I became emperor in the Tang Dynasty by relying on the palace fighting system

Let me start from the beginning.

Even when these men were chattering like sparrows against the equal treatment of men and women, the eldest princess, who was used to flattering and fawning on her superiors, had her eyes shining, realizing that her golden opportunity to curry favor with Yu Dou Xuan Zun had come.

She turned around and called her husband, children, and grandchildren together: "Prince consort, good children, we have caught a great opportunity!"

"Originally I was worried about how we could get close to Yudou Xuanzun, but today Yudou Xuanzun wanted to select officials through imperial examinations, regardless of gender. Isn't this an opportunity?"

"We must promote the equal examination for both boys and girls! Let all the daughters and sons in the family take the exam. Maybe they will pass!" The eldest princess's eyes were greedy and determined.

Her eldest son was a little afraid of being hated by the ministers, so he hesitated and said, "But, mother, so many ministers are against it. If we go against them, will they hate us?"

The eldest princess was very disappointed: "Since you want wealth and glory, why are you afraid of people holding a grudge against you? Even if they hold a grudge against you, so what? You are the cousin of the emperor, a legitimate member of the royal family. Unless you rebel, what can they do to you?"

Her eldest son murmured: "I am afraid that they will hinder my career..."

The eldest princess snorted, her eyes showing contempt: "Son, mother is not saying that you have no hope for your official career, and you are afraid that they will harm you?"

It’s not that she looked down on her sons, but the reality is so cruel. All the sons she gave birth to were mediocre in talent. It was the best they could do if they could become a governor or a county magistrate. There was no future for them at all!

Since you have no future at all, are you still afraid that others will be petty and resentful and ruin your future?

"Next, once we have attached ourselves to Yudou Xuanzun, who among these officials will dare to hinder your career?"

The eldest princess spoke very bluntly, and her eldest son blushed and lowered his head in shame.

Just as the eldest son pressed it down, the second son stood up again: "But, mother, there has never been a precedent for women to take the imperial examination since ancient times. We..."

The eldest princess glared at him fiercely: "Since ancient times? Isn't the imperial examination a new thing that came out in the previous dynasty? In the past, officials were selected by recommendation system and the nine-rank system, and there was no imperial examination! Since we can set a precedent for selecting officials through the imperial examination, why can't we set a precedent for men and women to take the same examination?"

Second son, second son also shut up.

After successfully shutting up her two sons, the eldest princess turned around and scolded her other sons and grandsons: "And you! You guys, you didn't work hard when you should have studied hard to bring honor to the family. You're always fighting cocks and running errands, and you're neither good at literature nor martial arts!"

"Right now, I am working hard to plan a future for you and to protect the prosperity of our family. If you don't help me, then that's fine. But are you going to hold me back?"

"When I die, if you are not close to the emperor, I will see what you will do in the future!" said the eldest princess angrily.

The Zheng family members shuddered. Yes, if the eldest princess died, how could they, a group of powerless and useless people, have wealth and glory?

The eldest princess glanced at them coldly and said with both soft and hard tactics: "Besides, think about it, in these two generations of our family, only the fourth and ninth mothers are well-read. They are your blood relatives. If they can pass the exam, how can they not help you in the future?"

"Even if I die immediately, I will be at peace."

Prince Consort Zheng hesitated for a moment. He knew very well the quality of his sons and grandsons. Among the younger generation in the family, only Fourth Mother and Ninth Mother were more outstanding.

Thinking of the benefits that his daughter would bring after becoming an official of Yudou Xuanzun, he gritted his teeth and said, "In that case, I will do as the princess says! Princess, just tell us what you want us to do later!"

The eldest princess was satisfied: "Okay! You guys come with me later. You don't need to do anything. Just scold those court officials."

As the saying goes, those with bare feet are not afraid of those with shoes. The eldest princess has a keen eye and is as thick-skinned as a wall. For the future prosperity of her children and grandchildren, she is willing to give it a try and asks the emperor to agree to open an imperial examination so that both men and women can take the exam.

However, this was not enough. The eldest princess hesitated for a moment and said, "Our family alone is not enough. There are too many people on the other side."

She looked up and saw some women whispering in the seats. She glanced over and their eyes met, and a gleam of light flashed in each other's eyes.

