Chapter 155: 155

Chapter 155 Stupid Women

 

The Emperor’s procession suddenly arrived, and everyone was stunned for a few breaths before fell down to kneel and salute. Remembering the farce that just happened, their faces turned purple and red, looking very wonderful.

“Madam, please get up.” Emperor Sheng Yuan led along a child to take two quick steps and personally supported Guan Suyi. The child then hugged her legs and shouted “sister” crisply. It was Guan Mumu, the heir adopted by the Emperor Teacher Mansion, but for some unknown reason he was brought by the emperor.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Guan Suyi bent her knees, hugged her brother, and asked in a low voice, “Why are you here?”

Mu Mu was very smart and sensible. Knowing that some words could not be said in public, he leaned forward next to her ear and whispered with his small hands covering his mouth, “Brother-in-law said that he will take me to see grandfather in Imperial Manor and go hunting. I receive father and mother’s permission to go out. My brother-in-law also gave me a bow and arrow, it’s called the Sun-shooting Devine Bow, it’s really amazing, look!” He pulled something from his back with his short hand, making Guan Suyi to glanced back, and sure enough she saw a jewel-encrusted bow and arrow hung on his little arm, shining beautifully.

“Sun-shooting Devine Bow? Isn’t that an artifact used by Hou Yi*? It’s amazing!” Guan Suyi was not the type of person who pour cold water on children, so she naturally continued to follow the conversation, causing Mu Mu to squinted his eyes with smile and his small chest lifted up high.

While eavesdropping on the conversation between the brother and sister, Emperor Sheng Yuan waved his hands to let everyone get up, walked straight to the main seat, and ordered, “Bring the article, I want to read it carefully.”

Ji Chengyue immediately offered the manuscript with both hands, and then stepped aside with red face. After this incident, he no longer dared to claim himself as a great talent. Who would have thought that this booklet that recorded women’s virtues and deeds would conceal such a huge hidden danger? If it wasn’t for Miss Guan’s elaborate writing, none of the people present would have thought of it, and would also contributed its widespread propaganda…

The more he thought about it, the more ashamed he became. Many people were too embarrassed to raise their heads. Some people raised their sleeves to cover their faces, wishing they could crawl under the table. Among them, Xu Yayan was the most uncomfortable. She repeatedly recalled Guan Suyi’s article, trying to find out the flaws, but her brain became a pot of porridge, and she was just too embarrassed.

Emperor Sheng Yuan did not forget to take care of Madam and brother-in-law when he read the manuscript. He patted the cushion on his side and said softly, “Madam, please take a seat. I may have questions to ask later.”

Guan Suyi thanked him neither humbly nor arrogantly, and then led her brother to sit down comfortably. Everyone also returned to their respective positions, anxiously waiting. Madam Ji pulled Ji Ting behind her and tried to hide the person. She regretted it so much that her intestines were blue. Recalling that today was not supposed to be the day the Qian family come to pick people up, but she sent a message, specially arranged it for today, and then ordered her maid to let Ji Ting come in and cry, so that she could use the question to humiliate Guan Suyi. But she didn’t expect her to directly wrote an article, and actually refuted the female commandment “faithful unto death” as useless, and let the emperor listen to it. If the emperor agreed with her point of view, wouldn’t the Ji family become a big joke?

Half an hour later, Emperor Sheng Yuan had finished reading the article and handed it over to the accompanying minister to read. One of them was the Minister of the Household, who received the article as if he obtained the most precious treasure. He read it once, read it twice, read it trice, and reluctantly handed it over when his colleagues urged him.

After the article was circulated, Emperor Sheng Yuan asked in a deep voice, “What do you think?”

“It has acute foresight, thoroughly cut the country’s affliction!” The Household Minister said slowly, “A few days ago, the work of collecting household registrations has basically ended. Within a hundred years, the population of the Central Plains has dropped from the original nine million households to the current two million households. Seventy to eighty percent tragically died due to the chaos of the war and military disasters. The man’s head hangs beside the horse and the women are behind the horse*, The bones are exposed in the wild, there is no rooster crowing for thousands of miles, of life and people is left behind, and the thought of it breaks people’s intestines*. This is the current situation of Wei Kingdom. There are mountains of bones on the battlefield, and graves in the countryside. Millions of heroic souls were martyred while leaving behind millions of widows and orphans. Those people cannot share the land without the head of the household, and if they do not share the land, they will starve to death. Even if the war is over, there is only one dead end. This minister often inspects various places, and sees such a tragic situation.”

He took out a memorial from his arms and presented it respectfully, “It’s also a coincidence, this minister is planning to present a memorial to the emperor recently. Please add the policy of nurturing the people to the national law, and urge both men and women to marry as soon as possible and have children. If, according to this booklet, women should be faithful unto death and never remarry, so how can these millions of widows and orphans find a way to survive? Excluding them, there are very few unmarried women, and they are not enough to marry existing men. In other word, many common people will be helpless for life and their descendant will be severed. After these people grow old, newborns are even rarer. The population of Wei may be reduced by another million households. So where does the national tax come from? Where does the army come from? Without national tax, without the army, how can we resist the Hu people and the evil Xue who are like wolves and tigers? If this continues, within twenty years, the Central Plains will be crushed by those two armored horses and completely become a barren land.”

Seeing that the memorial was taken by the emperor for a closer look, he continued speaking with admiration, “Miss Guan is worthy of being the Emperor Teacher’s offspring, she has not only foresight, but also a heart of concern for the country and the people. Can this article be lent to this official as a book preface and compiled into the law of nurturing people?”

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Guan Suyi quickly waved her hands to humble herself and expressed her deep honor.

Everyone under the seat was too ashamed to listen to them any longer. They felt like they were sitting on pins and needles.

