The county magistrate clearly wouldn’t let the Zhang family stand in the way of Su Yaruo’s rise to success.
If Su Yaruo could become a jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), as one of the first female officials, she would undoubtedly soar to great heights as long as her abilities were up to par. The magistrate, in turn, would gain a valuable connection. Though he was a juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), his career prospects were limited—he would likely cap out at the sixth rank. But Su Yaruo was different.
To see things through to the end, the magistrate arranged for Su Yaruo to stay at his residence before her departure. His wife would surely be eager to befriend her.
Su Yaruo didn’t refuse the magistrate’s kindness. Despite his warning, the Zhang family might still dare to act—better safe than sorry. She couldn’t afford to gamble with her future.
She packed a few sets of her most-worn clothes and took all the banknotes, gold, and silver she had saved in her chest.
Prices in the capital were far higher than in their small county. Su Yaruo planned to stay in the capital until the examination results were announced, so she needed to bring ample funds.
With the magistrate’s presence, the Zhang family didn’t dare utter a word of protest. They could only watch helplessly as Su Yaruo packed her belongings and left with him.
Once Su Yaruo was gone, Old Master Zhang struck the floor several times with his cane, glaring at his son. "Couldn’t you have handled her better? Now she’s bound to hold a grudge."
Zhang Tiancheng opened his mouth but hesitated. "I never expected the magistrate to personally intervene…"
Nor had he anticipated the emperor summoning female juren like her.
Old Lady Zhang defended her son. "Even if she becomes a jinshi, she’ll still have to show us respect. We’re her elders!"
Her tone grew more confident. No matter how illustrious Su Yaruo became, she would still have to wait on her.
Old Master Zhang couldn’t be bothered with such foolishness. If Su Yaruo truly became an official, she wouldn’t need to lift a finger against the Zhang family—just a hint, and others would eagerly do her bidding.
Their only option now was to mend relations as much as possible.
Old Master Zhang immediately ordered his son to prepare silver for Su Yaruo as a peace offering.
Su Yaruo didn’t refuse. Why would she turn down free money?
Her father also sent her several copies of the Four Books and Five Classics annotated by renowned scholars.
Two days later, Su Yaruo left the county for the capital, traveling with a merchant caravan. Normally, caravans weren’t permitted on official roads, but the emperor had granted an exception for those escorting juren to the capital. As a result, the caravan didn’t charge her.
This was Su Yaruo’s first time leaving Daizhou. The caravan specialized in transporting medicinal herbs to the capital.
"The official roads are so smooth—they must be paved with cement."
"Cement is a godsend. Back home, Squire Zhang built a cement road for his seventieth birthday. No more mud after the rain!"
"Once we reach the capital, I plan to sell the herbs and buy some cotton cloth to bring back. The capital’s designs are stylish—they’ll sell well."
"We should also get some glassware. Daizhou doesn’t have enough of it."
"Life’s getting better every day."
The merchants chatted excitedly about their shopping plans, with some dreaming of cement houses once they saved enough.
Listening to them, Su Yaruo reflected. For ordinary people, a life with enough food, clothing, and shelter was the greatest blessing.
Thanks to the cement roads, she reached the capital faster than expected. What used to take ten days from Daizhou now took only seven.
The magistrate had advised her to visit the Yu residence upon arrival.
As the family of the Divine Maiden, the Yus were now among the capital’s elite.
The caravan dropped her off at the Yu residence. Before parting, Su Yaruo noted their lodging address.
There, she met Yu Miaoping, the Divine Maiden’s younger sister, who gifted her half a chest of books and a full chest of stationery.
When Su Yaruo tried to decline, Yu Miaoping waved her off. "These books were printed by our family’s publishing house. They didn’t cost much."
"And you’re not the only one receiving them. All the female juren in the capital are getting the same. If you want to repay us, just be good officials to the people someday."
To the Yus, this expense was negligible.
"For the next few months in the capital, you can stay at our family’s estate."
This would also shield them from unwanted harassment.
Su Yaruo took her words to heart.
At the estate, she met other female juren who had arrived earlier.
Opening the chest, she discovered a complete collection of past Great Qi imperial examination papers, meticulously organized by year.
Even her father, a juren, had no access to such valuable material. She resolved to make a copy for him later.
Everyone received the same gift. They pored over the papers like treasure, discussing answers and exchanging ideas. Here, Su Yaruo forged friendships with like-minded peers. Life at the estate felt like a dream—beautiful and surreal.
On the twelfth day of the tenth month, palace eunuchs escorted them to a banquet.
Dressed in robes provided by the Yus, Su Yaruo and the others entered the palace with pounding hearts.
