Chapter 194

The court meeting ended with both sides having their own thoughts.

After the New Year, no one mentioned the beauty pageant again, let alone urging marriage and childbirth. This matter became an unspoken secret among all civil and military officials.

However, the harem cannot be left unattended.

Concubines not only have the duty to serve the emperor, but also have to be in charge of the harem.

It is impossible for the previous queen to be promoted to empress dowager and have to take care of all the trivial matters in the harem for the emperor.

It just so happened that Queen Dowager Xuan also came back and told Qu Dubian about this matter.

Queen Mother An wants to retire.

I'm not young anymore, how can I keep working?

Moreover, Concubine Wen and Concubine De both moved out with their children, and it was too tiring for her to manage the harem alone.

Qu Dubian said: "Establish a female official system."

Queen Dowager Xuan, also known as Xie Mingxuan, asked in surprise: "Female official?"

Qu Dubian: "Well, at the beginning of the previous dynasty, the system of female officials in the inner court of the Wei Dynasty was continued. However, afterward, the "Instructions for Women" became popular, and the female officials gradually disappeared. There are precedents, so it is not abrupt to revive it in this dynasty."

In fact, from the incident of my sister going to school, we can see that the status of women was not high in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

This is the current situation that has been formed bit by bit over thousands of years.

If one wants to improve the status of women in a subtle way, it is an excellent opportunity to start by rebuilding the inner court ladies.

The female officials in the inner court were in charge of matters of all sizes including weaving, purchasing, and financial power in the harem. They were related to the officials in the imperial court, and some of their work was handed over to them, but there was no conflict.

Zhiyi asked, "Can I also take care of people?"

Qu Dubian smiled and said, "Sister, you have to work with mother and Queen Mother An to formulate the examination rules. Not everyone can be a female official. You can be an examiner. When the first batch of female officials see you in the future, they will have to call you teacher."

Just like the instructor in the imperial examination.

My sister is a student taught by Master Fang and is talented enough to do the job.

Zhiyi's eyes lit up, "Leave it to me, you can just focus on recovering!"

Xie Mingxuan said: "There are many pedantic people in the court. Will they agree to hand over their work to the inner court ladies in the future?"

Qu Watanabe: "Don't worry, they will be willing to do so."

As expected, when he proposed that the inner court follow the example of the Wei Dynasty and rebuild the system of female officials, there was not much opposition in the court.

be opposed to?

What is right to oppose?

There has to be someone to manage the inner court. If we let the eunuchs take over everything, wouldn't there be a hidden danger of eunuchs messing up the government? We can't just let Empress Dowager An take over alone.

Alas...it's not like there is no precedent, so just rebuild it.

After the system of female officials in the inner court was passed in the court, it was taken over by Xie Mingxuan, Zhiyi and Empress Dowager An.

Not long after, Zhang Chansi returned from Yangzhou, bringing with him some capable young men from his clan.

"His Majesty."

"sit."

Zhang Chansi has not married for all these years and has been studying mathematics.

However, he was confined to the Astronomy Department and never had the opportunity to display his abilities.

Qu Watanabe gave her this opportunity.

He handed Zhang Chansi the list of personnel who would go to Lingbei for long-term field exploration.

After reading it, Zhang Chansi tightly grasped the list and said, "Your Majesty...what does this mean?"

Qu Dubian: "An opportunity that can change the fate of the Zhang family. Do you want it? If you accept it, the Astronomy Department will no longer require that only the Zhang family can be the head of the department. They can select outstanding astronomers from all over the Great Zhou to predict the weather. At the same time, the Zhang family will no longer have the restriction that their descendants cannot participate in the imperial examinations."

This means that the Zhang family’s fixed iron rice bowl is gone, but more family members have the opportunity to move up.

If you gain something, you have to lose something.

However, this opportunity is rare for the Zhang family in several generations.

Zhang Chansi took a deep breath and said, "I am willing to lead my clansmen to fully assist the Prince of Dan and the officials in the Ministry of Works. I will definitely live up to your majesty's trust!"

"If you work hard and make outstanding achievements, it is not impossible to be admitted to the Ministry of Industry as an exception."

This light remark exploded in Zhang Chansi's heart. She said in astonishment: "Your Majesty, I am a woman."

Qu Duanbian said with a smile: "Teacher, do you think you are not good enough?"

"She is not a female official in the inner court, but the first female official to enter the imperial court in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

“…”

Zhang Chansi was originally a person with an indifferent temperament. She was interested in mathematics and had the ambition to climb up the social ladder, but she was confined to the Astronomy Department. When she became the head of the department, her career reached its peak.

Unexpectedly, this time when I brought my clansmen to Beijing, in addition to responding to the hexagram and resolving the Zhang family’s predicament, there were other surprises.

She suppressed her wildly beating heart.

"Your Majesty, you have reinstated the system of female officials in the inner court, and you have told me this. You... you are very different from the officials in the court who worship the "Instructions for Women" and the late emperor."

