Chapter 616 The Dangers of Inbreeding
Ji Yunshu was a little surprised and looked up at him.
Zhao Shen's eyes were somewhat profound. "Breaking off an engagement does have an impact on a woman, especially under the circumstances at the time. That's why the Queen Mother wanted the Emperor to marry you as his queen. This would not only eliminate the reputational damage caused by your breaking off the engagement, but would also be another marriage between the Ji family and the royal family. And with the Queen Mother in the palace, your future life would be secure."
Ji Yunshu almost spit out a mouthful of soup: "What did you say, let me marry my cousin?"
The emperor is her cousin. Although it is quite common for close relatives to marry each other these days, Ji Yunshu really cannot accept it.
When Zhao Shen saw her like this, he knew that she really knew nothing about it and was unwilling to do it.
"You don't like being a queen?"
He asked in a cryptic manner.
Ji Yunshu shuddered as if he had heard something terrifying. "How could you have such a ridiculous idea? Putting aside the fact that the Emperor and I are so closely related, even without that connection, how could the Imperial Palace be such a good place? The Emperor claims to love the Empress, but the Empress has suffered so much injustice over the years."
He said that he only loved the Empress Dowager and for this reason he opposed the Empress Dowager and the court officials.
It turns out that there are other women in the harem.
The pressure of the emperor not having any children fell on the queen alone.
Ji Yunshu felt that the emperor's love was the most terrifying thing in the world.
Whether it is true or false, it is not something that ordinary people can bear.
Zhao Shen was stunned for a moment, then thought that although she had been working hard to do something, she really had no ambition for power.
If the situation did not allow it, she would seem to prefer a life of taking things as they come.
He thought about Ji Yunshu's words and finally asked in confusion, "What does this have to do with blood? Marriage between cousins is a customary practice among many aristocratic families."
Ji Yunshu held his chin with one hand and said, "Where we are, the law prohibits direct blood relatives and collateral blood relatives within three generations from marrying. So in my mind, marrying my cousin is illegal."
"why is that?"
Zhao Shen asked in confusion.
It was the first time he had heard of such a thing.
Ji Yunshu thought for a moment and said, "How should I put it? To put it simply, marrying a close relative is like that, you know, kind of like that feeling. To put it more complicatedly, from a biological and medical perspective, children born from close relatives are more likely to die, and they might even inherit genetic diseases and not be able to grow up."
Zhao Shen pondered, "You mean, when close bloodlines marry, the chances of their children getting sick are higher, like Zhao Heng and Yao Ruolan. Even if Wei Yuanmin didn't do anything, it's hard to save their child?"
Ji Yunshu nodded: "That's right. If you calculate it this way, Zhao Heng and Wei Yuanmin are very closely related."
Wei Yuanmin's mother and Zhao Heng's biological father are siblings, and strictly speaking, they are also cousins.
What kind of bad fate is this.
Seeing Zhao Shen lost in thought, Ji Yunshu waved his hand in front of his eyes and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Zhao Shen said: "I'm thinking about the aristocratic families in Jiangnan."
"ah?"
How did this come together?
Zhao Shen said, "These aristocratic families in Jiangnan have been intermarrying for generations, and their ties are complex and deep-rooted. If they move, the whole body will be affected. Now they are colluding with Prince Yong, which shows that they have great ambitions. If this continues, it will be a big trouble."
Ji Yunshu blinked: "But what does this have to do with what I said?"
Zhao Shen said, "If it can be proven that marriage between close relatives is detrimental to offspring, the court can use this as a pretext to prohibit close-kin marriages. This way, the ties between those noble families will gradually be severed."
"This method is feasible, but I'm afraid it will take time and won't solve the current problem."
It would probably take several generations to break up the aristocratic families that have formed a community of interests through marriage.
Zhao Shen said, "The aristocratic families have been entrenched in Jiangnan for so long, and they can't be dealt with overnight. If we act hastily, I'm afraid they will become desperate and the imperial court will suffer heavy losses."
Ji Yunshu thought of Huang Chao, who killed the noble families according to their genealogy, but this was different from the historical situation she knew.
Today, the imperial power still outweighs the aristocratic families, so it is indeed safer to proceed step by step.
"Then let's give it a try. It shouldn't be difficult to verify this. Just ask the Imperial Hospital and you'll know. Children from aristocratic families are more likely to get sick or fail to grow up. This should be something everyone knows."
Zhao Shen nodded and said, "That's true, but before you, no one has ever thought that this is because of blood relationship."
Ji Yunshu waved his hand: "This is something everyone in our area knows."
Zhao Shen's eyes were deep, but he didn't continue to ask Ji Yunshu what the world she lived in was like.
Early the next morning, an imperial edict arrived at the palace, and Zhao Shen was transferred to the position of Minister of Works.
Like the original Jingzhao Yin, they were both of the third rank.
But in reality, no one had more real power than Jingzhao Yin, who was in charge of the capital area.
Therefore, many people do not quite understand the emperor's intention behind this transfer.
As one of the six ministries, the Ministry of Industry undertakes major national engineering projects and is famous for its lucrativeness.
But it was obviously impossible that the emperor wanted Zhao Shen to make money.
The biggest possibility is to prevent others from making money.
Zhao Shen did not hold the position of Jingzhao Yin for long, but he was well-known for his hard work.
The people in the Ministry of Industry restrained themselves for a moment.
The emperor also rewarded Ji Yunshu with many things.
Of course there were also silks and satins, porcelain bottles and jade bowls, gold and silver, but they were just symbolic and not too much.
Most of these rewards were unusable, but Ji Yunshu was still very happy.
Because this means the emperor's favor. With this, anyone who wants to take over the Ji family and her must think carefully.
So Ji Yunshu was very satisfied.
She returned to the house and had someone put her things away.
Someone outside came in to announce that the third wife and the third young lady had arrived.
Ji Yunshu hurried out to greet him.
"Why is Third Aunt here?"
She took Zhao Xuan's hand and said, "It's only been half a year since we last met, and Third Sister has become even better."
Zhao Xuan was a little shy, but she still bowed to Ji Yunshu generously: "Greetings, sister-in-law. The palace has received a reward, and my mother and I came to congratulate you."
Ji Yunshu let the two into the house: "Third Aunt and Third Sister are here."
Lu Ru brought the tea over, and Zhao Xuan took out the gifts she had prepared: "These are some purses and handkerchiefs I embroidered. I'm not very good at embroidery, so please don't mind, sister-in-law."
Ji Yunshu took it in her hand and took a look at it. She had seen a lot of embroidery, so naturally she had developed the ability to appreciate it.
Zhao Xuan’s embroidery is indeed not very good, but the gift that was embroidered for her stitch by stitch by someone who is not good at it shows the thoughtfulness of the person.
She laughed and said, "You're much better than me. I can't even hold a needle. Thank you for your hard work, sister."
Zhao Xuan seemed to have found a soulmate, and her eyes lit up as she looked at Ji Yunshu.
The Third Lady knew what she was thinking and said helplessly, "I just asked you to do some embroidery for a few days, and you're leaving like that. You're not married yet, so you should make a few clothes for your husband in the future. It would be more appropriate to tell others about it."
Not everyone has the support and confidence of Ji Yunshu. Ordinary women can only take the ordinary path.
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