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Chapter 843: The Book of Shangshu

The emperor's words are as good as gold. He will definitely fulfill his promises.

The youngest official minister in Daliang, he also holds the title of Marquis. Even if he accidentally makes a big mistake, his official position can prevent two disasters!

With such a good son, he has no regrets in his life.

Prime Minister Wang closed his eyes contentedly and stopped breathing.

Wang Jin stood there for a moment before slowly kneeling down.

Tears rolled down freely from the corners of my eyes.

The person who loved him the most in this world had just left. From now on, he would no longer hear his father's scolding, and no one would hold an umbrella behind him to protect him from the rain.

The descendants of the Wang family who were waiting outside the bedroom did not dare to come in and disturb the emperor, so they knelt outside the door and cried.

Jiang Shaohua stood beside the bed for a moment and sighed, "Minister Wang, please take good care of the Prime Minister's funeral. Once the funeral is done, you can return to the Ministry of Personnel to work."

Wang Jin's mind was stiff and numb, and it took him a while to find his voice: "Your Majesty, I should observe three years of mourning for my father."

Three years of mourning means three years of mourning.

In the officialdom, this retirement meant the loss of one's official position. The court affairs were complicated, and the position of the Minister of Personnel could not be left vacant for three years.

Jiang Shaohua said, "The Prime Minister's last wish before his death was that you would soon become the Minister of Personnel, have a smooth career, and support the Wang family."

"If you mourn for three years, wouldn't that be a disappointment to the Prime Minister? And also a disappointment to my expectations of you?"

Wang Jin was speechless.

Jiang Shaohua slowed down his voice: "We'll talk about these things later. You should handle the funeral first!"

Wang Jin nodded slowly and respectfully saw Her Majesty off.

After the Empress and her entourage left, Wang Jin could no longer hold on any longer. He lay beside Prime Minister Wang's bed and cried bitterly, as if his muscles and bones had been pulled out.

The filial sons and grandchildren who were kneeling outside the door moved to the side of the bed one after another, crying louder than the other.

"Fourth brother, stop crying."

A long-lost voice rang in my ears: "Father is gone, let's set up the mourning hall first."

It was the voice of my eldest brother Wang Yi.

More than a decade ago, Wang Yi committed a serious crime of corruption, was dismissed from his official position, and was driven back to his ancestral home. Over the years, Wang Yi has been eating, drinking, having fun, and having children in his old house. Half of his more than 60 grandchildren were born to Wang Yi's wives and concubines.

Wang Yi ate and drank well, and became so fat that he could hardly walk and needed two people to support him on both sides.

Prime Minister Wang was seriously ill. His second and third sons, who were officials working outside the capital, were unable to come to take care of him. So Wang Yi, who had nothing to do, came half a year ago.

Wang Jin was busy working in the Ministry of Personnel, and it was Wang Yi who always took care of Prime Minister Wang by his bedside.

As the eldest son of the Wang family, Prime Minister Wang served by his bedside and showed filial piety. However, before his death, Prime Minister Wang was still thinking about his youngest son and did not even mention his eldest son. How did Wang Yi feel?
Feel nothing.

Not surprising at all.

The fourth brother has been the apple of his father's eye since he was young. After decades, Wang Yi has long been accustomed to it. Moreover, once Prime Minister Wang leaves, Wang Jin will have to support the Wang family. Wang Yi is very self-aware and he is not capable of taking on such a heavy responsibility.

He still has thirty children and grandchildren who have to rely on Wang Jin as a big tree!
Wang Yi stepped back willingly. If anyone dared to point fingers at his fourth brother, he, Wang Yi, would be the first to rush over and slap him in the face!

Wang Jin looked up with red eyes, looked at her brother's face which was so fat that the eyes could hardly be seen, and nodded.

