Manbao flipped through the ledger, "Although the private school class only occupies one class, the places needed for teaching are not fewer than three rooms. How much would it cost to build these three rooms next to the Imperial Academy?"
"Twenty students all need to live in the premises, at least two dormitories are required, along with desks and chairs, these basic necessities..."
Wang Ji couldn’t help but say, "These items aren’t just for one-ti use, future students can use them too."
"The future is uncertain," Manbao said, "What if next year we stop admitting private school students into our dical Office?"
All the ministers: ...
"But you can also rest assured, we didn’t count the entire cost of construction, only a portion of it. Since you say these are fixed, let’s calculate the wear and tear of the teaching materials."
Manbao said, "Let’s talk about dicinal materials. Over a thousand kinds are needed for them to learn dicine, all these over a thousand kinds need to be bought for identification, and among the sa type of dicinal material, there are also several states. The most basic, raw and cooked, the latter requires processing."
"By the way, processing the dicinal materials requires processing materials, firewood is the most basic, not to ntion expensive items like liquor." Manbao continued flipping through the ledger, "Besides these, there are knives, tweezers, scissors, needles, and other things."
Manbao seed to think of sothing and looked up at them, "Do you know how expensive a good set of knives is?"
Director Xiao interrupted, "The set of knives Imperial Doctor Fan crafted himself cost more than sixty taels."
All the officials: ... That set of knives in Imperial Doctor Fan’s hands is unique among all the doctors in the world, why should the doctors they raise at ho compare knives with Imperial Doctor Fan?
Manbao seed to know what they were thinking, spoke quietly, "If a woman has trouble in labor and needs a cesarean section, a good set of knives is required."
All the officials: ... Alright.
"Well, there are also so small projects costing quite a bit that I won’t ntion," Manbao closed the ledger, "Why don’t you calculate the cost of those thousand dicinal materials?"
"That is material for the entire dical Office, certainly cannot count all this cost on the people we send."
Manbao’s face darkened, "Lord Wang, you still say you are not profiting privately. Without the funds provided by His Majesty and the Ministry of Revenue, do you think your re hundred taels could buy all these things?"
"Is what we are teaching them discounted? Did we at the dical Office take the wages you issued? We are taking the salary granted by His Majesty, by the court!" Manbao sternly said, "Did the two thousand taels you sent get divided between our dical Office and the East Palace?"
"No!" Manbao shouted loudly, "The allocation of that money was listed long ago, all spent on training students at the dical Office, and the students at the dical Office are trained for loyalty to the country, loyalty to His Majesty!"
"Whether we teach you or not, we at the dical Office still receive double salaries, teaching you, all the effort is willingly given by us at the dical Office, what do you think we do it for?"
Director Xiao knelt on the ground, his eyes filled with tears shouting loudly in agreent, "For His Majesty, for the people of the nation, for my Great Jin, Your Majesty, the minister is innocent, the dical Office is innocent!"
Manbao also knelt down, following to shout, "Your Majesty, even like this he still slanders our dical Office, only for personal gain, is it that the expertise handed down by so many at the dical Office is not worth even a hundred taels? Moreover, this money is not for us at the dical Office, but for the people of the nation, begging Your Majesty to make judgnt for our dical Office!"
Manbao bowed her head, then slightly turned her head to look at Director Xiao kneeling to the left, large and small pairs of eyes t, blinking at each other, Director Xiao, experienced and truly aggrieved, tears welled up imdiately.
Manbao, anxious, blinked vigorously, found that she couldn’t squeeze out tears, she widened her eyes looking at Director Xiao.
Director Xiao only had ti to glance at her, then withdrew his gaze, raised his tear-streaked face to wail once more, "Begging Your Majesty to make judgnt for our dical Office!"
Manbao really couldn’t squeeze out tears, could only straighten herself up, turning confidently to look at Wang Ji on the right.
Prior officials who felt sowhat resentful towards the high fees of the dical Office beca embarrassed instantly.
Thinking about it, it’s the sa, Director Xiao is only responsible for teaching, even though the money was collected by them, but if they don’t embezzle, the money will surely be entirely used for the dical Office.
They did not profit, yet had to teach twenty more students, while the salary remained the sa...
Of course, most ministers understood, and expressed agreent, with the East Palace naturally striving to stand on Zhou Man’s and Director Xiao’s side, but the five who stood with Wang Ji, even if they understood inwardly, could not show it verbally.
Otherwise, today a charge of idle eating a salary without doing anything wouldn’t be escaped.
This charge is not light, much more serious than the earlier baseless accusations against Wang Ji like unrest in the household, unkindness as an uncle, usurpation of nephew’s property, etc., if truly charged, then the official position cannot be retained.
There are many idlers eating a salary without doing anything in the court, but cannot be recognized officially, because on the surface neither His Majesty nor the court requires idlers.
Thus, as soon as the two factions collided, they imdiately quarreled.
However, Wang Ji’s faction was unprepared, while Minister Guo’s side had prepared two days in advance, thus the East Palace barely won the upper hand with overwhelming numbers and materials.
Wang Ji and his group were infuriated, words turned ugly in the quarrel, finally he pointed at Manbao’s nose and cursed, "Won are hard to raise."
Manbao was at a great debate scene for the first ti, was astonished, hearing Wang Ji curse her, she retorted, "You are enraged and disgraced, shaless, have I ever eaten a grain of rice from your family?"
"You!"
"Rather, it’s you, your mother bore you, raised you, supported you in your studies, married you off, let you have children, yet in the end you bla won as hard to raise, so unfilial, digging His Majesty’s corners, this is disloyal, you are disloyal and unfilial!"
Wang Ji opened his mouth to rebut, but heard Zhou Man continue without even catching her breath, "You want to seize your elder brother’s son’s property, this is not brotherly, you bullied your nephew, almost beat him to death back then, this is not kind, you are not brotherly and unkind!"
"You, you——"
"You as an official, yet lack sentints to love the people, only think of taking advantage of the nation and the people, this is not benevolent, Director Xiao as a colleague with you for more than ten years, has the bond of colleagues, yet you slander Director Xiao for personal gain, this is unjust, you are not benevolent and unjust!"
Wang Ji pointed at her, his finger started to tremble, even Director Xiao standing behind Manbao saw that sothing was amiss, let alone Manbao facing him directly.
Still, Manbao recited the last part, "You are disloyal, unfilial, unbrotherly, unkind, unbenevolent, unjust!"
Not only was the emperor above silent, the entire court quieted down, staring in stunned disbelief at Zhou Man who continued without stopping.
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