One month later.
The border between Chaoyang County and Chunsheng County.
The market was bustling with activity, with all sorts of stalls lining the street, starting their busy and noisy day as soon as they awoke from the first rays of morning sunlight.
"Hey, Lao Zhang, have you heard? Something big has happened in Yunchao!" A middle-aged man with a shoulder pole and a weathered face shouted to his old friend who was picking out pieces of cloth next to him.
His loud voice instantly attracted the attention of several people around him.
"What's the big deal? Is it bigger than my second son getting married?" Old Zhang looked up and asked with a mocking expression, but the cloth in his hand involuntarily stopped moving.
"Hey, you old lecher! You know about the Empress of Yun Dynasty, right? She's busy right now trying to find a way out for our daughters!"
The middle-aged man looked mysterious and lowered his voice, as if he were talking about some huge secret.
"Oh? Tell me about it." Old Zhang became interested, and several women gathered around, forgetting to even pick up their vegetable baskets.
"They say they've set up a girls' school called Yunxuan Academy, specifically for our daughters to study, learn to read and write, and acquire skills! I heard that they can even take the imperial examinations and become officials just like the boys!" The middle-aged man spoke with great enthusiasm, his eyes gleaming with envy.
"Really? Women can become officials? This is unbelievable!" An older woman was so surprised that she couldn't close her mouth, and the vegetable leaves in her hands scattered all over the ground without her bothering to pick them up.
“It’s absolutely true! The notices from Yunchao have been posted all the way to our border, how could they be fake?” The middle-aged man looked smug, proud to be a Yunchao native.
"However, your daughters from the Great Xuan Dynasty aren't so lucky!" With that, the middle-aged man strode away.
In the crowd, a little girl with pigtails listened to the adults' conversation with bright eyes, her little hands tightly gripping her mother's clothes, her face full of longing and anticipation.
She secretly looked up at her mother and whispered, "Mother, I also want to go to that academy, okay?"
The mother looked down at her daughter's inquisitive eyes, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
In this era, it was a luxury for women to be literate, let alone attend school or take the imperial examinations.
But seeing the light in her daughter's eyes, she couldn't bear to refuse. She gently stroked her daughter's head and softly comforted her, "Good child, I know you want to learn, but we don't have such opportunities here yet. However, I can teach you to read. When you grow up, perhaps a girls' school will be opened in our Great Xuan."
Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in the girl's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by hope. She nodded heavily, as if she could already see herself wearing the school uniform and sitting in the academy with boys and girls of the same age, listening to the teachers give lessons.
Zhao Zhi never expected that her new policies would cause such a huge stir in the Xuan Dynasty.
Meanwhile, in Yunchao, at a teahouse in Lingyang City.
In the center of the teahouse, several literati sat around a large round table, sipping tea and discussing Yunchao's innovative move.
"Hmph! That empress of the Yun Dynasty is utterly absurd! In my opinion, the Yun Dynasty's fate is sealed! What's hateful is that now, the people of our Great Xuan are actually envying the Yun Dynasty one by one!"
A middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his face full of anger, his voice filled with disdain and indignation.
"Women should uphold the virtues of wifehood, support their husbands and raise their children. How can they show their faces in public, let alone serve as officials in the court? This is outrageous and contrary to the principles of Heaven!"
At the next table, an elderly man with white hair and beard slammed his fist on the table and roared, "This is utter nonsense! Since ancient times, it has been said that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. How can she show her face in public and step into the court? The Empress of Yun Dynasty's actions are nothing short of going against the tide and disrupting the established order!"
These words immediately drew sidelong glances from the surrounding tea drinkers; some nodded in agreement, while others looked disdainful.
A young student dressed in a blue robe, with a spirited air about him, stood up and retorted firmly, "Sir, you are mistaken! Times are changing, and ideas should be updated accordingly."
Why can't women, like men, have a heart for the world and achieve great things? The Empress of Yun Dynasty, with extraordinary courage, broke new ground in history and is truly a role model for us all!
As soon as the words were spoken, the atmosphere in the teahouse suddenly became tense, with supporters and opponents each holding their own positions, engaging in heated debates.
Among the opponents were many who spoke vehemently, and some even went so far as to curse: "Demon Emperor! This woman must be possessed by a demon to do such absurd things. If Yun Dynasty continues to let her run wild, it will be doomed to perish sooner or later!"
"Yes! Yun He must be the reincarnation of the Demon Emperor to do such an absurd thing! If Yun Chao continues to let her run wild, it will be destroyed by her sooner or later!"
Someone echoed this sentiment.
These words are like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.
Among the supporters, a woman stepped forward. Dressed in an elegant long dress, with a beautiful face, she spoke loudly: "You only know about male superiority and female inferiority, but you see no talent or wisdom in women. We women also have lofty ambitions. Given the opportunity, we will definitely prove ourselves and are no less than men!"
These words, like a thunderclap in spring, not only shocked everyone present but also ignited the anger in the hearts of some.
A drunken man, perhaps provoked by the alcohol, suddenly stood up, staggered a few steps, grabbed a teapot from the table, and smashed it hard against the woman, cursing, "Witch! I'll teach you a lesson!"
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