Chapter 269 The Legendary Lord Su The Legendary Lord Su

"Wow~ We've finally arrived in the capital, it's so lively!" A man in a round-necked green robe jumped off the carriage and was amazed at the bustling capital.

Today, the Great Zhou is prosperous, and the capital is the most prosperous place in the Great Zhou. Whenever there are travelers from other places coming to the capital, even those from the prosperous areas of Jiangnan cannot help but feel emotional.

Another man jumped down from behind. He was dressed more like a scholar. He laughed when he heard this and said, "It's really exciting. The population of our Great Zhou has been growing rapidly over the years. This is the foundation of a great country's prosperity."

"Brother Wang, are you going to praise Lord Su again?" the man in front asked with a smile.

The prince laughed heartily, nodded, and said, "Brother Lin, isn't Lord Su truly worthy of praise? He's served the court for nearly thirty years, devoting himself wholeheartedly to the Great Zhou. If he hadn't single-handedly overseen the reform of the civil service system and the imperial examination system, there wouldn't be the Great Zhou we see today."

Brother Lin also nodded and said, "That's right. The fact that a Lord Su has emerged from the Great Zhou is truly a great blessing for the common people. Apart from anything else, if it weren't for Lord Su, we wouldn't have the opportunity to enter the capital."

At this moment, someone nearby said, "Let's not talk about anything else. Over the years, the Great Zhou has defeated the Xianbei, Xiongnu, and the barbarians on the grasslands, making them submit. For this alone, I admire Lord Su."

"Besides, Lord Su is a distinguished Grand Secretary, a teacher of the nation, and has served as Minister of Revenue and Minister of Personnel. He has made countless contributions over the years, so why would he need your admiration?"

"You're not right. The ancients said, 'Do not neglect good deeds, no matter how small; do not commit evil deeds, no matter how small.' Admiration is not limited to small things. Why can't I admire and respect Lord Su?"

"Have you read 'Sui Hua Yin'? If I were to say, Master Su showed his talent for governing the country even at a very young age. Otherwise, how could 'Sui Hua Yin' have endured for so long? It's a pity that Scholar Lin died young, otherwise he would have certainly achieved great things."

Someone else interrupted and said, "Lord Su is good in every way, but why hasn't he gotten married in all these years? Could it be that he and the Regent really have some shameful relationship?"

"Bah! How dare you slander Lord Su!"

"I just said it casually. It's not slander at all. Lord Su has never married and has only one adopted son. This is something everyone knows. Shouldn't people be allowed to talk about it? Lord Su has said it, and he is not guilty of saying it."

Brother Wang has always been a loyal fan of Su Fengzhang. He was not happy to hear this. He rushed over and said, "Brother, what you said is wrong. The speaker is not guilty, but spreading rumors is not allowed."

"Lord Su never married. Firstly, he devoted all his energy to serving the Great Zhou and the people. How could we compare with the merits and virtues he accomplished in his lifetime? Secondly, he was deeply loyal to the deceased General Liu and promised to help him raise his children. He would rather not have any children himself than not raise Lord Liu to adulthood."

"This doesn't mean you don't have to marry and have children, right?"

Brother Wang snorted coldly, looked at him with disdain and said: "You mortals naturally don't understand Lord Su's realm."

As Su Fengzhang rose higher and higher in power and issued more and more policies, rumors about him also increased among the people.

More than 20 years have passed, and both Empress Dowager Yun and Yun Qian have passed away. Of the six grand tutors left by the late emperor, only three are still alive, and only Su Fengzhang is still in the court.

Under such circumstances, his policies were implemented more smoothly, but at the same time they also attracted a lot of criticism.

Seeing that they were about to quarrel, Brother Lin quickly interrupted and said, "Alright, alright, getting married and having children is someone else's family affair. Who are we to interfere in Lord Su's affairs?"

Before he could finish his words, a man on the other end stood up and said, "That's right. If Su Fengzhang doesn't want to get married, then he doesn't. No one can stop him. But it's not enough that he doesn't want to get married. He also makes women all over the world restless. In recent years, more and more women are studying, becoming officials, and working outside the home. Life is becoming more and more unbearable."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a moment of silence around. It must be said that many men thought the same thing in their hearts.

If everyone initially thought that Li Zi Yan's appointment as an official in the court was Empress Dowager Yun's way of suppressing Su Fengzhang, then after Empress Dowager Yun's death, Su Fengzhang not only did not suppress the female official, but instead praised her even more, which was enough to let them know that the two of them were acting in cahoots.

Su Fengzhang is obviously a man himself, but he actually advocates letting women go out of the house. It is really incomprehensible.

Brother Wang was different. He was raised by a widowed mother. He often heard from his mother that it was because Su Fengzhang promoted textile machines and enabled female workers to have something to do that she was able to support her children to grow up and even go to school.

At this moment, he immediately retorted: "You all have no ability, but you still blame women for being outstanding. Do you think that just because they stay at home, you men can look more capable?"

