Yu Miaohua felt as though she were dreaming.
Who could have imagined? The emperor had recently seemed possessed, pushing the new policy allowing women to take imperial examinations with unshakable determination. As for the inclusion of miscellaneous subjects in the exams, it was said they would be implemented before the next provincial-level exams.
In May, the first round of county-level exams for women took place.
In June, the second round, the prefectural exams, followed.
By July, after the third round—the academy exams—the Great Qi dynasty had selected its first cohort of female scholars. The number wasn’t large—just over five hundred, with the eldest being over sixty years old. In comparison, around four thousand male scholars were selected each year.
These female scholars would join the men in the autumn provincial exams in August.
To avoid criticism, the exam papers for both groups were identical.
Yu Miaohua understood that the number of female candidates passing the provincial exams would likely be small—not because women were less intelligent, but because they had never been given the resources or opportunities to study the Four Books and Five Classics.
Still, this was already a monumental leap forward. Progress had to be made step by step.
Once the results were announced, these female candidates would travel to the capital for the metropolitan exams. Yu Miaohua worried that after their success, their families might see them as rare commodities and hastily arrange marriages for them. She also feared they might be distracted by worldly affairs and fail to prepare adequately. Already disadvantaged by limited resources, any further disruptions would only widen the gap.
Some people wouldn’t consider these obstacles, arrogantly insisting that women were simply inferior to men.
The mere thought of such a scene filled her with anger.
After some deliberation, Yu Miaohua decided to seek an audience with the emperor.
"Your Majesty, once the provincial exam results are announced, I propose allowing the female candidates to come to the capital early. They could stay at my estate to prepare for the metropolitan exams."
This would also prevent anyone from sabotaging their efforts.
Pei Lingyue nodded. "You’re right. They are the first women to take the metropolitan exams. I wish to meet them and host a banquet in the palace to celebrate this milestone."
Thanks to Pei Yueli’s frequent visits to the Divine Maiden’s residence, Pei Lingyue had learned that Yu Miaohua wanted to project a vision of the future but hadn’t found the right opportunity.
Rather than waiting for the New Year’s banquet, he decided to create an opening for her. Knowing Yu Miaohua, she would surely seize this moment. He wondered what the future would look like.
Upon hearing this, Yu Miaohua’s eyes lit up.
[Ah, System! We don’t have to wait for the New Year’s banquet to project the vision! We can do it now!]
Though the women’s exams were proceeding smoothly, it was only because the emperor had taken a firm stance and purged dissenting officials early on. The opposition was merely biding its time, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
A projection now could show them that women’s participation in the exams was an inevitable trend, endorsed by history itself. Those who opposed it would be branded as enemies of progress.
[Host has triggered Main Quest 7.3: Change the outdated belief that "women are inferior to men" for over 100,000 people. Reward: Six months of favorable weather across Great Qi.]
[…Six months? Couldn’t you at least make it a full year?]
Yu Miaohua was exasperated.
[Host has three ongoing quests. No new quests will be triggered until one is completed.]
Yu Miaohua still hadn’t completed Quests 7.1 and 7.2, and now she had Main Quest 7.3.
Pei Lingyue was heartbroken. Without new quests, his life felt as barren as a dry well.
Once the celestial projection was shown, he would rush to complete the previous tasks. It was all those ministers’ fault—always opposing everything. Without tangible results from the women’s exams, he couldn’t force funding for women’s academies. Doing so would only fuel resentment and give opportunists a reason to stir trouble.
He could only hope Yu Miaohua’s projection would shift public opinion.
But over 100,000 people…
Deeply ingrained beliefs weren’t so easily changed.
Yu Miaohua was equally anxious about the task.
The capital’s population exceeded two million, but convincing over 100,000 to completely abandon their prejudices was daunting.
Perhaps she could project the vision in multiple provinces.
The wider the projection’s reach, the greater its impact. Currently, she had two projection skills left. She could purchase three more from the system’s store and target the five most populous provinces, ensuring coverage for millions.
Even a 1% conversion rate among ten million people would suffice.
[System, I’ll buy three more projection skills.]
The system swiftly deducted the points.
Yu Miaohua winced as her points dwindled, but it was a necessary expense.
Pei Lingyue guessed her plan.
Curse those useless ministers for stalling his quests!
In his foul mood, he began nitpicking their work.
For the next while, the court officials suffered under the emperor’s increasingly sarcastic remarks. Those with skeletons in their closets faced demotions or exile.
Who had provoked His Majesty’s displeasure?
Baffled and fearful, they kept their heads down, wary of becoming scapegoats.
After the August provincial exams, the lists of successful candidates—72 women and 316 men—were promptly sent to the capital.
