Chapter 53 The Whole Country Was Shocked

The man's warm palms warmed Chu Jiubian's icy hands.

Chu Jiubian looked up at the person in front of him, without withdrawing his hand, and said with a smile, "You came looking for me in the middle of the night, you didn't just want to see my injury, did you?"

Qin Xiao then released his hand and said, "I have something to tell you."

"Come and sit down." Chu Jiubian turned around and walked to the couch by the window, lit the oil lamp, and poured himself a cup of water.

Qin Xiao walked over and sat down opposite him, looking at his hands and saying, "Let me wrap it up for you."

After drinking half a cup of tea, Chu Jiubian took out iodine and bandages from his system space: "Let's get down to business."

Even if it's a finger injury or a back injury, Chu Jiubian can bandage it himself without needing anyone else.

He slowly and methodically rinsed the wound with iodine.

Qin Xiao looked down and said, "Fan Ze and Yang Ankang are both dead."

Chu Jiubian was taken aback.

These two men were the prefects of Guizhou and Guangxi, one from the Xiao family and the other from the Lu family.

Previously, they deliberately delayed reporting the disaster situation in the two areas and transferred grain without distributing it to the people, all at the instigation of these two families.

"Another suicide out of fear of punishment?"

"Um."

"Is the Dali Temple prison really that lax?" Chu Jiubian's eyes darkened slightly.

Qin Xiao said, "Perhaps, sometimes it's strict and sometimes it's not."

The cases of these two prefects have already been reviewed by the Ministry of Justice. In addition to their absurd behavior during this drought, it was also found that they had been detaining the people and committing embezzlement and other illegal acts in their daily lives.

Ultimately, they were sentenced to have their property confiscated and be exiled.

This evening, the two were transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Court of Judicial Review, and they would be exiled in a few days, but unexpectedly, they died in prison tonight.

Chu Jiu argued, "It seems someone doesn't want them to live."

"Do you remember that Zhen Fu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, is Su Sheng's son-in-law?" Qin Xiao asked.

Chu Jiubian nodded: "Then there are only two possibilities."

One possibility is that Su Sheng wanted Zhen Fu to pry something more out of Fan Ze and Yang Ankang. As prefects, they had close ties with the Xiao and Lu families and must know more secrets.

Therefore, Su Sheng wanted to find out more before the two left the capital, so that he could reveal the truth at some point in the future and suppress the Xiao and Lu families.

These two families guessed that the people transferred to the Dali Temple would likely be interrogated again, so they killed them in advance as a precaution.

The second possibility is that these two people died at the hands of the Dali Temple.

Su Sheng wanted to frame the Xiao and Lu families for their deaths, and perhaps even fabricated some confessions to prove how many evil deeds they had helped the two powerful families commit.

This would lead Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao to suspect the possibility that the two had been "murdered to silence them."

So, which possibility is it?

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyelashes slightly, obscuring his vision.

With the bandage wrapped around his fingertips, he raised his hand to his lips, bit the end of the bandage with his canine teeth, and gently tore it into two strips. He then skillfully tied them together with his other hand and teeth.

Qin Xiao watched his fluid movements, his expression calm, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

“When a person dies, they are dead.” Chu Jiubian began to tie off another finger. “The Dali Temple has neglected its duties and should be punished.”

"There were only two minor officials on duty tonight, and they were done with a dozen or so lashes," Qin Xiao said.

Chu Jiubian chuckled lightly: "If you can't even manage your subordinates, the Zhen family shouldn't keep clinging to this position."

Zhen Fu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, is the second-in-command of the Court of Judicial Review, while the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the top official, is Zhen Fu's father, Zhen Mingzhao.

The Zhen family had been guarding the Dali Temple for generations, and behind the scenes, they had received countless tributes and handled countless wrongful cases.

Such a position should be held by a fair and upright official.

Seeing that Chu Jiubian was about to have bandages applied again, Qin Xiao couldn't help but reach out and grab his wrist, pulling him towards him. He asked, "Are there any criminal cases in the imperial examinations?"

"Yes, you can." Chu Jiubian stopped being coy and let him tie him up.

Previously, he only planned to set up six subjects: classics, mathematics, agriculture, and engineering, which could be taken by both men and women, and needlework and medicine, which were set up separately for women.

The selection criteria for the Classics were based on the talents of scholars who had the ability to govern the country, and they were also the first group of people that Chu Jiubian would promote to official positions.

