klisemfg Chapter 43 Shen Zhiyi: I'm not greedy!
Chapter 43 Shen Zhiyi: I'm not greedy!
The person who delivered the pig to the newly appointed Minister of Personnel was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the provincial level—well, a candidate who had just failed the exams this year, and a rather older one at that.
Old Emperor: So many useless prefixes. After all that talk, there's no key information except for the fact that he's a scholar who passed the imperial examination.
[Haha, this scholar fell asleep halfway through all three sessions of the provincial examination this year. He definitely won't pass.]
However, the imperial examinations in ancient times were indeed extremely rigorous, and the older one got, the less prepared one became.
The Minister of Rites did not like to hear this.
How is that perverted? It's always been this way since ancient times.
This old scholar understood this principle deeply, and upon hearing that the old emperor had convened a new imperial examination, he began to actively seek opportunities throughout the capital.
[Once, while passing by the animal farm, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the newly appointed Minister of Personnel. He then slipped a considerable amount of silver to the gatekeeper to inquire about the man's preferences. He discovered that the man liked pigs. "Liked pigs? Good!" he thought. "He can afford them, he can even afford a whole big, fat pig!"]
Previously, if you wanted to bribe an official, you would be skinned alive before you could give up.
It turned out that the newly appointed Minister of Personnel's favorite thing was a live pig.
This made him extremely excited.
[Hilarious! That old scholar probably thought the Minister of Personnel liked pigs because he liked eating pork, little did he know he liked... cough cough.]
Shen Zhiyi was too embarrassed to continue thinking about it.
After hearing this, the newly appointed Minister of Personnel secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he didn't recognize him.
Fortunately, it was his good-for-nothing son who accepted it.
Otherwise, he would have really died here.
Although his lifelong reputation was ruined, it wasn't just him.
[Wait a minute, hahaha, I didn't expect that old scholar was there when that fat pig carried the man! Didn't that fat pig look particularly familiar?]
The old emperor beckoned to Chen Decai with his finger, and Chen Decai knew exactly what kind of fart the old emperor was about to make.
"Here."
That old scholar will have no chance to take the imperial examinations again.
Chen Decai thought with a hint of schadenfreude.
[Ugh, who sent a letter to the Minister of Personnel's residence?]
The Minister of Personnel was filled with exclamation marks, wishing he could kneel down on the spot with Shen Zhiyi.
No, sister, you're practically glued to his mansion!
With so many officials in the capital, can't we just let him go?
【Oh dear, could you please sneak a peek inside, buddy? I promise I won't tell anyone.】
Everyone: You're kidding me!
Shen Zhiyi is actually a big gossip; she has loved gossip since she was a child, and she likes to spread it around after she has eaten it.
When she was a child, her neighbor brought a strange woman into her house, and she told everyone in the neighborhood about it, which almost resulted in her being beaten up by the man.
As people grow older, they become more restrained and learn to control themselves.
For example, a female classmate in the dorm next to mine in college was dating three male seniors at the same time. She dated one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. She had her schedule perfectly arranged, and the whole dorm knew about it because of her.
If this had happened when she was a child, the whole school would have known.
Because of this problem, Shen Zhiyi was often secretly stuffed into sacks by people since she was a child. This is why her parents sent her to learn martial arts and forced her to join the Taekwondo club.
It's so easy for them to get beaten up; it's a miracle they've survived this long.
Shen Zhiyi is now more restrained.
If what she saw were publicized, her little head would fall off in a heartbeat.
People grow up in an instant because they cherish life.
[This servant is really good at holding back; he can even resist looking at this?]
The old emperor took a sip of tea and smiled calmly: "You think everyone is like you, Shen Zhiyi?"
[You don't want to read it? If you don't read it, I'll spread rumors that it's a love letter from the old emperor to the Minister of Personnel.]
The old emperor immediately spat out a mouthful of tea, which coincidentally landed directly on the face of the newly appointed Minister of Personnel who was kneeling.
[Hey, what's going on? What's this called? Is this what they call the old emperor's loving saliva landing on your face?]
True love, oh true love.
The old emperor's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
The others were so angry they were practically bursting with laughter.
I'll look at it later; let me quickly jot it down.
Shen Zhiyi took out her notebook and pen, enjoying the melon without neglecting her work.
On the 18th, the emperor spat on the face of the Minister of Personnel.
The old emperor went berserk: It's tea, not saliva! A lie!
The newly appointed Minister of Personnel: What a shame! It's perfectly fine not to write this! There's no need to be so honest.
With just one sentence, she offended two people. That's Shen Zhiyi's skill—terrifying!
After working for a while, Shen Zhiyi started to slack off.
The letter's provenance led back to who wrote it.
[Hey, the person who wrote this is the Prefect of Henan Province. He has a son who is over forty years old and failed the imperial examination this year. The Prefect of Henan Province and the Minister of Personnel are from the same hometown and were classmates, so he wants the other party to help him.]
Good heavens, the letter the governor sent actually included the address of where one hundred taels of gold were stored!
[No wonder your family is so rich, Minister of Personnel, that they could pave the floor with gold bricks. It turns out the old emperor just made you a second Minister of Personnel. You're two peas in a pod.]
The old emperor gave a cold laugh, his imposing presence radiating authority without anger.
The newly appointed Minister of Personnel knelt on the ground, knowing that he couldn't escape today.
His eyes darted around in their sockets, trying to think of a way to escape this predicament.
[The former Minister of Personnel, when he was still a Vice Minister, had already accepted a considerable amount of money to help people cheat.]
Now that he has become the Minister of Personnel, and with another imperial examination opportunity approaching, many local officials are eager to curry favor with him.
The old emperor remained silent for a moment, then finally whispered, "Investigate."
The Dragon Scale Guards, who were hiding in the shadows, were preparing to head to the residence of the newly appointed Minister of Personnel when the other party suddenly shouted.
"Your Majesty!"
"I was confused for a moment."
"Your Majesty, I am willing to donate all my family property to the national treasury." With that, the newly appointed Minister of Personnel crawled toward the old emperor's feet.
He lowered his voice as he finished speaking: "Your Majesty, I know a little about the Imperial Seal of the State."
The old emperor slightly retracted his raised foot, his eyes seemingly calm yet awe-inspiring.
Finally, he seemed to laugh in anger: "You dare to negotiate with me?"
"Your Majesty, I dare not say that, but none of those in my position are not corrupt. You can ask any of the high-ranking officials present here, which one is not corrupt?"
Hmm, why did the Minister of Personnel suddenly confess? But speaking of not being corrupt?
Shen Zhiyi proudly puffed out her small chest.
【I'm not greedy.】
The old emperor smiled with satisfaction.
See? There are clearly people who aren't greedy. You people just don't know how to be content. You've lived such a long life and you're not even as good as a young person.
Wait, what did the Minister of Personnel just say? The Imperial Seal of the State?