Chapter 378 Competition
Yuan Hongqu shuddered.
Well, why bother opening branch campuses? If the Imperial Academy issue isn't handled properly, even the current academies will be in danger.
"These students have nothing better to do than eat and do nothing!" Wang Xifeng, standing to the side, snapped her fan down, looking even angrier than Yuan Hongqu.
"Sister, I'll go to the Imperial Academy and help you scold them!"
"Forget it, those literary people can insult others without using any vulgar language. Even if they insult you, you wouldn't even know they're insulting you."
"How outrageous! Fine men don't go to protect their country, but instead compete with women!" Wang Xifeng's anger didn't seem to stem from the Imperial Academy's competition with the Women's Academy in the imperial examinations, but rather from her own personal grudges.
After a moment's thought, Yuan Hongqu understood why.
The one in the Rongguo Mansion who was secretly competing with her every day was none other than the daughter of the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy!
I wonder if the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy played a role in today's event.
"You should rest early. I'll go take a look." Yuan Hongqu stopped talking to Wang Xifeng. "Is Miss still at the Imperial Observatory?"
The maid who came to deliver the message was stunned by Second Mistress Lian's curses. Only when she heard Yuan Hongqu's voice did she look up blankly and respond.
"The girl was still there discussing the specific details with them, and even said that she wanted to draw up a contract so that they wouldn't go back on their word."
This girl had sneaked out; she never expected the girl to be so bold as to go so far.
Although she wasn't very bright, she could tell that the officials who went to the Imperial Observatory today, instead of trying to stop the students from the Imperial Academy from debating with the girl, all had expressions of amusement on their faces.
Although their princess was clever, with so many cunning old foxes around her and those hotheads from the Imperial Academy provoking her, how could the girl not be tricked!
So when the girl saw that things were not going well, she quickly told Zijuan and ran back first.
Now, only Lord Yuan can remove the princess from this competition!
"As expected of Daiyu, she can still think of drawing up a contract at a time like this." Yuan Hongqu couldn't show the slightest bit of guilt.
What were the exam questions for the provincial examination?
It's not mentioned in the book!
Inside the carriage, Yuan Hongqu's mind was racing.
She never thought of using the imperial examination system for anything, so how could she possibly pay attention to that?
If there are test questions, the worst that can happen is that she cheated; she could just have the students write out similar test papers early on.
"Mr. Yuan, I've been reading history recently, and there's no record of such a large number of women participating in the imperial examinations in historical books. Even in unofficial histories, when women disguised themselves as men to take the exams, they were still using male identities. Did the Imperial Academy have such great power that it allowed women to participate in the imperial examinations directly?"
After school that evening, Chen Yinduo went to the Yuan residence, taking Yuan Hongqu with her when she left. Seeing Yuan Hongqu's furrowed brows, Chen Yinduo guessed she was troubled by what the girl had said earlier, and found it rather strange.
Can this competition continue?
Is China more open than the grasslands, with complete gender equality?
Yuan Hongqu had only been thinking about her chances of winning the competition, and had completely overlooked this most important issue. She only realized it after hearing Chen Yinduo's words:
Historically, no woman has ever participated in the imperial examinations, and there is no precedent for this in the current dynasty. If female students were to take the examinations alongside those of the Imperial Academy, would the women also have to go to the examination hall? If a woman passed the examinations, would she be granted an official position just like the men?
What is the point of the students of the Imperial Academy proposing such an almost impossible competition?
"Thank you for reminding me." Yuan Hongqu smiled slightly. "I almost got stuck in a dead end," she admitted.
"I also find it strange. I thought that women in the capital could participate in the imperial examinations just like men." Chen Yinduo's tone was tinged with disappointment.
She genuinely hoped that this was true, so that perhaps years later, she could also take the imperial examination and obtain a degree!
"Sooner or later, this will happen." Yuan Hongqu's gaze was firm. Since the Imperial Academy had given her such an opportunity, and the officials who went to the Imperial Observatory today had no objections, then she might as well hand this difficult problem over to them!
This might be the first step for women to enter officialdom with equal opportunities.
Of course, although she is now an official, she doesn't count, since she didn't get the position through an exam!
Inside the Imperial Observatory, the lights were on.
Daiyu, dressed in a light blue dress, was undoubtedly the most dazzling presence here. Although, besides her, many other families had also brought their younger relatives today, including some of her students from the academy.
But at this moment she was standing at one end of the long table, alone with her maid behind her, while at the other end were students from the Imperial Academy, a dozen or so around the table, and dozens more behind them, all preparing to participate in this year's autumn imperial examination.
However, upon hearing that the Emperor was planning to open more girls' academies and create more positions for female officials, they became anxious and wanted to compete with the girls in the academies.
In their view, the country's resources are limited, and if women take up all of them, then men will have less to use.
They have studied diligently for over a decade, even decades, all with the ambition of becoming officials. How could they be so easily taken over by these women?
Moreover, these women, who have only studied for a few years, are not all doing academic work; their studies are quite haphazard. How can they compare to the proper students?
They heard that the Imperial Observatory was holding a star-gazing event that night, and that Princess Jiangzhu, a representative of the Girls' Academy, was among those invited. They don't know which student shouted it out, but they all crowded around here.
Daiyu was bombarded with their questions for a while, not understanding what they were asking, before she finally realized their purpose.
However, Daiyu was never afraid of challenges, and she felt that the imperial examination was not difficult at all.
Although Granny Yuan didn't know much about the imperial examinations, Daiyu knew a lot about them!
There weren't many books about the imperial examinations in the old nanny's study, but the Lin family did!
Her father was a third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination!
That year, her father ranked third in the national imperial examination!
The number of books about the imperial examinations in the Lin family's study was second only to the rest of Yangzhou; no one dared to claim the first.
Daiyu also possessed a photographic memory, so she truly had no fear of the imperial examinations.
Although she had always been quite interested in the imperial examinations, she never had the opportunity.
Now that someone has presented her with an opportunity, she is determined to compete!
As for involving the academy as a stake, she felt that the nanny would definitely understand her reasoning.
She glanced at the contract, then at the string of names signed by the students at the back. Among them were some officials present, who had also signed their names.
After Daiyu checked and found no problems, she wrote down her name.
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