Chapter 245 Send You Away
After escorting the empress out, the Shoukang Palace's head maid Zang Xiu returned and watched the young maids clear away the tea bowls. She turned around and was about to tell Empress Dowager Jiang a few jokes, but suddenly saw Empress Dowager Jiang sitting on the Luohan bed with a dejected look on her face.
Zang Xiu's heart suddenly tightened. When had she ever seen her master like this?
In previous years, whether he was fleeing in the chaos of war or being suppressed by Concubine Li Yang in the fight for favor, the master was always confident and calm.
But now...
"Empress Dowager..."
Zang Xiu couldn't help but want to say something, but couldn't find the right words.
"Zang Xiu," Empress Dowager Jiang said, her voice dry. "I'm really old. I no longer have the youthful drive. I'm afraid of everything, and now I just want to play it safe."
Zang Xiu felt sad after hearing the Queen Mother's words. She stepped forward and whispered, "Please don't say that, Queen Mother. Half of the Great Zhou's success today is due to you. Now that the late Emperor is gone, you are still the guiding star of the Great Zhou. The Emperor and the Empress are both young, and it's inevitable that they will be impulsive at times. You must be more steady."
Empress Dowager Jiang shook her head and gave a wry smile. "If the late emperor and I had been as cautious and circumspect as we are today, we wouldn't have established this legacy." She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Well, well, let the young people handle those matters. I won't be concerned with such matters anymore. I can only wait to enjoy my grandchildren and live out my days in peace."
Zang Xiu was a little stunned, and after a moment she said, "But... Your Majesty, if the Emperor does this, I'm afraid the court will be turned upside down."
Empress Dowager Jiang slowly stood up, stroked the golden phoenix embroidery on her chest, and said word by word, "If you want to achieve great things, you can't be timid. What are you afraid of? My old bones are not yet broken!"
She also understood in her heart that Haozhi and Yan'er's proposal was actually a wise move. If the old faction was not eradicated, the royal family of the Great Zhou would always be a puppet of the aristocratic family. In the current situation, the only way was to cure the disease by scraping the bone, and there would be no construction without destruction.
After a pause, Empress Dowager Jiang suddenly spoke again, "The eldest daughter of the Li family has been talking nonsense in front of me and refusing to follow the palace rules. Go to the Li Mansion and tell the old lady to discipline her properly."
Zang Xiu sighed inwardly, her master still had the same temper as before. No matter who was right or wrong, she would get revenge on anyone who offended her.
Now, the eldest daughter of the Li family is probably going to have a hard time.
Meng Yan left Shoukang Palace and was about to order the emperor to return to the palace when she heard a gentle female voice, "Sister Yan!"
She raised her eyes and saw Bai Yuxin walking out of the west corner gate of Shoukang Palace and approaching quickly.
Meng Yan raised her hand, ordered the men to stop, turned around and waited with a faint smile.
Bai Yuxin walked forward, bowed slightly, and said timidly, "Sister Yan, I...I have been with the Queen Mother these days just for..."
"It's to help me, right?"
Before she could finish, Meng Yan asked back with a smile. She certainly understood Bai Yuxin's thoughts. She was afraid that she would think that she was taking advantage of her pregnancy to deliberately curry favor with the Queen Mother in order to win her favor.
She knew Bai Yuxin's character very well. Regardless of their friendship, she was a kind-hearted woman in her past and present lives, who knew how to repay kindness and had a heart as pure as jade.
Yu Xin is now willing to serve the Queen Mother, probably because of the recent uproar in the court regarding Kai Enxiu. She wants to find out some information first, or even say a few words to the Queen Mother on her behalf.
However, this doesn't have to be the case between sisters.
Looking at Meng Yan's smiling eyes, the haze in Bai Yuxin's heart instantly dissipated, and she smiled unconsciously.
Sister Yan understood everything, so she didn’t need to say anything more.
Meng Yan held her hand, ordered the guards to follow behind, and walked side by side with her under the palace wall.
Looking ahead at the endless glazed yellow tiles stretching like dragon scales, with a coiled dragon on them poised to take flight, the clear blue sky, and an unknown bird soaring through the air, Meng Yan spoke softly, "Yuxin, look, no matter how majestic this coiled dragon on the tiles is, it's ultimately no match for a living, free bird. It can only stand on these tiles for thousands and thousands of years, watching the rise and fall of this palace."
Bai Yuxin felt her heart tremble, and an inexplicable sadness came over her. She turned to look at Meng Yan, only to see that her delicate and smooth face was calm.
She spoke, and said softly, "I am here in the palace, accompanying my sister."
Meng Yan smiled faintly, "That's not what I meant... Yuxin, after this matter is over, I will let you go, okay?"
Bai Yuxin was stunned and said hurriedly, "No, concubine... I won't go out. Sister is here, and I'm here too!"
Meng Yan stopped and picked a fallen flower from her hair. "What good will it do you to stay here? You'll just be wasting your time and watching your youth slip away. What good is that? Besides, I didn't let you go for nothing. I have something I want to tell you."
Bai Yuxin was a little confused, but still said, "Sister said that if I can do it, I will definitely do it."
Meng Yan smiled and said, "You'll definitely be able to do it. Recently, I've been planning with the Emperor to establish girls' schools. With the court funding, we'll build many girls' schools across the country to help ordinary girls gain an understanding and develop their wisdom. We don't need to learn a lot of profound knowledge, but just being able to write a few words and do some accounting is good enough. Girls' schools are easy to run, but they need someone to lead and manage them. I'm worried about leaving this matter to the men, and after much thought, you're the best choice. Once you leave the palace, you'll be my eyes, my hands, my legs. You'll see the vast mountains and rivers for me, travel across vast territories, and accomplish something great. Are you willing?"
After hearing these words, Bai Yuxin felt very happy.
In such a world, it is a rare blessing for common women to be able to read and write. How many common people's daughters are still blind when they get married, and suffer the loss of illiteracy for the rest of their lives?
The Queen's move opened a new path for women all over the world.
Being able to read and write may not necessarily mean anything, but being illiterate is definitely not a good thing.
She immediately responded, "If you trust me, sister, I'm willing to go through fire and water."
Meng Yan's red lips curled slightly, and she squeezed her hand. "It's not that difficult. I just want you to take care of the accounts and manage the teachers. You are already a female official, so it's only natural for you to take on this position."
Bai Yuxin nodded, feeling a little sad, "I just can't bear to leave my sister."
Meng Yan smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. If you miss me in the future, just send me a message and then come to the palace to see me."
The two talked for a while, walked to Huiyin Gate, and then dispersed.
After returning to Changchun Palace, Meng Yan sat down in the room and then asked someone to bring up the four treasures of the study.
Ruizhu was grinding ink nearby, saying, "Your Highness, you've been out for such a long walk, your waist and legs must be tired now, and you need a good rest. What are you writing about?"
Meng Yan wrote a few words on a piece of plain paper, then raised her head and smiled at her, "This time, I will consider it as fulfilling your wish." As she spoke, she handed the letter to Ruizhu, looked out the window into the distance, and said lightly, "It can also be considered as helping him escape this mystery."
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