Chapter 80: The Ministry of Rites dare not disobey the Empress’s orders…

Chapter 80 The Ministry of Rites would never dare to disregard Her Majesty’s orders...

When Lu Hang received the summons, he assumed Emperor Jingyuan wished to inquire about the year-end Heaven Worship ceremony.

He slipped the memorial he had prepared over the past few days into his sleeve, intending to present it for the emperor’s review when asked.

However, upon arriving at the palace and just finishing kowtowing to the Emperor and Empress, he heard the Empress’s voice from the throne:

"His Majesty and Her Majesty summoned Minister Lu to discuss the establishment of state academies in Yanxi."

Lu Hang stopped short mid-motion as he reached for the memorial.

State academies in Yanxi?

Lu Hang cautiously replied, "Yanxi is not a region known for its scholarly traditions. Why would Your Majesty and Her Majesty consider establishing schools there?"

*Huo Ling said,* "Since the academies are to be set up in Yanxi, they should naturally benefit its people, allowing talented students from Yanxi to attend."

"But the primary purpose is to educate the noble youths of the Qiang Rong."

"Under the guidance of academy officials, they will learn Han culture and abandon their uncivilized ways."

This unconventional idea left Lu Hang astonished.

However, as Minister of Rites—responsible for governing cultural matters—he understood the role well.

Huo Ling had only hinted at the concept, yet he had already grasped its merits.

"Her Majesty’s insight is profound."

"Our dynasty’s willingness to establish state academies in Yanxi and educate the Qiang Rong people is truly a benevolent policy. Once the Qiang Rong learn of this, they will surely be grateful for our dynasty’s kindness."

Lu Hang was adept at courtly speech, framing the establishment of schools entirely as an act of imperial grace toward the Qiang Rong.

Huo Ling felt she had much to learn from Lu Hang—particularly his unparalleled skill in delivering polished untruths with a straight face.

Emperor Jingyuan gave a faint laugh before saying, "We called you here not to hear such words."

Those in power made decisions, but the specifics of implementation had to be left to their subordinates.

Moreover, establishing academies in Yanxi was a prestigious yet challenging undertaking.

The appointment of officials required careful consideration.

At this thought, Emperor Jingyuan glanced at Huo Ling and asked how she intended to choose the candidates.

Huo Ling smiled. "With Minister Lu here, why does Your Majesty still turn to me for counsel?"

Emperor Jingyuan replied, "The conception was yours—you must have a scheme prepared. Share your thoughts freely."

Indeed, Huo Ling had her own ideas.

As a Yanxi-born native, she was far more familiar with the region than many ministers at court.

This was also why, among the state affairs she had been involved in, more than half were connected to Yanxi and the Qiang Rong.

Because she understood their very essence.

"The officials sent to Yanxi should preferably be familiar with Qiang Rong affairs."

"If a few can speak the Qiang Rong dialect, that would be even better."

Minister Lu replied diplomatically, "There are many officials in the court familiar with Qiang Rong affairs, but those who speak their dialect are few and far between."

Huo Ling's tone held a note of disapproval.

"Minister Lu, that’s not quite right."

"Establishing a state school only requires sending two or three steady, experienced officials to oversee it. The rest can be selected from young people with little prior administrative experience."

"If it’s difficult to find court officials who speak the dialect, then look in the National University—or even issue public notices to recruit capable talents."

At this point, Huo Ling glanced at Emperor Jingyuan beside her.

"Under Your Majesty’s rule, Great Yan abounds with talent. Why worry about not finding enough qualified officials? When the time comes, scholars will come in droves. The Ministry of Rites can prepare several sets of examinations to select those with real competence."

Now Minister Lu understood why the Empress had maintained such favor even after three years in the palace.

At best, he was merely skilled at spinning pretty words—unlike the Empress, who seemed determined to leave no quarter for flatterers.

With a silent sigh, Minister Lu saluted with clasped hands. "Your servant understands what must be done."

Emperor Jingyuan nodded slightly. "Then leave it to the Ministry of Rites."

When he left the palace, it was still early. Minister Lu first went to the National University.

Upon hearing that the Ministry of Rites would administer exams to select outstanding students for official posts in Yanxi, Chancellor Jiang was eager to cooperate.

After making arrangements, Minister Lu passed the task along to his subordinates, instructing them to prepare the exam papers as quickly as possible.

Once the drafts were ready, Minister Lu reviewed them carefully and made minor tweaks.

"Very well. Have this transcribed cleanly, then proceed with printing. Notify the National University that the exam can be scheduled—"

As he gave the order, a subordinate reached out to take the papers.

But before they could be handed over, Minister Lu suddenly stopped speaking and withdrew them.

"My lord?"

Lowering his gaze in thought for a moment, Minister Lu extended the papers again—but changed his mind.

"Have this recopied before noon. I will take it to the palace."

In the Fengyi Palace, Huo Ling was resting on a couch, drifting in and out of sleep.

