Chapter 78

In the summer of the ninth year of Baisheng 223, a new emperor ascended the throne and widely recruited talented individuals, with learned scholars from all over the country gathering in the capital.

Mingpinlou.

"Have you heard? Four women have come to the talent selection this time." The speaker was a young man dressed as a scholar. At the same table with him were two other men: a middle-aged man in his forties and a young man of about the same age. Judging from their long robes and scholar's attire, they were probably also scholars who had come to take the exam.

"What? This woman doesn't stay home to be a good wife and mother, but wants to become an official in the court? Our Emperor is really something, how can he let a woman participate in the selection with us?" The middle-aged man chimed in, his tone full of disdain for the woman.

“Who says otherwise? It’s unheard of for a woman to hold an official position since ancient times.” Another young man nodded in agreement.

"If you ask me, it's just about broadening your horizons. Once it's over, you'll still have to go back to get married and have children."

Who says women have to go back to get married and have children?

As soon as the man finished speaking, a clear and melodious female voice rang out, standing out even in the noisy restaurant.

Xiao Yu put down her teacup and looked in the direction of the sound. A beautiful young woman dressed in gorgeous clothes was holding a folding fan. Another woman entered beside her, but her face was more indifferent. The two of them walking together easily gave people a very extreme feeling.

The men who had been discussing the matter fell silent the moment the woman entered.

The person who came was none other than Shi Zining, one of the participants in this talent selection, and the apple of the eye of the Shi family in the capital. The Shi family is a prominent family in the capital, and Shi Zining is the eldest daughter of the Shi family. Even if they had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to talk about her in front of her.

Shi Zining did not enter the private room, but found a seat in the hall and sat down, looking at the people at that table with a half-smile.

The three men hung their heads and soon slunk away after paying their bill.

Xiao Yu lowered his voice and looked at the two women: "Who are these two women? Why do they seem afraid of her?"

"She looks very capable," Chen Yu whispered in agreement, her eyes also fixed on the table. She said thoughtfully, "Judging from her words, she seems like one of this year's test takers."

"Hmm?" Xiao Yu suddenly laughed, "I didn't expect you to be so smart."

Chen Yu blushed: "What is it?" She took Song Luoning's arm and complained: "Sister-in-law, look, she's bullying me again."

Hearing her say this, and seeing her embracing her wife, Xiao Yu immediately retorted, "I'm just telling the truth, my wife, don't listen to her nonsense."

"I didn't! You were the one who said it first." Chen Yu stuck out her tongue at her, completely disregarding her.

Xiao Yu, his face grim, pulled Song Luoning closer to him: "Guard Liang, can't you manage this properly?"

Upon hearing her name Liang Chengqiu, Chen Yu blushed again, secretly glancing at him out of the corner of her eye before lowering her head and remaining silent.

Song Luoning glanced at Chen Yu, her gaze unfathomable. She paused for a moment on Liang Chengqiu before looking away and sighing softly, "She is the eldest daughter of the Shi family. I had the honor of meeting her once at a palace banquet."

"Oh." So it's the Shi family.

Xiao Yu nodded thoughtfully, re-examining the woman. Since her ascension to the throne, she had not truly come into contact with any aristocratic families, but she knew that most of the court officials came from such families, and it would not be so simple to take action against them.

No wonder those three men didn't dare say a word and slunk away in the end.

This woman was quite different from the scions of noble families she had imagined. She possessed a kind of carefree spirit rarely seen in ladies of high society. Interesting. It seems that noble families are not what she imagined after all.

"Does my wife know her name?" Xiao Yu asked.

Song Luoning lowered her eyes, slowly raised her hand and took a sip of tea: "Is my husband interested in her?"

"Hmm?" Xiao Yu was taken aback, staring at Song Luo Ning. The next second, he realized what was happening, leaned closer, and chuckled, "Wife, are you jealous?"

Hearing her say that, Song Luoning blushed slightly, glared at her irritably, ignored her, and started eating her own food.

