NOVPUBMinistry of Justice.
Si Minister’s Office.
Li Xuanjing sat behind his desk, leafing through a case file.
A young man dressed in black stood before the desk and said, "The three provinces have rapidly passed a resolution these past days. From now on, academies must recruit students through the spring examination only. No more exceptional admissions will be allowed outside the exam, nor will students be able to donate silver to secure a place..."
Li Xuanjing turned a page of the file as the young man continued, "This time, nobles led by Marquis Yongshou and Marquis Lantian have, through various means, secretly bought over more than ten officials from the three provinces. They have exerted such great effort, could it be just to keep the young master from entering the academy?"
Li Xuanjing marked an "×" on the cover of the file with a cinnabar pen and set it aside.
He picked up another from the stack and only then replied, "It is not entirely for that reason. They have been promoting this proposal for quite some time. They are simply seizing the opportunity to push it through ahead of schedule."
The young man continued, "Unfortunately, most of the officials from the three provinces hold posts above the fourth-rank, and we are unable to intervene directly. Moreover, with the subtle manner in which the nobles have acted, it is not easy to use this to bring them down."
The Ministry of Justice had been battling with courtiers for so long that those corrupt officials who took bribes no longer did so by directly accepting silver.
Or rather, those audacious enough to take silver outright had already been weeded out.
Sending some worthless antiques and paintings as gifts, and then arranging for a third party to buy them from corrupt officials at a high price, was the most basic method.
A more covert approach involved opening a pawnshop to lend low and redeem high, perfectly legal and legitimate.
More advanced methods included allowing family members to openly run a brothel or a Music Workshop in Chang’an.
Affairs of men and women, consensual as they were.
Whether it was to offer services for free or to invest silver, the court couldn’t interfere.
Even if an unattractive woman charged ten thousand taels of silver for a night, as long as someone was willing to pay and taxes were duly paid afterwards, the Ministry of Justice had no authority to get involved.
Li Xuanjing merely smiled faintly and said, "No one is impossible to topple. Everything is simply about going with the flow. If the timing is not right, even ample evidence is useless; when the time comes, no evidence is needed, for it can be fabricated... Keep these files for now; they will eventually come in handy."
Regret appeared on the young man’s face as he said, "With the implementation of this resolution, the young master won’t be able to participate in this session of the Imperial Examination, and we’ll have to wait another four years for the next one."
Li Xuanjing turned another page of his file and said indifferently, "That may not necessarily be the case..."
The two said no more.
The government office returned to tranquility, only the stack of files on the desk gradually diminishing.
Meanwhile.
Somewhere on the streets of Chang’an, Li Nuo stepped down from the carriage and once again stood in front of the grand entrance of King Chun Mansion.
This time, Li Nuo brought Mumu along.
When she woke up that morning and heard that the two had gone horseback riding without her, she was quite unhappy.
So this time, Li Nuo had no choice but to take her with him.
Coming to King Chun Mansion again, the mansion’s steward was very enthusiastic, ushering them inside while saying, "The Prince is not in the mansion at the moment but should return shortly. Please wait inside for a moment, young master…"
Li Nuo, holding Mumu’s hand, was led by the mansion’s steward across a spacious square where a distinguished young noble stood.
It was Prince Li Yun, the heir of King Chun.
He had his back to Li Nuo and the others, fiddling with something in his hands.
Approaching, Li Nuo saw that in his hands was a bird the size of a palm.
This bird was not real but made of wood, painted with colorful pigments to resemble a live one.
Li Yun twisted the tail of the bird a few times before releasing it, and the wooden kite flapped its wings just like a real bird, circled in the air, and then flew back to his hand.
Song Mu’er’s eyes widened, stunned by this magical sight.
Li Nuo was also surprised, not expecting that King Chun’s Princely Heir would be a Mohist.
Despite being palm-sized, the mechanical bird’s flight motion was indistinguishable from that of a real bird.
It was not difficult to imagine the intricate and complex structure inside.
Only those who studied Mechanical Techniques in the Mohist school could have such skill.
Li Yun turned around, noticed Li Nuo standing behind him, and after a brief pause, a smile appeared on his face, "Brother, you’ve arrived. Father is not at home right now, let me show you around the mansion..."
Seeing Mumu’s eager look at the wooden kite in Li Yun’s hand, Li Nuo smiled and said, "No need for a tour, Brother. Could I take a look at that wooden kite in your hands?"
Li Yun cheerfully handed over the wooden kite and asked, "Are you also interested in Mechanical Techniques, Brother?"
Li Nuo took the kite, turned its tail mechanism, and released it. The wooden bird soared into the air, made a circle in flight, and then flew back to his hand.
Li Nuo admired the small gadget in his hand, saying, "The craft of the Mohists truly lives up to their reputation."
Song Mu’er gently tugged on Li Nuo’s sleeve, looking pitifully as she said, "Brother Li Nuo, I want to play too."
Li Nuo handed her the wooden kite and taught her how to use it, after which she played with it joyously on her own.
Seeing how much she liked it, Li Yun said, "If little sister likes it, then this wooden kite is yours."
Song Mu’er beamed with joy, "Thank you, big brother!"
Li Nuo saw this and felt a bit of a headache, unsure if Prince Li Yun had a second identical wooden kite. Otherwise, when they returned home, the Song Family would surely be in an uproar again.
Li Yun, delighted that someone liked his little gadget, dashed to a large hall beside the square and brought out even more items.
