The fate was changed, the mistress of the Hou family was slapped in the face and made money to win

Chapter 719: Minister of Rites Zhong Xingyun

In the Golden Palace, Emperor Xiao had not arrived yet, and the court officials were gathered in twos and threes.

Pei Zhaozhi looked at Shen Yanxi's smug expression and asked curiously, "What good thing happened to you? You look so happy."

"What are you saying? Was I in a bad mood these days?" Shen Yanxi raised the corners of his lips, and his official uniform made him look even taller and more handsome.

"Prime Minister, have you not looked in the mirror in the past few days? Your serious and tense face, is it related to your good mood?" Pei Zhaozhi couldn't help but speak, "Yesterday, the court officials asked me privately if you had encountered any troubles. I guess they wanted to help you solve your problems and curry favor with you."

"And how did you say that?"

"Of course I can't explain it clearly. If they are curious, they can ask the Prime Minister in person." Pei Zhaozhi lowered his voice slightly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the voice of a eunuch was heard outside the Golden Palace, announcing that Emperor Xiao had arrived.

The court officials quickly returned to their seats.

Pei Zhaozhi and Shen Yanxi did not say anything else, but stood in their respective positions.

Emperor Xiao was dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe. Amid the greetings of the crowd, he sat down on the dragon throne and looked at the court officials in front of him.

"Everyone loves you."

The morning court began, and those court officials who had something to report or make memorials came out one after another.

Most of them were matters that the six ministries were responsible for, as well as the matter of the border generals entering the imperial city to receive rewards. After the discussion was almost finished, Emperor Xiao was about to order the court to adjourn.

"Your Majesty, I have something else to report." Minister of Rites Zhong Xingyun walked into the Golden Palace.

"What else do you want, Lord Zhong?"

"Your Majesty, I am still concerned about the women's academy." Zhong Xingyun bowed his head and clasped his hands, his tone serious.

A few days ago, he was the first to take the lead in impeaching the girls' academy, believing that the girls' academy was against etiquette and should be closed.

After Zhong Xingyun said this, many court officials secretly looked at Shen Yanxi. The previous impeachments against the Girls' Academy were all refuted by the Prime Minister. But only two days later, Shangshu Zhong started to impeach again. He was really not afraid of angering the Prime Minister.

Zhong Xingyun turned sideways and bowed to Shen Yanxi.

"My Lord Prime Minister, I know that the Women's Academy was initiated by your Madam. Your Madam loves his wife and does not want to see her disappointed. I understand that. However, this Women's Academy was originally a temporary expedient. Now that the Xilin and Beiyang incidents are over, your Madam and several other female officials are trying their best to create momentum and gimmicks, making the Women's Academy a hot topic on the streets. As the Minister of Rites, I really don't want to see such things, so I have to impeach her. I hope your Madam will forgive me."

Zhong Xingyun spoke in a serious tone, and his apology seemed sincere, but anyone could tell that it was just a preemptive move to shut Shen Yanxi up.

Shen Yanxi glanced at Zhong Xingyun and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Mr. Zhong, you are too kind. We are all court officials. If you don't like something, you can impeach me. You don't need to consider my true identity, let alone apologize."

Zhong Xingyun laughed in his heart, "Since the Prime Minister thinks so, I..."

"It's just..." Shen Yanxi interrupted Zhong Xingyun, "As a court official, although you can impeach, you should also carefully consider whether the reasons for the impeachment are tenable. The matter of the women's academy was approved by the emperor himself. Although it happened to be the time for the marriage between Xilin and Beiyang, it was for the sake of those poor women who could not go to school. How come Zhong Da said it as if it was a show for Xilin to see?"

Zhong Xingyun frowned, "Prime Minister..."

"Also." Shen Yanxi interrupted him again, "Although the two countries are now in peace talks and the war is over, the news from Beiyang will naturally still spread to Xilin. The Women's Academy has only been open for a few months, and it was hastily closed. If the people of Xilin knew this news, how would they feel? Would they think that all the previous praises about the Women's Academy and the emperor's concern for the people were all false? Lord Zhong is so eager to close the Women's Academy, has he ever considered this point?"

Shen Yanxi's questioning made Zhong Xingyun's heart skip a beat, and he immediately looked at Emperor Xiao who was sitting on the dragon throne.

"Your Majesty, I have no intention of affecting your reputation. It's just that women's academies are really unconventional. Women should be gentle and quiet, and stay in the backyard. Nowadays, women's academies have added a lot of new teaching content, and there are even rumors that after studying in women's academies, women can go out to make a living. If this is allowed to develop, I'm afraid that many women will show their faces in public and not stay at home. This is simply ridiculous!"

Shen Yanxi chuckled, "Master Zhong, what you said is even more inappropriate. If, as you said, women can only stay in the harem and take care of their husbands and children, then the female official system should also be abolished. Could it be that Master Zhong not only thinks that the women's academy is inappropriate, but also sneers at the female official system that the emperor personally approved?"

Zhong Xingyun's heart trembled, "Mr. Prime Minister, I am only discussing the matter at hand. Please do not speculate or make any inferences."

"I am just discussing the matter at hand. Since we are discussing how women should behave, what is the difference between a women's academy and the female official system?"

“This…” Zhong Xingyun choked.

He knew that the Women's Academy had only been in place for a few months, so there was nothing wrong with impeachment. However, the female official system had been in place for a long time, and there had been no mistakes or omissions. It was also set by the emperor himself, so he could not be criticized rashly.

"Your Majesty, I am a minister..."

"Alright." Emperor Xiao waved his hand to stop Zhong Xingyun. "Minister Zhong is also considering etiquette and law, but Minister Shen is right. No matter what the reason for starting this women's academy was, since it has already started and has been announced to the world, as long as there are no mistakes or omissions, it cannot be abolished rashly. Otherwise, it will only cause people all over the world to discuss the original intention of opening this academy."

"Your Majesty, but I still feel that if we let this continue, there will be problems."

"Master Zhong, you are worrying too much." Pei Zhaozhi came out, bowed to Emperor Xiao, and then continued, "Problems may arise in the process of everything. If you follow Master Zhong's way, will all government affairs be unable to proceed?"

"Master Pei, please stop talking nonsense here. Besides, as the Minister of Justice, why do you have to get involved in the affairs of the Ministry of Rites?"

"There hasn't been any problem at the Women's Academy yet, and there haven't been any mistakes that touch on etiquette. If we're to be honest, it doesn't seem like the Ministry of Rites should be involved."

"you……"

"Enough!" Emperor Xiao frowned and spoke again to stop him.