usatvline Chapter 113 The Legend of Zhen Huan 8
Chapter 113 The Legend of Zhen Huan 8
The Women's Enke Examination, like the first ray of dawn breaking through a long night, not only illuminated the darkness on the path of women throughout history, but also ignited the dormant ambitions and aspirations in their hearts.
Many women, well-versed in poetry and literature and brimming with talent, were once confined to the home, their duty being to support their husbands and raise their children. Now, they have broken free from these constraints and flocked to this unprecedented imperial examination event, using their pens as swords to write down their wisdom and dreams.
In the twenty-first year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the highly anticipated palace examination concluded, and Qiu Wenxin, the first female top scholar in history, along with seventeen other women who passed the second-class imperial examination, officially stepped onto the historical stage.
For a woman to serve as an official in the previous dynasty was truly unprecedented.
Qiu Wenxin and others faced immense pressure, but they gritted their teeth and persevered because they knew that they were not only working hard for themselves, but also for millions of women around the world.
Because as long as they stand in the imperial court, countless women will step out of their homes.
At this point, Emperor Yongzheng no longer interfered with the course of history and once again adopted the perspective of an observer.
Watching Qiu Wenxin and other women navigate the court with such skill and eloquence, they were in no way inferior to the men.
In the subsequent imperial examinations, countless more women entered the court.
Gradually, it became common for women to serve as officials. In fact, with women appearing in the imperial court, women also began to emerge in other professions and industries.
Women's economic independence means they don't have to depend on men; gender equality is just a thin veil away.
In the twenty-third year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, Qiu Wenxin and a group of female officials paid an audience with the emperor and submitted a memorial advocating for equal rights for men and women and for a monogamous system throughout the country. During the memorial, they boldly suggested abolishing the emperor's harem as a traditional system.
Emperor Yongzheng readily agreed and bestowed generous rewards upon the few remaining concubines in the harem before sending them out of the palace.
The emperor had set an example, and other court officials who wanted to advance naturally followed in Yongzheng's footsteps. They kept their wives and concubines, gave them generous rewards, and then sent them home. Thus, the monogamous system was officially implemented from top to bottom.
The woman who was laid off was initially worried about her future, but when she stepped outside and saw this world of gender equality, she was instantly happy.
In this era, women can become officials, work, and go to school; their world can be wonderful as long as they want to.
The world continued to develop, and finally, with Emperor Yongzheng's eager anticipation, the idea of equality for all began to take root and sprout.
However, due to the feudal hierarchy that had existed for thousands of years, large-scale development was delayed for a long time.
Emperor Yongzheng is almost seventy years old now, and his health is getting weaker day by day. He may not have much longer to live. After much deliberation, he felt that the biggest obstacle to equality was himself.
Therefore, he directly abolished the father-to-son system that had been passed down for thousands of years, and announced that the next emperor would no longer be one of his sons, but would be selected from among the most talented people in the country, regardless of age or gender, and that two people would be chosen to jointly govern the country.
These words shocked the world.
Then the whole country went crazy. Who wouldn't want to be emperor?
Under the allure of the throne, what does male chauvinism and female inferiority matter? What does hierarchy mean?
Go to hell, you bastards!
I'm going to be the emperor!
The grand selection of the heir to the throne began and lasted for five years. A man and a woman emerged from the crowd. The man was from the common people and was named Meng Ren, while the woman was Qiu Wenxin, the first female scholar to be named Zhuangyuan in the country.
Yongzheng did not break his promise. Ignoring the desires of his three adopted sons, he directly passed the throne to Meng Ren and Wen Qiuxin.
Both men came from humble backgrounds and knew the hardships of the common people. After ascending the throne, they continuously reduced the interests of the nobility and vigorously promoted equality for all.
With the combined efforts of the two, before Yongzheng closed his eyes, he finally saw Pingdeng, whom he had not seen in his previous life, and left this world contentedly.