Ji Chunyue and Ji Qiuyue borrowed five hundred taels from a bank in Jing Country, barely enough to open a milk tea shop, and then set off to return to Chu State.
Before leaving, Ji Chunyue blushed as she tossed a jade pendant to Zheng Qiru, saying, "Silly boy, we accept our loss in this bet!"
Zheng Qiru's face turned red, and he stammered, "As soon as I finish the imperial exams, I'll write to you... to both of you..."
"Who wants your letters?" Ji Chunyue's ears burned as she quickly lowered the carriage curtain.
Ji Qiuyue and Yuan covered their mouths, laughing.
Although Zheng Qiru had a flaw on his temple, his features were handsome, and his manner refined.
More importantly, he respected women.
"If the young lady marries such a man in the future, it wouldn't be bad at all."
"Don't talk nonsense! Yuan, shut your mouth!" The carriage departed amidst the sisters' laughter and banter.
Inside the palace, Xiao Yunzhou was rocking Xiao Chuchu's small cradle, frowning in deep thought.
The two beauties from Chu State had left.
With only a seventy percent follow rate, the task of collecting elites remained temporarily incomplete.
He wondered when he would be able to fully win them over.
[Oh my, isn't this just like a story of talented scholars and beautiful ladies?]
Xiao Chuchu, however, wasn't worried at all. She was eagerly watching the live stream of Zheng Qiru reluctantly bidding farewell to the beauties.
She glanced at the shy Ji Chunyue inside the carriage and the hint of sadness in her eyes as she departed, clicking her tongue in amazement.
[I never thought that a man from Jing Country with 99 intelligence, who had never been married, would end up waiting for a beauty from Chu State!]
[They actually have some pink bubbles around them~ It's quite shippable~]
[This silly boy, why doesn't he recite a poem of parting right now?]
[Writing letters later... thinking of her on the first day, thinking of her on the second day, still thinking of her on the third day~ Hey, I'll have to keep an eye on them in the future.]
Xiao Chuchu grinned like a doting aunt, enjoying this budding romance.
[However, Zheng Qiru has nothing to his name right now, just a poor scholar. His appearance is also flawed in others' eyes. I guess Ji Chunyue's grandfather, the Prime Minister of Chu State, won't easily agree to this marriage.]
Xiao Yunzhou listened, dumbfounded.
What did it mean to "ship" a couple?
When did these two become an item?
As the Emperor of Jing Country, he was delighted at the prospect of a Chu State beauty marrying into Jing Country.
It would be even better if all the men in Chu State remained bachelors, haha!
Xiao Yunzhou couldn't stop grinning at the thought.
Let the King of Chu cry!
Let the men of Chu State cry!
Who told them not to have a fairy princess to enlighten them about 'gender equality'?!
Thinking of this, Xiao Yunzhou was greatly amused. He ordered the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds specifically to support women's schools.
Not only would they learn needlework, but also reading and writing, medical skills, sewing techniques, and business management.
"Liu Chaniang, you should also gather the women in the harem to study together," Xiao Yunzhou said to Liu Chaniang. "Those who perform poorly in assessments or are unproductive will have their monthly allowances reduced."
"Let Consort Min assist you, the women in the harem should set an example."
"This way, other men will learn to be as open-minded as me!"
And so, a great reform in the harem began.
Regardless of whether you were previously an Empress, Noble Consort, Consort, or palace maid, from now on, everyone had to study and improve!
The Third Prince and Fourth Prince, who disliked studying the most, returned to their mother's palace to find her struggling with books and cursing. They couldn't help but chuckle and even lectured their mother.
"Concubine Liu is doing this for your own good, Mother," said even the usually unruly Fourth Prince, who rarely showed brotherly affection or proper manners. At this moment, he felt that Concubine Liu was doing the right thing.
Looking at his own mother, Consort Li, he said, "Didn't you always tell me to read more, saying that books contain the principles of governing the world and ways to surpass my elder brother?"
"Reading is good for me."
"So, Mother, you should also listen to Concubine Liu. She's doing this for your benefit too," the Fourth Prince said with a grin.
Consort Li was speechless.
She felt nauseated, "How can this be the same? She's just tormenting me! I'm not a prince!"
The Fourth Prince glared, "Mother, now you're being unreasonable. Concubine Liu is giving you a chance to surpass the Empress. If you don't cherish it and make progress, how can you complain?"
"???" Consort Li felt a tightness in her chest.
These were all the words she used to urge her son to study.
Now they had all come back to bite her!
Seeing his mother silent, the Fourth Prince became even more smug as he lectured her, "Today, Fifth Brother mentioned that there's a brilliant poor scholar in this imperial examination, which shows that extensive reading can change one's social status."
"Concubine Liu is making you all study to give you a chance to strive for Father Emperor's favor and catch up with the Empress. You can't just rely on your son, can you? You can't just use your mouth without using your brain!"
