Chapter 616 No abandonment, only a broken marriage!

He had barely finished speaking when he was met with hostility from all the officials.

They should just go and watch the execution; why drag their families into it?

Most of the family members are women, all of them delicate and frail; we mustn't frighten them into something bad happening.

Shen Lanxi exclaimed in admiration: "That makes sense!"

The Ministry of Justice continued, "What His Majesty just mentioned about divorce is also common among the common people. However, women generally believe in the idea of ​​remaining faithful to one's husband until death. Whether it is divorce or separation, it will damage their reputation. Even if they have no other choice, they will not choose this option."

Officials from the Ministry of Personnel stepped forward.

"Some men also encounter shrewish wives."

“I have encountered such cases before. The wife’s mother was very powerful, and the man’s family suffered greatly from oppression and dared not resist. The wicked woman became even more arrogant and intensified her abuse of the man’s family, to the point that the family was destroyed and the man could not bear it any longer and committed suicide by drowning.”

Shen Lanxi: "A man like that is also a coward."

The official from the Ministry of Personnel froze for a moment, then said dryly, "The man was physically weak, while the woman was very strong. Moreover, the woman's family was a very famous butcher family in the area, with nine brothers. Every time the man resisted, each of her nine brothers could pin him to the ground and make him unable to move with just one finger."

It's become too dry and lifeless with the replacement by Shen Lanxi.

"...Indeed, there are malicious people, regardless of gender."

"Just like among people, there are good people and bad people. You continue!"

The official from the Ministry of Personnel continued, "When I received this case, I was furious. Unfortunately, there was no real evidence at the time, and the man drowned himself without being forced. So the case was hastily closed."

Shen Lanxi said angrily, "This is simply outrageous! Do they really think the Great Zhou is their own world, that they can do whatever they want? It's utterly despicable and hateful!"

The Minister of Justice glanced at the Minister of Personnel and said, "Your Majesty said that if one encounters a wicked person, one can divorce them. I think it should not be called divorce. It should be called a severance of marriage."

After all, since ancient times, the term "divorce" has always been used for men to divorce women; there has never been a woman who could divorce a man.

Shen Lanxi gave the people from the Ministry of Justice an approving look.

"That makes sense, so let's call it a divorce."

The Ministry of Personnel retorted, "Your Majesty, after the marriage certificate is issued, someone will go to the government office to register it, but that's only to register the dowry. Those who register are usually wealthy families. In rural areas, they just ask the local village chief or neighborhood head to be a witness, and that's it."

"I believe this matter is inappropriate. A formal record-keeping department should be established to register the cases. If disputes or a broken marriage occur in the future, they should naturally be mediated by the government and not resolved privately."

Ministry of Justice: "Your subject agrees with Lord Zhang's words. In many remote areas, there is still a bad custom where a woman is divorced with a letter of divorce, and then her family members, disgusted by the divorced daughter, drown her in a pig cage or force her to commit suicide."

"Under His Majesty's rule, our Great Zhou Dynasty enjoys peace and prosperity. How can we tolerate such bad habits?"

Shen Lanxi pondered for a moment and said, "What you two say makes a lot of sense."

"Alright, you two will take the lead. One of you will establish a marriage record department, and the other will establish a divorce dissolution department. Draft the regulations as soon as possible, and then implement them nationwide."

"Speaking of which, I'm reminded of something else. How long has it been since our Great Zhou conducted a population census?"

The officials were once again taken aback, as if no population census had been conducted since the late emperor ascended the throne.

After all, population statistics are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly. Previously, the Great Zhou's treasury was empty, so there was no spare money to support this part of the expenditure.

"Your Majesty, our Great Zhou has not conducted a population census for nearly twenty years."

Shen Lanxi frowned: "It is my dereliction of duty."

"Grand Tutor, Liu Mingxin, this matter is entrusted to you. The Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, please cooperate."

"The entire population of our Great Zhou is recorded. This will effectively prevent cases from occurring. Every three years, births and deaths will be reported to the local government within one month for deregistration."

"I obey the decree!"

Let's get back to the main topic.

"Although Wei Jie himself did nothing wrong, he failed to supervise and remind his family members. He was ordered to stay at home for a month to reflect on his actions and was fined six months' salary as punishment!"

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

...

Soon, news came from the northwest that the Turks had surrendered to the Great Zhou and expressed their willingness to submit.

"Your Majesty, the Turks have repeatedly broken their promises and are not worthy of trust."

"I suggest that we annihilate them in one fell swoop and not negotiate."

"Your Majesty, I agree!"

"Your Majesty, I believe that since the Turks have surrendered, we should not exterminate them. Exterminating the entire tribe is not a wise strategy. Indiscriminate killing may bring disaster upon ourselves."

"Your Majesty, I agree with what the Grand Tutor said. We should value peace. The Turks are foreign tribes to the west. If it weren't for the fierce Turks resisting us, these foreign tribes might cross the grasslands and invade our Great Zhou territory."

These words struck a chord with Shen Lanxi.

"Alright, draft the decree, and Wei Dongzhu and Shen Yuanjing shall incorporate the Turks into their ranks."

"From this day forward, there is only my Great Zhou Kingdom, and no more Turks."

“Build Great Zhou schools among foreign tribes so that they can learn the language and script of Great Zhou and adopt the attire of Great Zhou.”

"yes!"

A few days later, news came from the Northwest again.

"Your Majesty, envoys from the Tatar, Persian, and Simon tribes have come to express their willingness to submit to our Great Zhou."

Shen Lanxi smiled and nodded: "In less than two months, as many as twelve foreign tribes have submitted to my Great Zhou. In less than half a year, my Great Zhou will unify the Northwest, and there will be no more foreign tribes causing trouble!"

"Your Majesty's achievements will be remembered for generations to come!"

"Your Majesty is a man of both literary and martial prowess, the greatest of all time."

"Your Majesty is unparalleled in history, unprecedented and unmatched!"

Two days later, an imperial edict was delivered to the Shen family.

"Princess Zhaohua is a woman of unparalleled beauty and grace, possessing both virtue and beauty. I grant Princess Zhaohua's request and will travel to the Northwest in ten days to marry the chief of the Turkic town."

Shen Yuantang stared blankly into thought.

Wasn't it supposed to be a marriage alliance? How did it become a formal marriage?

Aren't the Turks a foreign people? How did they become a town of the Great Zhou?

"The Turks have surrendered to our Great Zhou. Your Majesty, grateful for Heaven's benevolence in protecting life, did not exterminate them but instead incorporated them into the territory of our Great Zhou."

The Shen family members all felt like they were dreaming.

They were unaware of the Turkic surrender; in their minds, even surrender should be followed by peace talks.

How did it become part of my Great Zhou territory?

The Turks were willing too?

"Father-in-law, is this true?" Shen Congwen asked hurriedly.

"The imperial edict has been issued, how could it be fake? This servant must return to the palace to report. There are still ten days left, you should all begin your preparations."

The Shen family was taken aback again.

"Didn't we already take over the territory of my Great Zhou? Why do we still need to arrange a marriage alliance?"

"Didn't you hear me? It's not a political marriage, it's a formal marriage."

Princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, His Majesty's own sister, married a town mayor who had suffered a defeat in battle?

The women who had initially envied Shen Yuantang no longer did.