My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!-Chapter 425 - 287 Calculations

Li Nuo's official position had been promoted, but it was not a complete promotion.

His rank, along with his promotion, had risen.

Who could have imagined such a maneuver by the court?

The targeting was too obvious.

Fortunately, with over five thousand days of life remaining, he was not in a rush to join the Ministry of Justice.

Moreover, he had learned from Anning that the Ministry of Justice hadn't been handling many cases recently, she was merely reviewing documents from various regions, she even decided not to go to the Ministry of Justice herself.

Even if Li Nuo went, there would not be much for him to do.

For Legalism, each advancement in realm was almost exponentially more difficult.

Throughout Daxia, there were only two in the Fifth Realm of Legalism.

One was Anning.

The other was the Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

To become an official in the Ministry of Justice, one inherently enjoyed certain benefits in their practice of Legalism, the Minister and the Minister of Justice both could steadily improve their cultivation as long as they performed their duties without unwarranted killing or plotting against loyal and good men.

Even so, it had taken the Minister thirty years to advance to the Fifth Realm.

If Anning had not benefitted from the patronage of King Han and King You, she might also need ten or even twenty years to reach her current level of cultivation.

Unless she encountered earth-shattering cases one after another, she would never break through to the Sixth Realm in her lifetime.

Li Nuo's cultivation was a level lower than hers, so there were indeed some benefits to heading to the Ministry of Justice.

But his father, the Minister of Justice, who could decide life and death, could not equally decide any official position he wished.

To retain his current position after offending two Prime Ministers was in itself a miracle.

His father-in-law was now an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Personnel, capable of nominating fifth-rank officials, yet the process still required approval from the three provinces.

As long as the Right Prime Minister disagreed, the appointment could not happen.

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The Right Prime Minister was not like King Han or King You.

He possessed the fifth level of Confucian cultivation, not only representing the peak among Daxia's civil servants but also serving as the spiritual pillar for Daxia's Confucian scholars and officials, his disciples all possessed a Vast Righteous Qi and were recognized as men of integrity in the court.

With such status, even the Emperor had to show him respect, and his father could do nothing against him.

It seemed he would have to remain Honglu Si Prime Minister for a while longer.

If he could manage a promotion next time, elevating from Secondary Fourth Rank to Standard Fourth Rank… If he truly could be promoted, this Honglu Si position would no longer be a hindrance to Li Nuo.

Upon returning to Li Mansion from Honglu Si, Li Nuo saw a delicate figure waiting at the gate.

Li Nuo got down from his carriage and approached her, asking, "Have you served your sentenced?"

Gu Yanran nodded.

Li Nuo asked, "What plans do you have for the future?"

Gu Yanran said, "I want to go back to Xuan State to visit, I came here to bid farewell to you, sir."

Her father was an accomplice in the old case of the Eastern Palace.

However, when the Ministry of Justice judged the case, they had not pursued the families of those Eastern Palace officials, allowing her to be released on time by the Ministry of Justice.

King Han had already stated that it was by threatening the lives of Gu Wenhan's wife and daughter that they had coerced Gu Wenhan into compliance.

After Gu Wenhan was reassigned, they corrupted him step by step, leading him to become a thoroughly corrupt official, eventually achieving his death at the hands of his father.

Li Nuo had wanted to provide her with some traveling money, but she refused.

She had earned her own money by performing meritorious service at the Ministry of Justice, albeit not much, it was sufficient for her return to Xuan State.

Her pride was strong, and Li Nuo did not insist.

Before Li Nuo could say anything, Gu Yanran slowly knelt, kowtowed several times, and said, "The great kindness you showed, sir, will never be forgotten by Yanran. In my next life, I will serve as cattle and horses to repay your grace."

She was well aware that she owed her life to him.

Her father had committed unforgivable capital crimes, and she, failing to differentiate good from evil, had attempted to assassinate him. Not only had he spared her life, but he had also taken care of her in every possible way.

Having no other skills and ideally she should have served by his side for a lifetime to repay his kindness.

Yet, she felt unworthy to remain by his side.

She stood up, tightened the small bundle on her back, and after one last look at Li Nuo, turned and disappeared into the bustling crowd.

Li Nuo sighed; this once-prominent lady had a life full of misfortunes, indeed a pitiable girl.

Xuan State was more than two thousand miles away from Chang'an, whether a fragile woman like her could safely return was uncertain.

He found Huang and instructed him to arrange for a guard to silently escort her to Xuan State.

That was all the help he could offer her.

…

The Right Prime Minister had elevated the rank of Honglu Si Prime Minister from Secondary Fifth Rank to Standard Fifth Rank.

This news quickly spread to all the government offices.

Changes in rank were common, but such had not occurred in recent years.

The Right Prime Minister had surely had his reasons for doing so.

And the reason, within merely half a day, had spread from the Secretariat.

The Minister of Justice wanted to seize the affair at the Eastern Palace as an opportunity to promote his son, who held the position of Honglu Si Prime Minister.

Just half a year into his entry into the bureaucracy, being promoted twice consecutively seemed excessively rapid, unsettling to anyone, particularly the old officials who had served at court for many years without advancement.

After the downfall of King You and King Han, the power of the Minister of Justice reached a new peak.

