Chapter 129

After Yuan Ziying returned to the Grand Princess’s mansion, she indeed recounted word for word what Princess Jinyang, Yan Zhixuan, and Ruan Shu had said to Yan Donghuang, and fiercely reported them.

“That so-called princess even mocked Miss Qi, thinking that a female official is not as prestigious as the empress, but she doesn’t understand Miss Qi’s aspirations at all,” Yuan Ziying frowned, “a frog in a well.”

Yan Donghuang’s gaze fell on the chessboard, her voice lazy, “Are they planning to push out King Wuyang?”

“If King Wuyang dares to act, he is courting death himself,” Feng Yaoguang, sitting opposite her, picked up a white piece and placed it on the chessboard, his voice cold, “He has guarded the border for ten years, even if he has no merits, he has worked hard. If he participates in the struggle for the crown prince, the southern border will need a new master.”

Yuan Ziying looked at Feng Yaoguang curiously, “How does General Feng have time to play chess here today?”

“None of your business,” Feng Yaoguang glanced at her, “You can go find Xie Yunjian to cultivate feelings. The Crown Princess doesn’t need your service here.”

Yuan Ziying pouted slightly and turned to leave.

The seven generals of the Qingluan Army have gradually resumed their daily training recently. At the end of last year, they were transferred to the capital to serve because of the matter of establishing the crown princess. Except for the first few days and the holidays, after the resumption of the morning court at the beginning of the year, their duty time became more flexible.

Mu Yunfan went on errands, and the other six only needed to be on duty for one or two hours, not every day, because training in the barracks couldn’t be neglected. Only Feng Yaoguang stayed at the Grand Princess’s mansion the longest. The other generals tacitly understood this, and Yan Donghuang also allowed it.

Today, after Yuan Ziying’s words, Yan Donghuang couldn’t help but look at Feng Yaoguang, “You should do what you need to do. I will focus on state affairs for now. When the situation is completely stable, I will have time to think about the wedding.”

“What kind of person do you think I am?” Feng Yaoguang pursed her lips slightly, seemingly dissatisfied, “I don’t intend to take advantage of the situation. I just want to be available if you need anything.”

Yan Donghuang smiled, “Really?”

“Of course,” Feng Yaoguang nodded calmly, “A lot has happened recently, and you are handling it alone with some difficulty. I want to share some of the burden.”

Yan Donghuang’s gaze fell on the chessboard, “I have free time to play chess with you. Obviously, it’s not that difficult.”

Feng Yaoguang retorted, “Even an iron man needs to rest, proper relaxation is to prepare for the upcoming busy period.”

Hearing this, Yan Donghuang lowered her eyes and stared at the crisscrossing black and white pieces on the chessboard, nodding silently.

The coming days will indeed be hectic.

The emperor plans to have her ascend the throne on the second day of the second month, and there are only a few days left. The inner court is rushing to make the dragon robe. The Dali Temple is investigating the death of Miao Qiyuan. Before finding out the cause of his death, they must first investigate his identity. But after several days, they still know nothing about his identity.

Prince An, Yan Ling, secretly ordered people to monitor the movements of the Dali Temple while worrying about what Yan Donghuang might do, living in fear every day, and also dealing with bribes from ministers who secretly wanted to curry favor. After the morning court, he began to confirm the registration matters for the companions with the Ministry of Rites. At night, various servants brought valuable items to the back door of the prince’s mansion, knocking and asking to see him.

Yan Ling hated and was angry about all this. He hated the officials’ hypocrisy. They should have opposed the arrangement of the Crown Princess at all costs, preventing Yan Donghuang from breaking the male-dominated system and keeping the court male-dominated, refusing to allow women into the court. But they accepted it so easily, even at all costs. They wanted to send their daughters to the Crown Princess as companions, hoping to get an official position in the future to protect their fathers and brothers.

In his rage and loss of control, Yan Ling smashed more than ten sets of tea sets, three vases, and a Duan inkstone within three days. After calming down and slowly accepting the fact that the ministers prioritized family interests, he began to think calmly about countermeasures.

Yan Donghuang wanted to humiliate him and force him to comply, but she overlooked the most crucial point. Since he was in charge of selecting companions, the final selection should be decided by him. If he selected a few people he could use and placed them in the court, following Yan Donghuang, these companions would be his pawns. The people who gave him gifts these days were the best candidates.

