Meng Shuping was instantly envious. "Wow! A whole month off at home! How is Emperor Qianyou so good to him? Isn't this just an extended vacation? All the things he never had time for, he can do now!"
"Sigh, no wonder he dared to fool the Emperor—he had nothing to fear! Look, even when caught, what happened? Emperor Qianyou still brushed it aside."
Fan Yu found it utterly unbelievable. Was this little rookie out of his mind? How was this a good thing? Only a naive, sheltered young master could utter such foolish words!
Emperor Qianyou also began to doubt himself. In the past, when others were punished like this, weren't they all as grief-stricken as if they had lost their parents? Had he been mistaken all along?
Did his ministers actually hope for such a long break?
Worried that Emperor Qianyou might think the punishment was too light and change his mind, Fan Yu quickly said, "Your Majesty, although it was by chance, Junior Guard Meng is indeed quick-witted and adaptable. Congratulations, Your Majesty, on gaining another talented individual!"
Meng Shuping looked at him speechlessly. "What 'another talented individual'? Who said I want to work for the Emperor?"
At that moment, the Minister of Revenue also spoke up. "Your Majesty, Lord Fan is right. For Junior Guard Meng to handle his first interrogation so smoothly shows exceptional talent. In my humble opinion, why not assign him a position in the Ministry of Justice so he can serve the court directly?"
Meng Shuping stared at him in shock. "You crafty old man, how wicked! Just because I refuted you, you want me to go to work? Weren't you supposed to not recommend me for an official post?"
The Minister of Revenue stood there calmly, not even lifting his eyes. Those words were spoken by Prince Zhao—what did they have to do with him, the Minister of Revenue?
Hmph! How dare this kid call his job stupid? Since the young man was so unwilling to become an official, he would make sure he had no choice!
Minister of Justice Cao Jie, who had just displeased Emperor Qianyou, was debating whether to speak up when he noticed the emperor's expression shift slightly, as if he was about to agree. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this must not be done. What if it was just a coincidence? If we rashly assign him an official position, wouldn't that easily lead to trouble?"
Seeing someone object, Meng Shuping was delighted and immediately chimed in, "Exactly, exactly! This time, I managed to get the confession purely by coincidence. Maybe it's just that Lord Fan is too incompetent?"
Hearing this, Fan Yu couldn't let it slide. "Your Majesty, how could this be a coincidence? If Prince Zhao took him under his wing and kept him by his side, how could he be incompetent? Even if you don't believe me, you should trust Prince Zhao's judgment."
Emperor Qianyou took another look at Meng Shuping. He had noticed it as soon as the young guard entered—though he was called a guard, his steps were unsteady, so his martial skills were certainly lacking. He must have some other talent, then?
Jiang Cian had always disliked this little mute. Since the little mute didn't want to become an official, how could he let Meng Shuping have his way?
So he also stepped forward. "Father, I also think Lord Fan makes a good point. This young guard managed to deceive even me, which shows how cunning he is. It would be a waste for such talent not to go to the Ministry of Justice!"
It definitely wasn't that he was too foolish—it was that this kid was too sly!
Minister of Justice Cao Jie was furious at everyone. Why was everyone trying to shove this kid into his department? If they admired him so much, why not use him themselves?
Meng Shuping was also extremely annoyed. "What's wrong with these people? I've offended every one of them, and yet they're still recommending me for an official post? Do they have some kind of sickness?"
"Lord Cao, step up your game! Are you not up to it? They want to force someone on you, and you're just standing by? Don't make me look down on you!"
Cao Jie's fists clenched. Who wasn't up to it? Who? What right did a brat like him have to look down on him?
He glared angrily at the Minister of Revenue. "Since Lord Chen admires him so much, why not take him into your own department? Maybe you could save tens of thousands of taels of silver a year!"
The Minister of Revenue's eyes lit up. That was a great idea! So he immediately turned to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Cao is right. Why not assign him a position in the Ministry of Revenue instead?"
Once he got this kid under his wing, he would make sure to load him with work. Young people shouldn't be so idle!
Seeing this, Fan Yu immediately objected. If Meng Shuping didn't go to the Ministry of Justice, how could he prove that he wasn't incompetent?
He quickly said, "Your Majesty, I still think Junior Guard Meng is more suited for the Ministry of Justice. The people in the Ministry of Justice drag their feet when handling cases—they need someone to light a fire under them!"
Cao Jie was enraged. If you want to prove you're not incompetent, why drag the Ministry of Justice through the mud?
