Chapter 49: What's so great about them? ...

The emperor sneered when he heard this, and his handsome eyes were filled with intriguing coldness.

"Get up. I have my own thoughts on this matter. You don't need to say anything more."

Seeing that his words had worked, Zhao Changning stopped talking, kowtowed, and stood up.

Over the years, she also learned something from the late emperor, that is, instead of waiting for the mercy of those in power, it is better to work hard on your own.

As long as power is properly grasped, the direction of destiny can sometimes be in one's own hands.

In mid-November, Yujing was hit by another heavy snowfall, and the weather grew colder day by day.

Zhao Changning would occasionally visit the Queen's Palace to discuss arrangements for the New Year and to prepare for the assessment of female officials.

The Queen is now in charge of the six palaces. She is extremely busy handling palace affairs every day and has little time to pay attention to Yonghe Palace.

However, this made her feel much better, and she became more dignified and majestic, and she looked more like a mother of the country.

"Changning, you're here?" The Queen waved happily. "Come quickly, come quickly, try it."

Zhao Changning looked at the box of honey-colored preserves on the table. He couldn't tell what kind of fruit it was, so he smiled and said, "What delicious food has your Majesty prepared? Just looking at it makes my mouth water."

The queen watched her eat it with a smile on her face, then pursed her lips and suppressed a smile.

Zhao Changning felt a terrible sour taste in his mouth, but he couldn't spit it out in front of the Queen. He could only cover his mouth, blinking in pain as he said, "What is this? It's so sour, Your Majesty, please don't eat it."

Chunyun closed the lid and chuckled, "This is pickled quinoa and lemon that took a lot of effort to make. It was sent by the Empress's family. I made a lot of it but they all went bad, so I only got this small jar."

Zhao Changning took the tea from the little palace maid and rinsed his mouth twice, finally feeling much better.

She was such a smart person that she immediately thought, "Madam, you are so happy..."

The Queen quickly hushed him, "Changning, I've only told you this, but it's not three months old yet, so I shouldn't tell you."

Zhao Changning nodded repeatedly with a happy look on his face, and felt relieved and reassured by the queen's trust in him.

"Your Majesty, you must take good care of yourself during this period. Does the Emperor know? If he knew, he would definitely be happy."

The Queen shook her head, stroking her belly, which hadn't bulged yet, and smiled gently. "I'm so busy with government affairs right now, I can't disturb him. Besides, there's been a lot of commotion in Yonghe Palace lately, so I thought I'd wait until things stabilize before doing anything. It won't be too late then."

Zhao Changning was well aware of the methods of Concubine Zhaoyi in Yonghe Palace. The emperor went to Yonghe Palace more times than all the people in the harem combined. However, the queen was so open-minded and did not feel resentful. She thought it was a good thing.

"Your Majesty is at peace. This is a blessing. Now the harem is stable and the palace maids are at peace. Your Majesty, take good care of your pregnancy and give birth to a prince for the Emperor. The Emperor will surely be happy then."

Now the emperor only has the queen and the two princesses born to Yonghe Palace, but no prince yet.

When the queen heard her say this, she couldn't help but laugh, and was obviously looking forward to it.

"That's why I told you alone because I want you to help me. It's not just about the female official assessment and palace affairs, but more importantly, I need to be on guard. I only trust you."

Zhao Changning faced the Queen's frank eyes, understanding her concerns, and knelt solemnly. "At Your Majesty's command, Changning will do his best. I will have someone carefully review all the food and expenses in Your Majesty's palace. No, I will review them myself."

When the queen heard her words, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly helped her up.

"Let's not be so distant between us. However, I may not be able to attend all the upcoming New Year celebrations and the female official assessments. I still need your assistance."

Zhao Changning immediately responded, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Changning understands."

There is still some time before the Chinese New Year, so there is no need to worry for the time being. However, the assessment of female officials must be prepared in advance.

Zhao Changning took over the matter in accordance with the Queen's order.

She didn't want to take on too much, so she planned to find a few teachers to discuss the rules of the examination together. Setting questions is not an easy task.

