Chapter 43: She has already revealed her snow-white claws...
The Queen has been in high spirits recently. First, she greatly dampened Shang Meir's limelight, and then she organized a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, which attracted a lot of praise. As a result, the Emperor came to Kunning Palace more often than before.
When she saw the emperor coming, she bowed and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, please come and see what Changning has written. It is truly wonderful."
The emperor glanced at Zhao Changning, took the rice paper, looked at it, and nodded slightly.
"It's quite interesting indeed. Since there are rewards and punishments, there's no shortage of people. Shouldn't the inner study hall be expanded?"
Zhao Changning bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I was just about to bring this up with the Empress. Furthermore, we need to add a few more teachers to the inner academy."
The emperor smiled and said, "I remember that General Song has been serving as an instructor in the inner library. This isn't difficult. Simply select a few doctors of the Five Classics from the Imperial Academy. People in the palace have always been prone to disputes, so reading more will help them understand more."
Zhao Changning knelt down to express his gratitude and brought up another matter.
"Your Majesty, selecting female officials is a long-term undertaking. The cost isn't high, but it's not low either. When Your Majesty personally appoints them in the future and the female officials are given ranks, where will their salaries come from?"
She must ask about this matter in advance. Nothing can be done without benefit. If the promotion of female officials is counted as harem expenses, it will be like a loft in the air, and she will definitely be criticized in the future.
In her opinion, those officials of the previous dynasty were just like monks ringing bells, trying to please the emperor. The female officials had to serve the emperor and empress as well, and were even closer to them than those people. What was the difference? Why couldn't they get a formal salary?
The emperor was stunned for a moment. He had never thought about this question.
"This matter really needs to be discussed with the Ministry of Revenue before a decision can be made. The national treasury is the foundation of the country, not my personal treasury. The incident involving the female official is unprecedented, and I cannot simply explain it."
Zhao Changning kowtowed, "Changning understands."
She was not afraid that this plan would fail, because she knew that the emperor would not allow the Hu Party incident to happen again. The number of eunuchs in the palace would definitely be reduced sharply. If they did not use palace maids, what would they use? After all, the nobles could not be asked to wash and cook by themselves.
Female officials can replace eunuchs like Hu Gouer and suppress the eunuchs. The new system can also eliminate unhealthy trends in the harem and prevent chaos in the harem.
For this purpose, she took time out of her busy schedule to visit the inner study hall.
Seeing his aunt following him silently, Yunsheng felt very uneasy and stammered, "Aunt, I will go to the inner study hall and listen to the lessons carefully. You don't have to send me off."
"How old are you? Why am I still sending you to school?" Zhao Changning was amused and said with a smile, "I remember that Instructor Song was here to teach today?"
Yunsheng nodded, and seeing his aunt smile, he felt happy in his heart, "Yes, aunt."
After many days, Zhao Changning returned to the inner study hall again, feeling a little nostalgic. This place could be said to be the place that changed her destiny.
If she wasn't so busy now and could only read during breaks, she would definitely come to this inner study hall every day.
Today's lecture was on "The Doctrine of the Mean". Instructor Song spoke calmly and forcefully, and the students were drowsy and few studied seriously. However, there were obviously more palace maids present, and they listened to the lectures quite attentively.
Studying is an extremely boring thing.
Song Zongheng was a strange man. Teaching in the inner school was not an easy job and many people were unwilling to come. But when he came, he was very generous and treated the eunuchs and palace maids equally and as strictly as his students.
Zhao Changning waited until the class was over before stepping forward and bowing, "Teacher."
Song Zongheng laughed and said, "How come you, the emperor's favorite, have time to attend the class today?"
Zhao Changning blushed and asked Sir Song to go first and he would follow.
"Teacher, you are making fun of your students. Whether you are famous or not, you are all loyal to the emperor and Dayong. This is what the teacher taught me, and Changning will never forget it."
