Chapter 430 Marriage Act
Lu Meng was not the only one who had such thoughts.
For example, Wei Yan, who had made successive contributions in the battles between Henei County and Jizhou, was promoted to the rank of Yingyang Cavalry Captain due to his merits. However, his upward ambition would never allow him to be satisfied with just this. Instead, he hoped to show his skills in future battles so that he could reach this position one day.
For example, Sima Yi, who was about to go to Yuzhou to assist Cui Jun, knew that it would be difficult to get the position in Xuanyuan Pavilion by relying on his honest brother. It still depended on his performance in Yuzhou's political affairs.
For another example, no one had expected that Mi Zhu, a tycoon from the East China Sea, who was the lowest class of "merchants" among the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, would be included in the list.
But his reasons for being among them are so solid.
The safe delivery of Zheng Xuan, a great scholar of the time, to Leping Academy was thanks to the escort of the Mi family from Donghai.
Ever since Qiao Yan conquered Liangzhou, the chain mail worn by the generals was made with the craftsmanship of the craftsmen given by Mi Zhu.
For example, the horseshoe was proposed by Qiao Yan, but the craftsman who first mastered the craft of making horseshoes was also contributed by Mi Zhu.
In the ten years since Qiao Yan was in Leping, Mi Zhu has almost never stopped investing in this potential stock. No wonder he can get such a huge wealth in return.
The help we provided to Your Majesty when he was just starting out did not stop with the commendation given when the cotton cloth appeared, but has been further vindicated today!
There is no greater example for businessmen in the world than this.
Among the businessmen who were already well-known for speculation, there were countless who began to think of catching up.
However, each of these twenty-eight people who entered the cabinet had military achievements that were incomparable to others. If they wanted to enter, it was obviously impossible for them to solve the problem with money as they did during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han.
It can only be based on merit!
Just as Qiao Yan said, the thirteen states under the rule of Dayong are indeed basically in a state of peace, but outside the four seas and nine states, there are still many places where there is an opportunity to expand territory. If you can give it a try, the chances are still not small.
only……
"What can you do?" Hearing Lu Meng's prospective words, Deng Dang said jokingly: "Your Majesty is indeed saying that she is only 23 years old this year, and the land she can control in her lifetime may reach a wider territory, but what is your advantage over the other generals under her command?"
"The General of Chariots and Cavalry was not included in the army because he joined the army too late, but he is actually a talent for both civil and military affairs. The Eagle Captain has the ability to risk his life, and the General of Tower Ships is good at naval warfare. The heavy armor, the vanguard, and the trap camp that have joined forces are actually the leaders of the heavy infantry. However, you have only been secretly fighting behind me for the past two years. You have only joined the army with your mother's consent. How can you be better than them?"
Lu Meng: “…”
He could tell that his brother-in-law didn't really want to completely crush his enthusiasm, but wanted him to think about whether his decisive words had set the goal too ambitious.
He gritted his teeth and replied: "I can study and become a sensible general."
If he had not had such an opportunity before, Yangzhou is now under the rule of Qiao Yan, and books printed in Guanzhong have long been sent to Yangzhou for dumping.
If, even though the cost of studying has been reduced by half, he still cannot benefit from the books and gain the confidence to fight for a position in Xuanyuan Pavilion, he should take back his lofty ambitions as soon as possible!
Deng Dang replied, "Okay, then study! But if you waste time here any longer, Lord Zhang will deduct our salaries, and we won't be able to buy any books."
After hearing what Deng Dang said, Lu Meng dared not delay any longer and hurriedly rushed up with Deng Dang.
As for whether Lu Meng can achieve the goals of "a scholar who has been away for three days should be looked at with new eyes" and "he is no longer the A'mon of Wu", only time will decide.
For Qiao Yan, the most important purpose of the Luoyang Merit Evaluation had been achieved with the appearance of the twenty-eight bronze statues. On the second day, the printed small statues of meritorious service appeared in the streets and alleys as a commendation to promote the first batch of Xuanyuan Pavilion names.
There was no rush to change Luoyang into the capital. After seeing off her subordinates who were returning to their garrisons one after another, she should return to Chang'an.
After returning to Guanzhong, there was another thing she needed to do.
"Last year when Bo Ju came to me, you agreed to marry Wei Zhongdao after weighing the pros and cons, but you also told me that if the world is not settled, how can we take care of our family? Now can we say that the world is settled?"
