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◎Shut up, Left Prime Minister, shut up, Grand Censor, shut up, the little princess will join the Ministry of Personnel!◎
In the huge Taiji Hall, the founding emperor of the Great Qi sat on the dragon throne. In front of the hall, from north to south, sat three princes, a dozen important civil and military officials, and more than two hundred newly-appointed Jinshi. Not counting the palace maids standing by, Princess Qingyang was the only woman in the hall who was qualified to speak.
Just now, the princess asked the emperor for permission to serve as an official in the court.
Although the princess's examination essay had won praise from the ministers and the Jinshi scholars, the unprecedentedly shocking announcement of her appointment to the imperial court was like a boulder dropped into a lake, instantly sending shockwaves through the hall. The Jinshi scholars, stunned, whispered to their peers. Meanwhile, Yan Xi frowned repeatedly among the ministers. Just as he was about to rise to retort, someone beat him to the punch.
"Your Majesty, by allowing the princess to take the palace examination, you have violated the rules of the imperial examination. You must not grant the princess's unreasonable wishes again."
Nie Luo left the table in a hurry, but because his steps were too big, he stopped beside the princess, the hem of his purple official robe still swaying.
Qingyang just glanced at the Imperial Censor and continued to wait for his father's response with his head held high.
She ignored Nie Ao, but he turned and rebuked her: "Princess, since you are well-read, you should have read the Book of Changes. So, may I ask, Princess, what does the Book of Changes mean? 'In the family, women are in their proper place inside, and men are in their proper place outside. The proper place of men and women is the great principle of heaven and earth.'"
Qingyang turned sideways, meeting the censor's stern gaze. "This sentence means that within a family, women have their proper place inside, men their proper place outside, and men and women each fulfill their proper place. This is the great principle of heaven and earth. It also follows, 'Fathers are fathers, sons are sons, brothers are brothers, younger brothers are younger brothers, husbands are husbands, wives are wives, and the family is in order.' This means that only when each family member fulfills their duties can the family tradition be upright. Only when family traditions are upright can the world be stable."
"Fu Fu" means a woman should abide by her code of conduct. Qin Ren, who was sitting alone nearby, was worried about his sister.
As expected, Nie Ao then questioned, "Since the princess understands that women should uphold their virtuous principles, why did she still enter the court as an official, violating the virtuous principle of staying at home to support her husband and raise her children?"
Qingyang remained calm and composed. He turned to the officials and newly minted scholars again, his expression calm, "What the Imperial Censor is asking is probably what you all want to ask me, right?"
There was a murmur among the guests, and Yan Xizheng answered for them, "That's right. We admire the princess's talent, but men and women should abide by their own ways. This has been the etiquette and moral principles followed by the world for thousands of years. Since the princess has read the books of sages, she should not knowingly violate them."
Qingyang: "But when I read the books of sages, I learn more about loyalty to the emperor and serving the country."
Prince Yong also disapproved of his niece's participation in the court, but he was not well versed in classics and history. When his niece and Nie Ao were discussing the Book of Changes, he could not get a word in. Now he hurriedly advised, "Lin'er, loyalty to the emperor and serving the country is our job as men. You, a princess, should not worry about it. Look at the court full of civil and military officials, both capable of governing the country and fighting wars. We don't need you. Be obedient and go back quickly."
His words were extremely unpleasant to hear, but Qingyang laughed. "Uncle Wang said that being a princess has nothing to do with loyalty to the emperor and serving the country. But have you ever heard of Lady Xu Mu, the princess of the Wei State during the Spring and Autumn Period?"
Prince Yong: “…”
Qingyang first recounted Lady Xu Mu's deeds to his uncle, then turned to Nie Ao. "The State of Wei was invaded by the Northern Di. If Lady Xu Mu, now married to the State of Xu, had only adhered to the code of conduct for women, she should have ignored the news of Wei's demise and obeyed Duke Mu's instructions, remaining in the inner palace to care for her husband and raise her children. The truth is, although Lady Xu Mu was a woman, she knew that loyalty to the emperor and her country should come before her own family. That's why she galloped away from her husband and returned home, recruited soldiers, trained in martial arts, and sought aid from Qi, ultimately recovering lost territory and rebuilding the State of Wei. May I ask, Grand Censor, was Lady Xu Mu wrong to violate the code of conduct for women?"
