knife

Chapter 369 A Perfect Two Birds with One Stone

As the highest authority in the entire area outside the Great Wall, the Beiting Protectorate is not as imposing and unapproachable as most people imagine. In fact, those familiar with the area know that this government office is sometimes even more bustling than a large market.

The once luxurious mansion of the Yan family has now been divided in two. One part serves as the medical school's premises, while the other part is the office of the Beiting Protectorate.

Back when it was the Anxi Protectorate, the rooms were just enough, but now that it has become the Beiting Protectorate, the rooms have suddenly become scarce. Many people suggested expanding the rooms, but Mao Daxian rejected them all.

If there aren't enough rooms, then everyone can squeeze in; if the conditions aren't good, then everyone can just put up with it.

There are plenty of other places outside the Great Wall where money is needed, so there's no need to spend more money on this.

Mao Daxian wasn't just talking. For example, he used to have an entire official hall all to himself, twenty paces long and ten paces wide. But now, it's been split in two, with barely enough room for a large desk and a few chairs inside, while three or four clerks sit outside. Every bit of space in the room is piled high with all sorts of documents and files.

If the third-in-command of the Beiting Protectorate is in this state, what else can the rest say? Let's all squeeze in.

Even Li Dachui and Xiao Changche were not spared.

The Protector-General and Deputy Protector-General originally each had their own large room, but now one room has been vacated, and the other room has been simply partitioned, reducing their office space by half.

The place was small, there were many institutions, and many people came to do business, so the entire Beiting Protectorate looked somewhat chaotic, with people everywhere.

However, this does not hinder the efficiency of the Beiting Protectorate.

For many people who were used to seeing government officials dragging their feet and whining in other places, the speed at which government officials act now can only be described as lightning fast.

In the Beiting Protectorate, every official had a large whip hanging over their head for assessment; if they weren't careful, the whip would fall heavily.

Xiao Changche's cavalry appeared on the main street outside the Protectorate, and the once bustling street instantly fell silent.

Whether they were there to do business, set up a stall, or were just passing by, at this moment, everyone stood up straight as if frozen into a sculpture, and those who were sitting also stood up involuntarily.

All eyes were on Xiao Changche.

The government office was initially quite noisy, but like a plague, it quieted down after a short while.

Apart from the crisp sound of horses' hooves striking the bluestone slabs, no other sound could be heard.

Xiao Changche was somewhat annoyed.

He dismounted and strode up the steps, but instead of rushing inside, he turned around, tapping his right whip lightly against his left palm, his eyes coldly sweeping over everyone.

Wherever his gaze fell, the silent streets instantly came alive.

No one dared to meet her gaze.

They all turned their heads away, pretending to talk, pretending to do things, pretending not to see that someone was watching them. Some people who were already in the corner even went so far as to hide themselves completely.

Xiao Changche snorted coldly and turned to go inside.

As her figure disappeared, the noise outside suddenly grew louder.

Xiao Changche inside the gate stiffened slightly, but then smiled helplessly, shook his head, and walked towards his official residence.

The person inside the door looked exactly like the person outside.

Each person's gaze seemed so strange, so meaningful.

As Xiao Changche walked by, they bowed silently and stepped aside to make way for him. After he passed, they straightened up and stared at his retreating figure for a long time.

Xiao Changche could feel the gazes of these people.

This situation did not exist before.

When I ran into her on the road, I greeted her and let her pass. Everyone just went about their business.

In what places are rumors most prevalent?
Naturally, this refers to government agencies like the Protectorate General's Office.

Moreover, the rumors circulating here are, strictly speaking, not really rumors.

For example, the fact that Xiao Changche is a woman was intentionally leaked by the higher-ups.

As the publicity campaign by the Chi-Chi-In News Division began to take effect, rumors were released at the opportune moment.

Everyone who works here is a shrewd and capable person.
Given the current popularity of storytelling, clapper talk, and drama, people still don't understand what's going on.

It was indeed somewhat shocking, but not unacceptable.

After all, the area outside the Great Wall is quite different from the area inside. The area outside the Great Wall values ​​strength more, and as for etiquette and such, very few people there really care about them.

Few women were literate, but countless others wielded knives and attacked people.

Moreover, Xiao Changche's prestige was well-established, and to a large extent, he could indeed neutralize people's perceptions of male and female genders.

Entering his official residence, Xiao Changche tossed his riding whip onto the table, feeling quite satisfied.

Before coming, she had imagined countless scenarios, but this one was undoubtedly the most satisfying for her. Ultimately, there will be a process involved.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and then Mao Daxian appeared in the doorway with a smile on his face.

"Chief Secretary!" Xiao Changche stood up with a smile.

Mao Daxian carried in a stack of documents and placed them on Xiao Changche's desk. He smiled and said, "We were just talking about going to Qiyue Island to report some things to the Protector-General. I didn't expect the Protector-General to arrive here. Is he feeling much better?"

