At this moment, Zhao Yunqi was discussing the southern front and negotiations with the northern barbarians with his ministers.
There were at least a dozen ministers in the Shengde Hall, and the atmosphere was relatively peaceful.
Suddenly, Luo Mangong came out from behind and whispered something to the emperor.
The emperor's expression changed slightly, and his gaze turned sharper as he looked at Feng Liyan.
This left Feng Liyan completely bewildered.
The ministers, being perceptive, knew something must have happened and considered whether they should step down.
Just then, they heard the rapid clatter of horses' hooves approaching from afar, along with faint screams.
The elders were startled, first stunned, then immediately realized that there was only one person in the whole world who dared to ride a horse so freely in the palace.
They exchanged glances, wondering what had happened this time that had driven that person to disregard all decorum and storm into the Shengde Hall.
The sound of hooves stopped shortly afterward, and Fu Lu's voice rang out from outside, "Oh dear, Prince Yuansheng, do you have urgent business to attend to His Majesty? His Majesty and the other officials are currently discussing state affairs. May this old servant go in and report first?"
"No need, I'll wait here." Xiao Zhixing replied curtly.
"Ahhh, Xiao Zhixing—" Then the scream rang out again, sounding excruciatingly painful.
Feng Liyan was startled, bowed to the emperor, and hurriedly walked out.
"Your Highness, what do you mean by this?" Feng Liyan rushed to the door, his face ashen, and almost lost his footing as he looked at his son being trampled under Xiao Zhixing's feet.
Xiao Zhixing raised the whites of his eyes and sneered, "Oh, Lord Feng is here too. Perfect, you can hear your good son's bold remarks."
She kicked the pressure point that had been sealed, "You've got quite the nerve, haven't you? Say those words again in front of His Majesty and your father today."
Feng Hui screamed in agony, his head covered in cold sweat, but seeing his father's face growing darker and darker, he didn't dare to utter a sound.
Xiao Zhixing swiftly drew Ruoshui, causing the Imperial Guards to nearly draw their weapons in preparation.
Xiao Zhixing completely ignored him, the tip of his sword plunging deep into Feng Hui's thigh. "Will you talk or not?"
"Ahhh—" Feng Hui screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
Feng Liyan roared, "Xiao Zhixing! How dare you!!"
Xiao Zhixing stared intently into Feng Hui's resentful eyes, "If you're a man, admit it boldly!"
At this moment, Zhao Yunqi and the others came out. With things having escalated like this, he, as the emperor, could not turn a blind eye.
Upon seeing this scene, Zhao Yunqi frowned. "Yuansheng, we can't resort to violence. Let's talk this out."
Xiao Zhixing withdrew his sword. "Your Majesty might as well listen to his nonsense first, and then judge whether this humble subject should be angry or not."
As he spoke, he was about to stab Feng Hui's other leg.
Feng Hui finally lost her temper, her face streaked with tears, sweat, and snot, and shouted, "I'll talk! Waaah, sob sob, Xiao Zhixing is a woman, she has no right to enter the Gentleman's Courtyard! No matter how outstanding her achievements are, she can only marry and have children in the future and become a man's plaything!!"
silence.
The silence was chilling.
Feng Liyan was really about to faint. If it weren't for a little eunuch supporting him, he would have fainted immediately.
In an instant, time seemed to fly backward. Twenty years ago, also in this place, she, too, did not ascend to the throne because she was a woman.
She joked with a laugh, "Does that mean women can only stay in the backyard, be good wives and mothers?"
No one answered.
The man laughed nonchalantly at the end, seemingly no longer dwelling on the matter. He seemed to say something like, "I believe in Zhao Lang," before turning and leaving.
"You're smart to know what's good for you!"
Xiao Zhixing's voice brought everyone back to their senses. She wiped the bloodstains from the tip of the sword from the sealed neck.
Looking up at Zhao Yunqi, he asked, "Your Majesty, may I ask you a question? Does the Gentleman's Academy truly not accept women?"
Zhao Yunqi took a deep breath and smiled slightly. "Does Yuansheng wish to enroll in school? I can have the doctors personally come to the Prince's residence to teach you."
Xiao Zhixing stubbornly raised his head, "No, I just want to know if the Gentleman's Courtyard accepts women!"
"Why doesn't Your Majesty dare to speak? You can tell me definitively whether it is possible or not!"
Zhang Rengui rebuked, "How dare you interrogate His Majesty like this!"
Xiao Zhixing sneered, completely ignoring him, and stubbornly stared at Zhao Yunqi, demanding an answer for himself or for those who came before him.
Zhao Yunqi sighed and gazed at her for a long time.
Finally, he spoke up, "I have never issued an edict explicitly forbidding women from entering the Gentlemen's Academy."
"Alright! In that case, I want to enter the Gentleman's Courtyard!"
"Outrageous! Xiao Zhixing, you are showing contempt for His Majesty, and your crime deserves death!" Zhang Rengui once again asserted his presence.
Whoosh!
Ruoshui flew past his scalp, and Liang Guan broke off instantly, his hair falling down in a disheveled mess.
Zhang Rengui's shouts stopped abruptly, like a duck's cry, startling his pupils so much they almost burst.
"I want to be even more outrageous!"
Xiao Zhixing went mad, shouting, "I wish I could, I wish I could—"
His cold gaze swept over the old faces, his expression ruthless, filled with sorrow and hatred.
"My good girl! My good girl!!"
Just then, Xiao Yuanshan rode up at breakneck speed, sweating profusely. "My dear daughter, Daddy's here! Daddy's here! Let's not be angry!"
He jumped off his horse in a panic, grabbed her hand with its bulging veins, and carefully comforted her, "Don't be angry. Those petty people aren't worth getting angry at. If you get sick from getting angry, your father will be heartbroken."
Sensing his genuine nervousness, Xiao Zhixing was stunned, then suddenly lost his strength, asking as if to him and everyone present, "Am I really inferior to a man because I am a woman?"
Xiao Yuanshan glared at him, "Bullshit! My darling daughter surpasses all the men in the world, she is the only queen of my dynasty!"
Xiao Zhixing smiled, a rare sight, bright and pure. "I think so too, so I want to go to the Gentleman's Academy. Father, you will support me, right?"
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