I, who disguised myself as a woman, turned out to be a queen! ?

Chapter 1294 Announcing to the World that Xia Tingyu Has Ascended the Title of Prince
After five days of continuous rain, the sky finally took a break. The landscape was as magnificent as if it had just been brewed with wine!
What happened within the Imperial Academy didn't need to be deliberately concealed, so there was no need for any special arrangements. The news was spread throughout the vast capital city by the informants in just one day.

In the days that followed, all eyes in the capital were on the Imperial College.

The common people looked over because they were excited that the emperor and empress had actually gone to the Imperial Academy to seek justice for Xiao Ansheng and his family of three, who were all from peasant backgrounds like themselves!
The students looked over there partly because of that matter, but compared to that matter, they were more concerned about the issue of eligibility for the imperial examination.

Such rules include prohibitions on having members in the same family who are related to criminals across two generations.

What are blood relatives across two generations? They are your direct cousins, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, and the like. Beyond that, it's fine.

Of course, it's not that absolute. If the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty were triggered ten years ago, and ten years have passed now, it doesn't matter, and one can continue to participate.

As for the others, they were all minor matters, but this one made everyone start counting on their fingers.

Moreover, Mu Xu spoke frankly: this imperial examination is scheduled for the second half of the month after the Dragon Boat Festival. From now until the start time, all the prefectures and counties will thoroughly investigate all the registered students. The Shence Prefecture and the local academies will conduct a thorough investigation themselves, and there will be no room for falsehood.

Many people panicked and rushed to the Imperial College every day to explain this and clarify that.

The commotion has almost made everyone forget about the bounty in the martial arts world. Those who have nothing better to do have been going to the Imperial College every day to watch the excitement.

Another thing was that their homes were raided.

According to the people of the capital, when their homes were confiscated in the past, they would definitely go to see what was going on, mainly because they had never seen anything like it before!
But since last year, people in Beijing have been raiding homes all the time.

Some elderly people, squatting by the roadside discussing the matter, would say, "It's good to have our homes ransacked; if more homes are ransacked, let's see which official dares to bully us."

But some people say...
They've made raiding homes a habit; what if they suddenly stop raiding in the future?

The difference between a wealthy family and a poor family is inherent.

Unlike ordinary people who casually chatted while squatting or sitting at noodle stalls, wealthy families, especially those with members who wanted to participate in this year's special imperial examination, began thorough investigations, even locking up troublemakers at home.

A murder has occurred inside the Imperial Academy!

His Majesty is completely serious this time!

These days, Mu Xu has been quite smug!
On his left was Yan Ruyu, and on his right was Shen Tu Sheyue. Both of them carried swords. Whenever someone came to see him, Mu Xu was no longer like before, who would greet them immediately.

Sometimes, Mu Xu would even bring Ru Yu and She Yue to visit a house if he noticed that no one had come.

The main problem is that Ruyu actually took action.

Mu Xu was shocked, but the old scholar pretended to be calm.

Fortunately, nothing else happened, and the old scholar breathed a sigh of relief, but he became even more smug!
With a scholar leading troops behind him, who wouldn't he be afraid of!
After carefully calculating the amount of money confiscated from Su Chang'an's house, Mu Xuzai went to discuss with Su Chang'an how to use it.

Su Chang'an's meaning is simple: it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.

Inside the Imperial College, there were canteens and similar facilities for students to eat. The dishes didn't need to be plentiful or lavish; just enough to fill their stomachs. For students deemed truly impoverished, appropriate assistance could be provided for meals in the canteen, but it should never be free. Labor could also be exchanged for food.

Eating in the canteen costs money, but it's cheaper than eating outside. Students, teachers, and scholars can all eat there. The money is used to cover the daily income and expenditure. If there's an imbalance, we'll find a solution. This is a big deal and must be resolved within the Imperial Academy.

Upon hearing this, Mu Xu frowned, but as expected of the High Priest, his mind worked quickly, and he immediately retorted to Su Chang'an, "Does Your Highness mean that if the food is good, poor children might not be able to eat it? If it's free, there will be more poor children, and those who are greedy for small gains will also come. Is exchanging labor to keep those who are obsessed with saving face and suffer for it away?"

Su Chang'an nodded. "That's roughly the idea. After all, the cafeteria is only so big; it needs to be given to those who truly need it. Besides, when people are truly hungry, they don't care about saving face. If they're still thinking about how they can do these things, they're not hungry. I've been hungry, so I know."

Upon hearing this, Mu Xu immediately bowed.

However, Mu Xu came again the next day, this time to apologize to Su Chang'an.

Su Chang'an initially thought there was a problem with the cafeteria.

As a result, Mu Xu told him that some old stubborn people in the Imperial Academy were saying things like, "It's an insult to the sages to have a kitchen set up in a place for studying!"
As a result, he gave me a good scolding, and the matter was decided unilaterally.

But since it was Mu Xu who handled this matter, he did it very efficiently. He took those old scholars to a few courtyards outside the Imperial Academy that had been vacant for a long time, saying that he would buy them and turn them into a canteen. The land was next to the Imperial Academy, and he would open a gate to it.

