Chapter 538 Transformation

Liu Che had no objection to Chen Ajiao's intrusion into the palace or Wei Zifu's punishment of Lady Wang.

Not only did he have no objections, he even doubted the opinions of outsiders. Wasn't his behavior obvious enough? Can his son be compared to his other sons?

Having a second son is at most the icing on the cake; beautiful flowers blooming in the garden are indeed pleasing to the eye. But that's only temporary. Ju'er is the treasure he's cherished since childhood. Isn't it hard to tell his attitude?

Therefore, the originally busy Liu Che still made sure to spend time with Liu Ju. Liu Ju, who had finally been able to live alone in the East Palace, lost his right to reside there and was dragged to the Xuan Shi Hall to stay with his father from morning till night.

Suspecting this was his father's excuse for letting him live alone, Liu Ju felt helpless. He was already an eight-year-old boy; how could he still sleep with his father? Didn't he, the Crown Prince, have any dignity?

Liu Che wouldn't listen; he was determined to prove it! To prove that Liu Ju would always be his only good son!

Meanwhile, Wei Zifu, the other party involved in the incident, unusually made her own request to Emperor Wu of Han.

"You want to enter the Jixia Academy?"

Inside the Jiaofang Hall of Weiyang Palace, wisps of blue smoke rise from a gilded Boshan incense burner.

When Wei Zifu expressed her wish to study at the Jixia Academy, Liu Che was playing with the bronze tiger tally on his desk. Hearing this, he paused slightly, looked up at her, but did not show much surprise.

He had always known that this seemingly gentle empress was actually cunning and treacherous, like a deep pool concealing turbulent waves. He just hadn't expected that the usually cautious and yielding Wei Zifu would actually make such a request.

Which college do you want to go to?

Wei Zifu smiled modestly, her voice soft yet clear: "Each school of thought has its strengths. I dare not presume to learn anything from any one of them, and I will be satisfied."

The moment she lowered her eyes, Liu Che keenly caught the resolute glint in them—a sharpness he had never shown before.

"Why? When the Jixia Academy was first established, you didn't want to enter; when Zhongqing Qubing shone brightly, you didn't want to enter; when the Han Dynasty expanded its enrollment, you didn't want to enter. Why do you want to enter now? Because of Ju'er?"

Liu Che recalled the rumors that had been circulating recently due to the birth of two sons in the harem, and couldn't help but ask this question, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

Wei Zifu gently shook her head, her gaze honest and bright: "Because of Princess Chang Le."

"Ah Jiao?" Liu Che looked slightly surprised, and gently tapped the tiger tally in his hand against the table, making a clear sound.

"Yes." Wei Zifu nodded, recalling the scene of that day, her gaze becoming distant, "That day, when the Princess stood up for Ju'er, I saw a Chen Ajiao who seemed to have returned to the past, but was very different from the past."

Liu Che fell silent, his brows furrowed slightly, as if deep in thought.

With a slight smile, Wei Zifu continued, "Your Majesty has not seen the Princess for a long time, has he? If the former Princess Chang Le was a favored daughter of heaven, a woman who was naturally arrogant because of her status and position, then the current Princess Chang Le is a strong woman who shines again because of her own abilities. Her pride is no longer given to her by external things, but comes from her own inner strength."

"Do you feel you lack confidence right now?" Liu Che stared intently at her, trying to see through her innermost thoughts.

“No, Your Majesty.” Wei Zifu straightened her back and earnestly met his gaze. “I just feel that as the Empress of the Han Dynasty, I should also shoulder the responsibility of educating the women of the world.”

As she spoke, she slowly rose and solemnly bowed to Liu Che. Then she raised her head and said clearly, "It is my duty to maintain peace in the harem and to set an example for women throughout the land. I know that although the academy is now open to everyone, only a minority of women actually enter."

Liu Che could not deny this, as it was indeed the case. However, as the emperor, he could not possibly pay attention to the specific details. The conditions for expanding recruitment had been relaxed, and who actually entered the program was beyond his control or his initiative to control.

"According to Liu Ju, what the Han Dynasty needs are capable people, not men or women." When Liu Ju was mentioned, Wei Zifu's eyes sparkled with a smile, and Liu Che couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"Are there few women in the academy because they are inferior? No, it's because they dare not. Not every woman has the courage to take this step. So for the sake of the Han Dynasty and for the women of the world, I am willing to take the first step."

As she finished speaking, she bowed deeply once more, her black hair cascading down like a waterfall, yet her posture remained as resolute as a pine tree.

Liu Che gazed at her quietly for a long time before stepping forward and gently helping her up with both hands. His tone was tinged with a sigh: "Empress, I am not as good as you. Do what you want to do. Jue'er is right. The Han Dynasty needs capable people. Capable people can be men or women, or they can be empresses."

