Jin Key Officials List
"Minister Ye! Nathan Ye!" In the Ministry of Works, Chancellor Su had arrived.
Nathan Ye, buried in a mountain of blueprints, ledgers, and reports, was so startled by the voice that he jerked his head up with such force he nearly flung his wig off.
Su Li had just walked in and saw Nathan Ye staring at him in utter confusion, his wig's bangs all askew.
"Ah, greetings, Chancellor Su!" Nathan Ye snapped back to reality and quickly stood up to salute Su Li.
"No need for ceremony, Minister Ye, please rise." Su Li made a polite gesture, and Nathan Ye stood up, realizing his hair was a mess and awkwardly fiddled with his wig's bangs.
"Is Minister Ye busy with the construction of the Kingston Porcelain Academy?" Su Li glanced down at the blueprint Nathan Ye was calculating.
Nathan Ye nodded, "Yes, Chancellor Su instructed us to build a Porcelain Academy, which will eventually become a department within the comprehensive university. The Ministry was busy with the new school recently, but now that the calculations for that are done, I’m diving right into the Porcelain Academy project."
"Excellent, Minister Ye—you truly are the backbone of our nation. You work so hard." Su Li looked at Nathan Ye with genuine approval.
This Porcelain Academy was so much work, even Su Li had nearly forgotten about it.
It was only after the last trip to Kingston to deal with the Qian family that Su Li planned to build the Porcelain Academy there, inviting master porcelain artisans as teachers and organizing formal classes for students.
Now that the Porcelain Academy preparations were underway, Su Li felt completely confident in Nathan Ye's abilities and saw no need to ask further questions—she simply entrusted him with the whole project.
But this time, Su Li had come to see Nathan Ye for something even more important.
"Minister Ye, let's step inside for a private word," Su Li said.
The two of them went to the back garden, a secluded spot perfect for secret conversations.
"Chancellor Su, what instructions do you have?" Nathan Ye was quick on the uptake, understanding that Su Li wanted to avoid others, so this must be very important.
Su Li got straight to the point: "Minister Ye, you're busy with official duties, so I'll be direct. I need a list, and I need your help."
"Oh? What kind of list?" Nathan Ye asked curiously.
"Minister Ye, you've spent some time in Jin's bureaucracy, and because of your work in the Ministry, you often deal with officials up and down the ranks. I need you to list out all the key officials in Jin's court—the most important positions. Make a list for me, and do it secretly, without letting anyone else know." Su Li lowered her voice.
Nathan Ye froze for a moment. He couldn't guess why Su Li needed such a list, but since it was her order, she must have her reasons—he would just do as asked.
Nathan Ye nodded in agreement. "Alright, that's no problem. I've been in Qin for over a year now, so I don't know about any recent changes among Jin's officials. I'll list the ones I knew before, and if there have been replacements, you can just match the positions to the new people."
"Thank you, Minister Ye," Su Li said, pausing for a moment. "By the way, I haven’t checked in on the wig workshop next door for ages. How’s business these days?"
At the mention of the wig workshop, Nathan Ye's expression turned oddly complicated. He instantly wilted, his wig’s bangs drooping pitifully against his forehead. "I—I’m not sure. I haven’t been by in a few days..."
"Oh?" Su Li raised an eyebrow. Wasn’t Nathan Ye supposed to be interested in April? He used to visit the wig workshop all the time—so what’s going on now?