The eldest princess' face lit up with joy, and she turned around and ordered her servants: "You guys, go to all the families that have frequent visits to the mansion and tell their women—"

"My daughter's son is useless, but fortunately the girl in my family is well-informed in classics and history. Like her daughter, she will surely bring honor to our family."

"I will take the lead and ask them to join hands with me to promote gender equality in the curriculum."

The servant responded and quickly retreated to report to the side. In just a moment, news came from dozens of royal families, saying that they were willing to lend a helping hand to the eldest princess.

The eldest princess smiled happily and said, "Very good, now it's her turn."

After the court officials stood up and finished giving their advice in the hall, the Princess Qianjin began her performance.

The eldest princess, who was sitting in the royal family seat, slammed the table and glared at the court officials: "Three Pure Ones are served by jade maidens. How can Yudou Xuanzun, who is a celestial being, not have women around him?"

An old man who looked very pedantic stepped forward and said, "Princess, what you said is wrong. A woman with such short-sightedness is not fit to be an official. I'm afraid she will only bring harm to the people!"

Princess Qianjin laughed in anger: "Empress Hexi was regent for several years, and she revived and destroyed the country and continued the extinction of the world. There was also Ban Zhao who compiled history and Daoyun who wrote poems about snowflakes. Empress Dugu, the two saints who ruled the country, established the prosperity of the Sui Dynasty. Empress Wende advised Emperor Taizong and assisted Emperor Zhenguan. They are also women. Are they also short-sighted? Women can even assist the world, so why can't they be court officials!"

The old man stared: "This!"

The examples cited by Princess Qianjin were either virtuous queens in ancient times or talented women who were famous throughout the ages. One of them was even the biological mother of the current emperor. How could he dare to say anything bad about them!

Therefore, the old man became speechless.

Another courtier said, "Princess, since ancient times, there has never been a precedent of women serving as court officials!"

Among the royal family, the Grand Princess of Huainan also stood up and said coldly: "In the previous dynasty, Xian Ying was the General of the Central Army and set up a government to guard Lingnan. Feng Ling was riding in a brocade carriage and holding a seal, and was appointed as the chief envoy to the Western Regions. Aren't they also court officials?!"

The minister had no words to refute: "This, this..."

One of the other side's courtiers stood up and said, "The Book of Rites says that yin and yang each have their own positions and should not compete with each other. How can a woman occupy a man's position? Isn't this turning the world upside down?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a woman sitting next to him twisted his thigh. The minister cried out in pain and when he turned around, he was met with the ferocious eyes of his tigress.

The minister was timid, but he was very tough: "What are you doing, bitch! How can you behave in public?"

The woman sneered, and stood up and retorted loudly: "My dear, what you said is ridiculous!"

"Men are yang, women are yin. The emperor is yang, the empress is yin. Court officials assist the emperor as external officials, and concubines assist the empress as internal officials. Since Yudou Xuanzun is a goddess, then naturally women should be her subordinates. If men are allowed to serve her, wouldn't that be reversing yin and yang!"

This lady defeated the magic with magic, and her husband was stunned. After a long while, he could only utter one sentence: "This is nonsense! It's totally incomprehensible! You ignorant woman, why don't you leave now!!"

But his wife also has a lot of good friends. Upon hearing this, his wife's best friends immediately glared at him: "What? Everyone is talking about the principles in the Book of Rites. Why is it that what you say is right, and what others say is wrong?"

"You guys are just making random accusations when you can't win an argument. You men are really narrow-minded, not much bigger than a needle tip!!"

The fighting power of a woman is comparable to that of a dozen ducks. Now there are hundreds of women in the hall. They all chatter together, their words are as sharp as knives and every word is pearls, making the men so angry that their faces turn red and their necks thick.

A minister just scolded his wife for talking back to him, and his mother stood up and accused him of disregarding the future of the family.

A minister just scolded his daughter who wanted to open a science department, and his daughter's aunts and uncles immediately puffed up their wings like a hen protecting her cubs, and scolded him one after another, making him run away in fear.

Among them, the performance of the eldest princess was particularly outstanding.

Among so many female relatives, she had the most noble status and the highest position. Relying on the fact that she was a member of the royal family and the daughter of Li Yuan in terms of seniority, she oppressed the ministers and the men of the royal family who did not want to take the imperial examinations.

