"Your Majesty, slow down, be careful not to fall!"
In the imperial garden, Li Su, Wu Ying, and Su Shang anxiously shouted.
Lu Qingwan, with her belly round and bulging, walked at a brisk pace. "This is outrageous, daring to play such little tricks under my nose.
Get Yuan Qingshan to roll over here!
And Cheng Nanliu and Tang Xiao, what are they good for!
This is the first autumn imperial examination since I ascended the throne, and they were completely unaware of such a situation. Are they all blind?
..."
She cursed everyone involved with the autumn imperial examination in a furious torrent, nearly kicking Da Bai, who was sleeping in the sun.
Da Bai, with a deft snake-like maneuver, dodged Lu Qingwan's surprise attack and scrambled onto the rockery, startled.
By the time Lu Qingwan stormed into the imperial study, those she had mentioned had already arrived.
The moment the door opened, the officials in the imperial study all flinched and immediately knelt to greet her, "Greetings, Your Majesty, may your reign be long and prosperous!"
Since ascending the throne, not only had Lu Qingwan's belly grown larger, but so had her temper.
Although she never lost her temper without reason, being constantly berated by her sharp tongue while she was handling affairs had truly intimidated the officials. They genuinely feared her.
Now, everyone knew that Lu Qingwan was the Emperor, and Si Fengwu was merely the Regent. Yet, the daily wish of all the civil and military officials was for Si Fengwu to preside over court instead of Lu Qingwan.
Later, Lu Qingwan's pregnancy made it truly unsuitable for her to attend morning court. The officials finally breathed a sigh of relief, but an autumn imperial examination once again brought Lu Qingwan back.
The officials bowed their heads to the ground, mentally having already thrashed the schemers of the spring examination eight hundred times.
They clearly knew that Lu Qingwan placed the utmost importance on the performance of female candidates in this autumn imperial examination. Why stir up trouble and provoke this ancestor for no reason!
Would it kill them to have one or two more female officials in court...
While the officials cursed inwardly, they still offered respectful greetings to Lu Qingwan on the surface.
Lu Qingwan, with an imposing aura, did not resort to the vulgar tantrums of a shrew. She said coldly, "I will not waste words here. Speak directly, how do you intend to resolve this matter?"
Yuan Qingshan, the Minister of Rites, cupped his hands and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, it has been confirmed that Cai Zhongxiang, the Libationer of the Imperial Academy, was the one who deliberately miscommunicated the examination time, causing over twenty female candidates to miss the test. However, Cai Zhongxiang was instructed by Qu Enyou, an official of the Ministry of Rites.
I have already escorted these two individuals to the Ministry of Justice to be rigorously interrogated by Minister Han."
Cheng Nanliu bowed and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, all the examiners for this autumn imperial examination were selected by myself, Minister Yuan, and Censor Chi.
I was poor at judging character, and I await Your Majesty's judgment."
Minister of Rites Yuan Qingshan and Censor Chi Yunshen naturally also corrected their mistakes and admitted fault.
Lu Qingwan would not let them off so easily. "You were poor at judging character. Cai Zhongxiang and others, swayed by their personal biases, undermined the fairness of the autumn imperial examination, and thus deserve punishment.
However, punishment is not the ultimate goal. I ask you, how should these female scholars who missed the autumn imperial examination be accommodated?"
Everyone exchanged glances, none of them daring to make a decision.
After a while, Censor Chi Yunshen tentatively suggested, "According to what this minister knows, there were over two hundred female scholars participating in this spring examination.
The group deliberately delayed by Cai Zhongxiang and the others were precisely the most talented among the female scholars participating in this spring examination.
Why not allow them to first enter Songshan Academy to study for a period, and then have them undergo assessment alongside the students of Songshan Academy? Their future placement can then be decided based on the assessment results, which would be fair.
What does Your Majesty think?"
Songshan Academy was the official training school for Tianfeng. It housed seasoned veterans who had served for many years, as well as raw recruits recommended from various regions.
Those sent to Songshan Academy were divided into two batches.
One was for those with sufficient ability and good moral character, whom Lu Qingwan intended to promote. They would be assigned to fill existing gaps, and once improved, they could be granted higher official positions.
The other was for those who were either raw recruits, possessing only academic knowledge, or those who had the ability but lacked practical experience, requiring guidance from seasoned seniors.
Alternatively, they might have sufficient seniority but had accomplished little, thus needing to be retrained.
Chi Yunshen's intention was to have those twenty-odd female scholars who missed the autumn imperial examination enter the "rookie camp," and then take an exam with the members of the rookie camp. If they passed, they would serve in the court and serve the people.
If they failed, they would return whence they came and try again in a year.
The officials nodded repeatedly. This arrangement would both ensure the fairness of the autumn imperial examination and not hinder the future of those twenty-odd female scholars, making it the most suitable arrangement.
Lu Qingwan herself found it plausible. "If that is the case, this matter will be handled by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites."
With the matter properly resolved, Lu Qingwan's expression did not improve much.
Her sharp gaze darted towards Tang Xiao. "I granted you the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and this is how you serve me?
You have no foresight whatsoever.
What, after leaving the Divine Strategy Camp, has your wolfish nature as Commander Tang been dulled?
Do I need to send you back to Tianxuan City for retraining?"
After Tianfeng was unified, Tianxuan City no longer needed to remain hidden and naturally became a haven for Tianfeng's military generals.
Of course, this was Lu Qingwan's own description. Whether it was a heaven or hell depended on those who had been to Tianxuan City.
Take Tang Xiao, for instance. He was one of the veteran figures when Tianxuan City was first established. Hearing that he was to be sent back to Tianxuan City for retraining, his face still turned pale with fear.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This minister will immediately investigate this matter thoroughly.
I will ensure that everyone involved in this autumn imperial examination case is brought to light."
To a certain extent, Lu Qingwan was actually correct.
The position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice had indeed curbed Tang Xiao's wolfish nature. It was only when Lu Qingwan and Si Fengwu became angry that Tang Xiao's previous sharp teeth, claws, and keen insight would return.
This was the inevitable path for a military officer transitioning to a civil official.
However, others were unaware of Tang Xiao's inner journey and only felt a bit of pity for him.
It was a matter unrelated to him, yet after the incident, he was punished for lacking foresight, even though he was diligently investigating it.
Little did they know that Tang Xiao accepted it willingly.
After a series of arrangements, just as Lu Qingwan was about to rise, Wu Ying quietly slipped in. "Your Majesty, bad news, the Prince is back."
Lu Qingwan's eyes widened, and she glared at Xiao Sui. "What's going on?
Didn't you say he would be inspecting the army camp for the next few days and wouldn't return until dark?"
Xiao Sui's face was contorted like a bitter melon. "Shao Nanchuan did say that. The Northern Army Cavalry, after being equipped with the Firearm Camp, was scheduled to have an exercise with the Black Armored Army, and Governor Wen also wanted to get involved.
The Prince went today to discuss the exercise plan with the generals. See, even Minister Shen and the maternal uncle are not here!"
"Enough nonsense, hurry back to the sleeping quarters!"
With her round belly, she walked a few steps, then turned back with less conviction and threatened the officials, "Hurry and leave. Today, none of you entered the palace, and I saw no one. Do you understand?"