Chapter 108

From a distance, Jiang Xiurun noticed a row of minor officials at the government office munching on flatbreads.

She realized it was because of her tardiness that everyone had been waiting for her, and she felt quite guilty.

So, when she got out of the sedan chair and greeted the officials, she immediately announced that she would treat everyone to a feast at a nearby restaurant for lunch, hoping to share a joyful meal with them.

However, as soon as she said this, the officials exchanged uneasy glances, each with a look of hidden distress.

Most of the lucrative tasks in the Ministry of Agriculture had been snatched away by the Ministry of Waterworks, which oversaw water and construction projects.

What remained were trivial duties like checking grain storage and measuring wheat fields, which were hardly enough to sustain the entire ministry.

The meager salaries of the minor officials were barely enough to support their families, leaving no spare money to chip in for a banquet to welcome the new chief minister.

Yet, having the chief minister pay out of her own pocket was also improper.

Thus, they were all inwardly groaning, their faces filled with unease.

Jiang Xiurun, being highly perceptive, immediately understood their predicament from their expressions.

After quietly instructing Qian’er, she followed the officials to familiarize herself with the Ministry of Agriculture’s archives and other matters.

Not long after, Qian’er and a few servants arrived carrying five or six large food boxes filled with pre-paid dishes and wine.

The officials gathered the office tables together, finally managing to host a welcoming banquet for the new chief minister.

The Ministry of Agriculture’s office was far from the Ministry of Personnel but close to the Ministry of Justice, where Ji Binglin now served.

Hearing that the new chief minister of the neighboring Ministry of Agriculture was surnamed Jiang, Ji Binglin suspected it might be Jiang Herun.

During the midday break, he went over to inquire and, sure enough, it was Jiang Herun.

Ji Binglin was delighted, feeling that it was truly a cause for celebration that Master Jiang had finally entered official service.

Coincidentally, several of his colleagues in the Ministry of Justice were also alumni of the Tiangan Academy.

Hearing that their fellow student Jiang had taken up a new post, they came to congratulate him.

One of them joked, “No wonder we haven’t seen Master Jiang since the return from the Mochi Literary Gathering. Turns out he was preparing for his official appointment!”

However, among the alumni, there was also a blunt one named Yang Chen, who had entered official service long ago.

He coldly remarked, “What’s there to celebrate? Everyone knows the Ministry of Agriculture is a poor, insignificant department. With the crown prince’s canal construction straining the treasury, the budgets for each ministry were set at the beginning of the year. The chief minister of the Ministry of Waterworks is a cunning one. He took over several projects that were originally under the Ministry of Agriculture, like building waterwheels and irrigation channels, and allocated the funds to his own ministry. But when it came time to actually carry out the projects, he dumped them all back on the Ministry of Agriculture…”

He was cut off mid-sentence by an elbow jab from a colleague and didn’t finish his thought.

It was no wonder the Ministry of Justice officials knew so much.

The former chief minister of the Ministry of Agriculture had been so infuriated by the Ministry of Waterworks’ underhanded tactics that he had publicly declared he would not take on any of the projects the Ministry of Waterworks had snatched unless they returned the funds.

The matter was brought before the emperor.

Coincidentally, the crown prince was away inspecting Wei, and the chief minister of the Ministry of Waterworks came from a powerful family.

The emperor sided with him and dismissed the Ministry of Agriculture’s appeal.

As a result, the former chief minister of the Ministry of Agriculture simply quit, retiring to his hometown and leaving the mess for whoever was willing to take it on.

With his departure, the position of chief minister of the Ministry of Agriculture became a cold, unwanted post.

Everyone knew the previous chief minister had left because of poverty, and no one who took over could fill the financial gap.

Some officials even suggested merging the Ministry of Agriculture with the Ministry of Waterworks, placing it under the latter’s supervision.

But the chief minister of the Ministry of Waterworks, being a crafty old fox, refused to take on the burden.

Thus, Yang Chen, who was well-informed about the internal affairs, felt genuinely worried for his naive junior colleague who had taken on such a mess.

