Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 674 Women's Imperial Examination
"I'm furious!"

"Can someone like that wear the top scholar's uniform?"

"Why can he wear it but we women can't?"

Feeling resentful, Liu Rushi returned to the locker room and complained.

She is still indignant that she was not able to wear the crown and robes of the top scholar, and feels that the man is far inferior to her in both talent and temperament.

However, her words did not receive a response from her teacher Xu Fo. Instead, a strange woman took over and said:
"Oh?"

"You mean, a woman can also be the top scholar?"

Liu Ru was unfamiliar with this person and did not respond casually.

What made her frown even more was that an outsider actually came into her dressing room.

As if knowing her concerns, Xu Fo came forward to explain:
"This is Madam Fang, the deputy headmaster of the girls' school."

"She is ordered by the Queen to teach you in the future."

Upon hearing the news, Liu Rushi's first thought was not happiness, but looking at Xu Fo and saying:
"What about the teacher?"

"Should I still go to school in the future?"

Before Xu Fo could answer, Fang Weiyi took the initiative to respond:

"You will still be a student at the Women's Conservatory of Music and will still be taught by Madam Xu."

"But don't do anything like today that will expose your presence to the public. When to go on stage will depend on the Queen's arrangement."

"I will teach you which books to read and the etiquette of the palace."

Xu Fo and Liu Rushi would definitely understand the subtext of these words.

It was obvious that the Queen Mother had taken a liking to her and wanted to bring her into the palace.

The rumor that the empress used the women's music academy to train women to present to the emperor was indeed not false.

Xu Fo, who already regarded Liu Rushi as the guarantee of his second half of life, was overjoyed to hear this.

Liu Rushi was a little irritated and said anxiously:
"Why can't you even go on stage?"

"I have a costume show tomorrow!"

"You will be able to sing opera in the future."

Unlike the crowns and costumes displayed today, tomorrow's clothing display will mainly be costumes.

As the heroine of "The Female Champion", Liu Rushi can wear the champion costume. This will be her first appearance in front of the audience, and she will participate in the performance of the Royal Orchestra in the future and compete with other actresses for the main role.

Therefore, Liu Rushi attached great importance to this and carefully prepared her appearance, intending to make a splash.

I didn’t expect that she is not allowed to go on stage now. How can she be happy?
Fang Weiyi frowned when she heard this, and Xu Fuzhe patted her and said angrily:

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"You are going to enter the palace in the future, why do you still need to perform on stage?"

This made Liu Rushi realize that not only would she not be able to go on stage tomorrow, she might not have the chance to do so in the future.

Even if the Queen Mother allowed her to go on stage, she would most likely only sing in the palace. Apart from the Emperor and the Queen, it would be difficult for anyone else to hear her.

Thinking about how hard she had worked to learn opera for the past year, but now she heard this news, Liu Rushi was unhappy, feeling that her hard work for the past year was in vain. She worked so hard to learn opera, not just to sing for the emperor and the empress.

At this time, she heard Fang Weiyi ask herself:

"Do you like being on stage so much?"

"Do you like singing opera or being the top scholar?"

Liu Rushi thought for a moment and replied:
"like it all!"

"I like singing operas and I also like being the top female singer in the operas."

Fang Weiyi nodded when she heard this, but she didn't say that she shouldn't like singing opera. Because she knew Empress Zhou's thoughts very well, and knew that the Empress didn't want her to train a lady from a noble family, but to train a person who was good at music to please the emperor. So she encouraged:
"If you like singing opera, keep singing."

"But you don't have to go on stage. You have to listen to the arrangements of the Empress."

"You can treat it as a hobby in the future, just like writing poetry and painting."

"The current emperor likes talented women. Even if you enter the palace in the future, you can continue to sing opera."

“You can even write books and teach others how to sing opera.”

This statement made Liu Rushi's eyes light up, and she felt that entering the palace was not so scary. At least she could do whatever she wanted, and she didn't have to sing on stage even when she didn't want to.

But thinking of her ambition to be the top scholar, she still said gloomily:

"I've heard before that 'every profession has its top scholar', and I was planning to take the top spot in the drama profession and truly become a top scholar for once!"

"How can I become the real champion if I can't go on stage now?"

Such abundant confidence left Fang Weiyi speechless, and she felt that she was born to be the role of "The Female Number One Scholar".

There are so many famous actors and actresses in the drama industry, and a young girl who has never officially performed on stage actually wants to become the top star in this industry.

However, this was not what surprised her the most.

To her horror, Liu Rushi continued:

"In fact, being the top scholar in the drama industry is nothing."

"I want to be the real champion."

"Unfortunately, the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty were too strict, and it was impossible for a woman to pass by disguising herself as a man."

"Women cannot take the imperial examinations, so their talents cannot be displayed."

"When will the women of our Ming Dynasty be able to take part in the imperial examinations like men?"

Ordinary people would think this sigh was outrageous, but Fang Weiyi felt like he was struck by a stick, and his train of thought was suddenly opened:

"Yes, why can't women take the imperial examination?"

"If the imperial court set up a women's department, more people would come to the women's school, and there would not be so much criticism."

As a new thing that had never appeared before, it was not easy to open a girls' school.

Even with the Queen protecting them, there were still many people who said strange things, thinking that it was immoral for women to study together.

Some people even quoted Chen Meigong's words such as "A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent" and criticized girls' schools.

There are also some female students who are apparently studying well in school, but their parents cannot stand the rumors and no longer allow their daughters to go to school.

It can be said that Fang Weiyi encountered many setbacks and frustrations during the few months when she participated in the operation of the girls' school.

Even the queen was worried about the girls' school, fearing that it would be slandered further.

This is also the reason why she arranged for Fang Weiyi to teach Liu Rushi, but did not transfer Liu Rushi to a girls' school:

In addition to the need for Liu Rushi to continue studying music, it was also because current girls' schools could not withstand any setbacks and had to be cautious.

We cannot allow girls’ schools to be branded as training women for the emperor, so that wealthy families would be even more afraid to send their daughters there.

Fang Weiyi has always wanted to change this situation of being criticized, but has no solution.

Now, inspired by Liu Rushi, she thought of suggesting that the court set up a women's department so that women could also take part in the imperial examinations.

Regardless of whether the thing can be accomplished or not, it is possible to change the current situation of being criticized and let girls' schools make their own voices heard.

This made her look at Liu Rushi seem even more kind. She felt that the little girl was really bold in her imagination. She couldn't think of this idea before.

So she decided to train Liu Rushi well, let this little girl speak out and promote the establishment of the imperial examination for women.

(End of this chapter)