Chapter 288: The Emperor’s Favor
The Emperor hadn’t seen Vice Minister Jiang for two days.
He suddenly felt a bit bored.
Mainly because the eunuchs around him would chat from time to time about how officials were competing to spend money to buy the ‘key points’.
This time, it felt like the Emperor had played those officials.
The Emperor felt very happy.
Isn’t this more fun than the scheming and backstabbing in the Imperial Court?
Watching the various states of life, the Emperor felt the thrill of standing at the 999th floor.
So, he had someone summon Vice Minister Jiang to the palace again.
Thus, the newly minted Attendant of the Yellow Gate was indeed highly favored by the Emperor.
The Emperor called for him again.
There were other Attendants of the Yellow Gate who could only enter the palace when there was specific business, perhaps not even once or twice a year.
With him entering the palace every other day, even Prime Minister Lu felt a bit jealous.
Isn’t it just because he has a handsome face?
Sycophants will not have a good end.
Jiang Changtian had nothing to do at the office, just watching his colleague Chen Jiuju calculating and bookkeeping.
When the Emperor summoned him, Jiuju was even more excited than him.
He had organized the ledger, and originally wanted to help by exchanging it for larger denominations, but Brother Jiang said no, and even asked him to exchange it for small change.
Jiang Changtian calculated that it had been a few days; those who would pay had already paid, and there shouldn’t be any more in the coming days.
Because those who didn’t pay at the beginning wouldn’t pay later either.
Like Minister Dong, who didn’t buy the answers.
Today was about enough.
It was just the right time to hand over the accounts.
The Emperor summoned him.
Jiang Changtian was in no rush to go; instead, he called the Imperial Guards, saying he needed some help.
He called his son-in-law, Meng Shaoxia.
Being an Imperial Guard wasn’t just about being a guard; it was actually an official position, a rather prestigious one, suitable for the second and third generations of various families.
When the Emperor had been waiting in the palace for quite a while, he became a bit impatient.
To think someone would actually make him wait.
Didn’t everyone usually fly over the moment he summoned them?
This Jiang the Second was a bit unreliable.
As a result, just as the Emperor’s patience was running out, he saw Jiang the Second arrive.
He didn’t come alone; he brought several guards with him.
The guards were carrying large boxes.
When they reached the front, they opened them—oh my goodness.
It was all money.
Jiang Changtian supported small change payments, all kinds.
To make it look impressive, he had even exchanged the large bills for a batch of small change.
Although the Emperor spent money like water, it was just a matter of saying the word; it was even more extreme than us using mobile phones to pay, as he never even had to see what the money looked like.
The Emperor had rarely seen so much money piled up together right in front of him.
And no other show-off would deliberately exchange large bills for small change just to give to the Emperor.
But Jiang—the show-off, hardworking, ambitious—Changtian had done exactly that.
He had even made a big scene of getting the Imperial Guards to carry the coins.
If someone else had called, the guards wouldn’t have come.
Although they were called guards, it didn’t necessarily mean they did this kind of work; there were so many subordinates that it wouldn’t fall to them.
Just like computer science university students aren’t necessarily meant for moving computers.
But Meng Shaoxia had called, and it was a chance to show their faces before the Emperor, so everyone came enthusiastically.
Along the way, they chatted with Meng Shaoxia’s father-in-law, Vice Minister Jiang, and discovered that Meng Shaoxia’s father-in-law was very interesting, with no sense of distance at all, very approachable.
No wonder Meng Shaoxia had stayed at his father-in-law’s house for so long and was loath to return; such a father-in-law must be kind and easygoing, making life very carefree.
And Meng Shaoxia’s father-in-law actually looked like this.
It seems that saying Meng Shaoxia’s wife looked like Daji is definitely true; Brother Shaoxia is truly blessed.
The few strong young men were panting as they moved, box after box.
It was all money.
The Emperor was so surprised his eyes widened.
Actually, it wasn’t that much.
Looking at the total in the ledger, it was probably equivalent to the cost of building a courtyard that he had requested.
But when he wanted to build a courtyard, he would be nagged by ministers and have several memorials submitted against him.
Yet this Vice Minister Jiang brought him the money for a courtyard just by casually mentioning it.
Why so much?
The ledger was not only clear but also detailed; every person who paid was recorded by name. Good heavens, people from more than half the officialdom were on it.
The Emperor was overjoyed.
His way of showing happiness was to bestow rewards.
He rewarded each of the young men who moved the money with a small gold plaque. He didn’t reward Vice Minister Jiang directly but engaged him in conversation instead.
The guards were all very happy.
Showing their faces before the Emperor and receiving a reward—this would make their resumes different when they went out.
When going on blind dates, they could say they had received a reward from the Emperor and were Imperial Guards favored by the Emperor, with a bright future. It would add a line to their resumes; otherwise, with so many second and third generations in the capital, they might not compare well in terms of family background.
The Emperor looked at the ledger and praised Vice Minister Jiang for being very detailed.
Jiang Changtian did not take the credit and said: “I am ashamed. This ledger was not made by me. Because when I was waiting to be appointed, I saw a colleague who had been waiting for more than a year, saying he didn’t even have money to rent a house in the capital. He visited my home, and I gave him some money, but he accepted it so humbly. As fellow officials, I couldn’t bear to see others like this, so I took the opportunity to let him help record this, and gave him money in the process. Although it wasn’t much, he accepted it with his head held high, earning it righteously.”
Hearing this, the Emperor felt a bit moved.
First, he felt this Jiang the Second was different from others. When others heard praise, they couldn’t wait to take all the credit for themselves, but Jiang the Second said it wasn’t his achievement.
Second, he felt this Jiang the Second was very humane, not only giving money but also considering the other person’s dignity, helping others through such an opportunity.
Third, he felt this Jiang the Second was very honest, saying what was what, not hiding anything at all. This old Lu, too—selecting officials was his job, and dragging people along for more than a year was outrageous. It must be that the subordinate hadn’t given enough money; human greed is insatiable.
Jiang the Second’s ordinary words.
To the Emperor:
Favor for Vice Minister Jiang +10.
Favor for Prime Minister Lu -10.
“When I received the money, I was startled too. It was originally a small matter; my in-law has a mischievous personality and was sort of playing around, but I didn’t expect to collect so much. My in-law said everyone thought Prime Minister Lu wanted the money, so they rushed to buy it. I am guilty. I tried to explain for Prime Minister Lu, telling everyone who bought the key points that it had nothing to do with Prime Minister Lu, that it was I who drew up the key points, but it seems nobody believed me.” Vice Minister Jiang admitted his guilt and apologized sincerely.
The Emperor heard this, and thought, ‘Good, good, good.’ Favor for Prime Minister Lu -20.
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