Chapter 547 Zhou Ruyuan and Wang Xiangyi got married!
It wasn't that she looked down on Shen Yuantang; it was that she simply didn't dare!
In Dongchuan, she had people protecting her. Back in the capital, she still had people protecting her. What had she been through?
Shen Yuanxin thought that Shen Yuantang's little schemes were nothing compared to what Shen Yuantang was thinking.
Ignoring Shen Yuantang's dark face, Shen Yuanxin strode towards the main hall.
Things are different now than before; she doesn't want to casually promise her marriage again.
...
The last incident in the southwest delayed the implementation of many government policies, which was not as good as the women's martial arts examination and the imperial examination.
Without Shen Lanxi's support, none of the court officials dared to implement the plan.
This time, taking advantage of the beginning of her reign, Shen Lanxi, in the name of benefiting the world, recruited talented people and revived the imperial examination for women.
"My esteemed ministers, do you have any objections?"
"If you have any objections, please speak them out. I am willing to discuss and resolve these issues with you all!"
Who dares to discuss this?
The death of the last official who spoke out is still a mystery.
Che Mingyuan took the lead: "Your Majesty, I agree."
Liu Mingxin: "This old minister agrees!"
Mei Nanhua: "This old minister agrees!"
Wu Yanzhi: "Your subject agrees!"
The three chief ministers at the top all nodded, and the remaining officials could only echo their agreement.
Shen Lanxi smiled and said, "With the whole court united and with the joint efforts of me and the border guards, we will surely usher in a bright and prosperous era!"
The officials were all held high, some with forced smiles, some with relaxed expressions, and some with fickle thoughts.
After the court session, Shen Lanxi invited the old master and a few close ministers to travel incognito among the common people.
After the morning court session, news of women participating in the civil and military examinations quickly spread among the people.
Her purpose in leaving the palace this time was to see the public's reaction to the matter.
"Can women really obtain official titles through examinations?"
"After passing the imperial examinations, will you become an official?"
"How can a woman become an official? That's utter nonsense."
"Even if women were allowed to take the imperial examinations, they wouldn't be able to compete with the men. It's just a waste of time."
"It's going to be tough. I doubt there will be many women who sign up. It's alright in the capital, where women can go to school. But in other places, women are as lowly as grass, and they don't even deserve to have enough to eat. How could their families afford to send them to school?"
“In many places, girls have to help with housework as soon as they get a little older. Even if there are free schools, they won’t let girls go.”
"Our capital city has an open atmosphere, and the status of women has risen because of His Majesty. It's not the same in other places."
"Our Empress is a good person, but it's difficult for her to make all the women in the world wise and sensible!"
Shen Lanxi and the others sat at the tea stall, listening to every word these people said.
Mr. Ruohua and Ji Xiuran walked side by side.
The two were surprised to see Shen Lanxi and her party. They were about to bow when Shen Lanxi stopped them.
"No need for formalities, sit down and have some tea!"
Ji Xiuran asked cautiously, "Why would His Majesty appear among the common people? Does he have any guards?"
Shen Lanxi smiled and said, "To manage a large family well, the first thing is to listen to the opinions of the family members and know what they are thinking."
Ji Xiuran seemed to suddenly realize something and said directly, "Mr. Ruohua and I also want to hear these voices."
Mr. Ruohua smiled and said, "No one in the capital opposes this matter; on the contrary, they all praise this enlightened move."
It was lunchtime when school let out, and groups of girls and women were walking around on the street.
They walked alongside the men, some carrying satchels, others holding pens and ink. In the past, women from families with many rules would either wear veils or simply stay at home when going out.
The changes are enormous compared to before.
Ji Xiuran: "Many women in the academy have already registered for the imperial examinations. Only a few are hesitant. In my opinion, their families will accompany them to register within two days."
Shen Lanxi nodded and asked with a smile, "Has Lord Ji's daughter registered?"
Ji Xiuran was taken aback, then said embarrassedly, "I've signed up. My daughter is the first one to sign up."
Shen Lanxi: "I have heard that the daughter of Lord Ji is quite renowned for her talent in the capital, and is recognized by the people of the capital as a woman of exceptional ability."
"And the ladies of Lord Liu, Lord Wu, and the old Grand Tutor's household are all talents comparable to the top scholars in the imperial examinations!"
While calling someone a "top scholar" might be a bit of an exaggeration, many parents still like to hear it.
"That's too much, Your Majesty. My daughter is too straightforward. She spends all day studying the Great Zhou Law. It's really driving this old minister crazy." Liu Mingxin said this, but he had a smile on his face, looking like he was spoiling his daughter.
Ji Xiuran: "My daughter is the same. They also like the Great Zhou Law the most, especially the part about the concubine tax. They study it several times a day."
Shen Lanxi praised them generously, saying, "If they could enter the court as officials, they would surely contribute to the improvement of the criminal law of our Great Zhou."
Some smiled wryly, while others seemed lost in thought.
For a woman to be able to serve as a female official in the palace was already considered the highest achievement.
Criminal law is something men do. Those rules and regulations, those intricate and complex laws, number in the hundreds of thousands; all the law books combined would fill a house.
Women's minds are delicate and not as broad and expansive as men's, so asking them to memorize so many laws is harder than climbing to heaven.
Furthermore, only ruthless people should be involved in criminal law. Only men are hard-hearted, while women are only soft-hearted. If this leads to heavy sentences being reduced to light sentences, wouldn't that disrupt the order of the Great Zhou Dynasty?
Shen Lanxi observed their reactions and, upon returning, immediately summoned her advisors to discuss the matter. After finalizing the plan, she announced it publicly at the morning court session the following day.
"I have decided to establish the Department of Criminal Law. Officials who enter the Department of Criminal Law must have official titles and be well-versed in the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty."
"The main responsibility of the Department of Criminal Justice is to revise legal loopholes. If there are cases that cannot be adjudicated, they can also be handled by the Department of Criminal Justice."
"The Department of Criminal Law will conduct a final review of the case files handled by the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, and raise any questions."
Finally, the important part...
"The Ministry of Justice is directly under my jurisdiction. If there are any wrongful convictions or miscarriages of justice, they can be reported directly to the Emperor."
The officials were all bewildered, some unable to understand the emperor's intentions.
Could it be that His Majesty intends to follow the example of the previous dynasty, cultivating loyalists and monitoring all officials?
Many officials began to feel a chill run down their spines, and after the court session, they immediately summoned their protégés to give them a thorough dressing-down.
"Sweep up all the mess you've made in the past, and absolutely do not let anyone find any fault with you!"
"yes!"
Amidst the uproar surrounding the women's imperial examinations, Shen Lanxi received another secret letter from Tianjin.
"Zhou Ruyuan and Wang Xiangyi got married."
"Your Majesty, the opportunity has arrived!"
Shen Lanxi sneered and said, "Tomorrow's front page of the Express will say that Zhou Ruyuan married a viperous woman in order to gain power in Tianjin."
Hearing such a shocked expression, Che Mingyuan was greatly astonished.
"Your Majesty, is it really necessary to write it this way?"
They were official news reports supervised by the imperial court, legitimate news reports, not the erotic gossip printed by small workshops to attract customers.
"Yes, that's how it should be written. Zhou Ruyuan did it this way, so we didn't lie!"
That's true!
However, Wang Xiangyi already had a bad reputation in the capital, and it was even worse in Tianjin.
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