The man who stepped forward was Dongfang Xu, a veteran official from the previous dynasty. He was a notorious old hand, adept at assessing situations and possessed some integrity, though not much.
He'll obediently give in as soon as you put a knife to his neck.
His appearance today is probably because his concubine's wife has asked to be divorced, feels she has lost face, and wants to argue with the Empress.
"Oh? If women from the Imperial Women's Prison were to rebel, where would they get military power and soldiers? How could the world be in chaos? Lord Dongfang, you need evidence for this. Don't make things up without evidence, or His Majesty might charge you with deceiving the emperor."
Cen Xi pretended not to understand what he meant and questioned him.
The world is in chaos? How come she didn't see it?
"Since the establishment of the National Women's Academy, women no longer stay at home to be good wives and mothers. All they do all day is learn business skills and then go out to open shops. Your Majesty, if this continues, the family will not be a family anymore. When we officials go back, we won't even have a hot meal. What kind of order is this? Some daughters-in-law and concubines have become more respectful to their elders this year because they went to the National Women's Academy."
“The elders in their families set rules for them, but they dare to openly disobey, saying that Her Majesty the Empress said that women should be independent and strong, and if they encounter injustice or disrespectful elders, they can resist and divorce to live their own lives, and the National Women’s Supervisory Committee will support them.”
"Isn't this a violation of the established order? Your Majesty, you monopolize the Emperor's power, and even without children, you still want to act with impunity in the palace—that's your own business. But what you shouldn't have done was use the Imperial Women's Academy to defile the women of the land. Look at them before, how well they behaved and behaved! And look at them now!"
"With the backyard in such a chaotic state, and men preoccupied with trivial family matters, who among the men of the world will have the heart to defend their home and country? Won't the world descend into chaos once again?"
As soon as Cen Xi finished speaking, the old man from the East knelt before the hall and began to speak fluently and logically, making a lot of sense.
This immediately boosted the morale of all the civil and military officials.
They all looked at Cen Xi with a defiant expression; I'll describe that look another time.
"Hmph! You vixen! You want to argue? Come on, let's keep playing. One spit from each of us could drown you."
Cen Xi naturally deciphered the unspoken meaning behind the words of the civil and military officials below.
This old man from the East does have some talent for sophistry, but so what? Cen Xi's mouth is never one to back down.
She immediately countered with a question:
"Is this what all of you think?"
"Yes! The Imperial Women's Prison is indeed a scourge to the country and its people. Your Majesty, please see the truth."
After Cen Xi finished asking his question, all the civil and military officials below knelt down and echoed him, leaving only Prime Minister Wen Qiheng standing out from the crowd.
He was one of Shen Jinchen's most loyal people. Today, Shen Jinchen was clearly on Cen Xi's side. Even if he disagreed with Cen Xi's idea, there was no need for him to refute it.
Anyway, he didn't want Shen Jinchen to have a child. Besides, his wife was even worse than the one sitting in the main hall. If he said anything, his wife would probably cuckold him if she heard it.
Fine, I'll just be the most loyal subject, and not get involved in anything else.
As expected, Cen Xi's next shocking statement proved that his choice was extremely wise. A woman like the Empress was absolutely not to be trifled with, and neither was his wife.
"You all agree on this. Then let me ask you, why do your wives, children, and concubines want to rebel, preferring divorce to staying in your homes? Why would they rather work hard outside to earn money than live a life of luxury as wives in the mansion?"
Cen Xi didn't get angry. Instead, she spoke softly and gently to the group of people kneeling on the ground, from a woman's perspective.
These few light words seemed to stump the ministers in the hall, which was also the question in their hearts.
They never skimped on the women in their families' food, clothing, or daily necessities, so why did the National Women's Prison become so popular with those women as soon as it was established?
"You don't have the answer in your hearts, do you? Then let me tell you. Because you are used to male supremacy and female inferiority, you believe in your bones that men are the masters of this world, and women are just accessories, playthings, or tools for marriage and childbirth."
"In order to better protect your rights and prevent women from challenging your authority, you use the teachings and admonitions for women, as well as the saying that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, to bind and restrain them, making them willingly become your puppets."
"But you've forgotten that they are human beings too. Humans have dignity and want to live a decent life."
"When I established the Imperial Women's Academy, I wanted to give women in this world more opportunities and a way out when they suffered so much. If I had really intended to meddle in the court, humph! How could I have agreed to your national policy that women should not hold office and women in the harem should not interfere in politics?"
"It's a pity that my good intentions have been wasted, and I've become the wicked witch in your mouths."
"You still talk about the world being in chaos? I think you're just angry because the women no longer obey you. In the past three years, the girls in the National Women's Academy have paid millions of taels of silver in taxes to the Ministry of Revenue. Who says women are inferior to men?"
"Your Majesty, please be careful with your words. This is the way of men and women since ancient times. Men protect the country and women support their husbands and raise children. This is the distribution made by our ancestors according to the strength of men and women."
"As a woman, one should be a good wife and mother, gentle and obedient, and take care of one's husband. This is an age-old principle, and no woman should have a say in it. It seems that the Imperial Women's Academy was truly a mistake, and His Majesty should not have married you, a remnant of the previous dynasty, as his empress."
"Your Majesty, the Empress is unfit. I beg Your Majesty to depose her."
Cen Xi's final sarcastic and mocking question completely enraged Ji Changming, the already not-so-calm Duke of Ji.
He might have turned a blind eye to this woman before because Shen Jinchen liked her, but now he absolutely cannot tolerate it.
"Ha! Duke Ji looks down on women so much, and you all think I'm unforgivable, huh? Then why don't you just stay in women's wombs! Where would men come from without women? Are all the things our ancestors said correct? If they were correct, there would be no dynastic changes, no Later Qi dynasty. You call me lowly, you call me a vixen who wreaks havoc on the court, huh? Very well! If I don't do something today, all this cursing will have been for nothing."
"Guards! The Duke of Ji has disrespected imperial authority and committed insubordination! Drag him out and execute him on the spot!"
Cen Xi suppressed her anger, but eventually couldn't hold back. After cursing the Duke of Ji and all the civil and military officials, she gave a powerful order to the Imperial Guards outside.
The Imperial Guards were the personal guards of the Emperor and Empress. They dared not disobey the Empress's orders.
Upon entering the inner hall, they were met with the Duke of Ji's furious gaze, and could only turn their attention to the emperor at the head of the table.
Although the empress had the power to make decisions, the emperor was still the most powerful person in the palace. Only if he personally gave his approval would they dare to kill his uncle.
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