His warm palm conveyed silent support, and the smile on Wei Zifu's lips finally overflowed from her eyes.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly not disappoint you."

...

As Chen Ajiao stepped onto the bluestone slabs under the corridor, her gilded hairpin swayed gently with her steps, shattering into a shimmering light.

She strolled slowly to the giant mechanical tiger at the Mo Family Academy, tapped its bronze head with her fingertip, and with a tapping sound, the tiger's belly suddenly cracked open. Liu Ju, his hair disheveled, poked his head out, his bright black eyes curving into crescents: "Auntie, how did you know I was here?"

Chen Ajiao raised an eyebrow, her jade thumb ring from her sleeve brushing against the lines on the tiger's forehead: "It's accurate."

"Huh?" Liu Ju scrambled out of the tiger's belly, his black brocade robe stained with a few drops of engine oil. "The Yin-Yang School teaches divination? Isn't that a Taoist practice?"

"What can't be deduced from Yin and Yang and the Five Elements?" Chen Ajiao's fingertips brushed against the erect ear feathers of the mechanical tiger, and she suddenly chuckled, "Besides—" She glanced sideways at him, "You're practically announcing to the world that you're going to make the most powerful mechanical tiger, and now you're either crawling around here or there?"

Liu Ju's ears burned, and he scratched the back of his head, muttering, "Auntie, your guess was a little too accurate..."

"Stop being so naive." Chen Ajiao flicked his forehead with her finger, then suddenly stopped smiling. "Seriously, are you sure your mother will go to the academy?"

"Of course!" Liu Ju suddenly perked up, gesturing earnestly with his chubby little hands in front of his chest, "Let me do some quick calculations..."

"If you keep playing tricks, I'll tear your mouth apart!" Chen Ajiao pretended to pinch his face, but Liu Ju laughed and jumped back, the jade pendant at his waist clanging against the mechanical tiger's front paw.

"Alright, alright!" He rubbed his cheeks and said seriously, "Uncle and Mother supported each other as they grew up. Just look at Uncle, you can tell that Mother is no ordinary person."

Chen Ajiao lowered her eyes, her tone devoid of any sarcasm, but simply exclaimed, "From a singer to an empress, your mother is certainly no ordinary person."

"Before, there was no choice." Liu Ju squatted down, fiddling with the gears under the mechanical tiger's claws. The patina on his palms left blue marks. "In the past, societal norms dictated women's lives. Within Mother's options, becoming Empress was the ultimate goal. But things are different now—" He looked up, his eyes clear beneath his eyelashes. "Aunt, look, you can deduce celestial phenomena in the Yin-Yang School, and my eldest sister can practice swordsmanship in the Confucian School. Why can't women study like men? If Mother only stays in the harem, she'll truly be trapped."

Chen Ajiao paused, suddenly recalling the clear and sharp look in Wei Zifu's eyes when she entered the palace, a look that was unlike her former gentle and unassuming demeanor.

She suddenly reached out and grabbed Liu Ju by the back of the neck, lifting him closer like a kitten: "Little pig Liu, how dare you use your aunt as a pawn?"

"Heaven and earth bear witness! How could I dare!" Liu Ju raised his hands in surrender, his tone still aggrieved. "Besides, I just wanted to use the rumors as an opportunity to let you, Aunt, go to the palace to talk to Mother. Who would have thought you would go and smash up their palace..."

Chen Ajiao awkwardly released her grip, coughed, and said emphatically, "What do you know? They won't learn their lesson unless they're truly taught a lesson! Besides, I didn't hit anyone! They're just some items, why would Liu Che be so upset? He started this whole thing, so even if he is upset, it's only right!"

Liu Ju didn't argue with her and got back to the main point, "Perhaps it's a case of mistaken identity. By facing your changes, Aunt, Mother can understand things more quickly and not be confined to the small world of the inner palace."

"Change?" Chen Ajiao raised an eyebrow. "What changes have I made?"

Liu Ju smiled slyly, "You've become younger and more beautiful!"

Chen Ajiao could tell at a glance that the boy wasn't telling the truth, but she didn't press him. "Alright, I'm not listening to your nonsense anymore. Let's talk about it when your mother really comes."

Chen Ajiao turned and walked towards the corridor, her steps graceful. Liu Ju looked at her tall and confident back and suddenly grinned.

Mother could see it all. How could she not see the "self" in her aunt, who had given birth to such a genius son? It was a "self" that social rules had forbidden women to have, a "self" full of solid confidence, a "self" that Mother possessed but had to suppress.