Five or six eunuchs carried stacks of memorials in their arms and distributed them one by one to the court officials.
Among them, the Wen faction had the most, and naturally received the most.
These memorials were deliberately prepared by them as a show of intimidation toward Feng Zhao and Xiao Hongyi.
They all knew that Xiao Hongyi had no imperial tutor to guide him, and Feng Zhao was the daughter of a military general.
A general’s daughter, in their eyes, would at most know a few rough martial skills—certainly not have read many books, just like Feng Ying, who only knew how to fight and kill like a brute.
They looked down on them from the bottom of their hearts.
But when they opened the memorials, they all froze.
What… what was this?
Were they seeing things?
These were actually written by Xiao Hongyi and Feng Zhao?
The logic and sharp insight into governance—how could they possibly achieve this?
They had deliberately made the memorials messy and difficult, even including several problems they themselves couldn’t solve. Yet every single one had been answered.
Feng Zhao observed their expressions shifting from shock to disbelief, some even rubbing their eyes as if they had seen something impossible.
“What, are there problems with the memorials?” she asked lightly.
“Yes!” one of the Wen faction officials stepped forward. “May I ask, Your Highness, were these memorials personally handled by His Majesty?”
Was there someone behind the scenes?
“Of course not,” Feng Zhao replied calmly. “The emperor is only five years old. These memorials were completed under my supervision.”
There was nothing to hide.
“I know what you’re thinking—that as a woman, I cannot handle state affairs. There is no need to be surprised. I, like all of you, have a brain. As long as one has a brain, nothing is unlearnable.”
The ministers nearly blurted out, “How can a woman’s mind compare to a man’s?”—but under Wen Chenglin’s sharp glare, they swallowed it back down.
Feng Zhao had already taken the position of regent. To question her now meant death.
She had deliberately used this to suppress them today.
“If there is nothing to report, then court is dismissed!”
After dealing with Wen Chenglin’s faction, Feng Zhao stopped speaking further and handed control back to Xiao Hongyi.
Xiao Hongyi was not ignoring her on purpose. He was thinking deeply, forcing himself not to turn back to look at Feng Zhao. He sat rigidly, observing the officials below.
He tried to learn, to absorb everything—but the court was too complex for a child. The more he listened, the more confused he became, like someone holding a divine weapon without knowing how to use it.
The system detected his state and issued a new mission to Feng Zhao.
【Ding~ A child’s growth requires guidance. Please assign an appropriate imperial tutor. Reward: Translation Eyes.】
Translation Eyes—the ability Feng Zhao had once mentioned, allowing her to instantly understand classical texts. With it, reviewing memorials would be much faster.
Without hesitation, Feng Zhao accepted.
“Wait,” she immediately called out to the officials about to leave.
“The nation cannot be without a ruler, and likewise, the position of imperial tutor cannot remain vacant for long. By imperial decree, we shall recruit learned scholars from the common people to enter the palace as tutors for the emperor!”
Her conditions were generous. She expected scholars from all over to compete for the position.
But three days passed—and no one accepted the imperial edict.
With no choice, Feng Zhao summoned Feng Ying.
“Father, is it Wen Chenglin blocking the recruitment of tutors outside the palace?”
Feng Ying had already been monitoring the situation. But this time, it was not Wen Chenglin’s doing.
“Your Majesty,” he reported, “according to my investigation, no one is accepting the decree because of Emperor Lingxiao.”
“Do you remember… the incident where Emperor Lingxiao burned books and killed scholars?”
Back when Lingxiao ascended the throne, a group of loyal ministers had risked their lives to advise him. Instead of listening, he grew furious—drunk and enraged—and personally slaughtered all those petitioning officials in one night.
The court suffered a severe loss of talent, allowing people like Wen Chenglin to rise.
Since then, no scholar dared enter the palace as a tutor.
No one wanted to die. Everyone wanted to live.
Hearing the full story, Feng Zhao rubbed her temples in frustration.
The matter of selecting a tutor was delayed.
Seeing Xiao Hongyi grow increasingly exhausted, Feng Zhao herself began to feel pressure.
So Xiao Hongyi took it upon himself to draft an imperial edict, sincerely inviting scholars to the palace, hoping to show that he was not like Lingxiao.
This time, perhaps due to his sincere wording, someone finally responded.
The imperial guards brought the man before Xiao Hongyi.
He was a man in his thirties, dressed in a gray scholar’s robe, holding a feather fan. He looked the part of a learned scholar—but his eyes were calculating, his features sharp and somewhat sly.
“You are the one who accepted the decree? What is your name?” Xiao Hongyi asked, genuinely pleased.
“May I ask—what rank did you achieve in the imperial examinations?”
He asked several more questions in succession.
The man, Yuan Chao, was greatly pleased by the attention.
“I became a recommended scholar at twenty. I was once the enlightenment teacher of the First Prince.”
Unlike Xiao Hongyi, the First Prince had been pampered since birth, learning to read at age three and surrounded by the empire’s finest scholars.
Hearing the First Prince mentioned, Xiao Hongyi felt an instinctive discomfort.
He wanted to dismiss this man—but there was no replacement. This was the only applicant after days of waiting.
Thinking of Feng Zhao’s exhaustion, he reluctantly decided to tolerate it for now, planning to replace him later if someone better appeared.
Thus, Yuan Chao was retained—but only as a regular instructor, not an imperial tutor.
Yuan Chao was displeased.
“So what if you’re lucky enough to become emperor? Do you really think you’re someone important?”
Feng Zhao later learned that Xiao Hongyi had independently recruited a tutor. At first she was surprised, then pleased.
Lianqiao asked, “Your Majesty, are you not going to interfere?”
Feng Zhao shook her head.
“It is rare that Xiao Jiu has taken initiative. That is progress. I cannot crush his confidence.”
“However, this man’s background must be investigated. Go out of the palace and verify whether he is truly clean.”
Just because Wen Chenglin didn’t obstruct openly didn’t mean he wouldn’t place someone inside.
She was waiting for Lianqiao’s report when she unexpectedly saw Xiao Hongyi arrive with a pale, defeated expression.
“What’s wrong? Are you unwell?”
Xiao Hongyi shook his head and forced a weak smile.
“I’m fine…”