Chapter 232 Debate (2)
These words immediately displeased a group of male students on the other side who had initially been watching the spectacle.
They were all scholars traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations, and upon hearing the young woman's "rebellious" remarks, they all showed displeasure.
A handsome young man was the first to stand up, his tone carrying a hint of righteous indignation.
"The Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues are rules established in the books of sages and virtuous men, which have remained unchanged throughout the ages! The so-called 'men are in charge of external affairs, and women are in charge of internal affairs' means that women are born to abide by the virtues of womanhood, support their husbands and raise their children. How can they show their faces in public, let alone take on the heavy responsibility of governing the country and maintaining peace?"
A student wearing a square scarf next to him added in a pretentious tone, "The sage said, 'Women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with,' and this is no exaggeration. Women in power are prone to acting out of their own selfish desires. How can they have the same broad vision as men? If our Great Qi really lets women run the household, sooner or later we will repeat the mistakes of the previous dynasty where the maternal relatives held power!"
A group of male students took turns refuting the argument, citing classical texts and other sources.
Each of them looked completely certain, as if they held the truth in their hands and were determined to make the female student admit her mistake.
The atmosphere in the teahouse became tense again. The rickshaw pullers and porters, who had just been silenced by the auntie, perked up and joined in the commotion, shouting, "That's right! That's the truth!"
Upon hearing this, the female student showed no panic whatsoever. Instead, she slowly stood up and calmly swept her gaze over the group of indignant male students.
“The sages spoke of the ‘Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues,’ with ‘the ruler being the guide for the subject’ being the core principle, and ‘the ruler being benevolent and the subject being loyal.’ When did they ever say that women were born to be confined to the inner quarters?”
She looked at the student who had spoken first, her tone questioning: "You say women should uphold traditional virtues, be good wives and mothers, but the sages also said 'education should be provided to all without discrimination.' Are women inherently unqualified to study and understand principles? Ban Zhao's continuation of the Book of Han and Cai Wenji's transmission of the Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute are clear evidence of women's talent and learning. If they were only confined to needlework, how could they have achieved such enduring accomplishments?"
She then looked at the student wearing a square scarf: "'Only women and petty men are difficult to deal with.' In the sage's words, 'women' refers to concubines or attendants favored by the king, and 'petty men' refers to court attendants, eunuchs, or treacherous officials who cling to power. The sage intended to remind those in power that such people are arrogant because of their favor; getting close to them is disrespectful, and distancing oneself from them breeds resentment. They are difficult to manage and can easily cause political turmoil. You can't even understand the sage's words, yet you dare to call yourself a scholar? How can you talk about taking the imperial examinations, entering officialdom, or governing the country?"
The group of male students were immediately rendered speechless, their faces flushed red, and after a long pause, they managed to stammer out, "You...you're just being unreasonable!"
At this moment, the merchant's wife, who had been sitting silently next to the merchant, suddenly spoke up.
Her voice was cold, tinged with sarcasm: "Those sage books, weren't they written for you men from the very beginning? Men have three wives and four concubines, women have three obediences and four virtues, you've taken all the advantages, and now you're blaming us for being unreasonable. I think we're just too bad at being reasonable, that's why we've been fooled by you for so many years."
Upon hearing this, the merchant quickly reached out to take his wife's hand, saying aggrievedly, "I'm different from them. That's not what I thought. Please don't be angry, my wife."
The woman pulled her hand away from his, her anger still burning. "You men are all the same! You're all the same, do you think I can't see that?"
The merchant was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. He quickly stood up, went around to his wife's side, and carefully took her arm, speaking in a soft and gentle voice.
"My wife, you know perfectly well! I'm not like those people at all, heaven and earth can bear witness! We've been married for so many years, when have I ever let you suffer even the slightest grievance? Haven't you been the one making all the decisions at home?"
As he spoke, he leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Look at you, it's not worth getting yourself sick from getting angry. Just let those pedantic scholars' nonsense go in one ear and out the other, there's no need to get angry with them."
The woman glanced at him, her expression softening slightly, but she still snorted irritably: "Let me tell you, if I ever hear you blindly agreeing with those people again, I'll see how I deal with you!"
The atmosphere here improved, but over there it was a different story; things had completely erupted.
Most of the men shook their heads and sighed, quoting classical texts and spouting "ethics and moral principles."
The women became increasingly agitated as they spoke, counting the achievements of the heroines on their fingers, each sentence revealing their resentment.
The waiter, holding the teapot, stared in disbelief, forgetting even to refill the water.
Finally, the woman raised her voice and said, "Whether it's His Highness the Crown Prince or Empress Shen, it's only right and proper for them to be emperors! The imperial edict has been clearly issued, so who are you idle people to oppose it? If you're really capable, go and beat the Dengwen Drum and complain to the officials in the court and His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately fell silent.
Beating the drum to petition the emperor? That's a serious matter—appealing to the emperor himself!
They wouldn't dare to make a fuss about it in private and take it to higher authorities.
If I really went, it's hard to say whether I'd even keep my head.
The once noisy teahouse suddenly fell silent.
"There's no need for you all to argue."
Just then, a woman in purple who had been quietly drinking tea in the corner suddenly spoke up.
All eyes turned to her.
She was dressed in luxurious silks and satins, with a snow-white fox fur cloak over it. The materials were exquisite, and it was clear at a glance that she was not an ordinary person.
The woman's expression was calm and serene. She picked up her teacup and took a small sip. "The principles of this world are not so complicated. For us ordinary people, being able to eat our fill, dress warmly, and live in peace, without having to wander or fear exorbitant taxes, is what constitutes a good life."
"Instead of arguing about whether it's a man or a woman, let's see who can bring a good life to our people. If the Great Qi is prosperous and the people have enough to eat and wear and live a wealthy life, then whether it's a man or a woman sitting on the dragon throne, they are all good emperors."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other and fell into deep thought.
After a while, the cart drivers and porters stood up sheepishly, grabbed their carrying poles and ropes from the corner, and headed outside, muttering, "Good days! What good days? Isn't it the same no matter who's the emperor? We ordinary folks have long been used to hardship, we've long accepted our fate..."
The old woman spat at his retreating back: "Spineless coward! All you know how to do is accept your fate, you have no hope at all, you deserve to suffer your whole life!"
The male students and the old man at the table nodded thoughtfully, took a sip of tea, and remained silent.
Only the waiter finally came to his senses, and, holding his long-spouted kettle, shouted loudly:
"Dear guests, your freshly brewed hot tea is served. Would you like some more water?"
The heated argument from just moments ago seemed to vanish in an instant.
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