Half-conscious, she faintly heard Li Man’s voice beyond the screen.

Fifteen minutes later, she opened her eyes and called for attendants to help her prepare her toilette.

Wu Mo entered, holding some papers.

Huo Ling glanced at her sidelong. "Did Eunuch Li come earlier?"

"Did My Lady hear the commotion?" Wu Mo asked.

"She did," she added after a pause. Huo Ling: "I thought I'd dreamed it. What did he bring?"

Wu Mo walked to the bronze mirror and handed the papers to Huo Ling: "Have a look, Your Highness. Eunuch Li mentioned these were sent to the palace by Minister Lu. Minister Lu hoped Your Highness could offer some guidance if time permitted."

"For my review?"

Huo Ling waved off the maid massaging her shoulders, took the papers, and immediately laughed: "The Ministry of Rites has produced countless exam papers—who could possibly draft them better?"

Wu Mo frowned: "Exam papers?"

Huo Ling folded the papers and stood up: "Come, we’ll go to the study."

Sitting in the study, Huo Ling carefully examined the exam papers from the Ministry of Rites.

The Ministry’s questions were exceptionally well-crafted, covering not only the customs of Western Yan but also assessing the candidates’ understanding of the Qiang Rong. The heavily weighted final question asked about setting up regional schools in Western Yan.

Only those with real scholarly merit could score well on this exam.

After a moment of thought, Huo Ling instructed Wu Mo: "Grind the ink."

Huo Ling took up her brush but left the existing questions untouched. Instead, she added one more at the end, asking how scholars might govern the Qiang Rong to assimilate them into Great Yan and enable them to live peacefully within its borders.

When the ink had dried, Huo Ling instructed: "Return these to Eunuch Li and ask him to deliver them to Minister Lu."

Lu Hang waited in his office for what felt like ages. Just before leaving, he finally received the exam papers returned from the palace.

He gave them a quick scan.

Seeing the newly added question at the end, Lu Hang stroked his beard, smiling, and handed them to his trusted subordinate: "Good. Have the Imperial College prepare for the exam."

The subordinate accepted the papers but remained puzzled: "Sir, setting exam questions is the duty of our Ministry of Rites. Why did you specifically send them into the palace?"

Lu Hang smiled: "Had this been His Majesty’s order, sending it for review wouldn’t have been necessary. But this was an instruction from Her Majesty the Empress. What if she had additional instructions after going over them?"

There was one more thing Lu Hang did not say to his subordinate—

—it also showed Her Majesty that the Ministry of Rites took her orders seriously.

Once Chancellor Jiang heard the Ministry of Rites had finalized the exam, he scheduled it without delay for three days later.

The exam was set to take place at the Imperial College, though invigilation would be handled by the Ministry of Rites.

Just as Huo Ling got the news, the two princesses were at Phoenix Glory Palace visiting the crown prince.

Huo Ling asked them what they had recently studied at the Tianzhang Pavilion.

The Second Princess piped up first.

The First Princess waited for her sister to finish before adding details the Second Princess had missed.

Huo Ling: "Have your tutors taught you about the Qiang Rong?"

Seeing both princesses nod, Huo Ling told them about the exam: "Would you like to leave the palace in three days to visit the Imperial College and observe?"

The First Princess hesitated, but the Second Princess eagerly replied: "Mother, I’d love to go."

Seeing her sister’s quick agreement, the First Princess hurriedly added: "I’m afraid Chancellor Jiang might be displeased."

The Second Princess retorted: "Would he even dare?"

Huo Ling smiled. "It's nothing serious. Just stay close behind Minister Lu when the time comes, and don't interfere with the examinees."

When Emperor Jingyuan arrived in the evening, Huo Ling casually mentioned while combing her hair, "Both Minister Lu and Academician Cui have told them about the Qiang Rong tribes. They're just going to watch the excitement."

She said it so casually that Emperor Jingyuan didn't take much notice.

It wasn't until three days later that Chancellor Jiang suddenly came to the palace and asked Emperor Jingyuan why he had given the two princesses tokens to observe the examinations at the Imperial Academy.

Emperor Jingyuan was startled and thought for a moment before recalling that Huo Ling had indeed mentioned something like this. As for the tokens, he wasn't sure—Huo Ling must have provided them.

"Did the two princesses disrupt the examination or disturb the candidates at the Imperial Academy?" Emperor Jingyuan countered.

Chancellor Jiang's bluster faltered. "...No."

Emperor Jingyuan waved his hand. "Then it's fine. The two princesses are young and haven’t seen how things work before. They simply wanted to see for themselves. There’s no need to mind, Chancellor Jiang."

Emperor Jingyuan sent Chancellor Jiang away without even informing Huo Ling.

Still, Huo Ling heard about Chancellor Jiang’s reaction from the two princesses.

When Chancellor Jiang saw the two princesses at the Imperial Academy, he nearly popped his eyes out. He maintained a respectful expression but piled on the flattery:

"The examination lasts three hours. The princesses, delicate flowers of the court, shouldn't have to stand here so long."

