Chapter 1744 – You Gave the Baby a Dilemma
“Y-yeah, I just agreed like that…” Sun Lan added quickly, seemingly to save face, “You know Rongli, it’s impossible not to agree. Jinghui’s personality is well-known; she always keeps her promises, and I wouldn’t dare gamble on that.”
Feng Yi, however, wasn’t feeling sympathy for his friend’s predicament over Sun Lan’s agreement. No, he was simply baffled by how Sun Lan was acting so cowardly in front of Jinghui.
With such a personality, if he were to marry Qi Guan Jinghui someday, he’d be completely dominated, and there would be no chance of standing up for himself.
Feng Yi felt like he was witnessing a failure.
How could his normally decisive friend forget everything when a young girl was in front of him?
Was that big head of his just for show?
Sun Lan timidly said, “Anyway, it’s not a big deal; if I have to agree, I’ll just go along with it.”
Qi Guanrang, the father-in-law in question, was really quite the tough nut to crack. If agreeing to a promise could dodge the old man’s eyes and speed up the process, he thought that was a fair trade. Besides, with women more often managing their own households nowadays, Sun Lan didn’t find it all that unacceptable.
Then he suddenly thought of something and volleyed the question back at Feng Yi.
“If Changsheng asked you something like that, would you agree?”
“Of course, I…” Feng Yi hesitated momentarily. After thinking, he replied, “I’d definitely discuss it first.”
Sun Lan couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
With that attitude, how could he criticize anyone else?
“I’m not talking about discussing it; I’m asking about the outcome.”
Feng Yi confidently said, “After discussing, if there’s no room for negotiation, then I’d naturally agree.”
What, would he really throw away his future wife for something situational?
Just the thought of Changsheng marrying someone else was unbearable!
Sun Lan: “…”
Isn’t this just a case of fifty steps laughing at a hundred steps?
How amusing!
Feng Yi was indeed amused. He could negotiate with Changsheng, allowing for some wiggle room, unlike Sun Lan who had immediately wilted. He could foresee that any future conflicts between Sun Lan and Jinghui would likely start with the former retreating first. That would lead to him being thoroughly dominated.
So what exactly did Sun Lan promise Qi Guan Jinghui?
Complicated? Not really. Simple? Not really either.
In simple terms, it was about household registration.
To live-streaming little fish, the head of household was just a title; who’s on the first page of the household registration book didn’t relate to the couple’s interests. Because the law stipulates that during the duration of a marriage, regardless of who is head of household, the rights of both spouses remain equal.
If one spouse wished to handle joint property like loans or sales, they’d need the other’s consent.
How this actually works is up for debate, but at least that’s how it goes.
In Sun Lan’s time, things were different. The head of household had distinct rights and responsibilities compared to others.
Qi Guan Jinghui’s request wasn’t to get Sun Lan to register under her household. Sun Lan was an only child; even bringing it up would get her nowhere with old man Sun Wen.
She’s not looking to create enemies, so such a request was unlikely to come from her.
What she wanted from Sun Lan was household independence.
In other words, even if they were to marry, she could maintain her status as head of her household.
Sun Lan agreed because, frankly, female soldiers usually had that arrangement. Jinghui’s request was nothing outrageous.
But—
Feng Yi felt like this couple was being overly idealistic. Achieving dual headship was no walk in the park and might not even happen. In the current system, heads of household were either male or female, with the latter specifically referring to those from female military backgrounds, where the male would join her household upon marriage.
It’s important to note that whether male or female, only one person could be the head of a household.
Yet, Sun Lan and Qi Guan Jinghui wanted a household with two heads.
The current system of household registration and headship was more complex than just putting down names; it intertwined with various factors.
Establishing a household registration wasn’t merely for checking population numbers but also for taxation and labor assignments. It recorded gender, names, birth dates, places of origin, identities, appearances, and even wealth. The head had considerable rights but also hefty obligations. Implementing dual headship would create a massive workload.
Moreover, the idea of a woman as head of household wasn’t unique to Jiang Pengji; there had been cases before, but with certain conditions.
A household could only be established with a female head if there were no male heirs, allowing a woman to be the head with some favorable tax advantages.
If that woman died, the household would become extinct.
Feng Yi felt compelled to remind his friend to wake up to reality.
“Right now, we don’t know if the Lord intends this female headship as a temporary measure or a long-term plan, but for any real implementation, existing laws would need significant reform. Taxation is the foundation of a nation. If the timing is peaceful, minor adjustments—even these could shake established interests and would be met with great opposition, which wouldn’t benefit the stability of home or state. However, since we are in chaotic times, even radical reforms will go unchallenged.”
These two youngsters were making decisions without considering feasibility, while Feng Yi certainly wasn’t like them.
“If female headship were broadly recognized without abolishing the current tax advantages, many common people would find ways to exploit loopholes, undermining state revenue. Therefore, it cannot be implemented on a large scale for long. If the tax advantages for female heads were removed, the burden would be too heavy on a single woman. The demand for independent female heads would decrease, contradicting the Lord’s recent actions. Having dual headship would necessarily complicate registrations, increasing the burden on the officials, and it makes no sense, practically or theoretically. If it’s to be implemented, it will set off a cascade of effects. It all hinges on whether the Lord is willing to proceed.”
Feng Yi voiced his concerns so Sun Lan and the others could be mentally prepared.
Upon hearing this, Sun Lan calmed down, recalling how household registrations, population counts, and land ownership were tightly linked within the Great Xia and Dongqing’s taxation system. An increase in registrations without a rise in population meant tax and labor demands would also grow more complicated.
“What should we do?”
Sun Lan wore a troubled expression. He had already agreed, but if it couldn’t be carried out, how would he explain it? He couldn’t just make himself head of household; Jinghui wouldn’t agree, and his grandfather definitely wouldn’t either. If both were to be heads, the officials would likely reject that outright because there were no regulations for it… sigh. All he wanted was to get married, but now he was faced with this monumental dilemma!
“Changsheng didn’t give me this headache, and yet here I am, free of worries,” Feng Yi laughed while covering his face with a fan. “You ask me? How would I know?”
Sun Lan: “…”
Friendship over!!!
