Chapter 265: Empress of Qian Kingdom

Inside the inner courtyard of the Poetry Garden, the seating was divided into two rows.

Men on the left, women on the right.

Those sitting on the left were all famous scholars of Luo City.

Those sitting on the right were, naturally, the young ladies from prominent families in Luo City.

As for the main seat, it was occupied by Lord Qi of the Hanlin Academy.

In the seats on the left, almost all the men unconsciously glanced toward the young girl on the right.

The young girl’s gaze continuously drifted across the seats opposite her.

Whenever her eyes swept past, those scholars would straighten their backs and puff out their chests.

However, her gaze did not linger on any of them for even a single breath.

The young girl was searching for his figure, but she couldn’t find him anywhere.

Naturally, she wouldn’t find him.

Because after finishing his poem, that scumbag had gone to the haunted house to pick up Zhu Ling.

Otherwise, if that Little White Rabbit were left in the haunted house for too long, she would probably have a breakdown.

“Since the time has come, let us begin.”

The elder, whose full name was Qi Yu, spoke slowly.

In terms of poetry appreciation, this Lord Qi of the Hanlin Academy could be considered the most authoritative figure in the entire Qian Kingdom.

But to be honest…

For Qi Yu, if it weren’t for the request of Your Majesty, it would have been impossible for him to come to Luo City, let alone agree to participate in a poetry gathering.

Wasn’t it better to stay at home, reading books and pursuing scholarship?

He was already an old man; why travel a thousand miles to Luo City?

Thinking of this, Qi Yu couldn’t help but sigh, recalling a morning court session from the previous month.

During that session, the Empress of Qian Kingdom publicly announced that she wanted to recruit a talented person to take on the responsibility of drafting edicts.

This had actually delighted many of the old foxes in the imperial court.

Years ago, when the Empress of Qian Kingdom first ascended the throne, many people had tried to stuff their confidants or students into the Hanlin Academy—a government office known for its clean but low-paying nature.

The position of Hanlin Scholar was outrageously sought after.

This was because a Hanlin Scholar was responsible for drafting edicts; in simpler terms, they were the personal assistant to Your Majesty.

If it were the old Emperor, it wouldn’t matter, but this was the new Empress.

With the Empress’s ascension, it was a time when talent was needed. If one could become a familiar face before Your Majesty, wouldn’t they have a meteoric rise in the future?

Furthermore! Your Majesty was a woman. To continue the imperial Bloodline, she would certainly have to recruit a Prince Consort.

And women loved talented scholars the most.

If Your Majesty happened to take a liking to one of their students or something, wouldn’t that be a path to great wealth and power?

However, to everyone’s surprise…

Since Her Majesty ascended the throne, the imperial palace was filled entirely with women; even the eunuchs had been reassigned.

The eunuchs who used to be in the palace either went to the East and West Depots or took their pensions and returned to their hometowns to live out their lives in comfort.

Since then, the palace of the Qian Kingdom had become a true kingdom of women, and the duty of drafting edicts had always been handled by maidservants.

Although the censors had submitted many memorials, feeling that it was highly improper for women to draft edicts…

According to court regulations, drafting edicts should be done by Hanlin Scholars. How could it be done by women?

But the Empress of Qian Kingdom simply wouldn’t listen.

And the various methods the Empress of Qian Kingdom displayed, along with the policies she enacted after her ascension, had thoroughly put both new and old officials in their place.

In just a few years, under the Empress’s wise rule, the Qian Kingdom had reached its peak of prosperity.

The prestige of the Empress of Qian Kingdom had reached an unimaginable height.

It could be said that if the Empress of Qian Kingdom were to raid the Prime Minister’s home one day without any reason, the current Prime Minister would immediately take off his official hat and kneel before the palace gates to beg for forgiveness, even if he had truly done nothing wrong.

Thus, the matter of the Hanlin Scholars was no longer mentioned.

This time, when the Empress of Qian Kingdom wanted to recruit someone to draft edicts, those old foxes suspected they had misheard.