Mathematics and engineering corresponded to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, respectively. As long as there was an opportunity and a position, they could be sent there.

As for agronomy, Chu Jiubian planned to start a new department directly, separate from the Six Ministries, just like the Directorate of Ceremonial, specifically to manage agricultural affairs in all parts of Daming.

Crops like sweet potatoes, cotton, and corn all require these people to study planting methods tailored to local conditions, helping people grow more food.

Chu Jiubian believed that there would likely be no women among the first batch of students taking the exams for the above subjects, but this was a necessary starting point. Women had to participate in the imperial examinations so that more and more women would take the exams and enter officialdom in the future.

Therefore, Chu Jiu Bian must set up a subject specifically for women, giving them a reason and a way to take the exam with peace of mind.

The subject of "Women's Doctor" should naturally have been established, as it addresses the current problem of women in Daning having difficulty accessing medical care.

There are too few female doctors. Even in the Imperial Hospital of the palace, all the doctors are male. Only some experienced nannies know about women's affairs and can deliver babies.

There are very few female doctors in the community. Most of them are midwives who can be considered half doctors, but they have not received systematic training. Their knowledge of diseases and solutions is based on experience, which is sometimes effective and sometimes not.

Therefore, the profession of female doctor had to be established. Among the people Qin Xiao found for Chu Jiubian were two former nannies who had served the late Empress.

These two old women were the female medical instructors that Chu Jiubian was preparing to train.

Needlework is even simpler; nowadays, noblewomen all know how to embroider, and it's considered one of their skills.

Women in rural areas also know how to sew and mend, and there are quite a few embroiderers.

Chu Jiu Bian set up this subject separately in order to give more women the opportunity to step out of their boudoirs.

Once someone takes the first step, once someone truly becomes a "female official," then more and more talented women will participate in other subjects, and the court will have more people available.

Furthermore, he has already instructed Si Tu Zhaoling to improve the silk. After that, when these silks are brought to the capital, a special embroidery bureau can be established to cooperate with Si Tu Zhaoling, buy her silks, and then embroider patterns on them.

After that, let the embroiderers in the embroidery bureau find a way to sell these silks. Whether they sell them to aristocratic families or form a caravan to sell them to the Western Regions, it's up to them. As long as they don't lose money, that's fine. If they make a profit, it will be another source of income for the court.

This would also serve as a blow to the textile bureaus in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, preventing them from becoming arrogant and greedy.

However, he has not yet revealed these specific subjects, nor has he even told Qin Xiao.

It seems that another form of punishment, imprisonment, needs to be added.

Select individuals who are knowledgeable about the law and capable of enforcing it to enter the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, so as to prevent wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice like those of today from continuing to occur.

Qin Xiao's bandaging technique was also very steady. He had already finished bandaging one of Chu Jiubian's bandages, and then went to bandage the next one.

"I've already had the documents drafted. What specific subjects should be included? I'll have them add them," he said.

Chu Jiubian then stated his demands.

Including the criminal justice system, there are seven departments in total.

After listening, Qin Xiao remained silent for a long time until all of his hands were tied before looking up at him: "You must let women and men take the exam together."

"yes."

Qin Xiao laughed and said, "Those great scholars and famous figures will probably go crazy."

“That’s how it is in our Immortal Realm.” Chu Jiubian met his gaze without flinching. “There’s no difference between men and women. Whether it’s an exam or a job, it’s all about ability.”

That being said, even the "Immortal Realm" hasn't truly achieved that, but that doesn't stop Chu Jiubian from starting now.

If things continue like this, the world may look completely different a thousand years from now.

Moreover, there are many talented women among them, and he doesn't want to give up these talents just to avoid being criticized by those great Confucian scholars as "deviant."

He's desperately short of people; he'll take anyone who's capable, regardless of gender, age, or even age.

Qin Xiao asked, "What about the Imperial Academy itself? Will it be divided into separate classrooms, or will it be co-educational?"

“Naturally, they will be set up separately,” Chu Jiu argued.

The idea of ​​strict separation between men and women was deeply ingrained, so he didn't intend to achieve it all at once, but rather to gradually loosen the barriers.

The main problem is that if they weren't separated, those women might not be able to enter the Imperial Academy for various reasons, which would be a loss.

"What do you think?" Chu Jiu asked Qin Xiao.

