Chapter 169 That's something only the Crown Prince can wear...
Ruan Rou'er didn't know why the ground suddenly moved. She also saw many stones falling from the sky. If Cui Fang wasn't still useful, she would have abandoned him and run away long ago.
Once they reached a safe place, they pulled the arrow out of Cui Fang's leg, and he was immediately jolted awake by the pain.
There was both lightning and a giant rock falling from the sky; I had never faced anything like this before.
The movements were too vigorous and almost triggered her heart condition.
When Cui Fang woke up, seeing her touched expression, Ruan Rou'er could only reluctantly accept it.
When they finally returned to Plum Blossom Lane, both of them were covered in dust and dirt. Cui Fang's legs were both injured, and blood seeped out as he walked. He was in so much pain that his face was contorted, but in front of his beloved girl, he still stubbornly insisted that he was fine.
As soon as they entered the alley, they saw three people trapped at the entrance of Ruan Rou'er's residence. Those three people looked even more disheveled than they were.
There was also a very large divorce letter posted on the door.
A crowd of onlookers pointed and whispered among themselves. Cui's mother had never suffered such humiliation before. She struggled desperately, but her mouth was gagged tightly, and she couldn't utter a sound.
The murmurs among those people grew louder and louder.
The crowd looked at them as if they were rare and exotic creatures.
"It's this old woman. Her son married a princess, and she benefited from it by moving into the princess's residence. I heard she even wants to manipulate the princess and make her treat her like her own mother."
"Is she out of her mind? She wants to be the mother of a princess? That's the Empress, she doesn't deserve it."
"And that younger brother-in-law, using the princess's name, did all sorts of bad things outside, and was beaten like this by the princess's guards."
"Isn't my sister-in-law the same? She never pays for things she buys, and she even said if she's so capable, she should go find a princess. What's wrong with her hair? Is she too ashamed to be married off and planning to become a nun?"
"This house was bought by the prince consort for a woman outside, and I heard it was bought with the princess's dowry money."
"That woman is even more ridiculous. She goes around calling herself the wife of a prince consort. Doesn't she know that without a princess, there's no prince consort?"
"A whole family of mentally challenged people, yet they dare to act arrogantly and domineeringly in the princess's residence."
Some people in the crowd stirred things up, and those who were just watching the spectacle also thought it made a lot of sense. The princess was a member of the royal family, so how could they allow these people to act so recklessly in the princess's residence?
When Cui Fang returned, some of the neighbors recognized him and made way for him.
Even living in Plum Blossom Lane, Cui Fang never stopped causing trouble. On the contrary, he made a big show of letting everyone know that he was the prince consort and that the women in this mansion were his beloveds, the kind that even princesses couldn't compare to.
While watching the commotion, the neighbors overheard someone in the crowd say a few words and immediately realized what was happening.
They had previously thought it was the princess's fault that the prince consort had placed the woman there, and they had even muttered that the princess couldn't hold onto a man's heart.
Thinking back on it carefully, I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
If this gets out, I'll be thrown in jail.
"Look, the prince consort is back."
"What prince consort? The princess has already divorced him, he's no longer the prince consort, you can't keep calling him that."
Listening to the surrounding neighbors' discussions, Cui Fang's face turned ashen.
Seeing his own mother and siblings tied together, he was immediately enraged, demanding, "Who did this?"
Cui Fang already knew in his heart that it could be anyone but the princess.
He glared angrily around. If he were still the prince consort, those onlookers certainly wouldn't dare to continue watching. Now that the princess's letter of divorce was posted there, it blatantly told everyone that Cui Fang was no longer the prince consort, so naturally no one needed to fear him.
Upon seeing the letter of divorce posted on the door, Cui Fang roared in a fit of impotence, "Even if I am not the imperial son-in-law, I am still an official appointed by His Majesty. If you keep this up, I'll chop you all up."
The crowd became somewhat frightened and quickly dispersed, but did not go far.
They watched the spectacle openly and secretly.
They suspected that the injuries on Cui Fang's face were also inflicted by the princess.
Anyway, if they keep their distance and watch, they can run away as soon as he catches up, and they definitely won't get caught.
Cui Fang quickly untied the person, and Cui's mother immediately cried out, "My son, you must stand up for your mother! How dare she treat me like this!"
Even now, the Cui family firmly believes that Xiao Qiluo still loves Cui Fang and can't live without him, just like before.
