Fight for women all over the world
In the first year of Taichu, the sky in September already revealed a hint of autumn's chill.
The atmosphere at today's court session was unusual from the very beginning.
When the meeting was halfway through, Wang Minzhi, an inconspicuous censor in normal times, stepped out steadily with a tablet in hand.
He said, "I impeach Zhao Yue'e, an eighth-rank female official in the Military Affairs Department. During her four years in office, she exploited her privileged position in handling military supplies documents and records to falsify reports, withhold funds, and extort bribes, ultimately embezzling no less than 100,000 taels of silver!"
The three words "one hundred thousand taels" were like a huge rock hitting a deep pool, instantly stirring up thousands of waves.
There was a whisper in the hall.
Without waiting for the clamor to die down, Wang Minzhi raised his voice, his words sharp as a knife, pointing directly at the throne: "Your Majesty! Most of the officials in the Military Affairs Department were selected through the hairpin flower examination, without having gone through the formal imperial examination. For a lowly official to suddenly gain power is like a child carrying gold through the market. How can they not be greedy?"
He knelt down and said angrily, "The case of Zhao Yue'e is by no means an isolated incident! This is the evil result of Your Majesty's unconventional appointments and the careless granting of state power! I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate all female officials in the Military Affairs Department. Otherwise, if one Zhao Yue'e embezzles 100,000 today, who knows if there won't be others who embezzle millions or even tens of millions tomorrow?"
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like lighting a fuse.
In an instant, countless officials came forward to second the motion.
They were not just targeting Zhao Yue'e, but the entire Military Affairs Department and women serving as officials. In the end, the sword was pointed at Su Qingfan and Ning Lingyi.
"Lord Wang is absolutely right! A woman with an unstable mind and limited knowledge, how can she be entrusted with such an important task?"
"The Military Affairs Office was originally established as a temporary stopgap during wartime. Now that Beishuo has been pacified, why hasn't it been disbanded? Lord Su holds multiple positions and exerts immense power. This is probably not good for the country!"
"Your Majesty, please understand and abolish the Military Affairs Department and dismiss all female officials!"
The sound waves became louder and louder.
They came here with a premeditated plan to rape her, the empress.
Ning Lingyi sat still, her eyes scanning the faces below. Finally, her gaze fell on Prime Minister Shen Qingyan.
Shen Qingyan felt the emperor's gaze, pondered for a moment, and finally stepped out.
He was calm and composed, his tone gentle, but he said, "Your Majesty, the Military Affairs Office is of great importance, and we must be extremely cautious in our personnel selection. The imperial examination has been tested for thousands of years, and the candidates selected are well-versed in the classics, laws, and have a solid foundation. However, the women selected by the hairpin flower test, although talented, are uneducated and have no sense of the limits of power, responsibility, and interests. The case of Zhao Yue'e is a case in point."
He paused briefly and continued, "For the sake of national stability and to prevent future troubles, I also believe that these female officials in the Military Affairs Office should be dismissed."
He wanted to take this opportunity to strip Su Qingfan of his military power and get rid of those female officials who he thought were not following the rules.
His roots are in the literati community. He needs to maintain the dignity of the imperial examination system, balance the court, and restrict Su Qingfan's power. Otherwise, what is the point of him being the prime minister?
The two former partners from Mingzhou have become like this in the court today.
This disturbance quickly spread from the court to the entire capital.
"Have you heard? An eighth-rank female official embezzled 100,000 taels of silver!"
"One hundred thousand taels! My God, this is a lot of people's blood and sweat!"
"An eighth-rank official can be so greedy. What about those female officials of higher ranks? That Lord Su..."
"It's truly unbecoming for a woman to be an official! She's bringing disaster to the country and the people!"
Rumors began to spread.
The female officers in the Military Affairs Office began to feel the pointing and criticizing eyes on them as they went on duty. Those eyes were full of suspicion, contempt, and even hatred.
I hate that they can easily get to high positions, I hate that they have a way to the sky, I hate that they have taken away a future that does not belong to them.
*
After dismissing the court, Ning Lingyi stood up expressionlessly and walked into the back hall.
Su Qingfan had brought dozens of female officials in official uniforms, all kneeling on the gold bricks.
Their faces were pale, their eyes filled with fear and even more with anger at being betrayed. Kneeling in the front was none other than Zhao Yue'e, the one who had caused such a huge uproar.
Ning Lingyi walked up to them and stopped.
She didn't look at Su Qingfan, her gaze fell directly on Zhao Yue'e.
"Why?"
Zhao Yue'e trembled all over and fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face, but she couldn't utter a word.
"I'm asking you, Zhao Yue'e, what did you do with the 100,000 taels of silver?"
Zhao Yue'e was silent for a long, long time, so long that the air seemed to freeze.
Finally, she raised her head, tears streaking her face, and said, "I have been poor since I was young. My parents only cared about my brother, and no one has ever truly valued me. But after joining the Military Affairs Office and wearing this official uniform, I felt... that finally someone respected me. Those clerks and merchants would smile at me and flatter me..."
Her voice gradually took on a strange excitement. "But it's no use! What's the point of looking up to someone? I'm still living a tight life! The monthly salary sounds like a lot, but I have to support my parents and brothers, and I have to look good in social interactions with colleagues. And rouge, powder, clothes, jewelry... which one doesn't cost money?"
"I, too, want to live in a spacious two-story house, wear exquisite pearl hairpins, and... enjoy the feeling of being pampered and worshipped!"
"Ridiculous!" Su Qingfan could no longer hold back and shouted, "Your Majesty is granting you the hairpin flower test, giving you a chance to establish yourself. It's for you to serve the country, not to enjoy luxury! You receive ten taels of silver per month, and an annual salary of one hundred and fifty taels. A family of five in the capital spends only fifty taels a year! You're monopolizing the wealth of three households, and you're still not satisfied. How dare you claim it's not enough?!"
