Chapter 176 You're clearly someone who wants both...
To prevent any further unforeseen events from happening to Cui Fang, Xiao Qiluo ordered her men to put handcuffs and leg irons on him, and even gag him.
Give them only one meal and one water a day, just enough to keep them alive.
It is said that Cui Fang initially resisted, but after being beaten by the jailer, he immediately became obedient and stopped shouting nonsense.
He only grumbles about wanting to see her when he's being fed.
The guards reported this to Xiao Qiluo, but she only listened to it briefly and didn't take it to heart.
The Ministry of Agriculture has achieved success in both wheat and rice production.
Looking at the golden wheat ears, Xiao Qiluo felt an overwhelming surge of excitement.
Even the rice stalks were bent over by the heavy weight.
The scholar in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture gave the data to Xiao Qiluo; climate, water, and soil were all necessary conditions.
They also handed over a rubbing of a geological map, with several key points marked on it.
“Different places have different planting conditions. I have examined the geology of various places. If the situation is true, the places I marked can produce wheat three times a year without any problem. Even rice can be grown twice a year in some places.”
Xiao Qiluo nodded. If it were really possible, she would definitely push it forward vigorously.
The ships for navigation have also taken shape. The blueprints were provided by Master Jiu. They are not only sturdy, but also exceed the current limit in terms of the number of people they can carry.
The sailors are also training, and the military is clearly changing due to Xiao Qiluo's vigorous reforms.
Even the female students are preparing to take the entrance exam for the imperial examinations. This batch consists of the students with whom Xiao Qiluo made the agreement.
On the day of the exam, Xiao Qiluo personally escorted the students into the examination hall, and she was quite nervous.
Everyone had to be searched before entering the examination hall. Xiao Qiluo specially assigned palace maids to search the men and women separately.
Seeing that everyone had entered the examination room, Xiao Qiluo became unusually nervous and couldn't even concentrate on her favorite book.
Chunqiao brewed a cup of tea for Xiao Qiluo and stood quietly to the side.
Seeing Chunqiao looking at her with concern, Xiao Qiluo laughed, "Actually, it's nothing. I still trust the children's knowledge. I'm worried about their health. They've only been inside for a short time, and some candidates have already been carried out."
The thought that these children were taking the imperial examination for the first time made me uneasy. Fortunately, all those carried out were male students; not a single one was female, which shows that having them exercise regularly was beneficial.
To alleviate her unease, Xiao Qiluo tried many things to do, but none of them helped.
Just then, a guard came to report that Cui Fang had a secret and would only reveal it after seeing her in person.
Xiao Qiluo then went to see Cui Fang.
The cell smelled unpleasant. Cui Fang lay curled up on the ground, motionless, looking as if he were dead.
The jailer, having received instructions, dared not give him even the slightest bit of preferential treatment.
Upon seeing the princess arrive in person, they quickly removed the shackles from Cui Fang's mouth, which were originally intended to prevent prisoners from biting their tongues to commit suicide.
Xiao Qiluo felt that Cui Fang would not die easily. She stood in the cell, looking down at Cui Fang, whose eyelids twitched twice.
"I heard you've been clamoring to see me. You didn't just want me to come and watch you pretend to be dead, did you?"
Upon hearing Xiao Qiluo's voice, Cui Fang finally opened his eyes. He stared at Xiao Qiluo, trying to get up by supporting himself with his elbows, but he collapsed back down, powerless.
After struggling several times, Cui Fang finally managed to lean against the wall. He looked up at Xiao Qiluo with some weakness, but still managed a smile. "I knew you would come."
He only gets one meal a day, not enough to fill him up, but not enough to starve him either.
His tendons in his hands and feet were severed, and his wounds were only given simple treatment.
Cui Fang looked up at Xiao Qiluo, staring at her for a long time with that same affectionate expression. "Qiluo, I know you must have been reborn too, right?"
Xiao Qiluo raised an eyebrow. If she understood correctly, Cui Fang's rebirth should refer to him regaining his previous memories.
Even now, Cui Fang is still testing her.
Can we really think that he still has a chance to turn things around?
Observing the subtle change in Xiao Qiluo's expression, Cui Fang's lips curled up. He felt that his guess was correct; Xiao Qiluo must have been reborn earlier than him.
That's why he was in the dilapidated temple when he woke up.
He learned the truth from his mother and sister.
Cui Fang looked at Xiao Qiluo with a bitter smile on his lips. "Qiluo, it's only right that you hate me. I killed our child, I killed you. Since you died, I haven't been able to sleep soundly every night."