Cui Fang himself thought so too. He always had a strange confidence in Xiao Qiluo's love for him. He felt that Xiao Qiluo was playing hard to get, trying to make him turn back, admit his mistakes, and obediently become her dog.
He wouldn't let Xiao Qiluo's plan succeed.
"Cui Lang, let's go inside and talk first." Ruan Rou'er felt very uncomfortable looking at the onlookers.
She didn't want to be stared at like that.
Everything was happening in a way that surprised her. Cui Fang hadn't said that Xiao Qiluo loved him so much that she couldn't help herself.
Is this the result?
I can't see what Xiao Qiluo loves about him at all; she even posted a letter of divorce on her door.
She even sent this old man over, but he's not her proper mother-in-law. She doesn't want to serve this old thing.
And those two little ones, just looking at them is embarrassing enough.
Ruan Rou'er was already annoyed to death; she had no time to deal with these people.
Cui Fang stepped forward and ripped off the divorce papers that were pasted on the door.
In his view, Xiao Qiluo did all this because she cared about him, in order to force him back to her side.
Just as I was about to push the door open and go in, the door was unexpectedly pushed open from the inside.
Several strangers were standing inside, taking inventory of the things in the courtyard. Ruan Rou'er immediately recognized them as her clothes and jewelry.
“Those are my things. Who gave you permission to touch them? Who are you people? How dare you enter my house without permission? I’m going to report you to the authorities.”
Although Cui Fang wasn't a very good person, he was very generous. He would find anything for her, no matter how expensive it was.
Ruan Rou'er rushed over, but was pushed away by the leading old woman.
Cui Fang also recognized the old woman; she was one of Xiao Qiluo's acquaintances.
As expected, this was Xiao Qiluo's tactic of feigning indifference.
Cui Fang straightened his clothes, stepped forward, and looked arrogantly at the group, saying, "Xiao Qiluo sent you here, didn't she? Go back and tell Xiao Qiluo..."
Before he could even speak, he was slapped twice by the leading old woman.
"How dare you, a commoner, address Her Highness the Princess by her name!" the old woman shouted.
"How dare you! I am a court personally appointed by the Emperor..."
Cui Fang received two more slaps, and the leader, Granny Yan, snorted and said, "You're the one who dares to do this! As the prince consort, you actually want to take a concubine to suppress the princess—that's one crime. As an official of the court, you dare not attend court for the sake of a woman. His Majesty has already ordered your dismissal. The princess has also divorced you, you lowly wretch who doesn't know your place. You're nothing but a commoner now."
Another old woman came over and said, "You, Cui Fang, are married to Princess Cui, and you are a well-known impoverished family in the capital. This mansion was bought with the princess's dowry, and the things inside are also recorded in the princess's household accounts. These are the princess's belongings."
As she spoke, another old woman came over, tossed a tattered bundle over her shoulder, and said, "Take all this junk and get out of here."
They were ordered by the princess to reclaim the houses and belongings here.
When I first entered, the maids in this mansion were very arrogant, claiming that the princess was not favored by the prince consort and that their young lady was the prince consort's beloved.
Hearing this, the old women couldn't help but beat the man up.
Previously, when the prince consort tried to force his way into the princess's residence, he made the same boastful remarks. Unexpectedly, the people in the mansion all followed the prince consort's example, thinking they were too stubborn and didn't take the royal family seriously.
Two guards came over, grabbed Cui Fang, and dragged him out of the alley.
"Where is Xiao Qiluo? I want to see her! I want to see Xiao Qiluo!"
Cui Fang was grabbed by Granny Yan and slapped twice more.
He finally confessed, "Where is the princess? I want to see the princess."
Granny Yan kicked him, "The princess is of noble birth, but does that mean a commoner like you can just see her whenever you want?"
Cui Fang made a scene, but to no avail, and had no choice but to leave with his family in a sorry state.
As soon as they stepped out of the alley, a group of soldiers blocked their way.
The leading officer's gaze lingered on Cui Hao for a moment, then he waved to the men beside him and said, "Someone has accused Cui Hao of abusing a respectable woman. Take him away."
After saying that, he ignored everyone else and took Cui Hao away.
Cui's mother watched expressionlessly. Now that she had lost both ears and could barely take care of herself, she naturally no longer had the affection she once had for Cui Hao.