Qiao Yan looked towards Cai Zhaoji, and his tone couldn't help but sound less official as he addressed the girl who had grown up under his care.
The words "How can I take care of my family when the world is not yet settled?", coming from the mouth of this girl who worked in the civil service, sounded particularly powerful. In addition, Wei Zhongdao took the initiative to propose to marry into Zhaoji's family because of her official position, so Qiao Yan did not have to worry too much about her situation after marriage.
But when Zhao Ji replied that she was going to prepare for the wedding, Qiao Yan said, "I intend to make some changes to the marriage law and implement it during your wedding. What do you think?"
Zhao Ji straightened her face, and keenly realized that what Qiao Yan said was definitely not a simple change, and immediately replied: "Your Majesty, please speak."
Qiao Yan said, "Since the Western Zhou Dynasty, the seven reasons for divorce and three reasons for not divorcing have never been changed in the marriage law, and it has never mentioned how a woman should leave her husband. And if a husband divorces his wife, the wife can take nothing away except the dowry she brought with her when she got married. Now I am the Son of Heaven, and I have achieved the feat of uniting the four seas. If I still dare not make some corrections, who else can make such a pioneering move!"
In ancient times, women were undoubtedly a disadvantaged group in marriage laws and rituals.
The "three no's" that were implemented in the Western Zhou Dynasty to remove restrictions on marriage relationships and protect women, in the final analysis, simply treated the wife as a vassal of the husband. Moreover, not many people could actually fulfill it.
The wife no longer has her parents' home to rely on, and if she is divorced, she will be homeless, so she should not leave.
A wife and her husband should observe mourning for their parents-in-law for three years together. According to etiquette and law, they have fulfilled their filial piety and should not leave.
The couple experienced poverty together, and then their family became wealthy, so they could not leave.
But as Qiao Yan said, if the wife cannot bear it because of her husband and wants to break away from his control, there is no explicit law to protect her.
The rule of "Heli", which allows for voluntary divorce between husband and wife due to a breakdown in their relationship, did not appear until the Tang Dynasty.
Not to mention dividing the common property in the family after the couple separates!
During the Ming and Qing dynasties after the Han and Tang dynasties, even the dowry that a wife brought with her when she got married could not be taken away, and she had to leave the house with nothing.
This was a terrible bad habit for Qiao Yan, who had been exposed to modern law.
If she had not yet reunited the world, considering the priorities, the first thing she would have to do is to destroy the Yecheng court and take down Yuan Shao and Liu Bian. But at this time, she had to make some adjustments to these outdated marriage systems from the perspective of seeking benefits for the women under her rule.
As various workshops have never lacked female workers for recruitment since Qiao Yan took office in Bingzhou, as cotton fields have increased and the textile industry has developed, as more and more students have graduated from Leping Academy, as the female officials who followed Ma Lun in astronomy in the early years are no longer satisfied with being just a person who counts on an abacus, and as women's disposable income has continued to rise, she does have the opportunity to clearly define the marriage property!
Cai Zhaoji would probably not face the embarrassing situation of being kicked out of the house because Wei Zhongdao was her son-in-law, and because Wei Zhongdao was the Minister of the Nine Ministers at the time and had Qiao Yan's support behind her. However, the social customs of male superiority and female inferiority in the world would not change in an instant just because Qiao Yan was the emperor. How could those women who have not yet had the opportunity to be enlightened fight for enough rights if they could not get explicit protection?
The world was just beginning to settle down, and Xuanyuan Pavilion ordered its subordinates to compete enthusiastically, which was exactly the best time to implement the new law.
If Zhaoji didn't mind, she would just choose this highly anticipated marriage in Guanzhong and finalize it.
Qiao Yan continued, "If the Western Zhou etiquette cannot be completely abolished in a hurry, some rules should be changed. Among the seven grounds for divorce, is the reason for having no children really the wife's fault?"
The Tang Code has made some restrictions on divorce for childlessness. The wife must wait until she is over 50 years old and still childless to meet the requirements for divorce. However, if the childlessness is not due to the wife but to the husband, it is not clearly stated.
"So I want to add a new content in the pediatrics department of Chiyang Medical College to check this matter. If it is because of the husband, the wife also has the right to divorce her husband."
"Disrespecting parents-in-law, alienating relatives, and being jealous and violent should not be considered grounds for divorce simply because the husband makes some empty accusations. Order the Ministry of Justice to set up a special department to handle this matter."
