“How arrogant,” Grand Secretary Zhong sneered, then said, “Since ancient times, men have been in charge of external affairs and women have been in charge of internal affairs. Women only need to manage the inner quarters. What does it have to do with them being granted titles and positions?”
Grand Secretary An shared the same thought, but he had too many concerns and dared not speak it out.
However, upon hearing this, his expression softened, and he even lowered his head to avoid being discovered by Ji Xuan.
"How can it be unrelated? Without them, where would the men who were granted titles and high positions come from?" Liu An sneered. "Don't underestimate women in this world. The Lady Protector of the Nation is the best example. We have all seen what she has done. Who dares to say that they are more capable than her?"
These words left Zhong Ping speechless.
"That's just sophistry. How many people in the world can be like the Lady Protector of the Nation? Don't generalize. To put it another way, the Lady Protector of the Nation has brought so many benefits to our Great Zhou, yet she is only a Lady of Imperial Decree. Why should Old Madam Jiang be granted a title?"
All men know that the world is unfair to women, including their mothers, but no one speaks out. Why?
It's very simple; the word "stability" is enough.
Because they understand that this is the easiest way.
When men and women have different positions, their interests may clash. In such cases, only by completely confining one party can the other party absolutely dominate the situation.
Through generations of domestication and hundreds of years of brainwashing, they successfully confined women to the inner courtyards, making them revolve around the stove and children, and making them worship their husbands...
But now, some people are trying to break this situation.
In Zhong Ping's eyes, this was unforgivable, tantamount to digging up one's own foundation.
"It's nothing," Liu An said lazily. "These official titles in the mortal world are not worthy of the Lady Protector of the Nation."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Ping's breath hitched for a moment, and he became even more disgusted with Liu An. "The Lady Protector of the Nation isn't here, she can't hear you, and your flattery won't help."
I hate sycophants more than anything else in my life, bar none.
Liu An, that old dog, we'll skin him alive sooner or later!
"Every word is the truth; which one is flattery?"
These words left Zhong Ping speechless.
Upon closer examination, he really didn't dare to deny it, but if he admitted it, he would feel extremely aggrieved.
He flicked his sleeves and spoke with a cold face, "Since ancient times, no woman has ever been granted a title of nobility. It is against all moral principles and a great injustice to the world!"
“That is not true,” Liu An said dismissively. “Grand Secretary Zhong is a man who is well-versed in poetry and literature and knowledgeable in law. There are so many books in the world, is there any one that says that women should not be granted titles and positions?”
“Zhong Qing,” Ji Xuan asked at the opportune moment, “is that so?”
"Your Majesty," Grand Secretary Zhong was dumbfounded, "there are so many books in the world. Even if I were a learned man, I would not dare to say that I have read them all. Moreover, even if I were to spend my whole life reading them all, it would be impossible."
Zhong Ping couldn't refute Liu An's words, so he could only try to avoid them.
"An Qing, what do you mean?"
"I agree with Grand Secretary Zhong's view. The sea of books is vast, and even if we devote our entire lives to it, we cannot fathom its entirety."
An Qingyun didn't want to offend either side, nor did she want to agree to the matter. In her words, she leaned more towards Zhong Ping.
"There are many books in the world, and we can't read them all, but we can surely read all the books of the sages," Liu An said unhurriedly. "You two are great Confucian scholars of the current dynasty, and you know the classics like the back of your hand. You can recite the Four Books and Five Classics from memory. May I ask, did the sages ever explicitly state that women should not be granted titles or positions?"
How could such a tacit understanding shared by men be explicitly stated in a book?
Of all virtues, filial piety is the most important. Who wasn't born of a mother?
If this kind of thing is said, no matter how high one's reputation or status, people will dig it up and lash out at one's dead body.
“Absurd,” Zhong Ping sneered. “Where would that leave the ‘Admonitions for Women,’ ‘Inner Teachings,’ ‘The Analects for Women,’ and ‘Abridged Records of Female Exemplars’?”
"Does Zhong Qing mean that these books are more reasonable than the words of Confucius and Mencius?"
Upon hearing this, Grand Secretary Zhong was speechless.
The teachings of Confucius and Mencius are the orthodox doctrine for scholars, and even a great Confucian scholar of the time would not dare to insult them.
"Your Majesty, although these four books are not as good as the teachings of the sages, they still have some truth to them."
“In that case,” Ji Xuan nodded calmly, “you really can’t refute Liu An’s words. Although this move is shocking, it is not necessarily unacceptable.”
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!" Zhong Ping said anxiously, sweating profusely. "If people follow this example, wouldn't it be a reversal of yin and yang? If the inner court is unstable, how can one govern the country?"
If women could all be granted high-ranking positions, what would be the point of having men? Would they still be as obedient as they are now?
"Does my subject mean that all the men in the world are inferior to mere women and children?"
Although Ji Xuan didn't show it, he couldn't help but shake his head inwardly, feeling that Zhong Ping's vision was too narrow.
Throughout history, most women have been held back by the elderly and children, and very few have been able to escape this cage.
Even among those who manage to break free and carve out their own niche, very few succeed.
Even so, Zhong Ping's lack of confidence is truly disappointing.
“How could that be?” Zhong Ping retorted instinctively. “If I can’t even compare to them, how can I achieve anything?”
“Your Majesty,” Grand Secretary An cupped his hands, “Grand Secretary Zhong was only worried about the negative impact of this matter, and had no other intention. If all women in the world followed the example of the Lady Protector of the Nation and her son, who were not at peace in their private quarters, it would not be good for either the country or their families.”
Grand Secretary An was in a very bad mood.
He strongly disagreed with this matter, but the emperor insisted on it, and he couldn't find any words to refute it, so he could only try to persuade him gently.
"What's wrong with that?" Ji Xuan frowned deeply. "If there were more women like the Lady Protector of the Nation in the world, why would the Great Zhou not prosper?"
That left no room for response.
Because it makes a lot of sense.
However, few people are willing to admit this, and most people are avoiding it to some extent.
After all, even if they were immortals, it would be a great blow to their self-esteem if a woman were more powerful than them.
"Since none of you ministers have any objections, this matter is settled."
"Your Majesty, this matter is not timely. The most urgent task is to deal with the affairs of the aristocratic families first."
Grand Secretary An decided to stall for time.
If we wait until things calm down, perhaps His Majesty will come to a change of heart.
“I’m just using this as an opportunity to lure the snakes out of their holes,” Ji Xuan nodded, “to draw out all those people hiding in the shadows.”
Since the reform of the imperial examination system, the two sides have been deadlocked. The aristocratic families have made repeated moves, but Ji Xuan did not want to take action; rather, the time was not right.
These people always operate in two groups, one openly and the other covertly.
The place isn't exactly a secret, but the person's background is clean, and there's no evidence to hold them accountable. Arresting them in broad daylight wouldn't be convincing, but letting them go unchecked would be tantamount to releasing a tiger back into the mountains.
We really can't delay any longer.
July and August are rainy months; it's a miracle if it doesn't rain for more than half a month. If it drags on any longer, we really can't wait any longer, and all the crops in the suburbs will be wasted.
Moreover, the rise in grain prices has seriously affected people's daily lives and cannot be ignored.
"Your Majesty is wise," Liu An agreed wholeheartedly. "After such a stalemate for so many days, we really can't drag this out any longer."
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