maidservant

Chapter 52: Li Mao begs Shang to take office

Li Mao took a deep breath and continued:

"Your Majesty, the merchants of our dynasty account for approximately one-third of the total population. Although merchants are small, like ants, their influence is pervasive in business and people's lives and should not be underestimated."

"However, for a long time, the children of merchants were not allowed to enter the government, which led to the rise of a profit-seeking mentality among merchants. The education of their children was also limited to the art of business, neglecting other aspects of their education."

"This will not only make it difficult for the imperial court to implement its policies smoothly among the merchant class, but will also be detrimental to Your Majesty's goal of 'widespread enlightenment and the improvement of the common people's literacy.'"

"Your Majesty, if the court could issue an imperial decree allowing the sons of merchants to participate in the imperial examinations based on their talent and learning, even if only one spot is allocated per session, it would surely give many merchants hope and be greatly encouraged."

"When merchants see the promise of a chance to enter the imperial court and bring honor to their families, they will undoubtedly be more willing to accept the court's management and constraints. This will be a blessing not only for the merchants' own development, but also for the court's rule and the prosperity of the country."

Li Mao poured out all his thoughts in one breath, fearing that he would be dragged out of the hall before he could finish his words.

After he finished speaking, he kowtowed repeatedly, hitting his forehead heavily on the ground, closing his eyes tightly, not daring to breathe, let alone look up at the emperor.

After Li Mao finished speaking, the huge hall fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of light breathing flowing in the air.

The eunuch standing by secretly glanced at the emperor's expression, then looked at Li Mao who was kneeling on the ground, and dared not breathe.

After a while, the emperor slowly raised his head, looked at Li Mao with a steady gaze, and uttered one word: "Approved."

Immediately, he sat up slightly and continued:
"But this matter must be strictly supervised. A thorough investigation of three generations of their lineage is necessary, their tax payments over the years must be verified, and their character and conduct must be carefully examined by local officials. Only when these three criteria are met will they be allowed to participate in the various levels of the imperial examination."

After saying this, the emperor called out, "Send the Secretary!"

The emperor's decree spread throughout the palace and beyond.

Merchants and students crowded in front of the imperial edicts posted in various places, and someone read the edict aloud:

"Merchant sons participated in the Spring Examination, not just at a single examination center. Their papers were submitted to the chief examiner along with those of other scholars from around the country. If any of them were admitted to the palace examination, the best candidate would be selected and included in the list."

This is a significant change.

For many merchants around the world, this is a precious opportunity to change their fate and the destiny of their family, as if it has opened a door to light for them.

----

As soon as Li Mao left the hall, the eunuch hurried in to report the sad news that Duke Ying was terminally ill.

The Duke of England is the Queen's grandfather. He is a highly respected and powerful minister in the court, and his position is extremely important.

As the emperor's grandson-in-law, he immediately ordered the Qianniu Guards to escort him closely and hurried to the Huangfu family mansion to visit.

The news of the Duke of England's serious illness somehow reached the Queen's ears, and she became anxious and suddenly went into labor early.

Upon hearing this, all the concubines closed the palace gates, fearing that they would be drawn into this complicated situation and get into unnecessary trouble.

Upon hearing the news, the imperial physicians on duty at the Imperial Hospital also hurried over in a panic. However, the journey was long, and they needed to register first and then exchange for a pass to enter the palace, so they had not yet reached the harem.

Fortunately, an experienced midwife had already entered the palace in advance.

At the same time, Xinqing quickly conveyed the Queen's order, and the female officials of the Pharmacy hurriedly prepared all the medicines that might be used and arrived at Fengyi Palace first.

When Lin Yu heard the news that the Queen was going into labor early, she quickly called Yunshan over and said solemnly:

"When I was giving birth, the Empress sent many people to Liuhua Palace to guard it. I'll always remember this kindness. Now that the Empress has gone into labor early, and His Majesty is away from the palace, I'm afraid we may be unprepared in the rush." ​​"Yunshan, you're well-versed in pharmacology and extremely meticulous. Go and help."

