After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Chapter 499 The Queen's Enlistment

Seeing her son return shortly after leaving, the Empress wondered what had happened.

Just as she was about to ask, she noticed Jiang Xiaoqi, who was only slightly shorter than the Second Prince, following behind him.

The Second Prince's wide robes and sleeves perfectly concealed Jiang Xiaoqi, who appeared thin but was actually muscular when undressed.

Only after the two had exchanged greetings and the Empress had offered them seats did they explain their purpose.

"Does Lord Jiang mean... that someone wants to smear us, mother and child?"

But what is the purpose of doing this? What benefit do they gain from it?

With the Empress and the Second Prince in the palace, how could they possibly extend their reach to the Dali Temple unless they sent trusted subordinates to do this?

However, this matter is also easy to investigate. There are records of people entering and leaving the palace, and these records will be kept for a considerable period of time for future reference.

"This is just something I thought of after hearing about the Dali Temple from His Highness the Second Prince. After all, the people who actually took action could only make such accusations to confuse the situation."

The purpose was to clear himself of suspicion; only by muddying the waters could they fish for themselves.

This was just a matter of course for the Third Prince, since he had already laid the groundwork in the court beforehand, so it wouldn't be surprising if he pulled off some unexpected moves.

"Lord Jiang is right. We must be wary of others. Although we don't know who did it, we must not let them get away with this frame-up."

"Lord Jiang, you should go back and focus on your studies. You needn't concern yourself with this matter anymore; I have my own plans."

Seeing that the Empress understood his meaning, Jiang Xiaoqi said no more, glad that he didn't have to interfere.

I already hold several positions, and today I really couldn't control myself. Just a few words.

However, after this interaction, I felt that the Empress was not as uninterested in managing affairs as others said, and was as detached as a Buddhist monk.

Of course, perhaps it involves my own situation, so I have no choice but to intervene.

However, the empress's decisiveness and unwavering trust surpassed that of many men.

People who have been immersed in the court for many years tend to overcomplicate things.

If it were someone else, they might question Jiang Xiaoqi's motives.

However, the Second Prince himself had no chance of seizing the throne, and Jiang Xiaoqi had no intention of surrendering and currying favor with the powerful.

I believe Her Majesty the Empress can sense that she acted rashly and impulsively, and didn't want to see what she had already thought of actually happen before her eyes.

In addition, considering the ten-day master-disciple relationship with the Second Prince, it wouldn't be considered overstepping his bounds if he said something.

However, to Jiang Xiaoqi's surprise, after the evening lecture, the head eunuch of the Empress's palace came to the Second Prince's residence to invite him over.

The second prince was also completely bewildered. Could it be that, as Lord Jiang said, the mud had already been thrown at them?

Is the Empress Dowager at a loss and asking Lord Jiang to go over and help her think of a solution?

That doesn't make sense either. My mother knows I'm not really an idiot. Why would she consult with Jiang Qing, whom she's barely met, instead of me?

The second prince was about to say that he would go along when he was stopped by the head eunuch of the empress's side.

"Your Highness, I apologize for my rudeness. Her Majesty has instructed that only Lord Jiang be invited, as there is an important matter to discuss."

The second prince stopped in his tracks, looking annoyed, and turned his head toward Jiang Xiaoqi.

"It's alright, Your Highness. Just review what you learned today. You don't need to practice calligraphy today."

The second prince flashed a big smile at the opportune moment. No homework today! Who wouldn't be happy?

Jiang Xiaoqi had to leave the palace before the gates were locked. As a man from outside the palace, he was not allowed to meet the concubines alone.

However, the Empress is the head of the central palace, unlike ordinary concubines, and has a group of palace servants attending to her.

Of course, most importantly, the Great Zhou Dynasty was not as feudal as the previous dynasty, and the status of women in the Great Zhou Dynasty was much higher than that in the previous dynasty.

Although the patriarchal system still prevails, in terms of ideology, it is no longer as stagnant as the previous dynasty that destroyed the country.

It is said that in the previous dynasty, even princesses, county princesses, or daughters of officials of noble status could only go out for a stroll during the annual Flower Festival.

The Great Zhou Dynasty no longer had the Flower Festival; it was replaced by the Lantern Festival.

However, apart from the Lantern Festival, the ladies are allowed to go out shopping as long as they are accompanied by family members.

Otherwise, Jiang Xiaoqi's Liuxiang Pavilion business wouldn't be so booming. If the young ladies didn't go out, who would he sell his gift sets of perfumes to?

While he was lost in thought, the chief eunuch had already brought Jiang Xiaoqi to the Empress's palace, where he met him in the main hall, just as he had during the day.

