Chapter 454 Women's Official School

His words left the assembled officials speechless.

Indeed, women are perfectly capable of holding these positions and they would not disrupt the existing bureaucracy.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor laughed heartily: "Good! Well said! As the Princess said, each department can select and appoint women to positions according to their needs."

After the court session, Yuan Hongqu stayed behind to have a detailed conversation with the Emperor.

"As Your Majesty has seen, reform is by no means easy," Yuan Hongqu sighed. "Today is just the beginning; the resistance will only increase in the future."

The Emperor pondered for a moment and asked, "What good plan do you have, sir?"

Yuan Hongqu took out a scroll of regulations: "I suggest a gradual approach. Begin with lower-ranking official positions for trial, and then gradually promote the women after they have proven their abilities. Furthermore..."

She unfolded the charter and pointed to one of the articles: "Women's official schools can be established to train female officials. This will not affect the Imperial Academy and will allow for the systematic training of talent."

The Emperor carefully reviewed the regulations and nodded repeatedly: "My dear minister, your thinking is thorough. But who should preside over this women's official school?"

Yuan Hongqu smiled: "The perfect candidate is right in front of us. Daiyu has won first place in the list this time and is also knowledgeable in government affairs, making her the best candidate."

The Emperor suddenly realized: "Excellent! Let the princess temporarily serve as a fifth-rank compiler, in charge of establishing a women's official school."

The news sent shockwaves through both the government and the public.

Daiyu, as a woman, was granted a formal fifth-rank official position, which was unprecedented since the founding of the country.

Unlike Yuan Hongqu, who was promoted based on her numerous achievements.

Daiyu earned her degree through her own hard work and has impeccable family background!

When the Jia family learned of this, Grandmother Jia was both happy and worried: "It is a good thing that Yu'er is promising, but having this official position... is a bit too ostentatious."

Madam Wang added sourly, "What kind of behavior is it for an unmarried young lady to show her face in public all day long?"

Only Tan Chun's eyes lit up: "Sister Lin truly brings honor to us women! I must go and learn from her another day."

Inside the Imperial College, the students were experiencing a mix of emotions.

They studied diligently for over a decade, yet they could only start as seventh-rank editors.

It's almost unbelievable that Daiyu could suddenly obtain a fifth-rank official position.

"Why?" a student said indignantly. "Just because she's a princess? Just because she's Yuan Hongqu's student?"

The chief minister sighed, "Just look at how he silenced all the officials in court. If you had that ability, you could also win His Majesty's favor."

After receiving the imperial decree, Daiyu immediately set about establishing a women's official school.

This official school was different from the girls' academy, which was a proper academy for nobles, and it was also different from the branches of the girls' academy, which were for charity.

She chose the location next to the girls' school and specially invited outstanding women from various industries to serve as teachers: there was a female accountant who was good at arithmetic, a female doctor who was proficient in medicine, and even a female craftswoman who was good at construction.

On the first day of school, the Emperor personally inscribed the plaque "Women's Academy". Outstanding women from all over the country gathered here to learn the ways of being an official.

Daiyu stood on the platform, looking at the pairs of eyes below eager for knowledge, and said softly, "You are here today not only for yourselves, but also to pave the way for women all over the world. We want to prove that women can not only support their husbands and raise their children, but also govern the country and bring peace to the world."

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

Many girls had tears in their eyes; they knew that a brand new era was opening its doors to them.

Meanwhile, the debate over women entering officialdom continued in the imperial court. But more and more people began to realize that this trend was unstoppable.

As Yuan Hongqu said to Daiyu, "Reform is never something that can be accomplished overnight. But every step we take is paving the way for future generations."

As the sun set, the plaque of the Women's Academy gleamed with golden light. Daiyu stood before the gate, as if she could see countless women emerging from here, shining brightly in their respective fields.

The road may be long, but at least it has begun.

With the establishment of the Women's Academy, the trend of women entering officialdom gradually swept across the country.

That morning at court, the Emperor summoned the Tenth Prince: "I wish to promote women's official schools throughout the country, but I must first investigate the situation in various regions. I entrust this matter to you."

The Tenth Prince accepted the decree, but he had other plans in mind.

Before leaving, he made a special trip to the Women's Academy to find Daiyu.

It was early summer, and the pomegranate flowers in the academy were in full bloom.

When Daiyu saw the Tenth Prince arrive, she hurried forward to greet him: "Your Highness, what brings you here?"

Looking at her profile, which was gilded by the sunlight, the Tenth Prince suddenly said, "I will be leaving the capital tomorrow to investigate matters concerning women's official schools in various places. This trip will probably take about half a year."

Daiyu smiled and said, "This is a good thing. If Your Highness sees a suitable place to set up a school, please remember to keep an eye out for it."

The Tenth Prince hesitated, then finally mustered his courage: "Yu'er, over the years, I've watched you grow from a little girl into the person you are today... I have the utmost respect for you." He paused, his voice softening slightly, "If one day you achieve great success, I wonder if you would... would you be willing to walk hand in hand with me?"

Daiyu didn't react for a moment, taking it as just a polite remark, and said with a smile, "Your Highness is joking. Yu'er only wants to run the academy well right now, and has no other plans for the time being."

A hint of disappointment flashed in the Tenth Prince's eyes, but he quickly concealed it: "Indeed, you're currently focused on your career. Well... we'll talk about it when I return."

After seeing off the Tenth Prince, Daiyu continued her work at the academy.

It wasn't until he returned to his residence in the evening, and while bathing and changing, that it suddenly dawned on him: "What the Prince said... could it be...?"

She paused for a moment, then shook her head and chuckled, "I must be overthinking it. I'm still a minor, how could that be?"

Although Daiyu is the female protagonist of the Dream of the Red Chamber world, due to the influence of the original Hongqu, she never took the idea that a woman's coming of age at the age of 14 was considered adulthood. Instead, she always felt that 18 was the proper age for adulthood.

The matter only briefly crossed her mind before she quickly put it aside and continued to study the new curriculum design for women's official school.

Meanwhile, Yuan Hongqu was implementing another bold plan.

That day, she specially invited Wang Xifeng and got straight to the point: "You've always been very interested in the prescriptions and medicinal herbs I have?"

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Sister Yuan has finally come to her senses. Are you willing to do this business with me now?"

Yuan Hongqu took out a booklet: "Business aside, I have some prescription medicines here with excellent effects. I'd like to cooperate with you to open a pharmaceutical factory to produce these medicines. What do you think?"

Wang Xifeng opened the booklet and saw that it contained detailed records of various medicines' formulas and effects: there were elixirs for treating colds, secret recipes for regulating gynecological conditions, and even beauty and skin-nourishing ointments...

She looked up at Yuan Hongqu in shock.

"Sister, I know you are very capable and have many secrets, but are these things I can see?"