My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!-Chapter 244 - 128: Competing with Fathers_3

After finishing, he sat in his own chair and casually picked up a case file to look at.

However, his thoughts couldn’t be entirely focused on the file.

Truly, these oranges cultivated by the Sinong Si were extraordinary. As Li Anning peeled one, a rich citrus fragrance filled the room.

Li Nuo couldn’t help but swallow several times.

Such delicious-smelling oranges, he wondered what they would taste like.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a segment of orange was passed to him from the side.

Li Nuo turned his head to look at Li Anning and said, "I can peel it myself..."

Before he could finish speaking, the orange segment was stuffed into his mouth.

With one bite, the refreshing sweetness spread, so delicious that it brought tears to his eyes.

No wonder Li Anning had cried earlier; this orange was even tastier than the peaches they had before.

Another segment was handed to him. As Li Nuo reached out his hand to peel it himself, it was directly stuffed into his mouth again.

One orange, Li Anning ate half and shared the other half with Li Nuo.

She looked at the remaining honey orange and said, "Take this one back with you, let them try it too. This comes from the mother tree at the Sinong Si, it tastes different from other tribute oranges..."

Even though Li Nuo had given her two honey oranges, she, Li Anning, was not a woman who couldn’t appreciate kindness.

She had no intention of taking everything that should have belonged to Song Jiaren.

"Alright then."

Since Li Anning said so, Li Nuo didn’t say anything more. He took the last honey orange back and shared it with his wife and Mumu Ning’er.

The three of them shared one orange, each person getting only two segments.

Song Mu’er tasted a segment of orange and exclaimed with wide eyes, "Li Nuo, brother, this orange is so delicious, better than any orange I’ve ever had. Is there any more?"

Li Nuo replied, "There isn’t any more. That was from an uncle last time, there were only two."

"And the other one?"

"I ate it."

After finishing her two segments, Song Mu’er went to the yard to play on the swing.

Ning’er disappeared quickly after getting her two segments.

Song Jiaren ate one segment herself and handed the other to Li Nuo.

Li Nuo shook his head and said, "I’ve already had some, you eat it."

But Song Jiaren’s hand did not draw back.

Li Nuo had no choice but to take it.

This was the difference between his wife and Li Anning.

Although neither of them would allow him to refuse, the same segment of orange would be silently offered to him by his wife, while Li Anning would stuff it directly into his mouth.

The next day, when Li Nuo arrived at the Ministry of Justice, it was noticeably quieter than the day before.

He remembered that today was the first of the month.

Every first of the month, the Prince Regent would rotate, and there would definitely be a royal court meeting for all officials of Standard Fifth Rank and above to attend.

Li Nuo realized that today was already the first of October.

The spring exams were on the first of February, the Imperial Examination on the first of March, leaving him exactly five months until the examination.

Li Nuo walked into the government office and Li Anning was not there yet.

He sat in Li Anning’s seat, her chair was soft, with cushions under his seat and behind his back, making it much more comfortable to sit in than his own.

While she was still absent, Li Nuo brewed himself a cup of tea and leisurely sipped it.

Without Li Anning around, the government office seemed exceptionally quiet.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace, the Golden Hall was buzzing with noise, the numerous officials engaging in endless discussions.

As October began and the Prince Regent shifted from King Gong to King Rui,

a policy nearly a decade old of monthly rotation of the Prince Regent had become customary among the courtiers, and what they were discussing now was a proposal by the Minister of Justice, Li Xuanjing.

Li Xuanjing, holding the keys to both the Ministry of Justice and the Spiegel Bureau, was extremely powerful in court and government, yet he rarely spoke at court meetings.

However, every time he did speak, it would stir up a storm of bloodshed, and countless heads would fall.

Thus, when Li Xuanjing stood up, many officials couldn’t help but feel a chill in their hearts, wondering who his next target would be.

Fortunately, this time he was not out to kill.

Recently, the Chang’an County Government, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Justice had joined forces to crack down on a large-scale group of thieves, resulting in hundreds of arrests and causing these government offices’ jails to be overcrowded.

The Minister of Justice proposed establishing an Anti-theft Bureau in the government offices of various prefectures, specifically responsible for capturing and apprehending thieves.

At the same time, to incorporate these arrested thieves into the Anti-theft Bureaus across the regions, allowing them to catch thieves as thieves, to make amends for their crimes through service.

Though this proposal didn’t involve killing, it was very troublesome.

Every County Magistrate’s Office would need to expand with a new department, the Ministry of Revenue would require funding allocation, and the Ministry of Personnel would be tasked with defining responsibilities. Should this new office fall under the jurisdiction of the County Magistrate, or should a separate official position be created?

