Chapter 508 A Thousand-Person Marriage Event!
Many officials were seething with anger. How dare those foolish women and disobedient children disobey and sue their elders?
They are so cruel!
The Vice Minister of War roared, "For a son to denounce his father is utterly rebellious and defies the heavens! Such a person is unworthy of being a son and should be beaten to death with clubs!"
Shen Lanxi's face darkened.
"Minister, I remember your daughter is still a widow in the Prince Chen's residence, isn't she?"
"Aren't you going to let her remarry?"
The Vice Minister of War was taken aback, then said angrily, "As a woman, she should remain at home and observe chastity for her deceased husband. A good woman does not serve two husbands. My daughter has always followed the rules and regulations, unlike some people."
Shen Lanxi knew that the Vice Minister of War was being sarcastic, but she wasn't angry.
"I, the King, hereby amend a marriage law. If a woman's husband dies and she wishes to remarry, her husband's family shall not obstruct her, nor shall they withhold her dowry or property; otherwise, the entire family shall be exiled to the army!"
Yigeng, Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.
"If a woman is unwilling to remarry, her husband's family must not make things difficult for her; otherwise, she will be exiled to the army and her family property will be confiscated!"
As soon as the words "confiscation of family property" were heard, no one in the Ministry of Revenue stood up to oppose it; in fact, they strongly supported it!
Shen Lanxi's voice was deep: "Similarly, if someone in the family does something wrong, no matter who it is, as long as they stand up to report it, it's considered putting righteousness before family!"
"Upon investigation, those who have truly put righteousness before family ties will be promoted two ranks if they are officials. If they are commoners, they will be rewarded with 10 to 500 taels of silver, with no upper limit, depending on the circumstances. If they are merchants, they will be exempted from taxes for one year."
After she finished speaking, she looked at the Vice Minister of War provocatively, showing no fear of anyone finding fault with her.
Everyone who finds fault with her becomes a stepping stone beneath her feet.
"Vice Minister of War, do you have any further objections?"
The officials were somewhat apprehensive.
If what Shen Lanxi said is true, and the son sues the father, wouldn't the family members kill each other for their own benefit?
Mei Nanhua frowned: "This move has loopholes. If everyone reports it, won't our court be thrown into chaos?"
Shen Lanxi: "Only those who have done wrong are afraid of being reported. The innocent are innocent. What is there to be afraid of if you haven't done anything wrong?"
Mei Nanhua: "I have always been upright and have nothing to fear!"
Shen Lanxi: "Only by using severe punishment can some people see the sharp blade hanging over their heads when they look up, and only then will they have fear when they want to take risks."
That makes sense!
Shen Lanxi lifted her foot and walked into the palace.
Wang Bao: "Dismiss the court!"
The story of the concubine's son beating the drum to appeal was reported in the bulletin, and soon the government office was hit with a wave of family divisions.
Very few people actually sue their family members; instead, most choose to separate their households.
In the past, when descendants in ordinary families proposed to divide the family property, the elders would always suppress and discourage them by arguing that the family should not be divided while the parents were still alive.
Now, the imperial edict doesn't need to be mentioned by the illegitimate son; the family property is divided up quickly.
In order to avoid being reported, many families did not give only one hundred taels as stipulated in the law, but gave more.
Most of the concubines went with their sons, and some even took their daughters with them.
When families split up, they need to buy real estate, furniture, and daily necessities, leading to another buying spree in Beijing since the cultural exchange delegation left.
Many ladies at the girls' academy, who wished to remain anonymous, secretly sent donations through their servants and then quietly left.
The guard reported: "Most of those who donated were wives, and a few were concubines. After they secretly sent their money, they sent servants to inquire when the academy would start enrolling students."
Shen Lanxi nodded: "They are all kind-hearted and grateful people. Such people cannot be left unnoticed."
"Have someone tell the dean that since he doesn't want to reveal his name, then write it on the merit wall in the name of the flower."
"yes!"
Che Mingyuan came in with the booklet.
"In less than three days, thirty households, totaling no less than four hundred people, have moved to the Northwest."
Shen Lanxi nodded. Although the results were regrettable, the effort was still insufficient!
In the imperial court
Shen Lanxi made another surprising statement.
"I plan to hold a marriage event in the capital for a thousand people, with all eligible unmarried men and women participating."
The court was in uproar
"Our court has never held such an event before. Marriages are arranged by matchmakers, and our court's involvement seems rather frivolous."
"No one will participate. Since ancient times, marriage has been arranged by parents and matchmakers. How can one marry privately? Wouldn't that be adultery?"
"To act without a matchmaker or betrothal is to engage in illicit relations; to act without the witness of one's parents is even more unfilial and disrespectful."
"Our imperial court cannot interfere with marriages among the common people; otherwise, the people will certainly complain."
Nobody is optimistic about it.
Shen Lanxi: "There are three reasons for this move."
"Firstly, in order to defend Dongchuan and the Northwest, you may not know that many of the soldiers in the Northwest and Dongchuan are orphans without parents or refugees who perished in their families. For the safety of the people of our Great Zhou, many of them have never married. They have sacrificed too much for our Great Zhou."
So that's how it is. Many court officials fell silent.
"The second reason is still to give women a way to survive. As everyone knows, in recent years, due to war and the imperial court's conscription, many families have been left with only women and children. In some places, there are many women, and an entire village may not even have a single adult male. Families with many women can stick together for warmth, but if there are only one or two women, they will be bullied by the villagers. I don't need to tell you their fate; you can imagine it yourselves!"
"The third reason is population. War and natural disasters have caused our Great Zhou to lose a lot of people. As a result, there are more women than men in some places, and there are only men and no women in other places. How can our Great Zhou's population recover if this continues?"
The officials fell silent again; these were questions they had never considered.
For a moment, some people felt ashamed, some felt annoyed, and some stared intently at Shen Lanxi.
"Issue the order to all prefectures and counties, and conduct the operation on a voluntary basis for women. No women can be forced. Otherwise, if I find out, not only will you lose your job, but your entire family will be executed!"
The officials remained silent.
Shen Lanxi: "The outside world is rife with filth and corruption. This event will be held in the capital, and I, the King, will be there in person. No one can afford to cheat!"
"The imperial court will provide travel expenses and personally escort eligible women from various prefectures to the capital to participate in the event."
This political strategy was disseminated to the public in the form of a news bulletin, and then passed on to the ears of those who could not read through the mouths of storytellers.
Following the revision of the marriage law, the attention of the people of the capital once again focused on marriage activities.
As for the previous rumors in the capital that the traitor had the descendants of the former crown prince in his possession?
I'm sorry, this news is outdated. The people only care about things that concern them. As for the former crown prince? He's too far removed from their lives.
On the first day, the women were all observing, but that afternoon several women who looked like beggars signed up. Starting the second day, people began to sign up one after another.
On the third day, there was an outpouring of people: widows with children, women who looked like gaunt beggars, and girls dressed in flamboyant clothes who clearly came from the building.
On the fourth day, the men also arrived, because they had heard that those who went to Dongchuan or the Northwest to join the army would be assigned wives.
On the fifth day, government officials from towns surrounding the capital began sending people to the capital in oxcarts, donkey carts, and horse-drawn carriages.
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