NOVPUBAnd at the Ministry of War, other officials waited for almost an hour, hearts in their throats, before they dared to leave.
At that moment, the Minister of Transportation, Zhou Ting, had already arrived at the Ministry of Justice.
As he got down from the carriage, he saw a figure standing at the entrance of the Ministry of Justice, and his expression faltered slightly.
Zhou Yu stood straight, calmly saying, "Father."
Zhou Ting finally realized something, incredulously asking, "Is it you?"
Although Zhou Yu said nothing, his silence implied consent.
He had no intention of hiding it.
He wanted his father to know, he was no longer the Zhou Yu of the past.
He had the determination and the capability to protect his mother.
All this time, Zhou Ting had been thinking through every enemy he had made in his lifetime, never expecting that it would be his own son who reported him to the Ministry of Justice.
His face twisted in rage as he suddenly raised his hand, "You unfilial son!"
Zhou Yu closed his eyes, ready to face the slap.
However, he felt no pain on his face.
Zhou Ting’s hand did not land on Zhou Yu’s face but gently patted his shoulder, bursting into laughter unexpectedly, "Very good, very good..."
After speaking, he walked briskly towards the Ministry of Justice, paying no further attention to Zhou Yu.
Instead, Zhou Yu, watching his father’s departing figure, felt a mix of shock and concern after a moment’s pause.
Could his father have lost his senses from anger?
Zhou Ting was not actually angry.
The moment he saw Zhou Yu, he understood everything.
Being reported to the Ministry of Justice by his own son, he didn’t feel anger but happiness.
Immense happiness.
What kind of place was the Ministry of Justice? It was notorious and feared by countless officials, with the power to seize or release any official below the rank of fourth-rank as they wished. How many could influence the actions of people at the Ministry of Justice?
Two months ago, he could have never imagined that Zhou Yu would become friends with the son of the Minister of Justice.
The boy had finally made something of himself.
He no longer had to worry about the Zhou Family’s lack of a suitable successor.
Wasn’t this a reason to rejoice?
...
At the Song Residence, Li Nuo quietly waited.
He hadn’t been directly involved in the affair between the Zhou father and son.
After arranging everything for Zhou Yu, he returned, now playing checkers with Mumu.
At one moment, the numbers on the Law Code fluctuated slightly.
His lifespan had increased by three days.
For imperial officials, being late or leaving early was a minor offense, almost akin to visiting a brothel, usually just resulting in a fine or a day of reflection.
Before capturing him, Li Nuo already knew the likely judgment.
The Director of Music, Liu Shang, was Standard seventh-rank, while the Minister of Transportation was Standard Fifth Rank, roughly the same charges, but the Minister of Transportation’s were more severe, which was fair and reasonable. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓾𝒷.𝒸ℴ𝓂
However, Li Nuo still stood there, his expression remarkably surprised.
The changes in the Law Code were not just in the longevity figures.
The Law Code also had an additional page with a portrait.
It was the portrait of the Minister of Transportation, whom Li Nuo had met once.
Zhou Yu’s father unexpectedly had a talent recognized by the Law Code...
Li Nuo had heard from Zhou Yu that his father had been the top scholar in Horse Riding at the Imperial Examination more than twenty years ago.
But Li Nuo hadn’t thought much of it at the time.
Even if his skills in Horse Riding had been strong back then, how much of that could still remain after more than twenty years?
Liu Shang had just completed his exams three years ago, even he wasn’t acknowledged by the Law Code anymore, let alone someone after twenty years.
To confirm whether the Minister of Transportation’s specialty was indeed Horse Riding, Li Nuo hurriedly left without playing checkers with Mumu, and when his hand touched the carriage, an unusual, familiar sensation immediately surged within him.
A peculiar, familiar feeling.
Housekeeper Wu was about to ask where the young master was going when Li Nuo suddenly said, "You sit inside, I’ll drive."
Moments later, Housekeeper Wu sat in the carriage, highly alert, ready to control the trajectory of the carriage using True Qi at any moment.
Chang’an had dedicated roads for carriage travel. Although collisions with pedestrians were avoided, if the carriage overturned or collided with an oncoming carriage, the young master’s small frame would not withstand it.
However, to his surprise, the young master drove the carriage swiftly and smoothly, nothing like someone driving for the first time.
Although he had practiced a few times at the Horse Field, this progress was unexpectedly rapid.
Li Nuo drove the carriage swiftly and steadily along the road.
Had he known the Minister of Transportation’s skills hadn’t diminished in twenty years, he wouldn’t have put Zhou Yu through such hardship.
Originally, he only intended to motivate Zhou Yu, but he hadn’t expected such a significant unexpected gain.
A smooth road couldn’t test real driving skills, so he decided to verify it on a professional path at the Horse Field of Yunmeng Academy.
Soon, he arrived at Yunmeng Academy’s Horse Field. At this time, there weren’t many practicing Horse Riding, so Li Nuo randomly chose a carriage and took an unoccupied track.
On his first run, he drove very slowly.
Firstly, to familiarize himself with that feeling, and secondly, to not frighten Housekeeper Wu.
Not far away, several figures were resting on the lawn.
At this time, those who were still practicing here were mostly from poor families who felt their skills were too poor and sought to compensate through diligence.
The sons of the affluent, having learned Horse Riding from a young age, had generally mastered the Five Imperial well, devoting the last six months to relatively weaker subjects.
But these few, they excelled at Horse Riding.
They did not need to be so diligent; with their skills, even competing for the top scholar in Horse Riding was within their reach.
But something had gotten into Zhou Yu recently, practicing Horse Riding like a madman, which also induced some sense of urgency in them.
Zhou Yu’s Horse Riding skills were already among the top three in the academy.
Being in the top three and yet so diligent clearly showed he was aiming for the top scholar in Horse Riding.
