Chapter 126: Woman's Heart

Secretariat.

The Secretariat was originally the department that issued imperial edicts in accordance with the emperor's orders.

Since Your Majesty stopped paying attention to state affairs, all memorials submitted by officials have been gathered here. The power of the Secretariat has expanded rapidly. In recent years, it has been the highest decision-making center in the court, in charge of state affairs.

All memorials from court officials had to be approved by the Secretariat.

All imperial edicts were also issued by the Secretariat.

Nominally, the Secretariat was headed by the Minister of the Secretariat, with two Vice-Ministers as assistants.

However, the Minister of the Secretariat was still the prime minister of the dynasty, commanding all departments in the court and rarely appeared in the Secretariat.

All matters, big or small, within the Secretariat were decided upon by the six Secretariat Secretaries. After the Vice Minister of the Secretariat had no objection after reading the decision, the decision would be submitted to the Ministry of Personnel after being stamped with the seal. After the Ministry of Personnel had given the final review, the decision could be sent to various ministries for execution.

The official position of Zhongshu Sheren was not very high. It used to be the fifth rank, and in recent years it was promoted to the fourth rank, which means it has just entered the ranks of high-ranking officials.

But they hold considerable power, and the promulgation and implementation of most government decrees are in their hands.

A secretary was sitting in the government office, flipping through a memorial.

After taking a quick glance, he frowned.

This memorial is about the reform of the Ministry of Justice.

Since ancient times, the Ministry of Justice has only had four departments, and he actually wanted to set up an Anti-Theft Department in the Ministry of Justice.

Don't submit a report if there is nothing to do. Arresting thieves is the responsibility of the Chang'an County Court. What does it have to do with the Ministry of Justice?

This official not only wanted to set up an anti-theft department in the Ministry of Justice, but also wanted to recruit some thieves into it. It was simply ridiculous.

The officials in the Ministry of Justice are usually too idle and have nothing better to do, so they actually submitted such a weird memorial.

I don’t know what they are thinking. Do they think that the officials in the Secretariat are as brainless as them?

He had to deal with countless memorials every day. For this kind of strange memorial, he would not even look at the signature and would usually just glance at it and send it back.

But it was so strange that he really wanted to know who this official was.

He glanced at the name on the lower right corner of the memorial.

Li Xuanjing.

Du Yu was slightly stunned.

He picked up the letter again and read it again, and his mind had changed.

Let the thief catch the thief - this is indeed a new idea that has never been imagined.

On the one hand, it can allow those thieves to make up for their mistakes.

It is inevitable to make mistakes on the road of life. What they have committed are not unforgivable sins. It is not impossible to give them a chance to make amends.

On the other hand, it can further improve public security in the city, which is also a good thing for the people.

He really is worthy of being the Chief Justice of Dali Temple. This proposal is so brilliant.

Du Yu quickly circled a blank space on the memorial with a red pen and signed his name. Then he went to another government office, knocked on the door, and said to a figure sitting behind a desk, "Minister Wang, there is a memorial that needs your urgent review."

The Secretariat had to review a lot of memorials every day, and unless there was an emergency, they were generally reviewed in order.

The Left Assistant Minister of the Central Secretariat took the memorial and thought it was something important. After reading it, he looked across with suspicion and asked, "Mr. Du, are you okay?"

He even dared to circle such a weird memorial and even gave it to him for expedited review?

Facing the care-loving look in the eyes of the Minister, Du Yu said helplessly: "Sir, I think this suggestion is very good..."

The Minister of the Left stood up and said, "Come on, come on, tell me what is good about this proposal?"

Du Yu pointed to the name on the lower right corner of the memorial and said, "Fortunately, it's here."

The Minister of the Left looked at the position of his finger, and after a moment of silence, he slowly sat down and said, "After thinking about it carefully, this proposal seems to be really good..."

Whether this proposal is good or not depends on who submits the memorial.

If it was submitted by the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Du Yu, as the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, would have rejected it himself.

If this memorial came from the Minister of Punishments, the Left Vice Minister of the Secretariat would politely inform him that this was against the rules after the morning court session and then send the memorial back.

However, this memorial was written by Li Xuanjing, the Minister of Dali Temple.

It’s just setting up a new department in the Ministry of Justice, no big deal.

They don't need the court to pay them salaries, nor do they need to set up official positions. They can do whatever they want. There's no need to offend that person for this little thing...

Last time, under pressure, they issued an edict preventing his son from trying the case.

If Li Xuanjing's memorial is rejected again this time, it is impossible to predict what will happen next...

Not to mention that they were just a small Secretariat of State and Secretariat Assistant Minister, even the Secretary of State, the Left Prime Minister of the current dynasty, had to give that man some face.