Xiao Yu didn't mind, pulled up a stool and moved closer to the young lady, his breath brushing against her skin: "Why aren't you saying anything? I just think it's rare for a noble family to produce a woman like this. Don't overthink it. By the way, who is that woman sitting next to her? She doesn't look like a maid."

Song Luo Ning scolded her, giving her a look that told her to behave.

To everyone's surprise, this man not only didn't restrain himself, but instead started coaxing his wife as if no one else was around.

Seeing that she didn't react, Xiao Yu reached out to pull her, when suddenly the waiter called out, "Sir, your dishes are here!" Song Luo Ning froze, almost knocking over the teacup in her hand.

"My wife, let me see," Xiao Yu said urgently, grabbing her hand and examining her closely.

"Let go, I'm fine." Song Luoning blushed, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed.

That lecherous scoundrel!

"..." Seeing that she seemed really angry, Xiao Yu moved away slightly, staring at the waiter with a sullen face. Even after the waiter finished serving the dishes and left, her face was still dark.

Song Luoning glanced at her, secretly pinched her lower back, and glared at her. Only then did Xiao Yu's expression soften a little.

“Actually, I know about that woman,” Cuizhu’s voice interjected in time.

She couldn't bear to watch any longer. With so many people around, how could these two be so inconsiderate of the occasion?

They're really worried sick.

"Hmm?" Xiao Yuqing coughed, turned her head and glanced at Song Luoning, then sat up straight and looked at her slightly. Seeing that she was still ignoring him, she touched her nose.

Alright, the young lady is angry!

"My wife, you're really ignoring me? I'm truly innocent! You have to believe me, my wife~"

Cuizhu didn't know if she was wronged or not, but she was really wronged by this unexpected display of affection. It was one thing to be fed dog food in the palace, but to be fed dog food when she finally came out was another one. What did she do to deserve this?

You two should have pity on this little maid.

Cuizhu looked at her two masters with a look of utter despair, then at the other two fellow sufferers who were eating with their heads down, wishing they could bury themselves under the table.

Suddenly, I didn't feel so bad anymore. Compared to me, these two should be in a more awkward position.

The next second, as if hearing her thoughts, Chen Yuqing coughed and said, "Cousin, I'm not trying to be mean, but could you go back and close the door before trying to comfort her? There are so many people here..." She blushed as she finished speaking.

Song Luoning blushed deeply, turned her face away, and was secretly annoyed: Why doesn't this lecher know how to be more careful? She gritted her teeth, decided to ignore her, and turned to the little maid and said, "Tell me who that person is?"

Xiao Yu wasn't angry at being deliberately ignored by his wife. He touched his nose and calmed down.

Then Cuizhu said, "That woman is Mr. Sui'an. She is very popular among women in the capital. Her writing is just as good as men's, and her paintings are exceptional..." The little maid chattered on, and it was not hard to tell that she was also a little fan of Mr. Sui'an.

After listening to her story, Xiao Yu had a general idea of ​​what was going on, and her eyes lit up especially when she heard the name Mr. Sui An.

I originally thought Mr. Sui'an was a man, but it turns out he is a woman. How interesting.

"My lady, do you still remember that round fan?" Xiao Yu asked.

"Um."

Speaking of this, Song Luoning's lips slowly curved into a smile. This fool is clearly already the emperor, how could he lack money? She still keeps that round fan like a treasure.

Seeing her smile, Xiao Yu knew she had remembered too. She pulled up her chair, shifted her position, and slowly moved closer, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Do you think this Mr. Sui An is really that famous?"

etc!

Xiao Yu's expression changed, and he looked at Song Luoning with an inscrutable expression. Wasn't it the young lady who asked that question just now?

She clearly remembered Song Luoning saying she had met Mr. Sui'an, so why didn't she recognize him now?

Heh~

Xiao Yu realized that Miss Song had been talking nonsense. She didn't know any Mr. Sui An at all. Luckily, she had treasured it like a precious gem and was waiting for it to appreciate in value.

Song Luoning is a liar!

Xiao Yu paused for a moment: "My wife, how much do you think my round fan is worth?"

"Hmm?" Song Luoning was taken aback: "Didn't Cuizhu say that this Mr. Sui'an is quite famous?"