Yan Donghuang was too arrogant, thinking everything was under her control?

Little did she know that arrogant people would eventually suffer the consequences. After having an idea, Yan Ling finally calmed down, as if all the anger and loss of control in recent days had been soothed. He stayed in the study, carefully selecting usable people.

The Crown Princess’s first selection of companions had a ten-day registration period, and the Ministry of Rites was responsible for counting the number of people, then arranging the examination room.

The Ministry of Rites had great power, Prince An had a high status, and Qi Fangfei had the backing of the Grand Tutor Mansion. The three responsible parties did not dare suppress each other, which could ensure the greatest fairness and justice in the examination.

On the twentieth day of the first month, the list of names compiled by the Minister of Rites was presented to Yan Donghuang.

After reading it, Yan Donghuang was surprised, “There are as many as one hundred and fifty people?”

The Minister of Rites nodded, “Yes, I was also surprised. I didn’t expect so many people in the capital to meet the conditions and be willing to be companions.”

Since ancient times, women have followed the principle that lack of talent is a virtue. Many people mistakenly believe that women without talent are more likable and that humility and obedience are virtues. In ordinary families, few are willing to let their daughters study, partly because studying is too expensive and partly because daughters are not valued.
In noble families, daughters study a bit more, but not all are carefully cultivated like sons.

Yan Donghuang was mentally prepared this time. If there were too few applicants, she would first select two or three people, then encourage more girls to study in the future and expand the recruitment of women from local areas. Unexpectedly, there were as many as one hundred and fifty applicants.

“I believe that among these more than one hundred and fifty people, there must be some whose knowledge is not good enough and just applied to try their luck. But so many people applying at least proves that the officials can actually accept their daughters becoming officials.”

Yan Donghuang responded with a hum.

No matter the reason for acceptance, the result met her expectations. She had said before that the real driving force for people to act is always interest. Only by tying the future of daughters to the interests of their fathers and brothers could they have the opportunity to step out of the inner chambers.

If she hadn’t used “fathers and brothers can be ennobled” as bait when issuing the decree, the number of applicants would have been halved.

After reading the roster, Yan Donghuang ordered in a deep voice, “Summon Prince An and Qi Fangfei to the Diligence Hall for discussion.”

“Yes.”

Chapter 130

While waiting for Prince An and Qi Fangfei, Yan Donghuang reviewed the list of women. The Ministry of Rites recorded everything in detail, clearly noting the family backgrounds of the women. Among them were daughters of officials, daughters from humble families, daughters of fallen noble families, daughters of military generals, and daughters of small merchants.

The capital is vast, with not only high-ranking officials but also commoners. It is difficult for daughters of ordinary families to have the opportunity to study, but merchant families can afford it. Although merchants have a low status, they have money. Studying is the most expensive thing in terms of money. However, due to the system, it is already difficult for men from merchant families to enter officialdom and even harder for women. Yet, merchants most need a child who can enter the court to elevate the family’s status.

A eunuch reported from outside the hall, “Your Highness, Prince An and Miss Qi have arrived.”

Yan Donghuang closed the roster and said calmly, “Let them in.”

“Yes.” The eunuch bowed and exited.

Soon, Yan Ling and Qi Fangfei entered the hall one after the other. After paying their respects, Yan Donghuang said, “I called you here to discuss the selection of a study companion.”

Yan Ling and Qi Fangfei remained silent.

“The exam is scheduled for the eighth day of the second month, and the Ministry of Rites will arrange the examination hall,” Yan Donghuang said, glancing at the Minister of Rites. “All candidates are women, so try to arrange a better environment for the exam. Two more invigilators will be added, and I will personally select the supervisors outside the examination hall.”

As she finished speaking, Yan Ling’s expression subtly changed.

Changes in the selection of examiners and undecided supervisors?

“The number of applicants exceeded my expectations, indicating that the acceptance of women entering the court is not low among the people,” Yan Donghuang said calmly, her gaze sweeping over Prince An’s face.

“Whether they are motivated by family interests or seeking favor, I am pleased with their attitude. However, I will select those with true talent and learning, good conduct, and great ambition. Even if only one or two are chosen, the criteria must be met.”

The Minister of Rites nodded, “I will strictly guard the selection.”

