Chapter 40

Right at the foot of the imperial city, a museum steeped in rich historical charm stood fully completed.

Tu Shanjin was at that moment standing on the viewing platform extending out from the second floor of the museum, looking down at the vast, thronging crowd below.

Outside the museum, a line of imperial guards formed a solemn semicircle to secure the area, while the outermost perimeter was packed so tightly with common folk that not even a drop of water could seep through.

When the common people first learned of the museum's concept from the imperial court's official notice, they had found it utterly novel. When they further heard that the exhibits inside were all seized from the household of Lou Jianshan, the most corrupt official in the Yanchi Dynasty, they felt an immense sense of gratification.

The day the museum finally opened, the people had arrived long before dawn, eager to step inside and see everything for themselves.

"I've heard there are countless priceless treasures in there — gold and jade artifacts, porcelain, famous paintings, ancient relics, even an ancient legendary sword... As an ordinary commoner, getting to lay my own eyes on these things would make me die without any regrets!"

"This museum is such a fresh idea. I've lived for so many years and never heard of anything like it. Consort Miao must be a true genius to have come up with this plan!"

"By the way, which high official is the curator of this museum?"

"Word of mouth from my second aunt's husband's neighbor's third nephew's buddy's boss says that the curator of this museum is none other than Consort Miao herself!"

"Consort ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍Miao?!"

Right beside Tu Shanjin stood two officials who were forcing stiff smiles onto their faces, though their entire demeanor brimmed with suppressed resentment.

Both of them had originally served in the imperial court, but had now been transferred to work under a consort as the museum's administrative officers.

They were seething with discontent, but what could they do? Consort Miao was currently enjoying the emperor's extreme favor — she could even leave the imperial palace as she pleased, and had been appointed as the museum's curator.

"The official document." A cold, calm command cut through their distracted thoughts.

"As you command, Your Majesty," the two men quickly replied respectfully, unfurling the official document and each holding one edge to make it easy for Tu Shanjin to read aloud.

"At this moment, you should address me as Curator." Tu Shanjin's gaze, brimming with overawing authority, swept over the two of them, and the imposing aura of a natural leader descended on the spot.

The two men trembled inwardly, and said in all earnestness, "Yes, Curator!"

The moment they realized how they had just behaved, they were overcome with chagrin. How could they have been so intimidated by a consort who had long resided deep in the imperial harem? They had even felt the same nervous dread in her presence as they did before the emperor himself!

At Tu Shanjin's wave, the imperial guards immediately slammed their halberds hard against the ground, and shouted three times in unison, "Silence!"

"Silence!"

"Silence!"

The noisy crowd fell quiet at last. Tu Shanjin stood on the viewing platform; the strong high-altitude wind whipped his purple ceremonial robe into a loud, billowing flutter, his dark hair streaming behind him.

He began to read the official proclamation, his clear, sonorous, unyielding voice reaching every single person in the crowd.

"By order of His Majesty... these collections are presented for the viewing of all people of the Yanchi Dynasty... Broad exposure to artifacts and knowledge leads to a thorough understanding of the past and present, hence the name 'museum'!"

The people below stared in awe at the figure on the viewing platform. Beyond her stunning, otherworldly beauty, this woman carried herself with such elevated grace and commanding presence that, even facing such a massive crowd, she held her back straight and spoke every word with unshakable resolve.

It was truly... breathtaking.

In an instant, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause, letting out peals of cheers and praises.

Quite a few young men in the crowd felt their hearts flutter, their hearts suddenly stirred by tender affection.

In the days that followed, they would come to understand a truth: one should never meet someone too breathtaking in their youth, otherwise that person would linger in their mind forever, leaving them with lingering regret for the rest of their lives.

But all at once, an untimely, out-of-place voice rang out from the crowd.

"The museum was built by His Majesty's decree, this institution carries extraordinary significance! How can a woman serve as its curator? That would mean every single person, from common folk to noble lords, would have to defer to a woman the moment they step into the museum!"

"I've also heard that this curator is not just any ordinary woman, but the esteemed Consort Miao herself! A consort of the imperial harem ought to devote herself to bearing the emperor's heirs, yet she openly shows her face in public! What a disgrace to decorum!"

The crowd burst into an uproar, and automatically parted to make a path, as a young man fanning himself with a folding fan sauntered slowly forward.

The young man's eyes glinted with malice, his triangular eyes full of disdain. Seeing that he had riled up the crowd's emotions, he immediately launched into another impassioned speech.

Every line of his words was meant to stir up strife.

"How dare you!" The imperial guards were about to surge forward and seize the young man.

But Tu Shanjin waved them off, her indifferent, piercing gaze settling squarely on the young man.

This was just another pawn sent by that faction of court officials, she thought. They could not stand seeing a woman hold the curator's position, and even more coveted the profits that came with the museum. But they dared not speak out openly against the emperor, so they aimed all their accusations at a woman instead.

Tu Shanjin stepped down from the second floor, walked out of the museum, and slowly made her way to stand before the young man.

Though she was not as tall as he was, the aura she exuded crushed him completely, as if he were nothing more than an ant crawling on the ground.

