My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!-Chapter 461 - 321: Worldly Manners

"Lord Zhang, please, that is unnecessary. Please, rise!"

Li Nuo hurriedly helped the Minister of Revenue up. Outside the embassy, there was a constant flow of people, and a grown man kneeling on one knee had already drawn considerable attention.

It seems that he wouldn't be able to go to Wansong Academy now, and could only return to the embassy first.

Upon entering the small courtyard, Li Nuo looked at the Minister of Revenue and asked, "How is the Old Lady?"

The Minister of Revenue's face was filled with joy as he said, "Much better, much better. My mother couldn't eat before, throwing up whatever little she ate. But after just a few days, she now eats three meals a day normally. Her complexion is much improved. Just now, she ate three buns and drank two bowls of porridge. She can walk without assistance and even went outside with a maid, carrying a hoe to dig for wild vegetables..."

He looked at Li Nuo with admiration and said, "Lord Li, you are indeed a Divine Doctor. You cured my mother's illness without even prescribing medicine!"

Li Nuo shook his head and said, "A heart ailment requires a heart medicine. I merely treated the symptoms appropriately."

It's not that his medical skills were exceptionally brilliant, but that he was well-read and experienced.

An Medical Saint of the Fifth Realm certainly had better medical skills than he did. In many ways, the medicine here was more advanced than in later generations.

After all, they didn't subscribe to the principles of science. The True Qi of the Medical School was more effective than any special medicine in later generations.

However, this also caused them to overly rely on True Qi. Without it, many Imperial Physicians would have to retire on the spot.

And the True Qi of the Medical School couldn't cure every illness either.

The improvement in Old Mrs. Zhang's health relied on her love for her son.

The Minister of Revenue took a deep breath and said, "My father had just passed away half a year ago. If something happened to Mother too… I don't want to say it. This time it's really thanks to Brother Li. I don't even know how to thank you."

Li Nuo smiled and said, "I am also a healer. Curing illnesses and saving lives is the duty of a healer. Lord Zhang, you really don't need to be polite."

The Minister of Revenue said, "To you, it may be a small matter, but to me, it is of utmost importance. My mother raised me with endless hardship. I was still thinking of serving her in her old age after retiring..."

After finishing his words, he waved to the back and said, "You two, bring the gifts in."

Two servants came in carrying two wooden boxes.

Li Nuo quickly said, "Lord Zhang, this really is unnecessary..."

The Minister of Revenue smiled and said, "These are not mundane items of gold and silver. You have a favor on me; I must have a chance to repay it."

He opened one of the wooden boxes. Inside was an ancient zither.

He took out the zither and placed it on a stone table, saying, "This ancient zither is a relic of a Music Master from a hundred years ago and was a gift from a friend. However, my skills are not refined, and this zither has been collecting dust at home. It would be better to give it to someone who understands it..."

Li Nuo caressed the zither strings, and they emitted several pleasant sounds.

Indeed, it was the work of a Music Master. The sound of this zither was the best of all the instruments Li Nuo had seen.

This was no ordinary zither. Like the whip Anning had given him earlier, this zither was imbued with some of the essence of Music.

Since he had said this, it would be impolite for Li Nuo to refuse further.

Using this zither to teach at the academy would also yield better results.

So he nodded and said, "In that case, I will accept it."

The Minister of Revenue then opened another long wooden box, revealing a sword box. Inside was a three-foot long sword with a silver-white scabbard. The patterns on it were very delicate, clearly a sword meant for a lady.

The Minister of Revenue said, "This sword was also given to me. I heard it was crafted by the Mohist school. I have no use for it, but I see that Madam is a martial artist, so I'll give this sword to her."

Song Yiren accepted the sword, drew it from its sheath gently, and executed a slight flourish.

The blade sliced through the air without making any sound.

This indicated that the sword was extremely sharp, truly a fine weapon.

For a martial artist, although personal cultivation was more important than weaponry, a good weapon could still enhance one's strength somewhat.

Seeing that Yiren liked the sword, Li Nuo did not refuse it.

The Minister of Revenue said, "Brother Li, were you about to go out?"

Li Nuo nodded and said, "I was going to Wansong Academy to give a lecture. Your gift of the zither is just in time."

