The ministers were stunned: Sending the Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort to serve the Divine Maiden? Had the Emperor truly not been possessed by the late Emperor’s spirit?
"Your Majesty, this goes against propriety," one protested.
Jiang Kangyou, however, remained unperturbed—he had seen the Emperor’s tactics many times before.
Pei Lingyue explained, "The Divine Maiden currently resides outside the palace, so I cannot oversee her tasks firsthand. That’s why I must send the Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort. I certainly can’t dispatch the Empress Dowager or the Empress..." Among the imperial harem, only these few could see the Divine Maiden.
"This time, we were fortunate that the Divine Maiden completed her mission without our assistance. But what about next time? What if we miss out on something as crucial as gunpowder or Champa rice?"
The ministers’ expressions grew solemn.
At first, they hadn’t paid much attention to gunpowder—until Great Qi used it to force Great Liang to surrender within a single month, with shockingly minimal casualties. In the past, even if Great Qi had won, the victory would not have been so swift and decisive, nor would it have come without exorbitant costs in silver and provisions.
After that, neighboring nations began treating Great Qi with unprecedented deference and respect.
At this thought, they found themselves unable to refuse.
Pei Chiyan observed their expressions and suggested, "If sending the Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort is unacceptable, perhaps we could appoint female officials instead."
Yuan Xinji, sensing the Emperor’s intent, chimed in, "But no female officials in the palace can see the divine spirits."
For those below consort rank to gain such sight, they would likely need further promotions. Yet promotions were far from easy to obtain.
Pei Chiyan coughed lightly and scanned the room. "That’s why I propose opening the imperial examinations to women." Merely having good character wasn’t enough to perceive divine spirits—one needed either high rank or an official position in the court.
"I can’t just arbitrarily ennoble a group of women as Noble Consorts, can I?"
Allowing women to take the imperial examinations... was unprecedented. If word spread, it would surely send shockwaves through Great Qi, inciting fierce opposition.
Pei Chiyan sighed. "My decision to open the examinations to women isn’t solely for the sake of the consorts." His voice grew heavier with frustration. "Among Great Qi’s officials, barely one in ten can pass the divine trials. The rest are nothing but useless parasites. If they were even slightly more competent, I wouldn’t have to toil day and night."
Many of the technologies Yu Miaohua had introduced still hadn’t been fully implemented among the populace—simply because there weren’t enough capable hands.
"Your daughters will also be eligible to take the examinations. If they pass the divine trials and contribute to completing missions, I will not hesitate to bestow titles upon them."
For the ministers, opening the examinations to women would undoubtedly benefit their own daughters first. Commoners struggled just to feed themselves—even if they scrimped and saved, they would prioritize educating their sons over their daughters.
But the ministers were different. Though their daughters might not receive the same resources as their sons, they were still well-versed in the classics. After all, they were their own flesh and blood—any success would only strengthen the family.
This was especially tempting for ministers who had only daughters. Their girls were bright and talented, no less capable than men, yet confined to the inner chambers.
"Selecting talent should not be limited by age—nor by gender."
"Your Majesty’s proposal is most wise."
These ministers, having been chosen by the divine spirits, were men of integrity and thus quicker to accept the idea.
Once united, they became an immovable mountain.
Pei Lingyue was pleased and soon announced the decision during court.
Naturally, there was opposition. Many men couldn’t stomach the thought of standing alongside women in the grand hall. Just imagining it made them deeply uncomfortable.
"This violates ancestral customs!"
Pei Lingyue adopted a defiant tone. "This was decreed by the late emperors in my dreams. What? Do you dare defy their will?"
"If you can persuade our ancestors, I’ll reconsider."
Persuade Great Qi’s imperial ancestors? Where? In the afterlife?
Some ministers immediately backed down. They weren’t about to stake their lives on opposing this.
Pei Lingyue pressed on, "You claim women are useless—does that mean you consider the Divine Maiden useless as well?"
This silenced another portion of the opposition.
Daring to speak ill of the Divine Maiden might not provoke her wrath, but the heavens would surely avenge her.
They consoled themselves—if they could tolerate the Crown Prince of Great Qi becoming the Divine Maiden’s consort, then women taking the examinations was nothing in comparison.
In the face of the Divine Maiden, their principles crumbled one after another.
As for the remaining stubborn dissenters, Pei Lingyue’s spies were more than capable. Soon, dossiers detailing their every misdeed were compiled and delivered to the throne.
Pei Lingyue didn’t abuse his power for personal vendettas—he simply enforced the law. After several families were either stripped of their assets or exiled, open opposition dwindled, and the policy passed with astonishing speed. The decrees were swiftly disseminated throughout the realm.
The capital’s residents were the first to hear, and the news left them astounded. Streets and alleyways buzzed with discussion.
From now on, women could take the examinations and become officials?
Was this real?
Families without sons were indifferent, but those with daughters began to reconsider. Many wealthy households immediately sought tutors for their girls.
The first examination would have the fewest candidates—they couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity. Who knew? They might just get lucky.
......
[Ahhh! Congratulations, Host, on completing the hidden legendary mission: Indirectly advancing women’s participation in imperial examinations by five centuries, thereby altering history. Reward: 5,000 points, a complete set of elementary mathematics textbooks, an introductory physics series, and an introductory chemistry series.]
