Chapter 78

Outside the Library, the streets were filled with noise and commotion. Yet on the observation deck on the third floor, everything was as tranquil as still water.

The court officials seated there had, more or less, split into four factions.

There was the Emperor’s faction, led by Yun Yaoyao; the Du faction, led by Du Guanliu; Prince Ze’s faction; and the neutral faction, which wanted no part in the struggle.

Each faction had its own agenda, and every member was harboring ulterior motives.

The Emperor’s faction: These treacherous rebels! Sooner or later, His Majesty will turn you all into red bean paste!

The Du faction: His Majesty actually dealt so harshly with the people involved in the Children’s Welfare Bureau. Is this merely punishment for the incident itself, or is he using the bureau as an excuse to pressure the Du family and declare war?

Prince Ze’s faction: His Highness is looking far too triumphant these days, while their prince looks like a drowned dog that’s been rendered infertile. This won’t do. They have to win back some ground...

The neutral faction: Another day of maintaining our lofty neutrality. No one is getting us involved!

Du Guanliu smiled faintly and was the first to break the silence.

“Your Majesty, this subject was also deeply shocked and grieved by what happened at the Children’s Welfare Bureau. It was this subject’s failure to raise his son properly. That vile wretch may be dealt with however Your Majesty sees fit; this subject has no objections whatsoever. I only hope Your Majesty will not misunderstand the Du family because of this. The Du family has always upheld a spotless reputation. For generations, we have served the court, and we are wholeheartedly devoted to protecting Yan Chi and safeguarding Your Majesty!”

So he was willing to abandon his own son outright to preserve the family’s reputation.

But Du Guanliu had more than a dozen sons. Abandoning one useless Fifth Young Master Du hardly pained him.

Those words were also a test of Yun Yaoyao’s attitude.

Yun Yaoyao pretended to be moved and nodded. “Lord Du, I understand your devotion!”

Yun Yaoyao’s thoughts: Heh, I’m not going to tell you outright that I’m planning to come after the Du family. Figure it out yourself!

“This subject thanks Your Majesty!” Du Guanliu gazed back at her with deep emotion.

Du Guanliu’s thoughts: What exactly do you understand? Why don’t you make yourself clear? Now I don’t even know whether I should step on your toes or continue letting my daughter get close to you!

The members of the neutral faction glanced at Yun Yaoyao, then at Du Guanliu, and began whispering among themselves.

“Could His Majesty really be planning to take down the Du family? That’s the Du family we’re talking about—a century-old clan with tremendous influence!”

“His Majesty must have gotten carried away after profiting from the disaster. Now he’s taken it into his head to do something so thankless.”

“When the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer. This has nothing to do with us...”

Among the neutral officials, Ning Shouli turned his gaze toward his daughter, who stood behind Consort Miao. His old eyes grew moist, filled with relief and pride.

Ning Ying had shed her former impatience and youthful naivety. Every gesture she made now carried a calm and imposing dignity.

A moment ago, she had rushed over excitedly to tell him that the sworn elder brother she had made was actually the supreme ruler of the realm.

She had gone on and on about how wonderful His Majesty was in every respect. She had even said that she might soon be promoted and summoned to the Secretariat to attend court, and that she now had the ability to bring honor to the Ning family...

His Majesty, His Majesty... Had his ability to win people’s hearts really reached such a level?

Yet even Ning Shouli had to admit that when news of his captured son reached the capital, and he was forced to endure the officials’ hostility, suspicion, and pressure, it was His Majesty who had firmly protected the Ning family and declared that he would preserve his son’s life.

That recognition, that trust, had caused Ning Shouli’s heart—which had been cold for so many years—to fly involuntarily toward His Majesty.

Enough. No more hesitation.

Your Majesty, you have given the Ning family trust and respect. In return, the Ning family will give you peace of mind!

With the four factions each harboring their own schemes, let this old man lend you a hand!

Ning Shouli straightened his back and strode forward. Under the astonished and bewildered gazes of everyone present, he walked directly over to the Emperor’s faction and gave a hearty laugh.

“What are all of you fellow officials discussing? May this old man listen in?”

