Chapter 231 Debate
With His Highness the Crown Prince's coronation ceremony approaching, many merchants, porters, and artisans have been coming to the capital. Some want to make a good deal on this auspicious occasion, while others simply want to join in the fun.
Moreover, February is just around the corner, and the annual imperial examinations are approaching. Students from all over the country are heading to the capital to prepare for the exams.
Therefore, the capital city has been exceptionally lively recently, with more carriages and horses on the streets, and restaurants and teahouses are doing exceptionally well.
In a teahouse on the outskirts of Beijing, next to an official road, waiters carried tea and moved between tables and chairs.
The sounds of vendors calling out, teacups clinking, and guests chatting and laughing filled the air, creating a bustling and lively atmosphere.
In the corner, a group of coachmen had just stopped to rest and were loudly discussing what was happening in the capital, attracting people from several other tables to gather around and listen.
"The current emperor is still sitting on the dragon throne, and the eldest princess is about to ascend the throne, yet they still want to posthumously honor the late empress as emperor!"
A rickshaw driver with a thick beard and dark skin exclaimed in amazement while holding a teacup, his voice so loud that everyone in the teahouse could hear him.
"A family of three all being emperors? Where in history have we ever heard of such a thing?"
“I agree!” another coachman chimed in. “Just the other day I saw an imperial edict at Chengtian Gate appointing a crown prince and posthumously honoring an empress. Wow, two women as emperors, at the same time! It’s unheard of and unprecedented!”
A merchant wearing a felt hat at the next table chimed in, "And I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony will be held together with Empress Shen's posthumous conferment ceremony. On the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the two ceremonies will be held together. The scene will probably be even more lively than the New Year!"
Upon hearing this, the bearded coachman slammed his fist on the table. "This is outrageous! What are those court officials doing? How could they agree to such an absurd thing! Letting two women be emperors?!"
"Do you think those ministers in the court still have the final say?" A porter carrying an empty load sighed and chimed in, "Now, the ministers in the court are either dead or exiled. Even Prime Minister Zheng has recently been accused of being involved in the Cui family's rebellion and has been placed under house arrest!"
A peddler next to him shook his head and said, "That's right! The princess has just become the crown prince and she has already promoted two female officials. Isn't the meaning obvious? She wants to elevate women and suppress us men! I think this is a sign of the yin prevailing over the yang, and the fate of the Great Qi is about to end!"
The bearded coachman was even angrier, his face red and neck thick with anger as he cursed, "If you ask me, it's all the old emperor's fault for being incompetent and not having more sons, which allowed the eldest princess to get the job! It's one thing for her to be the crown prince, but why should Empress Shen, a woman from another family, be made emperor?"
The merchant quickly glanced around and lowered his voice to advise, "You can't say that. Back then, Empress Shen quelled the rebellion and fought against the Tibetans. She was a true heroine who protected so many people in our Great Qi. Now that the Crown Prince has ascended the throne, it is his way of showing filial piety by giving his mother an imperial title. It makes perfect sense both morally and logically."
"That makes no sense at all!" The bearded coachman retorted, frowning. "Rules are rules. How can they be changed arbitrarily based on merit? No matter how powerful the eldest princess or the late empress was, she was still a woman. Wouldn't it be disorderly to make her an emperor? If another powerful empress or princess comes along in the future, are we going to make her an emperor too?"
The porter sighed as well: "Yes! I felt something was wrong when they first set up the women's special examination! Now look what's happened, two female emperors have emerged, and a bunch of women are in office. The whole country is in chaos! In the future, it seems women will be in charge, and we men will have to listen to them. What kind of talk is that!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud crash came from the next table.
A burly middle-aged woman suddenly slammed down her teacup, splashing scalding hot tea all over the table.
She had the emblem of a security escort agency tied around her waist, clearly indicating that she was a person who traveled all over the country.
"What's wrong with women? Where were you when the late Empress led the troops into battle? Her achievements speak for themselves. How is giving her an imperial title considered a violation of moral principles? Those incompetent emperors who only know how to kill their wives and harm their daughters should be sitting comfortably on the throne, right?"