Using the Eastern Palace affair as a pretext to combat two Princes and having dispatched countless nobles and officials, he had not ceased his maneuvers.

Recently, he had set his sights on King Gong Mansion.

Now at the court, those who dared to openly oppose the Minister of Justice could be counted on one hand.

He had assumed the Secretariat would simply compromise but unexpectedly, the Right Prime Minister intervened, cleverly resolving the matter in such a manner.

Indeed fitting of the Right Prime Minister, who wholeheartedly served the public without regard for the favored minister's influence; by this event, his repute among scholars and officials had increased significantly.

Once the son of the Minister of Justice acquired a high position, with father and son both at the court, the grip on court affairs would likely tighten.

Thankfully, with the Right Prime Minister present, the ministers of the three provinces were able to maintain their last line of defense.

King Gong Mansion.

King Gong cared little whether the Honglu Si Prime Minister was of Secondary Fifth Rank or Standard Fifth Rank. Seated, his brows furrowed deeper with each report he received.

In recent days, some of his officials had been investigated by the Spiegel Bureau.

Many had been found guilty and locked up in the Spiegel Bureau's dungeon.

If it had been one or two individuals, perhaps it could have been considered a coincidence.

But with over a dozen officials investigated consecutively, it was clearly no mere chance.

He had remained patient over the years, manipulating from the shadows, avoiding numerous power struggles while nearly retaining his complete influence.

Li Xuanjing had found no opportunity to move against him.

Why then, had he suddenly directed his focus towards King Gong Mansion?

Recalling the unusual visit of King Rui to the Ministry of Justice and his long, secret discussion with Li Xuanjing a few days ago, a dreadful premonition rose within him.

Could it be that King Rui had realized that he had orchestrated those two events and informed Li Xuanjing at the Ministry?

King Rui and Li Xuanjing were longstanding adversaries, and without a critical issue, King Rui would not seek out Li Xuanjing.

Could King Rui have indeed detected some clues?

King Gong's gaze shifted slightly. He had planted a mole by King Rui's side, allowing him to be privy to all his moves and consistently succeeded in framing him.

He had thought King Rui would never unearth this.

To his astonishment, King Rui had suspected him…

King Gong, unable to fathom it, pondered for a long time and then commanded, "Mobilize all resources to find out what exactly King Rui and Li Xuanjing discussed that day…"

…

The Spiegel Bureau was a sword hanging over the heads of Daxia's officials, and naturally, its every move drew attention.

These recent days, they indiscreetly began to target the officials affiliated with King Gong, a fact that could not be hidden from the courtiers.

Although King Gong had a low profile at court and had no direct friction with the Minister of Justice, although Li Xuanjing was domineering, his actions always seemed to stem from some grand, openly declared reasons, ostensibly to conceal his true motives in factional disputes.

If he started arresting people without even bothering to present reasons, that would be alarming for the officials in Chang'an.

Luckily, someone managed to extract a bit of information from an official in the Ministry of Justice.

It was reported that King Rui had approached the Ministry, swore oaths to the heavens, personally denied any assassination efforts against the Minister of Justice, and suggested that everything was orchestrated by King Gong behind the scenes, framing him…

The officials from the Ministry mentioned that King Rui's oaths were immensely vehement…

The matter at that time caused a huge stir, well known to all in Chang'an.

If what King Rui claimed was true, then it's no wonder the Minister of Justice took action against King Gong.

This was a deadly feud; even if ironclad proof was lacking, he certainly wouldn't let the matter rest. King Gong had truly brought this upon himself…

In King Gong Mansion, after hearing the report from his subordinates, King Gong narrowed his eyes and slowly stood up, remarking, "Li Rui, oh Li Rui, I underestimated you. You've also learned to shift the blame. If that's the case, then don't blame me…"

King Rui Mansion.

King Rui was closely monitoring Li Xuanjing's movements. As soon as the Spiegel Bureau took action against King Gong, he was immediately aware.

It appeared that a single letter was insufficient to convince Li Xuanjing.

He needed to intervene personally.

King Gong, the old fox, pretended to be harmless and somewhat dim-witted in his day-to-day, yet behind the scenes, he was exceedingly cunning, deceiving everyone...

If not for the downfall of King Han and King You, he might still not suspect King Gong.

King Rui scoffed, thinking of how King Gong tried to frame him while profiting from behind the scenes, a scenario too ludicrous to imagine, knowing Li Xuanjing wasn't easy to fool...

Though he disliked Li Xuanjing, he had to admit that he was a clever and formidable adversary.

As King Rui was feeling complacent, a figure hurried into the hall and whispered a few words in his ear.

King Rui furrowed his brow and said, "What, he designs traps to accuse me, and I haven't even settled accounts with him, yet he dares to trouble us?"

The effeminate man replied, "It's being rumored outside that Your Highness in front of the Minister of Justice accused King Gong of plotting against the Minister of Justice's family, prompting the Minister to act against King Gong. This might be King Gong's retaliation…"

King Rui angrily refuted, "What false accusations, if he wasn't behind it, I'd eat this table! Besides, I never mentioned him that day!"

The effeminate man added, "But that's the rumor outside."

King Rui paused, then as though realizing something, his expression cleared and he muttered, "Could it be..., have I been manipulated by Li Xuanjing again?"