"I have no objection." Qin Xiao glanced at the table and, seeing only a teacup, said, "If you're thirsty, give me a sip."

Chu Jiubian then drank the remaining tea in his teacup and handed him the empty cup.

Qin Xiao poured tea and took a small sip from Chu Jiubian's cup.

"Let's send out the document tomorrow. I'll also find a way to spread the word so that all the people know about it," Chu Jiu argued.

Qin Xiao didn't ask him what to do, he just responded and then said nothing more.

He leaned back against the armrest of the couch, his gaze fixed on the face of the person opposite him, his fingertips gently tracing the rim of the cup.

Chu Jiubian leaned back as well: "Is there anything else?"

"The tea isn't finished yet."

Chu Jiubian glanced at the cup of tea, then looked at Qin Xiao, and suddenly smiled, saying, "It seems I haven't seen you go back to the Qin family. Don't you have anything to do at home?"

"The clansmen are taken care of by the clan elders, and I have a steward at home, and there aren't many people left, so I don't need to worry about them," Qin Xiao said.

With the Qin family members mostly dead, there really wasn't much left.

"Don't you have any other brothers or sisters?" Chu Jiubian asked casually.

Qin Xiao said, "I have two younger sisters."

"My own sister?" Chu Jiubian was somewhat surprised.

Qin Xiao smiled, but did not answer directly. He only said, "They are all nominally legitimate children."

So he was originally born out of wedlock?

Chu Jiubian was even more surprised.

When he heard Xiao Xiangzi talk about it before, he always said that Qin Jingzhao and his wife Wei Lingyun were a loving couple, so he assumed that the Qin family did not have concubines, so is that right?

He did not hide his doubts, and Qin Xiao said, "Aunt Wu was my mother's dowry maid, and we were as close as sisters. After my mother passed away, she followed her."

In the Da Ning Dynasty, dowry maids were essentially concubines to the groom, in order to secure the favor of their mistresses.

There was no such concern in the Qin family. Moreover, Aunt Wu was six years younger than Wei Lingyun. She was a child that Wei Lingyun had taken in when she was still a young lady. She had raised her from the age of five to adulthood, and they were as close as sisters. Even when she married into the Qin family, she brought Wei Lingyun with her.

Aunt Wu was kind-hearted, lively, and clever. When she was sixteen, she fell in love with a young captain under Qin Jingzhao.

But before the marriage could take place, the captain had to go to the battlefield.

Aunt Wu was reluctant to part with him, thinking that if he didn't come back, she would never marry. The captain thought he would definitely come back to marry the woman he loved. So the two, who were only seventeen or eighteen years old, consummated their marriage with passion.

None of them mentioned this, but the battle with the Tatars was extremely fierce. The captain took several arrows for Qin Jingzhao and lost his life.

It was after that that Aunt Wu found out she was pregnant.

She was determined to give birth to the child, but she didn't realize that as a woman who was not yet married, how would she establish herself in the world?

After much deliberation, Wei Lingyun decided to keep the woman in the mansion under the title of "concubine".

Qin Jingzhao already felt guilty and grateful towards the captain, so he was naturally willing to take care of his widow and children, especially since it was just a matter of keeping them in the mansion, giving them a title and food.

Thus, the Qin family had their only concubine.

Aunt Wu gave birth to twin daughters, and Wei Lingyun adopted them both, making them the legitimate daughters of the Grand Commandant's mansion.

The two girls are now sixteen years old.

Qin Xiao didn't go into too much detail about these past events, only saying that his two half-sisters were the children of Concubine Wu and that captain, and were now legitimate daughters, his nominal sisters.

Chu Jiubian hadn't expected him to tell him these secrets, but upon reflection, they didn't seem like a big deal.

As for the Qin family's true secret, I wonder if Qin Xiao will tell him.

"Don't you have any other brothers?" Chu Jiu asked. "Are you the only male member of the main family?"

Qin Xiao paused for a moment before saying, "I also have a younger brother."

Chu Jiubian's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his face and asked, "Really? I've never heard of this before?"

Qin Xiao laughed and changed the subject, asking, "And what about you?"

"What?"

Qin Xiao stared intently at him: "What was your past like?"

The young man's face was bathed in the warm yellow light of the oil lamp. Gone was his usual aloofness and detachment. Even his mature and sharp features softened, revealing a hint of naivety and immaturity that only someone his age possesses.

