Chapter 158: I Have a Daughter

October 16th is the day when the eldest daughter of the Liu Lin family gets married. Her son-in-law is a scholar of the Hanlin Academy. At a young age, he has already held a fifth-rank official position and has a bright future.

Although Song Yuzhu did not show up, the reward was sent over, giving Liu Lin enough face.

There were only a few officials who came to the banquet. Except for the subordinates from the Ministry of Revenue and a few officials who were on good terms with him, the rest of the people just brought gifts but did not show up.

After the banquet, Qin Fengtu, Zhang Qikai and Li Qingtai said goodbye to Liu Lin, and the three of them went to a nearby teahouse to rest.

In the private room on the second floor, Li Qingtai, as the junior, poured tea for the two. Qin Fengtu asked the waiter in the teahouse to ask for a hot towel to wipe his face. He was not good at drinking and was a little tipsy after drinking half a cup.

Zhang Qi drank tea one cup after another, his round belly seemed never to be full.

Qin Fengtu knew that he was worried, so he waved his hand and told Li Qingtai not to pour it for him.

"Clear the stage, come and sit down and rest for a while."

"Hey." Li Jie was transferred back from Fuzhou at the end of last year. He is currently the Left Minister of the Ministry of Public Security. Although he is only a fifth-rank official, everyone can see that the emperor values him very much. In a few years, he will definitely be transferred to one of the six ministries.

"Old Qin, what do you think the emperor means by this?" Zhang Qikai held the teacup, his brows twisted into a frown.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't pretend to be ignorant when you know the truth."

Qin Fengtu knew that he was talking about the appointment of female officials. This matter caused quite a stir in the court. Although no one talked about it on the surface, everyone was discussing it behind the scenes.

Many people think that the emperor's appointment of female officials is too frivolous. Since ancient times, men are superior to women. Now that women are officials, isn't it a reversal of yin and yang?

Qin Fengtu understood that the emperor was paving the way - the way for his sister Song Yutong to ascend the throne.

He guessed this by accident. In the past few years, the emperor has kept his sister in the palace, and invited the best tutors and Hanlin scholars to teach her.

One of them had been a close friend of Qin Fengtu for many years. Once when the two were chatting, he accidentally let slip that Princess Changle was very gifted in strategy and was worthy of being a sister of the same mother as the emperor.

Qin Fengtu's heart skipped a beat at that time. How could a princess, a girl, learn strategy? Isn't this something that only the crown prince should learn?

Considering that the emperor has not conferred any titles on his concubines in recent years and that there are no heirs, Qin Fengtu guessed that the throne would probably be passed on to Princess Changle in the future.

If this incident had happened a few years ago, Qin Fengtu would have certainly advised against it without hesitation. After all, it was a matter of national importance, and he did not dare to let the emperor take risks.

But now it is the tenth year of Changzhi, and the emperor has been on the throne for ten years.

Everyone has seen the efforts he has made over the years. How can he be described as a wise ruler when he can govern a country like this? It is not an exaggeration to call him the greatest emperor of all time. What qualifications do I have to dissuade him?

Qin Fengtu leaned back on the cushion and sighed, "Life is but a hundred years, but we often worry about a thousand years. Don't worry about it."

Zhang Qi put down his teacup and said, "Liu Lin was the first to break the rules. He recruited four female officials in the Ministry of Revenue this year and was praised by the emperor. I'm sure other ministries will follow suit. Could it be that the Ministry of Justice will also recruit female officials?"

"You are the Minister of Justice. If you don't recruit His Majesty, His Majesty can't force you to recruit anyone."

Having said that, he felt uncomfortable recruiting a few women to the Ministry of Justice.

Qin Fengtu glanced at him and said, "Do you remember a few years ago, His Majesty asked us a question, what can women do?"

Li Jie was stunned for a moment. He remembered this question, and he happened to be there that year. He was a man of good sense, and when he saw that the two had something to say, he made an excuse to go to the toilet.

After Li Jie left, Qin Fengtu continued, "After so many years, don't you understand what he meant?"

The emperor is no longer the young boy he was back then. Not only is he careful and thoughtful, but he also has the help of Prime Minister Xu and General Fuguo. The generals and ministers are in harmony, and the emperor is diligent and loves the people. What reason do they have to stop him?

"Anyway, I just can't accept it." Zhang Qikai is a very traditional person. In his impression, it is against etiquette for a woman to do anything other than taking care of her husband and children, so he can't tolerate this matter.

"Let it be. There may be more shocking things in the future."

Qin Fengtu thought to himself: We are just getting started now, the crown prince has not been appointed yet, it won't be too late to be shocked when the crown princess is appointed.

Although the court seems calm in recent years, there are actually many twists and turns underneath. As the old ministers of the previous dynasty grow older and gradually fade out of the center of power, new forces have begun to rise.

The identities of Qin Fengtu and Zhang Qikai became increasingly awkward. As old ministers of the previous dynasty, they could not get close to Xu Bing, nor could they confide in Liu Lin.

The Minister of Personnel was old, and the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War had always been on the periphery of power, leaving only the two of them as close friends.

Qin Fengtu didn't want his old friend to fall into the quagmire of power, so he couldn't help but remind him: "There will definitely be people who will petition the emperor to appoint a female official. No matter who finds you, don't pay attention to them. Be careful not to get yourself into trouble."

Zhang Qikai was no fool, he understood what he meant, "I understand."

As the alcohol took effect, Qin Fengtu felt a little sleepy. He closed his eyes and soon began to snore.

Li Qingtai came back on time and saw Qin Fengtu asleep, so he quickly asked his servants to bring a blanket to cover him.

