If I were born again, I would marry a strong but short-lived husband.

Chapter 543: Promoting the Imperial Examination

Zhou Zhou entrusted his wife and children to the care of the Ruan family, and escorted Fu Jinyi to Suzhou without complaint or complaint.

He didn't dare to hurry, as Fu Jinyi's body couldn't bear it. The carriage moved slowly, and Fu Jinyi was like a bird that had escaped from a cage, and everything he saw was new to him.

Changfu and Changshou couldn't control him and bought all kinds of candies for Fu Jinyi.

This situation finally stopped until one day Fu Jinyi rolled over in pain.

Zhou Zhou was tired.

The emperor was given medicine for his toothache and a word of advice.

"The Regent must have guessed that your illness is not that serious. If you continue to behave like this and really get sick in Suzhou, I think you may suffer."

Zhou Zhou had witnessed the suffering that Fu Jinyuan had brought upon his younger brother.

Fu Jinyi's face turned pale immediately, "Did you secretly tell someone in the letter?"

Zhou Zhou: "If the prince really believed that you were going to die soon, he would not have asked you to travel thousands of miles to Suzhou, but would have come to the capital to find you in person."

"Sir, you'd better be honest and take good care of yourself. When you get to Suzhou, the prince might be happier to see your rosy complexion."

Fu Jinyi rubbed his face and said, "Then I will try to gain some weight."

Zhou Zhou smiled, "I'll continue the acupuncture tonight."

“……”What he hates most is needles.

"Don't you want to know what's going on in the royal capital now?" They had been away for half a month, and Fu Jinyi didn't ask at all what kind of shock his departure would cause in the court.

"Don't listen, don't care, cherish your life." Fu Jinyi covered his cheeks and drooled at the hot beef patties.

"Beef is an irritant and will make your teeth hurt more," Zhou Zhou reminded him.

Fu Jinyi: “…”

He somewhat suspected that Zhou Zhou did it on purpose.

Half a month later, their carriage arrived in Salt Lake City.

Fu Jinyi insisted on coming here in person.

Shen Sui'an had a Taoist temple built in Salt Lake City, where Taoist priests would chant sutras every day for the young children and girls who were murdered.

He wants to come here and take a look.

If he had been in better health and more capable, he would have discovered the problem of smuggled salt in the northwest earlier, and so many people would not have been killed.

Fu Jinyi felt guilty and blamed himself.

"Your Majesty, you cannot be blamed. They started doing evil several years ago." Zhou Zhou looked at Fu Jinyi who was kneeling on the mat. The corners of his eyes were red enough to be dazzling.

Those who deserve the punishment will bear the consequences.

"Negligence is negligence. I was already the crown prince a few years ago, but I couldn't do anything." Fu Jinyi sighed.

After the worship, he donated incense to the Taoist temple.

"My uncle is right. There can't be another Salt Lake City."

Zhou Zhou sighed in his heart, Fu Jinyi was actually a very insightful person.

"Okay, let's go to Suzhou." Fu Jinyi said.

……

The emperor left a letter and fled, decreeing that the queen mother be the regent.

Although he did not explicitly say that he wanted to abdicate, the meaning was almost there.

When the civil and military officials in the court thought about what had happened recently, it was hard not to speculate in other directions.

The Emperor is competing with the Empress Dowager and her son. Is the Emperor backing down?

Could it be that half of the court will have to be given to the Empress Dowager's female officials in the future?

That's not okay.

"Even if the emperor doesn't want to be the emperor, isn't there still a regent?"

Some officials also hope that the regent can come back.

Supporting the King Regent to ascend the throne is definitely more legitimate than having the Queen Mother as regent.

Several cabinet ministers looked calm, as they knew about the emperor's departure from the palace earlier than other officials in the court.

It took a few days from the initial shock to acceptance.

What else could they do? They sent people to chase and search for him, but there was no trace of the emperor.