Yun Yaoyao, who stood nearby, was somewhat surprised that Ning Shouli had switched sides at such a time, but she also felt that it made perfect sense.

The Ning family was a household of loyal heroes. They had always lived by the creed of “loyalty to the sovereign and protection of the nation.” It was only because the late Emperor had disappointed them too many times that they had grown disheartened and withdrawn into neutrality.

Although Old General Ning was stubborn, he was also remarkably easy to win over.

At the thought, Yun Yaoyao gave Ning Shouli a slight nod, her gaze solemn.

Old General Ning, rest assured. With Yun Yaoyao here, I will never let you regret the wise decision you have made today!

The jaws of the neutral faction nearly hit the floor. One by one, they stared at Ning Shouli.

Weren’t they all supposed to maintain their lofty neutrality together? How could he betray them first?!

Hey, General Ning, by doing this, you’re making the rest of us neutrals look heartless!

More importantly, even you, the Minister of War, have defected to His Majesty’s side. Now we’re feeling... just a tiny bit tempted to switch sides too~~~!

Nearby, Tushan Ze wore a radiant, untroubled smile on the surface, but inwardly, he was grinding his teeth to powder.

The Minister of War had joined his opposition as well. His chances of seizing the throne had just shrunk even further!

It was all because of Yun Yaoyao! That walking lucky charm had thrown the entire situation into chaos!

But why hadn’t those vicious rumors he had spread managed to make Tu Shanjin suspicious of her or cause him to distance himself from her?!

Today, he had prepared another “grand gift” for the two of them. If Tu Shanjin still remained unmoved and continued protecting Yun Yaoyao, then it would mean that he had no hope of winning Yun Yaoyao over.

In that case, he could only take advantage of today... and kill her!

The incense on the sacrificial altar burned down to the end.

Tu Shanjin rose to his feet. Dressed in deep crimson ceremonial robes, his expression cold and solemn, his black hair streaming in the wind, he walked step by step toward the railing of the observation deck and looked down imperiously at the sea of people below.

The citizens below were gazing up at the figure above as well. The woman’s appearance first sparked a wave of excited chatter, but beneath her stern, commanding gaze, the people gradually quieted on their own, staring blankly at the figures on the observation deck.

What a wondrous figure she possessed—rare beneath heaven, peerless among all others.

Even those citizens who had seen Consort Miao on the day the museum opened could not help sighing once more at her otherworldly beauty and lofty bearing.

The wind high above whipped Tu Shanjin’s robes into a furious flutter, red garments and black hair flying together. He began to read the proclamation, each word ringing out with power.

“Today, His Majesty decrees... The Library shall house a vast sea of books... The Literacy Hall shall teach all the people to recognize written characters... By spreading civilization and enlightening the people, we shall display the grandeur of Yan Chi as a great nation!”

No matter how much gossip the citizens had been carrying in their hearts, after hearing those words, their blood could not help but race with excitement. Their chests swelled with pride, and they straightened their backs, wishing they could carve the words “people of Yan Chi” onto their foreheads.

They all began cheering loudly.

“Today is the Library’s opening day. To maintain order, those entering the Literacy Hall and the Library today have all been selected in advance. There will be ten groups in total, entering in batches.”

A group of people immediately emerged from the crowd. Men and women, young and old, some dressed in fine clothes and others in coarse garments, they could not hide the excitement on their faces as they followed the imperial guards toward the Library and the Literacy Hall.

The surrounding citizens rose onto their tiptoes and craned their necks to peer inside. They wished they could glue their eyes to the selected visitors and go in with them.

After roughly half an hour, the onlookers were fidgeting restlessly, scratching their ears and pacing about in agitation. At last, the group emerged, every face glowing with excitement.

One of the citizens immediately called out to them, “Well? Are there really as many books inside as they said? Can you really read and borrow any book you want? And is it true that there are teachers willing to teach people to read and write without charging tuition?”

“More than that!” The first person to emerge from the library was a scholarly-looking man. He carefully cradled the book in his arms, grinning so broadly that his gums showed. “I can’t stay and chat—I need to hurry home and study!”

“Oh, come on! At least tell us a little more!”

The common folk grew even more eager and began peppering the people behind him with questions.

Those who followed were in no hurry, and patiently answered them one by one.