All of Cui Hao's evidence was collected by Xiao Qiluo and then handed over to her.
After the county magistrate read the confession, Cui Hao couldn't take it anymore and confessed to everything he had done. In the end, Cui Hao was sentenced to be executed three days later.
The guards reported everything to Xiao Qiluo.
"Keep an eye on Cui Fang and don't let him escape the city. Send more people to Ruan Rou'er's side, but be careful, she has poisoned needles."
As for the silks, satins, and jewelry taken from Plum Blossom Lane, they were dealt with in the same way as the things that had been taken from the Cui family mother and her two children. They were exchanged for silver and sent to the charity hall.
Instead of wasting money on those ungrateful wretches, we should do some good deeds.
The carpenters who came with us earlier also had good news: they made that thing called a bicycle.
After Xiao Qiluo tried riding it, she immediately had her things taken up to the palace.
Besides showing her father what she had made, she also had things to say to him.
She had thought about it seriously. As her father's only child, there were some things she should have.
It would be good if her father agreed, but if he didn't, she could try to fight for it.
Xiao Qiluo is currently in the palace showing the emperor the bicycle she made.
She herself was dressed very simply, and riding her bicycle through the vast palace was quite a sight to behold.
"Is this what you came up with?" the emperor asked, looking at the bicycle with interest.
Xiao Qiluo shook her head, "It's not my idea. It's just that my daughter has been having a strange dream lately, with many strange and unusual things in it. This thing called a bicycle is one of them."
Master Jiu showed her that scene during class; let's just say it was a scene from her dream.
The other necessary items are too complicated, and Xiao Qiluo is still studying them.
There were also soap glass and ice made from saltpeter.
These are relatively simple.
Master Jiu taught her many things and taught her many principles.
She also knew that, with adjustments to the proportions of fireworks, a very powerful explosive could be created. If they could make it, their country would no longer need to worry about invasion from foreign enemies.
Even when facing her father, the Emperor, Xiao Qiluo would not easily utter these words.
Seeing that her father had also changed into simple clothes and was pondering the bicycle in front of him, Xiao Qiluo said, "Father, I want to start a school."
"Go ahead and do it if you want," the emperor said dismissively. What was wrong with setting up a school? He was engrossed in studying bicycles.
"The school I want to establish is different; it's a girls' school, a school where only women can enroll. In the future, I will also allow women to participate in the imperial examinations and enter officialdom just like men."
The emperor stopped pedaling, and the rear wheel, which was propped up, was suspended in the air. As soon as he let go, the pedal continued to spin and struck the back of his hand.
Xiao Qiluo was not surprised by her father's reaction; these things were indeed quite shocking to him.
What Master Jiu showed her was enough to shock her, making her realize that change is not something that can be achieved overnight, but someone always has to take the lead.
If one generation's efforts are not enough, then let hope continue, pass the torch from generation to generation, and there will always be a day of success.
But if you just talk the talk but do nothing, you'll never succeed. The things she saw in her dreams were the result of generations of hard work.
How will you know it won't work if you don't try?
The emperor looked at his daughter and was certain that this was the daughter he had raised from childhood; her stubborn eyes were exactly the same as her mother's.
No longer as innocent as before, but with many things he couldn't understand.
If he had previously considered giving the throne to his daughter, it would have been out of reluctance to let it fall into the hands of his brothers. But now, as an emperor, he was formally examining his daughter, assessing whether she was capable of becoming a qualified ruler.
He was not a foolish ruler; he couldn't bring himself to destroy the country, nor did he want to be condemned for eternity after his death.
"What if I refuse?"
“Then my daughter will do it too.”
The emperor looked at Xiao Qiluo without saying a word for a long time.
“Father, I’m serious,” Xiao Qiluo said.
Xiao Qiluo also shared her thoughts with her father, the Emperor. Although her father might not understand, there was always someone to lead the way before others could walk this path.
The emperor suddenly laughed; he naturally felt sorry for this daughter.
If one wants to ascend the throne, one must have methods. He just didn't expect Xiao Qiluo to have thought so much.
Or perhaps, she had planned this from the very beginning.
"You should know that this road is not easy to walk."
Even if those ministers could accept a woman becoming empress, they probably couldn't accept that women would be on equal footing with them in the future.
