"If there were no women, Cangzhou wouldn't have developed so quickly. Lord Du mentioned all the household matters, isn't there someone else taking care of the family?

In Cangzhou, we don’t force anyone to attend academy. Anyone who wants to come can come voluntarily. Those who want to stay at home to take care of their husbands and children can stay at home. Everyone has their place.

There were endless arguments in the court, some opposed, some supported, and some did not care.

Most of those who oppose it cite the fact that women must serve their parents-in-law and take care of their husbands and children.

Some supporters even suggested taking a concubine to manage household affairs while the wife could become an official.

Who says the ancients were not open-minded? They were just as open-minded as modern people.

"That's enough! This is Cangzhou's tax revenue for this year. Take a look."

The memorial was passed around among the people, and those who had read it discussed it with each other. They had thought that Cangzhou might have developed a little, but they had not expected it to develop so fast.

"This, this is almost catching up with Jiangnan."

"With Governor Chen here, I'm afraid Cangzhou will become a small Jiangnan on the Great Wall!"

The emperor originally planned to propose a female official system so that Chen Miaoyi could serve as an official in the court with full legitimacy. Now that he knew that he had two children in Cangzhou, he was even more anxious.

"Governor Chen's proposal for a women's academy is excellent! I have decided to establish a women's academy in each prefecture, starting with selecting women's academies. Not only will they be used to select women officials for the harem, but those with outstanding talent and learning will also be able to serve as women officials in the imperial court."

As soon as the emperor said this, everyone began to object again.

Just because the court is full of men, the appearance of women will definitely affect their status.

"Absolutely not! Your Majesty, if this continues, who in Daxia will be able to take care of their husbands and raise their children?"

"Your Majesty, women are of the Yin element and should be confined to the harem."

"Your Majesty, if you have reached this point, I will kill myself by banging my head against the wall in this Xuanzheng Hall."

The emperor shouted "outrageous" and successfully silenced everyone.

"Am I the emperor, or are you the emperor? Students at the Mistress's Academy must still take the imperial examinations, and only the best will be admitted. Even the daughters of the nobles can serve as officials in the court.

Not far from Daxia, there is a country where women are respected. The court is composed entirely of women. If Daxia and the country establish diplomatic relations in the future, we will have to send female officials there."

The emperor said that he used both threats and inducements.

"Your Majesty, I am the first to agree! If women want to be officials, my daughter will be the first to sign up!"

"Tsk, Master, you only have three daughters, of course you would say that."

"If you want to hit the car, do it faster and I will treat your family well." The emperor urged. No one really wanted to kill them, they just wanted to force the emperor to submit.

However, the emperor didn't buy it. He thought that the dead were easier to deal with than the living. Even if he died, his family still had to live!

Under the emperor's tough attitude, girls' academies were able to be established in various provinces. The first group of people who were able to enter were naturally the daughters of noble families. Their fathers were in power, so they naturally wanted to take this opportunity to gain more benefits.

Over time, when female officials are no longer a surprise, academies will be promoted and more and more women will have a chance to advance through academies.

"Pa!" The crisp sound of slapping rang out in the Cining Palace. The empress dowager felt that she had become less and less capable than before in recent years and was always being provoked to anger.

"Emperor, what are you thinking? You actually proposed such a ridiculous thing. Do you know how many people have openly or secretly asked me for an official position?"

"The eldest daughter of the Chengyang Marquis's Mansion even wants to break off her engagement. She's already engaged, but she's going back on her word because she wants to be an official. Now they're asking me to be their daughter-in-law!"

The empress dowager slapped the emperor in the face and held her head in anger. She was angry that the emperor did not discuss such a big matter with her and was sure that she would object.

"Mother, I am the king of a country. I have to do this. There is no room for negotiation." The emperor replied respectfully and touched his face indifferently.

"Will I object?

If you had told me in advance, I would have been prepared. Your cousin also wants to be an official. You can decide what kind of sinecure position to give her."

The empress dowager said that the emperor's edict had been issued and the matter could not be changed in any way. Otherwise, it would be like the emperor going back on his word, and who would believe him in the future?

"Mother, if my cousin wants to be an official, she can go to the academy and be recruited fairly."

The emperor knew that the empress dowager had tacitly approved of this matter, and that slapping him was just a way to vent his anger. Even if this matter was accomplished, with the empress dowager's help, there would be no major chaos in the court.

The Queen Mother was counting her Buddhist beads when she suddenly seemed to remember something and took out a stack of books.

"This is Prince An's fourth son, three years old this year, very smart. This is Prince He's third son, very strong, and there are these.

Take a look, if there is anything you like, ask her to come to the palace someday to take a look. One year has already passed in the past five years, so you should choose as soon as possible."

The empress dowager no longer had the heart to scold the emperor. State affairs were more important. She needed to choose a child to adopt as soon as possible so that the country would have successors. The child had to grow up in the palace from a young age so that he could become a wise ruler.

"Mother, I don't need it yet. Let's talk about it in a few years."

The emperor refused, but the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably. He already had a son, so why would he pick on someone else's son? It was a pity that he couldn't say such a good thing.

He could only secretly rejoice, and had to face the difficulty of the Queen Mother asking him to adopt a child.

The Queen Mother threw the book away, saying that the child had grown up and she could no longer control him.

"You won't listen to anything I say. What are you trying to do? If you don't want to adopt someone, then give birth to a child to silence everyone!"

The Empress Dowager's head was pounding. She wondered if the Emperor was crazy. He was even happy when she scolded him.

"Mother, the Cui family has been a bit arrogant recently. They have relied on the Queen's power and done many things that are intolerable to heaven. I am thinking of dealing with them."

The emperor suddenly said that he would give the position of queen to Chen Miaoyi, and their child must be a legitimate son.

"Why are you suddenly saying this? The Cui family is so easy to overthrow. The queen has done nothing wrong, but she can't be easily deposed. After all, you have been husband and wife for all these years."

The Queen Mother said that she valued background more. She herself became the queen from the beginning, and in her heart, her daughter-in-law could only be the queen.

The other concubines were just concubines.

The emperor's eyes were gleaming. "Mother, if I have been childless for many years, what about the Queen and the Cui family's involvement?"

The emperor lied and said that with the help of the empress dowager, it would be much easier to overthrow the Cui family. He and the queen had no feelings for each other, but were more wary of each other.

They were forced to be tied together, and he would have no mercy on people who had no feelings for him. They were just using each other. It would be better to take this opportunity to eliminate the Cui family and leave his son an easier kingdom in the future.

"What! How dare the Cui family!" The Queen Mother slammed the chair heavily. The Emperor must have found out more than she did. The Cui family's ambition was obvious, and they were probably trying to get their hands on the throne.