Chapter 185 – A Life Without Hope (Part 4)
Although Meng Hunyun said that, he still felt a bit uneasy inside, thinking that this might lead to trouble.
From what he understood, personal maidservants of noble families, either married at a certain age, or directly became part of the household. It was extremely rare for someone like Jiang Pengji to just throw a maid out to practice martial arts; one could say she was unique in this regard.
Now, the Young Master was still young and didn’t understand worldly matters, so letting a maid practice martial arts was fine, but what if he later “became sensible” and regretted it?
Meng Hunyun hesitantly expressed his concerns, only to find out that the Young Master was actually not oblivious!
Not only did he understand, but he was also remarkably insightful, his thoughts vastly different from other men, with a broader mindset.
“There’s no need to worry so much. It was my intention from the beginning to have the maid practice martial arts, no need to be so anxious,” Jiang Pengji shook her head and began to unleash her persuasive flair. Her ideas and convictions were difficult for people of this era to grasp, so she planned to express her thoughts in ways they could understand, even if it meant some convoluted reasoning to convince them.
She continued, “I often read the books of the ancients and peruse historical texts, discovering a very interesting phenomenon.”
Upon hearing her mention historical records, Xu Ke became intrigued and asked, “What has the Young Master discovered?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “Women were mostly regarded as dependents, even objects that could be bought and sold. This was particularly severe before the chaos of the Sixteen Kingdoms. A king could have as many as thirty-three concubines and palace maids! While this number is likely an exaggerated myth, it does reflect the extravagant lifestyles of emperors back then. In contrast, among the common people, men often had no wives to marry; in some places, it was customary for brothers and uncles to share a wife.”
Xu Ke nodded in agreement; he’d read literature from the Liu Residence’s study and was familiar with this content.
“Later on, the last emperor favored treacherous and petty officials, squandering the national treasury excessively. The lords and vassal kings of the sixteen roads seized land for themselves, declaring themselves emperors, thus starting the chaotic era that lasted hundreds of years. At this time, women were kidnapped, and in times of famine, some were even used as food…”
Xu Ke recalled having read about this history, thinking it was a bloody and dark time, with vast areas in the Central Plains left empty. The total population was less than one-tenth of that before the Sixteen Kingdoms era, and the level of ignorance and brutality was simply appalling!
The remnants of that chaos lingered until decades after the founding of the Great Xia, and the population still had not returned to its former levels.
“Most of those renowned female generals emerged during this period,” Jiang Pengji stated. “Their worth was often seen only in their abilities to bear children and contribute to the population, or perhaps to serve as food for others? I see it differently.”
Xu Ke shook his head in denial, “Of course not, the growth of the population could not have happened without the contributions of women…”
“Is that all?” Jiang Pengji pressed, “In the sixth year after the establishment of the Sixteen Kingdoms, there were bandits plundering and committing arson in Yun County, and a woman named Changpu devised a plan to kill the bandit leader while also gathering the remaining bandits, thereby ensuring peace in the area… Is her value really only in her ability to bear children?”
Xu Ke pondered for a moment and shook his head, “According to records, Changpu was a natural stone woman, unable to bear children. However, she had a loving husband.”
“There’s an account in the Strange Records of the Great Xia, which says that when a golden phoenix descended from the sky in Meijun, a baby girl was born, and people claimed that this girl, bearing the name of the golden phoenix, could one day be the mother of a nation… Does Xiaoyu remember this account?” Jiang Pengji inquired.
What she described was all factual history that anyone with a smattering of knowledge would recognize.
“The Young Master is referring to one of the meritorious figures of the founding of the Great Xia, a remarkable woman who was later posthumously honored with the title of Marquis of Guannei, just like Meng Gong.”
Then Jiang Pengji mentioned several famous women from the era of the Sixteen Kingdoms or the early founding of the Great Xia.
Finally, she remarked, “From this, it’s clear that women can achieve merits comparable to those of men. So why do women’s roles now increasingly resemble those of before the Sixteen Kingdoms era? I’ve heard merchants mentioning that Zhong Zhao currently venerates a book called ‘The Women’s Precepts,’ which contains seven chapters including obedience, spousal relationships, respectfulness, women’s conduct, focus, compliance, and uncles and sisters—quite an interesting read for Xiaoyu to peruse.”
Xu Ke: “…”
‘The Women’s Precepts’—it was clearly a book for women; why should he read it?
“I bought a copy of ‘The Women’s Precepts’ from a trader; after finishing it, I was left with a single thought—who was the imbecile who wrote this?” Jiang Pengji snickered and continued, “Later I found out it was actually written by the Empress of Zhong Zhao, intending to educate women across the realm. In fact, there have already been scholars petitioning, arguing that the actions of Marquis Xu are indecent and suggesting the revocation of his posthumous title.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Ke nearly blew a fuse, “What kind of petty scholar dares to do such a thing! The bravery of Marquis Xu is no less than that of Meng Gong! If it weren’t for the thin offspring of Marquis Xu and his disdain for court strife, where would we find the Cangzhou Meng Clan so arrogant today?”
Meng Hunyun’s old employer was the Meng clan, and he felt a bit awkward upon hearing this.
Meng Gong and Xu Gong were once known as the twin heroes of the military, both later becoming two of the five generals.
However, Meng Gong had a fondness for alcohol, and once while marching, he drank too much and nearly caused a disaster. In the end, it was Xu Gong who led the troops to rescue him, preventing any loss.
Thus, one could say the people of the Meng clan were most displeased with that Xu Gong, who was posthumously honored as Marquis Guannei. This title should have been conferred in his lifetime, but the founding Emperor of the Xia had delayed due to court sentiments and Meng Jing’s reputation, dragging it out until after his death.
“However, among the scholars of Zhong Zhao, many are in favor of this news,” Jiang Pengji said with a mocking smile. “What does this amount to? Here’s a man who was a pioneering meritocrat for the nation, spending his life in battle, achieving countless contributions, yet in his lifetime, he was denied noble rank, and after death, his posthumous title is stripped away. With this kind of trend, is society becoming more progressive and open-minded, or is it regressing back to the era before the Sixteen Kingdoms?”
Xu Ke calmed his emotions.
Upon reflection, it indeed seemed so over the years.
Even in the relatively liberated Dongqing, things had gradually become more restrained.
Was this a form of progress, or was it a retreat?
Xu Ke asked, “Then, what is the Young Master suggesting?”
“Nong Qin’s arrangement is my intent,” Jiang Pengji replied. “After the establishment of the Xia Dynasty, the population has indeed recovered significantly. However, after the Five Kingdoms separated from the Xia, disputes and conflicts among the nations have been continuous, and the rebounding population has begun to decline again.”
Things had come to this point, and yet the Empress of Zhong Zhao was still promoting things like the Women’s Precepts, advocating for everlasting fidelity among women and chastity that prohibits remarriage.
As if the population growth would happen by miracle! Those idiots in Zhong Zhao genuinely thought they were being wise, demanding that female members of families study the Empress’s ‘Women’s Precepts’! Were their brains digested into dung and thrown into a cesspool?
Isn’t the proper approach to encourage growth, support agriculture, promote marriage, and enact suitable laws to assist this?
These imbeciles needed to know that they had the audacity to act as emperor, and yet the System still had her engaging in palace struggles, seeking the favor of these people? Truly out of their minds!
The unlucky System: “…”
A life without hope.
