I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

"Your Highness, the prison in the Ministry of Justice holds criminals, not laborers from the Ministry of Works."

After putting down his wine cup, Ma Yuanqing couldn't help but laugh. "If something goes wrong while hiring murderers and arsonists to do things, Lord Shen can't afford to take responsibility."

Several officials from the Ministry of Justice exchanged glances, also finding Lu Yuan's idea absurd.

The Ministry of Justice's prison held more than a thousand people, including criminals who had been prosecuted and serious offenders who had been sentenced to exile or military service.

These people are restless even when they're in shackles; who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause once they're released.

Shen Yilei put the judgment he had just written aside.

"Old Ma, His Highness has his own plans; you don't need to overthink it."

Ma Yuanqing was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Yeah, what's the point of me talking so much?

He was a prince, while I was just a lowly sixth-rank official.

Shen Yilei quickly urged everyone to eat, and then asked the housekeeper to remove the dishes that had gone cold and remake them.

For the next hour, Lu Yuan didn't offer any new ideas, but listened to them talk about all sorts of bizarre cases the Ministry of Justice had handled over the years.

While enjoying the melon, let's also learn about the legal system of the Dayong Dynasty.

Shen Hanqiu got up and draped an outer coat over Lu Yuan's shoulders.

"Your Highness, it's getting late."

After stretching, Lu Yuan looked at Shen Yilei, who was still pouring him wine.

"Father-in-law, it's getting late. Hanqiu and I will head back now. Everyone should get some rest too."

Shen Yilei quickly put the wine pot down.

"Your Highness, I escort you to the Consort."

The officials from the Ministry of Justice also stood up and escorted him all the way to the entrance of the Shen residence.

The female soldiers of the Phoenix Battalion had already inspected the carriages and wheels, and Liu Qing personally lifted the curtain.

Lu Yuan helped Shen Hanqiu into the carriage, but did not go in immediately himself.

He looked down at Shen Yilei on the steps.

"father in law."

"Your subject is here."

Shen Yilei subconsciously straightened his back.

Lu Yuan added, "The Ministry of Justice is in charge of the country's punishments and prison administration. It decides life and death, and also reflects the people's trust in the court."

"Work hard and do more practical things for the people."

"Having been in the sixth-rank position for too long, it's time for a promotion."

Shen Yilei stood there, stunned.

He worked in the Ministry of Justice for more than ten years, rising from an insignificant clerk to a chief officer.

In terms of seniority, he has enough.

When it comes to handling cases, he's no less capable than anyone else.

However, behind every position in the Ministry of Justice is a powerful figure in the imperial court.

He had neither connections nor money, so he could only hold a sixth-rank official position and watch those with more seniority than him walk over his head.

Therefore, he transformed from an idealistic intellectual into a seasoned bureaucrat and a fence-sitter.

Lu Yuan's words today clearly told the Ninth Prince's residence that as long as things were handled well, the Ninth Prince's residence would be his backer.

Shen Yilei quickly walked over and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Your Highness, please rest assured. I dare not claim to have great abilities, but in all the cases I have handled over the years, not a single one involved bribery, nor has it wronged anyone."

"Let's go back."

Lu Yuan got into the car.

Liu Qing rolled up the car window, and the convoy slowly left the Shen residence.

Ma Yuanqing stood on the steps, watching the carriages and horses of the Ninth Prince's residence gradually disappear into the distance, feeling a deep sense of unease.

The officials who had been arguing about the case just moments before had now gathered around.

"Congratulations, Lord Shen!"

"With His Highness the Ninth Prince personally guiding him, Lord Shen is not far from being promoted!"

"If Lord Shen becomes a physician in the future, please don't forget us old colleagues."

"What does 'physician' mean? With Lord Shen's talent, and the Ninth Prince's high regard for him, he might not be unable to contend for the position of Vice Minister."

Shen Yilei was sandwiched in the middle, grinning from ear to ear.

Ma Yuanqing stood outside the crowd, hesitated for a long time, and then walked into the crowd.

After straightening his official robes, he bowed to Shen Yilei.

"Lord Shen, I was wrong before. I will need your guidance in the future."

The surrounding officials also turned their attention to the two people.

These two had a long history of disagreements, but they were usually evenly matched.

Today, the Ninth Prince personally stood up for Shen Yilei.

Even Lao Ma had no choice but to back down and bow his head.