Zhao Yue'e screamed as if she had been pricked in a sore spot, "It's not enough! It's simply not enough! One hundred and fifty taels, if I divide it among my family, how much will I have left for myself? I want to buy a small house of my own in the capital, but even if I save for ten years, it might not be enough! Why... why can those men get it so easily..."
Her eyes were vacant as she muttered, "At first it was just five or ten taels. Later, I got bolder and took a hundred or two hundred taels... I was the one who covered up a minor mistake. I did the accounting, and it was flawless. Even I... I can hardly remember how much I took..."
Ning Lingyi closed her eyes.
She waved her hands as if to dispel the sickening smell of greed.
"punish."
One word determines life or death.
The guards stepped forward and dragged Zhao Yue'e, who was as limp as mud, away.
The hall was dead silent, with only the suppressed sobs of the other female officials remaining.
Is all their future going to be ruined just because of Zhao Yue'e?
Su Qingfan kowtowed deeply and pleaded guilty. "Your Majesty, this is all due to my inability to supervise and manage my subordinates, which has allowed the growth of corrupt officials. I earnestly request Your Majesty's permission to resign from all official positions! This will quell the criticism from both the court and the public and preserve Your Majesty's reputation."
Behind her, all the female officials kowtowed in unison, their voices choking with sobs: "We are guilty! Your Majesty, please punish us!"
Ning Lingyi shook her head slowly, her eyes sweeping over Su Qingfan and those young and frightened faces.
"If you retreat, what will happen to them? What have I done all these years means nothing?" There was a hint of imperceptible fatigue in her voice, but more of it was determination.
These women cannot retreat, Su Qingfan cannot retreat, and she cannot retreat even more.
She pondered for a moment, a flicker of determination in her eyes: "I will issue an edict of repentance."
"Your Majesty, you can't!" Su Qingfan raised his head and said anxiously, "Your Majesty has only been on the throne for a short time, and the world has just been stabilized. If you issue a self-blame edict for this matter, it will surely be used by those with ulterior motives, and future attacks will be endless! I absolutely cannot..."
"It's okay." Ning Lingyi interrupted her.
"You are more important than my reputation."
*
The next day, a "Taichu Sin-criticism Edict" written by the emperor himself was promulgated throughout the country.
In the imperial edict, Ning Lingyi did not avoid the case of Zhao Yue'e's corruption.
She reflected on herself since she ascended the throne: "I have been eager to develop the northern border, but have forgotten to care for my ministers; I have been strict in governing officials, but have neglected to maintain integrity."
She said that she had heard that there were honest officials who had been in Beijing for ten years but were unable to buy a house and whose families were in poverty. She said that this was all due to her "failure as a king". Years of war had made her forget that the ultimate goal of war was to allow her subjects to live and work in peace and contentment.
"This is all my fault, and I feel deeply ashamed."
Therefore, she announced: From now on, the salaries of all officials in Beijing and local areas will be tripled to maintain their integrity.
At the same time, to show her determination to share the difficulties with the world, she strictly limited the royal expenses to within 100,000 taels of silver per year, and established it as an ancestral rule that future generations were not allowed to exceed.
People were talking about this edict in the streets, alleys, teahouses and taverns.
"The Emperor actually set a budget for himself? Only 100,000 taels a year?"
"And they increased the salaries of all officials? Three times!"
"Your Majesty is spending all the money on his subjects!"
"Benevolence and righteousness! Truly a benevolent and righteous monarch! That female official's corruption is her own personal misconduct, how can you blame the emperor?"
The people's focus quickly shifted from "women serving as officials and engaging in corruption" to the emperor's benevolent act of being frugal and kind to his ministers.
The wave against the system of women holding official positions lost its focus and gradually subsided in the face of this edict of self-criticism that was a retreat in order to advance.
*
The storm subsided temporarily, but Ning Lingyi did not stop.
A few days later, another decree was issued: "The Military Affairs Office was established for wartime purposes. Now that the northern border has been pacified, this institution carries too much power and responsibility, and is not a legitimate national institution. Effective immediately, the Military Affairs Office will be inactive and may not be reopened outside of wartime."
Su Qingfan was dismissed from his post as Minister of Military Affairs, but retained his original posts as Cabinet Assistant Minister and Minister of Works.
At the same time, all the female officials of the former Military Affairs Office were not dismissed and sent home as some people wished. Instead, they were cleverly arranged to take turns serving in the six ministries and various temples under the coordination of the Ministry of Personnel and the Cabinet on the grounds of "familiarizing themselves with ministry affairs and honing their talents."
Although their ranks remained unchanged and their actual power was weakened, they ultimately retained their official positions and remained in the government.
On the high platform of Minyou Hall, Ning Lingyi leaned on the railing and looked into the distance, the autumn wind blowing the sleeves of her plain dress.
Su Qingfan stood quietly behind her and whispered, "Your Majesty, although this approach has temporarily calmed the situation, I'm afraid that those upright scholars on Prime Minister Shen's side may not be convinced."
Ning Lingyi didn't look back, her voice drifting on the wind: "I know. They want a court completely controlled by their own rules, but now that we've started down this path, there's no turning back."
She tilted her head slightly, looking at the few female officials in the court, and said, "Let them take turns, learn, encounter obstacles, and grow. I want to see whether their rules are more rigid, or the will of us female officials to improve ourselves is stronger."
In the struggle for power, one side is losing while the other is losing, and there is no possibility of retreat.
Outside the palace walls, autumn is in full swing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
