amaotonovel Chapter 384: Selection of Palace Ladies
Chapter 384: Selection of Palace Ladies
At the celebration of the Five Princesses, they represented the Beiyang Kingdom in making friends through literature, and the news of their great victory spread quickly in the imperial city.
The common people talked about this kind of proud thing with great relish, and their conversations were full of praise for Xiao Yue, as well as ridicule for those envoys who had shot themselves in the foot.
As the news spread, another version of the story also spread quickly.
Making friends through literature among countries is an elegant affair, and naturally court officials and scholars from various countries will participate in it. It is not appropriate for a woman to represent Beiyang State in battle.
Even if a woman is talented, she should stay in her boudoir and take good care of her husband and children in the future. Even if she has some talent, Beiyang simply does not respect other countries by showing her in public.
When the news first came out, not many people paid attention to it. They just thought that the envoy was just saying some sour words because he lost the competition.
However, unexpectedly, in just two days, the news not only did not dissipate, but became more and more popular, and even ridiculous words such as Beiyang State's victory was unfair were spread.
In the palace, Xiao Yue was very angry after hearing the news reported by the palace maid, and she cursed those who made remarks that looked down on women.
Just when she was feeling angry and wanted to find out who spread the rumor, a letter handed to her calmed her anger.
After the morning court session ended the next day, Xiao Yue immediately went to ask for an audience with Emperor Xiao.
"Selecting palace ladies?" Emperor Xiao frowned and looked at Xiao Yue, "Why do you suddenly make this suggestion?"
In the imperial study, besides Emperor Xiao and Xiao Yue, Shen Yanxi was also there.
When Shen Yanxi heard the words from the palace lady, he lowered his head and quickly thought of what Jiang Suining had said before.
Some people are patient and take one step at a time.
So the palace lady-in-waiting is Ningning's first step in making the choice?
This is more acceptable than directly allowing women to serve as officials in the court.
Shen Yanxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Yue, who was standing by, was very excited. "Father, have you heard the rumors that have been circulating in the imperial city these days, saying that our Beiyang Kingdom won unfairly and did not respect other countries?"
"I have heard about it." Emperor Xiao frowned unhappily.
I originally thought that after the celebration, the competition between the countries would also end. But I didn't expect that there would be such a scene before the envoys left.
It was obvious that they were unwilling to accept the loss in the competition during the celebration, so they deliberately used this rumor to undermine the Beiyang Kingdom.
If we let it go without any response, it will inevitably damage the friendly relations between the countries.
But if Beiyang Country really apologized for this... then even if they won the competition, they would lose face, and their attitude would be too humble!
"Father, I have thought about it seriously. It is troublesome to respond to these rumors no matter whether I respond or not. So it is better to do the opposite. Open the selection and select talented women to serve as palace ladies-in-waiting. Let those people with ulterior motives take a good look. No matter what the women in their country are like, the women of our Beiyang country are not just supposed to stay in the back house to take care of their husbands and children. In this way, those rumors will naturally be broken."
Xiao Yue thought about the contents of Jiang Suining's letter and spoke with full confidence.
Emperor Xiao thought for a moment and said, "This is a solution, but there has never been a precedent for selecting female officials before."
Xiao Yue said hurriedly: "Father, although there has been no precedent before, you can set this precedent. Besides, it is just selecting some female officials from the harem, not letting them enter the court to participate in government affairs. There will definitely be no problem. And those women will be grateful to you."
Jiang Suining told her in the letter that this time only the female officials in the palace would be selected, and this would set a precedent, and then they could proceed slowly.
Although she felt it was a bit cautious, it would be a good idea to have a selection of palace ladies first. No matter what, it would let others know that women can do more things.
Xiao Yue's words softened the expression on Emperor Xiao's face a little, but he still did not respond immediately. Instead, he looked at Shen Yanxi.
"What do you think of this proposal, Shen Qing?"
Shen Yanxi raised his head, a hint of hesitation flashed across his eyes, but the next moment he bowed and smiled.
"Your Majesty, I think the Fifth Princess's proposal is worth a try. Not only to deal with recent rumors, but also to show the people of the world and even other countries that Your Majesty loves the people like your own children, and does not stick to gender. If a woman has talent and ability, she will also have a place to display her talents."
Xiao Yue followed up Shen Yanxi's words and said, "Father, what Lord Shen said is what I want to say. I beg you to agree!"
Emperor Xiao was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again, his expression completely relaxed.
"Forget it, since Shen Qing also thinks this is a good idea, let's give it a try."
Emperor Xiao looked at Zhu Quan, the newly promoted eunuch beside him.
"Pass on my order to open the selection of female officials in the palace. All noble ladies from aristocratic families or women with a good reputation can sign up for the selection. As for the specific selection criteria, leave it to the Queen to formulate."
Having achieved her goal, Xiao Yue left the imperial study with a smile on her face.
After reporting on government affairs, Shen Yanxi also withdrew.
But the moment he stepped out of the imperial study, his face quickly darkened.
Shen Yanxi hurried out of the palace, wanting to see Jiang Suining immediately.
When he arrived at the palace gate, he saw the Jiang family's carriage and Jiang Suining waiting beside the carriage.
"Are you waiting for news about the fifth princess, or are you waiting for me?" Shen Yanxi asked.
"Both." Jiang Suining replied with a smile.
Shen Yanxi frowned and looked at the smile on Jiang Suining's face, feeling helpless.
"Ningning, you are too brave!"
How can such news be spread casually, and spread so widely? Once it is discovered, it will be a serious crime.
Seeing that Shen Yanxi was really angry, the smile on Jiang Suining's face became even more obvious.
"I don't believe you didn't ask someone to investigate. Did you find out that the information was mine?"
Shen Yanxi choked slightly, shook his head and said, "No."
When he first heard the news, although others thought that it was spread by the envoys, he immediately thought of Ningning.
At that time, people were sent to investigate secretly, but nothing was found.
He also suspected that he was overthinking, but after hearing the Fifth Princess's proposal in the Imperial Study Room just now, he immediately determined that the news must have been spread by Sui Ning, in order to give the Fifth Princess the opportunity to speak those words in front of the Emperor.
Jiang Suining looked at Shen Yanxi seriously and said softly, "Don't worry, I'm not a reckless person. Since you dare to spread such news, I will naturally take care of the aftermath."
As he spoke, Jiang Suining blinked and smiled again.
"It cost me nearly fifty thousand taels of silver. Now that I think about it, I still feel a little sad. Lord Shen, won't you comfort me?"
Shen Yanxi looked at Jiang Suining helplessly, the words "You don't need my comfort" went around in his throat but he was reluctant to say it out loud.
In the end, it can only be transformed into congratulations for achieving the goal.