But as soon as I entered the door, I heard a wailing sound.

For some reason, some people were called out of the house and stood in a row under the eaves, all with unnatural expressions.

Song Huan looked unhappy, his heroic brows were furrowed, and his eyes were full of disappointment.

"The test is coming up soon, and you can't even memorize this stuff. What have you been studying all day? Is your head filled with idiots? You're so clueless, yet you still want to help the Emperor and Empress solve their problems. You should return to the mountains and become your kin with wild boars..."

Some palace maids who had poor tolerance for pain had been scolded so much that they lowered their heads and wiped away their tears.

Zhao Changning: “……???”

She had indeed heard of the names of the male and female evil spirits, and she already knew a little about Mingxuan's pretended ferocity, but this was the first time she saw Song Huan's ferocity.

The killing power is so strong that even Zhao Changning feels it is a bit excessive. No wonder Lord Song said so many things in advance.

Song Huan also saw her. After angrily asking everyone to go in, he walked towards Zhao Changning.

She bowed gracefully and said, "Hello, Auntie."

When Zhao Changning faced Song Huan, who was older than him, he felt a sense of closeness to him because of Lord Song.

"These palace maids have already made a lot of determination to come to school, and they still have to be on duty on weekdays, so shouldn't we relax a little bit?"

Song Huan pursed her lips and said, "Aunt, you are wise. Actually, there is not much to memorize. Others can memorize it, but they can't. How annoying! The promotion of female officials is extremely difficult, but they don't realize how difficult it is. It's inevitable that people will be annoyed."

Zhao Changning just watched her speak and found it very interesting. People in the palace rarely showed their emotions so openly or spoke so bluntly.

"Those who toil with their minds rule over others, and those who toil with their hands are ruled by others. Those who understand this will naturally strive to make progress and strive to be the best. Those who don't understand will only be stepping stones. You don't have to be so annoyed. After all, everyone has their own destiny. If everyone worries about everything, won't they exhaust themselves?"

Song Huan was startled for a moment, then nodded slightly, "Song Huan is grateful for your advice."

Zhao Changning explained the reason for his visit, "...This is the first assessment. The Empress didn't want to discourage them too much, so she planned to have three tests, each one progressively more difficult, to carefully screen them."

Song Huan nodded, "Aunt, your thoughts are very thoughtful. However, when it comes to setting questions, we still need to discuss it with everyone. Many people in the inner study hall have been learning sporadically, so it's difficult to reach a uniform level."

Seeing her agreement, Zhao Changning said, "In that case, please tell your father and discuss it with the other teachers. We'll try to finalize this matter as soon as possible."

Song Huan smiled brightly, "Don't worry, aunt, leave this matter to me."

Two days later, Yunsheng hurried to the Qinzheng Palace and told Zhao Changning that Lord Song was waiting in the inner study hall and asked her to come over.

Zhao Changning carefully read the test paper and compared it with his own results. He felt that the difficulty was acceptable.

She stood up and saluted Master Song, "Teacher, thank you so much for your supervision. I feel much more at ease."

Song Zongheng stroked his beard and said, "I also want to thank Mingxuan. He was the one who contributed most to this exam."

Zhao Changming raised his eyebrows, but when he thought about it, since that person was the third place winner in the imperial examination, it was normal for him to be familiar with the exam.

Song Zongheng couldn't help but sigh softly, "Have I caused you any trouble? My daughter is truly ignorant. She's been incredibly smart since she was little, and she doesn't know how hard it is for ordinary people to study. She's incredibly vicious, and even disdains me at home. I used to be proud of her intelligence, but now I'm really afraid she's too smart."

It is obvious that Lord Song is very clear about his daughter's character.

Zhao Changning smiled and said, "Not really. Song Huan taught very well, and the palace maids also need someone to keep them in check."

She didn't care much about the instructor's temper. Good or bad, it was the fate of the palace people. Only those who could break free from their fate were worthy of moving up in the palace.

Lord Song was relieved when he heard this. "That's good. Normally, no matter what I ask her, she never tells me. I'm so worried about my daughter."