“It wasn’t really a problem!” Xiao Changche nodded and said, “Thank you for your concern, Chief Secretary!”

Mao Daxian waved his hands repeatedly: "Protector, you flatter me. Your affairs are the affairs of the Beiting Protectorate. Forgive me for speaking frankly, but everything that happens to you and the young master is actually the affairs of the Beiting Protectorate. This is public business, it is a matter of state. As the chief secretary, I will naturally do my job well."

“There are no precedents for these things. In the past, I didn’t think so much about it. I just took it one step at a time!” Xiao Changche sighed. “But as my rank rose, my troops increased, my territory expanded, and my responsibilities became heavier, I became more and more panicked. I didn’t know how to end things!”

After a pause, Xiao Changche shook his head and said, "In the end, men still rule the world!"

Mao Daxian laughed and said, "In the future, women will be able to hold up half the sky in our region outside the Great Wall! Protector, this is not me flattering you, but something the young master told me before. And now, we can take advantage of this to promote women to openly and legitimately work and serve as officials. To be honest, it was really not easy to promote this before."

Mao Daxian was not lying.

Even in Tai'an City and Helan Plain, this matter had not been well promoted.

Many of those who oppose this matter are key members of Li Dachui's group.

But now that Xiao Changche's incident has occurred, these people have to consider what to do.

If you dare to hold us back at this time,

I'm afraid it will be seen as dragging down Beiting, dragging down the area outside the pass, and dragging down everyone's ambition to conquer the world.

This is intolerable.

In the eyes of most people, the series of policies that Mao Daxian is now pushing hard to promote, such as allowing women to serve as officials, are paving the way for Xiao Changche, a woman, to become the second-in-command of the Beiting Protectorate. As long as the practice of allowing women to serve as officials is now established as a law in Beiting, it will be only natural for Xiao Changche to restore her status as a woman and serve as the deputy protector.

Opposing this is opposing Xiao Changche, and opposing Li Dachui.

Do you want to die?
For Mao Daxian, this was a win-win situation, so he naturally had to push it forward with all his might.

Clap your hands, and a row of ten women dressed in uniform will immediately walk in.

Xiao Changche even recognized some of the faces.

For example, there are two faces that look almost identical; those are the twin daughters of Qian Jia, the head of the academy.

"Protector, these are the top ten candidates selected for the female officials in this selection process," Mao Daxian said with a smile. "They are all exceptionally talented. Their exam papers are among the files on the table. I directly used the palace examination questions from the imperial examination three years ago to test these people. To be honest, I was quite shocked when I saw the papers. It's a waste of talent that these people haven't been put to good use."

"So, there's a top scholar in the imperial examination?" Xiao Changche laughed.

"First place: Tu Jiaojiao!" Mao Daxian pointed to a slightly shy woman standing in the middle and said, "Protector, can you imagine that she started out as a farmer in Helan Plain, and then became a teacher in the village, teaching children to read?"

"Tu Jiaojiao!" Xiao Changche frowned slightly. "I should have heard of this name before. Her man..."

“My man’s name is Ding Ergou, and he is currently studying at the martial arts academy in Tai’an City!” Tu Jiaojiao stepped forward and bowed.

"Oh right, I remember now!" Xiao Changche laughed, "Ding Ergou is extremely talented in martial arts cultivation. I never expected his wife to have the talent of a top scholar. This is truly a perfect match! One is a scholar, the other a warrior; both will be capable talents for our Beiting Protectorate. Chief Secretary, where do you plan to place her?"

"Protector, I plan to let Tu Jiaojiao observe politics in the Protectorate first, gain some experience, and learn some methods of handling government affairs. Then, I want to let her go out and take charge on her own."

"To be a people's magistrate?"

"If it succeeds, it will set a new precedent in history!" Mao Daxian said. "It will surely be recorded in history!"

Xiao Changche couldn't help but chuckle. In any case, Mao Daxian seemed to have some kind of obsession with being recorded in history.

"Where are the two sisters from Dean Qian's household?"

"I plan to assign them to the Censorate!" Mao Daxian laughed. "Scholar Zhang is gone, and the Censorate is now weak. This won't do. The two sisters will greatly strengthen the Censorate. Under our Beiting Protectorate, the old guard is reliable, but many newcomers are still clinging to the old rules. This won't do!"

This is to leverage Qian Jia's prestige and power to strengthen the Censorate's oversight of all officials in the Beiting Protectorate.

Looking at the excited and eager women in front of him, Xiao Changche smiled and asked, "Do you have anything to say about the arrangements made by the Chief Secretary?"

Everyone shook their heads. After a long while, Tu Jiaojiao looked at Xiao Changche and asked in a low voice, "Protector, may I ask you something?"

"Ask away!" Xiao Changche said with a smile.

Are you really a woman?

The room fell silent instantly.

(End of this chapter)