Many scholars nodded in agreement, but some pedantic scholars were still not up to par, and Mu Xu ignored them.

Such a great thing, what do these people who have never gone hungry in their lives know!
Back then, Mu Xu was so hungry he was dizzy. If there had been a canteen like this, he wouldn't have had to suffer like that.

The reason he came to apologize was that Ruyu had hit someone.

Su Chang'an felt helpless upon hearing this, and also instructed Mu Xu to keep an eye on the matter of having the foreigners serve as teachers and instructors at the Imperial Academy and recruiting students for subjects like mathematics and divination, once that was done.

Mu Xu bowed respectfully, accepted the order, and left.

However, Su Chang'an also knew that he should find time to have a good talk with Mu Xu. After all, even the most insightful person would still have things they don't understand about this matter, since it is equivalent to a major reform in education and needs to be done step by step.

Of course.
Su Chang'an has something else to do these days.

Li Yueyue's mother also requested to enter the palace to meet him.

Su Chang'an naturally agreed.

Upon seeing her, Madam Li immediately bowed and apologized.

Su Chang'an was puzzled and quickly helped him up, asking what was wrong.

Then I learned that after what happened at the Imperial College that day, Li Yueyue went home and wrote her will.

Suicide note!

Seeing her daughter writing so diligently, Madam Li became curious and went to take a look, only to be shocked by what she saw.

After careful questioning, the details of what happened were learned.

Su Chang'an was both amused and exasperated. After comforting Madam Li and having her leave, he looked at the will in his hand.

The moment it started, Su Chang'an couldn't stop laughing.

"Father, Mother, your daughter is going to be beheaded. It might even happen on a rainy day. How tragic."

This made Su Chang'an think for a long time, because Li Yueyue is a pretty smart kid, so why is she just like Hu Niu and Qing Ning in this matter?

Over the past few days
Everything, big and small, is the same as before.

After all, sitting in the positions of Su Chang'an and Xia Fengxiang, where would they really find free time? They could only try to find ways to make themselves a little more relaxed.

Take today, for example.
The sun is shining brightly.

But perhaps because it rained a few days ago, it suddenly stopped today. The water on the ground under the sun made the air feel damp.

In the courtyard, Su Chang'an made some arrangements, airing out the quilts and other items.

In the front courtyard of Lingqi Pavilion, Xia Fengxiang sat in the hall, while Su Wenqing and the others had just left.

Xia Fengxiang meant that from now on, the small court assemblies would be held in Lingqi Pavilion. Firstly, she was too lazy to move around, and secondly, there were steps in the Imperial Study. Aunt Sun knew the truth, so she specifically said that going up and down those steps would make her body heavier and heavier, and it wouldn't be good if something dangerous happened.

After Xia Fengxiang spoke with Su Chang'an, they decided that Xiao Chao would come to Lingqi Pavilion from now on.

Although Su Wenqing and the others expressed their doubts, no one said anything more.

However, after everyone else left today, Xia Fengxiang kept Yang Shanchang behind.

When Su Chang'an arrived at the hall, Yang Shanchang was sitting in a chair. Upon seeing Su Chang'an, he quickly bowed.

Su Chang'an smiled and asked him to sit down.

Xia Fengxiang looked at Yang Shanchang and said, "Yang Guofu delivered a letter to you?"

Yang Shanchang respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, after going to Yan, no news has been sent back."

Xia Fengxiang spoke up: "You're certainly being cautious. Did you specifically instruct me to be careful?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Shanchang smiled slightly: "He said a few words before he left."

With Su Chang'an's help, Xia Fengxiang leaned back against the cushion and said, "There's no need for that. What others do is their business. I won't say anything. Just do what you need to do."

Yang Shanchang respectfully said, "Rules still need to be followed."

Xia Fengxiang didn't say much more about this matter, and changed his words to: "Yang Guofu is on his way back. The fighting in Mobei is going very smoothly. Yue Liduo's injuries have almost healed, so Shuluping took her back. With the mother and daughter there, Mobei will be pacified even faster."

"Moreover, as you all learned yesterday, the tributes from the surrendered Western Region countries that Su Zifan escorted have already entered the capital. I expect they will arrive in the next couple of days. Yang Guofu also has a lot to do. After he returns, Luo Anxu's position will need to be vacated, and the position of Prefect of Jingzhao will be given to Yang Guofu. He will still listen to the Empress, and he will also help Li Chunfang deal with those foreign envoys. Su Zifan has brought quite a few princesses and princes with him, which I do not wish to see. I need them to handle these matters."

Yang Shanchang remained calm, stood up and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, Guofu can serve as the Junior Magistrate of the Capital Prefecture for now. As for what duties he should do, how he should do them, and how he should do them, you and the Empress can give instructions, and he can do them. He should not be promoted any further."

Xia Fengxiang raised his eyes: "Afraid of offending too many people?"