The emperor had also summoned top-ranking juren from every province.
Su Yaruo saw the assembled officials. Though she knew some despised their presence, none dared show it openly.
Was it out of respect for the Divine Maiden?
More than the emperor, Su Yaruo longed to meet the Divine Maiden herself. Since her emergence, women’s status had risen steadily.
After sitting for half an hour, she finally laid eyes on the Divine Maiden, Yu Miaohua.
Clad in pale green, her features were exquisitely delicate.
When the Divine Maiden winked in their direction, Su Yaruo’s mind went blank.
She wasn’t the aloof figure Su Yaruo had imagined—instead, she radiated warmth and playful charm.
...
As the emperor’s speech droned on, Yu Miaohua fought back a yawn.
Excitement over meeting the female juren had kept her up all night. The emperor’s voice, monotonous as a lullaby, only deepened her drowsiness.
[So tired… How much longer is this going to take? System, pick me some steamy novels to wake me up.]
[What genre does the host prefer? Sibling romance? Forced love? Or something sweet?]
[Forced love! Something intense to jolt me awake.]
Who cared about morals in smut? Just enjoy the ride!
Mid-speech, Pei Lingyue glimpsed the words above Yu Miaohua’s head and broke into a cold sweat.
While other ministers might not understand what "steamy novels" meant, as one of the first to see the Divine Maiden’s text, he knew all too well.
If she started reading—and discussing—such content in front of his trusted officials…
Imagine the scene—Pei Lingyue found it hard to breathe, so he immediately scrapped most of his prepared speech, pivoted the topic, and wrapped it up in just a few sentences.
Finally, he turned to Yu Miaohua and asked, "Does the Divine Maiden have anything to say?"
[Eh? The Emperor is done already?]
[Host, should we still read it?]
[Not for now.]
Yu Miaohua, who had originally planned to pass the time by reading risqué literature, quickly dismissed the idea.
She recalled the motto of a girls' school from her past life and, after a brief pause, declared, "I hope you will stand atop the peaks and look down upon the mediocrity of the valleys."
[System, queue up the future world video!]
Ministers like Jiang Kangyou remained unfazed: Clearly, the "mediocrity of the valleys" wasn’t referring to them.
What intrigued them more was the so-called future world.
A few officials, however, felt indirectly targeted. But since it was the Divine Maiden who had spoken, they dared not retort. Their anger flared—and then fizzled out.
They couldn’t exactly volunteer to take the insult.
Soon, they were grateful they hadn’t acted rashly.
After Yu Miaohua’s words, a massive, glass-like illusion suddenly materialized in the sky.
"Is this a new auspicious sign?"
Strangely, no one was surprised by the celestial anomaly.
Where the Divine Maiden was present, such marvels were expected.
The next moment, a lively voice rang out as a young woman appeared in the sky. She wore peculiar clothing, her hair loose and not particularly long—enough to make the traditionalists frown. Behind her stood a palatial building.
[May 6, 2070: Medical scientist Yu You'an of Great Qi pioneered a groundbreaking treatment for the plague, reducing mortality rates from 50% to 10% for pneumonic and septicemic plague. With early treatment, recovery rates soared to over 97%. For this achievement, Yu You'an was awarded the Qingying Prize, the highest honor in medicine, named after the ancient physician Wen Qingying from a thousand years ago. Archaeological evidence confirms Wen Qingying was not only a renowned doctor of Great Qi but also a descendant of the Min Dynasty’s imperial family.]
[Wen Qingying was also the founding principal of the first medical school for women—the precursor to Great Qi’s top university, Jingcheng University. Today, we’re visiting Jingcheng University.]
The crowd erupted in shock and disbelief.
"What did she say? The plague can be cured?"
"A thousand years later? So this is the future?"
"That’s an academy? It looks as grand as a palace—how extravagant!"
At first, they assumed the mention of Wen Qingying was a coincidence, but the reference to the Min Dynasty’s imperial lineage confirmed it was her.
When the Divine Maiden and Wen Qingying had established the women’s medical school, no one objected, seeing it as harmless—even beneficial—for their families. They’d assumed it was just a passing whim, never imagining it would leave such a lasting legacy. The Qingying Prize… future generations had even named an award after her.
Wen Qingying, a court-appointed princess, was also present at the banquet.
The Qingying Prize?
She had become a celebrated physician in the eyes of posterity. Even after a millennium, she wasn’t forgotten. The school the Divine Maiden founded had evolved into the finest academy.
A faint smile touched her lips.
