GBP Chapter 361 Awakening of Female Consciousness
Chapter 361 Awakening of Female Consciousness
"Lord Shi, you have quite the airs of an official!"
Shen Yanchu strode forward, his crimson brocade robe making his face appear even more sinister.
"What, Wanxia? Don't you, a woman, care about basic moral principles and ethics?"
Shi Wanxia bowed respectfully, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Highness."
"I do have official business to attend to today, and I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
Shen Yanchu's gaze swept over the dozen or so young ladies taking the exam in the hall, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips: "I heard that Lord Shi is selecting female officials, so I came to see for myself."
"What? Women can hold official positions now? Is Cangling about to undergo a complete upheaval?"
The hall fell silent. The ladies who were answering the questions lowered their heads, their brushes trembling slightly.
Shi Wanxia took a deep breath. She had heard far too many such doubts these days.
But each time, it felt like a needle piercing her heart.
"Your Highness is mistaken."
Her voice was clear and resonant, each word firm and clear.
"Your humble servant is merely receiving a salary from Your Majesty and relieving Your Majesty of your worries."
"Why can't women hold official positions? We women are no less capable than any man."
Shen Yanchu sneered, strode up to her, and looked down at her condescendingly: "Shi Wanxia, don't forget who recommended you to the court."
"I can lift you up, and I can also make you fall."
Shi Wanxia met his gaze without flinching: "My official position and status were bestowed by His Majesty and have absolutely nothing to do with Your Highness."
She deliberately used modern vocabulary, since these people wouldn't understand anyway.
"presumptuous!"
Shen Yanchu's expression changed drastically, and he raised his hand to slap her.
"My cousin has a terrible temper."
A gentle, warm voice came from behind him.
Crown Prince Shen Yanzhou, dressed in a moon-white robe and holding a folding fan, walked out with a smile.
"Lord Shi is currently selecting talent for the country. Is it inappropriate for my cousin to disturb him like this?"
Shen Yanchu's hand froze in mid-air, his expression shifting between light and dark: "How come Your Highness has time to come to a place like this?"
Shen Yanzhou walked unhurriedly to Shi Wanxia's side, lightly waving his folding fan: "I have been ordered by my father, the Emperor, to come and see how Lord Shi's selection process is progressing."
He turned to Shi Wanxia, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes, "Please continue, Lady Shi. There's no need to pay attention to these irrelevant people."
Shi Wanxia glanced gratefully at the Crown Prince, then turned to the young ladies present and said, "Ladies, please don't panic, just continue answering."
Left standing to the side, Shen Yanchu's face grew increasingly grim. He slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clatter: "Shi Wanxia! You, a woman, shouldn't be at home taking care of your husband and children, but instead insist on showing your face in public, stirring up trouble in the court! What kind of behavior is this!"
Shi Wanxia finally couldn't take it anymore.
She put down the exam paper, straightened her back, and her voice echoed clearly throughout the hall:
"Your Highness, you keep saying that women can only be good wives and mothers. Then please tell me, Miss Cui's musical skills are unparalleled in the capital, Miss Wang's poetry is so excellent that even the scholars of the Hanlin Academy are ashamed of themselves, and Miss Fan's mathematical abilities are enough to manage the accounts of a region—are these talents only fit to be locked away in the inner chambers?"
She glanced around, her gaze intense: "Women in this world are naturally diverse, including the intelligent and quick-witted, the lively and spirited, the well-read, the virtuous and kind, the courageous and resourceful, and the calm and elegant. As the saying goes, each woman possesses a unique charm and beauty!"
Upon hearing this, the young ladies in the hall all raised their heads, their eyes gleaming with an unusual light.
Shen Yanchu laughed angrily: "What a sharp tongue you have! Shi Wanxia, have you ever read 'Admonitions for Women'? Do you even know how to write 'The husband is the head of the household'? Women are born to bear children, raise them, and support their husbands!"
"Your Highness is utterly mistaken!"
A clear voice suddenly rang out from among the test takers.
A young girl dressed in a pale yellow dress stood up; she was Wang Shiwan, the daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites.
She looked directly at Shen Yanchu without fear: "My daughter has read the Book of Rites, and the General Interpretation says: 'The father is the guide for the son; if the father is not kind, the son will run away to another place.'"
"A son is the hope of his father; if the son is not upright, the father should put aside his own family for the greater good. A husband is the head of his wife; if the husband is not upright, the wife may remarry. A wife is the helper of her husband; if the wife is not virtuous, the husband should divorce her."
'Women are not appendages of men, but rather have a complementary relationship!'
Shen Yanchu's face turned ashen, and he angrily retorted, "Insolence! Who do you think you are? Is this how your father raised you?!"
Before Wang Shiwan could retort, Shi Wanxia quickly stepped forward and shielded her behind her, saying, "Why is Your Highness angry? This young lady is merely quoting classical texts."
“If a woman is educated, she can be a good wife, a good mother, a good homemaker, and a good farmer.”
"When women's virtue flourishes, a thousand households will be virtuous and good; is this not so?"
She paused, a sharp glint of modernity flashing in her eyes: "Besides, this world was born from the skirts of women, how can we look down on women?"
These words exploded like a bomb in the hall.
Several students and scholars had already changed their expressions and began to whisper among themselves.
Even Shen Yanzhou, who had always supported her, frowned.
Shi Wanxia knew her words were too shocking. But she didn't care.
She didn't belong to this era; she inexplicably transmigrated here. The only thing she could do was to stay true to herself and not be assimilated by this cannibalistic era.
Shen Yanchu trembled with rage: "Spreading heresy! Shi Wanxia, you wait! I will definitely petition His Majesty to have you dismissed from your post!"
"Cousin?"
Shen Yanzhou suddenly spoke, his voice soft but undeniable, "The matter of Lord Shi selecting female officials was ordered by the Emperor himself."
"If my cousin has any objections, why don't we go and ask Father directly?"
Shen Yanchu was speechless, and finally glared at Shi Wanxia fiercely: "Fine, very well! Shi Wanxia, we'll see!" With that, he turned and left.
The hall fell silent; everyone was stunned by the conflict.
Shi Wanxia breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Wang Shiwan: "Miss Wang, thank you for your help."
Wang Shiwan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said softly, "You flatter me, sir. I just... I just think you're right."
Shen Yanzhou coughed lightly: "Lord Shi, let the selection continue. I will explain today's events to my father."
Shi Wanxia nodded gratefully.
She knew that in this patriarchal era, having a supporter like the Crown Prince was already a rare privilege.
But she knew all too well that the real challenge was just beginning. Shen Yanchu would not give up easily, and the conservative ministers in the court would not stand idly by and allow a woman to enter officialdom.
She, an outsider from the modern world, not only has to face these open and hidden attacks, but also has to constantly remind herself not to lose her way in this unfamiliar era.
Outside the window, locust blossoms continued to fall in a flurry.
Shi Wanxia looked up at the sky that didn't belong to her, and silently thought to herself:
One day, I will find my way home.
But before that, I want the women here to know that their lives shouldn't only consist of being a wife and mother.
"The next batch of test takers enters."
She snapped out of her reverie, her voice regaining its calm.
The selection process continued, but Shi Wanxia knew that from this day forward, a silent war over the status of women had begun.