"A farmer in the fields in the morning, ascending to the Emperor's Hall in the evening. Generals and ministers have no guts, but men should strive for self-improvement."
In the palace, Li Shimin lightly tapped the ink journal in his hand and silently recited the poem, "Men should strive for self-improvement." His eyes could not help but shine.
A farmer in the fields in the morning, ascending to the Emperor's Hall in the evening. This poem could be said to have vividly expressed the pride of a scholar on paper. A farmer in the fields, yet he had the talent to govern the country. All the officials in the world were not judged by birth, but by talent. Overnight, he leaped into the ranks of the imperial court and displayed his ambitions. This was simply the ideal imperial court.
However, the current imperial court made Li Shimin feel somewhat helpless. The imperial court of the Tang dynasty was controlled by the aristocratic families represented by the Five Clans and Seven Wangs. There was great resistance if he wanted to promote talent.
"Meton is indeed a peerless poet. This poem," Men should strive for self-improvement, "will definitely inspire all the men in the world to work hard and share the country's worries." Empress Zhangsun echoed.
The imperial prophecy could be said to be a taboo. After the prophecy of the Female Protagonist Chang came out, Empress Zhangsun, who knew Li Shimin's character, immediately took the initiative to avoid arousing suspicion. She ordered the imperial palace to prohibit people from interfering in politics. She even kept quiet about the matter of her nephew, Zhangsun Chong.
However, she did not expect Mo Jiazi to respond publicly. He did not shy away from fulfilling the prophecy of the Female Protagonist Chang. At the same time, he encouraged men to strive for self-improvement. This eased the tense atmosphere in the imperial harem.
"Hua Mulan disguised herself as a man and joined the army on her father's behalf. She attacked the Rouran from the north and defended the borders. Meanwhile, My good nephew came from an aristocratic family and wielded the world's most powerful army. Yet, he was defeated in the grasslands. It really is as the saying goes. A man of seven feet can't even beat a weak woman. Since men don't strive for self-improvement, what reason do they have to blame the woman?" Li Shimin snorted coldly.
Compared to Hua Mulan, who the Mo Family had wantonly publicized, Zhangsun Chong was practically useless. Hua Mulan was born in an ordinary family, while Zhangsun Chong was born in an aristocratic family. Hua Mulan had died in a hundred battles, but returned after ten years. Zhangsun Chong had abandoned the army and fled, but he was afraid of death. Hua Mulan had resigned from her position and returned home, while Zhangsun Chong was greedy for achievements. Hua Mulan had joined the army on behalf of her father, helping to share his burdens. After Zhangsun Chong had left, Zhangsun Wuji had been running around everywhere. How could he hide this from Li Shimin?
Originally, Li Shimin was very dissatisfied with Zhangsun Chong. Now that he had compared Hua Mulan to him, the difference was like heaven and earth. He couldn't even compare to a woman. This immediately made Li Shimin very disappointed.
"Chong-er has disappointed Your Majesty. This empress is willing to accept any punishment," Empress Zhangsun said with a face full of shame.
Li Shimin shook his head and said, "This has nothing to do with you. No one could have imagined that Zhangsun Chong would be so useless. Back then, when I raised an army in Taiyuan, Third Sister responded in Chang 'an. With her meager military strength, she established the name of the Women's Army, causing the enemy to tremble in fear. First, there was Hua Mulan, then there was Princess Pingyang. It's not impossible for women to achieve great feats."
"Your Majesty, please be careful with your words. Although prophecies aren't trustworthy, we still have to guard against them." Empress Zhangsun hurriedly advised. Although most of the time, prophecies were just rumors, once they were used by people with ill intentions, they could cause great damage. The Yellow Turban Army's uprising at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty was the best example.
Li Shimin smiled and said, "The so-called Female Lead Chang is just a plot by the School of Yin-Yang against the School of Mo. The Empress really thinks that there are women who can threaten the imperial power. I can't wait for a few Hua Mulans to appear in the imperial court to share my burden! However, Meton didn't disappoint me. He actually publicly responded to the prophecy. "
Li Shimin was the emperor who founded the country. Naturally, he didn't believe that a woman could threaten the imperial power. As an emperor, he cared about the reactions of his subjects to the prophecy. Fortunately, Meton didn't disappoint him. Publicly responding to the Female Lead Chang meant that Meton didn't have a guilty conscience.
