My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!-Chapter 341 - 217: Wish Fulfilled

Some of the people in Chang'an had noticed something strange in the past few days.

Previously, before entering the government office and after leaving, there were a few roads in Chang'an that were particularly congested. The whole street was filled with the carriages of officials.

However, in the last two days, the congestion on those streets had greatly reduced.

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Residents living along these streets were not used to seeing the roads clear and felt somewhat unadjusted.

It was just a small change for the citizens, but the officials from various departments in Chang'an felt much more uneasy.

Your Majesty had ignored state affairs for ten years, and the management of the government offices had been relatively lax.

As heads of departments, arriving late or leaving early had little consequences.

But that was no longer the case.

Several heads of departments known for their lax management had been summoned by the three provinces. After returning, they naturally held their subordinates to stricter standards.

Learning about the direction of the court, even departments not specifically named paid attention.

Within just two days, the phenomena of arriving late and leaving early in various departments of the court had practically vanished.

Many officials even stayed in the government office a little longer after work before walking home.

They used to ride in carriages.

But the Ministry of Rites reported that they were overly indulging in luxury. Despite the government office and their residences being just a street apart, opting to travel by horse-drawn carriage caused traffic congestion and inconvenienced the citizens. Who would dare to act against public interests now?

These were still minor matters.

At the Ministry of Revenue, six out of seven main officials were suspended. All the major and minor tasks fell onto the Chief of Staff's shoulders alone. It was said that the Minister of Revenue was now living in the government office, handling official duties all day except for during meals and sleep.

The Ministry of Personnel was also in a tough position.

An official from the Ministry of Personnel was dismissed for taking care of his mother—could 'filial piety' be wrong?

When this petition was submitted, even the two Prime Ministers personally inquired into the matter.

Filial piety is the cornerstone of all virtues in Confucian moral ethos, revered as the foremost of all moral virtues.

Abandoning wealth and a promising future to support his mother is praiseworthy and exemplary both for officials and the public.

He had the right to resign for this reason, but the Ministry of Personnel couldn't approve; on the contrary, they had to find a way to help him out of his predicament.

Had this matter occurred locally, from the County Magistrate to the Governor, anyone who handled his resignation would need to be held accountable.

Despite that, officials big and small in the Ministry of Personnel were ordered to introspect.

Officials from other departments didn't have the leisure to follow these two departments' turmoil because they were too busy taking care of their own.

In recent days in the Ministry of Rites, accusations and impeachments poured in like snowflakes, flying endlessly toward the Secretariat.

An affair of an official from the Capital Prefecture government office—from twenty years ago—who had pressured his wife to divorce and married the daughter of a noble, was dug up and quietly ridiculed by the citizens of Chang'an.

Some officials who maintained separate residences for mistresses and secretly frequented brothels were summoned by the Ministry of Rites for a talk, and their lawfully wedded wives were informed too. It was unknown how many officials faced chaotic scenes at home so that by the next day, they appeared at the office with scars on their faces and necks.

They couldn't understand; had the Ministry of Rites gone mad, provoking everyone like this?

The regulations of rituals are based on the standards of a Saint; who can guarantee they've never violated any rituals?

Wasn't it just a few not so serious matters? After studying so hard for so long to finally become an official, couldn't they enjoy some pleasures?

Using the regulations of rituals as arrows to turn each government department upside down—was this the aim of the Ministry of Rites?

They wanted to know who was being such a spoil, not believing that person had never committed a slight violation of rituals—even being slightly late to the office warranted collective impeachment.

After inquiring through various channels and then finding out the facts, officials from all departments fell silent.

It turned out to be the new top scholar, Assistant Minister of Rites Li Nuo.

Well that settled it.

He was an incredibly unique existence in the court.

It wouldn't be fair to judge him merely by his official position and rank.

But thinking about it still made them angry.

Not angry at Li Nuo, but at those above.

An eminent individual, the Six Arts top scholar, unparalleled in the history of the Imperial Examination—yet the oblivious ones above just offered him the position of Assistant Minister of Rites?

If he hadn't taken up this Assistant Minister position, wouldn't all these issues have been avoided?

Secretariat.

Many officials in the Secretariat thought the same.

They had assumed that sending him to a prestigious and peaceful office like the Ministry of Rites would keep him quiet, but who expected he'd stir up so much trouble even there? The Secretariat had to deal with countless trivial matters every day, and seeing a report from the Ministry of Rites now gave them headaches.

Especially Du Yu, responsible for the presented reports from the Ministry of Rites; he looked exhausted, with sunken eyes and had lost much weight.

The most indisputable part was that nothing he did was wrong by legal standards.

As the Assistant Minister of Rites, this was exactly his duty.

A clerk from the Secretariat massaged his temples and sighed, asking, "What should we do? If this continues, half of the officials will be suspended. How will the court function..."

Another clerk from the Secretariat said with a sigh, "Who would've thought of this before? He's been in office for less than half a year; we can't transfer him. How can we stop him? Lord Du is about to collapse…"

At that moment, a voice said, "This official happens to have a method."

Everyone looked toward him, and Du Yu could no longer hold back, impatiently saying, "What method, quick, tell us..."