In the blink of an eye, the bewilderment on the young man's face vanished, replaced by a mask of composure.

“I also have a younger brother,” Chu Jiubian said with a smile.

Qin Xiao stared at him intently.

The young man was smiling, but there was no emotion in his eyes.

He suddenly remembered his first meeting with Chu Jiubian. The other man talked about making a bet and trying his best to survive, but there was no life in his eyes.

Strange and contradictory.

Just like now, he has the abilities and methods of a god, but his physical body is as fragile as that of a mortal.

Chu Jiubian was always a person with many contradictions... or perhaps, a god.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered twice.

Qin Xiao withdrew his gaze, finished the remaining tea in his cup, stood up and said, "I'm leaving. See you tomorrow."

Chu Jiubian didn't see him off, and didn't even look at his back.

There was indeed trust between him and Qin Xiao, but that trust was not enough to break down their defenses. So they did not hide the fact that they had a "younger brother," but they said it in a way that seemed both true and false, making it difficult for the other to understand.

Qin Xiao concealed the fact that he was referring to his "younger brother," who was actually kept hidden by the Qin family.

Chu Jiubian did not mention his "younger brother," who had long since been torn to pieces before his very eyes.

They don't want to lie to each other, yet they can't truly be honest with each other.

Beneath the pretense lies a tiny, insignificant sliver of genuine sincerity—it's both laughable and pathetic.

However, they have reached a tacit understanding: the uncontrolled kiss on the palace road in the rainy night and the probing in the council hall will be treated as if they never happened.

Neither of them was prepared to accept more complex emotions.

Chu Jiubian was glad that he was an actor, and glad that he could distinguish between acting and reality.

==

The next morning, news that the imperial court had established the "Imperial Academy" to select students through the "imperial examination" spread to all the cities of Daming in the form of official documents.

Whether it was a princely fiefdom or a territory directly under the imperial court, people from all places could register at the local government office as long as they met the selection criteria for the seven subjects.

Meanwhile, Chu Jiubian summoned Wang Qichen in the Divine Realm and gave him this task: to use his influence to encourage more people to participate in the imperial examinations.

Wang Qichen knew long ago that the High Priest was preparing to enlighten the people, and when the imperial court issued this decree, his first thought was that the High Priest would be interested.

Because he knew that the Imperial Academy was just the beginning, and the "Imperial Examination" was the court's ultimate goal.

Prince Ning and Grand Tutor Chu wanted to break the original recommendation system and replace it with the imperial examination system. This would undoubtedly give everyone a relatively fair opportunity, and the court would no longer be controlled by powerful families. People from humble backgrounds could also become successful.

Given this general trend, more people will realize the importance of reading, understanding principles, and learning a skill, and then "enlightening the people" will no longer be a pipe dream.

Moreover, the imperial examination subjects even included "agriculture" and "needlework," so that both skilled farmers and young women could have the opportunity to come into contact with court affairs and even become officials.

When Wang Qichen heard this news, he almost considered taking it as a reference, let alone the scholars and common people who had no way to buy official positions.

He knew that this matter coincided with the High Priest's thoughts, and he had been thinking of reporting it, but given the High Priest's methods, why would he need to do anything extra?

Isn't the deity assigning him a task right now?

Moreover, this task was exactly what he wanted to do, and he was full of enthusiasm for it.

Is it really possible for such a coincidence to happen?

The high priest wanted to enlighten the people, so the Grand Tutor Chu in the palace proposed the imperial examination and the study of the national academy.

Moreover, both of them are quite influential deities in Da Ning today.

Wang Qichen had met the Grand Tutor Chu and knew his voice and appearance. However, the High Priest's voice and the phantom of the deity did not resemble the Grand Tutor's, so he ruled out the possibility that the two were the same deity.

But he still wondered if there might be some connection between these two gods.

He didn't like guessing, so he thought he'd just ask. It would be better if the high priest answered, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't.

So he asked, "High Priest, I have a question that I wonder if you could answer?"

"What is it?"

"Are you acquainted with Chu Jiubian, the Grand Tutor in the palace?"

Chu Jiubian was not surprised that he would ask this question. Jiang Shuoye had asked it before. Both of them were very smart people, and it was too easy for them to connect the "High Priest" and the "Grand Tutor Chu".

