My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!
Chapter 540 - 351: Secretariat Encounters the Old_3

The Left Prime Minister initially thought that the Right Prime Minister would set conditions this time, but unexpectedly, after reading the memorial and the thick new law, he quickly said to an official: "Let the Ministry of Industry expedite the printing of the new law and send it to the capital and the government offices of various states. From today onwards, all crimes will be punished according to the new law..."

...

Secretariat.

Li Nuo was drinking tea in his government office when he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure passing by the office. After a slight pause, he immediately stood up and said, "Wait a moment."

The young official, arms full of documents, stopped in his tracks, turned towards the source of the voice, paused for a moment as well, then smiled and said, "Brother Li, long time no see..."

Li Nuo walked out to the door and asked with a smile, "What brings you here?"

Zhou Yu replied, "I was just transferred to the Secretariat as the Chief Clerk."

Li Nuo remembered that Zhou Yu ranked over eighty in the imperial examination and could only hold a ninth-grade official position, initially working in some county in the capital as a document officer.

The position of Chief Clerk in the Secretariat, however, was a standard seventh-rank position.

The Secretariat is the court's absolute central hub, and the Chief Clerk there is responsible for editing and drafting laws and regulations.

Though the position holds no real power, it allows one to access state secrets early. After accumulating experience here and then moving on to practice in the Six Departments, if the performance is average, one might stay in the Six Departments. If outstanding, one may be transferred back to the Secretariat, becoming the Scheeren of the Secretariat.

With further honing, a Scheeren in the Secretariat could be promoted outwards to roles like Six Departments' Chief of Staff, Capital Governor, or other third-rank officials, or internally to Assistant Minister, and ultimately, Prime Minister...

Of course, few Chief Clerks in the Secretariat become Prime Ministers, requiring both capability and luck.

Despite that, becoming a Chief Clerk in the Secretariat, a standard seventh-rank official position, could entice many to exchange their standard sixth or even fifth-rank for it.

In his office, Zhou Yu explained in detail, "I was previously a document official in Liyang County. After the incident with the Kings, the County Magistrate was executed by the Ministry of Justice. I was then promoted to County Magistrate. Half a year later, my father managed to have me transferred back. I've been in the Secretariat ever since..."

The incident with the Kings refers to King Han and King You's attempt to clean up the court.

Many officials died during that incident, leading to a serious manpower shortage in the court. Many experienced officials were promoted; even inexperienced ones had to be promoted to vacate positions for the new batch of scholars. Compared to newly admitted scholars, they at least had some experience...

Zhou Yu was fortunate and had connections in the court, no wonder he got promoted so quickly.

Zhou Yu cupped his fists towards Li Nuo and said, "Haven't yet congratulated Brother Li on your promotion."

Li Nuo also cupped his fists back, saying, "Congratulations to you too."

His success as the top scholar in the six subjects partly owed to Zhou Yu's contribution.

Had it not been for Zhou Yu bringing justice against his own kin, Li Nuo wouldn't have caught his father, and if Li Nuo hadn't achieved top scholar in the six subjects, he might not have married Anning.

Li Nuo poured him a cup of tea and asked, "How's your father these days?"

Zhou Yu nodded, saying, "He's doing well. A few months ago, he was just transferred to be the Minister of War."

Moving from Minister of Transportation to Minister of War, although both are standard fifth-rank positions, the Minister of War holds more power and promising prospects, far exceeding the Minister of Transportation, a seemingly horizontal but actually upward move.

This was good news for Li Nuo as well.

He would soon need to engage with the Ministry of War, and having acquaintances makes things much more convenient.

Just as Li Nuo was about to catch up with Zhou Yu, a head poked in from outside. Seeing Zhou Yu, it asked in a displeased tone, "Chief Clerk Zhou, what are you doing here? Have you found the documents I asked for? Scheeren Zheng urgently needs them, and there are several more documents for you to find..."

Zhou Yu picked up the documents on the table and said, "I've found them, I've found them..."

The middle-aged official walked in and said, "If you've found them, why not send them to me? What are you dawdling here for..."

Li Nuo turned to look at the middle-aged official and asked, "And you are?"

Zhou Yu proactively introduced, "This is Chief Clerk Zheng."

Upon seeing Li Nuo, the middle-aged official was momentarily surprised, then immediately bowed and said, "Greetings Scheeren Li!"

Li Nuo laughed and said, "So it's Chief Clerk Zheng. I thought it was Scheeren Zheng."

Chief Clerk Zheng's heart skipped a beat. Having been in officialdom for many years, he couldn't miss the implicit meaning behind the words. Who was this Zhou Yu to be so familiar with the Scheeren Li?

Among Scheerens in the Secretariat, the positions of the others were far below his.

At least they didn't have the privilege of having the Left Prime Minister personally take a memorial to the Ministry of Supervision for review.

He tremblingly took the documents from Zhou Yu's hands, repeatedly thanking, "Thank you, Chief Clerk Zhou. I'll find the other documents myself, please don't let me keep you and Scheeren Li from catching up..."

After Scheeren Zheng had left quickly, Zhou Yu cupped his fists towards Li Nuo again and said, "Thank you, Brother Li."

Li Nuo waved his hand and said, "You're welcome."

In officialdom, workplace bullying is common. Although Li Nuo hasn't experienced it, he's witnessed a lot. He just didn't expect someone like Zhou Yu, a second-generation official, to be bullied.

Zhou Yu explained, "Chief Clerk Zheng is from the Zheng family. Scheeren Zheng is his uncle."

No wonder. A Scheeren in the Secretariat wouldn't care about a Minister of War, and as one of the Six Great Families, the Zheng family doesn't have to take the court seriously within their domain.

A voice came from outside the office again, "Chief Clerk Zhou, Chief Clerk Zhou, Scheeren Du is looking for you..."

Zhou Yu said to Li Nuo, "I must go, let's catch up later."

Li Nuo nodded and said, "Go ahead."

At the door, Zhou Yu suddenly turned back, hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Brother Li, may I ask you a question?"

Li Nuo said, "Go ahead."

Looking at him with curiosity, Zhou Yu asked, "Is the Empress of Zhao Country truly your woman?"

```