Poverty Alleviation in Qin: A Sky-High Review of "I Am the Female Prime Minister of All Time&qu

The next day at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).

That is, 3 a.m.

The candlelight flickered, casting a soft glow throughout the room.

If you committed many evil deeds in your past life, you'll have to get up early to go to work in this life.

Song Ye slowly sat up, supporting himself on the edge of the couch. Just as he was about to get up, he heard a series of light footsteps outside the door.

"grown ups."

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Lü Zhi entered carrying a brand-new, luxurious, custom-made court dress for a female official. The fabric had intricate patterns and the colors were solemn and dignified. It was a court dress specially ordered by the First Emperor to be tailor-made for Song Ye, and the standards were extremely high.

In the Qin Dynasty, there were no streetlights, and it was so dark at night that it was difficult to see. Carriages and horses moved very slowly, so without exception, all the high-ranking officials and civil and military officials had to get up and prepare before dawn.

Officials living in more remote areas have to get up as early as 1 a.m.

Empress Lü laid her court robes flat on the clothes rack beside her, turned to look at Song Ye, whose face looked tired, and said softly, "It's getting late, my lord, you should get up and prepare to go to the palace."

"It's okay, I can put it on myself. You should go back and rest."

After days of arduous travel, everyone was exhausted, both physically and mentally.

She didn't want to trouble Lü Zhi with such a trivial matter as getting dressed.

However, Lü Zhi's attitude was exceptionally firm. She stepped forward and took her arm, saying, "My lady, please rest for a while. The court dress is complicated and has many accessories, making it easy to make mistakes. Let E'xu help you." Her tone was respectful, but it carried an unyielding certainty.

Helpless, Song finally had to loosen his grip.

After tidying everything up, Song walked out of the mansion and looked up to see that it was pitch black.

So, the life of high-ranking officials in ancient times was such that the higher their official position, the less they slept?

They get up earlier than the roosters and go to bed later than the dogs.

Sigh, I'm starting to understand chickens now. Anyone who gets up this early would want to scream.

The coachman, Xiahou Ying, had been waiting for a long time, ready to be dispatched at any moment.

Fan Kuai, carrying a weapon and with a burly build, stood guard beside the carriage, never leaving its side, serving as Song Ye's bodyguard to and from get off work.

With everything ready, Song stepped forward and calmly entered the carriage.

"Let's go."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiahou Ying cracked his whip.

Only after the carriage had completely disappeared from sight did Lü Zhi turn around and step into the mansion.

...

The hour of Yin (3-5 AM) is approaching.

The sky was dim and gloomy, and the entire Xianyang Palace was shrouded in a thin mist.

The Qin ritual system followed the Zhou ritual system, and officials could only enter the palace when the sky was just clear enough to distinguish between black and white.

Being late will be recorded by the censor, and the person will be held accountable and have their salary reduced.

Therefore, around 3 AM every day, before dawn, civil and military officials would arrive at the palace square.

Song really thanked him.

In the end, we decided to wait until the time came to get off at the checkpoint.

This unusual behavior quickly attracted the attention of all the officials present.

The civil and military officials, who had been talking in hushed tones, all turned their gazes, some subtle and some direct, to the closed carriage.

Today, among the newly appointed officials, apart from Song, there are no other two.

For a moment, the people present had different thoughts, and their eyes, filled with inquiry, apprehension, and curiosity, all converged on the carriage.

Before long, the appointed time for all the officials to enter the palace arrived.

The carriage curtain was then slowly lifted.

Song Ye, dressed in the imperial court robes bestowed upon him, was elegant and dignified. He calmly took the arm that Xiahou Ying offered and slowly stepped down from the carriage.

She could clearly sense countless gazes, some deep and some shallow, fixed on her.

Song Ye, with a calm expression, greeted the assembled civil and military officials.

On one side is a newly promoted, ambitious official who has just entered the bureaucracy and enjoys the emperor's favor.

On one side are the cunning old foxes who have been deeply entrenched in officialdom for decades, each with their own agenda.

The old and the new stand in confrontation, a battle between the overt and the covert.

Without a word, the various forces were already in place.

This time, however, it is different from the future trajectory foreshadowed by the sky.

