My sister became the empress, but I'm still growing vegetables and raising chickens

The one who cried the most was Si Yunxia. She was already twelve years old and almost a young lady.

Not long ago, she was lying next to Shao Qin, telling her about her future plans.

She even pulled Si Xingzhi aside, asking her grandfather to teach her more techniques for luring fish onto the hook.

She was the only child born into the next generation that Si Xingzhi and Shao Qin witnessed, and Si Xingzhi raised her in his arms, so naturally he doted on her.

Now that her two most beloved elders have passed away, how could she not be heartbroken?

Si Jing'an has matured a lot and is no longer a little kid who relies on his three older sisters. He is capable of handling guests and managing affairs, and he also checks on Qiu Nanzhi from time to time to tell her to rest.

The younger sister was surprised and asked, "Is Nan Zhi pregnant?"

Si Muyan called Qiu Nanzhi over to ask.

Qiu Nanzhi lowered her head shyly: "I only found out a few days ago, and I only have one month left. I was planning to come over and tell my parents-in-law when I had some free time, but I didn't expect..."

Si Muyan was overjoyed and quickly made her sit down. She reached out to stroke her belly and said happily, "Our parents in heaven will surely feel it. Nanzhi, you are a great contributor to our Si family."

Qiu Nanzhi said, "We don't know yet whether it's a son or a daughter."

“It’s all the same,” the younger sister said with a smile. “Aren’t daughters also the ones who carry on the family line? Whether it’s the eldest son or the eldest daughter, the Marquis’s mansion will eventually be handed over to it.”

Qiu Nanzhi was taken aback. Although women's status had greatly improved nowadays, the head of a family was still primarily a man. No noble family had its headship inherited by a woman.

The younger sister noticed her shock and said, "It was my second sister who wrote me the letter. She said she hopes that in the future, both men and women can take the imperial examinations and become officials. Currently, the highest-ranking woman to become an official is Du Shangge, who is still a fifth-rank official. I originally wanted to promote her, but the court officials all objected. The biggest problem is that she has never taken the imperial examinations and has no ranking."

Si Muyan didn't react much to matters of state, nodding without saying a word.

Qiu Nanzhi still hesitated and said softly, "But if we consider the eldest daughter inheriting the Marquis's mansion, Xia'er is the eldest daughter of our Marquis's mansion."

After she finished speaking, the younger sister seemed to lose something.

But the second sister shook her head: "That won't do. Xia'er is my daughter after all, and the Prince's Mansion will need her to inherit it in the future. Nanzhi, you have your own child, you can't take mine away."

Upon hearing this, the younger sister's eyes flickered slightly.

Si Muyan laughed heartily: "Our Si family has too few children. Nanzhi, we can't count on our older sisters, so we can only count on you."

Qiu Nanzhi blushed and lowered her head to stroke her lower abdomen. A warm feeling filled her heart; marrying into such a family was her blessing.

The younger brother came in just in time to see this scene, and quickly came over to ask, "Nanzhi, what's wrong?"

The younger sister teased, "Xiao An, what's wrong? Are you afraid that we, your aunts, will bully your wife?"

When I see her, it's always like a subject meeting an emperor. Even if we're siblings, we must always maintain the proper etiquette between ruler and subject.

Today, since it was just the siblings, he joked, "If the sisters want to bully Nanzhi, then they're bullying me."

The younger sister laughed so hard she almost fell over, pulling Si Muyan and the second sister's hands: "Look, people say that once you marry a wife, you forget your mother, and it's really true. Xiao An used to care about us sisters the most, but now she's changed too."

Yes, things have changed. How can people who have grown up remain unchanged? They have all grown up.

That night, the younger sister didn't go home; instead, she stayed with her two older sisters.

It's rare for them to talk about their respective situations over the years.

Si Muyan simply had some wine prepared: "Since we have nothing to do tomorrow, little sister, you don't need to go to court or handle so many government affairs. Tonight, let's sisters drink together until we're drunk, shall we?"

"it is good."

The three raised their glasses.

Si Muyan said, "Over the years, although we haven't been together, our hearts have always been together, and everyone has been working hard for the Great Zhou! Actually, I've been a very unqualified eldest sister. I'm very selfish, only thinking about myself and the people around me living well. That's enough. All this talk about working hard for the Great Zhou is just you guys leading me around!"

The second sister drank the wine, shook her head and said, "No, eldest sister, I want to thank you. You made me understand the principles of right and wrong, and flexibility in the world. Moreover, when I went out into the countryside, I realized that the one who truly puts things into practice is you, eldest sister."

"In agriculture, your improved varieties of grains and vegetables have greatly increased yields; in commerce, your operational models have brought prosperity to people's lives. These are the truly subtle and pervasive changes!"

"While the Prince and I enjoy a good reputation and have implemented various reforms, these reforms are backed by my younger sister's strong support and your secret assistance, elder sister."

The younger sister also drank some wine and said, "Actually, I am the one who has benefited the most. My eldest sister taught me to strive for excellence, and my second sister taught me to be kind. When I am lonely in the palace, hearing your stories makes me feel that I am not alone."

Si Muyan said, "We are never alone. We sisters will always be one."

The three raised their glasses in celebration, all deeply moved.

Si Muyan then asked, "During the day, you mentioned wanting women to participate in the imperial examinations. Do you have any specific methods for implementing this?"

The second and youngest sisters exchanged a glance, and the youngest sister sighed, "That's exactly what's troubling us. Although many improvements have been made over the years, the predicament of the imperial examination system being dominated by aristocratic families has not been alleviated. As a result, most of the talents sent to the court are still from aristocratic families, and ordinary families have no access to better education."

The second sister nodded in agreement: "Yes, that's what I've seen in the countryside. Although both boys and girls can go to school nowadays, those who can read and write are mostly ordinary people. Even if a family is relatively well-off, when they send their children to school, they only teach them a few characters to get a basic education, so they won't be completely illiterate. Those who truly study are not ordinary people."

Si Muyan pondered for a long time, then looked at her younger sister and asked, "What do you want to do?"

"I want to select a wide range of talented people, rather than keeping them under the control of established families."

Those who participated in the scientific expeditions were at the very least students from impoverished families—a threshold that ordinary people couldn't even reach. For the poor, simply making a decent living was already incredibly difficult.

Even with generations of support, at most a scholar could be produced. Becoming a candidate for the imperial examinations was extremely difficult.

There are still too many ordinary people who don't understand the importance of education. They think that just making sure they have enough to eat and wear is enough. If they're not going to take the imperial examinations, why bother studying?

Si Muyan said, "If we really want to select talents from ordinary people, the entire education system of the Great Zhou needs to be reformed."

The younger sister's eyes lit up; she knew her older sister had this ability, and she quickly asked, "How will you make changes?"

"Fairness and justice from top to bottom, and the inclusion of children's education in the law, so that every child must go to school when they reach the appropriate age."