The palace quickly issued an imperial decree, bestowing the title of Princess Ningyi upon the eldest daughter and betrothing her to Song Ziyin, the son of the Minister of Works.
The Song family originally came from humble origins, but was promoted by the late emperor, and can now be considered a second-rate aristocratic family.
It was truly a bit of a humiliation for a legitimate princess to marry into a poor family.
Princess Ningyi immediately went to Guanju Palace.
"Mother."
Before she could finish speaking, the Empress raised her hand to interrupt her, dismissing everyone in the hall. She said, "I know what you're going to say. Your father is now promoting the imperial examination system to divide the power of aristocratic families. Although the Song family is not as powerful as those aristocratic families, it is clear that your father is now promoting people from humble backgrounds. The Song family has a promising future. Yu Mo, you are a princess. You need to have a long-term vision."
The Gu family was also poor three generations ago, and now they are similar to the Jiang family, with more than half of their sons dead.
Therefore, the emperor only treated him with kindness and never showed him any fear.
Xiao Yumo lowered her head, clutching her handkerchief tightly, and said, "I know, but... but didn't Father Emperor say before that he would betroth me to the Imperial Advisor..."
She had met Wen Zhixuan.
His appearance was refined and elegant, with exquisite features, like a celestial being descended from the heavens to the mortal realm.
She was willing.
The Empress frowned slightly, because Emperor Hongde had spoken to her about it.
Wen Zhixuan and Shen Zhixian had already secretly pledged their lives to each other.
Although Wen Zhixuan had his own set of theories, which were somewhat understandable, she still could not condone such an unconventional and illicit relationship.
Moreover, she has a grudge against Jiang Sixian, so it's impossible for her to treat Shen Zhixian with a normal attitude.
She was very unhappy that the two of them were together now.
Fortunately, my daughter escaped unharmed.
He has someone he likes.
With the imperial decree of marriage already issued, the Empress was determined to make her daughter give up on Wen Zhixuan.
"Don't think about him anymore."
Xiao Yumo was shocked, her eyes slightly reddening.
The Queen comforted her, saying, "Don't be sad, don't feel embarrassed, and don't think you're inferior to others. It's just that you weren't meant to be. Just like you like coral, it's not a sin that the jade and agate you didn't choose or like were not chosen. People are the same. There's no need to be angry or deny yourself because you weren't chosen. You are wonderful. Even without the status of a princess, in your mother's heart, you are the best."
These words dispelled most of Xiao Yumo's resentment.
She was indeed conflicted just now, feeling that there was something wrong with her, and why Wen Zhixuan didn't like her.
But the Empress Dowager is right, why should she be chosen by others?
If Wen Zhixuan doesn't like her, then she shouldn't like him anymore.
Wen Zhixuan was not surprised to learn of this.
The emperor wanted to promote the imperial examination system, and his daughters were merely tools for balancing political alliances through marriage. However, this period of setbacks did indeed make him somewhat more sober, as the establishment of the imperial examination system was a long process in history.
The Nine-Rank System cannot be completely abolished for the time being.
Therefore, he wrote to Emperor Hongde, proposing to retain the Nine-Rank System and implement the imperial examination system for children from poor families, which would both appease the aristocratic families and select more talented people for the court.
After much deliberation, Emperor Hongde granted his request.
After the imperial decree was issued, the aristocratic families indeed became much quieter.
After all, they couldn't really fight the emperor to the death; that would only result in mutual destruction, which wasn't worth it.
If Emperor Hongde wanted to establish the imperial examination system, then so be it.
There's a lot to learn about the promotion of officials; it's definitely not a one-man show by the emperor.
In the eleventh year of the Hongde reign, the imperial examination system was officially established.
The examinations were divided into the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination.
The provincial examinations were held in prefectures and counties, testing knowledge of the classics, history, and poetry. After the results were evaluated, candidates could participate in the metropolitan examination, and finally, the palace examination.
All learned individuals, regardless of their social status, who are of good character and have no criminal record or bad deeds, may participate in the imperial examinations.
It is now nearly October, and the first scientific expedition is scheduled for February next year.
This decree caused an uproar among students across the country.
Wen Zhixuan thus became famous.
Autumn passes and winter arrives, and the weather gets colder and colder.
Jiang Shumiao is eight months old. She can already walk unsteadily on her own and is learning to speak, but her pronunciation is not very clear yet.
"I want to eat braised pork knuckle."
"Several times (large chicken wings)."
"Gaga (Gaogao)."
She eats almost anything and is not picky about food.
Xiao Yitang also discovered that her daughter had a particularly large appetite. She had previously worried that her daughter would have indigestion from eating too much, but one night she woke up hungry and clamored for a big pig's trotter.
She now has six baby teeth and has learned to use a spoon by herself, so she refuses to be fed.
Perhaps the little fairy develops faster than ordinary babies. Xiao Yitang observed her a few times and found that she ate normally and did not choke. Gradually, she felt relieved.
Thinking about her daughter's previous insistence on going to the Imperial Academy, Xiao Yitang began to teach her to read.
Jiang Shumiao immediately began reciting the Three Character Classic.
"Silver is coarse, trust is threefold. Trust is mutual, joy is distant. A dog doesn't bark, trust is a thousandfold. If it barks, it comes on its own, kneeling is one-sided..."
Xiao Yitang laughed so hard he almost fell over.
Jiang Yining, however, looked at him with adoration.
My sister is amazing.
Although she mispronounces many words, making them sound somewhat comical, she clearly knows how to do them.
Jiang Shumiao didn't understand why her mother was laughing.
Did she not memorize it well?
At this moment, Zhu Feng entered and whispered, "Your Highness, news has come from the Duke of Anguo's mansion that Miss Shen has made her move."
Xiao Yitang's smile vanished.
If you calculate the time, it's about time indeed.
Shen Zhixian's delivery was not smooth. She started having pain in the morning and the baby was not born until dusk.
As the baby began to cry, the old lady stopped turning her prayer beads.
Before long, the midwife came out carrying the baby. "Grandma, it's a boy, and he's very healthy."
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