Chapter 408 Lifelong Wish
Zhu Lan and Zhu Qingyan were unable to fully understand Lin Xiaoqi's meaning for a moment.
Lin Xiaoqi's gaze became somewhat distant.
"My mother told me that before her death, Concubine Lan made three wishes to Your Majesty.
First, I wish Your Majesty good health and a worry-free life of a hundred years.
Secondly, I advise Your Majesty not to be obsessed with the eldest son succeeding to the throne. The ruler of the world should be someone who cares about the people and is benevolent.
Thirdly..."
Lin Xiaoqi looked at Zhu Lan meaningfully, "Could the number one scholar guess it?"
Zhu Lan's mind moved, "Could it be related to Daliang's opening up of female students to school?"
"That's right." Lin Xiaoqi said with a smile.
"What Concubine Lan has always wished for is that all women in the world can study and write like men, and stand upright in the imperial examination hall, without having to hide like she does.
The Queen has demonstrated to Your Majesty the ability of women with her own talent and knowledge, and Your Majesty has personally praised her, saying that if the Queen were to serve as an official in the court, she would surely be a talented person who could assist the king.
Although Your Majesty has agreed to the request of the Queen, there has never been a precedent for women to study and become officials since ancient times. If you want to implement this decree, you will encounter unimaginable resistance from the court to the people.
In order to fulfill this promise, His Majesty spent more than ten years to finally overcome all objections and amend the laws of Daliang to allow women to enter school. This is how you, as women, have the opportunity to stand in the court."
After hearing what Lin Xiaoqi said, Zhu Lan finally understood——
Previously, she had always thought that she was lucky to have traveled to an imaginary era where women could study. However, she had never imagined that such a situation was actually a hole torn open by Concubine Lan alone under the feudal ethics.
"Have you ever noticed the signature on the book 'Collected Annotations of Various Philosophers'?" Lin Xiaoqi asked.
Zhu Lan nodded, "Lady Yin Lan, also known as Concubine Lan."
"That's right, it's the Queen's painstaking work." Lin Xiaoqi nodded.
"She was determined to write a book that would compile the strengths of hundreds of schools of thought without making it obscure, so that people who were interested in learning, especially women with little foundation, could understand it and get started, and then advance to the realm of knowledge."
Lin Xiaoqi looked at the two of them with a complicated expression.
"You two are extremely talented, and that book is indeed just an ordinary work for you.
But it is of great use to women who have never been exposed to classics, history, and literature.”
"No, that is not an ordinary work." Zhu Lan shook his head slowly and said sincerely.
“The various classics are vast and many are obscure and difficult to understand.
Concubine Lan was able to explain things in simple and easy-to-understand terms, drawing on the strengths of many schools of thought and presenting them in this book in easy-to-understand terms. Readers of all ages and genders can understand it.
This is the truly great talent in the world, Zhu Lan is ashamed of himself."
Zhu Qingyan glanced at Zhu Lan in surprise.
After knowing each other for so many years, this was the first time she saw this guy being humble about academic matters.
Lin Xiaoqi smiled at Zhu Lan and said, "Empress Lan and the number one scholar are both people that Xiaoqi admires. If the Empress were still alive, she would definitely treat you as a close friend."
"Wait a minute." Zhu Qingyan was confused again.
"Since Concubine Lan had high hopes for this book, why didn't she print it widely and circulate it throughout the world, instead of sending it to Longchang Academy and putting it aside?"
Lin Xiaoqi said:
"According to regulations, books are divided into two types: official editions and private editions. If they are to be printed and distributed, they must be signed with real names.
However, Concubine Lan disguised herself as a man to take the imperial examination and committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. She should be executed according to the law. Her identity had already been revealed in the Heavenly Prison that year.
If this book is signed, it will reveal the truth that she is not dead and damage the reputation of the current emperor.
But if it is published under the name of the official edition, it would go against the Empress's original intention."
"Original heart?" Zhu Qingyan asked.
“The Empress’ original intention was to let the world know that this book was written by a woman.
She wanted to prove that writing books and governing a country are things that men can do, and women can do them too.”
Zhu Qingyan said sadly: "It's a pity that this book has not been published yet, and we still only have this one copy in our hands."
Lin Xiaoqi sighed.
"If this book is published in your name, it will be detrimental to your majesty. If it cannot be published, it will be a betrayal of your majesty's original intention.
My mother said that this was the biggest regret in Concubine Lan's life."
Lin Xiaoqi suddenly looked up at Zhu Lan, with a twinkling light in his eyes.
"Xiao Qi dares to propose... Please ask Your Majesty to publish this book under the title of No. 1 Scholar. How about that?
You are a woman, but also a top scholar and editor of the Hanlin Academy.
If the Empress Lan knew about it, she would certainly agree to publish it in your name!"
"No." Zhu Lan immediately took a step back and flatly refused.
"This book is the result of the painstaking efforts of Empress Lan. Empress Lan is a man of high moral character, and Zhu Lan cannot match her. I absolutely cannot take credit for this.
Moreover, Concubine Lan is a rare woman of the time, wholeheartedly serving the people. Her knowledge and foresight should be known to the world and passed down through the ages."
"But..." Lin Xiaoqi wanted to say something else, but was suddenly interrupted by someone who rushed in.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, something's wrong!"
Eunuch Zhao didn't even have time to knock on the door. He rushed in in a panic, knelt down in front of Yan Xiuyun, and cried:
"After hearing the death order from His Majesty Prince Qi, His Majesty vomited blood and fainted. He has just woken up, but the imperial physician said..."
"What did the imperial physician say?" Yan Xiuyun asked with his eyes suddenly wide open.
"The imperial physician said... Oh! You should hurry to the palace now, maybe you can see him one last time!"
…
An hour later.
A figure holding a dustpan walked out of the Minghe Hall, with a trembling shrill voice:
"Your Majesty... has passed away!"
As dusk fell, a few crows were crying on the roof of the palace.
For a moment, the sound of wailing spread from Minghe Hall to the entire palace, lingering for a long time.
…
The emperor has just passed away and the whole country is in mourning.
Crown Prince Yan Xiuyun was dressed in mourning, kneeling before the coffin, listening to the emperor's last will with all the officials.
The will states that Emperor Liang had been on the throne for 28 years, with great achievements in both civil and military affairs, and the country was at peace.
On the day of hearing of the death, officials from all prefectures and counties were not allowed to leave their posts without permission, and did not have to return to the capital to attend the funeral. They could only mourn for three days in their localities and send officials to offer incense on their behalf. All officials below the seventh rank were exempted from offering incense.
The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Now we have the crown prince Xiuyun, who is kind and virtuous, and has a natural character. He should take the throne in front of the coffin, and all the civil and military officials inside and outside the country should work together to assist him.
Yan Xiuyun kowtowed with tears in his eyes and obeyed the imperial edict.
The new emperor ascended the throne before the spirit, and all officials bowed and called out—
"Long live the emperor."
…
Three days later, the funeral was over.
Queen Dong has now been promoted to Queen Mother and is about to move to Yide Palace.
"Your son pays respects to your mother."
Yan Xiuyun walked into the hall, still in mourning clothes, and said to Empress Dowager Dong.
Empress Dowager Dong slowly took out a piece of gold-powdered paper.
"Now that everything has been settled, your father gave you some instructions before he left, which are not convenient to write in the will.
It's about your biological mother, Concubine Lan. Read it for yourself."
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