It means just to break the norm for An Jing, this woman, it does not signify that because An Jing became an official, the status of other women will be elevated as well.
A Farmer official is a minor, seventh-rank Agricultural Official, on the same level as a County Magistrate.
These two points slightly comforted the court officials who opposed the idea of An Jing, the woman, becoming an official.
Su Chengyu had anticipated that An Jing’s appointment as a Third-ranking official would not go smoothly, but as long as An Jing could become an official, regardless of the rank, he was already very satisfied. He was heard loudly expressing his thanks, "Son thanks the Emperor on behalf of sister-in-law for this honor, Father is wise and brilliant!"
The other court officials also hurriedly knelt down and loudly exclaimed, "The Emperor is wise and brilliant!"
After the court adjourned, Su Chengyu accompanied the Emperor of Xiyun to the Imperial Study Room.
On the way, the Emperor of Xiyun first sighed before gently patting Su Chengyu’s back, saying, "You have such courage and regard ability above gender, I am truly comforted."
Without waiting for Su Chengyu to respond, the Emperor of Xiyun laughed and sighed again, "Your brother has sharp eyes, indeed. He told me long ago that you would surpass me one day, and now I am thoroughly convinced. And Jingjing, that girl... no wonder he took a fancy to her. Like him, she is not a fish in a pond."
Su Chengyu said, "Father, don’t say such things. I could never surpass the achievements of the Emperor."
The Emperor of Xiyun replied, "You need not be so modest; you know I am genuinely praising you."
Only then did Su Chengyu smile and say, "Thank you for the praise, Father." He paused, "Brother has a unique insight, unrivaled by anyone. His unwavering devotion to sister-in-law shows she is indeed not like other women, just as Father mentioned, she is truly not a fish in a pond."
The Emperor of Xiyun nodded, then sighed again, "With such talent, if only she were a man... how wonderful that would be..."
Su Chengyu remained silent for a moment before saying, "If sister-in-law were a man, brother wouldn’t have fallen for her... brother would have led a solitary life..."
The Emperor of Xiyun fell silent too, and after a long while, he chuckled, "Then it’s for the best she’s a woman. Your brother has done so much for Xiyun, I wish there’s someone to accompany him and stay by his side till old age."
Then the Emperor of Xiyun jokingly said, "You didn’t even notify your brother before requesting an official posting for your sister-in-law. If your brother finds out, he’ll probably be so angry that he won’t want to deal with you for many years."
Su Chengyu laughed as well, "Father need not worry about me. I already know what my brother’s weakness is. At that time, I just need to appease that weakness, and even if brother is angry with me, he won’t stay angry for long."
"Oh?" The Emperor of Xiyun looked intrigued. "Do tell, what is your brother’s weakness?"
Su Chengyu immediately replied, "Sister-in-law An Jing."
"Hahaha——" The Emperor of Xiyun rarely laughed out loud, looking exceedingly joyful. "I hadn’t noticed before, but now I realize your brother truly is a lovesick fool."
Su Chengyu just smiled.
Fearing that Xiao Changyi, in a fit of anger, might defy the decree and leave the Emperor without face, the Emperor of Xiyun, before using the governmental proclamation to announce An Jing’s official position with drums and gongs, sent a Secret Agent to find Xiao Changyi and blame everything on Su Chengyu, the Crown Prince.
The implication was that he, the Emperor of Xiyun, was merely going with the flow, it had nothing to do with him. He intended for Xiao Changyi to direct his anger away from him, to not tarnish his dignity, but rather to settle accounts with Su Chengyu, as it was all Su Chengyu’s doing.
And the day the Secret Agent came to find Xiao Changyi was the third day of the sixth month.