Chapter 265: Conferring Titles on Female Officials (…)
The next day, the morning court session began.
The air was biting cold on a winter's morning, as if cut by a knife. The sky was still pitch black, almost impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. Inside the palace hall, however, candles were lit, and all the officials were already waiting outside. Qi Chengming yawned as he stepped out, tucking his hands into his cloak, and gritted his teeth in pain: "...Winter in Luoyang is just too cold."
"Your Majesty, please bring this hand warmer; it's so cozy!" Gan Tang thoughtfully followed and brought out a small, exquisite bronze flat stove.
Qi Chengming waved his hand, deciding against it.
It's only a few steps from the side hall to the main hall; it's too pampered of him to bring a hand warmer to court.
"Cotton... I wonder how much we have left." Qi Chengming was now preoccupied with this. A few years ago, Liuzhou had searched for cotton, but nowadays, many powerful figures use cotton as ornamental flowers, so the yield is scarce. Qi Chengming's people had carefully cultivated it for several years, and all that little production was used to supply the soldiers at the front.
Now that he has the emperor's decree to mobilize the entire nation's resources to find and cultivate talent, things should be much better.
"...There's just too much to do!" Qi Chengming sighed, looking up at the sky.
He didn't have time to fight with people in the court; he needed to sort everything out as soon as possible and mend this huge quagmire that was Dingguo.
Today at court, it was still that same official who first jumped out to propose abolishing the late empress.
The same statement again.
"Why are you all so silent, my dear ministers?" Qi Chengming asked, feigning ignorance.
Why are all the civil and military officials stammering?
Scholar Cao gave a quiet, bitter smile.
The dissenting voices have been almost completely eliminated. The fate of Lord Yao's three loyal ministers who served the retired emperor has also shocked everyone. His Majesty is determined to find fault with them and make an example of them. Among so many people present, how many dare to say with a clear conscience that they have done nothing wrong? There are still a few stubborn and upright officials in the court who have been opposing from beginning to end, but the tide has turned, and today they have wisely kept silent.
Even the most confused person could see it clearly: this was a power struggle, a clash between the retired emperor and the new ruler, with the court officials as their battlefield.
Grand Tutor Wu and Grand Secretary Mu once again took the lead in supporting the proposal: "Your Majesty, I second that proposal."
Grand Secretary Cao dared not be negligent and bowed down as well: "Please depose the late Empress!"
The Imperial Clan Commander ordered the man to kneel and repeat the order, while the Ministers of the Six Ministries bowed their heads and reported the matter.
The military officers and members of the Hanlin Academy also righteously proclaimed: "The late Empress Dowager lacks the virtues of an empress dowager, has no compassionate heart, and has harmed the imperial heirs in the harem. We request that she be deposed!"
The Third Princess had only managed to attend court today by sheer willpower, and upon hearing this, she closed her eyes. Prince Ning, oblivious to his own grief and sorrow, could only watch her with a heavy heart.
The shouts of the officials rose and echoed throughout the hall, overlapping with the voices of the initial petitioners. Qi Chengming, his face expressionless, stood up and declared the outcome: "Xiao Dezi, draft the decree."
"Yes." Xiao Dezi had already prepared paper, ink, brush, and inkstone. Soon, the imperial edict, which had taken nearly half a month to finalize, was issued—
Empress Yu was deposed and reduced to a commoner, and imprisoned in the palace, where she was not allowed to leave without an imperial edict.
As Xiao Dezi read out the words in a calm and unhurried voice, Grand Secretary Xue suddenly smiled with relief. Prince Ning's brows were furrowed tightly, he was conflicted and speechless, his face ashen.
Qi Chengming subtly observed him, and Prince Ning forced a forced, awkward smile in response, expressing his obedience and showing no sign of dissatisfaction.
Yes, Qi Chengming mentioned on the day he ascended the throne that if any concubines in the palace had children, they could leave the palace to establish their own residences and be supported by their children.
But this privilege is now reserved for Consort Shu, who can accompany her grandson out of the palace. If the late Empress hadn't met with misfortune, she could have even luxuriously chosen between Prince Ning and the Third Princess. The other concubines didn't have this honor. Whose fault is this?