Although she had watched His Majesty grow up and knew that some of his ideas were different from those of other princes, she had never expected that he would give women the opportunity to serve as officials in the court.

Qu Watanabe: "Teacher, what do you think of my aunt? What do you think of my elder sister?"

Zhang Chansi's face became serious: "Princess Xiang, you married into the Northern Frontier on your own, supported the peace faction, and maintained peace between the Great Zhou and the Northern Frontier for more than 20 years. Naturally, you have all the skills, character, and knowledge.

Princess Zhiyi was ordered to take charge in a time of crisis, to contain the pro-war faction in the northern border, and to deal with the tigers and wolves, thus winning a precious breathing space for the Great Zhou. She is also a heroic woman. "

"Not only my aunt and elder sister, but also my mother... my mother. She and my elder sister's mother are doing charity work in Yangzhou. Although they are just starting out, they have a promising future. When my grandmother was young, she also helped my grandfather manage military affairs in the army. Which one of them is worse than the men in the court? I have been deeply influenced by them. How could I look down on women?"

Qu Watanabe gave her this explanation.

He knew that Zhang Chansi needed an explanation that could convince her. After all, he was an outlier among the previous emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty, so it was normal for her to have doubts.

He couldn't tell her about his origins, so he explained it based on his own growth trajectory.

However, he was not foolish enough to directly confront the court officials. He openly established female officials in the court and allowed women to take the imperial examinations - this was a big step and was not a good thing but a bad thing.

But as long as he leaves enough soil for it to take root, ten or twenty years later, the thriving spring grass will naturally emerge stubbornly and struggle to create a new world.

People like my aunt, elder sister and mother no longer need to be confined to their own small world.

This is hope.

It’s hard to say. In a few decades, it’s possible that the Great Zhou Dynasty will have a female emperor.

Of course, Qu Watanabe did not express these thoughts explicitly.

But Zhang Chansi had a vague feeling.

The blood in her body gradually warmed up. Now in middle age, she had developed a strong energy.

Qu Watanabe added: "Talent is not limited by gender. It is great to be able to work for the Great Zhou."

Looking at the 007 and 996 work in later generations, there is no distinction between men and women when it comes to work, there is only one common name: corporate slaves.

Zhang Chansi couldn't help but laugh, "Your Majesty, just give me the monthly silver."

Qu Watanabe said happily: "Of course I won't let the teacher work for nothing."

He is very good to the people who work for him, right? There are small gifts and bonuses during festivals, real money.

Then he stopped smiling and said seriously, "I have made a promise to you, but whether you can do it or not depends on you, teacher."

"If you can convince them, the day you stand in the court, you will become a role model for women of your kind in the world, and I will personally grant you an official position."

Only then, with a precedent, can things follow.

Zhang Chansi stood up and bowed: "Your Majesty trusts me. I will definitely fulfill my mission and connect Lingbei with the inland, enriching our Great Zhou."

Apart from the parties involved, Ye Xiaoyuan and Yi Twelve, no one else knew about this conversation between the emperor and his ministers that took place in the Purple Palace.

All we know is that your majesty added more people from the Zhang family to the team that went to explore Lingbei to help with the mapping of Lingbei.

On the day she left, Qu Dubian heard the voice of Zhang Chansi's favorability +1+1 for the first time in a long time.

-

Time passes quietly.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was slowly recovering, taxation in the three Xiang and He counties was restored, and business gradually prospered after the Northern Frontier Protectorate took control.

The national treasury also began to increase slowly -

This can be seen from Lin Zongping's gradually cheerful expression.

The second year of Yonghe.

Zhiyi and Xie Lishan got married.

Qu Dubian didn't know who of the two fools confessed his love first, how he proposed marriage, or how he came to his senses. In short, he recognized this brother-in-law, and the two of them finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

On the day of Zhiyi's wedding, Agumud came all the way from the Northern Frontier Protectorate.

Qu Dubian was wearing casual clothes in the princess's mansion at the time, watching him. The moment Agumuduo appeared, Xie Lisheng paused and the smile on his face became fake.

He immediately wanted to kick Agumuduo out. It was his sister's wedding, how embarrassing it would be if there was a commotion? Although he also wanted to watch the fun, he didn't want anyone to ruin his sister's wedding.

But fortunately, Agumud came to give a gift. He gave a grassland carved by himself. There was a woman riding a horse on the grassland, which was exactly the appearance of Zhiyi in the northern border before.

"Wedding gift."

Zhiyi: “Thank you!”

She turned her head and looked at Xie Lishan, "They came to our house to give gifts. They are honored guests who came from afar. You should also say thank you."

Xie Lishan's eyes curved, and then he looked at Agumuduo, "Excuse me, distinguished guest."

As sweet as these two words sounded to Xie Lishan's ears, as sad as they sounded to Agumud.

He stood there blankly, looking rather lonely at first glance. Qu Dubian, who was eating melon seeds nearby, pulled him aside.