Song Zongheng stroked his beard and said loudly, "I heard you were going to promote the appointment of female officials? This palace is full of discussions. No wonder there are so many people in my hall today."
"Yes, Master," Zhao Changning said respectfully, "As you can see, the Inner Academy has always been open. The eunuchs have a strict promotion system, so they have to learn even if they don't want to. But the palace maids have always been under the eunuchs' orders. Even if they come to learn, they don't have much enthusiasm. If they don't study, they are not wise. How can they use their lives to be loyal to Dayong?"
Song Zongheng looked at her with a smile, appreciating her, and motioned her to continue.
Zhao Changning was not polite and bowed again.
"A few days ago, I listened to a speech by Lord Qi, and it was very enlightening. Books are like medicine. Reading well can cure stupidity. This is the medicine that the ladies in the palace need most. Stupidity makes them vulnerable to death. Stupidity also makes it difficult for them to serve nobles. Stupidity leads them to hastily marry eunuchs and be oppressed by them their entire lives. Teacher, the number of palace maids who die is three to five times that of eunuchs. Isn't this a tragedy for the ladies? And it's even more so for the great commoners."
Song Zongheng's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he looked serious. "Your words make sense. It seems you already have a plan in mind. But have you considered the obstacles to this?"
Zhao Changning nodded. "Of course there will be resistance, but it's not impossible to succeed."
"Oh?" Song Zongheng asked curiously, stroking his beard. "Tell me more about it."
Zhao Changning asked Song Zongheng to sit in the pavilion and asked Yunsheng to watch from the side.
"Teacher, the Hu Party incident hasn't been resolved yet. How could the Emperor possibly use a eunuch? Besides, my appointment as the seal-holder was a coincidence. The female official incident is inevitable, but since I'm the one bringing it up, there's going to be a lot of resistance..."
She paused, "However, judging from the emperor's approval, this matter is already 40% feasible."
Song Zongheng laughed. "You've always been smart, but you even thought of the Hu Party?"
He couldn't help but stroke his beard and said with a smile, "Since you can tell me so frankly, I won't hide anything either. If this goes through, I can recommend a few suitable instructors for you who are no less talented than me."
Zhao Changning was overjoyed, "Thank you, teacher."
Song Zongheng waved his hand. "You don't have to thank me first. Let's see if these people are lucky enough to bear it. I'm very optimistic about this matter. Don't worry, I will also find friends to help you when the time comes."
A good teacher is rare, and it is even rarer to have such an attitude towards women. Zhao Changning bowed deeply.
The matter of the female official was exposed, and the atmosphere in the palace changed. The eunuchs were naturally unhappy, but the palace maids were chattering and running to the inner study more diligently than before.
Now that there is a queen in the palace, things are done in an orderly manner, and the queen is kind and generous, so everyone's life is much better.
In fact, all the palace maids knew that this was all thanks to their aunt. Now, the matter of the female official was promoted by their aunt alone. Everyone knew that their aunt had been promoting them before.
"Good morning, Auntie. Let me help you." Yun Hui was particularly diligent and sweet-mouthed today. "Auntie, leave it alone. I'll do it."
Zhao Changning smiled and looked at Anyi, "What do you think is wrong with her today?"
Anyi joked, "Aunt, she's afraid of the exam."
Yun Hui blushed and stamped her feet, acting coquettishly towards her aunt, "Aunt, I'm stupid and I really can't learn it. Please don't make it difficult for me."
Zhao Changning said sternly, "You're not serious, Yunhui. I'm not holding you back on purpose. This matter of the female official must be handled, and you are no exception. Reading isn't a bad thing. Look at the emperor and the other officials outside. Who isn't well-read? Even Anyi and the others have studied in the inner academy for a long time. They can't afford to be lazy."
She turned her head again and said, "Don't worry about your future. The affairs of the palace cannot be separated from you. Even though there is a female official system now, I still have to look at personal ability."
