The Prefectural Yamen was short-staffed, so Shen Tang had even put Daughter of the Wang Family on the books.
The latter had somehow become a government employee.
The patriarchs of the Li and Wang families came over to sound her out.
Shen Tang smiled as she explained, "I noticed that both your daughters are clever and well-read, so I thought I'd have them serve as clerks at the Prefectural Yamen. It's all light work, and I certainly won't let your precious daughters overexert themselves."
The Li family patriarch said, "This humble citizen has no objection. It's her good fortune that you think so highly of my daughter. It's just that she's a woman, and I'm afraid the position might not suit her. I worry she might make a mistake and cause trouble for everyone at the Prefectural Yamen."
The Wang family patriarch had shared the same concern at first, but when he heard the Li family patriarch putting his own daughter down like that, he immediately took offense.
He glared furiously. "What do you mean, 'she's a woman'? It's just a lowly clerical position, holding a brush and writing. How could my daughter be unsuitable?"
The Li family patriarch hadn't expected to be undermined and nearly choked with rage.
Was the old fool's head stuffed with shit?
Didn't he know the saying? When someone offers you something for no reason, they're up to no good.
Normally, it was standard practice for a newly arrived official to curry favor with the local wealthy families. But no one had ever offered their children government jobs! Was this really just a favor, or was there some hidden motive?
A clerk might not wield much authority, but the position was still within the government!
A government post, with a government salary.
Such a wonderful