Pei Lingyue issued an edict summoning the female candidates to the capital, with their travel expenses covered by their local prefectures.
……
At the Su residence, Su Yaruo bid farewell to the last of the congratulatory guests.
Since her success, relatives and friends had flocked to her home. Her husband’s family, the Zhangs, had even hosted three days of banquets, basking in the reflected glory.
Old Lady Zhang beamed. "Now that Su Yaruo is a provincial graduate, we can register two hundred acres of land under her name to avoid taxes."
Provincial graduates enjoyed tax exemptions for up to two hundred acres.
A faint displeasure stirred in Su Yaruo’s heart. Even as a graduate, her mother-in-law still referred to her as "Su Yaruo."
Old Lady Zhang schemed further. Su Yaruo could tutor the clan’s children. Their family school had never been able to hire a provincial graduate as a teacher—yet now they had one right in their household. She had originally arranged her son’s marriage to Su Yaruo because her father was a provincial graduate, paying a hefty bride price for the match.
But over the years, her son had failed to even pass the county-level exams, while Su Yaruo, who had merely accompanied him in studying, had surpassed him.
The thought dampened Old Lady Zhang’s joy. She consoled herself that if Su Yaruo guided the younger generation well, more graduates would emerge in time.
With this in mind, she issued her orders.
Su Yaruo replied, "Mother, I must prepare for the metropolitan exams next year. I’ll need to focus on my studies."
Old Lady Zhang frowned. "Passing the provincial exams was already a fluke. How can you aspire to become a metropolitan graduate? Don’t waste your time."
"Indeed. One must know their limits. Your foundation is still weak—you should spend a few more years reviewing before attempting anything further," said Zhang Tiancheng, Su Yaruo's husband. His wife's achievements only highlighted his own decade of arduous study as a farce.
Many outwardly congratulated him, but behind his back, they mocked him for being far inferior to the Su family. Su Yaruo's marriage to him was likened to a delicate flower planted in cow dung.
If Su Yaruo were to actually become an official...
Then he, a grown man, would likely be overshadowed for life, with no chance to rise.
At this thought, Zhang Tiancheng resolved that, no matter what, he would not allow Su Yaruo to travel to the capital for the imperial examinations. Even if she were a phoenix, without his permission, she would never fly free from the Zhang household!
Su Yaruo forced herself to appear demure. "I’ll defer to my husband’s wishes."
But inwardly, she had already decided: no matter what, she would take the examinations.
What she hadn’t anticipated was that Zhang Tiancheng would go even further than she imagined—he outright forbade her from leaving the house, even denying her visits to her own family.
As the eldest son of the Zhang family, Master Zhang would never defy his son’s wishes for the sake of a daughter-in-law, so he tacitly approved his actions. His son had once confided in him:
"Su Yaruo and I share little affection. If she ever rises to become a female official, she’ll likely cast our Zhang family aside without hesitation."
Master Zhang found his son’s reasoning sound. Su Yaruo’s current scholarly rank was just right—unable to leave the Zhang family, yet still bringing them benefits.
Zhang Tiancheng looked at Su Yaruo and flashed a wide grin. "I know what you’re thinking. You’ve never been the obedient type. Don’t even consider abandoning us."
Especially since they had no children. If Su Yaruo were to go to the capital, she might never return.
A child—they needed a child.
With this in mind, Zhang Tiancheng forced a gentle expression. "Be good. Let’s have a clever son, just like you. With a mother like you to guide him, he’ll surely achieve greatness and bring honor to our Zhang family."
Su Yaruo stared coldly at him. "To your Zhang family."
Zhang Tiancheng frowned. "You married into the Zhang family. That makes you one of us."
Su Yaruo didn’t even glance at him—she knew of a hidden dog hole she had secretly dug years ago for sneaking out. If all else failed, she would crawl through it.
She would go to the capital!
But Su Yaruo never got the chance to use that dog hole.
A day later, the county magistrate arrived.
This year, Su Yaruo was the only scholar from Yuanli County to pass the provincial exams.
The magistrate beamed as he presented travel funds and official permits. "By the Emperor’s decree, all female scholars are to proceed to the capital."
Thanks to Su Yaruo, his annual evaluation would surely earn top marks. The magistrate looked at her as if she were his own daughter.
Zhang Tiancheng had never imagined the Emperor would issue such an edict. His face paled.
Su Yaruo sighed deliberately. "Your Honor, my husband insists I stay home to tend to household duties and abandon my foolish dreams. He forbids me from going to the capital for the examinations."
The magistrate’s smile vanished instantly. "Zhang Tiancheng!" he roared. "Your own inadequacies are no excuse to hold your wife back! Do you dare defy the Emperor’s decree?"
