Waiting to See the Joke
Since the dawn of time, never has a woman served as Chancellor.
At the Grand Court Assembly, Lily Evans donned a specially tailored Lady Chancellor's robe, standing openly and honorably at the highest seat of the temple.
This ceremonial robe wasn't merely a resized version of the traditional male Chancellor's attire, but a newly designed, distinctly feminine version based on the original.
With her clothing alone, Lily Evans was telling the world: this office is not reserved for men only—women can hold it too!
Women need not wear men's robes to serve; they deserve their own, dignified, feminine ceremonial attire.
Though officials and commoners across Qin had their differences, few voiced any objections.
The officials were lax, most just coasting through their days—none foolish enough to challenge King Alexander Hayes's decision.
As for the common folk, each was busy scraping a living from the soil, too focused on survival to care whether the Chancellor was a man or a woman.
Unexpectedly, everything went smoothly—Lily Evans faced no resistance and quickly became the most powerful official in this court, now in desperate need of reform.
Standing beside Alexander Hayes, Lily gazed at the distant horizon, knowing that soon the news of her appointment as Lady Chancellor—under her alias, Professor Jade Evans—would spread far and wide, reaching even the Kingdoms of Chu and Jin.
The Kingdoms of Chu and Jin eyed Qin hungrily. Su Li was determined to show them that she and Alexander Hayes would do everything in their power to govern Qin.
Su Li truly became Lady Chancellor, and even invited renowned scholars from across the nation to join her administration. In less than three months, these scholars would arrive in Chang'an, forming a new team of officials. The Kingdom of Qin would finally be firmly in the hands of Alexander Hayes and Su Li.
As for the Three Great Houses—the Qian, Sun, and Li Clans—they would forever lose the chance to control the core of the imperial court.
Qian Tang was so furious about this that he claimed to be ill and refused to leave his house, no longer helping Alexander Hayes with court affairs. He grumbled to Qian Miaomiao, "Hmph! That couple really knows how to burn bridges. After all I've done for them, they won't share a single benefit with us. It's infuriating! Fine—if they're so capable, let them deal with the Three Great Houses themselves!"
Qian Miaomiao said, "Grandfather, don't be angry. The Three Great Houses all follow your lead now. Without your support, the royal couple won't get far. They'll have to come begging to you soon—just keep pretending to be ill."
Qian Tang snorted, "Hmph! That Queen of Qin is delusional, starting schools for commoners. Those low-born peasants have been illiterate for generations—they’re only fit for the lowest work. Stupid as pigs, how could they possibly learn to read?"
Qian Miaomiao nodded, "Grandfather, you’re absolutely right. Reading and writing is so difficult—without years of study, they’ll get nowhere. That Queen of Qin always comes up with these wild ideas. Let’s just wait and watch her make a fool of herself."
In the Imperial Study, Su Li reviewed the memorials in her hand and asked Alexander Hayes, "How many days has Marquis Qian been absent?"
"Three days now," Alexander Hayes replied after some thought. "That's right, Marquis Qian has been claiming illness for three days."
Su Li lightly snorted, set down the memorial, and said to Alexander Hayes, "Illness, huh? I don't believe it. He was so diligent when he wanted to stuff his clan members into the court, practically living in the Imperial Study. But now that all the positions are filled by my people and he's not getting any benefits, he pretends to be sick. What an old fox. Your Majesty, we can set aside the matter of winning over the Three Great Houses for now and approach it gradually. The urgent task at hand is to govern Chang'an and the Wei River plain well."