Yunshan was about to go get it after hearing the order, but she felt a little worried. She turned back and whispered,

"Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that if something happens to the Queen, our Liuhua Palace will be implicated as well?"

Lin Yu shook his head slightly and said:
"We have no ill intentions, so there's no need to worry. Just be cautious. If anyone really wants to take advantage of the chaos, I'll feel more at ease with you watching over them."

"Well, I will be careful."

Yunshan once again felt that fate had been kind to her, allowing her to meet Lin Yu. Although she had experienced many ups and downs in the harem and had lost her former innocence, her master was still as kind as ever.

Lin Yu also ordered the dispatch of a group of palace left-wing soldiers to strictly guard the gates of each palace to prevent anyone from breaking in during the chaos and disrupting the order of the harem.

Yunshan quickly took off all her accessories and ran to Fengyi Palace.

After being searched by the aunt of Fengyi Palace, she stood at the door of the palace, standing with the female officials, staring around cautiously.

Inside the hall, the midwife's anxious cries penetrated the heavy palace gate: "Hurry up, give me the labor-inducing medicine!" The sharp voice was filled with panic and tension.

However, the much-needed labor-inducing medicine had not been boiled yet. Time was pressing, so a young female official had to hand over the prepared labor-inducing pill in a panic.

At this moment, Yunshan was quick-witted and stopped him in a panic. She turned to the aunt in charge and said anxiously:
"Aunt, this labor-inducing pill is very strong. Your Majesty has been deficient in Qi and blood since she became pregnant. It would be inappropriate to take it rashly!"

The aunt in charge looked at her suspiciously, her eyes full of distrust, but for a moment, she did not dare to let the young female official deliver the elixir into the hall, and could only hesitate there.

"Use Baosheng Wuyou Powder! Quickly!" Yunshan was extremely anxious and shouted loudly to the female officials of the pharmacy, with a trembling voice.

The young female official did not dare to delay and quickly brought out the Baosheng Wuyou Powder. However, the aunt in charge reached out and pressed it down, still hesitating.

At this critical moment, the fifth-rank female official of the Pharmacy, the Pharmacy Minister, came running over breathlessly, holding the hem of her skirt. As she ran, she shouted:
"Use Baosheng Wuyou Powder! Listen to this girl!" The urgent voice echoed in the empty palace corridor.

The aunt in charge then asked someone to quickly pass in the Baosheng Wuyou Powder.

The medicine official ran to the front of the crowd, bent slightly, took a few breaths, and after calming himself down, he hurriedly explained to the head aunt:
"The Empress Dowager had a headache today. I have been serving her the entire time. When I heard that the Empress was about to give birth, I was extremely worried and rushed here." She gasped.

"Fortunately, this young lady is well versed in pharmacology. This labor-inducing pill is too potent and truly unsuitable for the Empress. If she were to take it, I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to sustain herself after giving birth."

As she spoke, the young female official who had just been holding the "birth-inducing pill" turned pale, her legs went limp, and she knelt hurriedly on the ground, her body trembling slightly.

Yunshan saw the Chief Pharmacist looking calm, methodically directing the people around him and arranging various matters. The imperial physicians also hurried over, and she finally felt relieved.

I also thought that if someone accidentally spilled something on me in this melon field, I would be unable to explain myself, so I must keep a distance from others.

So she quietly retreated to the courtyard, avoiding the crowded crowd, and waited quietly in the empty courtyard for news from the inner hall.

After a tense struggle, finally, a clear cry penetrated the heavy palace gate and reached everyone's ears.

The Chief Medicine Officer even shed tears of excitement while laughing, his body suddenly went limp and he sat down on the ground.

It was this opportunity that opened a new chapter in Yunshan's life——

(End of this chapter)