"If I can't become the Crown Prince, who's to blame? Both you and I are responsible."
"..."
Consort Li felt faint.
How did she end up giving birth to such a thick-skinned, good-for-nothing?
Forget about the Emperor, even she couldn't stand him.
If the Fourth Prince became Emperor, would he make her, his mother, help him review official documents?!
Consort Li felt dejected but still had to study.
"Mother, hurry up and read. I heard that from now on, there will be monthly exams for the women in the harem. If you end up at the bottom, you'll be worse than your son. In the future, don't scold me if I perform poorly in my studies."
"..."
All at once, the women in the harem were studying diligently, burning the midnight oil.
Those with children were urged by their kids to study, while those without children had to rely on themselves for future security, so they studied even harder.
Empress Tong gritted her teeth and studied day and night, all for the day she could surpass Concubine Liu again!
Both inside and outside the palace, the sound of reading aloud could be heard everywhere.
Three days later, the successful candidates from the metropolitan examination proceeded to the palace examination, where Xiao Yunzhou personally set the questions and conducted oral examinations.
Wei Zheng held Xiao Chuchu as they watched the excitement from behind a curtain.
The curtain was made of strings of southern pearls, with gaps in between.
Behind the pearl curtain was another layer of fine gauze, shielding Xiao Chuchu from the candidates' curious glances.
However, through the pearl curtain and gauze, Xiao Chuchu could vaguely make out the blurred figures and the system dialogue boxes appearing above their heads.
As she looked, she was surprised, [Oh my, my maternal grandfather hasn't been to the palace in a long time, and his intelligence has risen to 91?!]
[Wow, that's even higher than some of the candidates below!]
Xiao Chuchu couldn't help but exclaim internally.
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes widened. What?
Old man Liu was already so old, yet his wisdom could still improve by leaps and bounds?
He looked at the white-haired Liu Wenchang standing to one side, his envy evident.
[It seems that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, and traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as meeting countless people. It really is true.]
Xiao Chuchu, nestled in Wei Zheng's arms, pondered.
[My maternal grandfather hasn't taken any magical elixirs in the past six months, and being busy in the Ministry of Personnel, he hasn't had time to read too many books.]
[It's simply because he's in the Ministry of Personnel, interacting with officials from various departments and regions.]
Xiao Chuchu pondered, [Most likely, it's because he's met countless people, and they're all officials with high intelligence and strong capabilities, so my grandfather's intelligence has been honed and improved.]
[It seems that the system's intelligence assessment is comprehensive, not just about test-taking ability, but also includes skills like reading people and getting things done.]
As Xiao Yunzhou listened, his eyes sparkled with increasing interest.
"Your Majesty, all the top-ranking candidates from the Imperial Examination are here."
"Let the palace examination begin!"
Xiao Yunzhou cleared his throat lightly and nodded immediately.
[Zheng Qiru, intelligence 99.]
[Li Chang, intelligence 97.]
[Zhou Shuxin, intelligence 94.]
...
[Lu Han... 71.]
Xiao Yunzhou's gaze flickered as he quickly ranked the first and second-place candidates, including the positions of Zhuangyuan (top scorer), Tanhua (second place), and Bangyan (third place).
*
"Grandfather, it's just a tea shop. What's wrong with learning from Jing Country?" Ji Chunyue and Ji Qiuyue stood anxiously in the study of the Ji family patriarch, who was also the Prime Minister of Chu State. They looked at the white-haired old man before them. "What's there to fear about learning from Jing Country?"
"Absolutely not! There's no need to discuss this further! I allowed you to travel, not to collude with Jing Country," Ji Duan, the Prime Minister of Chu State, declared resolutely, brooking no argument.
"Chu State cannot possibly learn from the small Jing Country!"
"If you want to open a shop, your grandfather will help you. You can open anything else."
The Ji sisters exchanged glances, seeing the sorrow in each other's eyes.
Born into a great family, they wanted for nothing, but they were also bound by family constraints.
Usually, they enjoyed their grandfather's doting affection, but when it came to crucial matters, they had no freedom at all.
Ordinary Chu merchants could travel between Jing and Chu to conduct business, but they couldn't.
"If they have something better than us, why can't we learn from them? Grandfather, you're so old-fashioned!"
"Hmph, whether it's industry, agriculture, military, or commerce, they're not as good as us. There's no need to mention this again. If His Majesty finds out, he might be displeased with you."
The Ji sisters felt dejected. They had already borrowed money from the bank in Jing Country.
But their family wouldn't agree.
Ji Chunyue pulled back Ji Qiuyue, who was about to argue further. "Sister, let's go."
Back in their room, she asked Yuan to open the package they had brought back from Jing Country, then found the sachet that Concubine Liu from Jing had given them.
As soon as they opened it, they were stunned.
— Branch location: The border between the two countries.
The Ji sisters: "!"
Their eyes lit up.