"We've prepared tea and refreshments in the hall. Please, Your Highnesses, come and enjoy them..."

Clearly, he'd been burned before and dared not openly slight the princesses. Instead, he used seemingly polite words to steer them away.

The Second Princess snorted, "I won’t fall for his tricks."

The elder princess, seeming more animated than usual, had cheeks pink with excitement. "I also thought proctoring for three hours would be too tiring, so I had tables, chairs, tea, and snacks brought directly to the examination hall."

"After all, we sat far away, and we ate quietly without disturbing the candidates."

Huo Ling couldn't help but laugh, easily imagining Chancellor Jiang’s stricken look.

The Ministry of Rites spent several days grading all the exams and selected the top twenty to be sent to the palace for the emperor and empress to review.

Sitting beside Emperor Jingyuan, Huo Ling looked through the papers and remarked, "Chancellor Jiang may be rather old-fashioned, but he does a decent job in his position."

Emperor Jingyuan was puzzled. "You knew?"

He thought someone around him had leaked the news, letting Huo Ling know about Chancellor Jiang’s complaint.

Huo Ling was instantly alert. "What does Your Majesty think I know?"

Realizing he’d given himself away, Emperor Jingyuan coughed lightly. "Nothing."

Huo Ling narrowed her eyes. "Your Majesty actually kept this from me for Chancellor Jiang’s sake."

Not willing to bear such an accusation, Emperor Jingyuan had no choice but to explain the truth.

After hearing it, Huo Ling wasn’t surprised—it was exactly the kind of thing Chancellor Jiang would do.

"Not angry?" Emperor Jingyuan asked.

Huo Ling recounted what the two princesses had said to him: "He was the one who got frustrated, and he was the one who threw a tantrum. I wouldn’t let such a stuffy old man get under my skin."

She also explained about the token: "I gave it to them just to counter Chancellor Jiang’s tricks."

"Raising the princesses is the Empress’s duty. Jiang, as an outsider, overstepped his bounds by meddling in palace affairs."

Emperor Jingyuan laughed at her. [scoffs] "You can’t stand to lose even a little."

"Who enjoys suffering losses?" Huo Ling replied.

Shaking his head, he sighed, "That stubbornness of yours..."

She glanced at him. "Does Your Majesty disapprove?"

He countered with a smile, "Don’t you already know my answer?"

His words made her laugh, and she reached out to take his hand. "My temperament is set, I think. No matter how long I stay by Your Majesty’s side, I’ll never match your tolerance and benevolence."

Over the years, she had closely observed the emperor’s actions.

She could learn his effortless political plays, his long-term foresight.

But she found it hard to adopt his way of doing things.

Because their personalities were so different.

Different temperaments meant different reactions to the same situation.

Still, she had no intention of trying to change.

She’d gotten this far through strength, not kindness.

So that afternoon, Chancellor Jiang was confronted by Cui Hongyi, sent by the Empress.

"Her Majesty says you may be good at teaching the students at the Imperial Academy, but you’re no good at teaching the princesses."

"And how they’re raised is none of your concern."

Jiang’s face turned bright red, as if transported back three years ago. Right here, it had been Attendant Cui who delivered the written edict stripping him of the Princess Tutor title for being unfit.

Now, though there was no formal decree, the verbal reprimand still left him burning with shame.

Even Madam Jiang showed no sympathy: "You already messed up once with the princesses—how’d you walk right into it again?"

Even his daughter scolded him: "Father didn’t think about how this would affect me when he went running to complain. How am I supposed to face the princesses now?"

Chancellor Jiang: "..."

Well, this is just...

When it came to princess-related matters, he really should have turned a blind eye!

And also—Your Majesty, how could you throw me under the carriage like this?

...

After putting Jiang in his place, Huo Ling dismissed him from her thoughts entirely.

She was currently meeting with Lu Hang in the imperial study: "I've gone through these twenty exam papers, and they're pretty good. But I doubt all twenty would want to go to Yanxi."

Lu Hang nodded and offered a word in defense of Chancellor Jiang: "He already checked with them—only six are willing to go."

Huo Ling asked, "Which six?"

Lu Hang read off their names.

Huo Ling pulled out their papers: "Six won't be enough."

Lu Hang said, "Should we lower the bar more?"

Huo Ling was also open to giving more students from the Imperial Academy a chance: "Then let's open it up to the top hundred."

Lu Hang replied, "I'm afraid that still might not be enough."

Huo Ling said, "Post the last two questions publicly and invite talented commoners to answer them. We'll pick the best before next year's Lantern Festival."

Though he'd just been chewed out by Empress Huo, Chancellor Jiang had to admit she had a point.

There were thousands of students at the Imperial Academy, so selecting only the top hundred might seem strict.

But many of those thousands were rich kids who got in through family connections. Only a few hundred were truly serious scholars.

If someone couldn't even make the top hundred among that group, that's on them—they've got no one to blame but themselves.