"That's good," the Minister of Revenue smiled and said, "I happen to be going to the Ministry of Revenue too. We're on the same path..."

The two of them shared a carriage. Li Nuo got off at Wansong Academy, and the Minister of Revenue continued to the Ministry of Revenue.

Zhao Zhiyi stepped down from another carriage and said to Li Nuo, "Lord Li is truly humble. The illness that stumped even the Medical Saint, you cured with just a word. If the Imperial Physicians in the palace knew, they'd be ashamed..."

While Li Nuo could not compare to the Medical Saint of the Fifth Realm, he could still hold his own against the Imperial Physicians of Zhao Country in terms of theoretical knowledge.

After all, he had taken down the entire Imperial Hospital of Daxia. Each Imperial Physician had their strengths, which made his knowledge quite comprehensive. A single Imperial Physician couldn't match him.

It's just that he didn't have their Medical School True Qi.

Facing the Sixth Princess's praise, Li Nuo simply smiled and walked into the academy with her.

Not long after, the Minister of Revenue Zhang Xiang also arrived at the Ministry of Revenue.

With his mother's health improved, he was in a good mood, even more motivated in handling the documents.

The piles on the desk were all requests for funds from the Ministry of Revenue.

Only a small part of these were necessary.

Most were various pretexts by different offices to get funding, with only ten percent of it used properly, it would already be considered conscientious. He glanced at these requests and set them aside.

One of the requests, after setting it aside, he seemed to remember something and picked it up again.

This request was submitted by King Sheng Mansion. The Fourth Prince wanted the Ministry of Revenue to allocate some funds to pay for the setup of Anti-theft Bureaus in various places.

This additional expenditure, he did not plan to approve immediately.

Aside from disaster relief and military expenses, every expenditure from the Ministry of Revenue couldn't give the impression of easy approval.

If every fund request was approved, even increasing the national treasury several times wouldn't be enough.

Delaying them a few times would make them realize that getting funds from the Ministry of Revenue wasn't easy, and they wouldn't casually request it next time.

Regarding the Fourth Prince's request, after some thought, he decided to approve it.

Brother Li saved his mother's life, and he was one of the Fourth Prince's men. He might as well do this as a small favor.

King Sheng Mansion.

The Fourth Prince had been quite elated these past few days.

His sister had gone to Daxia and brought back an exceptionally rare talent.

He didn't need to do anything, and achievements came to him proactively. This rekindled hope for the imperial throne that he had nearly given up on.

Even more gratifying was that he had attracted such a capable talent without any effort.

The other princes had to send silver, beauties, and estates to recruit strategists, but never saw them contribute significantly.

Yet, without lifting a finger, he could have more capable talents come to him on their own.

Could this be the mandate of heaven?

At this moment, a figure ran in excitedly saying, "Your Highness, good news! Good news!"

King Sheng raised an eyebrow. More good news?

There had indeed been many good news lately...

He smiled and asked, "What good news?"

The man replied, "Your Highness, the ten thousand taels of silver we requested from the Ministry of Revenue has been approved."

King Sheng paused in surprise and said, "So quickly?"

Whenever he requested funds from the Ministry of Revenue, they wouldn't approve without several months of delay...

Not to mention, even after months of headaches and trouble, when he asked for ten thousand taels, the Ministry might only approve five thousand taels. Requesting funds was always a troublesome affair.

Why this time, the iron rooster who never gave a feather suddenly became so generous?

Zhao Zhiyi walked in from outside, listening to their conversation, and murmured, "It seems that Chief of Staff Zhang deliberately did us a favor..."

King Sheng looked at her, puzzled, "A favor? What favor?"

Zhao Zhiyi smiled slightly and explained the whole story to him.

Upon hearing this, King Sheng was momentarily stunned. After realizing it, he laughed and said, "So that's how it is. Zhiyi, you've truly brought a blessing to your brother. Master Gongsun's death was worth it..."

Zhao Zhiyi frowned and said, "Master Gongsun sacrificed herself for you; how can you say such a thing about her?"

King Sheng quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I misspoke..."

In his heart, he was indeed grateful to Master Gongsun.

It was her sacrifice that brought him such a grand opportunity.

However, he couldn't understand why Master Gongsun, who treated Zhiyi very well but never liked him, would make such a significant sacrifice for him...