After all, Lord Zuo Xiang may not be able to get a death-free gold medal from His Majesty...

The Left Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat glanced at Du Yu and said unhappily, "What are you still standing there for? Immediately draft an imperial decree to set up a thief-hunting department in the Ministry of Justice and send it to the Ministry of Personnel for review. The sooner the better. It would be best if it could be sent to the Ministry of Justice today..."

…

Song Mansion.

While Song Jiaren was practicing swordplay, Li Nuo was playing the piano beside her.

It's strange that she has such a high talent for martial arts, but she can't even recognize all the characters. However, she always likes to play the piano, paint, and write poetry and songs.

It seems that the more she doesn't understand something, the more she likes it.

But if you think about it carefully, there doesn't seem to be anything strange about it.

Li Nuo had no interest in poetry or songs, but he dreamed of becoming as good at fighting as his wife.

The more a person lacks something, the more he desires it.

In the morning, my wife said she wanted to hear him play the piano.

Fortunately, he met Liu Shang in the Dali Temple yesterday, which saved him a day of life.

The last time he and Li An Ning pretended to be a couple had just passed, and his relationship with his wife had returned to normal. She wanted to listen to some music, and Li Nuo couldn't refuse.

In the past, the relationship was not good enough, so he could refuse if he wanted to.

But as they became closer and closer, when she woke up this morning, Li Nuo had one arm on her, and she didn't say anything.

She said she wanted to hear him play the piano, how could he refuse?

However, this is not a long-term solution.

His cultivation has now reached a bottleneck, and his lifespan will only decrease, not increase.

Either he breaks through the realm earlier. Under normal circumstances, his life span increases at a fast rate, so he doesn't care about one or two days.

Or find a way to turn Le Dao into a permanent skill, just like the previous stealing technique, so that you can use it at will in the future without consuming your lifespan.

However, these two roads are not easy to take.

If you want to break through the bottleneck as soon as possible, you need to do something big.

If you want to make Le Dao a permanent skill, you need to capture a large number of people with Le Ke expertise at one time. They don't need to have top-level Le Dao abilities, but there must be enough of them.

If the requirements for the merger are not met, the dim portraits will dissipate the next day.

When Li Nuo was playing the piano, Mu'er was beside him, stuffing a peeled orange slice into his mouth from time to time.

I didn't know where Ning'er went. After giving her a few oranges, she ran away without a trace.

Song Mansion, Song Ning'er's exclusive courtyard.

She handed the peeled orange to the woman. The woman wearing a veil turned her head and looked somewhere. From somewhere outside the courtyard wall, the faint sound of a piano came.

The woman put a slice of orange into her mouth, closed her eyes and listened carefully.

The sound of the piano was pleasant and made people feel happy. She was also moved by the music and couldn't help humming an unknown tune. Then she asked, "Who is playing the piano?"

While peeling an orange, Song Ning'er said, "It's Brother Li Nuo. Brother Li Nuo is really amazing. He's so good at painting, plays the piano so beautifully, and looks so good. I envy Sister Jiaren so much. When I get married in the future, I want to find a husband as amazing as Brother Li Nuo..."

The woman wearing the muli put down the orange in her hand and said, "What a crappy orange, so sour, and that crappy song, the one she played was not nice at all..."

Song Ning'er raised her little face, looking confused.

The oranges are sweet, and Brother Li Nuo plays the piano beautifully. Everything is fine, why did the master sister suddenly get angry...

…

Li Nuo did not go to the Ministry of Justice today.

I've been running around outside all day these days and finally have some free time.

He lay on a lounge chair in the yard, basking in the sun leisurely.

At a certain moment, he felt that the sunlight suddenly disappeared.

Li Nuo opened his eyes and saw only two huge oranges.

No, it’s not an orange, it’s Li Anning who wore an orange dress today.

She rarely wore the uniform of the Ministry of Justice, but instead changed into an orange palace dress.

Li Anning handed Li Nuo something that was similar to a memorial but much larger. Li Nuo opened it and took a look. It was an imperial edict sent from three provinces to the Ministry of Justice.

The content of the decree is very simple.

The imperial court allowed the establishment of an Anti-Theft Department in the Ministry of Justice, and allowed them to recruit thieves serving sentences into the Anti-Theft Department, allowing them to work in lieu of labor and atone for their crimes.

There was no clear instruction in the decree on how to do this.

But this also means that there is a lot of room for them to play.

I didn't expect the court to be so efficient. When Li Nuo went to see his father yesterday afternoon, the imperial edicts from the three provinces arrived at the Ministry of Justice this morning.

Li Nuo got up from the chair, walked back to the room, said something to his wife, and went to the Ministry of Justice with Li An Ning.