They sent someone to Suzhou for help, but there has been no news from Suzhou yet.

There were still officials in the court discussing in low voices.

"The Queen Mother once ruled the country together with the late Emperor. There is nothing wrong with her acting as regent now."

"Why haven't I heard the sound of the whip yet? Is the Queen Mother not coming to the morning court?"

Everyone was talking and looking at Ruan Xinglin, who was standing at the head of all officials.

Ruan Xinglin closed his eyes and rested, looking nonchalant.

Everything that needs to be said has been said. If the Queen Mother doesn't want to come, can he still force her to come?

"Sir Ruan, why don't you go and see what's going on with the Queen Mother?" Duke Dingguo said in a low voice.

"No." Ruan Xinglin had no expression on his face.

Time passed little by little.

Queen Mother Ruan did not appear at the morning court.

It was not until the morning court session was over that Eunuch Su hurried over, sweating profusely.

"The Queen Mother has ordered that today's morning court session be cancelled and moved to tomorrow."

"Send the cabinet ministers to see you."

Ruan Xinglin slowly opened his eyes, his eyes calm and peaceful.

"Prime Minister Ruan, ladies and gentlemen, please come in." Eunuch Su cautiously made a gesture of invitation.

"Since the Queen Mother invites you, let's go." Lord Cai said with a smile.

Queen Mother Ruan did not want to be pretentious, so it was difficult for her to shirk her responsibility as regent.

As early as a few years ago, she had thought that if the late emperor was unkind and unjust, and Yi'er really had an accident, she would not hand over the Southern Dynasty to Concubine Liu and her son.

What Liao Yingying and Yi Lanxin did hurt their mother-son relationship.

Queen Mother Ruan thought about executing them as a warning to others, but she softened her heart for a moment.

Her past ambition nurtured Yi Lanxin's ambition.

The empress and the female prime minister were the future they had once expected.

After A Yuan came back, she had changed her mind, not to mention that Yi'er's health had improved a lot.

But she neglected that her change would not make Yi Lanxin change as well.

Empress Dowager Ruan summoned the cabinet ministers to the Yangxin Palace.

"The emperor has gone to Suzhou. You can rest assured, my lords. The emperor will not be in danger." She first told where Fu Jinyi was going.

Several ministers breathed a sigh of relief.

"The emperor's heart disease has not yet healed, so he cannot work hard. I will serve as regent on his behalf. Do you have any objections?"

Queen Mother Ruan glanced at everyone with a solemn and majestic look.

For some unknown reason, one feels a sense of intimidation and oppression.

Lord Fang pondered for a moment, "Empress Dowager, when will the Emperor return?"

Empress Dowager Ruan: "I don't know when the emperor will return."

"It's impossible for the emperor to be in Suzhou to recuperate and the government affairs to be neglected."

Prime Minister Ruan cupped his hands and said, "We will assist the Queen Mother in managing the government."

Even Prime Minister Ruan said so, what else can others do?

Everyone said that the emperor was recuperating. Could it be possible that we were going to Suzhou to bring the emperor back?

"I want to select a group of female soldiers as my imperial guards, about a thousand people, and the rest of the female soldiers will be incorporated into his military camp."

"Although the positions of female officials have been abolished, women can still become talents. I want to open a special examination to allow women to participate in the imperial examination."

"!"

This sentence shocked several ministers.

The political center of the Southern Dynasties was almost monopolized by the aristocratic families. The previous emperor proposed to hold special examinations and promote the imperial examination several times, but it was never actually implemented.

A selection was conducted before, and a few useful children from poor families were picked out, but they soon became lost in the crowd after they entered officialdom.

Although the Empress Dowager did not protest against the imperial examination system in the past, she did not agree with it either.

Why was the imperial examination suddenly implemented?

"Empress Dowager, this matter still requires long-term consideration." Lord Cai said immediately.

Empress Dowager Ruan: "Then you go and discuss it, and we will make a decision at the court tomorrow morning."