Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 754: Female Examination (Part 1)
This year’s grace exam was set for early March, and in addition to the usual Imperial Examination, a female examination was added.
This was destined to be a grand and monumental exam that would go down in history.
Since the previous year, scholars from all over Da Liang had flocked to the Capital City. After the new year, the influx of scholars going to the capital increased. The inns in the Capital City were fully occupied. Even the homes of civil and military officials were filled with visiting relatives and clansmen.
As Jiang Shaohua expected, after the news of the female examination selection spread throughout Da Liang, few women had the courage and the support of their fathers and brothers to come to the Capital City. Most candidates were talented and visionary noble family ladies, primarily the daughters, daughters-in-law, granddaughters, or granddaughters-in-law of officials in the Capital City.
Among them, many with conservative and strict nature did not allow their female family members to participate in the female examination. In the end, a total of one hundred and six women registered with the Ministry of Rites.
Of these one hundred and six women, the oldest was twenty-eight and the youngest was fourteen years old. Unmarried girls made up thirty percent, another thirty percent were married women, and the largest group was widowed women living with their husband’s family or their own family.
Cui Wenxiu was also among them.
For widowed women, life was always a bit tougher. They also had more desire and motivation to break free from their chains. Cui Wenxiu was invited by her cousin to Ye County in the past and worked as a female teacher, earning silver to support herself, and also leaned on the Nanyang County Princess as a strong backing.
Now that the Commandery Princess sat on the Dragon Throne, the few female officials originally seen as child’s play in Nanyang County had gained the spotlight.
Even the Kong Family from Lu County sought out the Nanyang Guard Camp, hoping to reclaim Kong Qingwan.
Cui Wenxiu also faced similar troubles. Her own family maintained contact, while her husband’s family, which had severed ties, shamelessly sent her son to Ye County.
No matter how angry she was, she couldn’t abandon her son. Her husband’s family even wanted to send a girl from their clan to her, hoping she would help her take the female examination, which Cui Wenxiu firmly refused.
Li Ying accompanied Cui Wenxiu to the Capital City for the female examination selection.
Both of them held official positions and had jobs, so taking the female examination was not necessary for them. The main purpose was to bolster the prestige of the Emperor’s female examination selection. Imagine, if the Emperor established the female examination specially but few participated, it would be quite embarrassing.
Not only did they come, but they also brought the best and brightest students from the Women’s Academy to participate in the female examination.
"Teacher, Mountain Master, the Capital City is really lively." Fourteen-year-old Lu Zhen, like a budding flower, was full of life and had the confident energy of a young calf unafraid of tigers: "If I succeed in the exam, can I stay in the Capital City in the future?"
Cui Wenxiu and Li Ying both liked her very much and laughed together when they heard this: "Indeed."
"If you pass the exam, you can enter the palace and serve by the Emperor’s side."
Lu Zhen’s eyes suddenly lit up like two flames: "Really? That’s great! I want to serve the Emperor like Chen Sheren, become a female official of Da Liang."
With Lu Zhen’s ambitious demeanor, Li Ying’s eyes were filled with laughter and pride.
The Ye County Women’s Academy, established six years ago, initially had only five female students, and even a female teacher was hard to find. The County Magistrate’s Wife had to be the teacher herself. Lu Zhen was called Lu Daniu at that time; now this name was given by the Commandery Princess. Lu Zhen, smart and diligent, had been the top student at the Women’s Academy for six years. Even when the Commandery Princess’s sister Lu Ruohua came, she couldn’t surpass Lu Zhen’s top performance.
Nowadays, the Ye County Women’s Academy has gained widespread fame, with more than five hundred students in the academy. Four additional female teachers were hired. It’s not an exaggeration to call it the first Women’s Academy in Da Liang.
If Lu Zhen could succeed in this female examination selection, she would surely become famous all over the world. It would also firmly establish the name of Ye County Women’s Academy.
Both Li Ying and Cui Wenxiu held high hopes for Lu Zhen. Lu Zhen was also full of confidence in herself.
"It’s good to have ambition," Cui Wenxiu said with a soft laugh, "However, once in the examination room, don’t be careless, pay careful attention in the test. Strive to achieve the best results."
Lu Zhen nodded vigorously.
The Qinghe Cui Family had relatives living in the Capital City; the three of them traveled to the capital together, residing at the Cui Family’s residence. The Cui Family also had a fifteen-year-old girl who registered for the female examination along with them.
On the sixth day of the third month, two thousand scholars solemnly entered the special examination hall set by the Ministry of Rites. Before entering the examination hall, they all underwent rigorous searches to prevent anyone from cheating.
On the women’s side, the checks were the same. Minister Dong, thorough and meticulous, specially borrowed four palace attendants. One hundred and four women entered the room one by one for a body search, and it took roughly just over an hour to finish all inspections.
Why one hundred and four? Because two women withdrew at the last minute.
Coincidentally, both women had the surname Zheng. One was the illegitimate daughter of Duke An, and the other was Duke An’s niece. Both were the most well-read and talented among the women of the Zheng Family.
Upon hearing this, Minister Dong chuckled.
Duke An, Zheng Lin, had exhausted all his efforts for the Zheng Family’s survival. At this time, the Zheng Family certainly needed to keep a low profile. The withdrawal of Zheng Family women from the female examination was Duke An’s way of declaring no further ambition to meddle in court or the harem, only seeking a path to live.
Midway through the examination, the Emperor suddenly visited the Ministry of Rites.
Minister Dong was both surprised and delighted, hurriedly leading the inspecting officials to greet him.
Jiang Shaohua smiled and said, "I have been staying in the palace every day; today I found some free time and came out of the palace to look at the Ministry of Rites. Minister Dong, please continue your work; there is no need to accompany me."
The Imperial Examination selects officials for the country, a significant national event. It was also the first Imperial Examination since Minister Dong’s appointment. The Ministry of Rites had been busy preparing for this day for months. Minister Dong had hardly slept through a full night.
Minister Dong understood the Emperor’s temperament—if he said there was no need to accompany, then indeed there was no need. As long as he performed his duties well, all would be fine. If there were a mistake, it would be indefensible. There were plenty of envious onlookers waiting for him to make a mistake so they could submit impeachment memorials!
Minister Dong saluted and acknowledged, continuing to lead officials in inspecting the examination hall.
Jiang Shaohua leisurely entered the examination hall.
One of the scholars inadvertently looked up, and in his excitement, he lost his grip, causing his pen to fall onto his paper with a splat, ruining the half-written exam.
The scholar turned pale, almost fainting.
With the exam halfway done, even if he received a blank sheet, there would not be enough time. He was out of luck for this grace examination.
The other candidates dared not look up at all. They thought it was wiser to finish the exam and become a pupil of the Emperor, and then to admire the Emperor’s presence later.
Jiang Shaohua ignored the unfortunate fellow who didn’t know how to behave and after making a round in the hall, he proceeded to the women’s examination hall.
