The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1125 - 1104 Chain Reaction

Chapter 1125: Chapter 1104 Chain Reaction

Since learning about Zhou Man’s entry into the palace, his heart had always been uneasy. He was still trying to figure out a solution, but he hadn’t expected things to develop so rapidly. He had found out just two days ago from his servants that Zhou Man had gone to the palace, and today the promotion document was abruptly rejected.

Lord Chen Fulin swallowed nervously, quite unsettled, uncertain whether the emperor simply felt he was unsuitable, or Zhou Man had said something within the palace.

He felt a vague regret in his heart. Had he known this would happen, he should not have taken the matter lightly at the outset, thinking to plan slowly. He should have taken action immediately after encountering Zhuang Xun at the Primus Pavilion, hurriedly finding someone to oust not only him but his three disciples as well.

Regret surged in Lord Chen Fulin’s heart.

At that time, Bai Shan, Bai Cheng, and Zhou Man had not yet enrolled and had no foundation in the capital. It would have been easy to drive them out, but now...

Seeing Lord Chen, who held the same rank of Doctor, sitting in the chair for a long time without speaking, his face pale with anxiety, Lord Gu approached to comfort him: "Lord Chen, ups and downs are the norm, don’t take it too much to heart."

Lord Chen Fulin came back to his senses and managed a strained smile: "I know, it’s just that I’m anxious, not knowing which part of my duty was not done satisfactorily, alas, I feel guilty."

Everyone was puzzled, especially Doctor Liu from the Ministry of Revenue. Originally, with someone under him set to be promoted, he had already found a replacement, and a standby for the replacement’s position too, but now with Lord Chen Fulin’s promotion overturned, the entire chain of promotions was blocked.

Doctor Liu sought out the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue for questioning. After all, Lord Chen Fulin was under his jurisdiction.

"What’s the matter with Chen Fulin? Didn’t you say he’s well-qualified and humble, and has been diligent in his duties?" Otherwise, he would not have recommended him for a higher position.

The Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue replied: "Indeed, even if the lord doesn’t know me, he should know about him. He’s been a dependable and steady person in his role as Doctor in the Ministry of Revenue for nine years, with no major missteps."

The Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was himself puzzled, "The Ministry of Public Works had no objections, and the Ministry of Personnel’s verification was also passed. It shouldn’t be like this."

"Shouldn’t be?" Doctor Liu glanced at him, "Do you think the emperor is someone who goes by the book? Go ask Chen Fulin if he’s done anything recently that caught the emperor’s eye."

"Not really, if there was something, would the Censorate let him off, let our Ministry of Revenue off?"

Doctor Liu also contemplated; indeed, the Censorate had their sights set on the crown prince lately.

The emperor abruptly assigned six tutors to the crown prince, all of whom were key ministers, known for their extensive knowledge and distinguished character. So, everyone was watching the crown prince.

To see whether he could be properly shaped; if not, there would probably be arguments to follow, which is why no one had impeached their Ministry of Revenue recently.

He didn’t feel there had been any missteps in their ministry, right?

Seeing that the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue’s brows were furrowed enough to squash a mosquito, he hurriedly said, "My lord, perhaps the emperor has other arrangements, which is why the document was rejected?"

"Even so, he should have informed the ministers of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Public Works beforehand. Who straight-up rejects a document like that?" Doctor Liu said, "It’s for the position of Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Public Works, not the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Personnel, and it’s not like the emperor just ascended the throne."

Therefore, the emperor had no need to plant his own people in there. Based on Doctor Liu’s understanding of the emperor, there was only one possibility—if the emperor was doing something like this, it meant he disliked Chen Fulin.

Doctor Liu blinked, "This is bad!"

The Left Assistant Minister thought he had realized something and immediately looked up, "What’s wrong, my lord?"

"What could be wrong when I’m standing here fine?" Doctor Liu replied irritably, then said, "There’s no rhyme or reason for the emperor’s action. He’s probably being scolded by Lord Wei now."

Left Assistant Minister: ...What’s so bad about that? After all, the emperor is scolded by someone every few days.

Doctor Liu turned around to see him still standing there calmly and said irritably, "What are you still doing here? Hurry up and investigate what Chen Fulin did to anger the emperor. Do you think it will be fine for you if Lord Wei scolds the emperor? Don’t forget, Chen Fulin is from the Ministry of Revenue, your subordinate!"

Only then did the Left Assistant Minister realize the gravity of the situation—he might become collateral damage in a fight between deities.

He quickly bowed and rushed off in haste.

Doctor Liu snorted and went off with his hands behind his back to chat with the minister of the neighboring Ministry of Public Works. Since Chen Fulin had not been selected, he planned to continue selecting people from within the Six Ministries or specifically from their ministry.

The minister of the Ministry of Public Works was also discussing the matter with Assistant Minister Yu.

It didn’t affect him whether Chen Fulin was approved or not. He directly said to Assistant Minister Yu, "I have no idea how Chen Fulin offended the emperor. By the time their dispute is settled, who knows when it will be. After the Empress Dowager’s thousand autumns celebration, winter will arrive and there’s much to do before the year’s end. We don’t have time to wait for their lawsuit, so this vacancy must be filled quickly."

If it wasn’t for his father staying home and not going out these past few days, Assistant Minister Yu would’ve suspected his father of whispering in the emperor’s ear. Seeing things progress in the direction his father hoped, he kept quiet and directly asked, "From where does the lord wish to select a person?"

"Let’s choose from within our Ministry of Public Works. Among the several Doctors under you, whom do you see fit?" the minister asked, "Chen Fulin indeed has the qualifications, but since he has never worked in our ministry, he would need some time to adjust. Selecting someone from our ministry would mean immediate availability upon promotion, saving us a lot of trouble."

Assistant Minister Yu nodded, "It’s just that their experience is somewhat lacking, the Ministry of Personnel might not agree."

The minister dismissed the concern with a wave, "No matter, the emperor has rejected a promotion without cause, surely the Censorate and Lord Wei will raise objections. If they manage to find a reason, it will be their lawsuit with the Ministry of Personnel, and they won’t have time to concern themselves with a single Assistant Minister vacancy in ours. You identify a candidate first, let them handle matters in an acting capacity, and once their lawsuit is nearing its end, I’ll submit a petition to finalize the vacancy."

Assistant Minister Yu understood; they were acting first and reporting later. This tactic was not bad at all, also commonly used in the Six Ministries.

He began to think seriously, "Chen Fulin is quite slick, and since the emperor dislikes him, let’s pick someone more capable. How about Doctor Liu?"

"He’s only been promoted to Doctor for two years, hasn’t he?"

"Yes, slightly lacking in experience, but his abilities are not inferior and he stands out amongst the Doctors."

The minister of the Ministry of Public Works also knew of him, but as he came from a humble background, he hesitated slightly. "Let me think about it. Suggest two more names."

Assistant Minister Yu: ...There are only four Doctors in total, it would be easier to choose someone unsuitable if you ask for two more.

Although he had many internal criticisms, Assistant Minister Yu still recommended two more candidates to the minister

The minister let him leave with a wave of his hand, not bothered by Lord Chen Fulin’s issue from the neighboring Ministry of Revenue.

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