Volume 1, Chapter 42: The Real Heiress is a Big Shot 42

Backed by the imperial decree, the academy's registration office was packed with people the very next day.

Scarcely had the massive gates been pushed open a crack when the waiting crowd surged forward like a tidal wave, blocking the alleyway so thoroughly not even a drop of water could pass.

The elderly Hanlin academician in charge of registration had barely set out his desk when he was swarmed by several matrons dressed in rich brocades, who nearly snatched the name registries right out of his hands.

The legitimate daughter of the Minister of Personnel, the twin daughters of the Vice Minister of Rites, and the youngest daughter of the Minister of War—rumored to be capable of drawing a three-stone bow—were all personally escorted by their families. Although a trace of reluctance lingered on their faces, none dared defy the imperial decree.

"Sir, register mine first!"

A matron glittering with pearls and jades wedged her way to the front. "I am from the Wang family's silk shop in the West City. This is my little girl; she can read and is skilled with the abacus. Would you please..."

Before she could finish, a middle-income man wearing a jade thumb ring squeezed in beside her, his booming voice cutting through the surrounding clamor: "I am Liu Wanguan, the tea merchant! All three of my daughters must be enrolled! Money is no object; just name your price, sir!"

Among the crowd were merchants' servants carrying food boxes to bribe the teachers, petty officials dressed in coarse cloth who had nonetheless meticulously neatened their daughters' appearances, and even Manager Zhang, the proprietor of a local tavern, who had come in person.

"Everyone, please do not be anxious."

The old academician raised his voice. "The academy charges no tuition. For the next three years, all expenses will be funded entirely from the private treasuries of the Empress Dowager and the Empress."

The merchants and officials, who had been preparing to shell out massive sums of silver for preferential treatment, froze in their tracks.

"The Empress Dowager and Her Majesty are actually... actually paying out of their own pockets?" murmured Madam Wang of the silk shop.

Liu Wanguan, the tea merchant, was the first to snap out of his stupor. He bowed deeply toward the ground, saying, "This humble subject's wife expresses gratitude for the grace of the Empress Dowager and Her Majesty! Such a benevolent act of paving a future for women is something we could never hope to match!"

"We thank Their Majesties for their boundless grace!"

"Many thanks to the Empress Dowager and the Empress for their deep compassion!"

Waves of gratitude rose one after another within the academy grounds.

The minor official in coarse cloth felt his eyes grow hot as he pulled his daughter a fraction closer;

Manager Zhang, the tavern owner, lowered the money pouch in his hand and bowed deeply in the direction of the imperial palace;

Even the formerly reluctant aristocratic families now restrained their expressions, curtseying in empty reverence toward the courtyard.

Looking out across the sea of wholehearted sincerity, the old academician suddenly found the wolf-hair brush in his hand growing slightly heavier.

He cleared his throat. "Please rise, everyone. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager and the Empress have decreed that admissions shall be judged solely on character and learning, not on wealth or background. Form a proper queue; we shall register you one by one."

The crowd immediately fell into an orderly line. Sunlight filtered through the window lattice and fell upon their faces, the previous agitation melting away, leaving only eager anticipation for the future.

Wearing the academy's uniform plain-colored ruqun skirt, Shen Yuwei was helping the old academician sort the registration forms. Seeing this grand spectacle, she could not help clicking her tongue in astonishment.

The courtyard that had been entirely empty just yesterday was now packed to the brim with carriages of every description.

As the carriage curtains were lifted, they revealed both young children wearing double-bun hairstyles and shy young maidens of fourteen or fifteen, clutching brushes, ink, inkstones, and paper tightly in their hands as if grasping priceless treasures.

In the past, their fathers and brothers would never have permitted them to attend an academy, but now that the imperial decree had been issued, they finally had their chance.

This grand spectacle of enrollment lasted for seven whole days.

Fortunately, the academy grounds were sufficiently vast; otherwise, it truly might have proven impossible to accommodate so many students.

Seven days later, the academy officially commenced its classes.

An Qianqian and the Empress Dowager both attended the opening ceremony. Unlike academies intended for males, the women's academy placed greater emphasis on the study of specialized practical techniques rather than purely ancient literary classics.

An elite Class A was established for every specialized major—meaning these classes guaranteed an official appointment upon graduation.

Yet failure to enter Class A was of little consequence, for numerous local regions would soon require the establishment of women's academies, and these graduates would serve as their instructors.

As long as a woman desired it, a path would always exist for her to walk.

Three years slipped by in the blink of an eddying stream. Aside from the medical students, the very first cohort of scholars was finally ready to graduate.