He said furiously, "I think it's just that Lord Fan is too rigid in his work, which is why a young man showed him up. Your Majesty, since Lord Chen believes Junior Guard Meng is capable, wouldn't it be perfect for him to go to the Ministry of Revenue?"
Jiang Ci'an was enjoying the spectacle and eagerly suggested, "Father Emperor, since both ministers believe Junior Guard Meng is talented, why not have him rotate between the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Revenue? He should remain where he excels."
...
Watching them argue so fiercely over him, Meng Shuping appeared calm on the surface but was panicking inside. "Stop it! Can you please stop arguing over me? What have I done to deserve this!"
"Go ahead and fight if you have the guts!"
Annoyed, he poked Jiang Cihe in the lower back. "Your Highness, say something! I don't want to go to either of their ministries! If this keeps up, I'll resign!"
Jiang Cihe coughed lightly and spoke up, "Father Emperor, my guard is still young. It would be better to let him stay by my side for a few more years."
The Minister of Revenue quickly retorted, "Precisely because he's young, we shouldn't let this opportunity pass!"
But as soon as he said it, he realized his mistake. Seeing Meng Shuping's accusing gaze, he coughed awkwardly and corrected himself, "What I meant is, precisely because he's young, we shouldn't let him waste his youth. Wouldn't it be better for him to serve the court early?"
Fan Yu chimed in, "Exactly. Since Junior Guard Meng has talent, why should his age matter? Besides, our court has many capable officials who started their careers at a young age."
Emperor Qianyou asked curiously, "How old are you?"
Hearing the emperor's question, Meng Shuping quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I am sixteen and just finished studying the *Three Character Classic* a couple of days ago."
The Minister of Revenue exclaimed in surprise, "You just finished the *Three Character Classic*?"
Meng Shuping nodded earnestly, "Yes, yes, yes."
"Hahaha! Stunned, aren't you? As long as I play the illiterate convincingly, you won't be able to exploit me!"
"Honestly, a job with a mountain of tasks and tricky social maneuvering—even a dog wouldn't take it! And you actually want me to do it? You're really pushing me!"
Emperor Qianyou and the others: "..." Well, now we know he's pretending to be illiterate.
But what's wrong with this kid? Others would kill for this chance, yet he's reluctant? It's just about serving the court—is it really that unbearable?
Emperor Qianyou refused to believe he couldn't handle a young man like this.
Only Cao Jie didn't care whether Meng Shuping's words were true or false. As soon as he heard Meng Shuping claim he couldn't read, he immediately found a reason to object. He stepped forward and declined, "Your Majesty, since he's only studied the *Three Character Classic*, I'm afraid he might not be suitable for the Ministry of Justice. Perhaps it's better to let him remain with Prince Zhao."
Fan Yu quickly countered, "Precisely because he isn't well-educated, he'll light a fire under the officials in the Ministry of Justice. No offense, Lord Cao, but aren't you resisting because you're worried your ministry's officials will be outperformed by Junior Guard Meng?"
Cao Jie glared angrily at him. "Don't twist my words!"
"Your Majesty," the Minister of Revenue said, "I see that Lord Cao and Lord Fan are arguing without reaching a conclusion. How about this: we can assign Junior Guard Meng a task in the Ministry of Justice first. If he performs well, we can discuss granting him an official position later."
Meng Shuping stared at him in disbelief. "No way? Even after all that, you still won't let me go? How heartless can they be? Is he really that narrow-minded?"
He glanced secretly at Emperor Qianyou. "But surely the emperor won't agree, right? This is a matter of state affairs, not child's play. How could it be handled so casually?"
No sooner had he thought this than Emperor Qianyou declared, "Then it's settled!"
Meng Shuping was shocked. "Wait, aren't they going to ask for my opinion? I disagree!"
He hurriedly refused, "No, no, Your Majesty, I absolutely can't do it. Last time was just a fluke—dumb luck—I really don't know anything! If I take the job, I'll only mess up important state affairs!"
"The nerve! They didn't even bring up compensation—just expect me to work for free. Do they think I'm stupid?"
"No offense, Your Majesty, but you're too stingy! When I interrogated Lu Namu, Prince Zhao rewarded me with three or four taels of silver. But you? Not a single coin! Wouldn't I be better off working for the prince?"
Emperor Qianyou: "..."
"You brat, don't be so ungrateful! If anyone else had such an opportunity, they'd be crying tears of gratitude, bowing and thanking the emperor. But you? You actually have the nerve to complain that I'm stingy?"
Emperor Qianyou thought indignantly, "So what if I am stingy?"
