My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!-Chapter 338 - 214 Li Nuo’s Proposal

Li Nuo's words left Lu Sheng slightly stunned.

The court and Jianghu had always been two separate systems.

Although it was said that "all under the heaven belongs to the king," the Martial Arts Sects within the Daxia realm were also supposed to be under the local court's jurisdiction.

However, in this world, might made right.

With sects like the Sanqing Sect, filled with numerous formidable experts including three Martial Path Half-Saints from the Sixth Realm, their power was so immense that they could even annihilate a small country; how could they submit to the local government's discipline?

Not to mention the Sanqing Sect, once a person's strength reached the Grandmaster level, Law could hardly bind them.

As long as they did not directly oppose the court, a Grandmaster could easily assassinate senior court officials and then flee thousands of miles away, leaving the court powerless against them.

Not long ago, the Prince Consort's family had just been subject to an assassination by someone from Jianghu.

He understood that the Prince Consort wanted to make an impact upon taking office, but this first move shouldn't burn too fiercely.

If the court wished to interfere in matters of Jianghu, once they united, it would lead to turmoil within Daxia.

At that time, if external forces took advantage of the situation, the court might find it hard to cope.

Now, with the ever-changing political landscape on the continent, Daxia internally could absolutely not afford to fall into disarray first.

Otherwise, history might just repeat itself.

Over a hundred years ago, there had been a disturbance in Jianghu. Although the court ultimately succeeded in suppressing the Martial Arts community, it suffered heavy losses; several major nations took advantage and annexed a significant amount of Daxia's territory. Today, the external situation remained unstable; it was best not to stir up trouble again.

Lu Sheng looked at Li Nuo, shook his head, and said, "Matters of Jianghu are not as simple as the Prince Consort imagines. If the court acts too rashly, it could cause turbulence in the current situation, which would be a disaster for the people…"

The relationship between Jianghu and the court was something Li Nuo clearly understood.

All the major sects, although within Daxia, operated independently from the court's jurisdiction and were not restrained by the Law.

Jianghu was all about swift justice for grievances; as long as they did not harm the people, the government did not intervene in the infighting among those in the Martial Arts community.

From the perspective of Legalism, Li Nuo certainly did not want anyone to be outside the Law's reach.

But considering reality, once they gathered a strong martial force, there were few who would want to be constrained by the mundane rules.

Li Nuo nodded and said, "Lord Lu speaks wisely. It is my lack of experience, my considerations were insufficient."

Lu Sheng thought he had persuaded Li Nuo, yet Li Nuo shifted the subject, adding, "I think that even if the court cannot impose more restrictions on them, we should strengthen our ties with the Martial Arts Sects and grasp the movements of Jianghu. After all, it represents a tremendous force, beneficial to the court if harnessed properly…"

All this talk never strayed from Jianghu and the Martial Arts communities.

But Lu Sheng still didn't know what the Prince Consort intended to do and had to say, "This official is slow-witted and doesn't comprehend the intentions of the Prince Consort. Please clarify."

Li Nuo didn't leave him in suspense any longer and got right to the point, "I wish to organize a Martial Arts Tournament in Chang'an under the auspices of the Ministry of Rites, inviting all the Martial Arts Sects of Daxia to deepen the connection between the court and Jianghu. If we could enlist some high-level Martial Path experts to serve the court, it would be excellent…"

Lu Sheng paused, saying, "This… "

Li Nuo asked, "Is there a difficulty?"

Lu Sheng nodded and said, "This matter, I fear, is not easy…"

If it had been a small affair, the Ministry of Rites alone could have decided.

But from what he said, inviting all the Martial Arts Sects of Daxia to gather in Chang'an, this scale, could only be second to the Imperial Examination.

It was not something one ministry could decide; it required preparation from the Ministry of Rites, funding from the Ministry of Revenue, organization from the Ministry of Personnel, construction from the Ministry of Industry, and a substantial amount of manpower and resources to maintain stability, needing coordination from all Six Departments to be possible.

Moreover, if he invited those Martial Arts Sects, would they even come?

If, after massive preparation, only one or two sects showed up, wouldn't that be a loss of face for the court?

He understood these young officials newly in their posts, filled with enthusiasm, wanting to make a significant impact and establish their careers. He had seen too many like that before.

If it had been earlier, Lu Sheng would have gently patted their shoulder, telling them not to aim too high, to take things one step at a time, first excel at their designated duties, and discuss these issues when the timing was right later.

But in front of the Minister of Justice's son, he had to recognize who was more significant.

Nominally, he was his superior.

But if he, as a superior, did not comply, all it would take was a word to his father, and by tomorrow, he could have a new compliant superior.

Lu Sheng, without further thought, said, "The Prince Consort could start by drafting a memorial, and I will help you submit it. Whether it can be realized depends on whether the Secretariat agrees…"

Li Nuo decided to draft the memorial himself and give it a try.

Every time there was an issue, going to his father for help also made him somewhat embarrassed.

Once or twice was okay, but too often, and others might criticize him for monopolizing the court and creating a 'one-voice system'.

He had not officially taken up his post yet, so the memorial needed to be delivered by the Minister of Rites on his behalf.

