Ever since the two nations exchanged hostages, tensions at the border had escalated once more. Though the Xiongnu had not launched a full-scale war, their raids and provocations never ceased.
After clearing himself of the false charge of treason, Ning Shoujiang hurried back onto the road to the frontier.
Officially, he was still held accountable for failing to defend the border and was required to redeem himself through meritorious service.
Privately, the wealthy Yun Yaoyao had generously bestowed upon him a considerable reward. After all, he was a valiant, battle-hardened general; it was worth maintaining a good relationship with him.
Besides these matters, another major issue was raised in court that day—
The formal establishment of a selection system for female officials!
Unlike the imperial examination system used to select ordinary officials, female officials would be chosen through policy examinations.
Candidates could be recommended by officials, renowned scholars, or other people of standing. They would then be assessed in two categories, civil and military. Regardless of whether they came from noble or humble backgrounds, ability alone would determine their prospects. Those who passed would enter the Yuxiu Academy.
The Yuxiu Academy was a newly established institution created at Yun Yaoyao’s order. Managed by Guan Wanyu and Ning Ying, it was modeled after the Hanlin Academy. Its name meant “nurturing talent,” and it would serve as a preparatory institution for female officials of the imperial court.
After entering the Yuxiu Academy, the women would first undergo training before being assigned to the various ministries or other organs of authority for a three-month probationary period. During that time, they would receive a stipend, with food and lodging provided.
Passing the probationary period would mean officially becoming a female official of the court.
From commoner to court official, Yun Yaoyao had sought to make every step fair and rigorous, minimizing the interference of other people’s power and influence as much as possible.
Given the court’s current political climate, along with the deeply entrenched customs, social systems, and beliefs accumulated over many years, this was the greatest extent of the rights Yun Yaoyao could secure for women in this era.
Yun Yaoyao looked down at the sea of male faces below. Only Guan Wanyu and Ning Ying stood quietly to one side, confronting, with their modest numbers, a world where men held power and men were held supreme.
Compared to before, the aura around the two women had undergone a dramatic transformation. They had increasingly gained the composure and authority of those in power.
It was the tempering brought by real authority—and the confidence it gave them.
In a solemn voice, Yun Yaoyao said, “You will be responsible for this first selection of female officials. You must choose fifty women of both virtue and talent for the court. Can you do it?”
Ning Ying and Guan Wanyu stepped out from the ranks, their voices firm and ringing.
“This minister will devote herself fully to completing the selection of female officials and will not disappoint Your Majesty!”
They had waited a long time for this moment.
They knew that among all the men present, only His Majesty truly cared about the circumstances faced by women. The rest were entangled in calculations of profit, hoping to gain something from the new system.
In their hearts, they looked down upon female officials and the Yuxiu Academy. They did not believe these women could truly accomplish anything in the future.
To Guan Wanyu and Ning Ying, such disdain was both motivation and opportunity.
The road ahead was difficult and long. As the pathfinders for female officials, they would give everything they had to carve out a path—no matter how bloody it had to be.
The selection of the first group of female officials would be the women’s second formal battle for a voice of their own!
After court was dismissed, Yun Yaoyao once again accompanied Tu Shanjin to the Qianqing Palace to review memorials. The latter worked diligently through state affairs, while the former peacefully took another nap.
In truth, the court ministers had long objected to Consort Miao accompanying His Majesty every day while he reviewed memorials. They argued that the Qianqing Palace was an important place for conducting state affairs—how could a woman of the inner palace be allowed to enter it so freely?
To this, Yun Yaoyao could only say that Consort Miao was clever and full of ideas. Not only could she ease His Majesty’s worries in daily life, but she had also come up with such marvelous things as museums, papermaking, printing, libraries, literacy schools, and more.
If any of them could do the same, then never mind accompanying the Emperor in the Hall of Heavenly Purity every day—even sleeping foot-to-foot with her in the Hall of Mental Cultivation every night would be allowed!
The ministers who had submitted remonstrances immediately fell silent, and never dared bring the matter up again.
At the thought, Yun Yaoyao rolled over and stroked her chin in contemplation.
While dealing with the Du family, perhaps it was time for her god-making plan to move on to its next stage?