Listening to his confession, Xiao Qiluo remained unmoved. She had never experienced anything like what he was saying in her life, yet she still went along with Cui Fang's words, saying, "What's wrong? Can't you sleep well? Are you afraid I'll become a vengeful ghost and come back to haunt you?"
Cui Fang looked at her, his face full of disapproval, "If you really wanted to take my life, I would accept it, but you have never come to my dreams even once."
"So, as soon as you were reborn, you killed your mother and your sister? You deliberately used two meat buns to make those beggars in the dilapidated temple accidentally kill your mother, and then pushed your sister into the river to drown her. Cui Fang, you're really ruthless!"
"They bullied you so much, I was just helping you get revenge. Qiluo, I also helped you get revenge in my past life. I killed all the people who bullied you. I already know the truth. You were the one who saved me back then. Ruan Rou'er deliberately impersonated my savior. It was she who sowed discord between us, which made me misunderstand you so deeply."
As if he had just thought of something, Cui Fang quickly said, "Qiluo, Ruan Rou'er has run away. You must be careful. Her father is the successor of the Ghost Doctor, and her uncle works in the Imperial Hospital. If you can catch her uncle, you will know the whereabouts of the father and daughter. Be careful, Ruan Rou'er is after your shrewdness."
“Okay, I understand. Is there anything else you want to say?” Xiao Qiluo nodded and said seriously.
She didn't tell Cui Fang that Ruan Rou'er and the other two had died long ago, and that her body had been burned to ashes.
The two looked at each other. Cui Fang stared at Xiao Qiluo's face, waiting for her to speak, but he was disappointed. Xiao Qiluo didn't seem to want to ask any further questions.
You couldn't even tell what she was happy or angry from her expression.
After a long pause, Cui Fang finally mustered the courage to ask, "Qiluo, what have you been doing lately?"
"It's nothing. We just sent a group of girls from the girls' school to take the imperial examination a couple of days ago."
"It's absurd to let women participate in the imperial examinations. Qiluo, how could you have such an idea? Women should stay at home to support their husbands and raise their children," Cui Fang said with a look of disapproval.
Xiao Qiluo looked at Cui Fang. Logically speaking, Cui Fang in this world should know that she was running a girls' school, so why was he acting as if he knew nothing at all?
She walked over to Cui Fang, leaned down to look at him, and Cui Fang had to avoid her gaze before he spoke, "What's absurd about it? Don't forget, my father only has one daughter, me. I also want my father to appoint me as the crown prince so that I can ascend the throne in the future."
"How can a woman like you become emperor?" Cui Fang asked in surprise.
He seemed to have forgotten his current situation, or perhaps Xiao Qiluo's attitude was too good, giving Cui Fang the illusion that the Xiao Qiluo in front of him was still the one who loved him so much that she obeyed his every word.
"Qiluo, listen to me. You are just a woman. You should stay at home and take care of your husband and children. You shouldn't have such outrageous thoughts."
"But my father has no sons. I am not willing to watch the throne fall into the hands of others."
Cui Fang nodded. "You're right."
Xiao Qiluo looked at Cui Fang, half-squatting down to meet his gaze, "Cui Lang, what are your thoughts?"
Looking at Xiao Qiluo's familiar expression, Cui Fang suddenly became excited. "Qiluo, I think it's not impossible for you to ascend the throne as emperor. You are His Majesty's only daughter, so it's perfectly legitimate for you to ascend the throne. However, since you are a woman, we are husband and wife, and we are one. After you ascend the throne, you can appoint me as regent, and I will assist you. At that time, I don't think those people will dare to say anything."
Xiao Qiluo looked at Cui Fang with a smile on her lips, "Cui Lang."
"Qiluo, are you willing to agree?"
Xiao Qiluo reached out and grabbed Cui Fang's hair, pulling his head and slamming it against the wall behind him.
A pool of blood quickly seeped onto the wall.
Xiao Qiluo laughed, "Cui Fang, are you still dreaming of being the emperor? You are no longer the emperor, you are a prisoner. How can you not recognize your own status?"
"Are you kidding me?"
Cui Fang's head was hit a few more times, and he collapsed to the ground, limp and powerless. Xiao Qiluo, still not satisfied, kicked him twice more.
"Are you awake now? If you weren't, I could have had your head chopped off."
Only then did Cui Fang realize something was wrong. "You... why do you refer to yourself as '朕' (Zhen, the imperial censor)?"