Ji Binglin, who had recently joined the Ministry of Justice and had been overseeing the canal repairs, was unaware of the situation.

Upon hearing Yang Chen’s explanation, he too became concerned for Jiang Xiurun.

After all, the former chief minister of the Ministry of Agriculture had been a seasoned official with thirty years of experience.

If even he couldn’t get the funds back from the Ministry of Waterworks, what could a newly minted official like Jiang Xiurun possibly achieve?

Jiang Xiurun’s initial excitement about her new position was dampened by the dire financial situation.

No wonder the crown prince had been so generous in allowing her to enter official service.

He had given her a position that even a dog wouldn’t want.

Was the crown prince’s intention to make her realize the difficulty and retreat back to the crown prince’s residence to obediently bear his children?

Or was he expecting her to magically generate funds, not only solving the Ministry of Agriculture’s long-standing financial issues but also securing money for new irrigation projects?

After thanking her congratulatory classmates and Ji Binglin, Jiang Xiurun took out her abacus and began reviewing the backlog of tasks and the ministry’s finances.

Since the Ministry of Justice officials had already laid everything bare, the minor officials of the Ministry of Agriculture held nothing back.

They explained how the chief minister of the Ministry of Waterworks, Meng Xian, was utterly unscrupulous.

To secure the budget, he had deliberately underestimated the costs of various projects.

Once the funds were allocated, he would rename the projects and dump them back on the Ministry of Agriculture.

In other words, even if the Ministry of Waterworks willingly returned the funds, it would still fall far short of what was needed.

Jiang Xiurun was aware of this Meng Xian.

He was someone who would rise to great heights in the future.

In her past life, he had eventually become a prime minister, just like Ji Binglin, and was even more favored by the emperor than the pragmatic Ji Binglin.

The Meng family was a powerful aristocratic family, even more established than the Wei family.

When it came to supporting Feng Liwu’s ascension as crown prince, they had remained neutral.

However, when Feng Liwu sought to inherit the throne early, the Meng family strongly opposed it, ensuring the emperor’s authority remained intact.

Several major aristocratic families followed the Meng family’s lead.

The Mengs made it clear they wanted to maintain a balance between the emperor and the crown prince, keeping both sides in check.

Thus, the other families followed suit, and peace had been maintained for years.

Neither the emperor nor Feng Liwu would provoke the Meng family without good reason.

This was why Meng Xian dared to brazenly exploit the system, enriching his own ministry and gaining a loyal following that would benefit his future promotions.

Jiang Xiurun, who had arrived at the ministry full of enthusiasm, left feeling disheartened.

As she boarded the carriage, she felt utterly drained.

When she first entered official service, she had imagined herself riding in a grand carriage, dressed in splendid robes, making a grand procession through the streets.

As for the ministry’s affairs, she had thought her keen eye for talent would allow her to discover a few more talents like Ji Binglin, ensuring a smooth and worry-free tenure.

Surely, it would be better than the stifling life in the inner courtyard.

Who would have thought the crown prince, in his favor, would toss her into such a cesspool, making it impossible for her to climb out?

Just as she was sprawled in the carriage, sighing deeply, a commotion broke out in front of the carriage.

Jiang Xiurun peeked out and saw the second prince, Feng Wu, accompanied by a group of officials, on their way to a banquet.

Among them was none other than Meng Xian, the current chief minister of the Ministry of Waterworks.

Having heard about Jiang Xiurun’s appointment to the Ministry of Agriculture, Feng Wu had deliberately brought his entourage to block the alley and congratulate the new chief minister.

Although Feng Wu, for reasons unknown, didn’t want to expose Jiang Xiurun’s true identity as a woman, that didn’t stop him from coming to stir up trouble.

The second prince, sitting on his horse, smiled and said, “Congratulations on becoming the chief minister, Master Jiang. Today, the officials from the Ministry of Waterworks and the Ministry of Personnel are gathering for a drink and some casual conversation. How about it? Will you join us for some fun?”

