Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Chapter 335 Shi Wanxia Asks for an Official

Liu Qingci continued, "My lord, in terms of font design, I have incorporated various calligraphic styles, which not only makes the book beautiful and easy to read, but also helps to inherit and promote the art of calligraphy."

"I believe that with the advancement of movable type printing and papermaking technology, the spread of culture will be more extensive, which will undoubtedly be a great help to the prosperity of our nation's culture."

Wang Chong, the Minister of Rites, was speechless for a moment, his face turning red and white in turns.

Seeing this, Shen Yuxi snorted coldly: "Minister Wang, listen to this, his thinking is clear and his reasoning is sound."

"As the Minister of Rites, you should be actively supporting the development of cultural undertakings, instead of constantly pouring cold water on them!"

At this moment, Fan Peng, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, I have recently reviewed the accounts of the bookstores and found that their operating costs are within a controllable range, and with the increase in book sales, they are showing a trend of profitability."

"Given time, it will not only cease to be a burden on the court, but will instead bring considerable tax revenue to the country."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuxi was overjoyed: "Excellent! It seems that Miss Shi and the others not only have innovative abilities but also business acumen."

"I have decided that, effective immediately, we will increase our support for bookstores and open branches in various regions so that more people can benefit from these new technologies."

Shi Wanxia and the others knelt down again to express their gratitude: "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty! We will do our utmost to live up to Your Majesty's expectations!"

The carved palace lanterns sway gently on the gilded palace beams, casting interplay of light and shadow on the white marble bricks.

Shen Yuxi wore a black dragon-patterned robe, with gold embroidery thread faintly visible in the candlelight, revealing supreme majesty.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, and the imperial aura emanating from him made everyone in the hall feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. They all knelt down with a "thump" and dared not breathe.

Shi Wanxia stood tall and straight, completely unfazed by the oppressive aura. She wore a moon-white official robe, the indigo trim on the collar and cuffs standing out strikingly in the light and shadow.

Amidst a sea of ​​kneeling figures, she steadily raised her head, gracefully performed a curtsy, and her clear voice rang out in the hall: "Your Majesty, I have another matter to ask of you!"

Shen Yuxi stared intently at Shi Wanxia and asked, "Is there anything else, Minister Shi?"

Shi Wanxia took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said firmly, "Your Majesty, the success of this movable type printing is largely due to the full cooperation of Liu Qingci and others."

"Your Majesty once granted me permission to use talents without regard to convention. I humbly request Your Majesty's permission to appoint these talents to official positions in the court and place them under the management of my Ministry of Works."

Shen Yuxi's face instantly darkened, and the oppressive aura emanating from him grew stronger like a tidal wave.

The people inside the hall were so frightened that they trembled all over and dared not breathe.

Liu Qingci stood aside. As a woman, she never imagined that helping Lord Shi this time would give her the opportunity to become an official in the court.

This was something she never even dared to dream of.

She glanced at Shi Wanxia secretly, her heart filled with gratitude.

As a woman herself, Lady Shi must be walking on thin ice in this patriarchal court.

If it weren't for Lord Shi, how would I have had the opportunity to serve His Majesty, the court, and the people?

Shen Yuxi frowned deeply, thinking to himself: This girl is really dreaming. There are still many ministers in the court who oppose women serving as officials. If a few more women come, won't those pedantic ministers remonstrate with their lives in the main hall?

This girl really knows how to give me a difficult problem! But if I don't agree, it will make me seem like I'm breaking my promise.

Just as Shen Yuxi was hesitating, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the main hall.

A guard rushed in, knelt on one knee, and reported: "Your Majesty, several ministers outside the palace are requesting an audience, saying they have important matters to report."

Shen Yuxi's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that they had already heard about this and had come to stop them? He waved his hand, signaling the guards to let the ministers in.

A short while later, several ministers dressed in court attire hurriedly entered the main hall.

Leading the group was Prime Minister Lin Zhengyuan, whose white beard trembled slightly with excitement. As soon as he entered the hall, he loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, I have heard that Minister Shi intends to recommend several women for official positions. This is absolutely unacceptable! Since ancient times, it has been believed that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. How can we allow them to participate in politics? What kind of decorum is this!"

The other ministers echoed, "Lord Lin is absolutely right. Your Majesty must not agree to this!"

Shi Wanxia's heart tightened, and she looked at Shen Yuxi, only to see that his face was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

She composed herself, stepped forward, and said, "Lord Lin, you are mistaken."

"The success of this movable type printing fully demonstrates the talent and ability of Liu Qingci and others."

"They have made great contributions to the imperial court, so why can't they serve as officials?"

"Moreover, His Majesty once ordered that talents be employed regardless of their background. If we reject them now simply because they are women, wouldn't that be breaking our promise?"

Lin Zhengyuan was so angry that he glared and retorted, "Lord Shi, you are just making excuses! Women should not show their faces in public, let alone participate in politics."

"Your Majesty, because you have set this precedent, how can you allow women to enter officialdom again? The court will surely be in chaos in the future!"

Shi Wanxia did not back down and continued, "Lord Lin, times are changing. What the country needs now are people with real talent and learning, not just people of gender."

"The wisdom and perseverance shown by Liu Qingci and others in the development of movable type printing were in no way inferior to those of men."

"When they enter the court to serve as officials, they can not only serve the court, but also inspire more women to use their talents and contribute to the country. This is entirely beneficial to the country."

As Shen Yuxi listened to their argument, an idea gradually formed in his mind.

He said, “What you say makes sense, Minister Shi. I have given an order to use talents without being bound by conventions, and I cannot go back on my word.”

"But this matter is of great importance and cannot be decided hastily."

"At the morning court tomorrow, all my ministers may discuss this topic and then make a decision."

Everyone knelt down to accept the order. Shi Wanxia breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Liu Qingci. Their eyes met, conveying encouragement and expectation.

The carved palace lanterns swayed on the eaves of the imperial study, casting a warm yellow glow.

As Shi Wanxia stepped out of the Imperial Study, the evening breeze carried the fragrance of magnolia blossoms.

Behind her, Liu Qingci and several others walked quickly, their skirts sweeping across the white marble steps, and with a "thump," they knelt neatly behind her.

"Lord Shi!" Liu Qingci spoke first, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

"We are deeply grateful for your patronage, and regardless of whether we can enter the court as officials, we will always obey your orders!"

The moonlight shone on her plain white dress, outlining her resolute profile.

Shi Wanxia was startled and quickly turned around, helping Liu Qingci up with both hands, and then signaling the others to get up.

With a sincere yet somewhat shy expression, he said, “Please rise, everyone! I recommended you because you truly possess genuine talent and learning. How can such talent be buried because of your status, gender, or family background? Even if His Majesty blames me, I will definitely fight for you.”

At this moment, at the corner of the corridor, Cui Zhihao and Shen Yanzhou stood with their hands behind their backs.

Moonlight streamed through the carved window lattice, casting dappled shadows on them.

Cui Zhihao gently shook his folding fan, his eyes filled with amazement: "Your Highness, Miss Shi was a bit reckless today. This girl is quite bold! To openly petition for an official position for a woman, such courage is rare in my life."

Shen Yanzhou nodded slightly, his eyes filled with admiration: "Not only are you bold, but you are also extremely meticulous."

"The people she recommended did indeed demonstrate extraordinary talent in movable type printing."