Anyi's expression was obviously much more relaxed, and he bowed, "Yes, aunt, I can save myself the trouble."
Zhao Changning nodded, "Let's go, I should wait for the emperor to go to court."
Sure enough, at the grand court meeting that day, as soon as this matter was raised by the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue strongly opposed it.
"No, no, Your Majesty, how can this be possible?" The Minister of Revenue spoke with contempt, his brow furrowed so tightly that it could kill a mosquito. "These palace maids are in the deep palace, serving the Empress well. Why do they need any rank? And do we have to pay for it from the national treasury? No matter how much money we have in the Dayong national treasury, we can't use it for such a trivial matter."
The chief academic officer of the Imperial College was a little old man, but his voice was loud.
"To serve the Emperor and Empress, one must be sensible and reasonable. Once the harem is in order, the Emperor can focus on the front court. How can it be a trivial matter? Is teaching students in our country's academy also a trivial matter? Do we receive salaries from the national treasury just to serve those students?"
"I didn't say that. Please don't frame me." The Minister of Revenue asked, "Then why should we just pay the money directly from the harem? Why should we pay it from the national treasury?"
Zhao Changning stood behind the emperor, watching his nose and listening carefully to what was said in the hall.
Song Zongheng stepped forward and said, "The expenses of the imperial harem have always been considered as the daily expenses of the imperial family. During the Shunde period, they were all recorded in the emperor's private treasury. Later, during the Yong'an period, the emperor included these expenses in the national treasury. The salaries and rewards of officials like us are all paid from the national treasury. Once female officials have a rank, they will be like us, loyal officials serving the great Yong. Naturally, their expenses should be paid from the national treasury. Is there any problem with this?"
"That's a nice way of saying it. Aren't you still just serving people in the palace?" The Minister of Revenue refused to do it. "Why would a servant need to read so many books? Do the ladies have to listen to them read every day? Do they also want to take the imperial examination to become the top female scholar?"
He knelt in front of the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, the matter of the female official is not feasible. This expense is endless and it is not a small amount."
"You're truly obsessed with money," the Imperial College's chief academic officer said sarcastically. "Are these the only two things you can do with studying? The Emperor is always reading, could it be that he's also studying to pass the imperial examination? Did you manage to pass the imperial examination because you earned money, not because you studied? Why does a woman's study bother you?"
"You..." The Minister of Revenue glared angrily, threw his sleeves, and roared, "Nonsense."
Zhao Changning frowned and looked at the Minister of Revenue. This man was named Zhou Hai, and was a cousin of Lord Zhou Min. However, it seemed that their personalities were completely different.
She looked at the Imperial College's chief academic officer again. She didn't expect that Song Zongheng's friend was so interesting. It was really not obvious before.
The emperor frowned when he saw everyone arguing. "Alright, alright, stop arguing."
He pursed his lips. "You all know that before my father passed away, the harem was without a master for over thirty years. This allowed the Hu Party to disrupt politics, and the harem was in disorder, affecting the previous dynasty. Even I am not immune. If the female official policy is implemented, I can breathe a sigh of relief. There are a hundred benefits and no harm. Why not do it?"
At this time, Zhou Min stood up. He was the first cabinet elder to speak out.
"Although the female official matter may be beneficial for a while, over time, won't another Hu party emerge? Your Majesty, now that you have just ascended the throne, it is not appropriate to make drastic reforms. The best strategy is to proceed slowly."
Gao Yun, the elder Gao, gently raised his eyelids, glanced at Qi Yuwei, then glared at Sun Zhidao, not allowing him to speak.
Qi Yuwei stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the southeast has just been stabilized, but the southwest is unstable, and Dayong is plagued by natural disasters, which have left the treasury empty. We should indeed slow down."
When the elder spoke, many officials naturally knelt down.
The emperor was not surprised when he heard this, he just smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
"Hearing what the Lord said, I also feel that we should give it some careful consideration and prioritize national affairs."