Bound by etiquette, Jiang Xiurun had no choice but to step out of the carriage and bow to Feng Wu.

Dressed in dark official robes with a wide hem, her slender waist stood out.

With her jade-like face and the tall crown, anyone unaware of her true identity would surely marvel at the sight of such a graceful and handsome young man.

Feng Wu had come to cause trouble, but he hadn’t expected Jiang Xiurun to look so striking in official robes.

For a moment, he was speechless, his gaze lingering on her with an intensity that seemed to pierce through her.

But when his eyes fell on the unique belt hook hanging from her waist, Feng Wu’s expression darkened.

He had seen that distinctive hook before—it had been hanging from Feng Liwu’s waist during the morning court.

Now, it was on Jiang Xiurun.

The intimacy between the two was unmistakable, a clear declaration to the world that this graceful young man belonged to Feng Liwu.

Before Feng Wu could even unsettle Jiang Xiurun, he found himself in a foul mood.

However, Meng Xian, standing beside him, was the first to step forward and bow to Jiang Xiurun.

“We’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new chief minister of the Ministry of Agriculture. Who would have thought it would be someone as young and capable as you? Now that the Ministry of Agriculture has a leader, the tasks we’ve been holding at the Ministry of Waterworks can finally be handed over. Tomorrow, I’ll send someone to your ministry to coordinate the transfer. What do you think, Minister Jiang?”

Jiang Xiurun thought Meng Xian was truly a slippery character in the officialdom.

It was clear he wanted to take advantage of her newness to the position and dump the troublesome tasks on the Ministry of Agriculture.

If she agreed, the Ministry of Agriculture would be stuck with the mess, and the Ministry of Waterworks would wash their hands of it.

So, with a forced smile, Jiang Xiurun bowed to Meng Xian and said, “The former chief minister’s seal was gnawed by rats, and I’ve already sent someone to repair it with gold. For the next few days, no official documents will be stamped… Ah, the rats in the Ministry of Agriculture are quite a nuisance. I’ll need to borrow some cats. Please give us a few days, Minister Meng. Otherwise, if you send the documents now, they’ll just end up as rat food, and you’ll have to resend them, won’t you?”

Meng Xian had never heard of rats gnawing on stone seals.

This Jiang fellow, though young, seemed quite slippery.

His eyes flicked toward the second prince, hoping he would step in and rebuke Jiang Xiurun’s nonsense.

But the second prince remained silent, his gaze fixed on Jiang Xiurun, showing no intention of speaking.

Not knowing what was going on with the second prince, Meng Xian forced a laugh and said, “Minister Jiang, I shouldn’t be rushing your ministry’s affairs. But with autumn here and winter approaching, some tasks can’t be delayed. If we miss the spring planting season, I’m afraid you’ll have a hard time explaining things to the emperor.”

Jiang Xiurun, annoyed by Feng Wu’s lingering gaze, subtly glared at him before bowing and saying insincerely to Meng Xian, “Since it’s already been delayed for so long, if Minister Meng finds our coordination too slow, you’re welcome to handle it yourself… It’s getting late, and I still need to borrow some cats. I’ll take my leave now, Second Prince and esteemed ministers.”

With that, she turned and boarded the carriage, driving off.

With so many rats scurrying about, her teeth weren’t sharp enough yet.

She needed to hurry back and consult Feng Liwu, the experienced old cat, on how to devour these bold and brazen rodents!

Watching the carriage leave, Meng Xian snorted.

“He’s just a former aide and tutor from the crown prince residence and furthermore a hostage. Even if he’s the brother of the crown prince’s concubine, he shouldn’t have entered official service. Isn’t the crown prince treating this as a joke?”

But Feng Wu slowly said, “Tell those petty officials not to be so rigid. We shouldn’t hinder Great Qi from recruiting talent from other countries. Should we discard a hostage’s talents just because he can’t return home?”

Feng Wu wasn’t particularly fond of talent, but he was glad his elder brother had let the beauty out.

Keeping her locked up in the crown prince’s residence would only make him pine for her in vain.