"Really can't remember?" Xiao Qiluo asked, stepping on Cui Fang's head.
Cui Fang's face turned pale. Some memories he had deliberately ignored surfaced in his mind. He remembered them all. After Xiao Qiluo was made crown prince, the emperor died.
The current emperor is none other than Xiao Qiluo herself.
"You've ascended the throne?"
"Otherwise what? Are you waiting for me to kill you, put on a show of deep affection, deceive my father, and then inherit the Xiao family's empire?"
Xiao Qiluo pulled out the hairpin from her hair. "Cui Fang, you keep saying you've punished those who bullied me, but weren't you the one who bullied me the most in the past? Why don't you punish yourself?"
She threw the hairpin next to Cui Fang, saying, "If you truly know your mistake, use this hairpin to commit suicide, and I will leave you a complete corpse."
Cui Fang's hands trembled as he gripped the hairpin.
The hairpin was sharpened to a very fine point, so even if he was clumsy, it would still be easy for him to pierce his own vitals.
Cui Fang held the hairpin up to himself, but ultimately lacked the courage to stab himself.
He looked at Xiao Qiluo, his gaze suddenly turning fierce, and he gripped the hairpin with both hands, thrusting it towards Xiao Qiluo.
Before he could even touch the hem of her skirt, her hairpin was snatched away.
Xiao Qiluo grabbed Cui Fang by the neck and lifted him up. Cui Fang desperately kicked his legs, his face turning red.
"You...you can't kill me?"
"Give me a reason." Xiao Qiluo gave him a chance to catch his breath.
“I know a lot about what will happen in the future, and where Ruan Rou’er might be hiding. Ruan Rou’er has always wanted your Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart. With someone like that watching you, you won’t have an easy time, will you? I can help you catch her.”
Xiao Qiluo scoffed, "You mean Ruan Rou'er? It's a pity she's dead, along with her ghost doctor father and uncle, whose remains have been burned to ashes."
"Impossible, how could they be dead?"
"How could it be impossible? I personally did it and burned their remains."
"Then why don't you kill me?" A glimmer of hope still burned in Cui Fang's heart.
He hoped that Xiao Qiluo would treat him differently in the end.
"Cui Fang, you've committed countless evil deeds. Wouldn't it be too easy for you to just die?"
Xiao Qiluo took out a dagger from her sleeve and patted Cui Fang's face. "I know everything about the debts of the four of them, Chunxia, Qiudong, and the fact that you switched the wet nurse's remains, as well as the fact that you kept saying you loved me, sat on the throne of my Xiao family, held the memorial tablet to disgust me, and changed the name of my Xiao family's empire."
The dagger was raised and brought down, aimed directly at Cui Fang's eye.
Just as the dagger fell, Xiao Qiluo clearly felt the ground beneath her feet tremble.
But it was only for a moment; there was no earth-shaking tremor like before, and no thunder.
"Don't keep saying you love me. Your love disgusts me. I know you have quite a few women in your harem. What's so special about that? You have women on both sides and still enjoy boundless loneliness. I think you're just using my death as a shield to make my Xiao family loyal to you. But you're clearly a rotten person who wants both."
Cui Fang fainted, but was woken up by being splashed with salt water.
Xiao Qiluo looked at him and said, "Cui Fang, of all the people you mentioned, you are the one who deserves to die the most. What gives you the right to righteously punish others? Is it because you can't bear to hurt yourself? That's right, you didn't even dare to die just now."
Cui Fang couldn't speak, covering his eyes, and could only make hoarse sounds.
"Find a doctor to examine him. Don't let him die, but don't try to save him completely. Just leave him with a breath left," Xiao Qiluo instructed.
Looking at Cui Fang's half-dead state, she raised her foot and crushed his fingers, sneering, "You think you're worthy to protect the Xiao family's empire for me? I'll protect my empire myself, Cui Fang, just give up on that idea."
The jailer took the man out, and when he returned and saw Cui Fang lying there, he couldn't help but spit.
Cui Fang lay on the ground, half his face smeared with blood, muttering, "You lied to me, why did you lie to me? You clearly said that I was destined to be the emperor, that I would definitely become the emperor."
"Say something! Why aren't you saying anything?"
The less he received a response, the louder Cui Fang's voice became, and the escaped guards whipped him a few times before he finally quieted down.
When Xiao Qiluo was released from prison, the sun was shining brightly outside, and there was no thunder or rain, nor any meteorite falling.
Tong Xiangbei recounted what had just happened, "Mother, did you notice the earthquake?"