On the day of the graduation ceremony, not only the students' parents but also court officials sat shoulder-to-shoulder, filling the academy's grand plaza to capacity.

Today marked not merely a graduation ceremony, but an official investiture as well.

Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what official ranks would be bestowed upon this pioneering generation of female scholars.

In the academy plaza, the graduates stood arrayed by specialty, clad in matching moonlight-white ruqun dresses.

Sitong Nian sat upright in the seat of honor. Beside him, An Qianqian and the Empress Dowager gazed down upon the sea of young faces below, their eyes filled with profound gratification.

"Let Class A of Mathematics step forward," Sitong Nian commanded in a ringing voice.

Shen Yuwei led more than a dozen women out from the formation.

"Ten graduates from Class A of Mathematics. Bestowed the rank of Bureau Director in the Ministry of Revenue, lower ninth rank."

Sitong Nian looked toward Shen Yuwei. "Shen Yuwei, your proposed 'Graduated Taxation Method' successfully resolved the predicament of border salt prices. You are specially promoted to the lower eighth rank and shall enter the Department of Revenue and Finance within the Ministry of Revenue."

Shen Yuwei bowed to express her gratitude, her fingertips trembling slightly.

The trembling maiden who had fled frantically to escape an arranged marriage three years ago was now stepping directly into the nerve center of the Six Ministries.

"Class A of Agriculture."

Chen Ahe, the daughter of a vegetable farmer, stepped forward at the head of her peers.

"Bestowed the rank of Registrar in the Court of Judicial Review and Agriculture, lower ninth rank."

Sitong Nian leafed through their joint memorial. "Your proposed 'Terraced Irrigation Method' has already undergone successful trials in Shannan Circuit. If the autumn harvest yields notable results, promotions await you all."

Chen Ahe's eyes flushed red. Having entered the academy clutching a stub of a worn-down brush, she now stood shoulder-to-shoulder with imperial court officials to deliberate on affairs of state.

"Class A of Commerce."

Wang Xiuyuan, the silk merchant's daughter, stepped forward. Their treatise, *An Examination of Commercial Routes*, meticulously charted the circulation of goods between the north and the south, and even mapped out the trade customs of the Western Regions.

"Bestowed the rank of Assistant Director in the Court of the Imperial Treasury, lower ninth rank."

Sitong Nian declared, "You shall be specifically charged with the documentation of the Maritime Trade Superintendency. Hereafter, the verification of commercial contracts for overseas trade shall rest in your hands."

As Wang Xiuyuan curtsied, she caught sight of her father in the audience, wiping away tears of sheer emotion.

When he had sent her to the academy years ago, it was merely to comply with the imperial decree; now, he regarded her with immense pride.

Midway through the ceremony, Sitong Nian abruptly shifted the topic.

"There is another matter to announce."

He signaled an imperial eunuch to unfroll a new decree:

"Establish the 'Office of Female Physicians,' subordinate to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, charged with maternal care, childbirth, and pediatric treatment. It shall be managed by the ten graduates of Class A of Medicine, bestowed the rank of Medical Assistant of the lower ninth rank;

Establish the 'Office of Female Academical Supervisors,' dedicated to the exclusive oversight of women's academies across all regions. It shall be staffed by graduates from the educators' track of this cohort, bestowed the rank of Instructor of the lower ninth rank."

Even more enthusiastic applause erupted from the crowd. Those women who had failed to enter Class A now stood a little straighter.

Though barred from the Six Ministries, they would nonetheless safeguard the livelihoods and futures of their fellow women within offices expressly created for them.

When the investiture concluded, Shen Yuwei walked across the plaza clutching her official seal, bumping into Chen Ahe as she conversed with her classmates from the Office of Female Physicians, while Wang Xiuyuan was surrounded by merchants seeking counsel on maritime trade regulations.

Sunlight fell upon their brand-new official robes, casting a shimmering, fragmented golden glow.

Gazing upon the scene, An Qianqian whispered softly to the Empress Dowager, "Look, they truly did it."

The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded. Just last night, she had checked: the golden liquid within the VIRTUE URN was nearly overflowing the brim.

The virtue accumulated over these past three years surpassed any treasure of gold or silver.

In the distance, the reading voices of newly enrolled young girls drifted over, as crisp as the singing of orioles in early spring. At last, the winds of the Yan Kingdom had blown open a gateway allowing women to hold their heads high.

While the Women's Academy flourished in unbridled prosperity, a fresh wave of controversy arose within the imperial court.

An Qianqian and Sitong Nian had been married for three years, yet no child had been born.