My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!-Chapter 339 - 215: Etiquette is Also Law

The Ministry of Rites welcomed a new official.

This term's top scholar, the son of the Minister of Justice, the designated Prince Consort to Princess Anning, currently serves as Assistant Minister of Rites.

This is not four people, but one.

The Imperial Examination had long concluded, and the appointment of the new Advanced Scholars had already been issued.

The Ministry of Rites, inherently busy, and the Assistant Minister of Rites, handling practical matters, could say that his duties were hectic, managing numerous affairs every day, indispensable even for a single day.

Although the court set the final appointment period as July, being an Advanced Scholar born in Chang'an, he should have taken up his position early to help Minister share the workload. Yet, this new Assistant Minister of Rites had still not arrived, which was simply outrageous.

Moreover, his visit to the Ministry of Rites wasn't even for his official posting.

Minister declared publicly that the Assistant Minister was here to familiarize himself with his duties, and all officials in the Ministry of Rites should cooperate well with him.

Without the official posting, there was no need to adhere to the court-mandated office hours; he could come and go as he pleased, enjoying boundless freedom.

Not only that, normally an Assistant Minister of Standard Sixth Rank would not have his own separate government office.

The Assistant Minister of Rites shared an office with the Assistant Minister of the Cemetery Department.

However, before Assistant Minister Li arrived, Minister had already asked the Assistant Minister of the Cemetery Department to move out, squeezing him into an office with the Food Department and Assistant Minister of Guests, leaving that office solely for Li to acclimate to his responsibilities.

This wasn't so much joining the Ministry of Rites as an official; it was more like coming to act as the boss of the Ministry of Rites.

Nonetheless, all the officials and clerks of the Ministry of Rites did not see any issue with these arrangements.

If their fathers were also called Li Xuanjing, they would have been even more arrogant.

Inside an office of the Ministry of Rites.

Lu Sheng led Li Nuo in and said, "Lord Li, this will be your office from now on. Take a look and see if there's anything else you need; I will have it prepared immediately."

Li Nuo glanced around; the entire office was clean and tidy, stocked with writing materials such as brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and lacking nothing. The bookshelf was filled with relevant books.

Behind the bookshelf there was also a soft, large bed, with new blankets and pillows.

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Li Nuo clasped his hands and said, "Thank you, Lord Lu, there is nothing else I need."

Lu Sheng smiled and said, "Then I must get back to my duties. If you need anything, Lord Li, just call for me."

After Lu Sheng left, Li Nuo sat alone at the large desk.

His chair even had soft padding, comfortable whether sitting or leaning.

It was no wonder he was the Minister of Rites; such meticulous arrangements were nearly flawless.

Li Nuo picked up a book from the shelf.

Of course, he didn't come to the Ministry of Rites just to rush into being a working stiff.

The plan to host the Martial Arts Tournament had been unanimously opposed by several departments at court.

If the Martial Arts Tournament could not proceed, it would affect the cultivation plans of his wife and Yiren.

That was one reason, and secondly, those Martial Arts Sects really did need to be properly regulated.

Some disciples from the sects, relying on their personal martial strength, acted lawlessly, viewing the Law as nothing, blatantly trampling on the Law; these chaotic acts also had to be addressed during this event.

Of course, all this hinged on the successful holding of the Martial Arts Tournament.

Li Nuo could have his father intervene, forcing the court to approve the proposal, but that might further tarnish his father's already poor reputation.

He had a reputation that was already quite tarnished...

He did not want to be someone who depended on his father for everything.

When facing difficulties, one should first try to resolve them oneself.

If he couldn't resolve them himself, then he would consider other options.

Li Nuo opened the book in his hands.

This book outlined various ceremonial laws.

Ceremonial laws were mostly evident in protocols, such as what carriages officials of different ranks should ride, what clothes they should wear, what accessories they should have, what music they should listen to; all these were clearly stipulated, and officials and nobles could not exceed these boundaries on their own.

Besides protocols, several other matters also fell under the purview of the Ministry of Rites.

Arriving late or leaving early from the government office, wearing untidy or unclean official robes, dozing off during court sessions, acts of disrespect such as irreverence towards parents or mistreatment of wives, the Ministry of Rites also had the power to report and expose these.

