Apart from the simple-minded Lord Zhou, the other court officials, seeing the Emperor's resolve, all kept their heads down and remained silent. Faced with matters that were likely to be rejected, they preferred to petition the Emperor privately. If the Emperor accepted their request, it would be a significant achievement in their evaluation. If rejected, they wouldn't lose face in front of everyone.
The emperor made the final decision: "Very well! My mind is made up! This matter shall be handled by Ruining."
Princess Ruining stepped forward and accepted the challenge, but Lord Zhou seemed to have a new goal. He still held his neck stiffly, raised the ceremonial tablet above his head, and loudly proclaimed, "Your subject has a report!"
All eyes in the room then focused on Lord Zhou.
Lord Zhou stood tall and spoke with firm conviction: "Women are short-sighted. Since ancient times, they have been expected to stay in the inner quarters and not meddle in court affairs. Women interfering in politics is the beginning of chaos. The princess has already taken charge of disaster relief, but the results have been minimal. The princess is now of advanced age and unmarried, which is already a breach of virtue for women. How can she be allowed to take on such an important position? Your Majesty, please think it over!"
As everyone watched the Emperor's expression darken with each word spoken by Lord Zhou, they all lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.
Lord Zhou's words treated Princess Ruining purely as an ordinary woman. He failed to consider her own abilities, refusing to say she was unfit for such a heavy responsibility; he also ignored her status as a member of the imperial family, refusing to advise her to avoid suspicion or to give her approval. Instead, he simply stated that Zhao Yao, as a woman, should not discuss politics.
"Does Minister Zhou mean that my daughter is unworthy to stand in the court?"
The sage's tone was stern, revealing neither joy nor anger. He knew that Lord Zhou had always placed great importance on the distinction between men and women, but he wouldn't dare to openly contradict him like this. Today, however, he was quite bold.
Lord Zhou felt immense pressure from the Sage, yet he stubbornly refused to back down.
The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and a tense atmosphere hung between the emperor and his ministers.
Wang Chengxian, who had originally intended to remain calm and observe the situation, saw the emperor's expression growing increasingly grim and quickly stepped forward, saying, "I have a different opinion on what Lord Zhou has said."
"oh?"
Emperor Zhenlong gestured for him to continue.
"The princess has been personally taught by His Majesty since childhood, and her literary and martial talents are no less than those of men. Her imperial bloodline is inviolable. Moreover, now that the imperial examinations for women have been opened, both men and women can enter the court. According to Lord Zhou, isn't this a sign of dissatisfaction with His Majesty's new policies?"
Lord Zhou glared at Wang Chengxian, snorted softly through his nose, hurriedly raised the wooden tablet above his head, and knelt down, saying, "Your subject dares not! Your humble subject had absolutely no such intention!"
The sage said coldly, "Alright! Disperse."
A fleeting look of resentment crossed Lord Zhou's face, but he dared not press the matter any further.
-
Princess Ruining followed Emperor Zhenlong back to Yong'an Palace. Upon entering the palace, Emperor Zhenlong removed his crown and made as if to smash it, but then, thinking of the current silver reserves in the national treasury, he gently placed the crown back on the imperial desk.
Seeing this, De Bao, who was waiting on the side, felt his heart leap into his chest. When he saw the emperor place the crown on the table, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly called the palace maids behind him to come forward and tidy up the crown. Then he quietly withdrew, leaving Emperor Zhenlong and Princess Ruining alone in the room.
Princess Ruining was clearly not in a good mood at the moment, but Emperor Zhenlong looked at her and jokingly asked, "Are you sad?"
He was a high and mighty emperor who never had to consider other people's feelings. Only towards his beloved daughter did he show some rare fatherly tenderness.
He was never usually required to soothe other people's emotions, but when he tried, he wasn't very skilled at it.
Princess Ruining nodded: "I think Lord Zhou's words seem to make sense, but they also seem unreasonable. He can say that I am incompetent, so he can't entrust the task to me. But how can he say that I am a woman, so he can't let me do it?"
Emperor Zhenlong sighed: "Then I will kill him for you."
"father!"
Princess Ruining drawled, "Father, if one person objects, you can kill that person. But if the whole world objects, can you kill everyone in the world?"
Seeing Emperor Zhenlong looking at her with a half-smile, Princess Ruining finally realized that her father was just trying to amuse her: "Father! Why are you like this!"
Emperor Zhenlong smiled with satisfaction, and the atmosphere in the room relaxed. He sighed, "I've pushed you out here, and your path is destined to be more difficult than your brother's. But I hope you can persevere. You have more compassion than your brother, and I hope to pass the great deal on to you."
Princess Ruining was somewhat stunned.
Although the father and daughter had a tacit understanding, they had never clearly expressed their attitudes regarding the inheritance.
Princess Ruining never explicitly stated what she wanted, but she always held herself to the responsibilities of an heir, demanding that she be open-minded and concerned for the common people. She worked quietly and diligently, believing that not competing was a form of competition—this was her guiding principle.
Emperor Zhenlong never explicitly stated to whom he would hand over the throne. He had two children, and abandoning the long-standing tradition of sons inheriting the throne, especially within the imperial family, was an extremely risky move.
To be honest, he did have his doubts. From a young age, he had raised both children the same way, but unfortunately, despite the same upbringing, the two children still had very different underlying traits. His daughter was humble, polite, gentle, and kind, while his son was arrogant and headstrong.
Looking back now, perhaps I had developed a bias without even realizing it. Although both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh, they are ultimately different.
Perhaps, things would be different in times of chaos.
Seeing his daughter looking at him in surprise, Emperor Zhenlong smiled: "What's wrong? Is this the first time you've ever known your father's thoughts?"
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