Just as Zhu Cilang was about to agree to Ma Shiying’s request, Ni Yuanlu interrupted him. "Governor-General Ma, let us set aside the first two matters for now. I should like to ask, is this final request a matter of public duty or private interest?"
"What do you mean by public duty? And what do you mean by private interest?" Though Ma Shiying appeared as calm as still water on the surface, his heart was already churning with agitation.
He was, after all, the Governor-General of Fengyang and a second-rank official of the Imperial Court. And who was Ni Yuanlu? After stepping down as the Minister of Revenue, he served only as a lecture reader in the Directorate of Palace Documents, a mere fifth-rank position. Relying on his status as the Crown Prince’s tutor, he dared to overstep his bounds and bark orders at a second-rank official!
Chapter 332