For instance, officials entering brothels privately—while the court did not encourage this, it was not considered a serious issue. In fact, it originally fell under the Ministry of Rites' jurisdiction.

However, because the Ministry of Justice was so overbearing and often overstepped its boundaries, officials of the Ministry of Rites didn't dare to express their anger or speak out.

Li Nuo noted down these regulations and then left the Ministry of Rites.

...

Regarding the proposal raised in the Ministry of Rites about hosting the Martial Arts Tournament in Chang'an, after being jointly rejected by various departments during the court meeting, the courtiers soon completely forgot about it.

Secretariat.

Scheeren Du Yu received a petition submitted from the Ministry of Rites.

The six Scheerens of the Secretariat each oversaw one of the Six Departments, and Du Yu was in charge of the Ministry of Rites.

The petition stated that the Right Minister of Revenue, Jiang Wei, favored his concubine and neglected his legal wife. His concubine, who entered his household three months ago, relying on Jiang Wei's favor, showed no respect towards his legal wife and even verbally abused her...

Du Yu frowned severely as he read this.

A wife is a wife, a concubine is a concubine; the hierarchy of wife above concubine is written into Daxia Law.

For a concubine to insult the wife undermines authority; it is intolerable both legally and morally.

While it's said that an upright official finds it challenging to settle domestic disputes, this was not just a matter within the household of the Right Minister of Revenue. Favoring a concubine over a wife contradicts the ceremonial laws, ceremonial laws are still laws, and as an official appointed by the court, letting a concubine undermine authority would add an indelible stain to his record.

Du Yu forwarded this petition to the Ministry of Supervision to verify the facts, after which an appropriate punishment would be meted out to the Right Minister of Revenue.

His brow still furrowed, he opened the next petition, and his frown deepened.

This petition accused the Right Minister of Revenue, Wang Shang.

While there was no issue of favoring a concubine over a wife in Wang Shang's home, his wife was unwilling to take care of Wang Shang's elderly mother. The couple lived in the opulent Wang family mansion, but they had moved Wang Shang's mother to a smaller house, assigning only a single maid to look after her.

This was considered unfilial, an offense more severe than undermining authority.

In Daxia, filial piety was held in the highest regard, and officials, while studying the Sixteen Classics, would learn many anecdotes about filial piety.

If a person could not even honor the parents who gave them life, one could hardly expect them to be loyal to the nation.

The actions of Wang Shang and his wife were intolerable by the standards of propriety. Since the Ministry of Rites had submitted the petition, he could not pretend he had not seen it.

After ordering the Ministry of Supervision to investigate the matter, he opened a new petition.

It was from the Ministry of Rites again.

It was another impeachment memorial.

The impeachment was again against an official from the Ministry of Revenue.

The petition impeached the Left Assistant Minister of Revenue for excessively indulging in music and pleasure, stating that in Daxia, only officials of the fifth rank and above could keep female musicians at home.

Without the Emperor's gift, officials of the Standard Fourth Rank could not keep more than three female musicians.

Officials were allowed to appreciate elegance and keep a few house prostitutes to listen to small tunes and watch dances at home—Du Yu's home also had three such musicians.

However, though it was allowed, one must still adhere to the law. With the official position of Left Assistant Minister of Revenue, one could keep up to three house prostitutes, but he kept four, which was excessive.

No one reported it, so it wasn't a big issue.

But once someone reported it, the Secretariat had to deal with it.

He opened the next petition; it was still about the Ministry of Revenue.

Du Yu scratched his head; today really was about stirring up the Ministry of Revenue's nest.

And the Ministry of Rites was strange too. As far as he knew, the Ministry of Rites was very busy. Where did they find the time to manage these trivial matters? Could it be that the Ministry of Revenue had withheld the Ministry of Rites' funding, causing their discontent?

Recently, the Ministry of Rites had not applied for any funding…

...

Ministry of Revenue.

Early in the morning, the Right Minister of Revenue entered the government office with a gloomy expression.

The discord between his wife and concubine, somehow, had become known to the Ministry of Rites.