On the screen, the woman walked through the entrance, pulled out a card from her pocket, and swiped it against a metal device. A beep sounded, a red line turned green, and the door slid open automatically.
This… this was sorcery!
And the buildings inside—towering into the clouds—how were they even constructed? The cost in labor and silver must be unimaginable.
The woman continued.
[Jingcheng University began as a simple medical school for women but later became a comprehensive academy, producing countless talents for Great Qi.]
[For instance, the earliest professor of chemistry was Pei Yueli, our ancient era’s greatest chemist and master of firearms. Her student, Qiu Yumei, refined cannon technology, achieving a range of two thousand meters—five hundred years ahead of foreign nations. A single blast shattered the morale of overseas nations, forcing them to submit to Great Qi.]
[The physics instructor was Cai Qinan, one of Great Qi’s first female scholars. Though she failed the imperial exams, the Divine Maiden intervened, providing her with rare texts on physics and chemistry. Cai Qinan quickly demonstrated her genius, improving iron-smelting efficiency by 20%. In her later years, she invented the steam engine, heralding the Industrial Revolution. Fifty years ago, her hometown was renamed Qinan Village in her honor.]
Cai Qinan, who had been sipping tea, nearly choked, staring blankly at the sky.
The bad news: She now knew she’d fail the imperial exams.
The good news: She’d become legendary! Her hometown would bear her name. With such prestige, her family’s genealogy would dedicate a whole page to her.
[The first generation of female scholars was truly remarkable—Cai Qinan, Wang Zhuoya, Su Yaruo, Peng Aimei… Each is a historical figure whose name tormented me in exams. In this regard, I admire Emperor Qi Wu’s foresight. His policies were revolutionary. He remains wildly popular, consistently ranking among the top five greatest emperors in polls.]
[Back then, many opposed women’s education, but Emperor Qi Wu and his ministers persisted, allocating 100,000 taels annually to support women’s academies. They even added mathematics, physics, and chemistry to the imperial exams, transforming Great Qi. Historians now agree: Those 100,000 taels were the most worthwhile investment of the millennium. The naysayers? Forgotten clowns.]
The opponents of women’s education flushed with humiliation at the future’s verdict.
Pei Lingyue gazed at the sky, his heart as refreshed as if he’d gulped an icy drink on a scorching day.
Him? A top-five emperor in history. Understood?
(Sob, real-life has been hectic—mostly dealing with housing stuff. It’s mostly settled now, so updates will resume for real this time.)
"I’m Here to Fix the Dogblood Tropes in Rich Family Dramas" by Yue Lizheng
College student Song Tianyang stumbled upon an online post: "If you suddenly found the Imperial Seal, what would you do?"
She snapped a photo of the "Imperial Seal" her grandma had bought for an exorbitant 100 yuan at a flea market and commented: "By Heaven’s Mandate, Long Live the Prosperous Reign!!"
…Those eight words activated the Emperor System embedded in the seal.
After 22 uneventful years, Song Tianyang was officially diagnosed as an emperor.
The Emperor System could help her swiftly review official documents, win over hearts, and balance court politics... Yet she was merely an unemployed art school graduate whose "kingdom" spanned only a four-girl dormitory, where even her bunkmate ignored her imperial decrees.
Bad news: Her Majesty had sent out hundreds of resumes with no response and was about to grit her teeth and work in a shady factory tightening screws.
Good news: A day later, she received a call from Qidian Group.
Song Tianyang answered the phone: "What? I’m the long-lost pearl of your chairman’s scattered legacy? Do I need to go to Myanmar to 'reclaim my roots'? Don’t mess with a desperate job-seeking college student! Do you know this is a crime of deceiving the sovereign?"
A week later, after confirming the blood ties were genuine, Song Tianyang acquired her new identity—
The awkwardly positioned true heiress of Qidian Group.
And the fiancée (dumped edition) of a certain old-money elite family.
So... was her job offer still valid?
...
At the same time, Chi Zhiqing, once a titan of commerce, finally pieced together that he had transmigrated into a melodramatic rich family novel and activated the Loyal Minister System.
His glory and disgrace, life and death, were now bound to Song Tianyang.
As a man who once stood atop the food chain, he thought mentoring a lone girl would be no trouble. Confidently, he sought out his young "emperor" and asked about her life goals.
Whether it was amassing wealth rivaling nations or greater ambitions, he vowed to help her achieve them.
After learning of his illustrious background, the little emperor pondered briefly and said:
"Uh... could you help me write my graduation thesis?"
Chi Zhiqing, staring at the unlocked achievement 【Politics Handled by the Minister, Rituals Left to the Sovereign】, nearly spat blood and fainted on the spot.