When facing the good male dogs in the patriarchal society, Princess Qianjin took the lead, fighting against a hundred people alone, and debated with Princess Huainan. Her little mouth was like a Gatling gun, sweeping through the army with her barking, and she seemed to be unstoppable.

Li Hong opened his mouth several times, but the shameless Princess Daughter simply put on a tearful look and played the victim, saying how useless her children and grandchildren were and how only her daughters could support the family. She hoped that he would show mercy and allow her girls to take part in the imperial examinations or something like that, successfully blocking what he was about to say.

Qingluan was hiding on the side, eating melons in amazement: "The eldest princess is so powerful! Even Li Hong can't beat her! Host, how did you know that she would be the first person to support you in making the subject coeducational?"

Li Zhao took a sip of jasmine and snow pear tea and communicated with her through his spiritual sense: "Do you remember when I said Ruyi would be my official in the future, which family came to Qisheng Temple the most often to greet me?"

Qing Luan counted on her fingers: "In addition to the palace maids, there are the female officials and eunuchs of the six concubines in the harem, and... Princess Qianjin and Li Xian and his brothers!"

Li Zhao glanced at the high-spirited Princess Qianjin and said with a smile, "Yes, it's her."

"Qingluan, do you know what the history books say about this princess?"

Qingluan thought for a moment and said, "I don't remember what the history books specifically wrote. I only know that this princess was notoriously thick-skinned and particularly flattering. She once gave Wu Zetian a male lover."

Li Zhao said slowly, "Yes, flattery, smooth talk, thick skin, and profit-oriented, these are the shortcomings of the Princess Qianjin, but also her greatest strengths."

She recalled a detail she had observed not long ago: "When I proposed coeducation, her eyes suddenly became brighter than searchlights. She would support coeducation because coeducation would bring her great benefits."

"Flattery means that the princess would disregard worldly opinions in order to please a superior like me. She is definitely eloquent, as the historical records show that she had a very pleasant conversation with Wu Zetian, so she must have been very good at speaking."

"Being thick-skinned means she is willing to take risks; putting interests first means she will do anything for her own benefit."

Looking at the eldest princess who was fighting with the court officials, Li Zhao's eyes were full of smiles: "So, she will be the first person who dares to take the first step, and the first person to speak out in favor of equal subjects for both men and women."

Qingluan suddenly realized: "So that's how it is, Zhaozhao, you are so good at judging people! Then why wouldn't Wu Meiniang be the first to speak out in support of you?"

She had been puzzled about this matter for a long time and still didn't understand why she lost.

Li Zhao couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Idiot! Didn't you notice that Li Zhi hasn't said a word yet?"

"Wu Meiniang is an ally of Li Zhi on the surface. How could she possibly reveal her true thoughts in front of Li Zhi? She would definitely express her opinion only after Li Zhi expresses his opinion!"

"Oh, so that's how it is." Qingluan nodded, somewhat understanding.

She looked sad. "Then my loss is not unfair. These 1,000 points are yours, host."

Qingluan willingly called Li Zhao "Big Brother" and transferred one thousand points to her.

As the points came in, Li Zhao felt like he had drunk a bucket of ice cola in the hottest days of summer. He felt refreshed from the inside out, and a sense of pride rose in his heart.

Li Zhaofeng glanced at the front seats around him, sneered and said to Qingluan with his spiritual sense: "Besides that, Qingluan, did you notice that the prime ministers didn't say a word, and even their families kept silent."

Anyone who can rise to the position of prime minister must be a shrewd person. If the emperor doesn't say anything, they will be even less likely to speak.

Otherwise, if you accidentally say something wrong in front of the emperor, it would not be just a matter of losing your official position, your entire family might even die.

"However, the quarrel below is almost over. Look! The eldest princess has taken action." Li Zhao distracted himself to see the battle situation below and suddenly said in surprise.

The eldest princess took a few quick steps forward and suddenly knelt down in the hall!

"Your Majesty! I have something to advise you. I ask Your Majesty to show mercy and allow both men and women to take the imperial examinations. We will select the best girls and boys to serve Xuanzun and improve the casting method with Xuanzun to benefit the Tang Dynasty!"