Chapter 388 I wish there would be no more princesses marrying into other countries
"Father..." The two of them spoke at the same time, subconsciously wanting to stop the king.
Anyone in the world can admit their mistakes and regrets, but the emperor has no right to do so. Because the emperor's words are final and must be followed. His mistakes are the mistakes of the world.
But Emperor Wen said so.
"I regret my actions towards Aheng and Shen'an. I've let them down, and no words can make amends. Even more regretful is that I used dishonorable means to arrange your marriage to Ziduan... and you even let bygones be bygones, offering to help me release Shen'an and make amends for her."
Emperor Wen truly loved Yue Heng, but for the sake of the prevailing situation, he made Xuan Shen An his empress. For the sake of his great cause, he betrayed both women and imprisoned himself. He knew that for the sake of his great cause or any other reason, forcing Wen Ziduan to marry or not marry anyone would only lead to him repeating the same mistakes he made with He Zhaojun, yet he did it anyway.
He smiled somewhat dejectedly, "Fortunately, it seems that you two are so well-matched now. It would be hard to find a couple like you in this world. Otherwise, I would have to live the rest of my life with regrets."
Neither He Zhaojun nor Wen Ziduan could laugh. Looking back on their past, He Zhaojun was always accompanied by the fear of losing her loved ones and falling into despair, while Wen Ziduan once took on a lot for He Zhaojun out of self-righteousness, but found that it only pushed He Zhaojun further and further away and he paid the price he deserved.
"So during the year that Zhaojun was away, I thought a lot. From now on, no matter what identity you want to take, where you stay, or whether you reconcile with Ziduan, I will not force you." Emperor Wen looked at He Zhaojun very solemnly.
"I also promise you that from now on, there will be no more princesses marrying off to foreign countries in the Han Dynasty."
He Zhaojun bowed again and again, unaware of the immense effort Emperor Wen would have to expend to fulfill such a brief promise. How could he possibly fulfill this promise unless he truly unified the entire empire, made all the border states submit to him, and, in the event of war, would never retreat and would defend every inch of his territory to the death?
Emperor Wen patted Wen Ziduan on the back and said, "If I cannot accomplish this in my lifetime, I will pass this burden on to you. If you cannot do it, then my grandson will still be there. I will make sure these border invaders remember that the Han territory is not for anyone to covet!"
"Zhaojun, you and Shaoshang have shown me that women are no less capable than men. What they can do, you can do too. I also heard that Ziduan has dressed up as a woman many times... Perhaps there is no rule in this world that men can only be the sun and women can only be the stars."
He Zhaojun looked at Wen Ziduan. Why hadn't she heard him mention this story about dressing up as a girl? It seemed he hadn't told her everything. Wen Ziduan's eyes drifted to the beams, not daring to meet her gaze.
"From now on, I will have Ah Heng appoint female officials and open a school for girls in the harem. Besides the affairs within the harem, you still have a lot to do. Are you willing to lend a hand to your mother when the time comes?"
Emperor Wen looked at He Zhaojun, who nodded solemnly. She had never imagined that what she and Shao Shang had done would one day truly change the dynasty. It wasn't simply about changing one thing, but about truly letting the world see the value of women. They had won a window for women to see the world.
I, He Zhaojun, have not lived my life in vain.
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