Empress Zhangsun frowned and said, "Not only did he publicly respond to the prophecy, but he also added fuel to the fire. Now, the School of Mo not only publicly recruited women to work, but also caused an uproar in Chang 'an." She was a firm supporter of the idea that women without talent were virtuous. However, the School of Mo firmly believed that women with talent were virtuous. Not only did they advocate for women to enter the school, but they also strongly supported women to be the head of the household. This was very different from Empress Zhangsun's position.
"This is because you have different positions. In the imperial family, the concubines in the harem can't interfere in politics. It's most appropriate to advocate that women without talent are virtuous. In the common people, it's not a bad thing to have a female head of the household who is not inferior to the male laborers." Li Shimin was very open-minded and saw the source of their disagreement at a glance.
"Your Majesty is wise! I will definitely restrain the harem in the future and abide by the rules of the palace. " Empress Zhangsun solemnly said. She took the initiative to mention the difference between women with talent and those without talent, just to highlight her scrupulous adherence to her role in the harem and avoid arousing suspicion of the prophecy of the female head of the household. Empress Zhangsun, who knew Li Shimin's character well, even immediately ordered the palace to prohibit women from interfering in politics. She even kept silent about her nephew Zhangsun Chong.
"You! You care too much about the rules of the palace. No wonder Wu Meiniang doesn't want to enter the palace and be restrained. " Li Shimin couldn't help but sigh. Then he realized that his words were inappropriate. Wu Meiniang had almost become a taboo in the harem now.
"By the way, how is this woman now?" Li Shimin couldn't help but ask again. In his heart, he appreciated Wu Meiniang very much and wanted to see Wu Meiniang regret.
Empress Zhangsun replied, "I heard that she was demoted by Meton and no longer managed the affairs of the Mo Family Village. Instead, she was given a small cotton textile workshop."
"That's good. It's also a good opportunity to wear down her arrogance!" Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction. After all, Wu Meiniang was a woman. If he argued with her, it would be ungentlemanly. However, she also disgraced the royal family. Meton's punishment could be regarded as giving face to the royal family and giving everyone a way out.
However, what Li Shimin didn't know was that Wu Meiniang's demotion was just a plan of the female head of the household of the Mo Family Village. She first recruited female workers and then encouraged them to start their own businesses.
What's more, the recruitment of female workers in the Mo Family Village was very successful. Although numerous men criticized the Mo Family for their perverse behavior, the result surprised everyone. The women in the Mo Family Village were originally paid the same as men for the same work. With the female head of the household of the Mo Family Village as a precedent, the female workers applied for the job in an endless stream. After all, it was not easy to live in Chang 'an and the living pressure was very heavy. In addition, the salary offered by the Mo Family Village was not low. Therefore, people in Chang' an voted with their own wallets.
With the Mo Family Village taking the lead, other shops in Chang 'an also began to recruit female workers. After all, female workers were equivalent to male workers. The cost of female workers was lower. Moreover, female workers had the advantages of being meticulous and conscientious. In a short time, female workers were popular in Chang' an. The trend of the female head of household becoming more and more obvious.
"The female head of household, Chang! Meton has made a risky move! " Li Shimin frowned and said. Although the Tang dynasty was open-minded, it was still a patriarchal society. Once female and male workers were employed at the same time, it would definitely cause trouble.
Empress Zhangsun replied, "Meton has already considered this point. Changle will take the initiative to help these female workers and female shopkeepers. Once the female workers encounter unfair treatment, she will stand up for them."
"This is also a good plan!" Li Shimin nodded and said. Before the situation was clear, it was inconvenient for him to protect the rights of the female workers. It was most appropriate for Princess Changle to act as a non-governmental organization. After all, the husband and wife should follow each other. It was reasonable for Princess Changle to clean up the mess made by Meton.
While Li Shimin and his wife were chatting, a palace maid suddenly came in to report, "Reporting to Your Imperial Highness, Princess Changle has invited the Emperor and His Imperial Majesty to enjoy Grandmaster Gongsun's new song, 'Song of the Mulan.'
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
