"Since you all have no further objections, this matter will be jointly handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel. We will announce to the world that starting from this year's examination, women can also participate in the imperial examinations, and those who achieve outstanding results can also enter the court as officials," the emperor said slowly, seeing that the debate had been resolved.

He wasn't surprised at all by this result.

He could have issued the imperial edict directly, but he went to the extra lengths not because he was particularly enlightened, but because he wanted to test the Crown Prince's influence in the court.

This test indeed yielded some results.

Although there were many ministers who opposed the movement, only the Minister of Justice and the Censor-in-Chief truly held sway; the others merely stood by and cheered.

Many others chose to remain silent.

To the emperor's satisfaction, the princes and princesses were united and did not use the incident to cause trouble.

After the emperor's order was issued, it quickly spread throughout the entire country.

Although deep-seated prejudices about men and women are not so easy to erase, as long as there are girls who go to high schools and become female officials, their families can change their social standing and bring glory to their families, and other people's thoughts will gradually change.

As the youngest prince, Ye Jingning stayed in the palace for a period of time after turning fifteen before leaving to establish his own residence.

The title bestowed upon him by the emperor was also the last character of his name: Ning.

After Ye Jing'an found out, he immediately felt much more at peace.

At least, he wasn't the only prince who was treated perfunctorily.

Ye Jingning worked in the Ministry of Works, and at the same time, he also held the title of deputy pavilion master of the Tiangong Pavilion.

Since he took on these two assignments, the Ministry of Works and the Tiangong Pavilion have been his homes. He only goes back to the Prince Ning's residence once every ten days or half a month, which infuriates Consort Shu.

Ye Jingchen, however, had high hopes for him. He believed that someone like Ye Jingning, who focused solely on one thing and possessed exceptional practical skills, was crucial for the technological development of Dayuan.

Ye Jingyu had just turned eighteen when Consort Xian chose a princess for him, a young lady from the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion.

Consort Xian used some clever tricks to get the emperor to agree to this choice.

She first suggested Lin Ruochu, but the emperor immediately rejected it. Then, she looked very troubled and chose the girl from the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion. The emperor thought about it and agreed.

Although Marquis Wu'an is a military general who has been guarding the northern frontier for many years, his daughter was raised in the capital from a young age and is a quiet and virtuous girl, which perfectly matches Ye Jingyu's criteria for choosing a wife.

Ye Jingchen and Marquis Wu'an were acquaintances; they had dealt with each other quite a bit during the two years they spent in the Northern Frontier.

The Emperor did not object to the Consort Xian's intention to arrange a marriage between her and the Marquis's family, but the Marquis's family had some concerns.

Marquis Wu'an is still in the northern frontier. His wife visited the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, hoping to meet Ye Jingchen.

After receiving the message from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to enter the palace, Ye Jingchen returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion with Xie Chang'an.

Marquis Wu'an was nominally Ye Jingchen's teacher, and they also had a good personal relationship. In their own eyes, they belonged to the staunch supporters of the Crown Prince, so it was naturally unwise for their daughter to marry another prince, in case it involved a future struggle for the throne.

Ye Jingchen was naturally aware of the Marquis's concerns and reassured the Marquis's wife, who happily went home to prepare for her daughter's marriage.

Yun Shu once told Ye Jingyu about his marriage prospects, saying that he would definitely get married in two years, and it has come true.

However, if Ye Jingchen were to calculate it, he could also make an accurate prediction.

The emperor's biggest headache right now is the prince's marriage. Since Consort Xian doesn't have the same confidence as Consort Gui, she naturally doesn't dare to delay Ye Jingyu's marriage any longer.

Given Ye Jingyu's personality, he would naturally cooperate with Consort Xian and believe that she would choose a suitable wife for him.

When Ji Wushuang was choosing a wife for Ye Jingyu, she excluded those from military families. The Ji family was Ye Jingyu's source of strength, and he didn't need any more help from them, nor would the emperor be pleased.

The daughters of military generals are all confident and have tempers. What if they bully Ye Jingyu after marriage?

In Ji Wushuang's eyes, Ye Jingyu was a simple, kind, and easily bullied dough ball, and she couldn't let him be bullied.

At this moment, Ye Jingyan finally brought Lin Ruochu to appear before Ji Wushuang.

When Ji Wushuang was young, she was similar to Ye Jingyan and Lin Ruochu. She saw a reflection of her younger self in these two young girls.

Ye Jingyan didn't hide it from Ji Wushuang. After Ji Wushuang met Lin Ruochu for the first time and had a good impression of her, Ye Jingyan told Ji Wushuang that Lin Ruochu liked Ye Jingyu and that the two of them were particularly destined for each other. However, Lin Ruochu was constrained by her family background and dared not like Ye Jingyu.

Ji Wushuang's feelings toward the Duke of Anguo's mansion were indeed somewhat complicated, but she didn't dislike it. She first had someone investigate Lin Ruochu and her family. After the investigation, she grew to like the young girl even more. The girl was just like her when she was young, but much more rational than she was back then.

Ji Wushuang asked Ye Jingyu for his opinion, and Ye Jingyu replied: "Miss Lin is a very good girl, and it would be good to strengthen the family ties."

The phrase "marrying each other off" almost made Ji Wushuang change her mind.

If she hadn't spent two years choosing a suitable match for Ye Jingyu, she would never have accepted this completely unrelated marriage!

Before Ji Wushuang went to see the emperor, Ye Jingchen had already informed the emperor.

"The Consort Xian has also taken a liking to that young girl. They both want to marry her. Is that young girl really that good?" the Emperor asked curiously.

“My mother’s cousin is naturally exceptional,” Ye Jingchen said.

"You should know that if the Lin family's daughter had married Jingyu, the Lin family's stance might not be as firm as it is now," the emperor said.

This was the reason he rejected Consort Xian.

"Your subject believes in your maternal grandfather and uncle," Ye Jingchen said firmly.

"Besides, Jingyu is a very loyal and kind-hearted child, how could he possibly have such thoughts?"

The emperor thought for a moment. Although these children were very united and showed no signs of trouble, Ye Jingyu was definitely the most innocent one among them.

"I only agreed because of you. If there are any consequences, you will bear them all," the emperor said.

After persuading the emperor, Ye Jingchen went to the Duke of Anguo's mansion to meet his maternal grandfather and uncle, as well as Lin Ruochu's grandfather and father.

With him acting as guarantor, and Ye Jingyu indeed being a good match, the Duke of Anguo's mansion naturally had no concerns, and the marriage was quickly settled.

With the marriages of both princes settled, the emperor finally breathed a sigh of relief. As for Ye Jinghe, who was also of marriageable age, the emperor had no interest in him at all.

"He doesn't acknowledge me as his father anyway, he only acknowledges you as his brother. You raised him, so you should worry about his marriage! You should experience the hardships of being a parent!" The emperor said to Ye Jingchen with a stern face.

Ye Jingchen thought to himself, "It's impossible to pressure someone into marriage. It's impossible for me to pressure someone into marriage in my entire life."

He had suffered enough from being pressured to get married in both his previous and current lives, so he wouldn't want to inflict that suffering on Ye Jinghe.

Let everything take its course!