Her thoughts wandered until Tu Shanjin finished dealing with state affairs, yet Yun Yaoyao still could not decide what would be most suitable to build or produce. In the end, she could only set the matter aside.
Tu Shanjin cast a sidelong glance at the figure lying on the daybed and silently thought to himself—
She had gone to bed early last night, then took another nap after court this morning. Near evening, she would usually doze off again. How could anyone sleep that much in a single day?
Could it be that the Book of Life and Death was naturally more fond of sleep than humans were?
While he was lost in thought, his own handsome face suddenly appeared before him, wearing a roguish grin.
“Beloved Consort, tired? Come on. I’ll take you out of the palace today to relax.”
Tu Shanjin withdrew his gaze and once again reminded himself that what he loved was her soul.
“You’ve already given me enough things. I lack for nothing here.”
Yun Yaoyao blinked at him sincerely. “What are you talking about? I’m leaving the palace to win over Gao Dexiang. What does that have to do with whether you’re lacking anything?”
Gao Dexiang—Gao Chongguang’s father—was the Vice Minister of Personnel and Du Guanliu’s most devoted lackey.
Previously, she had painted Gao Chongguang a grand picture and asked him to persuade his father to defect. Gao Chongguang had indeed lived up to her expectations—he had been utterly useless!
Yun Yaoyao once again realized that Gao Chongguang was only suited to being a mouthpiece, a loudmouthed mascot. As for winning people over, she would have to do it herself!
Tu Shanjin, who had misunderstood her intention as going out to buy him something: …
A little awkward, but no matter. He could still salvage this.
“The essence of winning over Gao Dexiang is that you’re doing it for me—giving me another trusted official. You’ve already done more than enough. Four of the Six Ministries are now under my control. I can’t bear to see you work so hard…”
Yun Yaoyao looked deeply moved. “Beloved Consort, you’re actually such a nice person! You’re becoming more and more empathetic—more considerate of others!”
“A good teacher is better than a father. That saying truly does not lie. It seems I can not only be someone’s teacher, but someone’s father as well…” Yun Yaoyao smacked her lips thoughtfully.
“Yun. Yao. Yao!”
The carriage slipped secretly out of the palace and beyond the imperial city.
Having received word well in advance, Pei Qianhuo had been waiting at the main gate of the imperial city for some time. The moment he saw the carriage, he hurried forward excitedly.
“My lord, you’ve come!”
Yun Yaoyao lifted the carriage curtain, gave Pei Qianhuo a thorough once-over, and smiled. “It’s only been a short while, yet you truly have the bearing of the world’s greatest merchant now.”
Pei Qianhuo modestly cupped his hands. “Isn’t it all because I caught a ride on His Maj—my lord’s fast ship? And with your guidance, my lord, I’ve become what I am today!”
Pei Qianhuo handed the account book from his robes to Yun Yaoyao.
“My lord, all the profits from this period are recorded here. After costs were deducted, your subordinate still made a handsome profit! Hehe, please have a look!”
With that, he took the whip from the coachman and drove the carriage himself.
Yun Yaoyao leafed through the account books. The more she read, the more delighted she became.
She had thought that merely breaking even by this point would have been good enough. After all, starting a business required enormous—and unavoidable—upfront investment.
Who would have thought Pei Qianhuo would give her such a wonderful surprise, adding yet another layer of prosperity to her already comfortable life?
Up front, Pei Qianhuo drove the carriage while proudly sharing his business strategies.
“My lord, I did not rent out your fine residence. Instead, I renamed it the Orchid Retreat and refurbished it as a venue for the nobility to relax, socialize, and build connections.”
“It is staffed with highly skilled guards, an experienced steward, chefs capable of preparing all manner of delicacies, and more. I have also furnished the estate with every sort of entertainment: tea drinking, philosophical discussions, flower viewing, musical performances, zither playing, wine tasting, poetry contests, pitch-pot, cuju, polo—you name it…”
“Using His Majesty’s influence, I also reached an agreement with the Full Jade Pavilion. If the nobles staying there can afford the price, they may even invite Su Miaomiao, the pavilion’s foremost courtesan, to perform the Dance in Rainbow Raiment.”
“The Orchid Retreat was an instant sensation among the capital’s nobility!”
