My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!-Chapter 234 - 125 Li Anning’s Proposal_3

Li Xuanjing sipped his tea and said, "Using a thief to catch a thief, there has never been such a precedent before. The three provinces might not approve, but I’ll try submitting a petition first."

Li Nuo said, "Thank you, Dad."

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Li Xuanjing did not continue the topic and asked, "How have you and Jiaren been lately?"

Li Nuo replied, "Quite well. You needn’t worry."

Father and son chatted idly about family matters for a few moments. Seeing someone enter with a stack of scrolls, Li Nuo stood up and said, "I won’t disturb you with official matters, Dad. I’ll head back now."

Li Xuanjing nodded his head, remembered something, and added, "Yesterday, King Chun sent over two boxes of tribute oranges. I don’t like them; you take them back instead."

Moments later, Li Nuo exited the government office with Housekeeper Wu and a young man following him, each carrying a box of tribute oranges.

As he was about to leave the Ministry of Justice, he suddenly heard music coming from a room.

The music was sometimes soothing, bringing peace to the mind; sometimes passionate, stirring one’s emotions; and at times gentle yet sorrowful, causing one’s mood to plummet...

Li Nuo stood at the door of the room, watching in astonishment as the young man inside played the qin.

It had been a month since he had seen Liu Shang, and his qin skill had improved significantly.

Now, Li Nuo was no longer a novice in the realm of music.

The piece just played lacked emotion; it was all technique.

In terms of content, it was not even comparable to the tunes composed by Phoenix himself.

But the playing technique had reached its peak.

This was purely a show-off piece by Liu Shang.

Inside the room, Liu Shang slowly stood up, looked at a middle-aged official of the Ministry of Justice, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and asked, "Lord Zhang, may I ask how my performance just now compares to my past skills?"

Director Zhang sipped his tea and did not speak.

In just a month, Liu Shang’s qin artistry had surpassed his former peak, reaching a new realm.

Last time at the Ministry of Justice, Zhang Sizheng merely pointed out his regressions over the years, and Liu Shang had confronted him over it.

Every few days, he would come to the Ministry of Justice and play a piece in front of him.

He watched as Liu Shang’s qin skills gradually returned to their pinnacle, and today, they had made a new breakthrough.

Although Liu Shang’s current expression was somewhat deserving of a reprimand,

as a music lover, seeing a musical prodigy rise again filled his heart with contentment.

After leaving the Ministry of Justice, Liu Shang visited the Hundred Flowers Building again.

Today, having redeemed himself in front of someone bearing the surname Zhang, he was in a great mood. He strode into the Hundred Flowers Building and only emerged refreshed after a full quarter of an hour.

Two officials from the Ministry of Justice were already waiting for him outside.

Liu Shang’s expression stiffened, "Still here?"

Director Zhang watched him with a smile and asked, "Lord Liu, will you go to the Ministry of Justice on your own, or shall we take you?"

The same scenario had occurred before, and Liu Shang was not as fearful as the first time. He waved his sleeve and said, "The official has his legs. I do not need to trouble you..."

At the entrance of the Ministry of Justice, when Li Nuo alighted from the carriage, Liu Shang’s portrait had already been relit.

But now, the image was version 2.0.

Ironically, if he were captured daily under legitimate pretext and held for a day each time, his portrait would never dim, allowing him to experience the latest version continuously without costing him his lifespan.

Though, this was rather inhumane.

As he just entered Li Anning’s office, she couldn’t wait to ask, "How did it go?"

Li Nuo said, "Dad mentioned that first, a petition will be submitted."

He pulled out a few oranges from his robe, placed them on the table in front of Li Anning, and said, "These oranges are for you."

Li Anning looked slightly taken aback and asked, "These tribute oranges are only allocated to the imperial family. Where did you get them?"

Li Nuo replied, "Uncle King Chun sent them to my dad. Dad doesn’t like them, so he let me bring them back."

Li Anning gave him a sideways glance and said, "At least you have a conscience."

Li Nuo clapped his hands and said, "If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading back now."