Even Si Tu Zhaoling only didn't take the "Grand Tutor of Chu's" miracles too seriously because he was too far from the North.

If she were to enter the capital and meet Grand Tutor Chu, she would surely have the same question.

Chu Jiubian, not wanting to answer again and again, said, "I was born alongside the Holy Star God-King. I am concerned about his descent to the mortal realm to undergo tribulation, so I have come to help him. This matter can be told to other believers, but the God-King must not know. Remember this."

Wang Qichen instantly extracted all the key points.

These two deities not only knew each other, but also had an exceptionally good relationship, so good that they had to live together.

Moreover, the high priest's tone and manner of doing things were somewhat like that of someone protecting the Grand Tutor Chu.

A sudden thought flashed through Wang Qichen's mind: Could these two deities be lovers?!

He quickly suppressed this thought, realizing that it was not a good idea to presume to guess God's will.

However, the High Priest's intention was probably for him to explain this matter to the other believers who could enter the divine realm. So, when he encountered Jiang Shuoye or other believers he hadn't met before, he would speak on behalf of the High Priest.

This way, no one will offend Grand Tutor Chu.

After leaving the divine realm, Wang Qichen immediately sent a message to his renowned scholars and officials, instructing them to spread the word about the imperial examinations and the Imperial Academy.

If they themselves are interested in entering the court, they can first take the entrance exam and enter the Imperial Academy.

After Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian abolished the recommendation system, these students of the Imperial Academy would have the opportunity to enter officialdom.

Of course, Wang Qichen was well aware of the flaws of these great scholars and officials, and they would certainly criticize the "women's reference" program.

So he wrote to them, offering them earnest advice.

"Many of you have daughters. Think about it carefully. Aren't daughters more sensible and obedient than sons? Aren't they sometimes more perceptive and intelligent than sons?"

"Do you sometimes feel the same way, wishing you had a son?"

"The opportunity is right in front of you, what are you waiting for? What are you hesitating for? Don't you want to bring glory to your family and hold power in your hands?"

Fortunately, these great scholars and famous figures all liked to have their younger generations read and learn, and the daughters of so-called scholarly families were bound to be learned. Therefore, many of them had indeed found that their daughters were more promising than their sons.

However, their status as women restricted their future prospects, reducing them to mere tools for marriage alliances, making them undeniably valuable to exploit.

Nowadays, women have the same opportunities as men to become officials and bring glory to their families. It would be a lie to say they are not tempted.

But a woman will eventually marry, and then she will become part of another family...

In his letter, Wang Qichen wrote again: "Marry into the family! Why should such an excellent daughter get married? She can stay at home all the time. If she is afraid of being criticized for not getting married, then find a son-in-law to marry into the family. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

He struck at the heart of these people with every word, and many of them actually became interested.

Eight Worthies County, Shandong.

The great scholar Tan Ji, in his early forties, was handsome and refined. He sat in the pavilion in the back garden, gazing at the lush greenery and lost in thought.

Then a gentle, soft female voice spoke: "Father, may you rest in peace."

Tan Ji snapped out of his reverie and turned to see his graceful youngest daughter, Tan Yuzhu. The girl was only fourteen years old, but she had already grown into an exceptionally gentle and beautiful young woman.

Since last year, matchmakers have been constantly coming to the family, but this girl just doesn't like any of them. When asked, she always says she wants to stay with her parents for the rest of her life and doesn't want to get married.

The couple had three sons before finally having this little daughter, whom they have cherished like a precious jewel since she was a child.

Furthermore, Yu Zhu was intelligent and quick-witted, as well as dignified and gentle. She inherited her mother's beauty and personality, and even more so her father's talent. Whenever they discussed poetry and composed couplets, her three older brothers would always admit defeat.

When discussing the situation in Da Ning, the young girl spoke eloquently and knowledgeably, far surpassing her three older brothers.

Not to mention Tan Ji, even his three older brothers often lamented that if their younger sister were a man, she would surely bring glory to the family.

Unfortunately, she was a woman.

And now, that opportunity has arrived.

Tan Ji beckoned, "Zhu'er, come and sit down."

Tan Yuzhu then walked to the stone bench opposite her father and sat down. Seeing the chessboard on the table, she smiled and said, "Father must have just played a game with Uncle Yan. Why did you stop after only a short while?"

Tan Ji chuckled: "You can see through nothing."

