Chapter 158 How Could I Be Willing to Accept This?

Chapter 158 How Could I Be Willing to Accept This?

Meng Qing and Yin Caiwei sat on a bamboo mat chatting and teasing Wang Chuan, while Du Li sat opposite Wang Zhou in the corridor playing chess. Du Min strode in and shouted, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look at him.

"What happened?" Du Li took the opportunity to quickly leave; playing chess with his son was a chore for him.

"Hey?" Wang Zhou tugged at his sleeve. "Dad, the game isn't over yet."

“Let your third uncle come.” Du Li pried his hands away. “Third brother, you come and turn the tables for me, and shut down Wang Zhou’s arrogance.”

"What happened? Why did you ask your second sister-in-law to save you?" Yin Caiwei asked with concern.

Du Min glanced at her a few times, then slowed his pace. Considering she would find out sooner or later, he abandoned the idea of ​​avoiding her. He handed the official documents to Meng Qing and went to the corridor to sit in Du Li's seat to watch the chess game.

Meng Qing unfolded the official document and read it with Yin Caiwei, while Du Li also went over.

"Great news! My husband, you're getting a promotion! You're now the Chief Clerk of Huai Prefecture, only one rank lower than my father." Yin Caiwei was overjoyed.

"A fifth-rank official?" Meng Qing asked, then handed the official document to Du Li.

Yin Caiwei nodded, “Huaizhou is a superior prefecture, and the chief clerk of the prefectural governor’s office is a fifth-rank official.”

"What's going on?" Meng Qing looked at Du Min. "What's going on? I heard the governor came today, is this what he brought?"

"Yes, it seems I performed too well in front of him and he took a liking to me." Du Min was annoyed, but also smug: "But I can't keep a low profile. The achievements I made in Heqing County are all real. Any one of them could get other county magistrates promoted."

Even though Meng Qing knew he was telling the truth, she was still disgusted by his behavior.

Yin Caiwei couldn't help but laugh. She chuckled a few times and asked, "Isn't this a good thing? What are you all worried about?"

Meng Qing knew immediately that Yin Caiwei was unaware of their scheme. Instead of interfering, she said, "Let my third brother tell you. This matter is also related to your father. Third brother, let's eat first. Let's all calmly consider this for one night and discuss it together tomorrow."

Just then, the game of chess came to a close. Du Min gathered up the chess pieces and said, "I'll write a letter tonight and have it sent to Luoyang by carrier pigeon. Let's see what my father-in-law says."

Meng Qing nodded.

Yin Caiwei was confused when she heard this. After dinner, she returned to her bedroom and asked, "What are you worried about? You served as county magistrate for two years and were promoted several ranks to become the chief administrator of Huaizhou. Isn't that a good thing? Moreover, you were personally promoted by the female saint. Such an honor is something that many people would kill for. My great-uncle is a few years older than my father and twenty years older than you, and he was only appointed as the chief administrator of Guangzhou."

“If I wait two years, and my term is over, with the merits of cracking down on extravagant funerals and building dikes and canals, being promoted to Prefect of Luoyang will not be a problem. Why would I want a fifth-rank official position? Besides, Huai Prefecture is plagued by drought and floods. It's a quagmire. If I wade in, how can I climb out without getting badly bruised?” Du Min said with disdain. “Moreover, I have a more ideal path to promotion.”

"What is it? Is it related to my father? Is he going to help you navigate the political arena?" Yin Caiwei pressed.

Du Min glanced at her. "No, it's related to my second sister-in-law and the charity school. My father and I can both benefit from this."

Yin Caiwei looked embarrassed. She stopped asking and started to wonder what kind of grand plan it could be.

Du Min stopped talking, pondered for a while, and went to his study to write a letter.

Meng Qing was also writing. She held her pen and wrote and drew on the paper, organizing her thoughts.

Du Li was worried that the child would disturb her tonight, so he carried Wang Chuan to sleep with Wang Zhou.

"Father, do you think my third uncle still has a chance to turn things around?" Wang Zhou was also pondering.

