Chapter 289: Chuci is bold
Chu Ci paused, then looked at Hu Zhu gently. "If you'd like, there's a literacy class at a farm outside Beijing. You could go and take it with the people there."
"There are teachers there to teach you, and the course arrangement is quite reasonable, which will be very helpful for you to learn to read."
Upon hearing this, Hu Zhu's eyes were filled with gratitude. She quickly knelt and saluted, her voice trembling as she said, "Thank you, Princess, for your help. I will work harder and live up to your kindness."
Chu Ci nodded: "Well, explain it clearly to your brother before you go."
"You can take my daughter with you if you want. There's a special daycare center on the farm. The teachers there are very kind and attentive to children. They won't let Rouer suffer any injustice. Just focus on learning to read."
In order to be fair and just, Chu Ci had previously planned to recruit all female doctors from society.
After what happened to Hu Zhu, Zhengnan had no shortage of students for other subjects endorsed by the emperor and empress.
However, the status of female doctors is extremely low at present, and they are subject to discrimination and contempt.
Female doctors are often considered inferior and find it difficult to get the respect and attention they deserve.
Perhaps she could ask the Queen for help and study medicine directly as a retired palace maid.
These palace maids have been trained in the rules and etiquette of the palace, and most of them are literate, so they may be able to learn medical skills more quickly.
Moreover, this will not only give them an additional skill to make a living, but also provide them with a new path for life after leaving the palace.
The more he thought about it, the better he felt this idea was. Chu Ci was filled with excitement, and his entire mind was occupied by this sudden inspiration. He didn't want to delay for a moment.
She immediately packed up quickly, dressed up carefully, put on appropriate palace clothes and went into the palace to find the queen.
Upon hearing Chu Ci's request, the Queen couldn't help but frown, her expression slightly helpless. She said softly, "Yixin, do you know why the Emperor and I are dismissing so many older palace maids? The reason behind this is not simple."
Chu Ci immediately smelled the scent of gossip, and curiosity in his heart instantly surged like a tide, but at least he remembered where he was standing - the rules in this palace were strict, and one could not act recklessly.
Chu Ci had no choice but to suppress the curiosity that was growing wildly like weeds in his heart. He pretended to be ignorant and said carefully: "Aren't the palace maids getting older? If we don't let them leave the palace, it will delay their marriage and starting families."
The Queen looked at Chu Ci, who was feigning ignorance, and sighed helplessly. Her gaze was far away as she slowly said, "You caused this trouble, and you don't even want to pay attention to the aftermath?"
"The Emperor and I are dismissing the older palace maids. Firstly, this is to save the palace's enormous expenses so that the funds can be allocated more rationally. Secondly, this is also to stabilize the court."
"The families behind those palace maids are deeply intertwined and their relationships are complex. If they remain in the palace for a long time, they will inevitably be exploited by those with ulterior motives, leading to many unpredictable incidents."
"Someone with ulterior motives? Your Majesty, has the Emperor found out the real culprit behind this? Who is it? Who is so hateful as to take a human life?" Chu Ci became excited upon hearing this. His cheeks flushed red, his eyes were full of anger and eagerness, and he leaned forward as if he was going to fight to the death.
When the queen saw this, she felt a moment of regret.
She secretly regretted that she shouldn't have brought up this topic.
But if we don't mention it and just release those palace maids, who knows what kind of difficult-to-control disaster will be caused in this complex situation.
After much deliberation, the Queen came up with a more euphemistic approach. She pursed her lips, her eyes soft yet tinged with worry as she spoke, "Yixin, do you know that the Emperor intends to appoint Fan Jingrui as Junior Yin of Jingzhao Yin?"
Chu Ci only knew that Jingzhao Yin was a fourth-rank official. As for Shao Yin? Forgive Chu Ci for not having heard much about it. Confused, she frowned and asked, "Shao Yin, what does he do? How much power does this official have?"
The queen sighed inwardly, wondering if she had ever seen such an ignorant and unruly lady.
But Chu Ci was quite trusted by the emperor, who indulged her in many ways. Even if she wanted to discipline her, she could not go beyond the emperor's control.
Helpless, the Queen could only sigh and explain, "Shao Yin is a lower fourth rank official and is the deputy of Jing Zhao Yin."
"Its main duties were to assist the Jingzhao Yin in handling the government affairs and public security of the capital, covering aspects such as managing household registration, maintaining public order, handling criminal cases, supervising officials, collecting taxes, and organizing labor service."
Chu Ci frowned upon hearing this, his face full of confusion. He stared at the Queen and said, "You're involved in quite a lot of things, but what does this have to do with me wanting the palace maids to study medicine? I really can't figure out the connection."
The queen took great pains to change the subject, thinking she could temporarily avoid this thorny issue, but she didn't expect Chu Ci to easily bring the subject back with just a simple sentence.
From a selfish perspective, the queen naturally wants to tell the truth to others deep down in her heart.
However, the emperor was determined to protect the second son, and as the queen, even if she was extremely reluctant, she had no choice but to follow the emperor's wishes. After all, in this palace, the emperor's will was heaven, and no one dared to disobey easily.
So, after repeated hesitation and weighing the pros and cons of all parties, she finally gritted her teeth, pushed the eldest princess out, and said helplessly, "It's the eldest princess. You were too disrespectful to her before!"
"The eldest princess, besides being a consort, is extremely concerned with her reputation."
"You've insulted her so mercilessly. How could she let it go? Naturally, she'll find a way to deal with you. You, you don't even think before you act."
Although the queen spoke excitedly, Chu Ci didn't believe a word of it.
She stood there, her eyes filled with suspicion. After a moment's hesitation, she tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, didn't the Emperor take advantage of this opportunity to investigate the Prince Consort and Prime Minister Li behind him?"
"After all, this is a rare opportunity. If we can find out something, it will also stabilize the government."
Cough, cough, cough. When the queen heard Chu Ci's bold proposal, she was so shocked that she couldn't breathe. She coughed one after another, as if she was going to cough out her heart and lungs.
After a long while, the Queen reluctantly stopped talking. Her face was pale, her eyes were wide, and she stared at Chu Ci and said, "Yixin, you must remember that women in the inner chambers are not allowed to interfere in government affairs. This is a rule set by our ancestors, and no one can violate it. If you are not careful, you will lose your head."
If it were an ordinary person, hearing such a stern warning from the Queen, he would have been scared out of his wits.
But when it came to Chu Ci, she showed no fear at all. Instead, she took a small step forward, met the Queen's gaze, and said, "Your Majesty, throughout the dynasties, the harem was forbidden to interfere in politics in order to prevent foreign relatives from usurping power. I understand this."
"But I'm just a small princess from a different family, powerless and insignificant, and my family lives in a remote area, so I can't influence anything. I was just discussing the matter at hand, and I expressed my doubts. I have absolutely no intention of interfering in state affairs."
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