flstandardbreds Chapter 143 A Heartwarming Suggestion!
Chapter 143 A Heartwarming Suggestion!
In fact, the information Mu Xin Nuan received was that Liu Haiye had actually set his sights on her father! She heard that there was a vacancy in the Ministry of Works recently, a fifth-rank official position! Today, he came to see the old lady first, and that was his intention.
Liu Haiye wanted to join the Ministry of Works simply because he felt that although the Ministry of Works looked insignificant, it was actually a lucrative position! Whenever there was a project, such as repairing palaces or building water conservancy projects, how could any of these be done without the Ministry of Works?
That Ministry of Works is the place where you can make the most money!
In Liu Haiye's mind, the Ministry of Works was a good place, especially since the Minister of Works was his brother-in-law! If he could get into the Ministry of Works, his future career would naturally be smooth sailing!
But what kind of person is Liu Haiye? He's just a pedantic scholar; how could he really know anything about architecture or water conservancy?
The Ministry of Works may not seem like much, but it actually gathers all sorts of elite talents! All kinds of skilled craftsmen are in the Ministry of Works.
Although Mu Chang'an came from a scholarly family, he had always served in the Ministry of Works since entering officialdom. In addition, he was diligent and down-to-earth, and he had learned a lot! For example, he saved 100,000 taels of silver from the national treasury by repairing the Imperial Garden alone! Moreover, he satisfied the Emperor and the ladies of the harem!
Based on this alone, he deserves to be the Minister of Works!
But Liu Haiye wants to get into the Ministry of Works? What makes you think you can? You're just a lowly clerk, and you're already thinking about this? You're incredibly audacious!
After dinner, Mu Chang'an, under the pretext of checking Li's studies, took her to Yuexuan to personally check how well she had learned chess.
Halfway through the game, Mu Xin Nuan asked with some concern, "Father, is it because you were worried that Grandmother would summon you that you specifically hid here with me?"
Mu Chang'an chuckled, "My Ah Nuan has grown up; she can't hide anything from you anymore!"
Mu Xin Nuan placed a piece and glanced at Li Shi, who was watching the game. "Father, actually, you have been an official for many years, so you can naturally see that Uncle is not a good candidate for the Ministry of Works. Given his personality, once he enters the Ministry of Works, I'm afraid you will have a lot of trouble to deal with in the future."
Mu Chang'an was taken aback, looking at his daughter with some surprise, "Anuan, tell me, what's the trouble?"
Mu Xin Nuan wasn't shy at all and said frankly, "Uncle's personality is too slick. It's not that such a personality is unsuitable for being an official, but if a person is too clever, then naturally, he will think about how to get promoted faster and climb higher! Father has always been upright and honest, and he was also influenced by Grandfather. His years of scholarly atmosphere didn't just come from nowhere. As for talent, I dare say that Uncle is far inferior to Father."
After Mu Xin Nuan finished speaking, she added, "But please forgive my boldness, but if we're talking about scheming, I'm afraid Father might not be able to beat Uncle. Think about his character and personality. Three years ago, he was capable of favoring a concubine over his wife. If he treats his own wife like that, what about some unrelated colleagues?"
Madam Li frowned and nodded, saying, "Anuan is right! In my opinion, this brother-in-law is really too unreliable! Today, I noticed that my sister's expression was not very good either. It seems that she is not having a very pleasant time at home."
Mu Chang'an naturally knew that he had taken two more concubines, but as the elder brother-in-law, he had no right to interfere in other people's affairs! He could choose not to take any more concubines, but he could not use that to demand things of others.
"My sister is just too soft-hearted!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Li immediately shook her head and said, "If my sister doesn't change her temperament, even with the protection of our Mu family, she will likely suffer some grievances in the future! After all, what can you do if the Liu family closes their doors?"
As she spoke, Madam Li glanced at her daughter, who was earnestly considering her next move, before whispering in Mu Chang'an's ear, "I've heard that for the past year or so, you've been quite neglected in the Liu household. Although you're still the mistress of the house, your presence and influence are far inferior!"
"The maid who was slapped by my sister is in a better position, since she was part of my sister's dowry and her indenture is still in my sister's hands. But the other maid is not so easy to deal with."
Mu Chang'an frowned, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant. He had naturally inquired about his brother-in-law's character from various sources, and to say nothing of anything else, his colleagues in the same government office did not speak highly of him!
At this moment, Mu Xin Nuan suddenly beamed with joy and placed a piece, saying, "This is it. Father, you've lost."
Mu Chang'an snapped out of his daze and looked down. Sure enough, his dragon had already been cut into three pieces! He was now a sitting duck!
"Great! Ah Nuan's chess skills have indeed improved a lot!"
“It’s not that the daughter has improved; it’s clearly that the father was just distracted, which is why the daughter won by luck.”
Mu Chang'an was originally planning to leave, but then he suddenly met his daughter's clever eyes and asked on a whim, "Anuan, can you give your father some advice? What should your father do?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Li quickly declined, saying, "Why would you ask her, sir? She's just a child; how could she possibly know these things?"
"Hey! Listen to her, our daughter is quite clever! She's got a lot of clever ideas."
Mu Xin Nuan smiled upon hearing this, her big eyes sparkling. After a while, she said, "Father, it's not good for you to keep hiding like this. The most urgent and best solution is to select someone to fill the vacancy as soon as possible. As for Grandmother, Father only said that this is a major matter of the court, and as a woman of the inner quarters, it's best for Grandmother not to interfere."
Upon hearing this, Mu Chang'an frowned slightly. "But what if there isn't a suitable candidate right away?"
"Isn't that simple? Just say there seems to be another meaning behind this. A simple remark and it's over, isn't it? Father has quite a few people above him! The Prime Minister, the Duke, and so on. Is Uncle supposed to go and ask them one by one to see who's blocking his way?"
Mu Chang'an was delighted to hear this!
That's a really good idea! She hadn't expected her daughter to be so clever, and immediately smiled, "Daughters are the best! Daughters are so thoughtful!"
Madam Li also thought this method was good. In this way, she would not offend the old lady, and she could also make Liu Haiye temporarily give up his thoughts. Thus, she could kill two birds with one stone!
However, their thinking was too simplistic and too idealistic!
Especially Mu Chang'an, he never expected that his younger sister had changed so much!