She turned and glared at the porter, her voice surprisingly loud: "And you, you stinking porter! You listen to those shopkeepers yelling and shouting all day long, bowing and scraping and being grateful for a single copper coin. What? You can't stand listening to women now? Is it because they don't have your lousy thing and you can't smell it?"
"You say there's something wrong with the women's special examination! The men's special examination has been held for over a thousand years. You're all so eloquent, so why haven't you ever passed the exam and earned any official titles? Aren't you still doing manual labor and drinking coarse tea?"
Upon hearing this, the men instantly felt greatly insulted and their faces turned red with anger.
One of the tall porters suddenly stood up, as if to attack.
"You bitch! Don't think I don't hit women. If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll teach you a lesson today!"
To everyone's surprise, the woman also stood up abruptly, and was actually half a head taller than the porter.
She was all muscle, with broad shoulders and a thick back; she looked like she could kill two or three strong men with one punch.
She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her muscular arms, and her eyes darkened: "Who wants to teach who a lesson? Come on, I'll give you three moves first!"
The porter immediately cowered, his earlier fierceness vanishing instantly. He sullenly sat back down, his face flushed red, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
Seeing this, the other men nearby dared not move forward any further, but just shrank their necks and muttered: "You woman, with your foul mouth and showing your arms in public, it's simply indecent and improper!"
"Moral integrity my ass!" The aunt slammed her hand on the table, making the teacup rattle. "What law in the world says that women can't show their arms and legs? If you don't want to see, gouge your own eyes out and get out of here! Nobody's stopping you! A bunch of cowardly bullies!"
The men were silenced by her overwhelming power and lowered their heads, either picking at their tea or looking away, no longer daring to utter a word.
At this moment, an old man beside him stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "What do women know? A hen crowing at dawn is never a good omen. The succession to the throne should ultimately follow ancestral rules..."
"Ancestral rules?"
Before he could finish speaking, a young woman at another table couldn't help but stand up.
She was dressed in a blue cloth gown and had a scholarly air about her. There was also a book box next to her, so she was obviously one of the students who went to the capital to take the imperial examination.
"In ancient times, there were stories of Nuwa mending the sky and Leizu creating clothing, both of which are precedents of women bringing peace and prosperity to the country. Our late Empress Shen quelled internal rebellions, defended against foreign aggression, recovered the lost territories of three prefectures, and prevented the Tubo from crossing the border even half a step, thus protecting the people of the Great Qi and ensuring their peaceful and prosperous lives. His Highness the Crown Prince has done so many good deeds for us ordinary people by providing disaster relief and reducing taxes. Such achievements surpass even those of male emperors throughout history."
"As for women becoming officials and establishing women's departments," the girl looked at the peddler who had just complained, her eyes open and honest, "men can study for the imperial examinations and become officials, so why can't women? Many women are just as talented as men, they just lack the opportunity. Now the court has opened its doors, allowing talented people, regardless of gender, to realize their ambitions. This is enlightenment, not 'disrupting the established order'."
She turned to the old man stroking his beard, her tone becoming more respectful. "Old sir, you say 'a hen crowing at dawn is an ominous sign,' but throughout history, there are countless examples of incompetent rulers who ruined their countries. Are they all to blame for the 'rooster crowing at dawn'? It is clear that the rise and fall of a nation does not depend on the gender of its ruler, but on whether he is diligent in governing and loves his people, and whether he appoints people based on merit. The late Empress and the eldest princess were both people who cared for the world. Why should their abilities and achievements be denied simply because they were 'women'?"
His words were clear and well-reasoned, citing numerous classical allusions, and the teahouse immediately fell silent.
Seeing someone chime in, the woman became even more confident, putting her hands on her hips and saying, "Well said! This girl is absolutely right! You men talk a lot of nonsense, quoting classics, but when it comes to actually serving the people, how many of you can compare to Empress Shen and His Highness the Crown Prince? Don't use 'ancestral rules' as a shield. In the end, it's just a bunch of petty men who can't tolerate women being better than you!"
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