Li Wei was so angry that he smashed the account book in his hand to the ground.
"There is something wrong with the project, and you, the supervisor, didn't even notice it at all?"
Seeing that the Queen Mother was furious, Tong An had no choice but to kowtow and plead guilty.
Li Wei said coldly: "From today on, you don't have to worry about the affairs of the Hui Medical Department."
Li Wei officially dismissed Tong An from his post, and then asked Wei Tai to invite Fang Zheng to discuss matters.
Fang Zheng was outside. When he heard that the Queen Mother was inviting him, he hurriedly got on the sedan chair and hurried back to the palace.
Li Wei was so hot that she was sweating profusely and had to shake the fan vigorously. The waiter brought freshly cut melons and fruits for Li Wei to eat, but Li Wei had no appetite at the moment.
After waiting for a long time, Fang Zheng finally arrived.
Li Wei was quite polite when she saw him. He gave up his seat and offered some tea and fruit.
"The main reason why we invited the envoy from Fang Yuan to come here is to discuss the matter of benefiting the Medical Department. I heard that the house has been almost completed?"
Fang Zheng had already anticipated it and responded calmly: "Yes, the purlins and beams have been built, and we are just waiting to put down the tiles."
"I heard that there is a shortage of money. Are the helpers still owed their wages?"
Fang Zheng said: "The Queen Mother can ask Tong An about the specific situation."
"Tong An? Tell the truth to the envoy. I have already dismissed Tong An. He can't even sort out the accounts. What should I do with such a person? He repaired a few houses and allocated five hundred taels of silver twice. "This house hasn't been built yet? Isn't this amount of money enough to buy a house now?"
Fang Zheng then said: "Queen Mother, those were the prices before. Now everything is expensive in the capital. Apart from anything else, the price of earthwork has increased by 30% compared to last year. And labor has also increased accordingly. So if funds follow in the future, If not, I’m afraid this house won’t be built well.”
"How much more will it cost?"
Fang Zheng said: "It's still three hundred taels if you tell me less."
"Then the total will be 800 taels. If divided into two places, it will be 400 taels per place. How much is the annual salary of the Fang Yuan envoy?"
"Reporting to the Queen Mother, my annual salary is two hundred and sixty-four taels of silver."
After hearing this figure, Li smiled and said: "Then two years of salary will be enough, sir. If nothing else, I just say that the expenses of these two Hui Medical Offices are too high and must be reduced. The wages of the helpers back then were What should be given must be given, and the sand, soil, and masonry used must also be up to standard.”
"The Queen Mother wants to make it good and cheap, but I'm afraid she can't do it."
"Impossible?! Someone is trying to make money from such a small project. You all think I'm a fool who can't calculate accounts. I don't know how much the things outside are worth. You think you've fooled me by just saying the number. The egg is I have experienced the joke of two cents a piece. Do you know why I want to dismiss Tong An? It is because he has done wrong in his accounting. I may be able to tolerate other things, but I can't tolerate bullying. It’s zero tolerance. If you don’t have the ability to do it, you might as well let go and do something else.”
Li Wei didn't want to be fooled like a fool. After all, these people still didn't believe her, didn't believe she could really accomplish something, and didn't believe she knew the market prices among the people.
"The envoy can't do this well, I think it's better to leave it to someone else."
Fang Zheng was silent for a long time. He didn't want to take this job from the beginning, but now he finally had the opportunity to shirk it openly, so he said: "I am incompetent, please ask the Queen Mother to hire someone wiser."
Two have been dismissed one after another. How many of the remaining ones are willing to do practical things? Li Wei suffered from the fact that she didn't have anyone available. All of these ministers had second thoughts, and she couldn't do it herself.
No one available? Li Wei thought about it again and again, secretly thinking that it was time to train his own manpower.
But who should be used and who can take on the big responsibility is a big question.
Zhao Qian handed it over to Li Wei and two people before leaving. It seemed like he should call those two people over to have a look. After all, he was still favored by him.
On the afternoon of the second day, the two people Zhao Qian left behind came to the palace to pay their respects to Li Wei.
Li Wei looked carefully and saw a man in a green robe, about thirty years old, with a mustache, and he looked very smart and capable. The other one in blue robe is slightly older, his hair and beard are already gray.
The two of them greeted Li Wei, and Li Wei said: "Who among you knows how to make an abacus? Who has done a good job in accounting?"
The man in green robe stepped forward without hesitation.
Li Wei nodded with satisfaction and said, "Not bad. Please introduce yourself."
"Reporting to the Queen Mother, my servant's surname is Yang. He used to manage the accounts for Prince Shen at Prince Shen's residence."
Li Wei nodded and said: "Very good."
The man in blue robe said his surname was Huang. He also worked in the palace, but he played the role of a staff member.
The two were not very satisfied with Li Wei, but now he really needed people, so Li Wei could not hesitate any longer. He immediately ordered: "I don't know what the prince told you before he left, but if you work for me, I hope you can do your duty. I have an important matter for you to do. If you do it well, you will be rewarded. If you make a mistake, you will be punished. Are you willing to accept the challenge?"
Both of them expressed their loyalty to Li Wei, and Li Wei gave them detailed instructions and entrusted them with important responsibilities.
The matter went on, but Li Wei didn't dare to think about what it would be like in the end, he just hoped that the current matter could be handled smoothly.
The news of Li Wei's replacement reached the cabinet, and the old foxes in the cabinet were watching how Li Wei was doing it.
But it turns out that Li Wei's troubles played a big role. The accounts were clear and helped Li Wei save a lot of expenses.
Both houses were completed before September. On the day of the ceremony, one hundred and twenty firecrackers were set off, which lasted for half an hour and made most of the capital aware of the commotion.
"This is the Hui Medical Office built by the imperial court. It is a place specially provided for people to see doctors. If you have any illness, you can come here."
The people did not trust the imperial court very much, and they also took an observational attitude towards it.
The Hui Medical Department was successfully built. It needs to be equipped with some necessary furniture and some doctors before it can open the door to receive patients.
Who to send for the consultation also became a problem. Of course, Li Wei handed over the matter to the envoy Fang Yuan.
Fang Zheng then sent out the idle people from Tai Hospital, including the official officials.
Although there were some troubles in the establishment of the Hui Medical Department, it was finally a success. The common people initially had a wait-and-see attitude, but later they heard that the doctor was from Tai Hospital and the charges were relatively cheap, so they gradually began to believe that they were willing to see a doctor. Finally a good start.
With the establishment of the Hui Medical Department, the next step is the training of doctors. Li Wei asked Fang Zheng to compile the required medical textbooks.
Li Wei also formally proposed to build a training center. Fang Zheng felt that the word training center was too awkward, so he suggested calling it a medical center. There is only one more word than medical clinic, and everyone understands it.
Li Wei took his advice.
(End of chapter)