Chapter 461 What? Opening a girls' school?
Liu Mingxin said angrily, "It was all out of desperation. That daughter-in-law was too cruel and actually poisoned her mother-in-law."
Shen Lanxi pointed out accurately: "The file says that the granddaughter was sold to a brothel."
Liu Mingxin fell silent.
Shen Lanxi chuckled lightly: "The file also states that the son knew about this matter!"
Liu Mingxin simply couldn't bring himself to say anything to help his son, which is what makes this case so difficult.
"So, according to you, that man had to die?" So the life of an innocent child was disregarded.
Shen Lanxi reasoned step by step, from top to bottom.
"It's understandable for a mother to want her son to be filial after raising him. If the mother-in-law hadn't sold the child to a brothel, but instead sold her to another family to be a maid or a laborer, or even found her a family to be a child bride at a young age, the daughter-in-law wouldn't have been so cruel. Tell me, what mother in the world would want to see her daughter being abused at such a young age?"
Liu Mingxin remained silent precisely because no one was at fault in this matter, which made a judgment difficult.
Shen Lanxi continued, "It's understandable that the son, seeing his mother being poisoned, acted out of a fit of rage."
Liu Mingxin's eyes lit up, and he said with a troubled expression, "So, if you put it that way, no one is wrong?"
Shen Lanxi: "On the contrary, everyone is at fault!"
Liu Mingxin scoffed lightly; what difference did this make from saying nothing to anyone?
Shen Lanxi: "If a mother is really sick, having her son serve her and stand in front of her would be perfectly acceptable. But according to the testimony, this woman does this every day. While her son and daughter-in-law are working in the fields, she chats and laughs with the neighbors every day, full of energy, and her legs are very nimble. Her complexion is even better than her daughter-in-law's. It is obvious that she is faking illness."
Liu Mingxin frowned: "Lord Shen, what does this have to do with the case? If it's unrelated, don't say it. I don't have time for idle chatter."
Shen Lanxi: "Yes, it is very relevant. Lord Liu, and all of you, please listen patiently to what I have to say."
"You showed me this case before because you wanted me to handle it, didn't you? If you don't want me to handle it, you can take the case away now!"
Liu Mingxin and the others remained silent.
Shen Lanxi: "There are only a few people in the family. The son lives with his mother all year round. How could he not see that his mother is pretending? Unless she is blind and deaf. Unfortunately, the testimony says that this man is a peddler who goes from street to street. He is sharp-witted and quick-witted. The reason why he obeys his mother in everything is obviously due to blind filial piety!"
“Blind filial piety and blind loyalty are the same thing. Blind loyalty harms the people, oneself, and one’s family. The same goes for blind filial piety. The tragedy that has occurred is only because the son obeyed his mother in everything, even though he knew she was faking her illness and deliberately tormenting his wife.”
"The daughter-in-law acted impulsively. The woman sold her daughter, and she refused. Instead of trying to find her daughter, she attacked the woman with a knife. She didn't even consider that she had a young child to take care of. Obviously, she didn't think things through. Of course, it's also possible that she was so anxious that she lost her mind and didn't care about anything else, or even had the thought of dying together with the woman."
“These three women, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, each have their own flaws, so the first thing they should think about is not how to deal with that man, but to use this incident to resolve countless hidden dangers.”
Liu Mingxin frowned: "What do you mean?"
Shen Lanxi: "There is a saying among the people that a bad wife can ruin three generations. Usually, people talk about how the man is, but they don't think about it. Men are taught by their mothers from a young age. The mother is the child's first teacher. The child will imitate and learn from the mother's words and actions. So, sometimes, you can tell what kind of mother and even the whole family is by looking at what kind of man he is."
Liu Mingxin and all the officials fell silent.
Shen Lanxi: "You all say that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, but don't you think about it? If a woman has no talent, what kind of outstanding children and grandchildren can she raise? It would be good enough if she didn't ruin all her children and grandchildren."
The officials remained silent once again.
Shen Lanxi gave an example: "Previously, Fang Youdao, the Minister of Justice, was upright and incorruptible, hating evil as if it were his enemy. But what happened? Just because he married a woman who was unreasonable and ignorant of etiquette, he spoiled his son into a playboy. Minister Fang was upright and noble throughout his life, but in the end, he was burdened by his wife and son, and his whole family lost their heads."
“From this incident, I have seen countless microcosms. Most of the women in my Great Zhou are confined to their homes, illiterate, and short-sighted. They are unable to distinguish right from wrong, so they are confused after marriage and often do wrong things, which implicate their fathers and brothers and bring disaster to their husbands’ families.”
She then gave several more examples, all from the last decade, of high-ranking officials in the court who were implicated by their families, either imprisoned, exiled, or had their entire families executed.
The officials who heard this felt a chill run down their spines, wishing they could rush home right now and give their wives a good talking-to.
Shen Lanxi raised the corners of her mouth: "Therefore, I want to solve the problem at its root, rather than worrying about whether that man lives or dies."
“A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. Whatever mistake you make, you must bear the consequences. That man committed murder, and according to the imperial law, he should be beheaded, without a doubt.”
"The child is left unattended, and I have already devised a solution. We will build orphanages in various places. The years of war have left many orphans without anyone to care for them. Wouldn't these orphans also be sent to orphanages to be cared for by the imperial court?"
Liu Mingxin couldn't find the words to refute her, because he also felt that Shen Lanxi was right to do so.
Shen Lanxi: "Then we will open girls' schools in various places so that women can be enlightened and have the ability to distinguish right from wrong."
What? Opening a girls' school?
How did the conversation turn into talking about establishing a girls' school?
All the officials’ attention was focused on the three regents, especially on Liu Mingxin.
“Absurd! Since the founding of our Great Zhou Dynasty, we have never heard of a girls’ school. This is simply, simply a violation of the fundamental principles of morality.”
Shen Lanxi glanced at Liu Mingxin: "Does Lord Liu hope that the wives his children and grandchildren will marry in the future will be like that woman, unreasonable and unable to distinguish right from wrong?"
Liu Mingxin choked, then said, "Not all women in the world are like that old woman."
Shen Lanxi said coldly, "So the women in Lord Liu's household are illiterate and know nothing?"
How could he admit to that? If he did, who would dare to marry a woman from the Liu family?
"Nonsense! The women in my family are naturally very well-educated; they are proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and are also virtuous and kind, praised by many."
Shen Lanxi: "So, someone as reasonable as Lord Liu would definitely support his daughter studying at home. I suppose you have quite a few famous tutors at your residence, right?"
How was Liu Mingxin supposed to answer that?
It's not appropriate to say I invited them, but it's also inappropriate to say I didn't!
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