Seeing that Emperor Qianyou had actually agreed, Cao Jie protested strongly, "Your Majesty, please reconsider! Junior Guard Meng himself said it was a coincidence last time. Assigning him to our Ministry of Justice would only cause delays!"
Meng Shuping looked at Emperor Qianyou hopefully, "Exactly! What if I accidentally solve another case? Where would that leave the officials in the Ministry of Justice? Wouldn't that just make me enemies?"
"Besides, last time I kept saying I can't interrogate, but Lord Fan insisted I do it. Now look—Lord Fan has lost face, hasn't he?"
Cao Jie glared angrily at Meng Shuping and suddenly changed his mind, "Of course, letting him give it a try is no problem! I refuse to believe Junior Guard Meng is really that good!"
Hmph, don't get too cocky there, kid! Just because you caught one spy doesn't mean you're invincible! Fan Yu's failure was due to his incompetence—did you really think our Ministry of Justice is as bad as him?
Meng Shuping widened his eyes in disbelief, "What's wrong with him? Wasn't he supposed to stand his ground? Wasn't he supposed to be unyielding?"
"And I thought he had backbone—is this all he's got?"
Meng Shuping was utterly dismayed, "He's the Minister of Justice! How could he cave in so easily? Where's his integrity? Where's his principles? Damn it! Can't he stop being such a weathervane?"
Despite Meng Shuping's contempt, Cao Jie didn't bat an eye. Ridiculous! Who would have a death wish? Besides, it wasn't because of the emperor that he agreed!
With the sole opponent now silent, Emperor Qianyou made the decision, "Since Beloved Minister Cao also agrees, then it's settled."
Meng Shuping tried one last time to resist, "Your Majesty, I really don't know how—"
"No matter," Emperor Qianyou said cheerfully, "You had no experience before, right? It can't get worse than that, can it?"
Seeing Meng Shuping about to speak again, his voice turned stern, "What, are you disobeying my order?"
Meng Shuping froze in fear at his sudden change in attitude, "Wow, just wow! Is he forcing my hand? Does he think just because he's the emperor, I'll be afraid? Well, today I'll show him—I will never cave to authority so easily!"
Forcing someone into this? What kind of description is that? Emperor Qianyou raised an eyebrow. Could it be that this kid actually has some backbone?
But the next moment, he heard Meng Shuping ventured cautiously, "Will there be a reward if I do well?"
"Hmph, if he dares to pressure me, I'll just surrender! Not to brag, but I'm no good at fighting—I'm the best at going with the flow."
Emperor Qianyou was left speechless for a long moment. Finally, he said irritably, "Ask Seventh for it!"
He thought the kid had some spine and was prepared for a confrontation, but instead, Meng Shuping came out with this? What nonsense!
Still, he had to admit—this Meng Shuping was quite amusing.
Meng Shuping sighed in frustration, "Fine!"
"Seriously? The emperor of a whole nation is really this stingy? Not even sparing his own son!"
"Wahhh, looking back now, the prince is truly generous!"
Emperor Qianyou: "..." Say what you want—it's not like I'll lose a piece of flesh.
After leaving Emperor Qianyou's presence, Meng Shuping stormed ahead angrily. Jiang Cihe quickly caught up, "Hey, you blockhead, why are you walking so fast?"
Meng Shuping whirled around, annoyed, "Were you the one who brought me up in front of the emperor?"
Jiang Cihe immediately denied it, "Of course not!"
Meng Shuping pressed unhappily, "Then it was that Fan guy's doing? Why didn't you stop the emperor? Why did you let him summon me to the palace?"
Jiang Cihe sighed, "Do you think I didn't want to? But Fan Yu claimed all the credit for Lu Namu's confession. Can you stand him stealing your credit?"
Meng Shuping answered without hesitation, "Of course not!"
That annoying Fan guy—how could he let him gloat like that?
Jiang Cihe patted Meng Shuping's shoulder reassuringly, "Don't worry. Even if you don't do well in this assignment at the Ministry of Justice, it's fine. You have no experience—they can't blame you. Besides, I'll go with you."
Meng Shuping immediately asked with concern, "Will I still get paid if I mess up?"
Jiang Cihe paused, then said, "You'll get hardship pay."
Meng Shuping instantly cheered up, "Hahaha, then I can coast through this without worry! So what if he's the emperor? No pay, and he expects me to work hard for him? Dream on!"
"Tell him! I only have one sugar daddy, and that's the prince! See how good it is following the prince? Easy work, good money. Not to boast, but I could do this kind of job for life!"
Jiang Cihe: "..." He bounces back quick.