Chapter 958 - 954: Unparalleled Meritorious Deeds
Xiao Rongyan gazed calmly and deeply at Bai Qingyan and spoke genuinely: "Allowing women to study, take the imperial exams, and serve as officials... this must be done! But not now, and certainly not by you as the emperor of a nation! Your goal is to unify the world, and at this time the greatest caution must be taken to avoid internal instability. Should the Zhou be thrown into chaos and disintegration over this matter, it will lose the opportunity to compete for dominance with the Yan Kingdom."
Logically, Xiao Rongyan, as the Ninth Prince of Yan, shouldn’t be saying such words to Bai Qingyan, yet he did.
His mother, Empress Ji, was a lifelong pain in Xiao Rongyan’s heart, so he too wished to allow women to study, take exams, and hold office, but the resistance was enormous...
Thus he chose to wait until after the unification of the world and national stability to observe and analyze before acting.
After all, once this matter is done, it will surely cause a national uproar.
Xiao Rongyan adjusted his posture: "In my view, at least the Zhou currently does not have the conditions to do this!"
Even the Yan Kingdom possesses such conditions more so than the Zhou, for now, A Yan, who ascended to the throne of Emperor Yan, cannot directly rule, waiting for the unification of the world where he, as the Regent Prince, can issue such decrees, and once implemented, allow Ah Li to handle him, his own uncle, with ruthless measures, claiming sorrow in his heart and staying away from the court, avoiding ministers pressuring him to retract the edge of allowing women to study, take exams, and hold office.
Once he, the scapegoat, "dies," the ministers will surely not push Ah Li too hard anymore.
Then, drag it out until everything has become settled, until citizens and officials are accustomed, Ah Li will inform the world... that the matter of allowing women to study, take exams, and serve as officials is feasible, without overly stirring backlash.
This... is what Xiao Rongyan considers the most prudent method.