“I know that roads are made by people walking on them. My daughter chose this direction and paved a path. Naturally, others will make the road wider, or perhaps my daughter herself can make this road wider.”
"Then go ahead and do it, and let Father see just how far you can go."
"Yes." Xiao Qiluo bowed and then prepared to leave.
She simply informed her father that regardless of his approval or not, she would return to establish the girls' school.
The emperor waved his hand and began examining the bicycle again. This bicycle was really difficult to ride; one could easily fall if one wasn't steady on it. As the emperor rode the bicycle, Eunuch Gao hurriedly ran over. Seeing the emperor riding erratically, he reached out to help him.
"The past, the past, don't touch me."
"Your Majesty, please don't fall," Eunuch Gao kept nagging from behind.
As it turned out, the emperor really did fall.
Xiao Qiluo glanced at it and quickly came over, asking Eunuch Gao to support her from behind.
It's much easier to ride when someone is holding you.
"Gao Yi, this is good, don't let go," the emperor said while riding his bicycle.
Eunuch Gao stood there awkwardly. He had let go of the princess's hand when she asked him to.
The emperor rode around a bend and looked back, only to find Gao Yi standing in the same spot.
"I can ride this bike now."
Before he could even feel happy, he realized he didn't know how to stop. The emperor fell several times before he finally learned how to ride the chariot.
"Father, are you alright?"
The emperor waved his hand, "I'm fine. This carriage is indeed excellent, but it does take a lot of effort to learn how to use it."
However, for the emperor, being able to learn it was also a skill, and he felt quite accomplished.
Xiao Qiluo did not stay in the palace for long, as she had her own matters to attend to.
The girls' school was already under preparation, and the location had been chosen. When the time was right, Xiao Qiluo announced the matter.
She also proposed establishing girls' schools so that women could participate in the imperial examinations just like men, and proposed that women could also become officials just like men.
The ministers were naturally unwilling to accept it.
They thought Xiao Qiluo's suggestion was absurd. Women who went out to do business were already criticized, so how could they allow women to participate in the imperial examinations? It was simply too ridiculous.
Something I've never heard of before.
The imperial court was in an uproar over this matter.
The memorials were almost overwhelming the emperor.
Xiao Qiluo was summoned to the palace again, and the emperor gave her all the memorials, saying, "You caused this yourself, so you have to deal with it yourself."
When the court session resumed, Xiao Qiluo arrived at the imperial court.
Upon seeing her, a pedantic old minister immediately reprimanded Xiao Qiluo, "Absurd! Even a princess should not come to the former court."
Xiao Qiluo not only entered the imperial court, but also stood in front of the court officials.
Everyone saw her clothes; they were the kind of clothes only the Crown Prince could wear.
Immediately, a minister stepped forward and criticized Xiao Qiluo for exceeding the prescribed regulations regarding clothing.
Unexpectedly, he heard the emperor say that he intended to issue an edict to make his daughter Xiao Qiluo the crown prince and to choose a date to enter the Eastern Palace.
Upon hearing the imperial edict, the entire court fell silent.
The idea of making Princess Qiluo the crown prince was so absurd that they were caught off guard.
Originally, no one objected to Xiao Qiluo's proposal to establish a girls' school. They thought it was just a school for girls, and some even considered sending their daughters there as a way to support Princess Qiluo.
Unexpectedly, the princess attempted to have those women participate in the imperial examinations and become officials, which they found unacceptable.
Originally, I wanted His Majesty to step in and reject Princess Qiluo's idea, but I didn't expect His Majesty to intend to make Princess Qiluo the Crown Prince. Wouldn't that mean we'll be welcoming an empress in the future?
"No! Absolutely not!"
Someone shouted something, and everyone immediately snapped out of their daze and knelt down in worship.
"Your Majesty, please rescind your decree. Since ancient times, there has never been a woman as crown prince, let alone a woman ascending the throne."
"Your Majesty, there has never been a woman ascending the throne before. For a hen to crow at dawn is a perverse and outrageous act. Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
"This act is an insult to the nation's foundation and a violation of ancestral precepts; it is absolutely unacceptable, Your Majesty."
A row of people knelt in unison in the Golden Palace, saying in unison, "Your Majesty, we beg you to reconsider."
Looking at the kneeling court officials, the emperor did not speak, but instead looked at Xiao Qiluo.
If you can't even handle this kind of situation, you shouldn't have such ambitions.
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