"If you ask me, Lord Li's political achievements are remarkable, far superior to those of men!"

"No matter how powerful she is, she is still a woman!"

"Women should go home and give birth!"

"Don't even mention Lord Li. Lord Su's own sister is married and has children. She even became an official after getting married. She's simply restless. If it weren't for Su Fengzhang's overwhelming power, I'd like to see if the Yun family can swallow this!"

"They have no shame. I would say these ladies-in-waiting should just cut off their hair and become nuns to avoid disgrace."

"You don't know, the daughter-in-law next door is a female official. She was just an errand boy. Now she has to be in charge of the family, both inside and outside. The men in her family don't dare to speak loudly."

Seeing that their words were getting more and more outrageous, a man stood up and said, "You can't say that. Although it's a bit inappropriate for women to go out and do things, many talented people have emerged over the years."

"I also don't agree with women showing their faces in public, but what you said is too much."

"That's right. Female officials have been around for twenty years, yet they're still so stuck in the past. What's wrong with being a woman? Aren't you born and raised by women? Do you treat your own mothers, wives, and daughters like this?"

"That's right. Some men can't do physical work, so there's nothing wrong with women going out to work and support the family."

Others retorted: "When the Ministry of Industry promoted textile machines and steam engines, I don't think they had good intentions. They gave women the opportunity to go out and do evil things!"

He said a lot, but when the textile machine appeared, both officials and common people were amazed and jealous of the profits it brought. The huge profits brought by maritime trade further promoted the development of these machines.

At that time, no one had expected that the emergence of these occupations that required less labor and were more suitable for women would lead to women's status becoming higher as they got older.

In the past, the status of an embroiderer was actually not low, but the job was not easy and the candidates were picky. Many people could not become masters even after learning for a lifetime, and the job would also hurt their eyes when they got old.

But these are different. As long as you are willing to work hard, you can always find a way to support your children.

Nowadays, there are more and more divorces, which is directly related to women's ability to earn money by going out. But who can give up those convenient machines for this reason? They can only feel it in their hearts.

This is also Su Fengzhang's method. He uses interests to drag most people into the water, so that the remaining people will be powerless even if they resist. It is impossible for him to advance alone, so he will just let the trend of the times take its course.

After hearing this, Brother Li couldn't help but curse, "Those things are great things that benefit the country and the people. If it weren't for them, would you be able to wear silk clothes? Or see these imported goods?"

Brother Wang also cursed: "Isn't it? This is like calling mother when the rice bowl is served, and cursing mother when the rice bowl is put down. How shameless."

"These are two different things. We are talking about women's affairs now."

"That's the same thing. Isn't your mother a woman?"

"How dare you scold my mother!"

"I didn't curse, you cursed yourself!"

"I'll let you curse my mother!"

As they were talking, the two sides actually started fighting. They saw that Brother Wang had the appearance of a scholar, but they didn't know that he was a participant in the martial arts examination. They just reached out and pushed the man down.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves could be heard, followed by a clear voice shouting, "What are you doing? Gathering together to fight is against the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

The prince was startled and looked up to see a woman in red sitting on a horse. Judging from her attire, she looked like a Jingwu Guard and her official rank was not low.

There were many women serving as officials in the court, but not many of them became military generals. After all, there was a natural difference in strength between men and women.

The woman had a pretty face and a fierce aura. Her frown was frightening. She had a rare firearm hanging on her waist and was followed by four female knights.

Brother Wang was startled and quickly explained before saying, "I just couldn't stand it anymore, so I took action. These people are so hateful."

The woman snorted coldly, rode her horse forward, looked at the people, and sneered, "Are you the ones mocking the female officials?"

Those few were also bullies who only feared the strong and bullied the weak. They had no backbone left at this moment and kept saying, "No, no, we didn't mean that. Who dares to mock an official appointed by the court? We were just a few people chatting. Isn't that against the law?"

The woman sneered, "It's not illegal. In that case, I won't arrest you today. Get out of here now."

After those people left, she looked down at Brother Wang and smiled, "You are quite good. You are not very old, but you see things clearly."

After saying this, without waiting for the king's answer, he pulled the reins and led his men away.

As soon as the others left, someone came over and said, "You guys were lucky just now. Do you know who that person was?"

Brother Li asked curiously, "Could it be the Su family? No, that's not right. Master Su has never married or had children."

"She's not from the Su family, but from the He family. She's the biological daughter of Prince Xi and Princess Hejing. She's practiced martial arts since she was young and now commands the Jingwu Guard. She respects Lord Su the most and will defend him whenever she hears someone slander him. However, Lord He will be delighted if someone praises him."

Brother Wang and Brother Li looked at each other and suddenly remembered who this person was.

If Li Ziyan and Su Huihui pioneered the practice of women serving as officials, but they were both civil officials, then He Xin pioneered the practice of women serving as military generals. She had even been on the battlefield and fought against the Xianbei!