Because of this, he was fined half a month's salary and suspended from duty for half a month to discipline his concubine properly.

Yesterday, the imperial decree from the Secretariat was sent directly to his home.

It was fortunate it hadn't been sent to the Ministry of Revenue; otherwise, he would have faced great humiliation.

Being suspended for half a month and fined half a month's salary didn't bother Jiang Wei much, but the imperial decree issued directly by the Secretariat because of this matter would be written into his official record, affecting his future career advancements.

Having to report his half-month suspension to the Left Assistant Minister, he would need the Right Minister to take over his duties during this period.

Jiang Wei entered the Left Assistant Minister's office and saw the Right Minister Wang Shang also standing there.

Seeing that the Left Assistant Minister was not there, he asked, "Lord Wang, are you also looking for Assistant Minister Shen?"

Wang Shang's expression looked a bit unnatural as he replied, "Yes, I have urgent matters to report to Assistant Minister Shen."

Yesterday, an imperial order from the three provinces was sent directly to his home.

Because his wife made his mother move out, he was fined three months' salary and suspended for one month to reflect.

Although the punishment was not severe, the label of being unfilial would stick to him for life. Future promotions would not consider him a priority, and this had a huge impact on his career.

Both Ministers of Revenue, each preoccupied with their own problems, coincidentally spoke at the same time.

"I need to request half a month's leave for personal affairs…"

"I need to request a month's leave for personal affairs…"

Both wanted to ask the other to handle the official duties, looked at each other, and simultaneously said, "You're also requesting leave?"

With the Ministry of Revenue managing money and grain affairs, and due to its busy nature, there were two Ministers, but with both requesting leave, how would the office function?

At that moment, a figure approached from outside the office.

The two turned around and saw it was the Right Assistant Minister of Revenue.

The duties of the two Assistant Ministers were distinct, and generally, matters of leave were managed by the Left Assistant Minister.

The Right Assistant Minister of Revenue looked at them and said, "Assistant Minister Shen has taken a few days off; if Minister Jiang and Minister Wang have any issues, you may discuss them with me."

Both spoke up in succession.

"I need a half-month leave."

"I need a month's leave."

The Right Assistant Minister of Revenue stared at them blankly. The Left Assistant Minister was on leave, and now both Ministers were also requesting leave, and for such long periods, was this meant to exhaust him?

He frowned and asked, "What matters are you taking such long leaves for?"

With things having come this far, the two knew they could no longer hide the truth and hence disclosed the real situation.

The Right Assistant Minister of Revenue was stunned for a long while before he regained his composure, pointed at them and angrily said, "One indulges his concubine at the expense of his wife, and the other abandons his mother for his wife; did you throw all the teachings from the saintly books to the dogs? What am I to say to both of you?"

Wife as superior and concubine as inferior was decreed by the law, and going against this, the rites did not allow.

Parents' nurturing kindness is irreplaceable; failing to treat them well would be despised by everyone.

As court-appointed officials, they should set an example. The punishment from the three provinces was not excessive for them.

Speaking for himself, although his relationship with his wife and mother was not very harmonious, he hadn't dared ask his mother to leave. Instead, he constructed a high wall at home to separate the inner quarters; as they did not see each other, they naturally had no conflicts.

Due to matters concerning his mother, he and his wife were at odds, sleeping on the same bed but dreaming different dreams, outwardly harmonious but inwardly estranged. Fearing discord in the inner quarters, he had not taken any more concubines but had secretly maintained several external residences.

As a court-appointed official, he needed to cherish his reputation, not only avoiding breaking the law but also ideally not going against the rites.

The decrees suspending them came from the three provinces, and he could not shield them, so he reluctantly approved their leaves.

After sending off the two, he was about to return to his own office when he saw two officials in yellow robes entering the Ministry of Revenue courtyard.

In Daxia, officials in yellow robes were generally disciplinary officers, and their appearance was never a good sign, a case of seeing an official and fearing the worst.

One of the officers approached him bluntly and said, "Assistant Minister Zhang, concerning the matter of you maintaining external residences secretly while being a court-appointed official, you need to provide a detailed explanation at the Ministry of Supervision..."