Nie Ao: "...Madam Xu Mu has made great contributions to the restoration of the state, and I admire her deeply."
Qingyang shifted his gaze to the face of the Left Prime Minister, who sat at the head of the civil service. "There was also Princess Xijun of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of Han, in order to fight against the Xiongnu and win over the Wusun, married Princess Xijun to the Wusun King, Liejiaomi. Later, when Liejiaomi grew old, he wanted Princess Xijun to marry his grandson, Junxumi. This violated the code of conduct for women in the Central Plains, so Princess Xijun naturally refused. However, Emperor Wu of Han, citing the imperial decree of 'uniting with the Wusun to eliminate the Xiongnu,' ordered her to remarry, and Princess Xijun complied. May I ask, Left Prime Minister, should Princess Xijun be criticized or praised for serving both a grandfather and a grandson?"
Yan Xizheng sighed secretly. Although he didn't want to lose to the little princess, he still said, "All the princesses who married into the Han Dynasty are worthy of being remembered and respected by the world."
At this time, the hall was already in complete silence.
Qingyang glanced at each seated minister and scholar, then stood facing north and addressed his father, who sat on the dragon throne, "Father, the sages and wise men educate the common people. Therefore, from their books, I learned both loyalty to the emperor and the nation, as well as the principles of propriety and morality. For example, the Imperial Censor mentioned the line in the Book of Changes, 'When the family is in order, the world will be at peace.' I deeply agree with that."
"But I wasn't born into a humble family. I'm a princess of the Great Qi. A princess is a daughter of the emperor. All under heaven belongs to the king. The emperor considers his country his home, and so should his children. They should enjoy the support of the people, yet also fulfill their duties to their country and its people. That's why Lady Xu Mu revived the Wei state, and why the Han princesses resolutely married far away for imperial marriages."
"Father, if I had no talent for governing a country and only knew how to sing and dance, I would never stand here and embarrass you. But the eight examiners appointed by you have unanimously nominated me for the top spot in this year's imperial examination, and the 231 other Jinshi candidates also acknowledge my top talent. If I have talent but don't want to serve my country and help you, your Majesty, how can I continue to be the Princess of Daqi?"
Yan Xizheng and others could no longer see the princess's face. They all looked at the emperor on the dragon throne, waiting either nervously or calmly.
Emperor Xingwu looked at his daughter, then at Nie Ao, Yan Xizheng, and other ministers. He pondered for a long time and said, "I think what the princess said makes sense. Many women in this world can only care about their own families, but my princesses must put me and the Great Qi before their own families. I have laws and regulations, and they must abide by them. The Great Qi has places where they can serve, and they have no shirking their responsibilities. What do you think, Prince?"
Qin Hong felt that Nie Ao and Yan Xizheng were right, and his sister was also right. Both sides were right, and since his father supported his sister, Qin Hong naturally chose to cooperate: "I think that since my sister has the talent of the top scholar, your father can let her enter the court first to try."
Emperor Xingwu asked Yan Xizheng again, "Where is the Left Prime Minister?"
Yan Xizheng said: "I have never doubted the princess's talent, but the court is full of men. I am afraid that if the princess goes there, the officials will not be able to concentrate on government affairs for fear of accidentally offending the princess."
Emperor Xingwu said: "These are just minor matters. Lin'er is broad-minded and will not bother with you."
Yan Xizheng was speechless.
Emperor Xingwu looked at Nie Ao.
Nie Ao still couldn't accept it: "Since ancient times, the harem has been forbidden to interfere in politics..."
