The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

75

Occasionally a few small whimpers could be heard. Before they reached anyone else's ears, they were taken by the wind.

Meng Gonggong stood with the waiting palace servants in the distance. Their heads were bowed, and they didn't dare to look at anything.

As Shang JunLin predicted, the next morning, the court exploded because of Fang JiaYi.

They selectively ignored the fact that Shang JunLin had taken Shen Yu to watch the palace examination.

In the eyes of the officials from aristocratic families, breaking tradition and admitting a woman as an official was far more serious than anything else.

"Your Majesty, it cannot be! There has been no such precedent since ancient times. That Young Lady Fang concealed her identity to participate in the imperial examination. This is the crime of deceiving the emperor!"

"Your Majesty, how can we set such a precedent? If all women in the world copied her, wouldn't there be chaos?"

An official who read Fang JiaYi's answer sheet yesterday retorted, "Not all women are that talented."

"So what? If we survey all of history, which dynasty ever had a woman as an official? A woman should marry quietly, remain in the inner courtyard, serve her father-in-law, and produce branches and leaves."

"Minister Zhao's words are simply wrong. There are more than a few talented women. How can you speak with so much prejudice?"

Minister Zhao snapped his head to the side. "Is there something wrong with what I said? If everyone just accepted their place in life, would today's incident have happened?"

The ministers in the hall debated endlessly, and Shang JunLin didn't say anything. Shen Yu, who was standing in the back hall, shook the cup in his hand and said to Mu Xi:

"You see, they don't have anything to say. The point about deceiving the emperor is all they have. They're anxious for His Majesty to put this 'deviant' woman to death immediately."

Shen Yu intentionally got up early today to wait for Shang JunLin in the back hall. He was curious what would happen in morning court.

After hearing the voices in the main hall, Mu Xi got angry. "They actually think women exist to do nothing but stay in the back courtyard and produce branches and leaves for men?"

"Indeed, it shows that His Majesty is right. Some ministers in the court really do need to be replaced."

Their eyes could only see one-third of the field in front of them. With such short-sightedness, all they knew was how to form factions to pursue personal gain day in and day out. Keeping them around was a waste of their salaries.

The bickering in the main hall continued. Some officials, led by the prime minister, recognized Fang JiaYi's achievements, although they felt that the question of letting women become officials in the court was still open for discussion.

The surviving members of the Qian family sided with the prime minister. After the incident with the King of Li, Shang JunLin had taken the opportunity to promote more of his own people. There was already some new blood in the court.

A group of older officials led by the aristocratic families refused to yield. No one from the leading families had entered the top three, and one of the places was even occupied by a woman. How could they accept it?

To give them added motivation, one of their own people was in fourth place. If Fang JiaYi was pushed out, their family member would rank in the top three, which wouldn't be nearly as embarrassing.

All of this was plain to Shang JunLin. Seeing that they intended to continue bickering left and right, Shang JunLin interrupted, "Look at yourselves. All of you have red faces and ears. Is this the behavior of the country's foremost ministers?"