Recommending Talents
At this moment, Mia Qian was even more delighted. Once the Qian family controlled half of the imperial court, Alexander Hayes would surely marry her to win over the Qians!
By then, with the Qians pressuring the court, Alexander Hayes would have no choice but to depose his useless country-bumpkin queen and elevate her—a noblewoman—to the throne!
Just as the Qian family were basking in their daydreams, Queen Lily Evans of Qin calmly produced a list from her sleeve and handed it to Alexander Hayes with a smile. "Your Majesty, I also have a list of recommended officials. Please take a look."
"Oh?" Alexander Hayes raised his eyebrows, looking at Lily Evans, who flashed a sly smile.
At this, Qiantang and Mia Qian were utterly confused. Why did the Queen of Qin also bring a list of recommended officials?
Mia Qian immediately said, "Your Majesty the Queen, selecting officials for the court is a serious matter, not to be taken lightly! Only those with true knowledge and ability should be appointed. Surely you wouldn’t just casually recommend someone? You wouldn’t be nominating your own uncles, cousins, nephews, or other relatives, would you? As far as I know, Your Majesty comes from a farming family, so your relatives must also be farmers—not many scholars among them. Governing the court isn’t like farming or playing house; how could a few peasants handle such responsibility? Your Majesty, please don’t make things difficult for His Majesty by filling the ranks with your own kin!"
Lily Evans lifted her gaze and smiled at Mia Qian. "Miss Qian, is that really how little you think of me? Some people only care about promoting their own relatives and assume others are just as nepotistic."
Lily’s blatant sarcasm made Mia Qian’s face turn pale. Young and hot-tempered, Mia was about to snap back but was stopped by Qiantang.
Qiantang shook his head at Mia Qian, and Mia finally swallowed her retort, keeping her words to herself.
Qiantang smiled at Lily Evans and said, "Your Majesty, you misunderstand. I recommend my own clansmen not out of nepotism, but because they are truly talented. My nominations are based on fairness and merit—I only put forward those who can serve the court and relieve its burdens, not as you imagine."
"Oh? Is that so?" Lily Evans looked at Qiantang. "Lord Qian, you truly are impartial and selfless. I admire that. But you and Miss Qian have misunderstood me. Everyone I recommend is renowned across the land for their talent."
Mia Qian could barely contain her laughter, but she managed to say, "Oh? I didn’t know the Queen of Qin was acquainted with so many famous talents. Why didn’t you recommend them to His Majesty sooner?"
Lily Evans simply tossed the list to Mia Qian. "Would you be so kind as to read it out, Miss Qian?"
Mia Qian was deeply skeptical, but opened the list anyway, thinking to herself that she was about to see a bunch of nobodies—maybe some vegetable growers or sweet potato sellers!
Following the list, Mia Qian began to read aloud: "Baruch—Yunzhou, Qin Chang; Minzhe, Mi Yan; Jiangzhou, Ye Nanfeng..."
As she read, Mia Qian grew more and more anxious inside. Who were these people? Some of the names sounded oddly familiar.
Meanwhile, Qiantang listened to each name, his face gradually draining of color until he was as pale as paper.
By the time Mia Qian finished reading the last name, Qiantang was nearly stunned into silence.
Lily Evans smiled faintly at Qiantang. "Lord Qian, what do you think of the talents I've recommended? Compared to the Qian clan’s nominees, how do they measure up?"