The two of them did not take a carriage today.

It sounds easy to set up an Anti-Theft Department in the Ministry of Justice, but when you actually do it, you will encounter many problems with the details.

How to convince those elite thieves to work for the court willingly, and how to ensure that they do not escape after they get out, this requires a complete and reasonable system.

He and Li Anning discussed as they walked.

It is relatively easy to persuade those managers of the thieves' sects, as long as they are promised certain benefits.

Under normal circumstances, they were about to be exiled three thousand miles away from their families. Not only would they be unable to return to Chang'an in this lifetime, it was also unknown whether they could survive these three years.

Joining the Anti-Theft Bureau can temporarily save them from exile.

At the same time, a sentence reduction mechanism will be established for them.

For every thief caught, one day of prison sentence can be exempted and the offender can be exiled ten miles away. If one catches the most thieves in a month, an additional ten days of prison sentence can be exempted and the offender can be exiled one hundred miles away.

For each day of field work, you can get a reward of ten cents.

These ten cents may not seem like much, but they can be used to improve the food, adding a chicken leg and two eggs to each meal, and occasionally some fruit.

The meals in the Ministry of Justice have been the same cabbage, tofu and radish for ten years, and there is no meat in them. This is their only way to improve their food.

As for how to prevent them from taking the opportunity to escape, there is currently no absolutely effective method.

The two walked and thought.

Normally, they wouldn't think of running away.

Many of these gang leaders have families in Chang'an. If they work honestly, they can get a reduced sentence and may be released from prison in less than a year and reunite with their families.

If you are willing to stay in the Anti-Theft Bureau, you can get a civil service job at least, which is better than being a thief.

Normal people know what to choose.

However, to be on the safe side, it is better to let the detectives from the Ministry of Justice keep an eye on it closely at the beginning.

Not far behind them.

Because the princess of the fourth realm of the Legalist family is with the young master, Steward Wu and several guards don't need to follow too closely.

Not long after they left, a look of doubt appeared on Butler Wu's old face.

Didn't they say they were going to the Ministry of Justice? They didn't even stop when they passed by the Ministry of Justice...

Hey, hey, hey, we were just walking, why are our arms linked together while walking?

Li Nuo and Li An Ning talked as they walked. The system of the Anti-Theft Bureau was gradually being improved. At a certain moment, he suddenly realized that the situation around him was a little bit wrong.

The houses here tend to be low and dilapidated, so it is naturally impossible for the Ministry of Justice to be located here.

Li Nuo realized that he was so engrossed in the conversation that he passed by the Ministry of Justice without noticing.

He looked around and felt that something was familiar.

It was normal for him to be familiar with it, because he and Li Anning had walked this route early in the morning to buy groceries in those days.

He looked down and saw Li Anning naturally holding his arm.

Li Nuo paused. Li An Ning, who was thinking about some details, was caught off guard and staggered, almost falling down with Li Nuo.

After she stood firm, she looked up at Li Nuo and said unhappily, "What are you doing..."

Li Nuo looked down at the two people's arms linked together.

Li Anning was slightly stunned, and when he came to his senses, he immediately let go of him and said, "Sorry, I'm used to it..."

After she looked around, she showed surprise on her face and murmured, "How did we get here?"

Li Nuo did not mention what happened just now, and said: "Let's go back, the Ministry of Justice still has a lot of things to arrange."

Li Anning looked forward. From here, walking across the street ahead, they would reach the small house where they originally lived.

Some memories emerged in her mind, and she said, "Since we're here, let's go take a look..."

Li Nuo said nothing and continued walking forward.

In order to obtain a new identity, Song Yu and his wife were secretly sent to another place.

In order to protect them from retaliation by the remnants of the thieves' gang, Li Nuo did not let them move back. Instead, he asked housekeeper Wu to give them a sum of money and found a job for Song Yu, which was enough to ensure that they would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives.

After Li Nuo and Li An Ning left, this place became empty.

When the two were about to reach the house, they saw a figure wandering in front of the gate from afar.

He was a middle-aged man with ordinary looks, wandering around the door and occasionally looking inside through the crack.

Zhao Wu still doesn't know what happened that night.

All he knew was that after that night, he lost contact with the higher-ups.

When he went to the stronghold during the day, he saw several officers standing outside the stronghold.

He didn't dare to get close, just looked from a distance for a while and then left.

Later he learned that all the high-ranking members of the thieves' sect, above the leader, were arrested that night. The government launched an operation overnight and almost wiped out the entire thieves' sect.

Among the more than 60 managers, more than 50 were arrested.

As for ordinary thieves, no one knows how many have been caught by following the clues.

He escaped because he was not at home that night and was with his children.

