He lowered his head in silence, going over all the vacant positions in the Ministry of Works in his mind.
This official position cannot be too high, but it must not be lower than that of a county magistrate, and it must be held concurrently in the local area, without having to go to the Ministry of Works to go to the government office...
Got it!
Yue Zhenchuan thought about it and finally came up with a vacant position: "Your Majesty, the position of the Ministry of Works has been vacant for a long time. I have been looking for a good talent, but I have not found a suitable person for many years..."
Ministry of Works Jianxiu Shiyi - Sixth rank. Responsible for supervising the Ministry of Works' water conservancy, civil engineering, and machinery and equipment manufacturing affairs, and can put forward "constructive suggestions" during the manufacturing process of the Ministry of Works.
But in the past, this official position had little real power and was more like an "honorary position" - the official was in the Ministry of Works and received a salary, but had only a little say and no real power. It was only used to indicate the official's rank and status.
But if this position is given to Shen Zheng...it's hard to say whether he has real power.
The emperor smiled, and was obviously satisfied with the answer, but he still said in a fake tone: "Seventh rank, sixth rank, and sixth rank. Mr. Shen jumped two levels in a row. What do you think, my dear ministers?"
Yue Zhenchuan was stunned.
Normally speaking, if a minor official wants to be promoted, he must first take on some low-ranking work, and then be promoted to the next level if he does a good job.
But is Lord Shen just an ordinary minor official?
He had a righteous face and no bottom line, and said in a loud voice: "I think Lord Shen is worthy of the title. My Ministry of Industry needs talents like Lord Shen! I hope Your Majesty will allow me to take Lord Shen under your command!"
The emperor looked at Ji Benchang again.
Ji Benchang managed a smile with difficulty: "I second the motion."
His Majesty wanted him to publicly support the old thief Yue and speak for Lord Shen during the court session... He came to read the letter happily and implicated himself.
"That's it." The emperor showed a satisfied smile: "Will Yue Qing submit a letter tomorrow?"
This impatient look made Yue Zhenchuan's heart ache again, and he replied like a young wife, "Your Majesty, I will draft a memorial when I go back today, and then... I will inform everyone in the Ministry of Works, and I will submit the memorial at the morning court tomorrow."
"Hmm..." The emperor finally handed him the letter this time: "Then Shen Qing will be a member of your Ministry of Works from now on. It will be of great help to you in many matters of the Ministry of Works. Yue Qing, please don't bully Shen Qing."
Yue Zhenchuan felt so miserable that he even slowed down the process of connecting the letter paper.
The heaven and earth have all witnessed this. How could an old man like him dare to bully the “celebrity Shen Zheng”!
The letter paper arrived, and it felt heavy - how could it not be heavy if it was exchanged for a sixth-rank official position?
Yue Zhenchuan felt mixed emotions. After thinking about it, he began to make trouble for Ji Benchang: "Master Ji, you also know that during the mining and calcination process, there will inevitably be expenses..."
Ji Benchang glared at me - You old thief Yue, I will publicly speak for you tomorrow, and this is how you thank me, you are simply ungrateful!
After a tussle between the two sides, Ji Benchang was defeated and had to agree to pay Yue Zhenchuan a sum of money.
Compared with the huge sum of money the other party had asked for before, this amount of money could be described as a "drop in the bucket". However, this amount of money was not given for free - it would be deducted from the Ministry of Works' income in the future.
......
Compared with Liang Fu's letter, Shen Xingjian's letter was much briefer, and it only focused on the "numbers" and addition and subtraction taught by Shen Zheng.
The emperor and Ji Benchang were amazed at what they saw, while Liang Fu was thinking about the "Sanhe Tu" in his mind.
"Take it back and have a good look at it." The emperor handed the letter to Ji Benchang, "I think this method is very good, and there should be more than this. Didn't Shen Xingjian say that Shen Qing has already promoted it in Tong'an County? When you go back, ask a few smart people to take a look at it together. If it is really feasible, write to Tong'an County to ask, and then promote it in Beijing."