Destroying a woman's career is actually quite simple:
First, let her get married;
Second, let her have another child.
Once a woman gets married and has children, even the strongest woman will be burdened by her family.
Leaving aside ancient feudal dynasties, even in later generations, no matter how outstanding a woman is, the first question she's asked is always—
How do you balance your career and family?
It's as if women are born to make concessions for their families.
Men, on the other hand, are never asked such questions.
It's as if they have no family!
Empress Xie's female attendants each had their own strengths, and in the court, they put so much pressure on a group of men that they could hardly breathe.
To change this situation, we need to address the root cause.
Yang herself was a woman, so she knew what a woman's weakness was—children!
It just so happens that Mugaluo, Nanling, and others are both older single women who have had trouble finding a husband.
They didn't get married or have children, so they devoted all their energy to building their careers.
Then we'll act as matchmakers for them and marry them off.
Once they have families, they can be confined to the backyard again, just like all women.
We must no longer allow ourselves to cause trouble in the imperial court!
Cui Hong hesitated, "Getting married? That might not be useful."
He also cited an example: "Among Empress Xie's six female attendants, there were women who were already married and had children."
For example, the daughter-in-law of the Wang family.
He's over thirty years old, his son is almost getting married, but he's still out in public all the time.
The women of their Great Zhou Dynasty were known for their fierceness; there was Empress Xie, and also Helian Jue, who doted on her.
Nanling, Mugaluo, and others became even more arrogant.
Do you even know what it means to be a good woman?
Upon hearing Cui Hong's words, Madam Yang smiled and said, "Among the six female attendants, there are indeed noblewomen."
"But, my lord, let me ask you, among these female officials, who is the most prominent?"
To catch the thief, you must first catch the king.
If you suppress the one or two who are most attention-seeking, the other maids will also become more disciplined.
Alas, if it weren't for the matter of her husband's reputation, Lady Yang wouldn't have wanted to target those female attendants.
No matter what, they are women.
Their actions, to some extent, can elevate the status of the entire female class.
But there's nothing we can do; people are selfish!
Yang didn't care about anyone else; all she wanted was for her husband's career to go smoothly and for her family to be harmonious and happy!
After hearing Yang's explanation, Cui Hong suddenly understood. He quickly smiled and said to Yang, "You are so wise, Madam! Oh, this is a good idea! This is a great idea!"
Yes! Marry off Nanling and Mugaluo.
They were Empress Xie's right-hand women; by forcing them back to the inner courtyard, Empress Xie's arrogance would not be so rampant.
Although Empress Xie was only temporarily overseeing the country, in a few months, when the emperor returned in triumph, Empress Xie would return to the inner palace.
But this is an exception!
Once a breach is made, it's difficult to close it again.
They must nip all possibilities in the bud and absolutely cannot allow the situation of the female lead ruling the court to actually occur!
"Yes! We'll arrange a marriage for them! We'll definitely find them good families!"
After being enlightened by Yang, Cui Hong's thinking was suddenly opened up.
He said earnestly, "In terms of family background, appearance, talent, age, and so on, they must all be top-notch!"
We can't get any bad or rotten fruit.
Their goal was to get Nanling, Mugaluo, and others married off, not to deliberately humiliate (offend) them.
There's no need to play tricks on this kind of thing.
This is a "clever plan" – a good marriage, a good partner!
Nanling and Mugaluo were tempted and thought he was a reliable match, so they happily got married.
By then, the female attendants will all be home having children, and no one will be following Empress Xie's wild antics. That will be their personal choice and has nothing to do with these powerful figures in the court.
They simply acted as matchmakers, bringing about a happy marriage.
That can't be wrong, right?
...
"Aqing, come quickly. Your mother has something to tell you!"
Yongchang, beaming with joy, waved to Nanling.
Nanling: ...
I have a strange, bad feeling about this.
"Your daughter greets Mother!"
Nanling secretly grumbled to himself, but outwardly remained extremely well-behaved.
He curtsied and greeted her, the whole movement flowing smoothly like clouds and water.
Seeing his daughter become noticeably more confident and radiant, Yongchang felt a mix of bittersweet emotions and immense pride.
She felt a pang of sadness because of her daughter's change, not because of her careful upbringing as a mother.
My daughter became a lady-in-waiting and stayed by Empress Xie's side for a period of time before gradually becoming the person she is today.
As a mother, it would be a lie to say I didn't feel disappointed, jealous, or sad.
She was clearly Nanling's biological mother; she should have been the one to teach and change her daughter.
result--
Alas, the transformation of Nanling proves, from another perspective, Yongchang's dereliction of duty.
Of course, Yongchang is her biological mother, and she would instinctively be happy for her daughter if she improved.
They would also be proud of their daughter's outstanding performance.
"Who would have thought that my Ah Qing would be a mathematical genius!"
"She probably took after her father, Zheng Lang, who was a man of keen intelligence and both talent and good looks."
Yongchang sighed inwardly.
Perhaps it's because she's getting older, or perhaps she's past the age of recklessness, but now she no longer indulges in keeping male lovers or flirting with all sorts of different men.
She still pays more attention to her daughter, and from time to time she thinks of her former love—Nanling's biological father and first son-in-law.
Yongchang's heart also softened.
Although she was still tough, she genuinely wanted her daughter to be happy.
"Have you been busy lately? I heard you refuted a group of officials from the Ministry of Revenue in court again?"
As the most valiant and noble woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty, Yongchang never felt that there was anything wrong with women attending court.
He simply lacked the opportunity and could only run rampant in the harem and the capital.
As for Nanling, it was fortunate to have such a good time. With Empress Xie standing in front of it, Nanling was able to stand upright in the court.
Ah, just thinking about his daughter's eloquent debate with the scholars filled Yongchang with pride—
As expected of my daughter from Yongchang, she is so smart and capable.
Her daughter is no longer timid and has gained prestige from Empress Xie and the imperial court. If she marries a good man and has several intelligent and lovely children, her life will truly be fulfilling!
Yongchang felt that he could finally face his beloved son-in-law in the afterlife with a clear conscience!
"It's alright! Not too busy!"
Nanling looked cautiously at her mother and replied calmly, "I didn't refute anything! I was just trying to reason with those people!"
The Empress once said that one should "persuade people with reason".
Presenting facts and listing data is what Nanling and the other female servants are best at.
Yongchang: ...
Her daughter had become too confident, and she was somewhat unaccustomed to it.
My daughter in the past was timid, but she was obedient.
And the bright young girl before me—
Yongchang suddenly had a bad feeling: today's conversation might not go as she wished!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