The official from the Secretariat stroked his chin and said, "The new official is eager to make some achievements, but the Ministry of Rites seldom has such opportunities, so he decided to focus on the laws of rites. If we could assign him a troublesome duty that keeps him too busy to attend to these matters, once half a year passes, we can immediately transfer him away, and this problem will be resolved..."

Du Yu frowned and asked, "What matter could keep him busy for so long?"

The official from the Secretariat already had a plan and said, "Isn't the Ministry of Rites planning to hold a Martial Arts Tournament? This event is even more troublesome than the spring examinations. At that time, it will be necessary to contact the various sects in Jianghu and coordinate with all sections of the court. He will surely be too busy to bother with these trivial matters..."

Du Yu said, "But this matter has already been rejected by the departments."

The official from the Secretariat said, "You could bring it up again and explain the pros and cons to them. If they still reject it, there is nothing the Secretariat can do. Just let them continue to be tormented..."

Du Yu, already tortured by the petitions from the Ministry of Rites to the point of agony, immediately invited the chiefs of the departments to the Secretariat.

This time, the proposal from the Ministry of Rites to hold the Martial Arts Tournament passed very smoothly.

The Minister of Revenue, with a stern face, stamped his seal.

If Li Xuanjing's son wasn't given something to do, there would soon be only one officer left in the Ministry of Revenue. It was just a matter of allocating some funds here and there, and savings could be made.

The Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Industry, and the Capital Prefecture agreed quite readily as well.

These days, they too had been tormented enough. With officials in their departments being suspended or summoned every day, it had already affected the normal functioning of the departments.

They would rather commit manpower and resources than continue to be tormented like this.

...

Ministry of Rites.

Li Nuo was writing a petition when Lu Sheng hurried in and said, "Prince Consort, the three provinces have issued a decree agreeing to the Ministry of Rites holding the Martial Arts Tournament. The Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Industry, and the Capital Prefecture have all been notified and will fully cooperate with us..."

Li Nuo put down the pen in his hand. There was no need to continue writing this half-finished petition.

Not only had the initial goal been achieved, but there were also quite a few unexpected gains.

The rites really counted as laws. Although the penalties they could impose were limited, the punished were all officials, including many above the fifth-rank.

Officials of the Standard Fourth Rank, the Ministry of Justice could no longer directly penalize, but the Ministry of Rites could indirectly force the three provinces to suspend their positions and cut their salaries.

In just a few days, his life expectancy had increased by more than three hundred days.

Besides increased lifespan, the improvement in his cultivation was even more evident.

Because he had been busy with the Imperial Examination, and had not visited the Ministry of Justice for a long time, his cultivation had been stagnant for a long period.

Those assassins last time had increased his cultivation considerably, but it was nothing compared to the gains of these few days. Li Nuo could faintly feel the barrier of the Third Realm.

It had to be said, his cultivation in Legalism granted him unique advantages.

Looking back at the history of Legalism, most of the predecessors advanced their cultivation step by step.

Being able to suspend the position of a Standard Fourth Rank officer while in the Second Realm of Legalism was something few could achieve.

Now that the upper ranks had given in, Li Nuo could not push too far.

He decided to hold off on writing any more accusatory petitions until after the Martial Arts Tournament.

Though the court had approved the Ministry of Rites to hold the Martial Arts Tournament, it was only the first step.

The temple and Jianghu were completely different systems.

The court's methods might not appeal to the people of the Martial Arts world.

The Heavenly Mountain Sect and the Five Mountains Sword Sect, relying on his face in front of the Grandmasters, might be possible to invite.

But other sects might not be willing to give face to the court.

Even if they were willing to come, if they only sent some low-ranking disciples, it would not achieve Li Nuo's initial purpose.

At this time, if there was a very prestigious person or sect to lead the other sects, the task would undoubtedly be much easier.

Li Mansion.

Su Qing was watching her two daughters practice swordplay when a figure walked in from outside.

She glanced at Li Nuo and then looked away.

Although they met every day, they never spoke.

He obviously did not like her, his mother-in-law.

Su Qing was also holding a grudge against him for distorting the facts and reporting her to the authorities.

She picked up her teacup and brought it to her lips, only to find it empty.

She set down the cup and was about to refill it when Li Nuo picked up a teapot nearby and filled her cup with tea.

Su Qing raised an eyebrow, suspecting ulterior motives in his uncharacteristic kindness.

She did not drink the tea and did not speak.

Li Nuo also said nothing more and went to Jiaren's side to teach her swordplay.

Su Qing glanced over, her expression suddenly changing.

Because he was teaching Jiaren the sword technique she had created herself. She had only performed it once, yet he had learned it.

Not only had he learned it, but he had also made some modifications and adjustments to the original technique. After his improvements, the swordplay seemed even smoother...

Su Qing's attention was immediately captivated, a realization dawning on her, but just at that critical moment, Li Nuo abruptly stopped.

She suddenly stood up, as if tormented by a hundred claws, pacing on the spot, her gaze occasionally darting toward Li Nuo, wanting him to continue but not knowing how to ask…