Zhao Changning just smiled when he heard that.

The old snow has not melted yet, and new snow is coming down.

Zhao Changning, wearing a crane cloak and holding a stack of memorials in his hands, walked into the Qinzheng Hall with a smile on his face.

"Your Majesty, good news! Lord Xu has arrived in Yujing and is currently at the Ministry of Personnel."

The emperor was practicing calligraphy. Upon hearing this, he put down his brush and said, "Oh? Quickly summon him."

Zhao Changning smiled and poured tea for the emperor, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Lord Xu is on his way."

When Xu Jiawen came, his clothes were thin and wrinkled, his beard was untidy, he looked dark and thin, his cheeks were fleshless, and there were deep vertical wrinkles between his eyebrows. He looked as vicissitudes of life as the common people who farmed the land, and he looked very hard-working.

Because it was extremely cold outside and the house was as warm as spring, his body couldn't recover for a while and he kept shaking.

The emperor praised him highly and had a heart-to-heart talk with him, talking about the various things they had done during the locust control. The conversation between the emperor and his subject was very pleasant.

Promotion was certain, and because of the conflict with the cabinet, he placed Xu Jiawen directly in the Censorate, promoting him from the fifth rank to the fourth rank Censor-in-Chief.

There were also some other rewards, including a house, and he was specially ordered to bring his wife and children from his hometown over, which showed that he was going to be given an important position.

Xu Jiawen probably never thought that this day would come. With tears in his eyes, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed to thank the emperor for his grace.

Zhao Changning personally sent Xu Jiawen out. She picked up the crane cloak on the shelf and instructed Yunsheng to rent a carriage outside the palace gate in advance.

Facing the heavy snow and biting wind, Zhao Changning was blinded by the wind and snow. In a place where no one was around, she bowed deeply and solemnly to Xu Jiawen.

Xu Jiawen was startled and said nervously, "No, no, if it weren't for Miss Changning, I wouldn't have this experience. I should be thanking Miss."

Zhao Changning noticed his poor communication skills and uneasiness, and also knew what kind of person he was. He said gently, "If it weren't for you, sir, Changning wouldn't be here today."

Xu Jiawen's face was full of surprise. His lips were a little blue and purple from the cold of his thin court robes, but he refused to take the hand warmer that Zhao Changning handed to him.

"Take it yourself, girl, don't let it get cold." He was a little puzzled, "I don't think I've met the girl before."

Zhao Changning reminded him, "My Lord, when you were serving as the Supervisor of the Shanglin Garden, do you still remember the child who nearly froze to death under the albizzia tree in the Jingshan Palace?"

Xu Jiawen frowned in thought, then suddenly his eyes lit up, and he was surprised and delighted. "You, are you the little girl from back then?"

Zhao Changning nodded with a smile, "Yes, sir, I am very happy to see you again today."

She was really happy, and in addition to revenge, she would also repay a favor.

Xu Jiawen was also very happy. He had saved someone back then and was greatly rewarded today.

"I didn't expect that. That's great, that's great. You've grown up a lot, now tall and beautiful. I couldn't recognize you at first."

Zhao Changning's eyes curved as he handed the crane cloak to him, "Sir, it's cold and snowy. You've been working hard and helping the emperor solve his problems. Don't get cold."

Xu Jiawen refused repeatedly, and said awkwardly: "Actually, it's not that I don't have clothes, it's just that I'm too bulky to wear, and I'm afraid it won't look good when I see the emperor..."

Zhao Changning understood that clothes made by rich people were warm and light, while those clothes that were only rough and warm could not be both beautiful and stylish.

She felt sad in her heart, how could people not fight for this?

She simply wouldn't be willing to not fight or compete.

Zhao Changning insisted on placing the crane cloak in Xu Jiawen's hands. "I know, sir, please don't take it to heart. Just think of it as Changning repaying the favor you gave me for the cotton-padded jacket."

Xu Jiawen was helpless, but also very happy. He looked at her like his own daughter. He couldn't resist and put on the crane cloak, bowing and saying goodbye.

