The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

Facing his daughter's sparkling eyes, Xie Yuzhen couldn't help but laugh: "There are indeed some things that need you to do, Yuanjun, during the New Year this year, there were a lot of nonsense memorials sent from all over the country praising the merits of the country. Have you read them?"

"Of course I have read it. I have finished reading it a long time ago." Lu Weiyuan smiled, "Many of them were written by female officials from various places, especially those from the Yi tribes. Although their writing styles are a bit strange, the words they said are really nice. They all praised you, mother. I read a few of them to my father, and he immediately asked someone to move the seats of the female officials from the Yi tribes in the capital far away from you at the banquet..."

"How stingy!" Lu Weiyuan laughed and leaned back in his chair. "In fact, in my opinion, not only are the female officials of the foreign tribes very respectful and close to you, mother, but even those ladies who were born and raised in the capital are the same. It's just that they are more reserved and not so - unrestrained."

Xie Yuzhen has been promoting women's participation in the court, reforming the imperial examination system, reforming the official system, promoting the construction of women's schools and the adoption and education of abandoned babies... It was under her constant pressure on the Ministry of Justice that the murderer of the female official who was unfortunately hired was found in just a few days. The mastermind was then beheaded and hung on the city gate for several months to deter and warn everyone. Her family was also implicated.

Such a tragic ending made those who were ready to make trouble calm down. After Empress Xie's strong statement, the female officials felt that their backbones were stronger. Even though some of the female officials had different political views from their colleagues of the same sex in Xie Yuzhen's party, the situation had never become too serious. Even if they had disagreements in the court and even fought in court, the female officials had their own tacit understanding in private.

"They believe in me. Do you know why the female officials are willing to trust me so much?" Xie Yuzhen gently guided his daughter.

Lu Weiyuan would never let her down: "Because in fact, mother is the leader of the many female officials in our dynasty. They know that you will guide them and protect them, so they love you so sincerely."

After saying this, she smiled with her eyes curved: "Am I right? Mother has been working hard for everyone's benefit and balancing the situation all these years! After seeing the vastness of the sky, how many people would be willing to return to their own little cages?"

“Even the dumbest birds, after they spread their wings and fly once, will they still cling to the birdcage held in their hands? If they were such people, they would not have chosen to leave home and take this path that is completely different from the secular world!”

"Besides, once they have tasted the benefits of power, how could they be willing to give it up and return to the harem as some people wish?" Lu Weiyuan's eyes began to light up again, and she praised her mother in a coquettish tone, "Others may plot against them for various reasons and try to seize the power in their hands, but mother, you must be the one who wants them to gain more power and benefits the most."

"How could the female officials who were able to fight their way out of the male candidates who were taught by their families almost from birth in just twelve years not be able to tell who was the one who had good intentions towards them?"

She shrugged and said, "Well, maybe there are one or two people who only know how to study and work, and their brains are not very clear, but that's not important, not important at all."

"The important thing is that everyone knows that you will continue to guide and bless us. How can we not be grateful and like you?"

The smug look on Lu Weiyuan's brows almost jumped out. Looking at her daughter like this, Xie Yuzhen no longer wanted to lament the passing of time and the fact that the child grew up too fast. Instead, she was filled with pride. She raised her hand and tapped the tip of Lu Weiyuan's nose: "Mom said from the beginning that the most important thing is that they are willing to believe me."

"Ah!" Lu Weiyuan opened his eyes wide and knocked his head in annoyance. "I'm off topic. My answer just now doesn't count. Mother, let me answer it again!"

"Okay, stop being a spoiled brat. I have some important things to do. They are willing to believe me because I fulfilled my promise."

We must allow women to enter the court and serve as officials in an upright manner, we must prevent men and noble nobles from controlling the important path to advancement through the imperial examination, we must ensure that the names of female officials from various ethnic minorities are no longer buried, and we must allow female soldiers who fight and make contributions on the battlefield like men to openly enjoy the glory that was previously deliberately concealed...

Of course, the most important thing is to open up a unprecedented path for my daughter.

Xie Yuzhen touched his daughter's hair and said, "Trust is built through promises that are fulfilled time and time again. You are my daughter, and in this regard, you are born with a higher starting point than others."

"Yes, daughter understands." Lu Weiyuan rubbed her mother's palm. Although her sitting posture was still so relaxed, her tone was very serious and firm.

Xie Yuzhen took his hand back and said with a smile, "But I still hope that you can make a promise yourself and fulfill it, and establish a foundation for yourself to be trusted and relied upon by the world. Although you can stay in this palace and get in touch with major events in the world without leaving your house, every major event is accumulated by one person and one small thing. The national policy of the country is certainly important, but the officials, the people, the people's livelihood, the people's hearts and the people's opinions cannot be easily abandoned."

"After opening the Princess's Mansion, you will be able to meet more diverse people than when you were in the palace, and the sky you can see will no longer be just the one that your father and I carefully selected and cared for. In the palace, your parents will make decisions for you no matter what, but in your own mansion, you will be the one who has to learn to make decisions for yourself and your subordinates."

"Besides this, there is another reason why I asked you to open a mansion."

Lu Weiyuan was sitting up: "Please give me your instructions, mother."

"More than a decade ago, I took in those female infants who practiced martial arts in the Salesian Orphanage. Now, they have reached an age where the world should know what they can do. I would like to place them as guards in Princess Yuyi's mansion first, and then arrange them to be the exclusive guards of the female officials after a while. Before that, you can take them out with you, whether it's just horseback riding and hunting, or going to a farther place to see more scenery, it's up to you."

Lu Weiyuan's eyes became brighter and brighter. Xie Yuzhen continued, "Your skills come from the same school. You may be able to easily suppress them with force, but the environment they grew up in is different from that of ordinary people. It is not so easy to subdue them."

She stared into Lu Weiyuan's eyes and said slowly, "You are my daughter. I know you will not be afraid of this little difficulty."

"Of course! Of course!" Lu Weiyuan was so happy that she almost jumped up after hearing her mother's approval. She raised her hands and clenched her fists, "Your son can't wait!"