[I noticed a very slight tremor in the ground.]
"So, it wasn't my imagination just now. Could it be that Cui Fang's guardian spirit thinks I definitely won't really kill Cui Fang, and therefore is unwilling to send down more meteorites?"
Is it possible that the meteorite was sent as a warning, but you turned around and used Cui Fang to collect it to forge weapons, and then didn't want to give it to you anymore?
"Then what should we do? If we don't give him the meteorite iron, what use is Cui Fang?"
Cui Fang's hypocritical appearance is disgusting to look at. If it weren't for the meteorite iron, why would I still keep him around?
Especially hearing him say how much he loves her just now, it really disgusted me.
Xiao Qiluo pondered for a moment, then said, "Mother, if Cui Fang really dies, shouldn't a batch of meteorites still fall at the end?"
I'm not too sure about this either. You can try it, it'll be the same whether you try or not.
Xiao Qiluo thought that she really needed to find an opportunity to try, and it would be best if the meteorite could be brought down.
The group of students had just finished their exams and came out.
The results of the preliminary examinations were released quickly, and Xiao Qiluo's mood instantly improved when she saw that half of her students were on the list.
Seeing that the woman was indeed on the list, even those conservative people couldn't sit still anymore.
They looked closely and discovered that one of the women had actually come in second place in the preliminary examination.
Some people didn't care, saying, "Only passing the county-level exam is useful; what's the point of passing the county-level exam?"
Thinking about it, it made sense. This was only the first exam, and their agreement with His Majesty the Emperor was that they would rank first in the first class, which would mean His Majesty had won the bet.
It was just a simple preliminary examination for children, and there was even an eight-year-old boy who took the exam and passed.
Besides, this is only the first round of the preliminary examinations; it's not completely over yet. It's uncertain whether the girls will make it to the end, so there's nothing to worry about.
Xiao Qiluo told the female students to be humble and not arrogant, to attend classes as usual, and not to fall behind in their studies.
Seeing that some students were on the list gave other students a role model.
The tutors assigned by the Empress Dowager were very generous in their teachings to the students, and she herself learned a great deal from the Ninth Tutor, benefiting immensely.
Students who have taken the exam feel that there is nothing to be afraid of, and they can even share their experiences of entering the exam room.
Many of the men were in poor health and couldn't endure it, so they had to be carried out. The women, however, exercised regularly and managed to hold on.
And then there were the unlucky candidates who sat next to the latrine, the stench of which made them completely lose their motivation to answer the questions.
Seeing everyone's confident expressions, Xiao Qiluo was very satisfied. She didn't want to destroy these children's confidence after just one exam.
Two more exams were held, and indeed, some women passed and became scholars. This time, those people couldn't sit still anymore, and they started repeating their unethical and immoral remarks.
The students in the girls' school were no longer the women who let others manipulate their fate. They had acquired knowledge and were better able to refute others' arguments with reason and evidence.
Even the girls who learned their trades at the girls' school picked up a lot of things from what they saw and heard.
What's more, the fact that they agreed in the first place but are now trying to cancel it makes everyone think that they're scared.
They feared women's independence and self-reliance, and they feared women surpassing them.
Unable to win the argument with the women, some people secretly incited their families to cause trouble at the school.
Xiao Qiluo was extremely annoyed and too lazy to investigate. She directly arrested the eldest sons and grandsons of several officials who had secretly instigated the trouble and ordered them to either find out who was behind the trouble or quell the incident.
Those people naturally dared not make any more rash moves. Behind the disturbance, they might have been involved. So in the end, they only managed to calm things down and had to write a letter to apologize, hoping to get their children back.
Who could have imagined that His Majesty would suddenly pull such a move? It was simply impossible to guard against.
What terrified them was that His Majesty the Emperor knew all about these underhanded actions and accurately identified the individuals behind them.
Xiao Qiluo wrote down the accounts, but continued to detain the people. If anyone caused trouble again, regardless of whether they were the ones who instigated it, they would be held responsible.
The eldest grandson of a powerful family is someone on whom great hopes are placed. They wanted to speak up, but unfortunately, Xiao Qiluo had hostages in her hands.
They have only themselves to blame; they were the ones who instigated the trouble first. Now, not only can they not incite others to abolish the women's imperial examinations, but they also have to defend them, which makes them feel very uncomfortable and inexplicably awkward.
The provincial examination was held every three years, so no one dared to be careless.
When Xiao Qiluo finally had a chance to deal with Cui Fang, she learned that Cui Fang was dead.
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