[Host, we’re amazing!]
Yu Miaohua was baffled by the reward.
The implementation of women’s examinations... was connected to her?
She recalled the Emperor’s words during her last visit to the palace.
Could this be the "surprise" he had mentioned?
A surprise indeed—and a monumental one at that! It delighted her even more than her father’s ennoblement as a Duke.
Thanks to Yu Miaohua’s influence, women’s status had improved somewhat, but it was still far from enough.
Only by gaining access to the examinations and wielding real power could they advocate for themselves. Yu Miaohua refused to stand by as women’s rights eroded further, their freedoms increasingly restricted.
Even if the policy were later abolished, its mere existence would plant a seed in people’s minds. Besides, once women tasted power, she doubted they would willingly return to the inner chambers.
The hidden mission’s rewards were equally satisfying—science and technology were the true engines of progress.
She could complete tasks and introduce technologies beyond this era’s imagination, but the people merely followed blueprints without understanding the principles. If these techniques were lost, society would regress.
If she could push forward in this aspect, perhaps she might live to see the advent of steam engines before her death.
Overjoyed, Yu Miaohua quickly submitted this reward, feeling that Pei Lingyue truly deserved the life-extending elixir she had gifted him earlier.
Pei Lingyue had been busy lately with the matter of the imperial examinations for women. To swiftly select suitable female officials to serve by Yu Miaohua’s side, he aimed to complete both the preliminary and provincial-level exams for the first women’s imperial examinations within the year, ensuring they could participate in the spring metropolitan exams the following year.
However, the girls currently able to study all came from wealthy families, and their numbers were limited. Although the promotion of new printing and papermaking techniques had significantly reduced the cost of books, few households could afford them.
Yu Miaohua pondered the idea of establishing women’s academies across the country, implementing a scholarship system. Girls from impoverished families could be exempted from tuition and writing materials expenses, and they could even be provided with work such as copying books.
Since leaving the cold palace, she had received numerous rewards over the years and now owned several estates and farmland. Combined with the dowager empress’s private treasury, Yu Miaohua was undeniably a wealthy woman. The expenses for a few academies were well within her means.
She had previously founded a women’s school dedicated to teaching medicine, so she was no stranger to such endeavors.
Yu Miaohua swiftly began drafting proposals, revising them again and again.
[Promoting the status of women will enhance the host’s historical reputation and contribute to the liberation of productivity. Host has triggered Main Quest 7.1: Devise a way to persuade the court to allocate no less than 100,000 taels annually for the operation of women’s academies. Reward: Techniques for firing doucai and celadon-glazed porcelain.]
[Only by laying the foundation of scientific theory can the door to modernization be opened. Host has triggered Main Quest 7.2: Promote mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and persuade the court to add a new subject to the imperial examinations. Reward: The fourth and fifth treasure maps left behind by the previous dynasty.]
As Yu Miaohua wrote furiously, she triggered two new main quests in succession.
Well, well. The treasure maps from the previous dynasty would ultimately benefit Great Qi.
Yu Miaohua examined the porcelain photos provided by the system. The celadon glaze had a jade-like texture, perfectly suited to the literati’s aesthetic tastes—once introduced to the market, sales would be guaranteed. As for doucai, there was even less to worry about.
With these two techniques, establishing a few kilns would generate enough annual revenue to sustain the academies indefinitely, even if only a tenth of the profits were allocated.
The catch was that she had to complete the quests to obtain the techniques.
Yu Miaohua contemplated how to accomplish both tasks at once.
Coincidentally, she also wanted people of this era to take mathematics, physics, and chemistry more seriously instead of dismissing them as trivial knowledge. If these subjects were included in the imperial exams, even the unwilling would have to study them. She wondered if she could exchange some Olympiad-style questions from the system’s back-end store to use as exam material.
[System, the future of this world has already changed, hasn’t it?]
[Yes. Without the host, this world would have been forced open by foreign cannons a thousand years later, following a historical trajectory similar to that of the system’s original world.]
After a moment’s thought, Yu Miaohua had an idea.
[System, create a "one-day tour of the future" video, with plenty of clips showcasing women in various professions.]
At the right time, she would project the system’s edited video onto the sky.
The projection skill was truly too useful.
She refused to believe they would remain indifferent after witnessing the airplanes, cars, and other marvels of the future. It would also help reduce opposition.
……
The women’s imperial examinations were an unprecedented affair. Even though the emperor and his high-ranking ministers had taken a firm stance on the matter, making it impossible for dissenters to oppose them openly, they never expected the emperor and the grand tutor to go so far as to classify "trivial studies" as an examination subject.
What kind of absurdity was this?
Rumors claimed the books on these subjects had been provided by the Divine Maiden.
The women’s exams were likely just a ploy by the emperor to appease her.
The Divine Maiden was admirable, but her presence had also clouded the judgment of the emperor and his officials, leading them to act irrationally.
Yet, none dared to openly oppose her.
Still, they couldn’t stand idly by as the world moved in a direction they despised.
Perhaps they could remind the crown prince.
Despite his noble status, the crown prince had been reduced to a tribute gift for the Divine Maiden, confined within her residence. He must harbor deep resentment toward her. Only he could step forward to restore order—he was their last hope.
Since we’re in the final stages, writer’s block has been hitting hard… sobs, I’m trying my best to adjust.
