Chapter 180

Ji Chunyue and Ji Qiuyue borrowed five hundred taels from a bank in Jing Country, barely enough to open a milk tea shop, and then set off to return to Chu State.

Before leaving, Ji Chunyue blushed as she tossed a jade pendant to Zheng Qiru, saying, "Silly boy, we accept our loss in this bet!"

Zheng Qiru's face turned red, and he stammered, "As soon as I finish the imperial exams, I'll write to you... to both of you..."

"Who wants your letters?" Ji Chunyue's ears burned as she quickly lowered the carriage curtain.

Ji Qiuyue and Yuan covered their mouths, laughing.

Although Zheng Qiru had a flaw on his temple, his features were handsome, and his manner refined.

More importantly, he respected women.

"If the young lady marries such a man in the future, it wouldn't be bad at all."

"Don't talk nonsense! Yuan, shut your mouth!" The carriage departed amidst the sisters' laughter and banter.

Inside the palace, Xiao Yunzhou was rocking Xiao Chuchu's small cradle, frowning in deep thought.

The two beauties from Chu State had left.

With only a seventy percent follow rate, the task of collecting elites remained temporarily incomplete.

He wondered when he would be able to fully win them over.

[Oh my, isn't this just like a story of talented scholars and beautiful ladies?]

Xiao Chuchu, however, wasn't worried at all. She was eagerly watching the live stream of Zheng Qiru reluctantly bidding farewell to the beauties.

She glanced at the shy Ji Chunyue inside the carriage and the hint of sadness in her eyes as she departed, clicking her tongue in amazement.

[I never thought that a man from Jing Country with 99 intelligence, who had never been married, would end up waiting for a beauty from Chu State!]

[They actually have some pink bubbles around them~ It's quite shippable~]

[This silly boy, why doesn't he recite a poem of parting right now?]

[Writing letters later... thinking of her on the first day, thinking of her on the second day, still thinking of her on the third day~ Hey, I'll have to keep an eye on them in the future.]

Xiao Chuchu grinned like a doting aunt, enjoying this budding romance.

[However, Zheng Qiru has nothing to his name right now, just a poor scholar. His appearance is also flawed in others' eyes. I guess Ji Chunyue's grandfather, the Prime Minister of Chu State, won't easily agree to this marriage.]

Xiao Yunzhou listened, dumbfounded.

What did it mean to "ship" a couple?

When did these two become an item?

As the Emperor of Jing Country, he was delighted at the prospect of a Chu State beauty marrying into Jing Country.

It would be even better if all the men in Chu State remained bachelors, haha!

Xiao Yunzhou couldn't stop grinning at the thought.

Let the King of Chu cry!

Let the men of Chu State cry!

Who told them not to have a fairy princess to enlighten them about 'gender equality'?!

Thinking of this, Xiao Yunzhou was greatly amused. He ordered the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds specifically to support women's schools.

Not only would they learn needlework, but also reading and writing, medical skills, sewing techniques, and business management.

"Liu Chaniang, you should also gather the women in the harem to study together," Xiao Yunzhou said to Liu Chaniang. "Those who perform poorly in assessments or are unproductive will have their monthly allowances reduced."

"Let Consort Min assist you, the women in the harem should set an example."

"This way, other men will learn to be as open-minded as me!"

Old man Liu was already so old, yet his wisdom could still improve by leaps and bounds?

He looked at the white-haired Liu Wenchang standing to one side, his envy evident.

[It seems that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, and traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as meeting countless people. It really is true.]

Xiao Chuchu, nestled in Wei Zheng's arms, pondered.

[My maternal grandfather hasn't taken any magical elixirs in the past six months, and being busy in the Ministry of Personnel, he hasn't had time to read too many books.]

[It's simply because he's in the Ministry of Personnel, interacting with officials from various departments and regions.]

Xiao Chuchu pondered, [Most likely, it's because he's met countless people, and they're all officials with high intelligence and strong capabilities, so my grandfather's intelligence has been honed and improved.]

[It seems that the system's intelligence assessment is comprehensive, not just about test-taking ability, but also includes skills like reading people and getting things done.]

As Xiao Yunzhou listened, his eyes sparkled with increasing interest.

"Your Majesty, all the top-ranking candidates from the Imperial Examination are here."

"Let the palace examination begin!"

Xiao Yunzhou cleared his throat lightly and nodded immediately.

[Zheng Qiru, intelligence 99.]

[Li Chang, intelligence 97.]

[Zhou Shuxin, intelligence 94.]

...

[Lu Han... 71.]

Xiao Yunzhou's gaze flickered as he quickly ranked the first and second-place candidates, including the positions of Zhuangyuan (top scorer), Tanhua (second place), and Bangyan (third place).

*

"Grandfather, it's just a tea shop. What's wrong with learning from Jing Country?" Ji Chunyue and Ji Qiuyue stood anxiously in the study of the Ji family patriarch, who was also the Prime Minister of Chu State. They looked at the white-haired old man before them. "What's there to fear about learning from Jing Country?"

"Absolutely not! There's no need to discuss this further! I allowed you to travel, not to collude with Jing Country," Ji Duan, the Prime Minister of Chu State, declared resolutely, brooking no argument.

"Chu State cannot possibly learn from the small Jing Country!"

"If you want to open a shop, your grandfather will help you. You can open anything else."

The Ji sisters exchanged glances, seeing the sorrow in each other's eyes.

Born into a great family, they wanted for nothing, but they were also bound by family constraints.

Usually, they enjoyed their grandfather's doting affection, but when it came to crucial matters, they had no freedom at all.

Ordinary Chu merchants could travel between Jing and Chu to conduct business, but they couldn't.

"If they have something better than us, why can't we learn from them? Grandfather, you're so old-fashioned!"

"Hmph, whether it's industry, agriculture, military, or commerce, they're not as good as us. There's no need to mention this again. If His Majesty finds out, he might be displeased with you."

The Ji sisters felt dejected. They had already borrowed money from the bank in Jing Country.

But their family wouldn't agree.

Ji Chunyue pulled back Ji Qiuyue, who was about to argue further. "Sister, let's go."

Back in their room, she asked Yuan to open the package they had brought back from Jing Country, then found the sachet that Concubine Liu from Jing had given them.

As soon as they opened it, they were stunned.

— Branch location: The border between the two countries.

The Ji sisters: "!"

Their eyes lit up.