After leaving the palace, he was still lamenting that he had returned at a bad time today. It was difficult to walk in such a heavy snowstorm.

Just then, a carriage came up in front of them.

With Xu Jiawen's safe return and promotion, the locust control in Shaanxi finally came to a successful conclusion. The emperor and his ministers were all happy and the court was in harmony.

But Zhao Changning saw the undercurrent in it, especially the fact that the emperor placed Xu Jiawen in the Censorate, which was a very obvious signal.

While everyone in the cabinet breathed a sigh of relief, they also breathed a sigh of relief.

Because the emperor inexplicably wanted to set up a female official in front of the emperor, and asked the Ministry of Personnel to issue an official certificate and the cabinet to draft an imperial edict, to appoint Zhao Changning as the female scribe, granting her the honor of walking in front of the emperor, and recording palace secrets, organizing memorials, conveying oral orders, etc., and she was a sixth-rank official, and it didn't seem like a spur of the moment decision.

When Zhao Changning heard the title, she was also stunned for a moment, but she accepted it with pleasure.

As for the sixth-rank official, it is not easy to come by, so why not accept it?

This time, not only the cabinet members came out to oppose it, but many officials also stood up to oppose it.

There was nothing new in what she said. It was just that there was no such ancestral system, and she was a woman, so how could she become an official without taking the imperial examination?

But this time, Zhou Hai, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, did not speak again. Instead, he lowered his head, wrapped his sleeves around his waist, and said nothing.

Zhao Changning didn't care about it and ignored it, only focusing on the assessment of the female officials.

She had a vague feeling that this would definitely work.

After three rounds of examinations, only two palace maids met the requirements. The Empress Dowager met them in Kunning Palace and granted them the position of seventh-rank female historian, exempted them from family labor service, and received official salaries like officials in the court.

The two maids were so happy that they cried and bowed down, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

One of them was assigned to the Shangbaojian as a clerk, and the other was assigned to the Yuyongjian as a bookkeeper.

In the past, only eunuchs could serve here, and palace maids were not allowed to enter at all.

Zhao Changning led the two out of Kunning Palace and said earnestly, "It's definitely not a good place to stay, but what are we afraid of? What's so great about them?"

The two palace maids were encouraged, their eyes red and a little excited, "Aunt, no matter how difficult it is for us, we can still be as difficult as you were back then. With you here, we are not afraid."

Zhao Changning patted their shoulders and felt very relieved.

She returned to Qinzheng Hall and was quietly pulled aside by An He.

His expression was very unfriendly, and he gritted his teeth, "Aunt, the cabinet people are here, and they are saying bad things about you to the emperor, humph."

Zhao Changning gave An He a silver ingot as encouragement, and then gently approached the lattice door.

"...I really don't understand. Back then, those old gentlemen sent people to provide disaster relief and supervised the repair of the riverbank. They promoted whoever they wanted and promoted whoever they wanted. Did I ever say a word of nonsense? Now, if I promote those close to me, it would be considered a violation of ancestral rules, a heinous act, and a disaster for the country."

The emperor's voice grew faster and louder as he spoke, making it hard not to hear. His words were filled with dissatisfaction and more of a rebellion against the cabinet's frequent suppression.

I don't know who said something, I couldn't hear it clearly.

The emperor continued, "Hu Gou'er has already served as a warning to us. Am I being reckless?"

Zhao Changning felt that this was a bit like a child. The more you forbade him, the more he would insist on doing so. The harder you pressed him, the stronger the rebound would be.

He is the emperor, above millions of people. How long has he been on the throne? How can he be willing to be suppressed?

The emperor in the room still didn't stop, as if someone was trying to persuade him again, and the words were not pleasant.

"Hmph, I actually think she's incredibly clever, even more astute than the average official. She never oversteps the bounds, and is a wonderful person to have by my side. Furthermore, she served the late emperor with distinction, and even more so in helping me ascend the throne. Today, I'm rewarding this meritorious official. Anyone who says another word will be killed."

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