Chapter 189 Women as Officials
The Empress Dowager picked up the Buddhist beads again with a gentle smile on her face.
"Xu'er, don't rush into making decisions. Think carefully about everything. I'm old and frail, and can no longer assist you in making decisions. Whatever you choose to do, and how you do it, I will have no objection. But the way of an emperor is to never regret a move; a man's ambition is to never look back. Even if one day you face danger, you must remain as steadfast as before and not let the choices you made in life go to waste."
Yan Shixu stood up respectfully and bowed to the Empress Dowager.
"My grandson will follow the teachings of my royal grandmother."
After saying this, he said goodbye and left.
The Empress Dowager looked at her grandson's departing back and sighed softly.
She had never expected that the royal family would produce several love-struck men one after another.
This is true for her eldest son, eldest grandson and second grandson.
When Yan Shixu walked out of the Cining Palace, the night had completely enveloped the palace.
He looked up at the twinkling and brighter stars in the sky, and his heart felt as if a bottle of five flavors had been overturned, with indescribable feelings.
Yongtai followed the emperor silently, not daring to make a sound.
Everyone thinks that as the emperor is the ruler of a country, everything will go smoothly for him.
But he knew that the emperor also had many frustrations and was subject to many constraints in the court. Even to a woman, he could not express his love as he wished.
After walking for a while, Yan Shixu suddenly turned around and headed towards the Bixi Palace.
The night wind blew across his dragon robe, causing a dark pattern to float in the air.
Yan Shixu walked to a place not far from the Bixi Palace, stood under a leafy evergreen tree, and stared quietly at the palace not far away that was shrouded in lights.
Faintly, you can hear the laughter of women and children coming from inside.
He stood there for a long time, and finally turned around and left quietly.
Yongtai hurried to catch up.
Yan Shixu suddenly spoke up: "Tell General Luo and Shao Yin Su to come to the palace."
Yongtai looked up at the pitch-black night and scratched his head, but still immediately responded, "Yes, I will send someone to pass on the message right away."
As dusk fell, the imperial study was brightly lit with candles.
Yan Shixu stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the crescent moon hanging from the eaves, his brows furrowed, as if thinking about the feasibility of a certain decision.
After receiving the summons, Luo Yunzhen and Su Muyang hurried into the palace. They thought something urgent had happened in the palace.
Seeing Yan Shixu's worried look, he decided that this matter was difficult to handle.
Unexpectedly, Yan Shixu said, "I want to do something about the selection of candidates, and I need your help."
Luo Yunzhen and Su Muyang were both silent.
Su Muyang has always been rude, and he rolled his eyes at Yan Shixu.
"My dear Majesty, is it necessary to rush the selection of concubines? You summoned us to the palace so late to discuss this matter. I thought it was something extremely urgent..."
God knows he was in such a hurry to go out that he didn't even have time to put on his shoes. It was the servant who hurriedly caught up with him carrying his shoes.
Luo Yunzhen also looked at Yan Shixu with some surprise.
After knowing each other for many years, they had never seen Yan Shixu so upset.
Just for a small talent show? Not really.
Yan Shixu explained the reason to them.
"I originally planned to cancel this year's draft..."
Before he could finish his words, Su Muyang and Luo Yunzhen shook their heads frantically.
Luo Yunzhen said, "Your Majesty, this cannot be cancelled. Given the current situation at court, you should be taking more women into the harem to control the situation. Why cancel it?"
Su Muyang originally thought that Yan Shixu might be crazy, and was about to say something, but then he suddenly realized something.
"Oh my god... Lao Xu, you're not going to give up the entire sea of flowers just for that little flower of Concubine Wen, are you?"
Yan Shixu kicked him and said, "I'm talking about serious matters, stop talking nonsense."
Su Muyang dodged his shadowless kick nimbly, shouting and shaking his head.
"I hit the nail on the head, and you're furious. That's unlikely. You're the emperor. If you were to live with a woman, wouldn't those old men in the court eat you alive?"
"And those wealthy families have already prepared daughters. As far as I know, families without daughters don't know where they got one from."
"Everyone knows Sima Zhao's intentions..."
"Those greedy guys are just hoping their daughter will gain favor, give birth to a prince, bring supreme glory and status to the family, and then plot for the position of crown prince. If you don't let them get what they want, they'll do anything."
"Old Xu, the situation you can control now is not enough to compete with the major families. When they unite to deal with Concubine Wen, saying that she is a demon and a disaster for the country, there are a thousand ways to force you to deal with her, not to mention those secret methods."
"The best way is to bring all their daughters into the palace. Whether you favor them or not is up to you. You just need to act like they're not harming their interests, that their goals can be achieved, and that you're still under their control... As for other matters, you'll have to work on them slowly..."
Su Muyang said so much in one breath that his mouth was dry.
Luo Yunzhen poured him a cup of tea and he drank it in one gulp.
The two of them looked at Yan Shixu eagerly, fearing that he would become desperate and try to resist the civil and military officials and the aristocratic families alone.
Yan Shixu met the gazes of his two friends and took a deep breath.
"I have a plan that may help you get around this."
Luo Yunzhen and Su Muyang both looked at Yan Shixu with shining eyes, waiting for him to speak.
Yan Shixu pondered and said, "I intend to let women serve as officials."
After he finished speaking, Luo Yunzhen and Su Muyang were both stunned.
Women serving as officials?
Luo Yunzhen asked, "Your Majesty, what is the relationship between women serving as officials and the selection of concubines?"
Yan Shixu explained carefully:
"I would like to establish a 'Recommendation Committee for Talented Women', where ministers in the court will recommend unmarried women from their families. The criteria for judging will be talent, learning, and moral character. This is not a selection, but simply a process of selecting talented women to assist the court."
"These recommended women will not be directly taken into the harem as concubines. Instead, they will be assigned different positions based on their talents. I'm not talking about inner court positions, but positions that allow them to be involved in real government affairs. For example, those who are good at poetry, calligraphy, and painting can be in charge of the palace library or serve in official schools; those who are proficient in arithmetic can assist the Ministry of Revenue in handling accounts, etc."
"Having these women serve in various ministries at the imperial court might help monitor the ministers' movements and contain some of their power."
"Women who participate in the recommendation meeting are not allowed to think about entering the palace as concubines. During their tenure, there will be a strict evaluation system. If they perform poorly or have improper intentions, they will be sent back home."
"I will reward those ministers who actively recommend talented women, such as promotions and gifts. This will not only encourage ministers to participate, but also make them understand that I value talent, not simply sending women into the palace for marriage."
"This plan can not only appease the ministers, but also select talents. It can also prevent all those women from entering the harem and causing endless fighting... What do you think?"
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