Would assigning power to the County Magistrate disrupt the balance of authority within the local government offices?

Creating a separate official position might lead to an excess of officials and redundant roles. How much more in salaries would the court have to pay out each year?

All these matters would need to be discussed collectively by the various ministries.

For such a significant national concern, maintaining the status quo was better than making hasty changes. Furthermore, there was no precedent for letting criminals catch other criminals.

Many officials harbored opposition in their hearts.

Yet they did not voice their objections.

Finally, one official stood up and spoke, "I oppose this. Apprehending thieves is already the responsibility of the local government offices, managed by the County Magistrate. Setting up a separate Anti-theft Bureau is entirely redundant..."

A second official stood up and said, "Allowing criminals to assume the duties of a government officer is utterly ludicrous. I’ve heard that under the Ministry of Justice, an Anti-theft Bureau has already been established, recruiting numerous thieves into its ranks. It’s sheer nonsense!"

A third figure quickly stood up and declared, "In my opinion, the Anti-theft Bureau under the Ministry of Justice should also be disbanded!"

Once someone took the lead in stepping forward, more voices of opposition began to emerge in the court.

However, they only thought it unnecessary to stir things up nationwide. As for the Ministry of Justice’s Anti-theft Bureau, they selectively ignored it.

Who didn’t know that Li Xuanjing’s son was a Law Practitioner?

He was doing all this to pave the way for his son.

The last person who tried to block his son’s path of cultivation was already dead.

Who knew what repercussions there might be from offending him to the death?

The three officials who had just spoken out were all members of King Rui’s Faction. In the past two years, King Rui’s strength had surged with the support of two major families, but he had suffered significant losses at the hands of Li Xuanjing and naturally would not let Li Xuanjing have his way.

Among all the courtiers in the hall, only a few from the Imperial Censorate supported this reform, but their voices were quickly drowned out by the opposition.

At the top of the Golden Hall, a young man with a tall crown on his head and a stern face slowly stood up and said, "Since so many are opposed, let this matter be put to rest. There’s no need for further discussion..."

Soon, today’s court session came to an end, and the courtiers each returned to their respective offices.

At the Ministry of Personnel.

An official greeted the newly appointed Minister of the Examination Bureau with clasped hands and said, "Lord Sun displayed remarkable courage to be the first to refute the Minister of Justice. I admire, deeply admire you..."

Minister Sun glanced at him and said, "What’s there to admire? I’ve always been one to speak my mind. The court has enough superfluous positions as it is. Is there really a need to add an Anti-theft Bureau?"

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The official patted his shoulder and remarked, "Lord Sun, you are new to Chang’an and there are some things you may not understand. Let’s just leave it at that..."

Watching the Minister of Merit Office leave, the Minister of the Examination Bureau disdainfully curled his lip.

Just a Minister of Justice, and he has them all so frightened?

King Rui regards Li Xuanjing as a thorn in his side. Having just arrived in Chang’an, of course, I must make a good impression in front of His Highness.

Whether there is an Anti-theft Bureau or not is inconsequential. What matters is my own stance.

Whatever Li Xuanjing supports, I must oppose.

When not a single courtier dared to oppose Li Xuanjing, this grand corrupt courtier, it was only I who stood up resolutely against him.

In my own eyes, I am a champion of justice who dares to speak out against tyranny.

After all, I’m the Minister of the Examination Bureau, a Standard Fifth Rank official appointed by the court. With King Rui behind me, I truly don’t believe that Li Xuanjing can do anything to me.

While he was thus thinking, two figures walked in from outside.

Minister Sun frowned and asked sternly, "Don’t you know to knock before entering?"

The two men looked at each other, stepped back out, knocked on the door, and then walked back in.

With a furrowed brow, Sun Jian inquired, "Who are you, and what business do you have with me?"

The two black-clothed men slowly began to speak.

"Minister of the Examination Bureau, Sun Jian."

"In your residence, the Spiegel Bureau has discovered a large quantity of unaccounted-for wealth. Please come with us to the Spiegel Bureau for an investigation."

Sun Jian’s face turned pale.

No, that wealth was hidden in a secret chamber beneath his home, accessible only through a specific mechanism. How did they find out?

On his way to the Spiegel Bureau, Sun Jian saw two other familiar faces.

Earlier in the great hall, the three of them had stood together opposing Li Xuanjing.

The morning court session had barely ended, and the three of them were now being taken to the Spiegel Bureau together.

If this wasn’t retribution, what was?

He couldn’t even wait two days!

Three Standard Fifth Rank officials, arrested just like that. This is Chang’an!

Is there nobody who can keep him in check?