Qiao Ting is a member of the royal family, a court judge, and a female official. She is not afraid of doing something that might offend others. It is absolutely perfect for her.
"Besides," Qiao Yan said firmly, with an unusually decisive tone when he said the next two sentences, "From ancient times to the present, only husbands have divorced their wives, but no wives have divorced their husbands. However, nowadays, there are female officials and generals in the court, and female workers and merchants can be seen in the streets. Why can't this happen?"
"Marriages arranged by parents and matchmakers may seem to follow the six rituals, but if the couple's temperaments are incompatible and they have conflicts with each other, it is better for both parties to divorce and live in peace rather than to fight to the point of swords."
"A wife manages the household and raises children, and she is by no means completely dependent on her husband for a living. Why can't the couple's assets be given to the wife at the time of divorce? Even her dowry is often swallowed up. There should be a law to protect this."
"Zhao Ji, what I hope for is that in this world, it is no longer normal for a husband to take a concubine, and that the wife in marriage is no longer a passive vassal, with life and death at the discretion of the husband, but -"
"To get to this point, we still have a long way to go."
Cai Zhaoji nodded heavily, "Your Majesty, please implement this matter as soon as possible. It is just the right time to announce it before my wedding with Zhongdao. I will also write an article for the Leping Monthly Report as soon as possible."
The dual approach of enforcing laws and regulations and promoting monthly reports is enough to leverage the residual power of Xuanyuan Pavilion and penetrate into thousands of households at the fastest speed.
The woman left her name on Xuanyuan Pavilion, and the marriage helped the wife to gain power. These two things complement each other.
Chen Qun and Xun Yue, who were originally responsible for formulating the Five Punishments, together with Qiao Ting and Cai Zhaoji, joined the reform of the marriage law at the fastest speed, and Qiao Yan personally made various adjustments from the perspective of future generations.
But even though all the preparations had been made before, and it happened to be the right time for the Yong Dynasty to unify the world, when it was really announced the day before Zhao Ji and Wei Zhongdao's wedding, Guanzhong, which received the news first, still caused an uproar.
"Fortunately, His Majesty had previously taken some remedial measures against those Guanzhong families, which made them dare to be angry but not to speak out." While Cai Zhaoji was preparing for the wedding, she did not forget to report the undercurrent to Qiao Yan.
She smiled and said, "It's quite interesting. They didn't dare to protest in front of His Majesty, so they went to find Zhongdao first."
The Hedong Wei family is, after all, an aristocratic family. Wei Ji is also highly valued under Qiao Yan, and his relationship with his younger brother is also famously good.
These people claimed to be giving gifts, but in reality they were hoping that Wei Ji would fight for his brother's rights and speak up in front of Qiao Yan.
"In the end, they were blocked by the two brothers' words."
Cai Zhaoji said: "Zhongdao said that he married into the family as a son-in-law, so he was hoping that his wife would not divorce him. Besides, he didn't have the intention of kicking his wife out of the house, so why should he consider the consequences?"
"Bo Ju is even more interesting. He said that he had surrendered voluntarily when Your Majesty was fighting against the Baibo bandits, but he still could not gain a place among the twenty-eight people based on his merits. It can be seen that he is still a little short of merits. If these people want to find someone to help them, don't come to him. If you delay his career of rising to the top, he will definitely settle accounts with you."
Qiao Yan coughed lightly and secretly praised the Wei Ji brothers for their wise decision.
She generously gave sufficient rewards for the marriage of Cai Zhaoji and Wei Zhongdao, and had the emperor personally come to bless the couple, thus suppressing the rumors in Chang'an city.
What's more, these people will soon have no chance to care about this matter.
Don’t they want to win the military merits of that Lie Xuanyuan Pavilion?
New challenges lie ahead.
The recovery of the Western Regions Protectorate presided over by Lu Yuan was one incident, and the other was——
Shortly after Cai Zhaoji's marriage was completed, Qiao Yan summoned Gan Ning, who had come to Chang'an with the returning troops instead of returning to Youzhou, and gave him a new assignment.
Gan Ning's navy no longer needs to face any opponents on the rivers, and it is time to use it in a wider world.
She said to Gan Ning, "Since you are the general of the tower ships, you should ride on the waves and lead thousands of tower ships to show my power. I want to expand the Funan fleet and form a maritime navy, and entrust it to you. What do you think?"
She has long coveted high-yield crops and minerals overseas.
And the plan of going out to sea to search for "treasure" should be put on the agenda after the world is unified!
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