My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!-Chapter 373 - 247: The Reverse Psychology Strategy

Secretariat.

Early in the morning, just after starting work, the request to promote and commend Assistant Minister of Rites Li Nuo had already received unanimous approval from several scheerens of the Secretariat.

The imperial edict was delivered to the Assistant Minister of the Secretariat and passed the review smoothly.

The two Assistant Ministers of the Secretariat were also under great pressure.

In Chang’an, those who were able to do such lucrative business all had immensely powerful connections. Over the past few days, they had been pressured through various means to the point that they could no longer hold out.

The imperial decree quickly made its way to the Ministry of Supervision.

It was rare to see a new Advanced Scholar get promoted just two months after taking office.

However, the Ministry of Supervision did not obstruct this imperial decree.

Keeping him at the Ministry of Rites would only cause turmoil throughout the court.

On these grounds, as well as earlier ones, many officials from the Ministry of Supervision were on the Ministry of Rites’ list of impeached officials.

Even if it was an exception, he had to be transferred out as soon as possible.

Ministry of Rites.

Li Nuo was in his government office writing memorials when the imperial decree from the three provinces arrived at the Ministry of Rites.

Because he had reformed the ceremonial system and purged the corrupt practices within the court during his two months in office, successfully organized the first Martial Arts Tournament, and established positive relations with the Jianghu Sects, contributing greatly to regional stability, his outstanding political achievements were recognized, and he was promoted to the next level as a reward.

Effective immediately, he would no longer serve as Assistant Minister of Rites but had been promoted to Honglu Si Prime Minister, and was required to assume his new position within half a month.

Some officials of the Ministry of Rites almost thought the wrong name had been read when they heard the decree.

Two months, just two months on the job, and he had been promoted.

They, on the other hand, had been stuck at the ninth or eighth rank for ten or twenty years.

Not only had he been promoted, but he had also moved up from Standard Sixth Rank to Secondary Fifth Rank, a significant threshold in the Daxia officialdom.

Countless officials of Standard Sixth Rank never got the chance to be promoted to fifth-rank in their lifetimes.

The last person who had been promoted this quickly was the Prime Minister of Taichang, Liu Shang.

But that man truly had the talent.

He had entered through music and, in just a few months, his cultivation had advanced at an incredible rate, with limitless prospects for his future.

Putting him in charge of ceremonies and music could not have been more fitting.

While Lord Li had done some notable things in his two months in office, they could not really be considered major accomplishments.

Reporting some officials who violated the rites, which resulted in minor and inconsequential punishments for them, wasting the National Treasury’s silver and the court’s manpower to hold a Martial Arts Tournament—did that count as a meritorious deed?

Although they envied him, they understood that such things were not obtainable through envy.

After all, they did not have a father who wielded immense power over the court and the countryside.

They believed that just like the Ministry of Rites, the Honglu Si would simply be another stepping stone on his career path.

It would not be surprising if he got promoted again in another two months.

"Congratulations, Lord Li."

"Best wishes to Lord Li!"

"Lord Li, when you have time, do visit the Ministry of Rites. This will always be your home..."

Whether sincere or not, after coming to their senses, the officials of the Ministry of Rites also came forward to offer their congratulations.

His departure from the Ministry of Rites would also allow them to breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, the offensive actions he took were done in the name of the Ministry of Rites.

Some court officials had redirected their dissatisfaction with him onto the Ministry of Rites, leading to cautious and guarded conversations among its officials in recent days.

At the same time as his promotion, the court appointed a new Assistant Minister of Rites.

Li Nuo gathered his belongings, and amidst the farewells of his colleagues at the Ministry of Rites, he boarded the carriage back to his residence.

With this promotion, he also gained an additional half month of leave.

He could enjoy the pleasures of home to his heart’s content.

...

The news of Assistant Minister of Rites Li Nuo’s promotion to Honglu Si Minister after just two months in office quickly spread throughout the court.

Such speed of advancement was indeed remarkable.

According to the age-old rules of the court, even with outstanding political achievements and powerful connections, a new Advanced Scholar entering the officialdom still had to complete three years of service before having the chance for promotion.

This was to ensure they accumulated experience in officialdom and to temper their aggressive spirit.

Just because his father was Li Xuanjing, it didn’t justify breaking the rules.

Once this precedent was set, it could easily lead to chaos in the promotion system.

The Imperial Censorate was the first to voice objections to this appointment.

Other officials, after more than ten years of diligent service, struggled to get promoted.

He had only worked for two months, of which one was spent on marital leave. What qualifications did he have for promotion?

The Secretariat, however, provided a reasonable explanation.

Firstly, he strengthened the court’s relations with the Jianghu Sects for the first time, achieving groundbreaking results that were epoch-making in terms of maintaining regional stability.

Secondly, his dedication to his duties, upholding the ceremonial laws without fearing the powerful or offending his fellow officials, was to be encouraged.