That night, the Wang family set up a mourning hall and sent the mourning letter to all the relatives and friends. Prime Minister Wang retired with honor and was personally conferred the title of Duke of Ningguo by the emperor. Wang Jin was an important official in the court and a confidant of the emperor. Before Prime Minister Wang died, the emperor promised to make Wang Jin the Minister of Personnel.

The emperor's words are of more weight than a thousand pounds.

The Wang family may not have the glory of being the first family in Daliang, but it is still an unshakable famous family. As soon as the news of Prime Minister Wang's death spread, officials came to pay their respects. It is no exaggeration to say that the whole capital was alarmed.

After seven days of rest, Prime Minister Wang's coffin was buried in the Wang family cemetery.

The real ancestral tomb is in Taiyuan County, the ancestral home. The journey is long, and it is a luxury to carry the coffin back to the ancestral home for burial. Wang Jin made the decision to bury his old father in the capital. It will be convenient to kowtow and burn paper at the grave in the future.

The Wang family's children and grandchildren did not object. Wang Jin had been in charge of the Wang family for ten years, and the troublemakers had long been subdued. Wang Yi, the eldest son, listened to his fourth brother, so what right did others have to say anything?
After Wang Jin finished taking care of the funeral, he fell ill.

Jiang Shaohua specially sent Doctor Sun to the Wang family to see Minister Wang.

Doctor Sun had been the chief physician of the Imperial Hospital for several years, and his medical skills had become increasingly sophisticated. He examined Wang Jin's pulse and wrote a prescription for conditioning his body: "The dead cannot be resurrected. Minister Wang, please accept your condolences and take care of yourself."

"The emperor has asked me to bring you a few words. Please get well soon, Minister Wang. When Minister Wang can come to the palace to see the emperor, the emperor will leave the palace to inspect again."

The original plan to leave Beijing in mid-February to inspect Daliang was put on hold because of Prime Minister Wang's funeral. Given Jiang Shaohua's temperament, he was willing to postpone his trip for Wang Jin, which could be said to be a sign of great favor from the emperor.

Wang Jin was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Please ask Dr. Sun to take a message to the emperor. I will stay at home for half a month and then go to court."

……

half a month later.

Wang Jin, who had lost weight, put on official clothes over his plain clothes and went into the palace to meet the emperor.

Jiang Shaohua looked at him carefully and said gently, "You have lost a lot of weight."

Wang Jin sighed: "When I was young and ignorant, I often argued with my father. Now that I think about it, I really regret it."

The pain of losing a father cannot be replaced or understood by others. One can only bear it silently and get through it slowly.

Jiang Shaohua said softly: "The higher your position, the more chancellor Wang will be able to rest in peace in his grave."

Wang Jin: “…”

The person who knows my father best is actually the Empress.

Wang Jin didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and his grief-stricken mood eased a lot.

Jiang Shaohua said: "I have ordered you to take back your love, so as to avoid the jealous people who are making trouble out of nothing and gossiping about it. At the grand court meeting tomorrow, I will announce that you will be promoted to the Minister of Personnel."

"From now on, the Ministry of Personnel will be fully handed over to you."

"Do your job carefully and manage the Ministry of Personnel for me."

In just a few words, trust and respect were revealed.

Wang Jin suppressed the heat in his heart and bowed deeply: "Yes, I will live up to the emperor's high expectations."

The next day, at the grand court meeting, Her Majesty the Empress issued an edict in front of all the civil and military officials to deprive Wang Shilang of his affection and promote him to Wang Shangshu. After the court was dismissed, all the officials gathered around and came forward to congratulate him.

Minister Dong pondered in his heart and sighed secretly.

He could have been ranked third among the civil officials, except for Prime Minister Chen and Shangshu Feng, because of his seniority and great favor from the emperor.

Now Wang Jin was only thirty years old, but he was promoted to the Minister of Personnel as an exception, and his popularity instantly overshadowed all the veteran ministers.

This Prime Minister Wang was paving the way for his son before his death. He was simply the most loving father in the world.