But soon, they heard the Empress say:

“Luo City is a major economic and cultural hub of our dynasty, with a very strong literary atmosphere. I intend to establish the post of ‘Draft Recorder.’ Breaking away from convention, I will select talent from Luo City. This matter shall be handled by Lord Qi. After this Luo City Ice and Snow Festival, I ask Lord Qi to provide me with a list.

Ultimately, I will select a suitable candidate from Lord Qi’s list!”

After speaking, the Empress of Qian Kingdom still felt somewhat uneasy and added once more: “There is no limit to the number of names on the list Lord Qi submits, and the more people, the better. Those School Teachers from Luocheng Academy can even appear on the list.”

Upon hearing this sentence from the Empress, the court officials were all stunned for a moment.

Especially Qi Yu.

Nowadays, the imperial examination was the primary and most important path to becoming an official.

Now Your Majesty wanted to select from the common people? And then have them directly serve as Your Majesty’s personal assistant?

Ah, this…

How should one put it? Others would likely feel it was unfair.

But due to the Empress’s prestige, no one dared to object.

Finally, after Qi Yu accepted this task, although he had to travel a thousand miles to Luo City, he was nonetheless conscientious and responsible.

Qi Yu had also decided that for this selection, the candidate must meet three requirements!

First! Their talent and character must be outstanding. Otherwise, how could a commoner who hadn’t passed the imperial exam serve as a Draft Recorder and command public respect?

Your Majesty’s reputation would be more or less affected.

Second! The person shouldn’t be too ugly, but they absolutely must not be too handsome! Otherwise, if Your Majesty spends time with them day and night, what if her heart starts to flutter by accident?

If Your Majesty were to become obsessed with male beauty, and the hard-won prosperity of the Qian Kingdom were to go downhill, he wouldn’t have the face to meet the late Emperor.

Third! It would be best if the person had a family, was already married, and was deeply in love with their wife.

In that case, even if there were a hint of affection, it wouldn’t matter, because Your Majesty would also know it was impossible to be with them.

After all, could you let the dignified Empress become a concubine? Or steal someone else’s husband?

How could that be allowed?

Your Majesty was also aware of the weight of such matters.

With these three requirements, Qi Yu arrived in Luo City. It just so happened that the poetry gathering was the next day, and upon being invited, Qi Yu decided to come and take a look.

To see a poem is to see the person. Poetry is the best reflection of one’s inner self. Since all the scholars would be there, he could also conduct a personal “interview.”

In the Poetry Garden, the first poem was read out by a maidservant.

It was a seven-character regulated poem set against the backdrop of snow, with a beauty standing in the snow, rendering a Concept of the beauty and the snow, of frailty and pure white.

The author was a Provincial Graduate from Luo City, ranked tenth in the Provincial Examination.

The tenth place in the Luo City provincial exam meant that, barring any accidents, he could enter the Second Class in the Spring Metropolitan Examination next year.

The poem was well-written. After it was read, the author stood up and bowed. However, he was a bit too handsome and still single. Forget it, forget it, he wouldn’t be recommended.

The second poem was by a very famous romantic scholar in Luo City. It was also a seven-character regulated poem, with ornate but superficial language. He had even heard that this man often stayed overnight in brothels. Forget it, forget it, poor character; he wouldn’t be recommended.

The third was a Ci poem. The literary talent was decent, but the author’s appearance was a bit lacking, and he worried it might affect Your Majesty’s mood. Forget it, not recommended.

The fourth and fifth poems… well, these two looked average, and their poetry was okay. Although they had visited brothels, who hadn’t? As long as they didn’t spend all night fooling around. They were also among the top five in the provincial exam.

Good! Nominated!

The sixth, the seventh…

One by one, the verses were read by the maidservant. After each poem or Ci was finished, the author would stand up and bow.

Qi Yu would then silently memorize their names and write down those who could be nominated.

In any case, Your Majesty had said the more people, the better.

But Qi Yu was puzzled. Why were all these people describing scenes of a young girl wandering in a garden, standing in the snow?

The girls in their poems even possessed a kind of delicate, frail beauty.

What was going on?