Chapter 717 A Dream of Youth 249
The young woman was probably quite gentle; after taking Xie Ning's handkerchief, she murmured an apology.
"It's alright. Lady Liu has compassion for the common people, which is a kind of kindness." It's just that she doesn't see things that deeply.
Lady Liu lowered her head shyly, while the other ladies serving tea smiled and said, "Alright, come and try the tea we ordered. This is tribute tea from Beiyuan. If it weren't for Princess Yanxi, we wouldn't be able to drink it."
"Miss Qiu's tea-making skills are truly excellent."
"Of course, my father likes the tea I order."
Her father, or rather her grandfather, also loved tea. He even pleaded with several ministers and the Empress Dowager for it, which annoyed the Empress Dowager so much that she ordered Jianzhou to stop producing Yuequan tea.
Everyone was praising each other, and Xie Ning also thought the tea was excellent. It was made with mountain spring water, and was fresh, fragrant, sweet, and smooth. However, "this tea does have a bamboo fragrance."
"Oh, Lord Xie actually tasted it." The elegantly dressed young lady pointed to the waterway, "This spring water is soaked in green bamboo, which is why the tea has a bamboo fragrance."
This is also a major feature of Linshuixuan; its tea soup is always different, with a thousand kinds of fragrance depending on the water.
Zhao Huilan took two skewers of squid tentacles and put them on to grill. She really liked them. Then, she asked Xie Ning about the selection of female officials. As soon as she said this, everyone looked over.
Regardless of what the outside world says about Xie Ning, most of them admire her because she has accomplished what many women have not, and has reached a position that not only they, but even their fathers and brothers, have to look up to.
Xie Ning didn't hide anything from them, but explained to them in detail that if they couldn't get a recommendation, they should prepare for the imperial examination. It didn't matter if they failed the first time, as they were still young and would eventually pass. After all, the selection of female officials wasn't a one-time event.
"Can you still take the exam after you get married?" All the girls here are unmarried, and the girl who spoke was only about twelve years old. Her heart was pounding, and her star-like eyes seemed to be expecting something.
Xie Ning nodded slightly, glanced around at the women present, and then met the girl's gaze. "The qualifications for men to take the imperial examinations also apply to women. Marriage is not a restriction, nor is age..."
Those who were familiar with the young woman immediately discerned her thoughts, "Miss Jin, is it Madam Jin who wants to test you?"
Only after speaking did she realize her slip of the tongue, stammering, "I, I didn't...!"
"It's nothing. My mother wants to take the exam, but she feels she's too old to talk to young girls like us, and she's not familiar with Lord Xie, so I'm the one who came to ask."
There's nothing to hide.
Jin Xiaoniangzi has always been cheerful. Even though she lost her father at a young age and lived with her widowed mother, her mother treated her very well and did not feel that the absence of her father made her feel inferior to others.
"Mrs. Jin is very learned and talented. Alas, our hopes have become even more distant."
"Why should we only compete among ourselves? When the time comes, we will be ranked alongside those young men. Some of us have less knowledge than them. In my opinion, we should be grateful if someone like Madam Jin is among the candidates."
Let those adults see that women's talents are in no way inferior to men's.
"Yes, yes, but there are many things I don't know, and my elders at home are unwilling to teach me. The tutor we hired doesn't teach me how to take the exam either. I wonder if I could ask Madam Jin for help?"
"I'll go back and ask my mother. She has a good temper and will definitely agree."
Seeing this, Yan Xi suggested, "How about this... I'll have a courtyard cleaned out in the Jade Mirror Garden, where everyone can learn from each other?"
"That would be excellent."
Xie Ning smiled slightly, “Although you are all competitors in the selection of female officials, this does not prevent you from learning from each other and improving yourselves together, because we are not only competing for those few official positions, but for more and more positions.”
Even if we, as women, cultivate our knowledge to the same level as men, they will still hire men who are more convenient than us. However, the textile industry is different; some official positions there are more suitable for women, which is why we are able to be appointed.
But this is inherently unfair, so we must work even harder, use our talents to surpass men, compete with them for positions, and strive even harder to climb to higher positions so that the world's prejudice against us gradually diminishes and eventually disappears.
"The selection of officials will be successful only when there is no longer a gender distinction."
Xie Ning's ambition left them stunned for a long time. Some of the young ladies, who were more thoughtful, couldn't help but wonder if Xie Ning was afraid that they would expose her ambitions to the world if she made no attempt to hide them from them.
Isn't Xie Ning afraid of being slandered by the world?
But will they say it?
No, it won't.
The temptation to take control of their own destiny instead of entrusting it to their father, husband, or son is immense. Who is truly the fool?
People are self-interested, and they are no exception. Since they can take power themselves, why should they do the work for others?
On the way back, Yanxi couldn't help but say, "A-Ning, you're really bold."
If those older men heard about this, they would definitely impeach her.
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