"I wonder if this Mr. Sui'an is the same Mr. Sui'an that my wife was talking about?" The tone was somewhat sarcastic.

Song Luoning immediately realized that her lie had been exposed, her ears turned slightly red, and she turned her face away, changing the subject: "In any case, Mr. Sui'an is indeed very famous. Why don't you go and get to know him, husband?"

Xiao Yu smiled.

"What do you mean by this, my lord? Did Luo Ning say something wrong?" Song Luo Ning asked in surprise.

"I think I'll pass. Let's wait and see. I'm worried that things might get out of hand with all the jealousy at home."

As soon as she finished speaking, Song Luoning blushed instantly.

"Sisters-in-law, what are you talking about?" Chen Yu looked at this person and that person, wondering why her sister-in-law's face was so red. Was it really that hot?

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask, just eat your food." Xiao Yu glared at her.

Chen Yu: "..."

Song Luo Ning remained silent, slowly curled her fingers, and after a while released them, said softly, "Husband is joking. Luo Ning is fine with this. You may continue eating."

"Hmm?" Xiao Yu looked at the food on the table that had only been touched a little and regretted teasing her too much. He quickly grabbed her hand and said, "You've just recovered. Why are you eating so little? We still need to go to the examination hall later. How can you eat so little? Come on, my wife..." He pretended to serve her some food.

Although unwilling, Song Luoning obediently ate the food that she picked for her.

Seeing that neither of them was paying attention to her, Chen Yu had no choice but to continue eating.

After lunch, the four of them took a carriage to the examination hall, where many candidates from all over the country had already gathered.

It was quite lively.

Xiao Yu jumped off the carriage, turned around and helped Song Luoning down, and Chen Yu also got off the carriage with Liang Chengqiu's help.

"I didn't expect so many people to come?" Chen Yu exclaimed.

Song Luoning: "Many scholars have studied hard for ten years for this day, so it's natural that there are many people coming. This time, His Majesty issued an edict that not only scholars with official titles, but also ordinary people, as long as they have knowledge, can participate. It's normal that there are many people coming."

"I see. Let's go take a look over there," Chen Yu said.

Following her gaze, I saw a bulletin board surrounded by a large crowd.

Xiao Yu glanced at the crowd, a little worried: "Wife, stick close to me and don't get separated in the crowd."

Song Luoning nodded, a smile appearing in her eyes.

"That's strange, why aren't there any women?" Chen Yu asked in surprise. "Didn't they say there were four women participating? Including the two women we just met at Mingpin Restaurant, there should be two more."

She came out today for two reasons: first, she was too bored in the palace; second, she wanted to see what kind of women these four who had registered were capable of coming to the capital to take the exam under such pressure. She knew that she certainly wouldn't have been able to do it in her place.

He couldn't help but feel curious about those women.

“They’re just here to familiarize themselves with the examination hall today, or they didn’t come at all, or they’ve left.” Xiao Yu habitually touched his nose, glanced around, and saw that everyone present was indeed a man. He then said, “Wife, let’s go in and take a look.”

Song Luoning nodded and walked beside her when suddenly they were blocked by several men dressed as scholars.

Xiao Yu frowned: "Is there something you need?"

One of the scholars laughed loudly: "A few more women have arrived. Do they also want to become officials?"

"I advise you not to overestimate yourself. You should know that a woman's value lies in staying home, being a wife and mother, haha..."

"That's right. If you ask me, it's really ridiculous that our Emperor is making women take exams. This goes against ancestral precepts."

"Keep your voice down. Do you think you can just talk about His Majesty like that?"

"What's there to be afraid of? Even if His Majesty is wrong, can't we say anything? Women should stay at home and do their duty."

Listening to the group's back-and-forth conversation, Xiao Yu's face darkened. He pulled Song Luo Ning's hand behind him, blocking their view.

Unexpectedly, those people became persistent and tried to push him forward, but Liang Chengqiu blocked them with his long sword.

People around quickly noticed what was happening and gathered around.

"Why are there a few more women here?"

"However, this woman looks..."

