newbobooks Chapter 119 Prime Minister Wang's Eccentric Nephews (Revised)
Chapter 119 Prime Minister Wang's Eccentric Nephews (Revised)
"Oh, Mr. Shen, I'm really sorry to bother you."
Shen Zhiyi took a deep breath.
"I wonder what brings you here, Minister of Works?"
[This is ridiculous! My colleagues keep bothering me after get off work, sob sob, I don't want to see their faces.]
The Minister of Works stopped himself from saying what he was about to say.
Sad.
[But thankfully it wasn't the old emperor; if it were, I wouldn't even be able to eat my midnight snack.]
Minister of Works: I don't know why, but he suddenly felt better.
"Shen Lang, what about the East Market..."
"Are you going to treat me to dinner too?"
Shen Zhiyi interrupted the other party first.
[This is strange. Ever since I left the city gatekeeper's place, people have been constantly offering to treat me to meals. Are they all that rich?]
The Minister of Works' expression changed slightly, and he was indignant.
He knew that since so many people knew that Prime Minister Wang might soon retire and return to his hometown, many people would definitely covet the position of Prime Minister of Daye.
No, no, he had a close relationship with Prime Minister Wang, even sharing a pair of red underwear. Who do the others compare to him!
"Ahem, Shen Lang, a new Bo Xia Gong restaurant has opened in the East Market. I'm craving it, but I'm too embarrassed to ask for it..."
The Minister of Works was still desperately looking for a trip when he casually looked up and found that the person in front of him had disappeared.
"Huh? Shen?"
"Here? Minister of Works, hurry, where are you?"
[Oh dear, I don't know why so many people are treating me to dinner today, but I might as well take advantage of a free meal. I'll also bring some late-night snacks for my parents and my adoptive brother on the way back.]
The Minister of Works' lips twitched violently.
He's overthinking it; he doesn't need to rack his brains for any reason at all.
Upon arriving at Bo Xia Gong Shop, the Minister of Works was eager to take Shen Zhiyi to a private room, but...
"Shen Lang?"
"Oh my, I didn't expect Shen Lang to come so late at night."
"Oh, Minister of Works, you're here too."
Wow, all the ministers of the six ministries except for that stingy guy in the Ministry of Personnel are eating hot pot here? That means the hot pot at this restaurant must be really good!
Shen Zhiyi secretly licked the corner of her mouth; she was hungry.
"My lords, what a coincidence!"
"What a coincidence! What a coincidence! Why don't we all get together?"
Shen Zhiyi nodded vigorously with delight: "Of course, of course."
[Great! With so many high-ranking officials around, surely I won't have to pay for it.]
The Minister present said: "It is certainly impossible for you to pay for this."
The Minister of Works glared angrily at the other ministers, then sneered in a low voice, "Heh, what a coincidence, aren't you sleeping? Coming here so late at night? Can someone your age still digest this?"
"If you can digest it, what can't we digest?"
The Minister of Works looked at the Minister of War, puzzled.
"What are you doing here?"
The Minister of War laughed and said, "Let's enjoy this."
The Minister of War knew that the position of prime minister was irrelevant to him, but that didn't stop him from having fun.
After they were seated, the old men didn't dare order any alcohol; they only ordered tea.
They would also occasionally mention Prime Minister Wang.
"Ahem, it seems that Shen Lang and Prime Minister Wang are quite familiar with each other?" The Minister of Works couldn't help but ask first.
Shen Zhiyi rolled her eyes and replied respectfully, "It must be a misconception. I am not acquainted with Minister Wang."
[What a joke! How could I possibly know such a high-ranking official? If I did, I'd definitely make him figure out a way to get rid of this 'Imperial Diarist' position.]
However, Prime Minister Wang is indeed a very good person; it's just that he has quite a few eccentric relatives.
For example, the son of Prime Minister Wang's third brother was fostered in his household. These brothers raised the child for ten years, and during those ten years, many things went missing from the Wang residence. Prime Minister Wang's wife did suspect the nephew, but she lacked evidence.
Shen Zhiyi suddenly started to suppress her laughter.
The ministers present immediately perked up their ears.
[Hahaha, you've struck it rich! The Prime Minister's wife searched his nephew openly and secretly, but found nothing. Of course you wouldn't find anything, hiding him in that place, how could you possibly search?]
Very good, the curiosity of the ministers of the Six Ministries has been aroused.
[The son of Prime Minister Wang's third brother always hid things from the Prime Minister's residence in chrysanthemums when he took them out. Amazing! He could really stuff a hundred pearls in one.]
Everyone's eyes widened.
what?
Did they hear it correctly?
How many were inserted?
Is this still a human being?
[Then the Prime Minister's nephew took the smelly pearls to gambling dens and brothels. Tsk tsk tsk, I wonder who they ended up in eventually—those were pearls stained with excrement!]
The ministers thought about it carefully.
Very well, they have no interest in pearls, and their hands are clean!
[And this isn't the only eccentric nephew; I'm specifically referring to the son of Prime Minister Wang's elder brother.]
Everyone: There's more! Shen Zhiyi, tell us quickly!
[The entire family of Prime Minister Wang's elder brother has moved into Prime Minister Wang's residence. They're shameless! Even after so many years of separation, they still have the audacity to come and stay.]
They said their house in their hometown had been washed away by heavy rain, and they had nowhere else to go, so they came to seek refuge with Prime Minister Wang.
[What a bunch of liars! The house back home wasn't washed away by the flood; you clearly pushed it down yourself in the middle of the night, and you're blaming it on the rain. And you've been loitering at Prime Minister Wang's residence for five years!]
[Living in someone else's house and eating in someone else's house, yet the son of Prime Minister Wang's elder brother developed feelings for Prime Minister Wang's daughter.]
The ministers were stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening.
This...this beast is simply...!
[Prime Minister Wang's elder brother and sister-in-law also knew about this matter and supported their son, feeling that their son was a perfect match for the Prime Minister's daughter.]
Shen Zhiyi took a deep breath in anger.
The Minister present thought: "This Prime Minister Wang's family is all scoundrels! So why does Prime Minister Wang still keep these people under his nose?"
Based on their understanding of Prime Minister Wang, a person who can stand at the pinnacle of power is naturally not a soft-hearted person.
They couldn't figure it out.
[Surely Prime Minister Wang couldn't possibly be unaware of all these bizarre relatives, could he?]
Shen Zhiyi scratched her head in confusion, engrossed in reviewing the surveillance footage, and didn't notice that the others at the table hadn't touched their chopsticks and were just staring blankly at each other.
Hey, I found it!
[I knew it! How could Prime Minister Wang not know how awful his relatives were? But he was worried that these oddballs would bully others in their hometown because of his reputation, so he secretly brought them to live in his house, feeling safer with them under his nose.]
Upon hearing this, the ministers present couldn't help but feel guilty.
Everyone has relatives back in their hometown, and everyone knows perfectly well what their relatives are doing there.
[Hiss, old foxes are indeed shrewd! Prime Minister Wang knew that if the old emperor had thought of this, he would definitely settle scores. Hahaha, what a talent! Just which local official successfully presented this memorial to the old emperor?]