This time, however, extra tea and snacks were prepared. After a day of classes, I had already digested my lunch, so I was indeed quite hungry.

Jiang Xiaoqi has steamed buns and chicken soup in her space, but she can only take them out to eat after leaving the palace and getting into her own carriage.

His departure from the palace today would undoubtedly be delayed, so he decided to stop being reserved and eat and drink as usual.

They prepared this food for him, didn't they? We can't waste food, can we?

After bowing respectfully once more, Jiang Xiaoqi was indeed offered a seat again.

This kind of treatment was something I had never received before when I went to the palace to see the Emperor. I only went to the Empress's palace twice, and both times I managed to get a seat.

Jiang Xiaoqi mentally gave the Empress a thumbs up; in terms of approachability, Her Majesty the Emperor far surpassed her.

However, he didn't consider that even senior officials like Minister Lin and Minister Wu, who were heads of departments, had never managed to get a seat in front of the emperor. What made him, a mere sixth-rank compiler, think he could?

Because he's handsome? Don't be ridiculous!

It was getting late, and the Empress didn't bother with any further preamble.

As Jiang Xiaoqi had predicted, someone had indeed tried to sow discord between the emperor and the empress, and when the empress arrived, she caught them red-handed.

The Empress didn't say who the person was, but that's not important, since the person in question would never personally show up.

"That's how it all started. I had someone send over all the entry and exit records of everyone in the palace so His Majesty could check them one by one."

"I can bring anyone I want, even the head eunuch and the head maidservant by my side."

The Empress's move can be considered a preemptive strike, since those who truly have something to hide are too busy trying to cover it up.

The empress did not argue with the emperor, thus avoiding the danger of proving herself. Providing entry and exit records did not fall into the category of self-proof, as further verification by the emperor's people was still required.

You can disbelieve what you hear, but you can't refute what you find out yourself, right?

Besides, the emperor is not senile. On the surface, the empress is indeed a suspect, but upon closer examination, it seems that the empress is really not involved.

Why go through all that trouble when someone is already certain to be sentenced to death? Wouldn't it be more satisfying to let your enemy suffer sleepless nights waiting for their death?

Furthermore, the Empress's persona has been very successfully cultivated over the years. Her gentle and unassuming nature, her Buddhist-like personality, makes the Emperor disbelieve that the Empress would poison someone.

When someone who doesn't cry often does shed tears, the impact is incredibly powerful.

How much injustice must someone have suffered to bring such a strong person to tears? They must have endured an immense injustice.

The Empress naturally did not mention her tearful outburst in front of the Emperor, but calmly said that she had basically solved the problem.

"Your Majesty is truly talented!"

Jiang Xiaoqi's words came from the bottom of her heart.

These words elicited a light laugh from the Empress. "Hehe, Lord Jiang is too kind. I dare not accept such praise."

"You, Lord Jiang, are truly a great talent, not some lowly woman like myself."

Jiang Xiaoqi really wanted to correct the Empress's thinking: why can't women have great talents?

Don't underestimate yourselves, or men will become arrogant and take advantage of you, thinking they are the eternal masters of this world.

However, it's best not to speak too frankly with someone you don't know well, so it's not appropriate for him to say anything right now. Oh well, I'll just keep complaining to myself.

Seeing that Jiang Xiaoqi only smiled and remained silent, the Empress had no choice but to speak again.

"What does Lord Jiang think of my son?"

Huh? This is a valid answer. After teaching for these past few days, he has the right to speak. Could this be considered a home visit for the students?

"To answer Your Majesty's question, to be honest, the Second Prince is quite a surprise."

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

"The Second Prince's progress is faster than I expected, and he even completed the task ahead of schedule today. Therefore, I will exempt the Second Prince from half an hour of calligraphy practice today."

His Highness is very gifted in the study of the Four Books and Five Classics; he can draw inferences from one instance to another and make connections between different things. Given time, he will surely achieve great things.

The Empress seemed quite surprised that Jiang Xiaoqi had such a high opinion of her son. There had been other teachers before, but they all spoke in a very conventional way.

But from Jiang Xiaoqi's words, the Empress only heard sincerity and genuine praise, which surprised her even more.

Did my son not hide his abilities from Lord Jiang?

Wouldn't it be easier for me to say what comes next?

"I never expected Lord Jiang to have such a high opinion of Chang'er; it's truly unexpected."

So, Lord Jiang, do you think Chang'er is slightly better or slightly inferior to the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince?

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Xiaoqi's hand, which was about to grab a snack, froze in mid-air. After a moment's thought, she grabbed a piece of osmanthus cake and stuffed it directly into her mouth.

It's not that I'm greedy; I just want to quickly think of an answer that won't offend anyone while I'm chewing on the snack.