At this moment, a scholar stepped forward, bowed to Song Luoning, and said, "May I ask how you are addressed, young lady? My name is Zhang Da, and I am from Qingzhou. I am currently unmarried, but I am more than a match for you." The man's eyes were unrestrained and greedy as he looked at Song Luoning.

The people around them joined in the commotion.

Seeing that Song Luoning didn't speak, and relying on the fact that everyone around him was on his side, he wasn't worried that the woman would actually cut him with a knife. He boldly stepped forward and tried to grab Song Luoning's wrist.

"..." This bastard dares to bully his wife in front of her. This is intolerable. Without thinking, Xiao Yu kicked him to the ground.

Before anyone could react, he kicked them again.

Zhang Da was also weak; after letting out a scream, he fainted.

Everyone present gasped.

No one expected this outcome. Two women had come earlier but left after their commotion. However, this time they encountered a tough opponent. The men who had blocked their way earlier dared not approach again and took two steps back to observe.

Who is this guy? He's too strong! If that kick had landed on me... I can't even imagine how painful it would have been.

Xiao Yu was still angry and wanted to kick him a couple more times, but Song Luoning hugged him from behind: "Husband, so many eyes are watching, don't be silly."

"I'm being ridiculous?" Xiao Yu exhaled a breath of stale air, glanced at the people in front of him, and said sharply, "Speak, what do you want to do?"

One of them stammered, "Since ancient times... no... no woman has ever entered the court; this violates ancestral precepts..."

"Oh?" Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow and looked around. "You all think so?"

She wondered why there wasn't a single woman here; it turned out they'd been scared away by these bastards. They're not good at studying, but they certainly know a lot of these underhanded tricks.

"A scholar indeed! He's a disgrace to all scholars. If someone like him were to become an official, he would surely be a scourge to the court. No matter how talented he is, she would never hire him."

"Why isn't anyone saying anything? Is that what you all think too?" Xiao Yu repeated the question, and after waiting a moment without anyone speaking, he said with a half-smile, "Is this the kind of courage you scholars have?"

"There has never been a woman holding an official position since ancient times..."

"Since ancient times?" Xiao Yu glanced at the scholar who had just spoken, but didn't make things difficult for him. He then asked loudly, "Is 'since ancient times' always right? Has it always been the case that only men can study?"

The scholar who had just spoken frowned: "This..." He couldn't answer. Since ancient times, it has always been men who studied. Could the ancients be wrong?

Seeing that he remained silent, Xiao Yu continued, "What kind of education do you have if you don't even know how to respect women?"

Another scholar who was with him saw that he could not answer, so he stood up and said: "Since ancient times, women should stay at home to take care of their husbands and raise their children. It is shameful for them to show their faces in public."

"Bullshit." Xiao Yu smirked. The scholar thought she was going to hit him and trembled as he covered his head.

"..."

That's it?

Yu closed her eyes and said loudly, "Baisheng values ​​filial piety. May I ask, aren't your mothers women too? When you look down on your own wives, have you ever thought that your mother is also someone else's wife? She is also suffering the same unfair treatment."

"this……"

Xiao Yu glanced at the crowd, patted the hand on his arm reassuringly, and continued, "If this is your filial piety, ask yourselves, do you even deserve to be called sons?"

Unfilial piety is a grave sin, and none of the scholars present dared to refute it. Even if some were still dissatisfied, they dared not cause trouble on such a matter.

At this moment, a group of people stepped out from the crowd. Leading them was Zhao Cheng, this year's proctor, and the man beside him, a tall and handsome man, was Song Yanyu.

Song Yanyu: "What's going on? Why are you making such a racket here? Don't you want to take the exam?"

Having served in the Imperial Guard for a long time, he naturally possessed the majesty of a military general, and when he spoke, the room fell silent.

Song Yanyu glanced at Zhang Da, who was lying unconscious on the ground, and frowned: "What happened?"

Seeing that someone from the government had finally come out, Zhang Da's companion suddenly felt emboldened and pointed at Xiao Yu: "It was her, it was her who beat people up like this, please, sir, do justice for us."

Song Yanyu stepped forward to check his breath, then stood up: "Is what he said true?"