However, Shen Zhilei did not put on airs. He went up and grabbed Ma Yuanqing's hand, straightening it out.

"That's all in the past. We didn't have any backing before, and we had to be mindful of others' opinions in everything we did. Even before the case was decided, we had to ask which family the criminal belonged to."

"Before I've even finished writing the petition, I have to guess what the adults upstairs want to hear."

"To put it bluntly, we are all caught in a situation beyond our control."

When Ma Yuanqing looked up, his expression showed a hint of surprise.

Shen Yilei turned around and said to everyone present, "As you all have seen today, His Highness the Ninth Prince is different from the other princes."

"He doesn't care who we are, he only cares about how the case will be judged and whether ordinary people can get justice."

"As long as we do our work seriously and don't engage in any shady practices or take bribes, with His Highness the Ninth Prince around, we can hold our heads high."

Cao Wenzhi first cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Lord Shen is absolutely right."

The other officials also bowed.

"We are willing to work under Lord Shen."

Ma Yuanqing no longer hesitated and cupped his hands in greeting.

Count me in.

Looking at his colleagues who usually belonged to different groups, Shen Yilei finally felt a release of the pent-up frustration he had accumulated over the years.

He turned to the butler and said.

"Turn on the light in the study."

"Sir, haven't you rested yet?"

"How are you going to rest?" Shen Yilei rolled up his sleeves and said, "I have to work overtime."

……

Inside the carriage, Shen Hanqiu leaned against the soft pillows, wanting to speak several times, but then swallowing her words back.

Lu Yuan handed her the pastries from the car.

Say whatever you want.

Shen Hanqiu took the pastries, but did not eat them.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry for today."

"Why are you apologizing for nothing?"

"My father invited his colleagues from the Ministry of Justice to our home, not to discuss the case."

Shen Hanqiu lowered her head and put the pastries back into the small dish. "He just wanted those people to see whether His Highness would accompany me on my homecoming."

"My father's official rank has not been promoted in recent years, and he has been treated coldly in the Ministry of Justice. That's why he wanted to use Your Highness's status to stand up for himself in front of his colleagues."

"I was unaware of this beforehand. If I had known, I certainly would have stopped him."

Lu Yuan lifted her face.

"What's the reason for stopping them?"

Shen Hanqiu looked at him: "Isn't Your Highness angry?"

"What's there to be angry about?"

Lu Yuan stuffed the pastries into her hands again, "It's true that your father cares about his reputation, but deep down he still has a strong sense of integrity and isn't just a scheming person."

"He is a sixth-rank official without any powerful connections. If he wants to gain a foothold in the Ministry of Justice, he must be careful in everything he does."

"You saw Ma Yuanqing and the others' attitude today. Before I even arrived, they dared to use your status as a concubine to belittle your father-in-law."

"I have arrived, and they are all being more and more polite than the last."

That's how it is in officialdom.

"Some people don't want to bend over, they just don't have anyone supporting them, so they can't stand up straight."

Shen Hanqiu held the pastry between her fingers, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Your Highness..."

"Don't cry."

Lu Yuan wiped the corner of her eye with his fingertip.

"As long as my father-in-law performs his duties well, I will find a way to promote him."

"It's not because he's your father, but because the Ministry of Justice needs someone who dares to handle cases and knows whether the people are being wronged or not."

Shen Hanqiu moved closer to him.

"On behalf of my father, I thank Your Highness."

"Only on behalf of your father-in-law?"

Lu Yuan put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.

"Then I thank Your Highness as well."

"A verbal thank you is not sincere."

Shen Hanqiu's cheeks flushed, and she looked up and kissed him on the lips before quickly pulling away.

Just as Lu Yuan was about to pull the person back, the carriage stopped on the side of the street.

Liu Qing reported this through the carriage curtain.

"Your Highness, Eunuch Zhou and the palace guards are blocking our way."

Lu Yuan lifted the carriage curtain.

Zhou Fu had already arrived at the carriage, holding the emperor's token in his hands.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has decreed that you must enter the palace immediately."

"Why does Father want to see me so late?"

Zhou Fu looked around and lowered his voice.

"His Majesty says that Miss Liu has been in the manor for a day."

"It's time to bestow upon the old immortal the national treasure."

Lu Yuan's smile froze instantly.

broken.

Last night he was so busy dealing with Liu Ruyan that he didn't even think about what kind of treasure he could use to fool his cheap old man.