At the Zhou Residence in Yonghe Lane.
Old Master Zhou looked at the journal in his hand with an embarrassed expression. Beside him, Mrs. Zhou was crying with her head lowered.
"Why are you crying? It's all your fault. If you didn't insist on the marriage, this wouldn't have happened." Old Master Zhou rebuked angrily.
Mrs. Zhou sobbed and said, "The relationship between the Zhou and Yan Families was supposed to be a good thing, but the Yan Family's son was too disappointing."
The Zhou Family's daughter was literate and was a well-known lady. Today, she brought the journal to the two elders and asked to cancel the marriage with the Yan Family.
Although the Yan family was not weak, their son was ignorant and incompetent. He was also a glutton and a lazy person. He was proficient in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. His reputation was extremely bad. Not to mention that the daughter of the Yan family was unwilling, even they had long regretted it.
However, the two families had already agreed on the marriage contract. Not to mention the bad reputation, if the Yan Family took the marriage contract to court, the Zhou Family would lose without a doubt.
"Old Master, why don't you go to the Yan Family and use this opportunity to clear things up." Mrs. Zhou's eyes showed a glimmer of hope. If her daughter was married off like this, her life would be ruined.
Old Master Zhou gritted his teeth and stood up. "Fine, even if this Old Man has to give up this layer of face, I won't let my daughter suffer such a big loss."
Old Master Zhou found the marriage contract and was about to leave when he saw Old Master Yan knocking on the door with the marriage contract in his hand.
"Brother Yan, this is …" Old Master Zhou's heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, he had a bad premonition.
Old Master Yan wanted to say something but stopped. "Thanks to Brother Zhou's love, our two families agreed on the marriage when we were young. At that time, you and I agreed that if we had a son, we would become brothers of the opposite sex, and if we had a daughter, we would marry in the future to continue the friendship between the Zhou and Yan Families. It was also a good story in Chang 'an."
The Zhou couple's hearts skipped a beat and they secretly complained. If Old Master Yan really forced the marriage, they would be in a dilemma.
"However, my son is too disappointing. If we continue to delay, it will only delay your daughter's life. Just like what Mo Jiazi said, the betrothal may seem beautiful, but it's actually a display of our selfishness. We don't care about our children's happiness. "Old Master Yan sighed.
How could he not know that the daughter of the Zhou family was outstanding? She was a first-class good woman. If the two families had not already decided on a child marriage, matchmakers would have rushed to the door. If his son was more capable, even if the daughter of the Zhou family was not willing, he would definitely try his best to fight for it. However, the son of the Yan family was useless. In addition, when Meton's literary works came out, he suddenly realized. If he persisted, he would only become a laughingstock.
"Then what does Brother Yan mean?" The Zhou couple asked hopefully.
"Since the two of them are not suitable for each other, the engagement between the Zhou and Yan Clan will be canceled. What do you think, Brother Zhou?" Old Master Yan steeled his heart and handed over the marriage contract in his hand.
The Zhou couple heaved a long sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their shoulders.
"Thank you, Brother Yan, for your understanding." Lord Zhou cupped his hands in gratitude.
Old Master Yan also felt as if a stone had been lifted from his heart. He said, "Children and grandchildren will only be blessed by them. Perhaps the child marriage is just a beautiful mistake!"
Old Master Zhou said solemnly, "Although our families have not become in-laws, the friendship between the Zhou and Yan Clans will never change."
Soon, the news of the cancellation of the child marriage between the Zhou and Yan Clans spread in Chang 'an City.
Many people were shocked. No one had thought that Meton's essay would have such great power.
However, the cancellation of the child marriage between the Zhou and Yan Clans was not an isolated case. In one day, at least five families in Chang 'an City had canceled their child marriages.
In addition to the child marriage, there was also good news about the child brides. Although Chang 'an City was the capital and rich merchants were everywhere, there were even more poor people. There were also many child brides.
Qu Chi Lane, Zhang Family.
Under the witness of a group of elders, Zhang Tiezhu and his 12-year-old child bride knelt side by side on the ground and kowtowed solemnly to the elderly parents in front of them.
"God above, I, Zhang Tiezhu, and Liu girl are officially brother and sister. From now on, we are a family."
The two kowtowed to their elderly parents again and again.
"Good!" The people around them suddenly cheered.