After reading the memorial, Emperor Sheng Yuan flipped through “Lesson for Women” again, and sneered, “Zhen have heard the reputation of Second Miss Xu and her “Lesson for Women” many times in recent days. Zhen thought it was a fancy chapter of Ban Xiang Song Yan*, but it turned out to be a foolish theory that can mislead the country and harm the people. Zhen can ban it for that single point ‘faithful unto death’, but on second thought, this is your foolish opinion. If it banned, it will only make it seems important, making people want to find out more, so why bother. When Zhen coldly watched your word be passed on and be regarded as guiding principle, originally thought it was just to make women more chaste and graceful, so there is nothing wrong with that. But it has developed into an obstruction of marriage and severing people’s descendants.”

He threw the “Lesson for Women” into the stove for making tea, burned it to ashes, and said coldly, “Severing people’s descendants is severing the Wei Kingdom’s roots. How can Zhen tolerate it? In order to make the people prosper, live and work in peace and contentment as soon as possible, Zhen has exhausted everything. But you people are hiding in the midst of singing and dancing to indulge in fantasy. Most of you are rich and noble. Even if you encounter a military disaster, you’re likely be sent to a safe place by the guard to hide. You have never seen the suffering of the people, so how could you know the tragic situation after the war? You eat until you’re full, you dressed warmly, and when you write a few sentimental nonsense poems in your spare time, you will feel that there is nothing more sorrowful in the world than this. How can you know what real tragic world are? If cannot go on then reconcile, if impossible to make a living then remarry. This is the way to survive, the way of reproduction, where is this a sin?”

He said in a more serious tone, “It’s just a small booklet, but it forced Zhen to revise the law and force men and women in Wei Kingdom to marry, which is actually a kind of accomplishment. Just as the so-called above go under follow, what fashionable in the upper layer, the masses will follow suit. You say remarriage is not good, over time, the common people will also regard remarriage as a dreadful thing. How should the millions of orphans and widows left behind after the war live? How will the population of Wei Kingdom grow, and how will the national strength increase? You can only see the square inches above your head, but you cannot see the condition of the world, and still considers yourself a scholarly family, a learned person, it’s ridiculous!”

Every time the emperor said a word, the heads of everyone dropped a point, and in the end, one or two were hunched over their chests, and they felt very ashamed.

Emperor Sheng Yuan pointed to the woman behind Madam Ji and asked, “Do you want to remarry?”

Ji Ting glanced at her aunt and stood up firmly, “Report to the emperor, not only this humble woman want to remarry, but also want to remarry with her daughter.”

“Report to the emperor, she has a private communication and set the marriage secretly with the other person, and this minister wife just want to discipline her, not to prevent her from remarrying!” Madam Ji panicked, and quickly knelt down to defend herself.

Ji Ting took out a few documents from her sleeve pocket, said while  choking up, “Your Majesty, please take a look, this is the eight-character card and the marriage contract of this humble woman. Originally planned to burn them one by one in front of the eldest aunt as I have made up my mind, so I brought it here. This humble woman and Zhang Lang has already obtained the consent of both parents, and it is not a private communication, please emperor investigate clearly!”

Emperor Sheng Yuan ordered Baifu to look up the document and sighed, “Your fiance is a kind man, and he is willing to help you raise the children of your ex-husband, which is not easy. Zhen will make the decision for you in this marriage; your daughter, Zhen will let her return to you, Zhen will also send you twenty-four box to carry as your dowry, so that you can marry beautifully. Zhen want to tell the people of Wei Kingdom that it’s not shameful for widows to remarry, but a way to survive, and they should be supported. Remarry, give birth, multiply, and strengthen the people of Wei Kingdom. Not only are they innocent, but also made great contributions.”

Ji Ting was ecstatic and kowtowed again and again, feeling that she flew directly from hell to the clouds, her happiness was extremely unreal. On the other hand, Madam Ji’s face was pale and she was on the verge of collapse. When today’s incident spread to the outside world, she would definitely become the representative of a stupid woman, where still have face to speak of?

Oh no, she almost forget about Xu Yayan, this person is the culprit! If Xu Yanyan was not meddlesome and write “Lesson for Women”, how could she get in trouble with the emperor and with the law? When the law of nurturing the people was promulgated, the official voice of Ji Mansion would be greatly damaged, and it would be difficult to gain a foothold in the court! My son’s future is also ruined!

The more Madam Ji thought about it, the more frightened she became, in a short while she was already sweating like a waterfall, and it soak through her clothes.

Emperor Sheng Yuan glanced at her, then glanced at Xu Yayan, who looked like golden paper, and continued, “Women are weak? Zhen never thought so, but Zhen was surprised, most of the women here actually agree with this view. If it’s not a self-contempt then what is it? To borrow a sentence from Madam – men are the sky, women are the earth, how high is the sky, how deep is the earth, how far is the sky, how wide is the earth. The sky drops rain and dew, and the land gives birth to lakes and forests, the two are interdependent and coexisting. The reproduction and growth of children rely more on the land. The steep peaks breed indomitable pines and cypresses; verdant hills and limpid water breed flexible bamboo. Fertile soil breeds good talents, and poor land has no good seedlings, this is a well-known principle. Zhen remember a saying in the Central Plains ‘being a mother is strong’. It can be seen that women cannot be weak, but must be strong, so as to bring up a better next generation. Zhen does not despise women, otherwise Zhen will not reuse the imperial elder sister and use the female generals. But if you yourself look down on yourself, Zhen have nothing else to say.”

He looked at Madam and sighed, “If Zhen want to set up an empress, she would never be a woman with beauty and talent, but have no foresight and insight, only a sparse pattern. The position of mother of the country has never been a weak woman who cannot bear its responsibility.”

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