Chapter 123: Wow! The Prince Consort Wears Height-Increasing Insoles! (2 / 2)
If a fake mustache could look this convincing, maybe they should…
The Minister of Personnel stroked his own genuine long beard, suddenly recalling something that made the corner of his mouth twitch. “I heard that during the prince consort’s time as an official, he was known for his benevolence. Except for heinous criminals, first-time offenders were only subjected to ‘disciplinary punishment’ as a warning. Repeat offenders, however, were punished severely.”
Disciplinary punishment involved leaving a convict’s head hair intact but forcibly shaving off their sideburns and beard. It was typically used for minor offenses.
The old emperor remembered this too and wiped his face with a heavy hand.
At the time, he had been pleased, thinking the prince consort was an exemplary official. He even wanted to promote her, only for his daughter to stop him, claiming the prince consort’s lifelong dream was to remain a local official and serve the people. The emperor had been even more delighted and had rewarded the prince consort generously.
Looking back now, it seemed the desire to serve the people was real, but the “lifelong dream”… not so much. They weren’t avoiding central government roles out of preference—they didn’t dare!
[Come to think of it, the Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review might have some things in common with the prince consort.]
The assistant minister’s face turned pale, as if he had lost too much blood.
Meanwhile, officials from Fuzhou leaned forward with excitement and glee.