Xu Xue's Marriage

With Zhang Changshen taking the lead, the others quickly followed suit. "Your subject agrees."

I second that.

I second that.

"..."

In the end, it was unanimously approved, with no one opposing or raising any objections.

This was both unexpected and expected by Xiao Ge.

It was unexpected for him because he knew these officials very well. Many of them were strongly opposed to women's participation in politics.

When he initially appointed Zhao Ruxi as the top scholar in the imperial examination and assigned her an official position, many officials objected.

However, his words at the time were irrefutable, and everyone felt that Zhao Ruxi's official career was just a flash in the pan. Once she got married, she would naturally stay at home to have children and serve her mother-in-law and husband, and would no longer show her face in public. It wasn't worth going against the Emperor and Grand Princess Shangde for Zhao Ruxi, who was only an official for a few months, so they didn't jump out to oppose her.

It was expected because his recent purge of officials and powerful families had brought his prestige to its peak.

He appointed Zhao Ruxi to an official position in the first place, and now he's brought up this issue again, which clearly means he doesn't oppose her taking up a post. These officials, who were just terrified, don't dare to raise any objections.

However, he was happy to see this situation unfold.

He said, "Since no one has any objections, then let's do it this way."

Wu Huaisi, having received instructions from his master, quickly said, "Your Majesty, shouldn't we first ask Consort of the Prince of Qi's opinion on this matter? Prince of Qi Highness Prince Qi is in poor health, and if Consort of the Prince of Qi wishes to stay home to serve him and is unwilling to take up an official post, it is understandable, and we shouldn't force her."

Everyone looked at Wu Huaisi in surprise.

They also thought that Qi Xugu's request for Zhao Ruxi to take up an official position was because Zhao Ruxi herself was unwilling to remain in the inner quarters and had instructed Qi Xugu to do so.

Is that really the case?

"What you say makes sense, my dear minister," Xiao Ge nodded, then turned to instruct Eunuch Xie, "Go to the Prince of Qi's Residence and tell her about Lord Qi's invitation for him to take up an official position, and see what she thinks."

"Yes." Eunuch Xie bowed and withdrew.

At this moment, in the Prince of Qi's Residence, Zhao Ruxi was sitting opposite Xu Xue.

"What did you say? Say it again?" Zhao Ruxi looked at Xu Xue in astonishment.

"I..." Xu Xue lowered her head, her face flushed, "Your second cousin said he'll come to propose marriage after he finishes the county exam."

Zhao Ruxi never expected that Xu Xue and Zhao Jing'an would become a couple.

She frequently corresponded with Xu Xue while she was in Nanyang. After returning to the capital, Xu Xue would visit her from time to time. Xu Family even came to escort her to her wedding, so she was very clear about the Xu Family's situation.

Xu Xue is half a year younger than Zhao Ruxi and is now sixteen. For the past two years, Madam Xie has been anxious and worried about her marriage.

However, since Xu Xue became famous for writing novels and became a columnist for the Qiming Ten-Day Gazette, she has gained an independent economic foundation and a say in marriage. If she disagrees, Madam Xie cannot arbitrarily arrange a marriage for her. Because of this, the day after Zhao Ruxi returned from Nanyang, Madam Xie came to ask Zhao Ruxi to persuade Xu Xue.

At the time, Xu Xue said she didn't have anyone she liked and wasn't planning on getting married. Who would have thought such a bombshell would drop now?

"You two... have been in love for a long time, haven't you?" Zhao Ruxi asked.

Xu Xue nodded gently.

When did this happen?

Xu Xue lowered her head and twisted her fingers. "You know your second brother really likes reading storybooks, right? He's read all the storybooks I used to write. He said he's not cut out for studying, and he's far inferior to you. He said it would take him ten or twenty years to pass the imperial examinations and become a scholar. But given the family's situation, he doesn't want to be supported by his family, so he's looking for a way out."

She looked up. "After much thought, he decided that writing stories was a more suitable path for him. He had neither business acumen nor capital, and working as an accountant wouldn't give him time to study. If he could use his spare time to write stories to support himself, start a family, and build a career, that would be a way out."

"So he came to me for advice. After he wrote the story, he asked me to revise it. And so, we..."

At this point, Xu Xue smiled and said, "However, he felt he wasn't good enough for me and never said it. It wasn't until September, when my mother insisted on arranging a marriage for me, that he realized he might never have the chance to say it again. Besides, his storybook had been published in the newspaper and even caught the eye of a bookstore, which printed it as a standalone book and sold extremely well. He felt he could support himself, so he finally confessed his feelings to me."

Zhao Ruxi then realized what was happening.

She knew that Zhao Jing'an wanted to write a storybook. In the spring, after he failed the imperial examination, he came to ask her how to write a storybook and what ideas he had.

Zhao Jing'an had a very good relationship with Xu Chongwen at the clan school. He knew that Xu Xue had provided the initial ideas when she first started writing storybooks, which was normal, and she hadn't thought much about it at the time.

In ancient times, family ties were strong, and the family did not separate while the elders were still alive. This led to a situation where in families with some property and a successful elder brother, the younger brothers would all become complacent and idle. Zhao Yuanliang is the most outstanding example of this.

So when Zhao Jing'an said he wanted to take the imperial examination, Zhao Ruxi was worried that he would spend his whole life spending the family's money, so she asked Zhao Jingli to support his studies.

But one cannot interfere in the affairs of a close relative. They are brothers and father and son. Since Zhao Jingli and Zhao Yuanliang did not say anything, she, as an outsider, could not criticize Zhao Jing'an's actions. In the end, she said nothing.

She hadn't expected Zhao Jing'an to have the idea of writing storybooks to earn money while studying.

She was overjoyed and immediately told Zhao Jing'an all the ideas she had from male-oriented novels she had read in her previous life. Zhao Jing'an's hand ached from taking so many notes.

That was the only time; Zhao Jing'an never came to see her again.

Everything is difficult at the beginning. She thought he wouldn't be able to write it right away, so she gave up on the project halfway through. At the time, she was a little disappointed and complained to Lady Zhu about it.

But with the imperial examinations approaching, she had no energy to think about anything else and quickly forgot about it.

"When did my second brother go to you to ask for advice on how to write storybooks?" she asked.

"Last spring. He had absolutely no idea how to write it. After I explained it to him, he wrote it down and showed it to me. I felt it wasn't good enough, so I made him rewrite it. Later, he even consulted you."

The timing matches up.

Zhao Ruxi nodded, looked at Xu Xue, and smiled, "That's great. Congratulations!"

If Zhao Jing'an were someone who only thought about relying on his family to support his studies and take the imperial examinations, and had no desire to be self-reliant, she would still try to persuade Xu Xue, even if it would offend people.

It would be fine if Zhao Jing'an was a person with extremely high academic talent. He could spend a few years taking the imperial examinations and making a future for himself. Zhao Jingli and Xu Xue wouldn't have to work so hard.

However, Zhao Jing'an's aptitude was only average. It would take him three to five years to pass the county-level imperial examination, and another ten years or so to pass the provincial-level examination. As for whether he could pass the imperial examination, that would depend on whether the Zhao Family's ancestral graves would emit auspicious smoke.