Zhenfubao waved his hand and the warehouse was full of grain, and the whole family regretted it

A middle-aged official coughed twice and said in a deep voice:

"Everyone, please be careful with your words. I've heard that this Miss Bai is quite capable. When the southern border was hit by a disaster and the people were living in dire straits, she personally went to the southern border to take charge of the situation.

In just a few years, the southern border was transformed from a disaster-stricken area into a prosperous place with abundant resources.

Now the people of the Southern Territory privately call her the King of the Southern Territory. Such achievements are difficult for ordinary men to achieve. Her standing here is not necessarily due to personal relationships."

When the officials heard this, one immediately objected: "How is this possible? How could a woman be so capable? There must be something fishy going on. Maybe her achievements are all exaggerated."

"That's right. Women are weak and inexperienced, how can they compare to us men? Asking her to serve in the court is sheer nonsense!"

"How can we break the rules handed down by our ancestors?

A woman should stay at home to take care of her husband and children. How can she show herself in public in the court?

For a time, most of the clamor in the court was against women holding official positions, and few people approved of Bai Wanwan.

As soon as Qi Guangheng sat down on the dragon throne, a group of officials immediately knelt down with memorials in their hands and began to speak in unison: "Your Majesty, it is absolutely unacceptable for women to serve as officials! This has never been a rule since ancient times. It may disrupt the order of the court!"

"Your Majesty, women are sensitive but also easily act on impulse.

If she were to take power, it might lead to disaster. Your Majesty, please think twice!"

"I implore Your Majesty to issue an edict to revoke the precedent of women serving as officials and strictly adhere to the ancestral etiquette and laws!"

Qi Guangheng sat on the dragon throne, his eyes swept over the officials kneeling below, and his tone was light:

"Who says women can't serve as officials?

When the Great Qi was founded, the late emperor had several female generals under his command. You may have forgotten, but I haven't.

He paused, his voice getting deeper:

"Back then, Lin Yueniang, who guarded the western frontier, led 3,000 female soldiers to hold off a barbarian army of 100,000, defending three cities. She ultimately died on the city walls and was posthumously awarded the title of Marquis of Loyalty.

There is also Su Jing, who is in charge of the late emperor's grain camp. He manages the grain clearly and never makes any mistakes. Who in the army does not admire him?

There is also Wu Xiu, who supervised the administration of officials. When he investigated a corruption case, he brought down three first-rank officials and was more efficient than men.

"These people are all women, but they have made great contributions to the Great Qi. Why is it that women cannot be officials here?" Qi Guangheng knocked on the armrest of the dragon throne.

"Rules are dead, but people are alive. People with ability, regardless of gender, should have opportunities."

Several white-haired old ministers kowtowed anxiously, "Your Majesty! The founding of a female general was a helpless move in troubled times. Now that we are in a peaceful and prosperous era, we should uphold the moral principles!"

An old minister leaned tremblingly on his imperial sceptre, "Even though Miss Bai has made great contributions to the southern border, women's involvement in politics has always been a source of disaster and chaos. If she were allowed to enter the court, I'm afraid she would be ridiculed by the world!"

Another old minister with wrinkled face immediately spoke up:

"Yes, Your Majesty! The ancestral rules cannot be broken! Women are in charge of the inner house, and the court is where men discuss matters. How can we allow a mere woman to interfere?

Besides, she is still young and inexperienced. If she makes a mistake in military and national affairs, who will be held responsible?"

Su Zheng took a step forward and said:

"Your Majesty, I have something to say. Our dynasty has always had rules for selecting officials. Even female officials must pass strict assessments.

Gradual promotion from the ninth rank of minor officials is to ensure that officials are familiar with government affairs and have gained experience and skills.

However, Miss Bai had neither participated in the imperial examinations nor served in the court. She became a third-rank official solely based on her achievements in the southern border. Moreover, she was still young and lacked experience in the court.

Such an extraordinary promotion is not in line with the official selection system and is difficult to convince the public.

Secondly, it might dishearten senior officials in the court, and it would make students across the country think that merit can easily replace assessment, breaking official rules and being detrimental to the administration of the court."

Before Qi Guangheng could speak, Gu Sinian suddenly said, "Your Majesty and I discussed this for a long time yesterday. We have already decided on the candidate for the crown prince, and the announcement will be made soon."

All the civil and military officials in the court were shocked and began to discuss in low voices, wondering which prince would be able to get the throne.

Gu Sinian ignored the commotion and glanced at the ministers.

“When Bai Wanwan was the prefect of the Southern Territory, I once asked you all.

Whoever has the ability to go to the southern border to provide disaster relief and comfort the people, and can solve the mess there, will be given the position of prefect of the southern border.

At that time, none of you dared to respond. Now, she has single-handedly transformed the southern border from a disaster-stricken area into a prosperous place, and you have the nerve to question her?

She doesn't need to prove anything to anyone; the changes in the southern border are the best proof.

Therefore, this time, His Majesty has decided to promote Bai Wanwan to the rank of Second Rank Governor, a title truly worthy of the title."

Gu Sinian continued:

"From now on, don't mention the difference between men and women. The court will recruit people based on their talents.

I have discussed this with Your Majesty, and once this matter is settled, we will formally establish a system for evaluating female officials.

Let all talented women in the world be able to enter the government and serve the Great Qi."

All the civil and military officials in the court were stunned. They were previously arguing that it was against the rules for Bai Wanwan to be a third-rank official, but in the blink of an eye, he was directly promoted to the second-rank governor.

The speed of this extraordinary promotion left everyone speechless. Even the old ministers who had originally opposed it were frozen in place, their faces filled with astonishment.

The second-rank provincial governor receives government orders from the central government and forwards them to prefectures, states, and counties within the province.

At the same time, local government information is collected, summarized and reported, which is equivalent to the administrative hub between the central and local governments.

Responsible for the province's tax collection, fiscal budget and expenditure, and management of government granary grain reserves.

Local population and land data also need to be collected.

Everyone was stunned that such an important position was given to Bai Wanwan.

Qi Guangheng stood up immediately, and Sun Quan shouted loudly: "Withdraw from the court..."

Gu Sinian glanced at Bai Wanwan and turned to walk towards the imperial study.

Qi Guangheng said:

"I'm afraid these old ministers won't be so easy to convince. If we publish the list and tell everyone about the candidate for the crown prince,

If they knew the candidate was Bai Wanwan, wouldn't they be in chaos? The situation today is already chaotic enough."

Gu Sinian sneered and asked:

"Making a scene? Why are they making a scene?

You are just some officials, do you really think you can make the decision?"

Bai Wanwan followed Bai Yin back home. As soon as she reached the door, she heard someone arguing outside:

"What are you doing? Why are you stopping us from entering?

Someone promised Bai Wanwan to our family, she will be our daughter-in-law!"

The matchmaker next to him immediately interrupted:

"What do you mean by promised to your family?

It was clearly promised to our son first, so this girl should be our daughter-in-law!"

In addition to these two quarreling people, there were several matchmakers and several people who came to propose marriage seriously. They were arguing with each other and almost knocked the door open.

The guard at the door said in a deep voice:

"Where on earth are you from? How dare you slander our young lady like this!

Our young lady has just arrived in the capital, how could she have already been promised to someone else?

"Exchanging engagement letters, such a major event, requires the approval of both families and the witness of a matchmaker. How can you just say it with your bare mouth?"