“No, this appointment was personally granted by the Empress Dowager. If he were to use tricks to refuse, wouldn’t he be offending the person he shouldn’t have?” Du Li said. “Besides, Minister Zheng is eyeing the position of Prime Minister. He hasn’t even taken that position yet, so how could he dare to go against the Empress Dowager? Furthermore, is your third uncle worth Minister Zheng doing that?”

“You can’t say that. This isn’t about whether it’s worth it or not. If we’re talking about value, no one is worth it for Minister Zheng to go against the Empress.” Wang Zhou shook his head and gave an example: “It depends on the situation. If the neighbors are at odds and have a grudge, and the left neighbor’s dog steals the right neighbor’s chicken, even a small matter can cause the two families to fight to the death.”

"You know so much!" Du Li exclaimed in surprise, then hugged Wang Zhou with delight. "My son is so smart."

Wang Zhou gave a haughty snort, "You underestimate me, don't you?"

Du Li smiled and said, "Go to sleep. You have class tomorrow morning." After saying that, he looked at Zhou's reluctant face and interrupted him before he could speak, "I know, I know. I know without you having to tell me. You go to class in peace. I'll be your informant. After your mother and your third uncle discuss it, I'll relay what they said to you."

Wang Zhou was satisfied, and he smiled as he closed his eyes to sleep.

That night, apart from the Wangzhou and Wangchuan brothers, no one else slept well.

After daybreak, the family met tacitly in the hall, and Meng Qing asked first, "Third brother, what are your considerations?"

“I don’t want to serve as an official in Huaizhou, but I can’t offend the Empress Dowager. I’m caught in a dilemma and don’t know what to do.” Du Min took out an unsealed letter from his sleeve and said, “This is addressed to Minister Zheng. I’m still hesitating whether to send it.”

Meng Qing took the letter and read it carefully. As she expected, Du Min had written in detail her scheme in the letter. Her aim was to get Minister Zheng to find a solution that would benefit both sides, preferably for Minister Zheng to step in and resign from the transfer order on her behalf.

"With Minister Zheng involved, if the Zheng family of Xingyang doesn't disagree with the Empress Dowager's political views, all will be well. But if the Zheng family of Xingyang becomes a thorn in the Empress Dowager's side like the Changsun family, you might end up as a fallen pawn on the battlefield. Even if you are lucky enough to be overlooked by the Empress Dowager, it will be difficult for you to advance in your career," Meng Qing said.

"You don't approve of me doing this?" Du Min asked.

"If you could resign from this transfer order and go to the Ministry of Rites, what rank could you get? A sixth-rank Assistant Minister? In the provinces, you'd be a fifth-rank official, but in the capital, you'd drop one or two ranks, wouldn't you? After three or four years of maneuvering in the Ministry of Rites, are you planning to stay and accumulate seniority, or return to the provinces and rely on your achievements in governing the people to get promoted? You come from a rural background, which gives you an advantage in connecting with the local people, but it's a disadvantage in the court where powerful families and nobles abound. I think you'd choose to return to the provinces." Meng Qing analyzed logically, trying to make her thoughts take root in the other person's mind. "If you return to the provinces from the Ministry of Rites, what kind of official can you get? Above the Chief Clerk are the Prefectural Governor and the Governor. What rank is the Prefectural Governor?"

“The Prefect of the Upper Prefecture is a fifth-rank official, the Prefect of the Middle Prefecture is a sixth-rank official, and the Prefect of the Lower Prefecture is a sixth-rank official,” Yin Caiwei replied. “The Governor of the Lower Prefecture is a fourth-rank official, the Governor of the Middle Prefecture is a fourth-rank official, and the Governor of the Upper Prefecture is a third-rank official.”

"Can you become the governor of a prefecture?" Meng Qing asked Du Min.

Du Min dared not speak; even he himself felt it was risky.

"Even if you were to become the governor of a lower prefecture, that prefecture is located in a remote area, where the people are known for their fierce and unruly nature. As an outsider who doesn't speak the language, it won't be easy for you to achieve anything significant. And once you go there, it will be difficult to come back," Meng Qing advised. "I've heard that Huai Prefecture is experiencing a severe drought, and the Yellow River is also heavily silted up. I imagine you're worried that this mess will be difficult to clean up and that you won't be able to achieve anything. But this mess also has its advantages for you. The Yellow River's siltation has been a problem for many years, and even the officials before you were powerless to solve it. It's understandable that you can't solve it either; you'll be left with neither merit nor demerit. But once you make any improvements, even just a little, you will have made a contribution."