If the Empress hadn't harmed those children back then.
Imperial Noble Consort Xue, Imperial Noble Consort Ye, and Imperial Noble Consort Zhen had long been able to leave the palace and establish their own residences, supported by their own children, and live their own lives. Qi Chengming didn't mind at all that the princess's birth mother also moved into the princess's residence with them.
In this way, the perpetrators have the last laugh, while the victims lose everything. Who can stand that? It would have been right for the late Empress to be confined to the palace and not allowed to enjoy the company of her children!
"—I posthumously confer upon my birth mother, the Noble Consort Hua, the title of Empress Dowager, with the posthumous name Yingde, and now the title of Empress Dowager." Qi Chengming's next imperial edict announced the posthumous name he had carefully selected for his mother from the Ministry of Rites.
'Ying' praises the Empress's intelligence, 'De' commends her virtue, and also represents the original owner's gratitude to her mother.
From then on, the deceased Empress Yingde became the only Empress Dowager of Dingguo.
Qi Chengming's infrastructure system popped up instantly, and the task was displayed as completed.
[Emperor's Daily Task: Posthumously confer the title of Empress Dowager (Completed)]
Qi Chengming nodded in satisfaction. The officials were finally in control, and he could then proceed with his next words: "My wet nurse, Lady Liu, endured hardship and toil. I am grateful for her kindness and hereby bestow upon her the title of Princess of Baoqin County, granting her a fief of two hundred households."
The officials did not react at all, but simply obeyed the imperial decree.
His Majesty's birth mother was granted a title despite such strong resistance, so shouldn't it be reasonable to grant her the title of wet nurse as well?
[Emperor's Daily Task: Honoring the Wet Nurse (Completed)]
Qi Chengming glanced at the blank-faced officials below and, seizing the opportunity, winked at Xiao Chengzi: "Read it to everyone."
Xiao Chengzi was startled. He looked down at the memorial that His Majesty had casually spread out on the table. He stepped forward, cleared his throat, and read aloud:
"Shen Shuzhi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, has submitted a memorial requesting that Fang Bi, an official under the Crown Prince and former chief scribe of the Crown Prince's former residence, be granted an official title—Fang Bi, under His Majesty's instruction, researched and supervised the production of cement, glass, bicycles, gunpowder, and other items, accumulating great merit. Therefore, it is hereby requested that the Ministry of Works establish a new department as the Research Department, and Fang Bi is hereby appointed as the Director of the Research Department. Zhao Juer is appointed as the Assistant Director of the Research Department, and Zhang Xian as the Principal Clerk..."
Xiao Chengzi rattled off a long list of names.
Fang Bi was Bi Shu's real name. Or rather, Fang was her surname, but her given name was too rustic and common. After thinking it over, Bi Shu decided to use the name recorded when she took office as Fang Bi, in order to commemorate the name "Bi Shu" that she liked.
The Minister of Works' expression gradually calmed down as he listened.
He had long heard that His Majesty, in his early years in the fiefdom, enjoyed exploring strange and unusual objects. At that time, he was criticized for being extremely skilled in bizarre and ingenious crafts, yet the objects he created were all incredibly useful. He figured that the group Fang Bi was leading was His Majesty's team of "bizarre and ingenious crafts." Sure enough, just as he had expected, His Majesty was reluctant to release them before ascending the throne, and even when he was the Crown Prince, he kept them tightly under wraps.
It is perfectly reasonable to commend them.
Many officials below, who could discern the situation, remained calm. But those familiar with the composition of the officials in the former prince's residence began to break out in a cold sweat. Some hesitated, wanting to speak, while others frowned deeply but dared not step forward. One of the reborn ministers, realizing something, smiled slightly, anticipating a good show.
Qi Chengming waited a while and saw that none of the ministers, whether they knew the truth or not, immediately voiced their opposition. He smiled with satisfaction and announced without hesitation, "I grant your permission! From now on, if any woman performs meritorious service in the same way, she may be recommended to serve as an official in the court."
These words caused a huge uproar.
One of the officials had just realized what was happening when he exclaimed, "There's a woman on the list of those who were just asked to be granted titles?!" Another official, his face flushed with anger, cried out in anguish, "This is an insult to scholarship! It's a complete disgrace to scholarship!"