He looked at his daughter's radiant smile, wanting to say something but holding back.

"Is there something you want to tell your daughter, Father?"

"Do you know why your Uncle Yan left in such a hurry?"

Tan Yuzhu picked up a chess piece and continued the game, saying gently, "A letter has arrived from the capital. It must be some instructions from that young master of the Wang family. Uncle Yan should go back and prepare."

Tan Ji then burst into laughter, and all his doubts and hesitations vanished.

He took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to his daughter.

He had done this before, so Tan Yuzhu skillfully reached out and took it, looking down at it.

Then, Tan Ji noticed that his usually unmoved youngest daughter's brows were furrowed more and more, and her hands, which were gripping the letter, were trembling slightly.

Tan Yuzhu read the letter three times from beginning to end before looking up at her father, her eyes red and even slightly glistening.

"Father—" she said, her voice hoarse. She took a deep breath before asking, "Is what's said in the letter true?"

Seeing her like this, Tan Ji felt a pang of sadness and said gently, "It's absolutely true."

Tan Yuzhu smiled, but tears uncontrollably streamed down her face.

She got up, walked to Tan Ji, knelt down properly, and kowtowed, performing a grand ceremony.

Tan Ji hurriedly tried to help her up, but then heard his daughter say in a hoarse voice, "Father, I'm going to take the imperial examination!"

"Alright, alright!" Tan Ji's voice was also a little deep. He carefully helped his daughter up and said with a smile, "My good child, your father will take the exam with you. Your Uncle Yan will also be taking your younger brother Yan Rui to the exam. The four of us can keep each other company."

“Father, I want to write an article.” Tan Yuzhu’s eyes gleamed with a strange light.

Not all girls are pampered by their parents, and not all fathers are as open-minded as Tan Ji. That's why Tan Yuzhu wanted to write articles to tell the world that women are no less than men.

She wanted to encourage more girls to participate in the imperial examinations with her, hoping for a chance to become an official!

==

With Wang Qichen's mobilization and Qin Xiao's official documents and decrees to local officials at all levels, the entire Daning region was shocked by the news in just half a month.

For a time, the streets and alleys were filled with the talk of the village, from ordinary farmers to ordinary villagers.

"Have you heard? The imperial court is selecting people to study at the Imperial Academy in the capital. If they do well, they'll have a chance to become officials!"

"Of course I've heard! They say even peasants like us can go."

"How can a peasant like me go? I can't even read a single character. Do you think I'd be able to work the land for the imperial court?"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Someone said, "Don't laugh, they really are choosing farmers to be officials."

"What? You can become an official just by being good at farming?"

"That's right, they say there's a subject specifically for testing farming skills, and if you're good at farming, you'll have a chance to become an official!"

"Hey, this is our chance to become big shots! We can't miss it! Who wants to sign up for the exam with me?"

"I'm not going. If I don't do well on the exam, I'm afraid I'll get beaten and scolded by those officials."

“I don’t dare to go. Even if they don’t beat or scold me, what if I don’t do well on the exam? Wouldn’t that mean I don’t know how to farm? How am I supposed to face the villagers then?”

The crowd burst into laughter again, and the person who had previously said he wanted to go and take a look began to hesitate.

This situation has occurred in various parts of Daning, and even in the capital, many people have begun to consider it.

The Zhen family mansion.

Su Xier and her sister Su Nian'er sat in the outer room, each holding a lifelike embroidered handkerchief depicting flowers and birds.

"Have you thought this through?" Su Nian'er looked at her younger sister with some worry. "How can we young ladies from secluded families show our faces in public? Even Father wouldn't allow it."

“I will persuade Father.” Su Xi’er’s eyes crinkled with laughter. “My embroidery skills are quite good, and I have an 80% chance of passing the exam. Then your sister will be a student of the Imperial Academy and can become an official in the future.”

Su Nian'er chuckled and said, "How can someone who knows embroidery become an official?"

"Grand Tutor Chu has already ordered the construction of an embroidery bureau, an independent department just like the Directorate of Ceremonial. The embroiderers there will all be officials with ranks in the future." Su Xi'er had found out all of this very clearly.

Su Nian'er knew her younger sister was serious, and she didn't know whether to be happy or worried.

“But what happened with the Zhao family before…” she said in a low voice, “Your sister also hopes that you will leave the capital.”

The capital is a murky place, yet Su Xier still wants to be an official. How can she possibly understand how to be one?