Zhao Changning didn't expect that people from the cabinet would come out to suppress her. This was something she had never imagined. After all, the matter of the female official had no impact on the cabinet.
She felt that she had not thought it through thoroughly and there must be something she had not figured out.
Until the court was dismissed, there was no clue to the conclusion of such a small matter.
After the court was dismissed, Gao Yun and others walked in the corridor back to the cabinet and started talking.
"Before, the Emperor used that woman to issue a warning to us, and now he's making a fuss about the female official?" Sun Zhidao slammed his hands. "What is the Emperor going to do?"
Zhou Min said in a deep voice: "The emperor today is no longer the fourteenth prince. He has many ambitions."
Sun Zhidao frowned, "We're not obstructing anything. Take the Prime Minister, for example. He was appointed by the late emperor to assist the country. He works diligently and wholeheartedly every day, going through wind and rain every day. Could it be that he's worse than an unformed female official?"
Gao Yun raised his eyes, his old and sharp eyes were as dark as the deep sea.
"Your Majesty isn't planning to appoint a female official. He's trying to suppress the cabinet. Even when he was still the Fourteenth Prince, you could see he had ambitions. You see, since eunuchs couldn't be used, he used palace maids. It just so happened that the female official incident came up. For the Majesty, it was a timely help."
"This, this doesn't necessarily require women, does it?" Sun Zhidao complained. "There are so many candidates available, why do we have to use a bunch of women? What use can women have?"
Gao Yun looked at Sun Zhidao, frowning. "Women are useless, so how useful is your old lady? Power is based entirely on chance and brains, not gender. Now that you've entered the cabinet, why are you still so arrogant?"
Qi Yuwei spoke calmly, "It seems that the emperor is very dissatisfied with our handling of the Jingzhou and Jiangling incidents."
Gao Yun sighed, a trace of fatigue appearing on his old face.
"I told you not to blindly use your own people. It's not good, but you guys just wouldn't listen. Sigh..."
Qi Yuwei said in a gentle voice, "Teacher, the situation was urgent at the time. If we had used someone we weren't familiar with, it would have inevitably been hindered. If things weren't handled properly, the Emperor would still blame us. Even if we could wait, the people couldn't..."
It's true, it's more effective when our own people do things.
"Yes, that's right." Sun Zhidao sighed after hearing this. "It's really hard to do anything. It would be more convenient to cut off my roots and become a female official."
The other three ignored him and walked away.
After Zhao Changning returned, she thought about it carefully, but her foundation was still shallow and she did not quite understand the cabinet's approach.
If she was to be suppressed, she could understand it. After all, approving documents was not something a woman should do. It was a special permission during the reign of the previous emperor. Now, if she took up the red pen again, it would be an act of usurpation.
But the cabinet suppressed it and was united against the outside world, being very vigilant, as if they were dealing with the Imperial Household Department and Hu Gou'er.
Yes, the Imperial Household Department.
Zhao Changning's mind flashed with light, as if his Ren and Du meridians were opened, and he immediately understood.
The cabinet finally got rid of the Imperial Household Department. If the system of female officials is established, according to the emperor's current attitude towards the cabinet, the female officials may be reused, and the power of the cabinet will still be suppressed.
Zhao Changning couldn't help but laugh when she thought of this, but she was also a little angry. It was so easy to get Hu Gou'er, a dead eunuch, but she had to go through so much trouble.
There was a light breeze and rain at night. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, a heavy rain fell and the air in the night was already cool.
Zhao Changning stood by the window, looking at the inky night and the rolling mist, but his mind was exceptionally clear.
Even that addictive feeling came over her again, and she felt full of fighting spirit.
Zhao Changning narrowed his eyes towards the darkness and turned away coldly.
She has already revealed her white claws and is ready for battle.
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Author's words: Changning: Fight? Fight! With the most humble dream, I send my sobs and roars to the darkness. [Sprinkle flowers][Sprinkle flowers][Sprinkle flowers]
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