Reborn Lady - Chapter 363
At this moment, the Crown Prince smiled and consoled Wei Xuan, saying, “Fourth Brother, don’t worry. Listen to Father’s guidance, refine your character, and surely there will be opportunities for you to lead troops in the future.”
Wei Xuan glanced at the Crown Prince and obediently nodded.
After a while, the five brothers exited the Imperial Study one by one.
The Crown Prince proceeded somewhere without passing through the Meridian Gate, separating from his brothers soon after.
With the Crown Prince gone, the remaining four brothers engaged in more conversation.
Wei Yan initiated the discussion by inquiring about Wei Jing’s recent tasks in the Ministry of Industry.
After Wei Jing shared his experiences, Wei Xuan seized the opportunity to inquire about Wei Luo’s duties in the Ministry of Punishment.
Wei Luo found little to comment on, having been away for a year and a half. While the cases handled by the department would have changed since then, he possessed better familiarity with the officials. He succinctly described each official’s disposition to Wei Xuan, employing concise language and summarizing each in just a couple of idiomatic sentences.
The ministries were separated; the Punishment Division stood separate, adjacent to Dali Temple and Tongzhengsi, all situated to the west of the outer city.
Wei Xuan bid farewell to his brothers in advance, proceeding alone to the Ministry of Punishment.
The remaining Wei Yan, Wei Luo, and Wei Jing continued their stroll eastward through the outer city.
Wei Yan cast a glance at Wei Luo, cleared his throat, and took the initiative to brief his third brother on the officials and his usual responsibilities in the finance department.
The explanation was straightforward. Wei Luo’s previous duties involved reviewing files in the Ministry of Punishment. However, upon his transfer to the Ministry of Finance, his tasks shifted to examining account books.
“How about it? Would you like the Second Brother to accompany you there first?” Wei Yan asked, showing genuine concern.
Wei Luo appreciated Wei Yan’s enthusiasm, although he didn’t actually need it. He had no intention of displaying timidity in front of the officials of the finance department.
Proceeding through the official department first, Wei Jing was about to move forward when Wei Yan stopped him.
“One of Ji Xianxian’s uncles works in the Ministry of Officials,” Wei Yan remarked with a smile. “If you encounter any trouble, go to Mr. Ji.”
Wei Jing expressed his gratitude, then watched as his two elder brothers moved a little further before heading towards the Ministry of Officials himself.
Meanwhile, Wei Yan accompanied Wei Luo to the finance department.
Upon their arrival, Xia Ji, the Minister of Finance, set aside his tasks and led a group of officials to greet them.
Wei Luo exuded majesty and seriousness, while Wei Yan’s smile was as warm as a spring breeze. Addressing the familiar officials of the department, he said, “Just now, the Emperor ordered Prince Shu to join the finance department, and I will be transferred to the Ministry of Industry. Now, it’s important that you all continue to perform your duties diligently. Do not take advantage of Prince Shu’s unfamiliarity and deceive him.”
As Wei Yan spoke, some officials showed signs of unease.
Working within the Imperial Court, they had few friends in other ministries. However, some acquaintances from the Ministry of Punishment had shared tales of Prince Shu’s behavior. Over time, word had spread among Beijing officials that Prince Shu was simply inhuman. Despite being a Prince, he didn’t indulge in luxury. Instead, he worked tirelessly, arriving early and leaving late every day. His dedication made it difficult for other officials to slack off.
It was commendable to rise early and stay late. But His Royal Highness Shu possessed keen insight. There was a tale that an official from the Ministry of Punishment couldn’t sleep well one night for some reason. Prince Ahu happened to glance at him, and the official was so terrified that he pinched himself severely, afraid to slack off.
Prince Shu took his duties very seriously. Whenever he encountered any doubts, he insisted on investigating thoroughly. If any negligence was found on the part of an official, they were swiftly disciplined, sometimes even jailed!
Such an evil deity should have continued to stay in the Ministry of Punishment, why did he come to the Ministry of Finance?
Though these officials muttered in their hearts, their demeanor towards Prince Shu grew increasingly respectful. Even those officials who were somewhat hunchbacked made efforts to straighten their posture.
In Wei Yan’s perception, these individuals feared his third brother, not him; his third brother held more prestige than he did!
Wei Yan was directly annoyed and left.
Xia Ji came to entertain Wei Luo with a smile. Others despise Wei Luo for being too strict, but Xia Ji had always envied that the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment had the good support of Prince Shu. With His Royal Highness sitting in the Ministry of Punishment, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment could do everything with half the effort, and the officials under him were more obedient than before. He was better than Prince Chu, who often caused him trouble.
Now that Prince Shu had arrived at their department, Xia Ji was truly delighted and wanted to set off some firecrackers to celebrate.
On Wei Luo’s side, while he didn’t know many other officials, he was very familiar with Xia Ji.
Although Xia Ji was young, at only forty-nine years old this year, he was highly esteemed in the first Emperor’s dynasty. He was known for his kindness, virtue, concern for the people, and outstanding talent. Despite some courtiers’ dissuasion, his father, upon ascending the throne, chose to spare Xia Ji, a former court official. Xia Ji did not disappoint his father’s high expectations, offering a series of effective suggestions benefiting both the people and the country. During times of financial strain in the national treasury, he ensured the allocation of funds from various parts of the court, maintaining stability.
The two held mutual admiration, and Xia Ji personally guided Wei Luo around the department, helping him quickly familiarize himself with its operations. In the afternoon, Xia Ji enthusiastically assigned an errand to Wei Luo.
Wei Luo remained busy at the department until dusk before returning to the Shu Mansion.
Being a newcomer to the department, there was much for him to learn. Wei Luo was so occupied that day that he easily grew hungry from overwork, feeling that the two bowls he ate for dinner were not sufficient.
While feeding him, Yin Hui pondered, “Why are you so exhausted when you’ve just resumed your duties?”
Wei Luo then recounted the change in his tasks to her.
The finance department, being responsible for the inflow and outflow of finances, requires considerable attention.
Yin Hui, with a grandfather who was the wealthiest man in Yandi, naturally had a deeper understanding of the department’s busyness than others. It appeared to be a desirable position overseeing finances. However, he recognized the necessity of finding ways to increase revenue and ensuring that the earned money was allocated appropriately. It wasn’t sufficient to devise strategies alone; one had to also supervise the officials under them to prevent embezzlement, misappropriation, and fraudulent accounting practices.
If it were another person, they might have been perfunctory, but Wei Luo was not born with that temperament.
Watching Wei Luo devour his meal, Yin Hui suddenly felt sympathetic towards her husband.
Due to his skill in leading the army, Wei Luo’s father would deploy him to battle whenever there was a war. And because of his dedicated and pragmatic nature, Wei Luo’s father would assign him to government offices, where he would be occupied with tasks after the war. Her father-in-law truly did his best for his son. Nothing was wasted!
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Anyhow_Mittipao
“Did his best for his sons”?? More like utilized the most outstanding third son in every way possible