After surviving the disaster, Zhao Wu felt relieved but also deeply regretful.

He regretted letting Xiao Song join the Daomen. If he had not joined the Daomen, he would not have become the leader, and he would not have been caught by the imperial court.

Having lost the pillar of the family, how will his wife live in the future?

Came here several times in the past few days.

But there was no one at Xiao Song's house.

Zhao Wu sighed, stood under the courtyard wall, took out a bulging purse from his arms and threw it into the yard.

I hope my brother and sister-in-law can see this money when they come back.

Although the money was not much, it was enough for him to live for a while.

Zhao Wu was about to leave when he turned around and saw two figures standing behind him.

They were a young couple, the man was handsome and the woman was pretty, both of them were dressed elegantly, and they exuded a noble aura.

Zhao Wu lowered his head, not daring to look a second time.

Zhao Wu was able to reach the position of manager of the Thieves' Sect. His skills may not be very advanced, but his ability to judge people is the capital for his survival.

These two were obviously nobles of high status, not people that common people like them could afford to offend. He lowered his head and was about to leave in a hurry when he suddenly heard a familiar voice in his ears.

"Fifth brother, how are you?"

Zhao Wu slowly raised his head and looked at the nobleman, with a look of shock and confusion on his face, and said in a trembling voice: "Xiao, Xiao Song?"

…

The door of the house was locked.

But it's not a problem for Li Nuo.

He had his back to Li An Ning, and as soon as his hand touched the lock, it opened.

Li Anning walked into the yard and looked at everything familiar in the yard, and past memories came to his mind.

Although this dilapidated little house is far inferior to the magnificent Changning Palace and the gorgeous princess's mansion, it has a special meaning to her.

Ever since her mother passed away, she has been the only one living in this huge palace.

Changning Palace was spacious and deep, and even the sunlight could not reach the deepest part of the palace.

The palace maids always walked hurriedly with their heads down. They had received strict etiquette training and could walk without making any sound. Occasionally, they gathered together to chat and laugh, but when they saw her coming, they would immediately fall silent.

Her entire childhood was spent in silence and darkness.

Although this place is not as good as a room in the harem or the princess's mansion, it carries many interesting memories of her. Compared with the spacious harem and the gorgeous princess's mansion, she actually likes this place better.

Here she had her first hand holding, her first hug, her first cooking, her first time completely forgetting her identity as a princess, and her first time having the life that a normal person should have...

Unfortunately, everything she had was fake.

The person who would go shopping with her, walk with her, cook for her, and dress her up is fake.

In reality, he would only steal her oranges and give them to other women.

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a little sad.

She turned her eyes away from Li Nuo's face and said calmly, "Let's go back to the Ministry of Justice."

After saying that, she left on her own.

Li Nuo looked at Li Anning's back as he walked away without waiting, a look of confusion appeared on his face.

Did I offend her?

No, he didn't do anything and didn't say anything...

No wonder they say a woman’s heart is as unfathomable as the sea.

Not only could he not figure out his wife, he couldn't figure out Li An Ning either.

Muer is still the best.

Her happiness and unhappiness are written on her face, and people won’t guess. I hope that when she grows up, she won’t become like them...

Li Anning went back to the Ministry of Justice alone.

Li Nuo still had some things to deal with and looked towards somewhere in the yard.

Zhao Wu stood there with his head down, his face pale and cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

This nobleman has the same voice as Xiao Song.

Apart from looking different from Xiao Song, he is no different from Xiao Song in terms of height, body shape, or voice.

And the woman next to him.

In addition to her beautiful appearance, her features are exactly the same as Xiao Song's wife.

At this moment, Zhao Wu had already guessed the reason for the demise of the Daomen.

They were talking about the Ministry of Justice just now...it turns out that he was a government official from the beginning.

So, the reason why the Dao Sect was destroyed was actually because of him, Zhao Wu...

Li Nuo picked up a cloth bag from the ground. After opening it, he saw that it was full of small silver pieces. The quality of these small silver pieces varied, some were new silver and some were old silver. They must have been saved for a long time.

Although he had not known Zhao Wu for a long time, Li Nuo did not have a bad impression of him.

Facts have proved that he can indeed be described as a man of affection and righteousness.

Speaking of which, in addition to Li Nuo and Li Anning, there is another person whose contribution cannot be ignored in eradicating the thieves.

If it weren't for Zhao Wu's keen eye for talent, he might have missed this opportunity.

Li Nuo looked at him and was about to speak.

Zhao Wu knelt down with a thud, kowtowed several times, and said, "Xiao Song, Master Song... No, no, no, sir, I know I am guilty and dare not beg for mercy, but before I go to the government, can you let me go somewhere first..."

(End of this chapter)