The imperial edict arrived the following day.
As expected, His Majesty decided to grant the request of the Shuofeng Dynasty.
The postponement of the provincial examination to September should have caused quite a stir, but at the same time, another piece of news also spread:
The princess of the Shuofeng Dynasty and the nobles of the four border regions will also participate in this provincial examination.
With the help of certain individuals, rumors of "crashing the party" spread like wildfire.
Driven by their scholarly spirit, their dissatisfaction with the postponement of the provincial examinations transformed into disdain for foreign powers and a shared sense of righteous indignation.
At the same time, Zhongchendao, where Fengjing is located, made special arrangements and added a policy for supplementary enrollment of candidates.
If any woman wishes to participate in this imperial examination, she can re-register before the fifteenth of August.
The centralized examination will be held on the 25th. Those who pass will be granted special permission to participate in this provincial examination.
If you pass the imperial examination, you will receive the title of Juren (举人). If you fail, you will not receive the title of Xiucai (秀才) and will have to start from the Tongzishi (童子试) examination.
This policy is bound to cause controversy, but given the groundwork laid by the previous news, it won't cause an uproar.
Everyone can understand that this is to avoid losing face.
Moreover, there was a preliminary examination; if one failed, one would not receive any official rank or title, thus blocking any path of opportunism.
This time, the edict delivered to the Sixth Princess's residence was given by an ordinary eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, whose main purpose was to inform her to join the welcoming party.
Not officially appointing him to a position was just a side effect.
After the eunuch left, a familiar face appeared.
"Sixth Prince." He nodded in greeting, maintaining a very reserved demeanor.
"Have you eaten yet, Commander Yinzhe? If not, have some with us?"
"Thank you, Your Highness. I've already used it."
Yin Zhe thought to himself, "We're not that close, and this is neither early nor late. Who would have eaten yet?"
Then Qin Zhaoyue sat down casually in the hall, and the lazy man's so-called brunch was served.
"Don't sit down like a stranger. Serving someone an iced drink shows no consideration whatsoever."
Yin Zhe first recounted the power struggles within the imperial court.
Without any beating around the bush, those advocating war and those advocating peace each formed their own faction.
Because the situation is not one-sided, His Majesty will not face significant obstacles when he offers his consent.
It sounds like His Majesty intends to pursue peace, especially given that he sent his eldest sister to the northern border at this critical juncture.
Given His Majesty's consistent style, Qin Zhaoyue did not think so.
The power struggle between the two dynasties' emperors—it's uncertain whether a real war will break out.
However, Qin Zhaoyue guessed that if the Northern Border showed any intention to fight, His Majesty would never back down, and it was possible that the secret edict her elder sister carried was about this matter.
"In addition, His Majesty issued a summons during the morning court session, encouraging talented women from the families of officials to participate in the preliminary examination."
This was to be expected. Qin Zhaoyue asked while eating, "How's the effect?"
"It doesn't look good. As the deputy envoy, the Third Prince immediately sent out invitations to various families after court, and a literary gathering will be held at Liuyuan tomorrow."
"Oh? Did you send the whole thing?"
"All of them, and the post specifically states that there should be no health problems."
"Heh, you're prepared."
They could send out invitations immediately after court to include all the talented women in the capital—something Qin Zhaoyue couldn't do.
Whether it was the original owner of this body or after she transmigrated, she didn't pay much attention to this aspect.
Moreover, perhaps provoked by the two princes above, the usually mild-mannered third sister became unusually assertive.
The meaning of that sentence in the post is very clear: don't use physical discomfort as an excuse.
If she dares to feign compliance at this crucial juncture where we should be united against a common enemy, then she shouldn't blame us for resorting to underhanded tactics.
"That's good. It seems that Third Sister has a plan in mind."
"Is Your Highness truly so optimistic?"
"Of course! I'm hoping that Third Sister will succeed so she won't have to do anything and won't have to attend the morning court this year."
"The Sixth Prince is indeed honest."
Ha, Yin Zhe doesn't believe a single word of it.
Qin Zhaoyue knew that the Xuanji Guard wouldn't send a message to her for no reason, especially not a commander of a thousand men.
His Majesty probably thinks the chances of success are slim, otherwise, why would a Divine Martial Realm expert have nothing better to do?
"Well then, since Lord Yinzhe is here, how about I lend a hand with a couple of small favors?"
"Please feel free to speak."
After hearing Qin Zhaoyue's two requests, Yin Zhe remained silent for a long time.
"You call this trusting the Third Prince?"
"It's always better to be prepared."
The hibernation hastily departed; one requirement was simple, but the other was not easy.
The key point is that she has already guessed what Qin Zhaoyue wants to do. This matter needs to be known to His Majesty in advance so that he can decide whether to help or not.
Before I could even finish my brunch, someone else came to the door.
Qin Zhaoyue couldn't help but roll her eyes. She had only been back for two days, but why did she have the illusion that she was so popular?
Good grief, they won't even let people get a proper rest every day.
"Granny Liu, what brings you here?"
I could hear Sui Mo's loud voice from a distance; he was definitely shouting to remind me.
But Qin Zhaoyue was stunned. What was this Granny Liu? She had no recollection of her.
Before long, Suimo led in an old woman.
Her dark blue, round-necked, narrow-sleeved blouse gleamed in the autumn sun, the cuffs adorned with silver honeysuckle patterns.
Although autumn has arrived, the summer heat has not yet dissipated, and the white silk undergarment is faintly visible beneath the gauze dress.
The old nanny raised her hand to adjust the gilded fish-shaped pouch that held down her skirt; the words "Si Zan" were embroidered on it in gold thread.
Two jade rings hung from the waist belt, one as a pass to the palace and the other as a small ivory ruler, used to measure the curvature of the knees of palace maids when they performed the curtsy.
It exudes an air of strictness and dignity from top to bottom.
She did not step into the hall, but stood outside the door, straightening her clothes and composed herself.
The blue shoes tread the meridian, the heels touching as if drawing a circle.
When she lowered her eyes, the pearl pendant of the Seven-Pig Silver Hairpin stopped just on her shoulder blade, no more than three inches from her head.
He turned his palm out of his sleeve, his left hand tightly grasping his right thumb, the other fingers overlapping like orchid petals, and bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty, I, Liu, the Director of the Imperial Ceremonial Bureau, inquire about Your Highness's well-being."
The sound, enveloped in the sweltering heat, was clear and resonant, each word falling like a jade ruler.
Qin Zhaoyue frowned. She noticed the veins on the old woman's taut neck were slightly bulging, and it was as if she were seeing the calligraphy she had practiced as a child.
Its slender yet firm strokes possess divine power, each stroke precisely measured to the millimeter.
A sudden realization dawned on her; it was her!
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