"You feel ashamed to enter a museum just because its curator is a woman? What exactly are you ashamed of? Are you ashamed of your own incompetence, that you can only watch others shine brilliantly? So you hide behind the worldly constraints placed on women to prop up your own despicable pride?"

Tu Shanjin's gaze was sharp and unclouded, stabbing straight into the young man's heart so that he winced and staggered back two steps.

He raised his voice in a furious, indignant shout, "Nonsense! I would never be so petty! Women ought to stay within the confines of their courtyards, and Consort Miao more than anyone should remain in the imperial harem, devoting herself to bearing the emperor's heirs! If every woman in the world acts like Consort Miao and runs about showing her face in public, the entire Yanchi Dynasty will descend into chaos!"

If it had been in her past life, Tu Shanjin would never have considered this issue. But ever since she had woken up in this woman's body, she had come to realize just how many shackles this world had placed on women, and experienced firsthand all the hardships and unfairness women had to endure.

Tu Shanjin let out a cold laugh, her gaze sharp as a blade.

"The imperial court already has its first female official, personally appointed by His Majesty. His Majesty himself has stated that only when yin and yang are in harmony, and the capable are employed regardless of gender, can the path to righteousness be upheld. Every single point you are questioning is a decision personally made by the emperor!"

"His Majesty, the Son of Heaven who reigns over all under heaven, has the courage and vision to do what is right. Yet you, a worthless, incompetent nobody, can only stand here spouting nonsense. How utterly ridiculous!"

"All things in the world are born from two complementary forces. The human body itself is a balance of yin and yang, and the foundation of society ought to follow the same harmony. No matter man or woman, no matter of high or low birth, everyone deserves to walk this land freely!"

"Absurd! Total nonsense!" Humiliated by being lectured in public by a woman, the young man puffed up with rage, so carried away that he forgot her status, and raised his finger to point at her.

Tu Shanjin swiftly wrapped the official document around his pointing finger, twisted her wrist, and a crisp crack of breaking bone rang out. She then gave a light kick, and the young man crumpled heavily onto the ground.

The imperial guards immediately seized his arms and dragged him away.

Tu Shanjin swept her gaze over the entire crowd, and said in a firm, unyielding tone, "Is there anyone else who has objections?"

All the common people fell completely silent.

Tu Shanjin's speech had truly struck them to the core. Not long ago, the storyteller Mr. Fugui's new storybook "Mulan Joins the Army" had already left them deeply awestruck. Add to that the emperor, the most revered figure in the Yanchi Dynasty, had set a powerful example by appointing a female official and letting Consort Miao serve as the museum's curator.

All these facts went to show that women were fully capable of achieving great things.

And most importantly, all those imperial guards with sharp blades looked extremely fierce. None of them dared to step forward and voice any dissent...

Tu Shanjin took in every expression on the people's faces — some awestruck, some deep in thought, some discontented, some angry, some fearful, and some who simply could not wait any longer to rush into the museum and see all the treasures inside.

Tu Shanjin knew that the road ahead would be long, but today's incident was just the beginning. With time on his side, there was no reason he could not make his goal a reality. What he did not know yet was that after this day, his life's path had already shifted ever so subtly, without him even noticing.

On the observation tower of the museum, two officials stood with stunned expressions. The faint trace of disdain they had harbored in their hearts earlier had long since vanished completely.

They murmured to each other in awe, "No wonder she has won His Majesty's favor. Her ladyship Consort Miao truly has a bit of the Emperor's own bearing about her."

The two men exchanged a glance, and nodded in complete agreement once more. "Exactly! People who share the same bed truly grow to be of the same mind!"

In the pavilion across the street, two pairs of eyes had a full view of the scene unfolding outside the museum.

Ning Ying's face lit up with excitement as she slammed her hand on the table and burst into laughter.

"She scolded them so well!"

"She spoke so rightly!"

"She hit them perfectly!"

"Father, look! Consort Miao has left the imperial palace and even taken up the post of museum curator. Then why can't I join the court and become a female official?"

Across from Ning Ying, a stern, square-faced man set down his teacup. "Right now there is only one female official serving in the entire imperial court. This path is full of hardships. As your father, I do not want to see you struggle through all that difficulty, only to end up..."

"Father, wasn't bringing down Lou Jianshan and the Ministry of Revenue far more difficult? His Majesty managed to pull that off! So why would I not be able to overcome all the obstacles on the way to becoming a female official?" Ning Ying retorted.

"Alas, I do not want you to wade into the muddy waters of court politics."

"Then are you willing to let me drown in the messy troubles of a noble household instead?" Ning Ying pushed back again.

"I will find you a reliable man, just as dependable as your father is."

"How many men in this world are as worthy of trust and support as you are? You could search for one with a lantern and still barely find any!"

"That is true enough, but..."

"Father, you have always said my talents are no less than any man's! After seeing what Consort Miao just did with your own eyes, did it not stir even a little something in you?"

"Father!"

"Fine... fine! I will give you one more year. If you cannot make a name for yourself in the imperial court by then, you will come home, obey my arrangements, and marry the man I pick for you."

"And remember, you must never get dragged into any faction in the court, no matter what!"

"I understand, Father. Thank you so much!"