Even her father and husband had to walk on thin ice in the court, let alone the simple and naive Su Xier.

Su Xi'er thought of Zhao Xi, a flash of sadness crossed her eyes, and her voice lowered: "Sister, I don't want to be separated from you."

Even in death, she wanted to die with her family.

Su Nian'er's eyes welled up with tears, and she stopped trying to persuade her. She said softly, "Okay, let's stay together and not separate."

Half a month has passed, and government offices of all sizes in various places have received a number of applications. Moreover, after the talented woman known as "Bamboo Rain Hermit" from Baxian County in Shandong published an article, the number of women applying has increased.

Naturally, there were more men than women, and among them were some already well-known scholars, as well as some great Confucian scholars and retainers of prominent families.

However, there was an order from the court that scions of aristocratic families and retainers of powerful officials were not acceptable; only those with simple backgrounds and no way to advance their careers were welcome.

This clearly thwarted the aristocratic families' plans to place their own people in positions of power, and it also garnered cheers and support from ordinary people with no connections. Many even spontaneously began to expose who had connections with the aristocratic families.

Of course, there are also some purely malicious individuals who want to report their fellow villagers or rivals, but these reports are always uncovered by the government.

Most of the people in these government offices were actually from the four great families, but they also had a supervisor by their side, namely the military officers or soldiers sent by Qin Xiao to deliver documents.

These people were all granted special privileges by Qin Xiao, namely the right to supervise the registration of these officials. If there were any irregularities in the procedures, such as allowing their own people to register, these soldiers could arrest the people directly.

After taking the positions of four or five county magistrates and prefects, no one dared to make any more moves.

Upon hearing this, Chu Jiubian couldn't help but laugh.

Qin Xiao's soldiers were not good at politics, but in other aspects they were truly disciplined and decisive.

Moreover, Qin Xiao kept his word and sent secret guards to protect those who were somewhat famous and might be targeted by powerful families.

In this way, people from other forces can not only not harm these students taking the exam, but they also cannot even contact them, let alone coerce or entice them.

The aristocratic families initially didn't take it seriously, but as the number of applicants increased and many familiar names appeared on the lists of various prefectures and counties, they couldn't sit still any longer.

They immediately sent out messages one after another, saying that their family was also going to set up an "academy for outsiders," and that scholars who wanted to become disciples of a prestigious family could apply to join.

This caused another sensation among the literati of Daning.

Many scholars who had previously been unable to access aristocratic families or become their disciples began to consider this opportunity.

Entering the Imperial Academy only offers the possibility of becoming an official, but if one attaches oneself to a powerful family, one will be looked up to by others.

Soon, many scholars began to destroy their application forms at the government office and instead devoted themselves to the aristocratic families' schools.

Meanwhile, the seven vassal kings, seeing that the talented young men and women in their fiefdoms were all signing up to serve the court, could no longer remain idle.

He then directly announced that his own fiefdom's small court was also recruiting people, and that anyone with talent could apply.

Since they were already reluctant to leave their homeland, many people, after weighing the pros and cons, chose the small court of the vassal kings.

As a result, the number of applicants at the yamen (government office) decreased by more than half in a short period of time.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao didn't care. These people who were screened out were not suitable for the Imperial Academy anyway. They should thank these powerful families and princes for helping them with the screening.

The establishment of the Chinese Studies program is proceeding in full swing, with Chu Jiubian in charge of everything.

He spent half his day building the Imperial College and the other half training lecturers, only having lunch and dinner with Qin Xiao and Baili Hong.

Qin Xiao wasn't idle either; he found a group of soldiers and taught them how to be "examiners."

The exams were scheduled for three months later. The first round of exams would be held in the county seat, and those selected would then take another round of exams in their respective prefectures, before finally going to the capital for the final round of exams.

Those who can enter Beijing, except for those who try to take advantage of the situation, can all enter the Chinese Studies program. Some will be given special training in key classes, while the rest will be taught gradually.

In order to prevent cheating during local examinations, examiners would travel from the capital to supervise the process.

Qin Xiao would also hand the exam questions to his secret guards, who would secretly deliver them to the relevant locations and then hand them to the examiners just before the exam to ensure maximum fairness.

As for the exam questions, Chu Jiubian set them all himself.

Three months can feel both fast and slow, but what came before the scientific expedition was the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.