“There are so many books inside, and they’re all brand-new! Every single one is neatly arranged on the shelves. Just on the first floor alone, there must be at least fifty shelves as far as the eye can see!”

A man whose hands were covered in calluses smiled until his eyes curved into slits. “I borrowed a book on farming. My son, who can read, is always telling me that there’s an art to growing crops. Once I get home, I’ll have him read this book and teach me how to grow a better harvest!”

An old man with a white beard stroked his whiskers. “They even have a complete copy of the Huangdi Neijing! Such a sacred medical text is here as well. His Majesty is truly benevolent! Once I finish reading it, my medical skills will certainly improve.”

Another woman was writing something over and over again in her palm with one finger, her eyes closed in deep thought. “How do you write the character for ‘virtue’ again?”

“The left side is the double-person radical, then a horizontal stroke, followed by a pair of eyes, and after that… What did the teacher say?”

“Goodness, why are you all making such a racket? The teacher just taught me that character, and now I’ve forgotten it again!”

“Hahahahaha!”

The sight of this struggling student trying so hard to learn her characters amused all the common folk.

There was also a well-mannered young woman holding a book in her arms. The corners of her eyes were slightly damp as she walked toward a group of women gathered nearby.

“It’s true. The second floor has a section devoted specifically to books for women. I found this copy of The Women’s Chronicle there.”

“In the past, every book said that women must obey their husbands, that losing one’s chastity was the greatest shame, that speaking too much was the worst of sins, and that a woman’s beauty lay in weakness while her virtue lay in obedience… Though I felt uneasy whenever I read such things, I could never fully understand why. I simply assumed that such ideas were inevitable in the world we live in.”

“Just now, I carefully read several pages of The Women’s Chronicle. The principles it presents are completely different from anything I’ve read before.”

“It says that women must stand on their own. So long as one remains the person being protected, one will never have a voice… It says that all the rules imposed by society are shackles binding women… that we must possess the courage to break through, the will to refuse submission, and the means to become independent… that it is best to have a skill of one’s own, so that one can make a living and establish a place in the world…”

As she spoke, the young woman began to sob.

“His Majesty is truly an enlightened ruler. Not only is he willing to speak up for women, he has also established female official positions and praised the stories of Pan Yuliang, Gamba, Liang Hongyu, and Mulan. Now he has even set aside a special section for women’s books in the library.”

The other women comforting her were moved as well.

“Consort Miao is a role model for all of us women! During that palace banquet, she was trapped in a situation where death seemed certain, yet she took a dangerous gamble to clear her own name. She proposed the idea of a museum, improved papermaking and printing, and has now established both a library and a literacy hall. She truly is a goddess!”

“I heard that when His Majesty was selecting palace candidates, he personally said that Consort Miao was naturally intelligent, but also possessed a diligence far beyond that of ordinary people. She rises even earlier than His Majesty every day, trains her body, reads extensively, and constantly strives for perfection. That is why His Majesty values her so highly and allows her to move beyond the confines of the palace walls.”

“If even Consort Miao, a favored consort, can accomplish so much, then we ordinary women should work even harder!”

“That’s right. We are already placed at a disadvantage and constrained by the customs of society. We must put in more effort than ordinary people if we want to make a living and establish ourselves.”

“Sisters, from this day forward, we must never again drift through life in ignorance! If countless women embrace this way of thinking and work hard for it, then among us, there may yet emerge another Pan Yuliang, Gamba, Liang Hongyu, or Mulan!”

From the viewing tower, Yun Yaoyao looked down at the scene below. The streets were filled with excited voices as the common folk discussed the library, their faces alight with enthusiasm. Among them, many women had gathered in groups, their eyes shining with tears and hope.

She had a feeling that the establishment of the library and the literacy hall would become an important first step toward breaking the shackles and cruelty that feudal ideas had imposed upon women.

Moved by the sight, Yun Yaoyao could not help curving her lips into a smile, her heart stirring with excitement.

The construction of the library and literacy hall, along with the money spent purchasing books and printing them, had cost a tremendous sum. But now, it seemed that every coin had been worth it!

Thank you for all the gold coins Lou the Beast dropped after he died!