When the three of them arrived at the front, they happened to see Mr. Zhuang standing at the door watching the Crown Prince walk away.
The three of them imdiately stepped forward.
Mr. Zhuang saw them and smiled slightly, waving his hand, "Co in."
The small classroom was still warm, with so charcoal left in the brazier. Mr. Zhuang pulled out so new tea cups, about to pour tea for them when Bai Shan hurriedly stepped forward to take over.
Mr. Zhuang simply let the three of them handle it. He sat down on the mat, and after they all sat cross-legged, he asked, "It’s almost ti for dinner, isn’t it? Aren’t you going to eat?"
Manbao chuckled and said, "After consulting with you, sir, we’ll go to eat after escorting you out of the palace."
Mr. Zhuang smiled and nodded, "Ask any questions you have."
Manbao asked, "... Sir, why is Director Xiao pretending to be ill? He could easily use my outline. If he feels it’s not well-written, I wouldn’t mind ghostwriting for my superior."
It’s an unwritten rule for subordinates to ghostwrite for superiors. Most officials write their morials themselves, and people like Lord Wei and Lord Tang disdain having others ghostwrite for them.
But there are always exceptions, right?
It’s not sothing shaful, and Manbao herself doesn’t feel ashad or wronged. In fact, she wouldn’t mind occasionally ghostwriting morials for Director Xiao.
She always felt that morials written this way turned out better. There were many things she couldn’t write in her own morials but could include in Director Xiao’s.
Even though Mr. Zhuang understood his student well, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge in his heart and then said with a wry smile, "In the future, Director Xiao might indeed let you ghostwrite, but for now, it’s not possible."
He paused and then explained, "I went to the Hanlin Academy recently to look for information and found that the Imperial Hospital is rarely ntioned in court records."
Ever since Libationer Kong had permitted giving private lessons to the Crown Prince, Mr. Zhuang was no longer limited to explaining the Classic of Filial Piety to him.
Unfortunately, he had never been an official at court, so there was still much he needed to understand and learn.
The Chongwen Pavilion had many books, but it had far fewer court records compared to the Hanlin Academy, so Mr. Zhuang went to the Hanlin Academy.
The Hanlin Academy not only had detailed historical records of previous dynasties but also records of this dynasty, articles published by officials at various tis, and even morials were archived.
Of course, Mr. Zhuang couldn’t access everything; he could only view materials from ten years ago. He didn’t have the clearance for anything within the past ten years.
Even the Crown Prince and the three dukes could only view materials from three years prior; anything from within three years remained sealed and could only be accessed freely by the Emperor and the Libationer of the Imperial Academy.
But the material from ten years ago was enough for him to study.
Mr. Zhuang said, "I only looked at three years’ worth of records, but I discovered that, whether in major or minor court sessions, or the annual sessions at the start or end of the year, there were very few records concerning the Imperial Hospital, only eight entries in three years."
"Compared to other ministries, these records are scarce." Mr. Zhuang continued, "In the past, it didn’t matter as the Imperial Hospital’s duty was just to treat noble people in the capital. But now you’ve established the Imperial dical Office, and in the future you will manage local dical offices, oversee sudden outbreaks of disease across the country, and there will be a large flow of dicinal materials every year, so it has to be discussed in major court etings."
He said, "I see you’ve been worried about the Ministry of Revenue’s funding since Lord Yang left; that’s because you’ve been going about it the wrong way."
He smiled, "Applying for funding from the Ministry of Revenue is indeed a matter between you and them, but it isn’t just your concern. Look at the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of War. When they need funding from the Ministry of Revenue, don’t they take it up to court for discussion?"
Manbao began to think.
"The Ministry of Revenue controls the money, so naturally they are reluctant to part with it. But the court has many officials, and brainstorming together is better than both parties just focusing on their own interests. Whether it is appropriate or not, lay it out for discussion and perhaps get a different perspective?"
Manbao asked, "So should we enlist the help of other court officials to pressure the Ministry of Revenue to release funds?"
Mr. Zhuang chuckled, looking at her, "Silly child, you’ve forgotten that other ministries, even across different regions, also need funding from the Ministry of Revenue. If the funds are given to you, they’ll have less. Why would they help you pressure the Ministry of Revenue without any reason?"
Manbao was stunned and dumbfounded, "Then why do we need to submit morials at all?"
"Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Beyond competing interests, your Imperial dical Office should complent other departnts. If everyone is truly concerned about the people’s livelihood, they will naturally consider the pros and cons of your proposals," Mr. Zhuang said, "Sothing you think is beneficial to the people may not necessarily be so."
Mr. Zhuang leisurely gave an example, "If you spend one tael of silver to let a hungry person eat two buns to fill their stomach, do you think other officials would agree?"
Manbao answered, "I don’t know whether they would agree, but I wouldn’t. Are the buns made of gold? Why are they so expensive?"
Mr. Zhuang laughed heartily, "Exactly."
Bai Shan also understood the reason Mr. Zhuang wanted Manbao to submit morials, which was nothing more than to let the decision-making of the Imperial dical Office be reviewed by more people to ensure fewer and less serious mistakes.
But... "But sir, why doesn’t Director Xiao personally submit morials for policy but lets Manbao do it?"
Mr. Zhuang smiled, "Because of Manbao’s age and gender, as well as her consistent character, if she submits morials, the other officials won’t overthink it. But if Director Xiao were to suddenly submit such specific morials, it might cause a stir."
Director Xiao must have considered this, which is why he feigned illness at an opportune ti.
Mr. Zhuang looked at Manbao with deep aning, "Everything in this world fears habit. When you were first appointed, most court officials were not accustod to you, only seeing you as the doctor treating the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. Because the Crown Prince has no heir, they turned a blind eye and allowed your appointnt, letting you live in the palace."
"But as you get more involved in the affairs of the Imperial Hospital, you are no longer just sitting in the Chongwen Pavilion compiling books." Mr. Zhuang said, "With the construction of the Imperial dical Office, towards the later stages, whether it be recruitnt or curriculum design, Director Xiao has to consult you. Not to ntion, after you argued with Wang Ji on the matter of recruiting private school students, you directly gained the qualification to participate in major court etings."
"They will get used to having you, a female official, in the court, and in the future, they will also get used to the Imperial dical Office’s participation in governntal discussions at court." Mr. Zhuang said, "Director Xiao should have this ambition too."
Bai Shan’s eyes flickered as he looked at Manbao, "This is also your opportunity."
Mr. Zhuang nodded, "Indeed, the tis create heroes, Manbao, this is your opportune ti."
It would be impossible to say Mr. Zhuang had no ambition. For himself, he had little ambition, but for his students, his aspirations were significant.
He’s of an age where even if he has the will, he lacks the strength. However, the three children are in their pri; compared to his old age, they have decades ahead of them.
He hopes they can go further and leave their nas in history.
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