The life of the law lies in its enforcement, and enforcing the law helps stabilize the destiny of the Great Xia Dynasty.
For this reason, few dared to violate Great Xia's laws, especially the most severely punitive penal code.
Yet even with strict enforcement, unexpected situations inevitably arose—matters where the letter of the law demanded punishment, but common sense dictated otherwise.
In light of this, the penal code specifically granted the Ministry of Justice the authority to waive prosecution, placing this discretion in the hands of the Minister of Justice.
Theoretically, this power could easily become a tool for imperial relatives and nobility to evade legal reckoning.
In practice, however, such abuses rarely occurred. The main deterrent was the supervisory authority held by the Five Great Immortal Sects, which ensured the Minister of Justice did not dare act rashly.
Yet a scenario arose that even the original lawmakers could never have anticipated—the Minister of Justice himself was thrown into prison.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Xia rubbed his brow in exasperation.
Why was it that whenever the Dao Seeking Sect was involved, they always managed to invent some absurd new twist?
He had received two reports. The first was that Yun Zhi's investigation into the Immortal Ruins had yielded results, uncovering a non-existent Xinhuo Dynasty. There was no rush on this; information regarding the Xinhuo Dynasty could be investigated gradually.
As for Yun Zhi's request to relocate the ancient immortal's abode from the Immortal Ruins back to the Dao Seeking Sect, he was willing to approve it.
The second report was that the Minister of Justice was currently locked in a cell, sitting right beside Daoist Buyu.
If the Minister of Justice dared to walk straight out of the prison, Daoist Buyu would boldly broadcast everywhere that the Great Xia Dynasty practiced favoritism and perverted justice.
If Daoist Buyu dared to walk straight out, the Minister of Justice would step in to stop him, ensuring he could not escape.
A deadlock.
"Should I just pardon Xu Xin?" Emperor Xia murmured to himself. As the emperor, he naturally held the power of pardon.
After some thought, he abandoned the idea and issued a different order instead.
"The entire Ministry of Justice is to relocate its operations to Dayan Commandery."
***
"So, that's why you lot came to the dungeon to visit me?" Minister Xu glared unpleasantly at his subordinates, looking ready to devour someone alive.
"His Majesty has decreed it; we had no choice but to comply," the Vice Minister of Justice said, doing his utmost to maintain a straight face. The scene was simply too comical, and it took immense willpower for him and his colleagues to keep the corners of their mouths from twitching upward.
Daoist Buyu was squatting nearby. Out of habit, the Vice Minister and the others should have greeted him, but seeing Minister Xu's ashen complexion, they did not dare make a move.
"Lord Xu, these are the official dispatches from the past two days for your review." The Vice Minister respectfully handed over several memorials awaiting Xu Xin's action.
Minister Xu gave a cold snort. "Leave them there."
The Vice Minister had originally wanted to add something along the lines of, "Please wait a few days; once His Majesty has had his amusement, he will grant your pardon," or "Do you need meals and bedding brought in?" But after a moment's hesitation, he kept the words to himself.
Once his subordinates departed the cell, Minister Xu picked up the memorials from the ground and began reviewing them.
His brows furrowed in displeasure.
"Nonsense! I spent a long time drafting this policy, and its feasibility was thoroughly proven through targeted trials in commanderies and counties, yielding excellent results. How could there be any flaw in it?"
Daoist Buyu glanced sideways at the memorial's contents and grasped the gist of the matter. The document argued that a certain policy was entirely useless, added unnecessary workload to local administrations, and suggested streamlining the rules. But this policy was Xu Xin's pride and joy—how could he allow anyone to point out an error in it?
Buyu chuckled, his laugh sounding like blatant mockery to Minister Xu's ears. "What, Lord Xu, are you some infallible sage who never makes mistakes? If you're that capable, why don't you go be the emperor?"
Xu Xin grew even more irritated and glared coldly at Daoist Buyu. Any subordinate would have fallen silent under that gaze, but Daoist Buyu harbored no fear of him.
After all, Xu Xin was a defeated opponent who had lost to him three times in a row—at Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Formation.
Daoist Buyu was widely experienced, possessed rich criminal expertise, and commanded a grasp of legal theory every bit equal to Minister Xu's.
"...Have you considered statutory interpretation? Did the original legislators intend it that way?"
"...Have you forgotten that the law inherently lags behind reality?"
"...Don't give me abstract theory! Does that match what happens on the ground?"
The debate grew fiercer as neither yielded an inch. They even cast a sound-insulating barrier to prevent the other prisoners from overhearing.
Eventually, Minister Xu's tone lost its sharp edge, his momentum dwindling. He had to admit that Daoist Buyu's points held water.
"Shut up and let me think!"
Minister Xu lowered his head in contemplation. Unscrupulous as the old scoundrel Buyu was, he never joked about such matters. For him to argue like this, he had to be speaking with absolute sincerity.
This was precisely the outcome Emperor Xia had hoped for.
Though Xu Xin was devoted to the state, working tirelessly through day and night to mend legal loopholes, he inevitably made occasional missteps.
Emperor Xia had been helpless in that regard. Xu Xin's mastery of Great Xia's legal code was so profound that hardly anyone possessed the qualifications to debate him.
Emperor Xia could not easily judge whether Xu Xin was right or wrong; he merely sensed that certain measures were inappropriate, without knowing how to improve them.
Daoist Buyu happened to be well versed in the law and rich in experience, making him the ideal sparring partner for Xu Xin.
Emperor Xia had seized this opportunity to let the two clash.
Once Xu Xin understood the Emperor's true purpose, the pardon could be granted.
***
When Yun Zhi and Lu Yang returned to the Dao Seeking Sect, they happened to cross paths with Meng Jingzhou returning from the dense forest.
Having figured something out in the woods, he had achieved a great epiphany. He had formed his core the moment he returned to Demon Quelling Pass, left Tao Yaoye and Man Gu to continue seeking their own opportunities, and returned alone to the Dao Seeking Sect.
As for minor incidents along the journey—such as encountering disciples from prominent clans flaunting their wealth, only to be put in their place by a disguised Meng Jingzhou—they were hardly worth mentioning.
"Haha, bet you didn't expect this! This young master has formed his core too!"
The moment Meng Jingzhou spotted Lu Yang, he began to brag.
Though he did not know what kind of Golden Core Lu Yang had formed, Meng Jingzhou was confident his own was the strongest, unbeatable by anyone.
"Let me tell you, this young master's Golden Core is unprecedented! I am about to shatter the destiny of the Bachelor Spiritual Root!"
Meng Jingzhou was so full of vigor that he looked less like someone who had just reached Core Formation and more like an almighty expert fresh from achieving Tribulation Transcendence, strutting so broadly he could barely walk straight.
Lu Yang showed genuine surprise. "You actually pulled that off? What kind of Golden Core did you form?"
Meng Jingzhou chuckled and dragged Lu Yang into a teahouse, drinking tea while boasting away.
"Since I have a Bachelor Spiritual Root, as long as I set my mind to it, I was bound to form a Bachelor Golden Core, right?"
Lu Yang nodded. The insights left behind by the first possessor of the Bachelor Spiritual Root, Daoist Shendu, had said as much.
"So you formed a Bachelor Golden Core?"
Instead of answering, Meng Jingzhou placed a teacup on the table. "This is one person—a bachelor!"
Then he placed a second teacup beside it. "This is another person—also a bachelor!"
He lightly clinked the two cups together with a crisp ceramic chime and proclaimed the conclusion he had painstakingly pondered: "When two bachelors come together, aren't they a pair?"
"And so?"
"And so, I formed two Bachelor Golden Cores!"
Chapter 289