Xue Xingzhao slammed his teacup down with a loud "bang" and sneered, "What's there to be afraid of? The examination hall is full of my people. Even if she and Lu Cijian want to do something, those people will never give them the chance."
If anything goes wrong, we can deal with her right there in the examination hall. That'll be the end of it; she'll just be a princess in name only.
If it weren't for this person's appearance, Xue Lingyu would definitely have married Lu Cijian, and their Xue family wouldn't have been ridiculed by so many people in the capital.
Before he could even cause trouble for this man, this woman delivered herself right to his doorstep. Perfect, he could deal with her at the same time, which would also be a way to vent his anger for the Xue family.
The servant breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried that if Princess Ning'an entered the examination hall and discovered something, it would be difficult to resolve the situation.
Now that there are adults around, he doesn't need to worry anymore.
Xue Xingzhao, however, seemed to remember something and frowned, asking, "How is things on Marquis Anding's side? Has there been any news lately?"
Speaking of which, he felt that Xue Lingyu's marriage to Lu Lin was a bit strange. Logically speaking, since both Lu Cijian and Lu Lin were sons of the Marquis of Anding, his daughter could marry either of them.
But the Marquis of Anding insisted on marrying his daughter to Lu Cijian. At first, he thought it was because Lu Cijian was a promising young man with a bright future.
Now that I think about it, I realize there's something fishy about it.
The servant said, "There's been no news from the Marquis of Anding. Perhaps he's been ordered by His Majesty to stay home and is feeling down, which is why there's been no activity."
Xue Xingzhao scoffed, "In that case, let's not mention Marquis Anding to the Prince of Chu for the time being. Right now, the Prince is troubled by the matter of the weapons workshop, so it's better to let him have some peace and quiet."
"You may leave."
He wanted to see what Lu Chengyuan was planning to do. Since the other party wasn't in a hurry, he wasn't in a hurry either. The most important thing now was to complete the scientific expedition.
The servant seemed hesitant to speak.
Xue Xingzhao glanced at him and said, "Speak your mind."
The servant then said, "It seems that Miss has been causing trouble at the Marquis's residence for quite some time now, and Young Master Lu hardly ever comes back to the residence anymore."
The lady has tried to persuade the young lady several times, but she remains unchanged. Should the master go...?
Xue Xingzhao scoffed, "Ignore her, let her make a scene if she wants to."
She's truly a worthless piece of trash; she can't even control a man.
Fortunately, he didn't have high expectations of her at first.
The servant then left.
*
Time quickly came to the day of the autumn imperial examination.
Early in the morning, the entrance to the examination hall was already packed with people, hundreds and thousands of students gathered together, chatting in twos and threes.
Gao Yang searched around in the crowd, craning his neck to look for a long time, but he couldn't find Yang Qiguang. He couldn't help but get a little anxious.
If it weren't for a neighbor of Yang Qiguang saying that he had gone back a few days ago, he probably would have reported it to the authorities long ago.
This morning, he made a special trip to the Yang family, but he didn't see Yang Qiguang anywhere.
He had no choice but to come to the examination hall first, secretly praying that Yang Qiguang was just joking with him and that he would definitely come to participate in the autumn examination today.
Unfortunately, he had been craning his neck to look for a quarter of an hour, but he still couldn't spot Yang Qiguang in the crowd.
Just as they were about to go and take another look, the vermilion gate of the examination hall was opened from the inside with a dull thud, which brought the students present back to their senses.
Many officials had appeared at the entrance of the examination hall, and Jiang Yimian was among them.
The students, who had finally quieted down, immediately started discussing among themselves upon seeing Jiang Yimian.
"Today is the day of the autumn imperial examination, why is Princess Ning'an here?"
"Who knows? It's really strange. In previous years, the examiners at the examination hall were all officials from the Ministry of Rites. What is Princess Ning'an doing here? She's a woman and can't take the imperial examinations, so what use is she here?"
"Who knows? Even if His Majesty values her highly, he wouldn't necessarily let her participate in the imperial examination."
"Who can say for sure? After all, she is the only female official in our Great Jin Dynasty. Even if His Majesty allows her to participate in the imperial examinations, what can you do?"
"Is a mere scribe in the Bureau of Classics considered an official? Besides, she's a woman, she probably only knows some 'Precepts for Women,' taking the imperial examination is just a pipe dream, she probably doesn't even know how to write the eight-legged essay."
Everyone burst out laughing upon hearing this.
Gao Yang frowned and looked at the laughing students, saying with dissatisfaction, "What's wrong with women? Princess Ning'an is the one who came up with a method to control the floods in Qingnan, and she also saved General Wei from those Xiliang people. Who among you can compare to such an extraordinary woman?"
"Just because you've read a few more books, you think so highly of yourself. If you ask me, you're not even worthy of being compared to a princess."
These words infuriated the group, who glared at Gao Yang, wanting to retort but unable to find a way to do so.
After all, what he said was true. Whether it was coming up with a way to control the flood or saving General Wei, both of these actions are worthy of respect.
Jiang Yimian naturally heard those discontented voices, but she pretended not to hear them and didn't care at all.
In this era, most women stayed at home to support their husbands and raise their children. If it weren't for the princess establishing a girls' school, ordinary women would have had very few opportunities to even learn to read.
Therefore, in the eyes of these pedantic scholars, women should not come to the examination hall, as if this place belonged to men.
Hearing the discontented voices, Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Rites, who was standing to the side, not only did not stop them, but also looked at Jiang Yimian with a mocking look in his eyes and a smile on his face, "Why did the princess come to the examination hall for no reason? It seems that these students do not welcome the princess very much!"
He couldn't understand how His Majesty had agreed to let Jiang Yimian come to the examination hall. She was just a woman, yet she wanted to meddle in men's affairs; it was truly laughable.
Jiang Yimian glanced at him and said calmly, "His Majesty appointed you. If Lord Zhao doesn't understand, he can ask His Majesty himself."
Zhao Ruhai was momentarily speechless, only managing a groan before falling silent.
The official from the Ministry of Rites standing nearby gave a brief introduction to the officials, but hesitated for a moment when he mentioned Jiang Yimian, as if he didn't know how to introduce her.
"This, this is Princess Ning'an, yes, yes..."
Seeing this, Chen Changli took over the conversation and said loudly, "Princess Ning'an was in charge of this ink scroll with the Bureau of Classics and was also the one who proposed movable type printing. This ink scroll was printed using movable type."
Like the Beijing Times, if you have seen the Times, you will know that it is very different from the previous printing.
Now, the newspaper can be printed in almost a day, whereas it used to take at least seven or eight days.
From now on, the difficulties in printing books will be greatly reduced, and the speed will also increase significantly. If any students need any books, they can go to various bookstores and bookshops; there will certainly be no shortage of available books.
Everyone was stunned by these words.
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