The Marquise: I Earn My Own Worship

The King of Chu glanced at him impatiently. Ma Guo was frightened to death, but he still said:

"Everything the Duan family did was based on official favoritism. Duan must have been unhappy with the recent incident regarding his daughter's university application, which is why he acted this way. If public affairs are intertwined with personal matters, then where is the rule of law in the imperial court?"

He spoke in a high-sounding manner, as if it was true.

Duan Jing'an showed a proper look of surprise. "How could Master Ma say that? The women's school documents were not in compliance with the Ministry of Rites, so how could it be related to you? Could it be that you alone made the decision? There is more than one master in the Ministry of Rites' Education Department. If I am dissatisfied, why didn't I complain to the other masters?"

"That's because I impeached you before, so you hold a grudge against me."

Duan Jingan sneered, his eyes becoming sharp.

"Then can I also say that Lord Ma holds a grudge against me because your second daughter's son-in-law failed to secure the position of Chief of the Criminal Department? Therefore, he has repeatedly targeted me in the court, not only threatening to impeach me but also maliciously blocking my mother's application for a girls' school. Later, he even instigated servants to insult the Earl's Mansion and spread malicious rumors. All of this was done in order to denounce me today, to displease His Majesty and make room for your good son-in-law."

The more Ma Guo spoke, the paler his face became. Duan Jing'an looked at him coldly, with an oppressive chill around him.

When the Ma Kingdom squeezed him before, he sent people to investigate. When he found out that he had a son-in-law named Shu Ming who worked in the Ministry of Justice, he realized that he had blocked someone else's path to success.

Duan Jing'an also recalled that when he was just promoted, someone passed by him and told him not to be complacent. It seems that person was undoubtedly Ma Guo's son-in-law.

As for why I didn’t notice it before, it’s because there are too many children in Malaysia, and I really couldn’t find it without careful investigation.

Moreover, this person is usually quiet and gloomy and rarely communicates with others. Very few people know that Shu Ming is the son-in-law of the Malaysian country.

The Emperor of Chu also remembered that the Ma Kingdom had impeached Duan Jing'an quite frequently, and he thought it was simply a disagreement in political views, but he didn't expect that they had their own selfish motives.

The key is that female student. He had heard the imperial concubine talk about it earlier. The imperial concubine even gave him a name and asked him what he thought of him. He also praised him a few words.

"Lord Wang"

"I am here"

Minister of Rites Wang Fa stepped forward and responded.

"Do you know anything about the women's school?"

All the school's approval documents, regardless of whether they are approved or not, must be stamped with the seal of the Minister of Rites and kept in archives.

Wang Fa shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I have not received the approval document for the women's school."

Ma Guo had forgotten about this. After all, there were very few applications for girls' schools that went through formal procedures like the one at Duan Bo's Mansion. If the eldest princess wanted to open a girls' school, it would only take a word. No one would dare to stop her.

"Your Majesty, I, your servant... have not yet handed over the approval documents for the girls' school to the Minister."

"What's wrong with the girls' school at Duan Bo's mansion?"

Ma Guo was hesitant and unable to explain clearly. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that something was wrong. Could it be that as Master Duan said, he was just shooting himself in the foot?

"Your Majesty, women must obey the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. How can they be seen in public? Providing for the family is a man's job. I believe that the matter of Xunlu Women's School needs to be discussed, so I have kept it on hold."

After all, Ma Guo has been in the officialdom for decades. It would be a lie to say that he has no ability at all. Now he found the corresponding solution after thinking about it.

"Your Majesty, I don't think so. The people are suffering from natural disasters and are struggling to survive. In my early years, I served as an official in a local area where poverty and hardship abounded. Women often shared the burden of supporting their families, along with men. Men farmed to support themselves, while women spun to supplement their incomes. Xunlu Girls' School is a good thing for ordinary people, and it should be established."

The middle-aged man with a mustache began to refute, "What's the use of women? They can only embroider at home. What can they do? Women should stay at home and have children. That's the right thing to do."

"Master Zhao, how can you say that? Your wife manages the inner house at home and the shop outside. Isn't this all her ability? If it weren't for her, how could you wear fine clothes and expensive accessories? My wife usually takes care of the domestic affairs, and she is the only one who is busy with the shop outside. I only need to deal with official duties every day, and I will come home to warm clothes and hot soup. If she can only embroider and listen to music, then who will do these domestic affairs?"

"Yes, Lord Gan is right. My wife is an expert in accounting, and we all rely on her for everything in our family. Not only us, but even His Majesty's harem is managed by the Queen's four ladies-in-waiting. Lord Zhao, you are too narrow-minded."

The two groups of people with different opinions started arguing in the court, and some of them even started fighting.

"How can a man like you hold an embroidery needle? If it's not embroidered by a woman, what are you going to wear? Just get naked."

"To speak outrageously in the court, how vulgar and crude!"

"I think you can't win the argument with me. You said women are useless, then why do you keep those 17 or 18 concubines at home? You are so shameless. You are in your forties and still keep a 16-year-old girl. Bah!"

"And you, I heard that you are a scholar raised by your mother with every stitch of her hair. If your mother hadn't sold handkerchiefs, how could you be where you are today? You are cursing your mother with a bowl in your hand. I am talking about you, a heartless person."

As the quarrel went on, things started to go off track. Duan Jing'an was no longer surprised. The Ma Guo man was still kneeling on the ground and staring at him fiercely. It seemed that he didn't hurt much.

"quiet!"

Xiao Degui slapped the nameplate and shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Xunlu Girls' School will benefit the people's livelihood. The national treasury is empty and there is little surplus food. If we do not develop people's livelihood, the people will suffer!"

The Left Prime Minister stepped forward and spoke. As one of the two prime ministers, many people stood up behind him and echoed him as soon as he spoke.

"I've heard about the Xunlu Women's Academy a long time ago. Right now, our Great Chu Dynasty is suffering from declining livelihoods and economic depression. I've already issued an edict allowing widows to remarry. The Xunlu Women's Academy is offering women a skill. Once they've mastered it, they can support their families and truly benefit the people."

The Emperor of Chu made the final decision and the document for Xunlu Girls' School was directly handed over to the Minister of Rites Wang Fa. Within two days, the approval document came down.

"I didn't expect that the Malaysian country would jump out on its own before we even took action."

Song Shengfu and a few others were sitting in the yard chatting. What she had thought that day was to report the incident of Duan Bofu maliciously beating the servants of Ma Fu to the censor, and have the censor impeach and then bring up the issue of the girls' school. However, she never expected that Ma Guo would reveal it first.

Mrs. Lu sighed, "Yes, but it's a pity that His Majesty didn't punish that man. After this incident, he will definitely hate our family. How will Fourth Brother fare in the officialdom in the future?"

Duan Jingan saw that his sister-in-law mentioned him, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. Shen Yuan, please be more careful in the future. Don't let that person get hold of anything and everything will be fine."