Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 289 Female Minister

"Pregnant again?" Lin Hai was a little amused when he heard that.

If I had known this would happen, I should have stayed by the Qinhuai River for two more days and first knocked down that charming and beautiful brothel owner.

If all else fails, just listen to that kid Ruan Mei and bring a prostitute back as a concubine.

A manual transmission is better than no car at all...

How does that saying go? MILFs are good at sex, lolita is easy to push down, do it yourself and you will have enough food and clothing.

"What? Are you unhappy?" Zhu Niang was a little annoyed when she heard that, and her sword-like eyebrows raised unconsciously.

"I'm happy, very happy!" Lin Hai gnashed his teeth with joy...

After calming down for a moment, he continued, "There are so many things going on in the Civil Affairs Bureau right now. I'm worried that you're too tired since you're pregnant."

"So that's what you're talking about. I'm glad you have this in mind." Zhu Niang's eyebrows softened, and her long eyelashes fluttered. "We Tanka women are not that delicate. Many of us still go fishing after getting pregnant."

"It's good to exercise a little, but overwork is not good." Lin Hai pondered for a moment, then continued, "I think... it's time to assign you a female minister."

"Female minister? What is that?"

"During the Eastern Han, Wei and Jin dynasties, court ladies were mainly in charge of reviewing memorials and documents..."

"Minister of the Chancellery? That's equivalent to the internal prime minister of Jinhe Kingdom." Zhu Niang took over the conversation. She remembered the history of the Western Han Dynasty that Lin Hai had told her many times. Emperor Wu of Han once used eunuchs to serve as Minister of the Chancellery in order to undermine the prime minister of the outer court.

"Not just the internal minister, the Shangshu Ling was mainly the secretary of the emperor in the Western Han Dynasty, but in the Eastern Han Dynasty he was the de facto prime minister." Lin Hai said, "I think the female Shangshu of Jinhe Kingdom can have the functions of the Shangshu Ling of both Han Dynasties. She can not only manage the documents for you, but also command the outer court on your behalf. This way, you can save yourself the hard work of running around."

This power is equivalent to the combination of the Ming Cabinet and the Imperial Household Department, but it does not have military power. The Navy and the Army are nominally the military of the Jinhe Kingdom, but in fact they are not responsible to the Queen of Jinhe.

Since she is a female minister, it goes without saying that she will be selected. Zhu Niang said thoughtfully, "In other words, let Xiu'e share some of the work for me..."

Lin Hai nodded silently. He planned to set up a president's office in the Civil Affairs Institute, with Fang Xiu'e as the director. The name of the company's president's office in Jinhe State was Shangshutai, and the director of the office was Shangshuling.

This position is undoubtedly to join the board of directors. Fang Xiu'e is a woman. If she does not have the title of company director, it will be difficult for her to command the complex civil affairs system.
As early as the beginning of the colonial cause, Lin Hai once told Fang Xiu'e that his expectations for her were no less than those of Lun Diyi and Chen Yaozu. This was not just a casual remark, nor was it just a pie in the sky for his only female disciple.

Because Lin Hai had long foreseen that as the population under the company's jurisdiction grew, Zhu Niang's civil affairs would become more and more complicated. So sooner or later she would need a special secretarial team and office, and this office could only be headed by a female official.

However, Lin Hai had never thought of pushing Fang Xiu'e to a high position so quickly, even though he had originally established the Education Department to give the latter a chance to transfer.

Although education first is the company's long-term development plan, but realistically speaking, the Education Department is in charge of only a few schools, and its weight is not on the same level as the Construction Department and the Finance Department.

Fang Xiu'e's contribution to the company was far less than that of Lun Diyi and Chen Yaozu, so it was hard to convince people to suddenly promote her to a high position. Lin Hai's original idea was to wait until Lun and Chen were qualified to join the board of directors, and then promote the three of them together, and possibly Zhang Yong as well.

But plans can't keep up with changes. Zhu Niang's pregnancy again completely disrupted Lin Hai's personnel layout. The deputy of the Civil Affairs Bureau can only be Fang Xiu'e. He can't wait until Zhu Niang is unable to move and let Lun Diyi go to the Queen's bedroom to report on his work, right?

If that were the case, the history books of later generations would probably record it like this: At that time, the emperor was in charge of the army, and all political affairs were entrusted to the empress. The first one was favored by the empress, and her power was growing...

After several years, he was inevitably nicknamed the cuckold emperor, and this kind of gossip was what the general public loved to spread the most.

That night, Lin Hai had no place to vent the evil fire that he had been holding back from Jinling to Jinhe, so he could only pour it out in the sound of the flute one after another...

Finally, Zhu Niang began to get annoyed: "You thief, how many times have you bullied me again..."

Lin Hai said confidently: "Isn't it because I'm afraid you will suspect that I went to Jiangnan to sleep with prostitutes? I will have to pay more taxes when I come back."

"What public grain? I went to Qinhuai River and learned a lot of nonsense." Zhu Niang spat lightly and stretched out her hand to pinch Lin Hai's thigh.

After a long while, she suddenly said quietly, "Husband, what do you think about bringing Xiu'e into the room?"

Lin Hai was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "You are the one talking nonsense. Xiu'e is my disciple, how can I be disrespectful to an elder?"

Zhu Niang said: "What's wrong with that? You always need someone to serve you. It's always a good idea to find someone who knows you well."

She said this not on a whim, but after careful consideration. Because Lin Hai still has no concubines to this day, given his current social status, this situation is unlikely to continue. In view of this, Shi Wusi and Shibi have repeatedly advised Zhu Niang to take the initiative to find a concubine for Lin Hai.

This kind of thing was very common in ancient times. Even Yunniang, the heroine of "Six Records of a Floating Life", was very keen on taking a concubine for her husband Shen Fu. These two people have always been considered a model of deep love between husband and wife.

This may seem strange to modern people, but it was very natural in ancient times. It is definitely beneficial for the wife to take a concubine for the husband. Ningyuan Bo Li Chengliang's wife Su Furen and concubine Wang Shi are good examples. Su Furen once warned his sons: "Wang Shi is appointed by me. Those who disrespect Wang Shi are disrespecting me."

But Lin Hai firmly disagreed to take Fang Xiu'e into his room. He shook his head and said, "No, I said I want Xiu'e to be your female minister, so she must not be allowed to enter my Lin family."

"Why?" Zhu Niang was a little surprised. "Since you plan to use Xiu'e, wouldn't it be more reassuring if you brought her into your room?"

"Of course not, Zhu Niang, you have to remember that power is the most terrifying thing in this world... As a woman of the Lin family, it is enough for me to have you in charge of things."

Lin Hai sighed softly as he spoke. It seemed that although Zhu Niang had been the head of civil affairs for such a long time, she was still very naive in many things.

But then again, if Zhu Niang was not such a person, how could Lin Hai dare to let her go and use her?

It is a taboo for a ruler to have the harem interfere in government affairs, not to mention that Zhu Niang's brother Shibi is the de facto number two figure in the company!

(End of this chapter)