Yun Yaoyao laughed. Wasn’t this basically the ancient version of a luxury party villa? So people in ancient times were fond of lavish group parties too!
“As for your fertile fields, my lord, I hired people to cultivate them—but I did not rely solely on the crops for profit.” Pei Qianhuo paused dramatically.
Yun Yaoyao raised a brow. “Selling one thing twice? Don’t tell me you also sold the experience of growing and harvesting the crops?”
Pei Qianhuo clapped his hands. “My lord truly is extraordinary—your insight is uncannily accurate!”
“After hearing your words that day, I was greatly inspired and came up with this method of selling the crops twice.”
“First, I spread the idea that today’s scholars do nothing but read the classics and know nothing of the people’s hardships. Once they become officials, how can they possibly understand the suffering of ordinary folk? I even made up a ballad: ‘Ministers who know not the people’s pain should go home and plant sweet potatoes.’”
“I promoted this idea vigorously. As a result, whether scholars or the sons and daughters of powerful families, all of them rushed to pay good money to come here and experience the hardships of common life—if only to earn themselves a good reputation.”
“When it is time to harvest rice, these scholars and young noblemen can experience firsthand the truth of ‘every grain comes from toil,’ then compose a poem about it—giving them something to boast of in the future. And when it comes to fruit, they can pick and eat it on the spot, which makes for a novel and charming experience.”
“As soon as this method was introduced, it too became wildly popular among the nobility.”
Yun Yaoyao sighed to herself again. These wealthy suckers really were easy to make money from.
Then again, weren’t there modern-day examples of people paying to harvest rice? She had heard the business was quite good.
Pei Qianhuo continued, “As for your shops, my lord, as you know, I used them to open a winery.”
“But this is no ordinary winery—it is the winery from the Wine Immortal’s poem!”
Yun Yaoyao’s interest was piqued. “Oh? Go on.”
A merchant’s gleam flashed in Pei Qianhuo’s eyes as he continued enthusiastically, “This wine is called Cupbound Immortal, and that is also the name of my winery.”
“This wine was born when the Wine Immortal ascended beyond mortality and became one with heaven and earth… blah blah blah… then, without warning, heavenly tribulation descended… blah blah blah… the Cupborne Immortal endured eighty-one bolts of heavenly lightning, and its wine vapors merged with immortal qi… blah blah blah…”
Pei Qianhuo spoke with such unrestrained eloquence that Yun Yaoyao and Tu Shanjin, seated inside the carriage, were left staring in utter astonishment.
Good heavens—he’d even come up with an entire past life and origin story for the Cupborne Immortal!
And what a tale it was: twists and turns, shocking revelations, desperate escapes from the brink of doom, mountains collapsing and earth splitting apart, heavens shaking and the ground quaking, passion overturning passion, thunder striking from the skies!
As expected of you, Pei Qianhuo!
Pei Qianhuo said smugly, “A wine needs hype behind its story. Naturally, its production needs hype as well.”
“The starter for the Cupborne Immortal is kneaded by barefoot beauties. While it ferments, beautiful women must play music, compose poetry, and recite verse beside it. It ferments while steeped in elegance and learning. And when it is sealed in jars, there must also be… blah blah blah…”
Even Tu Shanjin, who had seen his fair share of the world, could not help being astonished all over again.
“But what does winning Gao Dexiang over have to do with going to the winery?” Tu Shanjin asked, turning his head.
Yun Yaoyao explained, “The moment Cupborne Immortal was introduced, it became immensely popular among the nobility. The largest winery in the capital, Dukang Pavilion, belongs to the Du family. With Cupborne Immortal gaining such momentum, how could the Du family possibly stand by and do nothing?”
“The Du family wanted to sabotage us, but when they discovered that the contract for Cupborne Immortal was held by Yun Yaoyao—in other words, Consort Miao—they could no longer resort to underhanded methods. So they challenged Cupborne Immortal to a wine contest instead.”
“The wager is that the loser must hang the winner’s winery sign over its own doors for three months. Whichever side loses will be utterly disgraced.”
“And Gao Dexiang is one of the people the Du family’s winery has brought in as support for the contest.”
As they spoke, the carriage arrived at the winery. Above its entrance hung the graceful three characters: “Cupborne Immortal”—elegant and refined.