Emperor Xingwu scoffed, "I've seen very few dynasties that followed this order where the harem truly refrained from interfering in government affairs. In the end, the empires were all destroyed because the emperors who held power were incompetent and found a bunch of messed-up excuses for themselves. In my opinion, a wise ruler isn't afraid of the harem, relatives, or powerful ministers. I know you have the final say, but I'm not afraid of those. If Lin'er is useful, I'll use her. If she's no longer useful, I'll send her home. Da Qi is full of talented people and doesn't need her, but I'd rather have her contribute a little at court than have a princess rush around and cowardly fill my holes when Da Qi is in trouble."
Nie Ao hurriedly said, "Your Majesty's northern expeditions against the Western Hu and southern conquests against the Pyu Kingdom have enabled the people of Da Qi to live and work in peace and contentment away from the flames of war. He is certainly a model of a wise ruler!"
Ministers and scholars all followed suit.
Emperor Xingwu smiled and said, "Alright, since you say I'm a wise ruler, then I'm definitely not foolish in appointing Lin'er as an official. This is settled. When Lin'er reaches the age of marriage, he will go to the Ministry of Personnel."
Qingyang said happily: "I obey your order!"
Emperor Xingwu waved his hands helplessly: "Everyone, go back and sit down. We've been arguing for so long, and I'm tired of listening even though you're talking."
Qingyang walked towards his seat with a smile.
Qin Ren greeted his sister with a look of admiration. After she settled down, he quickly poured her a bowl of tea to moisten her throat. He leaned forward and said, "You're amazing! My heart almost stopped just now, but you managed to remain calm and quote from classics."
Qingyang thought that to deal with these civil officials who liked to quote classics, she would have to read more so that she could use the same method to make them shut up.
.
After the banquet, Qingyang saw her father taking her eldest brother away. She allowed her second and third brothers to joke around for a few minutes and then returned to Jiuhua Palace.
In the Imperial Study, Emperor Xingwu went to relieve himself before sitting on the couch and asking his son, "Tell me, do you really want my son to serve as an official? Tell me the truth, don't be so hypocritical."
Qin Hong swallowed his empty words in time and said carefully, "I am willing to support my sister in doing what she wants. I am just afraid that if the ministers continue to oppose her, my sister will be sad."
Emperor Xingwu snorted, "Do those ministers dare to oppose me? As long as you can control them, they will nag at most. In the end, the emperor has the final say."
Qin Hong lowered his eyes and nodded.
Emperor Xingwu glanced at him, then sighed suddenly, leaning back and facing the carved beams and painted rafters above him, saying, "I know you're a weak character. I'm here to support you. But when I'm gone, if you don't have someone around to support you, those ministers will slowly dare to overtake you. Lü Zan is honest, but he's a military commander and can't win over the civil officials. Your second brother is a roughneck, and your third brother is a scoundrel. Tell me, besides Lin'er, who else can help you?"
Qin Hong looked at his father in astonishment. It turned out that his father arranged for his sister to enter the court for him?
Thinking of his fifteen-year-old sister handling the important officials and scholars in the palace with ease, while he, as a father, could only watch his sister being scolded by Nie Ao and Yan Xizheng, Qin Hong felt guilty and ashamed. He knelt down and wept, "It's all because of your uselessness. I have caused the emperor to worry. Even my sister..."
Emperor Xingwu reached out and perfunctorily patted his eldest son on the head: "Alright, alright, where do all those tears come from? Stop crying."
Qin Hong took out the handkerchief and choked a few times before he stopped.
Emperor Xingwu said: "I am fifty-five years old. I can still worry about you for a few more years. In the future, if you think Lin'er is good, you can use her. If you can't stand her serving in the court, you can let her go home. Anyway, by then I will not be able to control you even if I want to."
Qin Hong said with red eyes: "Father, please don't say that. You will definitely live a long life."
Emperor Xingwu curled his lips and said, "I hope so. By the way, finish the work you have at hand and then return to the Secretariat."
Anyway, this son has been in the Censorate for three or four years and it is useless. It would be better to send him back to the Secretariat to avoid arousing the suspicion of the ministers.
【Author’s words】
100 small red envelopes, good night [three-color cat head]
ps: The historical events, Zhouyi and its translation involved in this chapter are all referenced from online materials, and are not original works of mine.
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