As an Assistant Minister of Rites, it was his duty to uphold the codes of conduct, a behavior all officials should learn from.

Some courtiers only occupied their positions without dedication and were slick in their dealings, always retreating in the face of issues and often bowing to the powerful, in stark contrast to his spirit of daring to offend.

Promoting him served as an example to other courtiers.

This explanation left the Imperial Censorate without a word to say.

It seemed to make sense, but then again, something seemed amiss.

Diligently performing one’s duty without fear of power and not being afraid of offending colleagues... that indeed is what an official should do.

But was his fearlessness because he truly wasn’t afraid of power?

Because his father was the most potent authority!

As for not being afraid of offending others...

Only he had the privilege to offend, who would dare to offend him?

What’s peculiar is, the three provinces did not have Li Xuanjing’s men, and they had always obstructed his son’s entrance into the core of the court.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have placed a top scholar from the Six Arts in the Ministry of Rites.

Why would they suddenly promote him this time?

Another strange point was that not a single noble opposed his unexpected promotion by the three provinces.

In the past, whenever anything involved Li Xuanjing and his son, they were the ones who leaped in excitement the most.

With the imperial decree from the three provinces unopposed by the nobles and the Imperial Censorate’s questions reasonably addressed, everything being proper and in order, Li Nuo’s promotion was settled.

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Upon investigation, it was indeed found that brothels such as Happy Building and Sky Sound Courtyard had been inappropriately entertaining court officials, leading the Ministry of Revenue to impose a fine of 500 taels of silver and a ten-day business suspension.

With that, the matter of the Ministry of Rites reporting on the major brothels drew to a close.

Drunken Moon Building.

On a day like any other, it’d be difficult to secure a spot at Drunken Moon Building, but today it seemed unusually quiet.

On the first floor hall, not a single customer was present, and the private rooms on the second floor were all empty.

Today, Drunken Moon Building was reserved for some very important people, not open to other customers.

Inside the largest private room on the second floor.

The table was full of various famous delicacies and exquisite dishes, and the aromatic fragrance of the wine from the Agricultural School filled the entire room.

A young nobleman picked up his cup and drained the wine in one gulp, shaking his head and saying, "The wine is good, but it would be better if it were fed by Yingying herself..."

Another person beside him said, "Stop dreaming about Yingying, Happy Building won’t open its doors for ten days; if you want to find Yingying, you will have to wait until then..."

Yingying was Happy Building’s most popular girl at her prime.

Her dance was extraordinary, hailed as ’Chang’an’s Number One Dance,’ and countless noblemen wanted to claim her for themselves.

Unfortunately, with Happy Building closed for ten days, it was impossible to meet Yingying.

It wasn’t just Happy Building that was closed; all the slightly more upscale brothels in Chang’an shut down, leaving them nowhere to find pleasure.

So, they had to come here.

"It’s all that damn guy’s fault, why does he meddle in other people’s business?"

"He himself is married to two peerless beauties and has even taken the Phoenix lady from Jade Sound Pavilion into his home, enjoying a luxurious life every day, yet he doesn’t let others live well—where is the sense in that?"

"It’s really damn suffocating!"

All the people present were offspring of Chang’an’s powerful elite.

From birth, they had everything.

Wealth, power, beauty—things others had to work extremely hard to attain—they were born with.

They never needed to earn money, possessing enough to never run out in a lifetime.

Nor did they need to partake in the Imperial Examination; even those Advanced Scholars who had studied for ten or twenty years still had to kowtow when they saw them.

Other than seeking pleasures, they rarely had other concerns.

But now, even this small joy was being stripped away from them.

Their days suddenly became dull.

Someone couldn’t help but speak out resentfully, "It’s really too much; behind Sky Sound Courtyard and Happy Building are King You and King Han—are even they unable to handle Li Xuanjing’s son?"

Another person said, "Have you forgotten the last incident? In order not to offend Li Xuanjing, King Han even killed his own people. Even King You and King Han must be wary of that man..."

"Didn’t the shopkeeper of Happy Building commit suicide?"

"Suicide? You believe that? That was a discarded piece King Han gave up, an explanation to Li Xuanjing..."

Before he could finish his words, he was tugged at the sleeve by the person next to him.

At the doorway of the private room.

A figure paused in his steps, then walked in leisurely.

The nobleman who had spoken earlier looked back and, after showing a startled expression, immediately put on a forced smile and said, "The Princely Heir has arrived; I was just talking nonsense. How could His Highness King Han possibly be afraid of Li Xuanjing, that Li Xuanjing is nothing but a dog to His Majesty. His Highness is the Eldest Prince and just doesn’t bother with him…"

Smack!

Just after he had spoken, an exquisite white jade wine pot smashed on his head.

Blood flowed down his forehead, obscuring his vision, but he didn’t dare to wipe it away, anxiously standing up and slapping his own cheeks while stammering, "I misspoke; please forgive me, Princely Heir..."