Chapter 35 Those kneeling on the ground were all her dogs.
When the imperial edict arrived, Su Qingci was organizing documents at the Hongwen Hall.
She was stunned for a moment, and it wasn't until the eunuch delivering the decree reminded her that she came to her senses and knelt down to receive the decree.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Su Shi is renowned for his elegant writing, quick wit, and profound knowledge of history and philosophy. He is hereby promoted to Academician of the Hanlin Academy and ordered to assume his post immediately. This is the imperial decree."
The words "Hanlin Academy Academician" exploded in her ears like a thunderclap.
Only after she personally received the imperial edict, looked at it again and again, and read it aloud repeatedly, did she dare to believe that she had truly become the first woman to enter the court as an official since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty.
She never imagined that His Highness would actually do it.
She truly paved a path that had never been paved before for herself and for all women in the world.
The first thing Li Yuanzhao saw upon returning to the palace was Su Qingci standing in the hall, clutching the bright yellow imperial edict tightly in her hand, her eyes red-rimmed, looking as if she wanted to cry but couldn't.
Upon seeing her, Su Qingci knelt down, her voice still choked with emotion: "To repay Your Highness's kindness, I would gladly die for you. I have no way to repay Your Highness's favor, except to offer my life!"
Li Yuanzhao said calmly, "Get up. I promoted you because you have the talent and ability to deserve this position. The Hanlin Academy is not a battlefield; there is no need for you to die for me."
"Just remember, from this day forward, you are no longer just Su Qingci. You represent the future of millions of women. Don't let me down."
Su Qingci kowtowed again, "Your Highness, I will certainly live up to your expectations and strive to give women in the world the confidence to hold their heads high!"
Li Yuanzhao nodded, turned around and sat back in the main seat, spread out a scroll of memorials, and began to review them.
She received personal instruction from the Emperor in calligraphy, and her writing style was vigorous and elegant, just like the Emperor's.
Su Qingci stood to her left, turning the pages of the documents for her.
Soon after, Ru Mo reported, "Your Highness, Lord Pei and Lord Du have arrived."
Li Yuanzhao didn't look up. "Let them in."
Two figures walked in one after the other; they were the two officials who had risen to prominence and made quite a splash today.
Pei Huaijin, a newly promoted fifth-rank Imperial Secretary, and Du Cong, who was promoted to seventh-rank Censor.
After the court session today, countless officials wanted to invite these two gentlemen to Mingyue Tower to celebrate.
Unexpectedly, the two who had rejected everyone ended up appearing in the Princess's palace by chance.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Highness the Eldest Princess."
The two knelt down and bowed in unison.
Li Yuanzhao did not look up, but continued to deal with the matter at hand, leaving the two kneeling below the hall.
When Chen Yanqing pushed open the door, this was the scene he saw.
He paused for a moment.
This scene was quite unexpected. Pei Huaijin and Du Cong had just received the Emperor's commendation and were enjoying the height of their glory.
Why would someone be so eager to pay their respects to the Princess, and why would they adopt such a humble attitude?
But he quickly came to his senses, stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and reported to Li Yuanzhao: "Your Highness, I have made the arrangements as you instructed."
Li Yuanzhao's brush continued to move, the tip of the brush gliding across the rice paper, making a soft rustling sound.
Chen Yanqing looked at the situation in front of him and felt increasingly awkward.
Pei Huaijin and Du Cong were both dressed in blue official robes.
Pei Huaijin knelt there with an upright posture, exuding a sense of detachment and tranquility.
Du Cong, on the other hand, had a deep expression on his face, and it was unclear what he was planning.
Chen Yanqing suddenly felt something was absurd. How could it be that all the people kneeling on the ground were her dogs?
Even more absurdly, these three men actually bowed down to three women.
After a long while, Li Yuanzhao put down his pen, placed the paper he had written on aside, and picked up a paperweight to hold it down.
She looked up at the three people kneeling below and slowly said, "Get up. What are you doing kneeling?"
Chen Yanqing was the first to stand up straight, and when his eyes swept over Pei Huaijin and Du Cong beside him, there was a hint of smugness in them.
He was, after all, a person close to His Highness, attending to him day and night, which was ultimately different from those courtiers who had to kowtow before they could speak.
After Pei Huaijin stood up, he bowed deeply and said, "The elders of my family have sent me a letter, asking me to return home to worship my ancestors and inherit the family business. It will take half a month. I have come to ask Your Highness for leave."
