Chapter 243: Queuing outside the Golden Palace
"Yuwei, you're here just in time."
Zhu Lan recounted the story of Murong Lin's visit just now. After listening to it, Qin Yuwei's expression became solemn, and her pair of phoenix eyes revealed a hint of hidden worry.
Zhu Lan asked her to help check if there was anything wrong with the clothes Murong Lian sent.
Qin Yuwei did not dare to take it lightly as it was related to Zhu Lan's palace examination. She frowned slightly and checked the two sets of clothes from inside to outside very carefully. Finally, she put them down and shook her head slowly, saying, "No... From the materials to the styles, they all conform to the palace regulations, there is no problem."
"really?"
"Um."
Zhu Lan fell into deep thought. Could it be that this Princess Qi really came to show her goodwill?
But no matter what, with Qin Yuwei's meticulous mind, since she has checked and said there is no problem, it seems that nothing has been done to the clothes, and I trust Yuwei.
Zhu Lan thought for a moment and asked again: "Yuwei, does the prince know that you came out to see me?"
"He doesn't have the mind to show respect to a wise man." Qin Yuwei chuckled, glanced at Zhu Qingyan who was still in the room, and didn't continue.
Zhu Lan weighed the pros and cons, took a look at the bag Qin Yuwei brought, and said apologetically: "Yuwei, thank you very much, but..."
"I understand." Qin Yuwei signaled her not to say anything more and packed up the clothes she had brought.
"Since Prince Qi has also sent something, you are at a critical juncture in your career, so you should not offend anyone. Don't worry, the prince doesn't know I'm here to look for you."
After an incense stick of time, Zhu Lan and Zhu Qingyan, wearing the sky-blue scholar's uniforms brought by Murong Lian, got on the carriage leading to the palace gate.
…
The morning glow was like brocade, and the breeze blew across the long streets of the capital, bringing a slight coolness.
The carriage passed through the long streets of the capital, and Zhu Qingyan's heart rose and fell with the turning of the wheels.
She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, she saw Zhu Lan's calm face, as if he was not going to see the emperor but going home. She felt less nervous.
It was past the hour of Mao, and the gate of the Golden Palace slowly opened. Civil and military officials entered one after another and lined up on both sides.
Crown Prince Yan Xiuyun, Prince of Qi Yan Changwen, and Yan Xiuyun have all arrived.
The eunuch in charge walked outside the Golden Palace and summoned ten tribute students to come in to meet the emperor.
The ten tribute students waiting outside the hall had already lined up in silence - in fact, it couldn't be said to be lined up, they just tacitly stood behind Zhu Lan.
Wenren Yuebai, who was sitting in a wheelchair, still took the initiative to line up at the end.
After the chief eunuch finished reading the decree, the tribute students straightened their appearance and were about to enter the palace, but they were stopped outside the palace gate by the whisk in the hand of the chief eunuch.
The eunuch in charge looked at the team, his gray eyebrows slightly wrinkled, as if he felt that it was inappropriate for a woman to be ranked ahead of all the men.
The eunuch in charge glanced at everyone's faces and pointed his whisk at a tall and handsome tribute student in the crowd.
"You, come here."
The tribute student was arranged to the first position, and then the second and third people stood in front of Zhu Lan and Zhu Qingyan, all of them with ecstatic expressions on their faces.
Of course, Wenren Yuebai was not among these people. Wenren Yuebai was sitting in a wheelchair, and the eunuch in charge couldn't even see him.
In the end, Zhu Lan and the other two were squeezed to the last place, just ahead of Wenren Yuebai.
Zhu Qingyan pursed his lips in anger, and even someone as calm as Zhu Lan couldn't help but have a hint of depression in his eyes.
But there is no other way. After all, there is no rule that the champion must be the first to enter the palace.
Finally, under the watchful eyes of civil and military officials, the ten tribute students walked into the Golden Palace, bowed before the emperor, shouted "Long live the emperor", and their eyes were pious and fervent.
Even though they were ranked in an inconspicuous position, Zhu Lan and Zhu Qingyan still attracted the attention of countless court officials. After all, since the founding of Daliang, no woman had ever stood in the hall openly.
No, that’s not entirely true.
Some elderly officials vaguely remembered that Concubine Lan, who was dressed as a man, had also appeared here.
Yan Xiuyun and Yan Changwen were also looking at the people below the stage. They both knew that their father had already read the palace examination papers of these tribute students and must have had a candidate in mind. This time, the court was just a formality, and the more important thing was to convince the court officials.
These ten tribute students are the protagonists of today's court meeting.
Their essays were laid out one by one in front of Emperor Liang. The tone of the Emperor was quite kind. He asked them one by one about some of the viewpoints mentioned in their essays. After the other party finished answering, the Emperor Liang did not make any comment, which made it difficult to understand what he was thinking.
Finally it was Zhu Lan's turn.
"I saw in your article that if a woman is an official and needs to get married and have children, she should be allowed to take a leave of more than one month. Tell me what you think about this."
As soon as these words were spoken, before Zhu Lan could reply, a discussion broke out among the court officials.
"A vacation of more than a month? It's unheard of!" An official from the Ministry of Personnel whispered to his colleagues, his voice full of disbelief.
Even though Daliang’s attendance system for officials was not very strict, no official had ever been able to take a continuous vacation for a month!
"You are just a little girl, but you are talking nonsense..." The colleague sighed and shook his head, feeling that the world has changed.
Emperor Liang, who was sitting on the throne, took in the expressions of the ministers below the stage and spoke slowly:
"My dear ministers, if you have any opinions, please feel free to speak freely in the Golden Palace today."
Then he said to Zhu Lan and other tribute students: "Today's court meeting is only about reason, regardless of status. If the court officials raise doubts about you, you can discuss them with them, and it will not be considered as an act of disobedience."
Zhu Lan couldn't help but glance in the direction of Emperor Liang. As an emperor, he was able to reform and open up channels for people to express their opinions. She really admired him.
Now that His Majesty has spoken, the indignant ministers below the stage will not be polite to Zhu Lan.
The official from the Ministry of Personnel who had just expressed his dissatisfaction in a low voice stood up, bowed to Emperor Liang first, and then looked at Zhu Lan.
"You are just women, and you have been able to study and become officials because of the grace of the emperor. Now, instead of being grateful and giving up your life to repay the court, you have come up with such a ridiculous idea. You want to be an official, but you are afraid of the hard work. Do you still have the court and the emperor in your eyes?"
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