Chapter 236 Lan Fei
Emperor Liang's gaze fell on Li Duchang, his deep dragon eyes seemed to be able to see into people's hearts.
Li Duchang was stunned by the question, his throat seemed to be strangled by an invisible rope, and he was stunned for a long time before stammering:
"My lord, my lord..."
I talked for a long time but couldn't say anything further.
This new policy was implemented only after Emperor Liang overcame many objections. If we talk about opinions, everyone in the court, civil and military officials, knew that allowing girls to go to school was an unprecedented move in history. How absurd was that?
In ancient times, it was unprecedented for women to go to school, let alone enter officialdom.
None of the ministers knew why Emperor Liang did this, but who dared to accuse the new policy of being contrary to moral principles in front of the emperor?
Li Duchang's father was a retired old man from the Dali Temple. At this moment, he suddenly remembered some bits and pieces of gossip he had heard from his father in the past.
It is said that when Your Majesty first ascended the throne, a major case occurred that shocked the whole country.
A young scholar took part in the imperial examination and won the first place. He overcame all difficulties and entered the palace examination. However, when he entered the palace examination, he was exposed as a woman. Disguised as a man to take the imperial examination was a crime of deceiving the emperor. The woman was captured on the spot and was prepared to be imprisoned and executed.
However, Emperor Liang valued her talent and could not bear to kill her. But the national law would not tolerate it. In order to save her life, Emperor Liang took the woman into the palace, thus sparing her the death penalty.
This woman was later known as Concubine Lan, and also the prince's biological mother. She was extremely favored in the harem at that time, but she died of illness not long after giving birth to the prince, which is a pity.
This was all Li Duchang knew about Concubine Lan. The officials in the court were very secretive about the matter, as if there was some secret involved.
Li Duchang guessed that His Majesty's unexpected opening of the path for women to enter school and advance in education was probably related to Concubine Lan.
Li Duchang's mind was working quickly. Since the emperor had inquired about this, it meant that he cared about this matter. It didn't matter whether he agreed or not. What mattered was the leader's opinion.
"I think that the admission of girls to school is unprecedented and truly a great feat!"
There was a hint of satisfaction in Emperor Liang's eyes.
"Then let's think about the topic again."
Emperor Liang waved his hand and asked Li Duchang to leave.
…
Li Duchang returned to the Honglu Temple, thought about it, and took out the list and resumes of participants in this palace examination.
After a long while, his eyes fell on a name.
Zhu Lan, the top scorer of this imperial examination, is, most importantly, a woman.
Li Duchang hissed softly, slapped his forehead in regret, and cursed himself for being such a pig-brained person.
This Zhu Huiyuan was strongly recommended by the Sixth Prince, and His Majesty personally issued an edict to grant him additional grace, allowing him to participate in the imperial examination while wearing mourning. Isn't the meaning obvious?
Concubine Lan was also a champion in the imperial examinations. It must be that this Zhu Huiyuan evoked His Majesty's memories of Concubine Lan, so she is given special care!
If I could accomplish this good deed for His Majesty...
Li Duchang became excited. The huge wealth and glory was finally going to be his turn!
He sat up straight abruptly, pulled a blank piece of rice paper from the table, picked up his pen and wrote "The new imperial decree allows women to go to school and take the imperial examinations. Discuss the pros and cons and strategies for implementation."
After writing this sentence, his hand paused again. He scratched the head of the pen with the pen and sucked his teeth.
The topic of the policy essay is often several hundred words long, or several thousand words long. In order to increase the difficulty and depth of the topic, it is often necessary to quote viewpoints or historical examples from classic works, and ask candidates to make arguments based on these contents, to test their familiarity with history and their ability to solve practical problems.
Li Duchang prided himself on being well-read and knowledgeable about both ancient and modern times, but at this moment he could not think of any examples no matter how hard he tried. The only thing that came to his mind was Confucius's words: "Only women and villains are difficult to raise."
It’s difficult, it’s really too difficult!
However, the palace examination is approaching, and it is a rare opportunity for him to receive the attention of His Majesty. If he fails at this moment, his official career for the rest of his life will be hopeless.
Li Duchang had no choice but to write.
Then he gritted his teeth and presented it to Emperor Liang for his review.
When the draft topic was placed on the Liang Emperor's desk, Li Duchang himself was a little embarrassed. The topics proposed by other colleagues were all high-sounding and eloquent, all of them were trying to show off their talents to the Liang Emperor, fearing that they would be embarrassed if they did not write enough.
Looking back at the topic he had drafted, he deliberately wrote it in larger fonts, but it couldn't even fill up half a page.
It's totally out of place.
Emperor Liang quickly finished reading Li Duchang's essay questions. He naturally knew the difficulty of the questions. Although Li Duchang did not cite many examples of ancient women participating in politics, he was able to start from the present and guide the candidates to think about the significance of women entering school and taking the imperial examinations. The questions were also of a certain standard.
At the end of the test, several issues that need to be analyzed in depth in this policy essay are raised, including how women and men should get along in school, the impact of women's schooling and entry into officialdom on marriage, and so on.
"Thank you for your hard work, Li Qing." Emperor Liang said slowly.
Then he picked up the red pen and crossed out the last few questions.
Li Duchang took the rice paper from the eunuch with both hands and looked at the several vermilion strokes on the paper, at a loss.
"Ahem... Since this is a groundbreaking feat, there is no way to learn from history. As a man, I'm afraid that Li Qing, who is a man, may not be able to take all the issues into consideration when implementing the new policy. It's better to be open and let them play their part."
Li Duchang was stunned for a moment, then he understood that Emperor Liang was afraid that the questions were too detailed, which would limit the candidates' thinking and make it difficult to fully analyze the pros and cons of the new policy.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Li Duchang bowed to the ground, feeling deeply moved.
After being edited by Your Majesty, there is basically nothing left of this policy paper except the title.
How can it not be considered a strange thing in the history of imperial examination questions?
…
On April 21st, the morning glow in the capital was exceptionally bright.
The Anhe Hall, which served as the venue for the palace examination, looked even more majestic under the reflection of the sunset glow.
The tribute students, dressed in wide-sleeved robes, with black scarves on their heads and business cards in their hands, had already lined up outside the Anhe Hall.
Most of them had solemn expressions, some were muttering to themselves, while others were closing their eyes to rest, trying to calm their inner tension.
Of course, there are also some people with a better mentality who are yawning quietly.
"Brother Zhang, may I ask if the last palace examination also started this early?"
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