The officials below were in complete chaos, with all sorts of opinions being expressed.
"How can we, as men of noble birth, serve in the same court as women?!" "This is a violation of the fundamental principles of morality!" "Your Majesty... are you unaware of the calamity that comes with a hen crowing at dawn!"
Qi Chengming's gaze swept across the court and he saw a Xue family official, whom he had just recalled to the capital, kneeling and pleading with him to rescind the decree, his arms raised in disbelief. But what concerned Qi Chengming even more was the strange silence of a group of people in the court, who neither expressed their opinion nor seemed particularly resistant. This group of officials… were mostly those "suspicious ministers" who had pledged allegiance to him before his ascension to the throne, their intentions unfathomable.
Qi Chengming then called out the other party's name: "Xue Jin, I heard that you only have three daughters in your family, right? Since you are so resistant, the Xue family daughters will be exempt from the qualification to be recommended for official positions from now on."
Qi Chengming had heard about it.
Imperial Noble Consort Xue originally intended to return home, but from Grand Secretary Xue down to Xue Jin, the head of the Xue family in the capital, they were reluctant to agree due to concerns about their reputation, so there was no further news from Imperial Noble Consort Xue's side.
"...?!" Xue Jin's expression of grief and indignation was still on his face when his expression froze, and he paused for a few seconds before realizing what His Majesty meant.
He immediately knelt down and stammered, "Your Majesty... I... I didn't mean that..."
Without even looking, he could feel several piercing gazes on his back. Those were his cousins who had finally returned to the capital to take up official positions! Putting aside the fact that Xue Jin himself had just realized what was happening and was almost filled with regret, he could refuse, but his other cousins also had daughters. Was this an attempt to cut off their path to officialdom?
"Oh?" Qi Chengming didn't press the issue, instead turning his gaze to the others, "That's good. If any of you ministers are still unhappy, I can pardon you all as well."
Qi Chengming's words intimidated most of the people, and the previously passionate discussions in the court gradually subsided. However, some officials remained resolute, genuinely believing that women should not violate the established order and should not serve in the same court as men. They still stepped forward to present their memorials, hoping to persuade the new emperor to rescind his decree.
Qi Chengming also asked the Grand Secretaries their names without hesitation, and granted them a special pardon, exempting all the women of their clans from serving as officials in the court: "...Alright, also, there are still vacancies in the Research Department. The subsequent recommendation matters will be handled by Fang Langzhong. I will not concern myself with them one by one."
Qi Chengming surveyed the court.
Those officials, both high and low, whom he considered suspicious, all readily agreed without hesitation. Those officials who saw an opportunity for personal gain, though perhaps pondering something, readily bowed. Meanwhile, the dissenting officials, their necks flushed and voices hoarse with fervor, looked at him with grief and despair, as if he were a tyrannical ruler in disarray.
All walks of life.
Qi Chengming knew that after today, a new battlefield for vying for power with the court officials would arrive, and it would still be a long war of attrition.
But the results were already displayed on the infrastructure system in front of him:
[Emperor's Daily Task: Successfully Appoint Female Officials (Completed)]
After testing, three people were officially appointed. This received the approval of 60% of the court officials…
Qi Chengming let out a barely audible sigh, but his fighting spirit did not diminish at all; on the contrary, it grew even stronger.
His sharp gaze swept over those people.
...These are the people who unanimously follow him, their thoughts unknown. Now, they've even readily accepted the appointment of a woman as an official without any surprise or panic, leading to his mission's approval. Their influence... has reached a point where it affects nearly 60% of the main court officials.
Just how daring does he have to be to force these people to reveal their weaknesses?
-----------------------
Author's Note: All reborn subjects: —Your Majesty, fly boldly! We will follow you forever! (Fanatic) (Shouting) (Eagerly doggy-eyed)
In his previous life, the practice of women serving as officials in the imperial court was not changed to a fixed rule by force against all opposition. Instead, it was confined to the private domain of Qi Chengming, who acted unilaterally. After he used them more often, some loyal ministers who were envious of them gradually changed their minds and wanted to join.
—Now these ministers who had long since accepted this have been reborn.
[Second update!]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com