Li Anning pocketed the few oranges and said, "Perfect, I need to return to the Princess Mansion too. Let’s go together."

Li Nuo was slightly taken aback and replied, "But we aren’t heading the same way..."

Li Anning glared at him, "Do you have any urgent matters? The Princess Mansion isn’t far. What’s wrong with dropping me off first?"

Without waiting for Li Nuo’s agreement, she walked outside on her own.

By the time Li Nuo caught up, she had already climbed into the carriage parked outside the Ministry of Justice.

The next moment, Li Anning lifted the carriage curtain, poked her head out from the carriage, and looked at Li Nuo angrily, gritting her teeth, "Two boxes of tribute oranges, and you only gave me five? You’ve stolen more than five from me. Where’s your conscience?"

Li Nuo explained, "I was just worried you might not finish them and they’d go bad..."

Li Anning scoffed, "You’re quite considerate, huh? But these are tribute oranges from the Agricultural School. They won’t spoil no matter how long you keep them, and eating many won’t turn your face yellow..."

Li Anning forcefully took the carriage, leaving Li Nuo no choice but to drop her off first.

Upon arriving at the Princess Mansion, Li Anning got out of the carriage.

Coming out with her was one box of her oranges.

Out of two boxes, she kept one entirely for herself and the other had to be shared with the wife, Mumu, Ning’er, and she even had to save a few for the Old Lady. Yet, Li Nuo couldn’t object...

It was just a box of oranges, after all. There was no need to fuss over it.

Compared to the wife and Mumu, she seemed to prefer oranges more.

Returning to Song Residence and passing by the Jade Sound Pavilion, Li Nuo took a few more oranges from the other box.

These tribute oranges, though not as beneficial as the peaches before, still had health benefits, especially noticeable for common folk, making them perfect for a delicate woman like Phoenix.

There were at least dozens of oranges in this box. Giving a few to Phoenix was no harm.

Otherwise, he’d feel somewhat ashamed every time he took away her flowers.

On the second floor of the Jade Sound Pavilion, Phoenix looked at Li Nuo, surprised. He had visited the Jade Sound Pavilion more times these last two days than in the previous two months.

She blinked and asked, "Do you need help with anything, sir?"

Li Nuo took out five oranges from his bosom and placed them on the table, saying, "Nothing much, just passing by and thought to bring you some oranges."

Phoenix was already accustomed to him pulling gifts from his bosom. Yet, she had realized these ordinary-looking oranges were not so ordinary; they were tribute oranges from Jiangnan, exclusively for the Imperial Family, beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Li Nuo looked at a vase of flowers on the table and asked, "This vase of flowers..."

Phoenix snapped back to reality and said, "If you like it, sir, I’ll give it to you."

Moments later, Li Nuo left the Pavilion, holding two pots of flowers, satisfied.

On the second floor of Jade Sound Pavilion, the nightingale looked at the departing carriage and said confusedly, "Strange, you say he’s not interested in you, yet he brings such valuable tribute oranges. You say he is interested, yet he leaves as soon as he delivers the oranges."

Turning her head, she saw Phoenix lock all five oranges in a cabinet. Surprised, she questioned, "What do you mean? Are you afraid I’ll steal your oranges?"

Phoenix glanced at her and replied indifferently, "Ever since we were little, what haven’t you taken from me..."

...

At Song Residence, Li Nuo jumped down from the carriage, holding a box of oranges.

In the Ministry of Justice, Li Xuanjing closed a newly drafted memorial.

Opening a new capital case review file sent by the Ministry of Justice, his gaze lingered on a particular name.

Zeng Yan.

Former treasurer of the Inner Palace of the Crown Prince.

This was the second former official of the Eastern Palace to die in recent months.

After pondering for a moment, he gently tapped the table twice.

A young man in black walked in and asked, "What are your instructions, my lord?"

Li Xuanjing slowly said, "Send someone to the Ministry of Personnel and the Imperial Palace Bureau to retrieve the official lists of the former Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince’s Inner Palace. But let no one know..."