“Although this is a women’s exam, the process must be as rigorous as the imperial exams, with no cheating allowed,” Yan Donghuang’s expression turned cold. “During the exam, there must be no leniency. Once the papers are collected, the candidates’ names must be covered. The papers will be cross-reviewed by Qi Fangfei, the Ministry of Rites, and Prince An. With fewer candidates, the review will not take long, and fairness and justice must be ensured.”

The Minister of Rites responded, “Yes.”

Yan Ling’s heart sank, and he quietly clenched his hand.

No cheating, sealed review?

He thought Yan Donghuang was in a hurry to select a study companion and eager to have female officials enter the court so the first selection would not be too strict. As long as the conditions were acceptable, the more candidates, the better. After all, she needed to win over court officials to consolidate her position for her future ascension to the throne.

Unexpectedly…

Wouldn’t this disrupt his plans?

“Do you have any questions?” Yan Donghuang raised her eyes and looked at the three people in front of her. “You can raise any doubts.”

Yan Ling lowered his eyes and said, “This is the first selection of female officials. Although I do not wish to belittle women, their knowledge, vision, and perspective are far inferior to men due to their long confinement in the boudoir. Does Your Highness have specific selection criteria?”

In formal imperial exams, the number of participants reaches tens of thousands. Scholars from all over the country gather, and those who make the list are the best in terms of knowledge, selected from among thousands. But their excellence is not limited to essays and poetry. They have knowledge of the world’s affairs, rivers and seas, people’s livelihood and taxes, wars, and governance of various territories. Understanding is one thing, but being able to propose corresponding solutions is most important. These women in the capital have been confined to their boudoirs for years. Reading some books is already rare. How can they have the time or opportunity to understand the world’s affairs and the people’s hardships?

Yan Donghuang pondered for a moment and looked at Qi Fangfei, “Lower the requirements a bit and select according to the standards of the provincial exams. What do you think, Miss Qi?”

Qi Fangfei nodded, “I believe the standards can be flexible. During the review, Prince An, the Minister, and I will cross-review the papers. If all three agree, the candidate will be selected. If all three disagree, the candidate will be rejected. If there is a disagreement, Your Highness will make the final decision.”

Yan Donghuang nodded slowly, finding this method appropriate to ensure the greatest fairness in the exam.

“Let’s follow Miss Qi’s suggestion,” Yan Donghuang said calmly. “The examination hall can be arranged, and invitations should be sent to all eligible women.”

She then instructed the eunuch standing by, “Meng Zhou, ensure the invitations are delivered to the candidates personally.”

Meng Zhou, the emperor’s close eunuch Rong Chun’s apprentice, was steady and perceptive. He was temporarily assigned to Qin Zheng Hall.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Yan Donghuang’s gaze fell on the roster again, reminding them, “The final selected study companions will stay by my side. I will have enough time to understand their knowledge, conduct, and demeanor. I will not tolerate mediocrity, so keep that in mind.”

The Minister of Rites quickly responded, “Rest assured, Your Highness. I will select fairly and strictly prevent favoritism and cheating.”

Yan Donghuang nodded, “You may go.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Leaving the diligent hall, Yan Ling turned to Qi Fangfei and asked gently, “Miss Qi, what do you consider an excellent woman?”

Qi Fangfei was silent for a moment, “As long as a woman has good conduct and does not intentionally harm others, she is excellent. However, each person’s excellence is different and cannot be generalized.”

Yan Ling paused, then smiled, “Miss Qi is right. For this exam, do you have any specific standards for excellence?”

“Since it is an exam, knowledge must be adequate,” Qi Fangfei said calmly. “The Crown Princess is selecting close attendants, so literacy and neat handwriting are the basic requirements. Additionally, they should be straightforward, neither servile nor overbearing, not retreat in the face of difficulties, answer questions clearly, not falsify, have good conduct, not be two-faced, and have no ulterior motives…”

“These sound like basic requirements, but combining all these conditions greatly increases the difficulty,” Yan Ling smiled. “One hundred and fifty candidates sound like a lot, but with strict selection, few may be chosen.”

Qi Fangfei nodded, “So, it is better to have fewer but better.”

With these four words, Yan Ling understood her attitude.

Better to have nothing than to settle for less.
No room for compromise.