Li Yuanzhao tapped his fingertips lightly on the table. "The Pei family reacted quite quickly."
Pei Huaijin lowered his eyes and said, "My uncle has committed several crimes, which have implicated the Pei family. It is already a great mercy that he has not been expelled from the family register. The clan needs someone to take charge and stabilize the situation."
Li Yuanzhao smiled and turned to ask Chen Yanqing, "Is everything arranged?"
Chen Yanqing immediately came to his senses: "It's all arranged. Pei Guyan will die on the road as soon as he leaves the capital. At that time, people will only suspect that the Cui family held a grudge and sent someone to ambush and kill him on the way."
Pei Huaijin raised his head in disbelief.
Although he knew his uncle deserved his fate, he never expected the princess to be so ruthless, not even giving him a chance to live.
Li Yuanzhao caught his momentary loss of composure and sneered, "What? Your uncle forced you to your death, and now you still can't bear to do anything to him?"
Pei Huaijin knew that he was now merely a pawn dependent on others and had no right to interfere with the Princess's decisions, so he could only lower his head and say, "Your subject dares not."
“You should understand,” Li Yuanzhao straightened up and said slowly, “If he doesn’t die, how will those he once relied on in the Pei family let it go? If he doesn’t die, how will you secure your position as the head of the Pei family?”
If you become her person, you shouldn't have such benevolent thoughts like those of Song Xiang.
She looked at him with a half-smile: "You should thank me."
Pei Huaijin remained silent for a moment, then finally bowed and said, "Your subject... thanks Your Highness."
Li Yuanzhao shifted his gaze from Pei Huaijin to Du Cong: "And you? Are you dissatisfied with your position?"
Upon hearing this, Du Cong immediately realized the warning in those words and hurriedly knelt down again, kowtowing heavily. "Your subject dares not! Your subject has come specifically to thank Your Highness for your kindness in promoting me!"
He knew in his heart that if he hadn't followed the princess's orders to take the lead in impeaching Zhang Cheng in court and to rally a group of newly appointed scholars to stir up trouble, how could he have risen from an insignificant minor official to become a supervising censor?
Li Yuanzhao scoffed, "Why thank me? You should thank Young Master Pei beside you. Without his selflessness, you wouldn't be where you are today."
Du Cong turned his head to look at Pei Huaijin, who still had that indifferent expression.
A nameless anger surged in his heart, and the joy he had felt about the promotion was greatly diminished.
He never expected that the first task His Highness assigned him would be to pave the way for Pei Huaijin!
Why? Why should His Highness go to such lengths for this man who has only recently appeared?
He turned around, his forehead still pressed against the ground, "Your Highness has shown me great favor, which is why I hold this position today. I will serve Your Highness faithfully for the rest of my life and never betray your trust!"
Looking at his impassioned demeanor, Li Yuanzhao remained noncommittal, then turned to Pei Huaijin and said, "You've been back home for a month, which is enough to stabilize the situation in the clan. Remember, the Pei family is now yours. If you can't even handle this little thing, then you don't need to come back."
Pei Huaijin bowed and replied, "Your subject understands."
Li Yuanzhao waved his hand: "Everyone, step back."
"We take our leave," the men replied in unison, and slowly withdrew from the study.
Watching their departing figures, Su Qingci said softly, "Your Highness, although Pei Huaijin has submitted, he may still harbor some resentment."
Li Yuanzhao picked up the memorial, reviewed it again, and said calmly, "A grudge? It will wear down eventually."
Su Qingci continued, "Du Cong is a capable person, but I have a vague feeling that he is too scheming and difficult to control."
Li Yuanzhao glanced at her and said, "You're getting better and better at judging people these days."
Su Qingci smiled shyly, "Following Your Highness, I inevitably learned a lot."
Li Yuanzhao picked up his teacup, took a sip, and suddenly asked, "Your brother has been unable to take the imperial examinations for five years because of me. Has your father made things difficult for you?"
When this matter was mentioned, Su Qingci's smile faded a little, but her tone was very calm. "Now I am the only person he can rely on in the court. How could my father, who is so good at judging the situation, make things difficult for me? On the contrary, he has been smiling more when he sees me lately."
Upon hearing this, Li Yuanzhao smiled knowingly.
Indeed, a woman's strongest protection is never her father, husband, or children, but the power she holds in her own hands.
Her gaze returned to the table. "Work hard, and you'll understand later that in this court, the only one who can protect you is yourself."
Su Qingci lowered his head and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."
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