"Seven…No, Your Majesty."

Qu Dubian whispered, "You have no manners. We are about to get married, and you are poking at that eyesore."

Another knife stabbed into Agumuduo's heart. He covered his heart with his hands, found a place to sit down slowly.

"Your Majesty, why don't you take a seat?" Instead, he ran around the wedding eating melon seeds like a gangster.

Qu Watanabe: "This is my elder sister getting married. There is no His Majesty, only my brother."

Seriously speaking, this actually counts as Xie Lishan marrying into their family and my sister getting married.

He glanced at this guy sideways, and thinking of the friendship they had in the Northern Frontier, he did not let him watch the entire wedding process, but asked someone to send Agumuduo out of the front hall.

He looked at Agumu's back, which was unable to hide his sadness, and sighed.

There was no way out. At that time in Northern Xinjiang, he did not choose to come back with his sister, and gave up this relationship that could have given rise to love, which also meant that he was doomed to never have a future with his sister.

One month after Princess Zhiyi got married, the selection of female officials in the inner court was completed. After she was free, she went to Lingbei for her honeymoon with Xie Lishan.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was stable for a while.

Until a civil unrest broke out in Nanning.

The Emperor of Nanning became irritable and fainted for half a month due to excessive use of Wu Shi San.

The most powerful Sixth Prince in Nanning launched a coup and fought against the Fourth Prince, who had been appointed as the Crown Prince, in the Imperial City.

This palace coup was unprecedented. The maids and eunuchs in the palace fled in all directions, screaming in agony, and the blood covered the floor tiles of the Nanning Imperial Palace.

The second prince Yu Ruo joined forces with the crown prince to suppress the rebellion of the sixth prince.

The coup was suppressed.

But there was even more deadly news coming from the palace servants who were fleeing in all directions—

The Emperor of Nanning once personally ordered the blowing up of the Nanning dike, ignoring the wailing of the people, just to flood the three counties of Xianghe in Da Zhou and cause losses to Da Zhou.

He even used the bodies of his own people as a breeding ground for the plague and dumped them into the rivers, causing the great plague in the Great Zhou during the Chongzhao period.

The speed at which the news spread was even more terrifying than the plague that was spreading in the Great Zhou at that time.

By the time Yu Ruo found out, the news was already out of control.

There must be someone other than him who knows the inside story of what happened back then.

The Prince of Nanning began to suppress the rebellion by force.

But there are some evil things that God will not allow to be hidden comfortably for a lifetime. They must always be uncovered, exposed to the light of day, and subject to criticism from the world.

The common people, scholars, and conscientious court officials of Nanning all fell silent after hearing this.

They couldn't understand that the emperor, to whom they had passed the imperial examination and pledged their loyalty, could be such a person.

As an emperor, you can be suspicious, mediocre, and even indulge in material things, but the only thing you cannot do is abandon your people.

The king is the boat and the people are the water. Water can carry the boat but can also capsize it.

Some people didn't believe it, some did, and some even took off their scholar hats and threw them at their feet in public, saying, "It's better not to take the exam for this honor!"

For a time, there were signs of uprising in various places.

-

This news caused resentment in Nanning and anger in Da Zhou.

The three counties of Xianghe River that were affected by the disaster had all accepted their fate. It was a natural disaster that had befallen them and there was nothing anyone could do about it. They just had to endure it.

But now tell them that all this is a man-made disaster? !

Was it the Emperor of Nanning who wanted to cause damage to the Great Zhou, so he blew up the dam and destroyed the home that their ancestors had cultivated for generations?

“Why?”

Someone threw a bowl and stood up, his face full of tears, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Why... just because of his idea?"

"My children and relatives all died in the water. I want that dog emperor of Nanning to return the lives of my relatives!"

"The anger of a common man will cause blood to splatter five steps! You dog emperor of Nanning, return the lives of my loved ones to me!"

The roar was like a spark that fell into dry wood and instantly turned into a prairie fire.

The three counties of Xianghe and even the surrounding counties that had been affected by the plague were enraged by the news. They gathered in front of the government office with indignation in their hearts. Everyone had only one central request -

"Request Your Majesty to send troops to Nanning!"

The governors of the three counties were forced by the angry people to write an urgent memorial overnight and send it to the palace at full speed.

After reading the memorial, Qu Dubian frowned for a long time.

He knew the news two days earlier than these people. The dark web has developed very well this year.

When he first found out, he was as angry as anyone else, and it took him a long time to calm himself down.

He was an eyewitness to the flood and plague, and had witnessed the tragic conditions in the intensive care unit in Le'an County. The cries of those who had lost their loved ones continued day after day. This was what hell on earth was like.

Le'an County is still relatively good, but the situation in other places will only be worse.

Qu Dubian stood up and said, "Notify the six ministers, Fang Taifu, Xi Yushi and General Xia to come to the West Warm Pavilion for a meeting."

Ye Xiaoyuan: "Yes."