Because they woke up early and had plenty of time, Xie Chang'an escorted Ye Jingchen to the morning court session, and the two of them leisurely climbed the steps in front of the Taiji Hall.
There were quite a few officials climbing the steps at this time, and Yan Xu happened to be among them.
He was already at the age of fifty, but he was in very good health. He climbed the stairs faster than the two young men, Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an.
Yan Xu arrived a little later than them, but he quickly walked ahead of them. As he passed by them, Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an both bowed to him, but Yan Xiang snorted coldly, not even glancing at them, and walked straight up without stopping for a moment.
Ye Jingchen touched his nose somewhat awkwardly.
As the crown prince, he could only attend the morning court once every one or two months. Naturally, someone as meticulous as Yan Xu would find this very distasteful.
"Don't mind him, that's just his temper. There are very few people in this world that he can stand." Xie Chang'an was also disliked by Yan Xu, but he didn't change his expression and even had the leisure to comfort Ye Jingchen.
Although he didn't speak loudly, the area in front of the Taiji Hall was quiet, and Yan Xu wasn't far from them, so he heard every word Xie Chang'an said.
He turned to look at Xie Chang'an, his eyes blazing, and coldly uttered four words: "Deceptive words that mislead the ruler!"
Xie Chang'an: ......
In his past life, he and his minister were on good terms; in this life, he has gone from being a wise ruler to the wicked concubine in Yan Xu's eyes.
Ye Jingchen quickly grabbed Xie Chang'an, worried that if he didn't pull him back soon, Xie Chang'an would rush up and fight with Yan Xu.
Xie Chang'an climbed the steps with Ye Jingchen, and then watched Ye Jingchen enter the Taiji Hall.
Some ministers who passed by him called him "Crown Princess," some treated him as if he were invisible, and a very few even looked at him with disdain.
It has only been two years since their wedding.
Xie Chang'an secretly remembered these people, hoping they would be honest and could withstand the investigation.
Ye Jingchen still stood at the very front during the morning court session. Having not attended court for many days, many ministers looked surprised to see him there today.
Yan Xu saw him approaching, and snorted coldly, his dissatisfaction with him evident on his face.
"Crown Prince/Royal Brother!" Ye Jingyu and the others had already arrived and greeted him. Ye Jingyu still looked a little nervous.
After all, what Ye Jingchen is about to do is unprecedented and may not go so smoothly.
"Good morning, Prime Minister Yan! Good morning, Second Prince, Third Prince, Fourth Prince, and Sixth Prince!" Ye Jingchen seemed completely unfazed, greeting them with a smile.
As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face, but looking at Ye Jingchen's smile, Yan Xu felt even angrier.
The crown prince, who was originally a pleasing figure, became unruly after returning to the capital from his experience in the northern frontier, doing one outrageous thing after another.
Yan Xu felt heartbroken whenever she thought about Ye Jingchen's changes.
"Prime Minister Yan, this is the memorial I'm going to submit today. Could you please take a look and see if it's feasible?" Ye Jingchen didn't care at all about Yan Xu's unpleasant expression and smiled as he opened the memorial in his hand for him to see.
Yan Xu frowned when he saw what he had written.
He stared for a while, but said nothing.
"Speak if you have something to report, otherwise the court is adjourned!" With the shout from the Directorate of Ceremonial, the morning court session officially began.
"Father, I have something to report!" As soon as the Director of Ceremonial Affairs finished speaking, Ye Jingchen stepped forward with his court tablet and said.
"What is it, Your Highness?" the Emperor asked.
"On behalf of the many students of Dayuan Girls' School, I petition Your Majesty to grant that, starting this year, women may enjoy the same treatment as men, participate in the imperial examinations, and serve as officials in the court," Ye Jingchen said firmly.
These words caused an uproar in the Taiji Hall.
“Your Majesty, there has never been a precedent in history for women to participate in the imperial examinations. This is inappropriate!” The Minister of Justice immediately stepped forward and said.
With him taking the lead, many officials immediately stepped forward to echo his sentiments.
"If there's no precedent, we'll set one. The imperial examination is for the country to select talent. Does talent have to be divided by gender?" Ye Jingchen retorted.
"A woman's duty should be to stay at home, support her husband, raise her children, and manage household affairs. If she enters the court to serve as an official, her family will not function properly, and how can the country function properly?" the Imperial Censor retorted excitedly.
"According to the Imperial Censor, a family will fall apart if there is no woman to manage the household affairs? Are you helpless and unable to take care of yourself? If you can't even take care of yourself, how can you share the burden for His Majesty and the people?" Ye Jingchen retorted.
"Most women are short-sighted, only good at scheming in the inner quarters, and don't understand national affairs. How can they enter the court as officials?" These words were spoken by the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
He had barely finished speaking when he felt several gazes fall upon him.
Among them were his immediate superior, the fourth prince who was of the same rank as him, the crown prince, and His Majesty who sat on the throne.
His enthusiasm cooled down instantly.
"Minister Feng, are you familiar with Fengming Academy?" Ye Jingchen asked leisurely.
"I've heard of it; it was founded by the Eldest Princess as a girls' school," Vice Minister Feng replied, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Do you know that in recent years, in the competitions held by the major academies in the capital, whether it be poetry, prose, or current affairs, the winners are mostly students from Fengming Academy, and even students from the Imperial Academy are inferior? So, do you still think that women are short-sighted and do not understand national affairs?" Ye Jingchen asked.
Vice Minister Feng dared not speak.
"The reason why the female students were able to win may not be because other academies deliberately let them win out of respect for the Princess, but rather because it reflects their true abilities," said the Minister of Personnel.
"Does Minister Zhang also think that the reason I was able to become the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is because I am a princess, and that the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review made me the Vice Minister because of the Emperor's sake?" Ye Jingyu said before Ye Jingchen could speak.
"Ye Shaoqing's abilities are evident to everyone in the Dali Temple. The Ministry of Justice has also benefited greatly from this, solving many long-standing cases. Minister Zhang should be the one who knows Ye Shaoqing's abilities best." Another Shaoqing from the Dali Temple immediately spoke up in support of Ye Jingyu, and also turned the tables on Zhang Li.
“The Third Princess studied at the Wenhua Hall from a young age, receiving the best teachers. Naturally, she is different from ordinary women and cannot be generalized.” Zhang Li’s expression was somewhat unpleasant, but he still insisted on saying it.
"So let's see the results of the imperial examination. I just want to give women a fair chance to compete with men. Why is Minister Zhang reacting so strongly? Are you worried that when the results come out, women will have the upper hand?" Ye Jingchen asked with a smile.
"Absolutely impossible!" Zhang Li exclaimed excitedly.
"Of course, that's not possible now. After all, girls' education has only been around for a short time. Compared to men, the number of women who have the opportunity to read and write is less than one in ten thousand. If men could have such an advantage and still not outperform women in exams, that would be the most ridiculous thing ever!"
"However, there are many women in the world. Once they can participate in the imperial examinations, more and more women will have the same opportunity to study as men. At that time, many talented people will surely emerge, so why should Dayuan not prosper?"
Zhang Li was speechless.
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