Zhang Qikai said, "Qingtai, you go back first. I will stay here and take care of him."

"Then I'll leave first." Li Jie went downstairs to pay the bill before leaving.

Zhang Qikai also asked for a blanket and lay down on the couch to take a nap. The two of them slept until dark and then went home.

*

As Qin Fengtu expected, someone found Zhang Qikai the next day. And there was more than one person who came. Five or six officials came to his house together as if they had made an appointment.

Among these people were the Left Censor-in-Chief, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, etc., all of whom held official positions above the fourth rank and could be considered important officials in the court.

They came with only one purpose, which was to ask Zhang Qi to write a memorial to persuade the emperor to cancel the appointment of female officials.

"This is simply nonsense! From ancient times to the present, there has never been a case of women being allowed to serve as officials!" The speaker was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Personnel was the most widely affected. In the past, the selection and promotion of officials were all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel.

There is a saying that goes: The Ministry of Personnel is gold, the Ministry of Revenue is silver, the Ministry of Rites is the poorest, the Ministry of War is fierce, the Ministry of Justice is strict, and the Ministry of Works has the lowest official rank.

The Ministry of Personnel, as the most prestigious of all official posts, has always been very picky. Not only do they look down on women serving as officials, they also look down on commoners who pass the imperial examinations.

Now that the emperor has returned the power to select officials to the six ministries, the Ministry of Personnel only has the power to transfer. With a lot of gray income lost, there are naturally complaints from top to bottom.

"That's right, the emperor has indeed gone too far this time. Women are indecisive by nature. Wouldn't it be a disaster for the court if they were allowed to be officials?" The speaker was the Left Censor-in-Chief Yin Bogeng. This matter did not involve his interests, but he simply couldn't stand women being officials.

He has two daughters and one son. The eldest daughter is married, and the second daughter is sixteen years old this year. She should have been engaged, but this girl wanted to become a female official. He was so angry that he confined his daughter to her house. If this got out, he would be embarrassed!

"If you ask me, the Ministry of Revenue is too flattering. If Liu Lin stood with us and firmly opposed women becoming officials, the emperor would definitely withdraw his order."

The person next to him echoed, "That's right! I get angry when this matter is mentioned. I didn't even go to his daughter's wedding yesterday."

Everyone was discussing the matter at once, but Zhang Qikai, who was sitting next to them, was acting differently and holding his teacup in silence.

If he hadn't been warned by the teahouse yesterday, he might have been encouraged to rush into the palace. Thinking of Qin Fengtu's words, Zhang Qikai decided to keep himself safe.

"Sir Zhang, please say something." After a while, the Minister of Taichang Temple said.

Zhang Qi started to try to smooth things over: "I understand what you are saying. I am also against the emperor appointing a female official, but I am incompetent in this matter. There is really nothing I can do."

Yin Bogeng said: "We are insignificant and our words are not taken seriously. Even if we submit a memorial, it will not work. The emperor values you, so your words will surely be effective."

Zhang Qikai was so scared that he quickly waved his hands: "Hey, don't flatter me! I'm a minister of justice, I just need to take care of my own little piece of land, I can't control what others think."

Everyone looked at him in silence, not understanding what he meant.

Zhang Qikai: "I still say the same thing. If you feel something is wrong, go and submit your petition. The door to the Shangshufang is open. The emperor has not forbidden you to enter. Complaining to me will not solve the problem."

When everyone understood that Zhang Qikai was not going to take care of the matter, the Left Censor-in-Chief was the first to stand up and leave: "Sorry for bothering you today. I will take my leave now."

People got up and left one after another, and finally only Zhang Qikai was left. He stretched and felt a rare sense of relaxation in his heart. It turned out that if he didn't take on those trivial matters, he wouldn't be upset.

He didn't know that he had avoided an unnecessary disaster because he listened to the advice.

*

In the palace, Song Yuzhu was reviewing memorials to the emperor when a girl in black shorts hurried into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Brother, look what I brought you!"

Song Yuzhu raised her head and saw her sister holding a little deer in her arms. The foal looked only a few months old, with big watery eyes looking around in horror.

"Where did you get it from?" Song Yuzhu stood up and walked over, touching the fawn's nose. The fawn made a yo-yo sound, which sounded very pitiful.

"Oh, Brother Zhao took me hunting this morning. I hunted a doe, but I didn't expect she had a baby deer." Song Yutong's voice was a little frustrated, probably blaming himself for hurting the doe.

Song Yuzhu took out a handkerchief, wiped the dust off her face and said, "Tell someone to send it to the dry garden and keep it there. You can go and see it when you have time."

"Yes." Song Yutong handed the deer to the eunuch next to him, washed his hands, and followed Song Yuzhu to read the memorials.

The ten-year-old Song Yutong had grown into a graceful young lady, her height reaching Song Yuzhu's shoulders. She looked 70% similar to her brother, but her personality was very different.

Song Yuzhu has memories of her past life. She has always been very steady since she was a child. However, because she is too steady, she lacks a bit of courage.

Song Yutong is different. She is outspoken and confident. In the past few years, she has learned a lot about being a king from the Taifu and Hanlin academicians. Her every move is graceful and she is decisive in doing things. She has the demeanor of a crown prince.

Since last year, Song Yuzhu has taken her to read memorials, and occasionally trained her to handle some simple matters. Song Yutong handled them very well and there was no fault to be found.

An adult and a child sat on chairs reading memorials, and the eunuchs brought them tea and snacks.

Song Yuzhu picked up a piece of her favorite puff pastry and handed it over, but Song Yutong didn't take it. Instead, he frowned and whispered, "This is outrageous!"

(End of this chapter)