Everyone agreed.

Song Yanyu nodded: "In that case, take all these people away. I will personally handle the case."

No sooner had he finished speaking than several soldiers, armed with long spears, rushed out of the examination hall and surrounded the people present.

"Arrest him, him, and him... I will personally interrogate them," Song Yanyu said.

At a command, the men were immediately subdued and dragged into the interrogation room of the examination hall without any chance to explain.

After all the troublemakers were taken away, Song Yanyu glanced at Xiao Yu and paused, then said, "This young master, please come with us as well."

Xiao Yu didn't speak, but glanced at Zhao Cheng as he passed by. This man was one of this year's examiners and had once been a protégé of Prime Minister Song. He was quite capable.

Xiao Yu didn't actually go into the interrogation room. He asked Song Yanyu for the files of these people and then returned to the palace. Not long after, a minister came to see him. It was obvious that he had come about the matter of the candidates. Xiao Yu was too lazy to deal with him and simply claimed to be sick and refused to see him.

Although she managed to avoid the situation for a day, the ministers still didn't let her off the hook at the morning court session the next day, bringing up the old issues again.

Xiao Yu listened quietly. Most of the ministers used this matter to oppose women entering the court as officials, but she pretended not to hear them and let the ministers below make a fuss. When the time came, she left the court and the main hall.

Today is the first exam, which tests candidates' talent in poetry and prose. The exam will also reveal a person's character and temperament through their poetry.

After the court session, Xiao Yu hurriedly went to the examination hall with Song Luoning. The examination papers of the first round of candidates had been collected, sealed and copied by the officials of the examination hall, and then sent to the examiners.

As a modern time traveler, Xiao Yu was not good at poetry, prose, or classical Chinese, so he casually flipped through a few articles.

"My lady, have you seen anything good?"

Song Luoning smiled and said, "The number of candidates this time is three or four times that of the past. It will take some effort to select the best poems and essays from them. Your Majesty, please don't be impatient."

Xiao Yu knew that in ancient times, the grading of examination papers relied entirely on manpower, and such matters could not be rushed. Fortunately, there were many officials grading the papers, and the content of the papers was not too complicated. The results were released at 5:00 PM that day.

Ten neatly arranged test papers were presented.

Xiao Yu unfolded the test paper and handed it to Song Luoning: "Wife, take a look and see what I think? I don't know much about this."

Since everyone was learning different things, she didn't feel particularly embarrassed.

It's normal for modern people not to understand these classical Chinese phrases. Xiao Yu looked at Song Luoning with anticipation.

Song Luoning held it in her hands and said after a moment, "This article is decent but lacks talent; at best, it's above average."

Xiao Yu nodded.

Song Luo Ning carefully flipped through the papers, selecting three: "These three are good. This one has unique insights and a free and easy style, making it a rare and excellent piece. This one is also good, but its language is too ornate, making it seem somewhat flashy and impractical. And this last one..." Song Luo Ning paused.

Xiao Yu stared intently at the last exam paper and asked, "How was this one?"

Song Luoning sighed softly: "This article itself is not particularly outstanding, and the wording is simple. What is rare is that it dares to write and speak out."

To be able to write about the lives of ordinary people so realistically shows that the person must have observed them carefully or experienced them firsthand; otherwise, they could not have written with such emotion.

"Oh?" Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow: "To be praised like this by my wife, I'd like to see it." He then took the test paper from Song Luo Ning's hand. There were red annotations from the examiner next to it, and a "ten" was marked in the upper right corner of the paper, indicating that he was probably the last among these people.

Xiao Yu waved to Fu Shun, and when the man approached, he said, "Go and have someone retrieve this exam paper and send it to the palace."

Fu Shun accepted the order and left.

Although it was past dusk and half the sky was dyed red by the setting sun, the summer heat showed no signs of abating. After a busy day, Xiao Yu sighed softly, took Song Luo Ning's hand, and said with emotion, "It's so good to have my wife by my side. I wish it could stay like this forever."

Song Luoning blushed instantly: "What nonsense are you talking about? It's getting late, we should go back to the palace soon."