Yang Shanchang laughed and said, "Serving the two emperors, how can I offend anyone? It's just that the young man is arrogant and proud, and I'm afraid he'll start acting like he always has."

Xia Fengxiang laughed and said, "I've already spoken to Luo Anxu, and he's eager to leave his position as Prefect of Jingzhao. I've made arrangements for him as well. Moreover, Yang Guofu has done an excellent job, from the crackdown on organized crime to overseeing the farmland and raising funds in Yan, Liaozhou, and Jiaozhou. Du Yu even wrote a letter praising Yang Guofu's excellent supervision from the rear. He should be rewarded where deserved and punished where necessary, so you don't need to say anything more. If he really goes back to his old ways, then we'll consider ourselves blind and won't blame you."

Yang Shanchang bowed again: "This old minister thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."

Xia Fengxiang added, "Since the Empress vouched for him, there's no need to thank me. When Yang Guofu returns, let him thank the Empress. Besides, all the tasks he'll have to do when he gets back are ones that will offend people. Just tell him that if he doesn't dare to do them, then forget about it."

Yang Shanchang bowed again and also bowed deeply to Su Chang'an.

Xia Fengxiang looked at Yang Shanchang: "You..."

But as soon as she opened her mouth, she looked into Yang Shanchang's eyes and sighed inwardly, "It's alright, you can go back now."

After bowing, Yang Shanchang prepared to take his leave.

He had only just turned around.

Xia Fengxiang looked at him and said, "Grand Tutor, there is no need to live such a frugal life. I had Su Liheng send some things to your residence. The weather has been humid lately, and these things will be good for your health."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shanchang paused for a moment, then turned to look at the Emperor: "Thank you."

But he had only just opened his mouth.
Lu Caifei rushed over as fast as he could and was about to kneel down at the gate of the courtyard.

But then I saw Yang Shanchang.

Lu Cai disregarded everything else and went straight into the courtyard: "Your Majesty, a letter, a letter sent from Shu with urgent dispatch from a thousand miles away."

Xia Fengxiang immediately sat up.

Xunxia quickly went over to take it and turned around to hand it to Xia Fengxiang.

Yang Shanchang, being perceptive, was already planning to leave in a hurry.

"Yang Shanchang!"

But when Xia Fengxiang was reading the letter, he suddenly stood up and blocked Yang Shanchang.

After reading the contents of the letter, a look of joy appeared on his face, and he immediately said, "Lu Cai! Immediately send someone to summon Su Wenqing, Gao Rou, Li Jiulang, and others to the Lingqi Pavilion to see me!"

After saying that, Xia Fengxiang looked at Su Chang'an.

But the next moment...
She felt some fetal movement in her abdomen and instinctively reached out to cover her belly.

Seeing this, Su Chang'an moved the letter aside and quickly helped his wife up. What letter?! Is his wife's health more important?!
Yang Shanchang was somewhat taken aback upon seeing this, and quickly took a step forward.

Meanwhile, Aunt Sun and others had already gathered around.

Xia Fengxiang waved his hand, not bothering to hide it from the people around who were still unaware of the situation, and touched his stomach before saying, "It's nothing!"

Xunxia and others were puzzled
In fact, Xunxia and the others were also a little puzzled, since His Majesty had been acting strangely ever since he returned from Yan, but they dared not think too much about it.

Xia Fengxiang looked at Su Chang'an and Aunt Sun, who were both concerned, and said with a smile, "It's nothing, I was just too excited."

After saying that, he looked at Lu Cai and said, "Go on, what are you standing there for?"

Lu Cai then nodded hurriedly and turned to leave.

After Xia Fengxiang sat down, he looked at Su Chang'an's expression, glared at him, and then laughed and scolded, "It's nothing! Besides, you'll know when you read the letter."

Su Chang'an pursed his lips. He was being scolded for this too. Although he had been scolded for no reason quite a few times these days, Su Chang'an made a point of going to Su Zimu for a chat.

Su Zimu nodded, indicating that she also often got scolded for no reason.

The father and son looked at each other in silence, shaking their heads and sighing.

Su Chang'an picked up the letter, glanced at it briefly, and then looked at Xia Fengxiang.

Xia Fengxiang's lips curled up: "I knew I could trust Xia Tingyu!"

Then he looked at Aunt Sun and said, "Aunt, convey my imperial edict to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs: Xia Tingyu is exceptionally talented, humble and polite, and is hereby appointed to succeed as Prince of Shu. The matters concerning the investiture ceremony and others will be decided after Xia Tingyu enters the capital for discussion. This matter will be announced to the world today."

hear the words
Aunt Sun paused for a moment, glanced down at the envelope, but didn't hesitate: "Yes."

Meanwhile, Yang Shanchang looked surprised and asked, "Your Majesty, has the situation in Shu been stabilized?"

Xia Fengxiang looked at Yang Shanchang: "Xia Tingyu, along with his younger siblings and Xia Fengye, are on their way back. Judging by the days, they will definitely arrive before the Dragon Boat Festival!"

(End of this chapter)