Du Min nodded thoughtfully.

“There’s another point. You’re the Chief Clerk, and above you are the Prefect and the Governor. If the sky falls, someone taller will hold it up, so it won’t hit you,” Meng Qing said. “Finally, Huai Prefecture is close to Luoyang and not far from Chang’an. To put it another way, it’s right under the walls of the capital. Your actions are easily seen by those above you. For example, this time, if I hadn’t intervened, you would have caught the eye of the Governor and been promoted two years ahead of schedule. Wouldn’t that have been a good thing?”

“But I’m still not satisfied. According to my plan, once the dike is completed next year, you can offer a suggestion to curry favor with Minister Zheng. If he becomes the prime minister, it will be feasible for me to become a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites.” Du Min held his head. “If I go back to the local area from the Ministry of Rites, I can at least get a fourth-rank official position, and I’ll also have connections.”

“You’re dreaming. If no one’s making room for you at the top, where will you get promoted? If no one’s making room for you at the local level, you’ll just have to wait it out in the Ministry of Rites.” Yin Caiwei shattered his illusions. “Do you think being a fourth- or fifth-rank official is like fishing in the Yellow River, where you can just cast a net and expect to catch something? My father is in his sixth year as the Prefect of Luoyang, and he himself can’t say when he’ll be promoted. If he’s not going to be promoted, he’s now just trying to avoid mistakes rather than make any merits, lest he not get promoted and get demoted instead.”

Meng Qing nodded, "Caiwei is right."

"Second sister-in-law, can you tell me about your plan?" Yin Caiwei asked, seizing the opportunity.

Meng Qing glanced at Du Min, and seeing that he didn't stop her, said, "I plan to collect the profits from the more than twenty free schools by the end of the year and send them to Chang'an. I estimate it will amount to one or two hundred thousand strings of cash. This is only for more than twenty prefectures. If more than three hundred prefectures build free schools, it won't be difficult to make tens of millions of strings of cash in profit within four or five years. I don't have the capacity to do so; I don't have that many people to use, nor can I control that many people, but the imperial court can. I was also inspired by Chief Secretary Yin to propose a plan to the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel, asking the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in each prefecture and county who have not yet been appointed to official positions to be responsible for building free schools in their localities, so that paper effigies and funerary objects can take root in the localities, thereby suppressing the trend of extravagant burials."

Yin Caiwei's eyes lit up. "So that's how it is. Second sister-in-law, you're amazing. No wonder Du Min is unwilling to accept it."

"Right, right!" Du Minru felt as if he had found a kindred spirit. "How could I be willing to accept this?"

Seeing that she had stirred up his resentment again, Yin Caiwei was afraid of ruining things and dared not respond.

"Third brother, Attendant Xiang is here," Du Li reminded him.

"Is Lord Du here?" Xiang Yezhe asked from the courtyard. "Is he going out to inspect the fields again today?"

"Go." Du Min stood up. He couldn't figure it out at home, so he decided to go out and do some work. He couldn't neglect his official duties.

When Meng Qing saw that he didn't mention sending a letter to Minister Zheng, she knew that he had taken her words to heart, but he certainly hadn't given up yet, and was probably waiting for a letter from Prefect Yin.

*

In the evening, the carrier pigeon returned, but Du Min had not yet returned. Meng Qing took the letter from the mailbox, but did not check it without permission.

As night fell, Du Min returned to the government office, exhausted. Meng Qing handed him a letter, saying, "See what Magistrate Yin has to say."

Du Min opened the letter, glanced at it, and then threw it away.

Meng Qing picked up the letter, and as she unfolded it, she could almost see Yin Mingfu speaking through the letter. In the letter, he instructed Du Min to obey the imperial decree, relieve the court's worries, and help the people overcome their difficulties, and not to betray the emperor's trust in him.

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Author's Note: There will be another update at 12 o'clock.