"Any field the court cannot reach is effectively a gray area. But that does not mean forces attached to the court have truly kept their hands out of it. On the contrary, where no written laws lay down regulations, the rules were in fact set by the two sides involved."
In the Imperial Study, Li Yan, having dismissed court, sat behind his desk and listened to the discussion among several chief ministers before him.
Though Qiu Yan was now in the ascendant and had acted with exceptional force, as if he cared nothing for conventionally established rules, many matters were still discussed by the chief ministers of the Council of State Affairs before being issued by him. Precisely because he had suppressed the Noble Clans and stood in peerless majesty for a time, these decrees were carried out thoroughly, with execution far surpassing that of former days.
Just as today: after Qiu Yan raised the matter of religious reform in court, the ruler and ministers entered the Council of State Affairs and began discussing it.
Of course, constrained by his breadth of vision and maturity of mind, the Emperor had little say in such matters. Most of the time, he merely listened, learned, and remembered.
Unlike the Emperor, the other chief ministers each held their own views. In accordance with their respective interests and positions, they voiced their thoughts. This was only natural—some agreed, some held reservations, and some opposed it outright.
Faced with this situation, Qiu Yan was not surprised. He merely spoke calmly.
His words immediately piqued the Emperor's interest. Li Yan asked thoughtfully, "So, a place beyond the court's jurisdiction does not mean it has no Order?"
"Naturally," Qiu Yan said with a smile. "Order maintains a state of being. Any thing or domain that has not