After Li Nuo finished the memorial, that very day, Lu Sheng submitted the document.

The memorials submitted by the Six Departments would be collected at the Secretariat, where a few Secretariat Scheeren would decide.

Most decisions could be made by the Secretariat Scheeren.

The few they couldn't decide on, or deemed needed further discussion, would be brought up in court sessions to let all officials discuss.

The Secretariat.

Secretariat Scheeren Du Yu held a memorial in his hands, undecided on what to do.

By content alone, this memorial should have been sent back directly.

The Martial Arts Tournament, what does that have to do with the court?

The court is the court, Jianghu is Jianghu; the court has never had the habit of meddling in the affairs of Jianghu.

Moreover, to host such a large-scale event, how much manpower and material resources would be required, how much silver would be spent?

To go to such lengths, to spend so much silver for no benefit to the court, with those Jianghu figures gathered in Chang'an, the pressure on public security would be immense. Once something happened, who would take responsibility?

For the court, this matter was all harm and no benefit.

This was using the court's silver, for the sake of those people in Jianghu.

This memorial had been proposed by the Minister of Rites Lu Sheng.

The Minister of Rites was also a veteran in the Ministry of Rites. He should not have made such a mistake, and Du Yu had not sent this memorial back because it had been written by Assistant Minister of Rites Li Nuo, and submitted on his behalf by Lu Sheng.

Assistant Minister of Rites, a sixth-rank official, was somebody Secretariat Scheeren hardly regarded.

But being the Assistant Minister of Rites was his least noteworthy identity.

What Du Yu truly feared was his father, who doted on his son.

If he did not approve this memorial, in case it led to resentment...

Approving it, though, would mean pointless expenditure of resources. Wasn't this just creating trouble? The division under him and the Six Departments would likely oppose it too.

Ordinarily, in such situations, he would not decide on his own but would bring it up for discussion at the court.

...

Li Mansion.

These past few days, Lady Mother-in-law had been very well-behaved, not troubling Li Nuo much, nor mentioning the matter of taking Yiren or Jiaren back to the Sanqing Sect.

Her whole being looked better, her face rosier day-by-day.

It seemed even her temper was gradually mellowing.

However, Lord Father-in-law looked somewhat haggard; Li Nuo saw him when he went to the Song Residence to pick up Mumu and Ning'er, his eyes heavily shadowed, clearly not having slept well for several days.

Jiaren and Yiren both resided in the Li Mansion, and Li Nuo simply decided to have Mumu and Ning'er stay there for the time being as well.

Instantly, the entire Li Mansion turned from quiet to extremely lively.

Phoenix had been visiting the Li Mansion every day.

When his wife practiced swordsmanship, Phoenix would wait by the side, watching her without blinking.

Sometimes Li Nuo even wondered if her orientation was somewhat off.

After all, her playfulness with the nightingale was quite bold.

However, when she taught his wife flower arrangement and painting, her behavior was very proper, showing no inappropriate motions, and Li Nuo quickly dismissed those bizarre suspicions.

A figure came in from outside.

Li Nuo invited Lu Sheng into the pavilion and asked, "Lord Lu, has there been any result regarding that memorial?"

Lu Sheng nodded and said, "This official has come precisely for this matter."

He looked at Li Nuo with some regret and said, "The Prince Consort's proposal was rejected by the various departments at the court session today..."

Today at the morning court session, a Secretariat Scheeren had specifically brought that memorial up for discussion.

The Ministry of Revenue was the first to express its opposition.

Every time a large event was held, the Ministry of Revenue had to allocate funds. Citing the National Treasury's inadequate reserves and the lack of significance in holding a Martial Arts Tournament, the department rejected the proposal in the memorial.

The Ministry of Personnel was quick to follow.

Such a grand event required manpower from the Ministry of Personnel. With the spring exams and Imperial Examination just having ended, pulling people away had already delayed a lot of official business; the Ministry of Personnel also rejected this proposal.

With the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, the most powerful departments in the court, opposing, other departments also followed suit.

With so many in Jianghu converging on Chang'an, the pressure on the Capital Prefecture wasn't small, and the Ministry of Industry also needed to construct the venue for the tournament; naturally, they did not want to create extra issues. With so many departments opposed, after the court session, the memorial was sent back.

Hearing this, Li Nuo merely sighed lightly and said, "The chaos in Jianghu has already become severe, to the point where even the lives of court officials are greatly threatened. You can see how chaotic it will be locally. There are problems that can be solved; the court should not be inactive just because it is troublesome. This is an expression of laziness, negligence, and incompetence..."

To this, Lu Sheng had little to say.

Doing more leads to more mistakes, doing less leads to fewer mistakes, doing nothing leads to no mistakes—this was the realistic way of officialdom.

Apart from the necessary public duties, who would want to create additional work for themselves?

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He could only force a smile and said, "The court also has its difficulties..."

Li Nuo did not make it difficult for Lu Sheng, saying, "I understand now. The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Industry, Capital Prefecture opposed this, which means, as long as they agree, this matter will essentially be settled, right?"

Lu Sheng nodded and said, "Yes, mainly these departments don't agree. If they agree, there would be no more impediments..."

While he spoke, he suddenly looked up at Li Nuo.

What did he mean by that?