The emperor faked his death? Never mind, I will ascend the throne directly!

Li Chenghao appeared respectful on the surface, but he still felt a little disapproving in his heart.

He has come to understand over the years what kind of person his good-for-nothing brother is.

Most likely, he received guidance from an expert and was blessed with bad luck, which forced him into a desperate situation by chance!

But seeing Concubine Liu's serious face, he pretended to be serious and agreed: "What the Queen Mother means is..."

"This Luodu Flower Fair is a gathering of many talented people. Among them, there may be people we can use!"

As Concubine Liu spoke, a cold light flashed in her eyes.

"Hao'er, remember, to seize power, you need more than just soldiers and horses. You also need to win over people's hearts!"

"Those pedantic scholars may be powerless, but they can manipulate people with their rhetoric. If we can recruit them for our own use, they will be more useful than a thousand troops!"

Li Chenghao frowned. With his grandfather holding the military power, why should he worry about these corrupt scholars?

But seeing his mother's serious expression, he had no choice but to bow in agreement.

"I understand, I will follow your mother's arrangements."

Inside the carriage, Song Yuwei sat upright, her beautiful eyes moving as she looked at Li Chengfeng with a hint of inquiry.

After a long moment, she let out a faint smile, "Your Majesty, you are truly a completely different person now."

Li Chengfeng couldn't help but smile when he heard this.

Yes, they are completely different people.

Thinking back to the past, he was a weak, incompetent and useless prince who was bullied by others, but now he is the king who rules the world and can make things happen with a wave of his hand.

Song Yuwei's words instantly brought Li Chengfeng back to his memories of many years ago.

That year, Song Yuwei entered the palace as a companion and was verbally teased by the dandy and lecherous Li Chenghao.

Although Li Chengfeng was timid and cowardly at that time, he instinctively stood up to protect Song Yuwei, but was severely punished by Li Chenghao.

At that time, he was like a trembling rabbit in front of Li Chenghao, unable to fight back.

But now, Li Chenghao is like a stray dog, and no one knows where to hide. It really is a changing world.

Li Chengfeng's eyes were deep and his tone was meaningful: "Miss Song's words have reminded me."

Then, Li Chengfeng laughed dryly twice, and all the deeds of Song Yuwei in her previous life suddenly emerged in his mind.

This woman is definitely not an ordinary person.

In the previous life, after Song Zelin was banished from the capital by Li Chenghao, if it were not for Song Yuwei's lobbying and making arrangements, the Song family would have been destroyed long ago.

"Miss Song, you're joking. I was just an incompetent prince back then. How could I compare to Miss Song's intelligence and wisdom?"

Li Chengfeng said this half-jokingly, but his tone revealed an unquestionable majesty.

"I am just a woman, how dare I be compared with Your Majesty." Song Yuwei bowed slightly, a hint of cunning flashed in her beautiful eyes.

"Women?"

Li Chengfeng raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a half-smile. "I've heard that many talented people in the capital are full of praise for Miss Song's talent. Some even call you the 'Female Zhuge Liang'. I wonder if this is true?"

Upon hearing this, Song Yuwei's face didn't show any pride at all, but instead revealed a hint of helplessness: "Your Majesty, I am deeply ashamed to accept your praise. Those poetry gatherings and essays were just a pastime for me to pass the time when I had nothing better to do."

"Oh? Miss Song also thinks those poetry articles are just entertainment?"

Li Chengfeng asked with interest. He felt that Song Yuwei must be dissatisfied.

As expected, Song Yuwei sighed softly and said quietly, "The eight-legged essay in the imperial examination is too rigid and restricts thought. Many talented Confucian scholars don't want to follow this dead end. Instead, they are willing to compete in poetry gatherings and make friends through literature. This is a great pity."

"Miss Song is absolutely right."

Li Chengfeng nodded, his eyes deep. "I also feel that the current imperial examination system has many drawbacks and needs to be properly rectified."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Song Yuwei's eyes lit up. She hadn't expected Li Chengfeng to have such an idea. A hint of anticipation suddenly rose in her heart. "I wonder what your Majesty thinks?"

Li Chengfeng didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Miss Song, why do you think women can't take the imperial examinations?"

Song Yuwei was slightly stunned. It's not that she hadn't thought about this question before, but she had never thought that it would be said by the current emperor.

"His Majesty!"

Song Yuwei took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in her heart, and said slowly: "It's not that women can't take the imperial examination, but in this world, women are not allowed to take the imperial examination."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Li Chengfeng became interested and motioned Song Yuwei to continue.

"Your Majesty, do you know why our Daqian Dynasty, and indeed all the nations of the world, respect men?"

Song Yuwei did not directly answer Li Chengfeng's question, but asked another question.

Li Chengfeng frowned slightly. He had thought about this question in his previous life, but he had never found a satisfactory answer.

"Please enlighten me, Miss Song." Li Chengfeng said humbly. He knew that since Song Yuwei dared to say so, she must have the answer in her mind.

A hint of admiration flashed in Song Yuwei's beautiful eyes. Although Li Chengfeng was an emperor, he did not put on airs at all. Instead, he was willing to learn from others humbly. This kind of broad-mindedness was not something that ordinary people could compare to.

"Your Majesty, it's not that men are inherently nobler than women, but because in this era, men's productivity is far higher than that of women." Song Yuwei's tone was calm, but every word was precious.

"Productivity?" Li Chengfeng muttered to himself. He had a vague grasp of something in his mind, but it felt very vague.

"Your Majesty," Song Yuwei continued, "Think about it. Men can farm, fight in battle, engage in business, and become officials. But what about women? All they can do is take care of their husbands and children and manage the household."

"This..." Li Chengfeng was speechless for a moment. Although he was a prince, he lived in the deep palace after all, and did not know much about the suffering of the people.

"Your Majesty! It's not that women are unwilling to serve their country, but the world doesn't allow them to do so."

Song Yuwei's tone was filled with pity: "They are trapped in the backyard, day after day, year after year, and can only watch their youth slowly fade away in the daily necessities of life."

Li Chengfeng was silent. Song Yuwei's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in his mind and making him see a completely different world.

"His Majesty!"

Seeing Li Chengfeng remain silent, Song Yuwei thought she had been too blunt and had upset him, so she quickly explained, "This subject did not mean to offend."

"No, you're right."

Li Chengfeng looked at her with burning eyes: "I never thought that Miss Song would have such insight."

Song Yuwei was stunned and saw something different in his eyes, that was the desire for knowledge and the pursuit of truth.

"I will change all this sooner or later." Li Chengfeng said solemnly.

"His Majesty!"

Song Yuwei was uneasy. She didn't know what Li Chengfeng meant by these words. Was it praise or...

Does he want to allow women to take the imperial examination as well?