On the chair in front of them, the elderly mother said with tears, "Tiezhu, you won't be able to find a wife in the future. Don't regret it."
Zhang Tiezhu stood up and said proudly, "Mother, don't worry. I will never regret it. Sister Liu and I have always been brother and sister. I have no other feelings. "
"Good boy, a real man doesn't worry about not having a wife. If your family is poor, you can work in the Mo Family Village. I guarantee you a salary of 500 coins a month. "A brother of Mo Jiazi, who was responsible for collecting information, heard the news and came over.
"Is that true?" Zhang Family's mother couldn't believe it. 500 coins a month was the top salary even in Chang 'an City, not to mention the medical treatment in the Mo Family Village and other good conditions. Of course, getting a wife was not a problem.
This brother of Mo Jiazi had already been instructed by Meton. How could he miss such a good example? He patted his chest and promised.
As night fell, the red lights of the brothels in the Ping Kang Lane were hung high. Almost every brothel was filled with sad voices.
"Red Soft Hands, Yellow Vine Wine …"
The Hairpin Phoenix was just an ink magazine. It was just released in the day. When night fell, the lyricist and composer of the brothels in Chang 'an City wrote the lyrics and music for the singers to sing.
When the singers of the brothel sang the most affectionate part, they thought of their bitter experiences and could not help but feel sad and shed tears. The audience also sighed for them.
Since ancient times, only tragedy could touch people's hearts. The two poems written by Meton were extremely sad and directly touched people's hearts.
Poems expressed one's will and lyrics expressed one's feelings.
People keenly found that compared with poems, Meton's lyrics seemed to be more in tune with the rhythm. The sound was sweet and pleasant and had a profound meaning. Using words to write about love, layer by layer, made people empathize with him.
For a moment, with the sad melody, the unfavorable atmosphere for Meton was swept away. More and more people openly agreed with Meton.
This was especially true for the younger generation. They originally regarded Meton as their idol. In addition, Meton had spoken their hearts and set an example by taking the initiative to pursue love. This made them yearn for him even more.
Even ordinary people did not dislike Meton's suggestion for the sake of their children's happiness. Only a small number of stubborn people still gnashed their teeth at Meton. They thought that Meton was breaking the etiquette of the secular world and that in the long run, morality would collapse and ethics would be lost.
In the Quan Mansion.
Quan Wanji sat there with a gloomy face. Beside him, the dim light shone on Quan Wanji's face.
"I would rather tear down ten temples than tear down a marriage. Mo Jiazi's fallacious reasoning and heresy is extremely arrogant," Quan Wanji said angrily.
In his many years as an Imperial Censor, he had always been the one to complain about others. The other side would either lower their heads and admit their mistakes or grit their teeth and admit defeat. No one had ever openly challenged his prestige. Now, after being impeached by him, they actually dared to openly oppose him.
"Mo Jiazi's matter is definitely not over!" Quan Wanji said angrily.
The Quan Mansion's housekeeper said cautiously, "But Master, Mo Jiazi is taking advantage of Mo Jiazi's publication. Now, the entire Chang 'an City is leaning towards Mo Jiazi."
"It's just a bunch of ignorant people who have been bewitched by Mo Jiazi. Although the Old Man's words carry little weight, there are many people who share the same ideals as the Old Man. That's right, the letter that the Old Man asked you to send, has there been a reply?" Quan Wanji asked.
The Quan Mansion's housekeeper frowned and said, "Replying to Master, most of them have already replied and rejected Master's suggestion."
Quan Wanji had underestimated the power of Mo Jiazi's publication. When Meton's publication came out, coupled with the addition of the two Hairpin Phoenix poems, it could be said that the entire city was talking about it. Seeing that the situation wasn't right, how could Quan Wanji's suggestion to deal with Mo Jiazi be met?
"This is simply foolish. The ruler is the leader of the subjects, the husband is the leader of the wife, and the father is the leader of the children. The Three Principles and Five Elements are the foundation of our Confucian ethics. If we allow Mo Jiazi to casually slander them, our Confucian ethics will be destroyed," Quan Wanji said angrily.
The foundation of arranged marriages was the Three Principles and Five Elements. Although Meton was attacking the system of arranged marriages, what he was actually shaking was the authority of the father and the husband.
How could Quan Wanji not know the drawbacks of arranged marriages? The reason he stubbornly attacked Meton was to protect the interests of Confucianism.
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