When a young official first enters the court, he is unknown and walks at the end of the line of officials, as if he were invisible.

Now, Song Ye's name has resounded throughout the Qin Dynasty, and everyone knows him.

The woman took a step and walked calmly toward the line of officials.

The originally orderly ranks of civil and military officials unconsciously loosened up.

Whether Song Ye walked to the front, middle, or back corner of the queue, the officials around her would subconsciously step aside and make way for her, spontaneously giving her a spacious place.

Countless eyes in the audience followed Song Ye closely from beginning to end, and no one dared to show the slightest contempt.

Song walked with ease, seemingly oblivious to the avoidance she received from her "colleagues."

Not far away, Li Si stood at the forefront of the officials, his expression calm and composed.

Only when the snipe and the clam fight can the fisherman benefit.

When the appointed time arrived, accompanied by a heavy and long sound of the palace gates opening, the main gate of Xianyang Palace slowly opened inward.

"All officials enter the court—" came the drawn-out announcement from the attendant.

The civil and military officials immediately composed themselves and entered the palace in an orderly manner according to their rank.

Song walked slowly with the crowd, her posture upright and dignified. Everyone else followed the procession in an orderly fashion, but as she walked, the officials on both sides subconsciously stepped aside to make way for her.

This is a privilege that even newly appointed high-ranking officials may not immediately enjoy.

The moment you step through the palace gates, the majestic and magnificent main hall of the Qin Dynasty comes into view.

Golden steps and jade staircases, magnificent beams and pillars.

The officials entered the hall in turn and stood in two rows on either side.

A moment later, Ying Zheng, dressed in imperial robes, sat upright with a majestic posture. His sharp gaze swept over the assembled civil and military officials, and he spoke in a deep voice: "Today's court assembly is to discuss state affairs and appoint new officials."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chunyu Yue stepped forward, held his scepter, bowed, and loudly and solemnly announced, "Your subject has something to report!"

In the main hall, Chunyu Yue stood ramrod straight, his expression solemn and stern: "Your Majesty! Song Ye has become arrogant and reckless, relying on the emperor's favor. Yesterday, he even displayed Song Ye's head on the city gate, demonstrating the cruelty of his methods and corrupting public morals!"

Inside the hall, all the civil and military officials held their breath, their eyes fixed on Song Ye in the middle of the procession, awaiting her response.

Song also scoffed.

That old man is annoying to look at; you don't even need to guess who he is.

Chunyu Yue was the teacher of the eldest son, Fusu.

If you're old, just go die!

What's the point of being in this officialdom if you're just occupying a position without doing anything?

On the dragon throne, the emperor sat silently, his crown and curtains obscuring most of his expression.

He wanted to see how Song would respond to the moral challenges posed by the senior officials of the court.

Finally, Song Yeshe gave Old Deng Chunyu Yue a look and said coldly, "Doctor, that sounds nice, but I'd like to ask you, with countless assassins chasing us all the way, knives practically at our throats, what do you want me to do?"

"So what if I hang my head in public? Doesn't Qin rule by law? Is what I'm doing wrong? Sir, are you questioning His Majesty's governing philosophy, or are you dissatisfied with His Majesty?"

"!!!" Chunyu Yue panicked and hurriedly waved his hands in protest, "Your Majesty, that was absolutely not what I meant! You are wise! I have never questioned Your Majesty, nor have I harbored the slightest dissatisfaction!"

He was terrified of being accused of disobeying the emperor.

"My impeachment today has never been directed at Your Majesty! My only accusation is against Song Ye!"

Upon hearing this, Song also sneered, "Showing humanity to evil people and showing benevolence to wicked people? Doctor, are you out of your mind?"

Chunyu Yue choked up.

"How about this, since Dr. Chunyu is so kind, why don't we set off from Xianyang right now, go to Pei County, and then return by the same route?"

At this point, she tilted her head slightly: "At your age, you must have never experienced this kind of thrill, right?"

The entire court: ...This is so damn exciting!

It's impressive that they can describe assassination in such a fresh and refined way.

Chunyu Yue: "..."

Chunyu Yue was speechless and helpless.

So he looked to the eldest son, Fusu, for help...