Chapter 80: Court Debate
What he was referring to was naturally the Grand Princess of Gao and the Prince's Secretary.
There were many officials and their families present at yesterday's Jianfu Temple event, so after returning home, they naturally gossiped about it with their families, including the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Rites.
Although the Queen did not convict Princess Gao on the spot, the truth behind the incident at the Changhua Palace had already been made public, and the sinister inside story had already been widely circulated in the capital. How could anyone not know about it?
"Therefore, I believe that the Lingling County Lady's choice of a husband must not be made hastily. It is better to leave the position of husband vacant than to force her to make a hasty decision on her lifelong commitment, lest a grave mistake be made." Cui Fufeng said solemnly, "I will definitely continue to stay at the Changhua Palace to protect the palace and the County Lady's safety, and help the Changhua Palace calm down the crisis as soon as possible and avoid any incidents."
This explanation was perfectly reasonable, and the Crown Prince naturally sided with Qian Deng. He also said to the Emperor, "I believe that Princess Lingling made this decision for good reason. The Prince of Changhua and the Crown Prince are all loyal and valiant people. With the Prince's Mansion now at the center of such controversy, if Princess Lingling were forced to choose a husband, I'm afraid the Prince and the Crown Prince would be terrified in the afterlife."
The emperor was still considering it, but even with the prince's attitude, the Minister of Rites refused to soften his stance: "No! It is absolutely unacceptable for a woman to lead the funeral!"
"Why does the Minister of Rites insist on his own opinion and refuse to approve it?" Qian Deng retorted. "The bloody incidents your subject described are all commonplace. The practices of female abjuration and cannibalism persist despite repeated bans. Setting this precedent would be a great favor to childless families. If women could preside over funerals and guard the home, while it might not save all the baby girls in the world, it would certainly reassure the soldiers on the front lines. They wouldn't have to worry about their elderly mothers and orphaned daughters being sold out, or about their bodies being left in the wilderness after death, unable to return to their homeland!"
Seeing that the Minister of Rites, this fence-sitter, was nodding secretly again, the Minister of Rites was immediately furious: "This is a military and national matter, why should a woman like you have to think about it!"
"Lord Taichang, you and I are both human children, and you are also a father, a grandfather, and a grandfather-in-law. Life continues from generation to generation because countless parents, generation after generation, bring their children into this world and raise them to adulthood; and countless children, generation after generation, send their parents off to the afterlife, caring for them until their death. If only sons are qualified to officiate at their parents' funerals, then women, born into this world, are not even qualified to be 'humans'? It's said that women cannot carry on the family line, so parents give birth but do not want to raise them; because women cannot attend their parents' funerals, they cannot bury them after their deaths. Born as human beings, women are unable to do what humans are supposed to do. Do you think that in the eyes of Lord Taichang, your mother, grandmother, grandmother-in-law, your sisters, daughters, granddaughters, and granddaughters are unworthy of being human beings, and can only be considered animals?"
The Minister of Rites was speechless for a moment. After a long moment, he flicked his sleeves and snorted coldly, "In short, it's absolutely not right for a woman to lead the funeral procession! Unless... unless the outsider is pure and inactive, then the Bodhisattva Guanyin will have visions of men and women. If the Lord of Lingling County wants to lead the ceremony himself, then he should first abandon the worldly world and become a monk, perhaps breaking the custom!"
As soon as he said this, everyone knew that he was furious. He was telling Cui Fufeng that if he wanted to help Princess Lingling again, he would be careful that he would never be able to marry her in this life.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly darkened. Yet, amidst the silence, Qian Deng showed no fear, simply bowing solemnly before the Emperor and Empress, beneath the throne.
She bowed deeply and placed her broken left eyebrow on the back of her folded hands.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Queen, Lingling wishes to be ordained as a monk today, to take refuge and wear mourning clothes, and to serve as a mourner for his mother!"
Her resolute attitude without hesitation was so deafening that one could hear a pin drop in the hall. Everyone was silent, and even the Minister of Rites opened his mouth but could not utter a word.
At this moment, a eunuch suddenly came in quickly from outside the hall, running towards the steps with a letter in his hand.
When the emperor, empress and court officials were discussing matters, the only letters that could be delivered directly to the palace were reports from the border.
Except for Qian Deng, who was kneeling, everyone else immediately stepped aside to make way. After all, now that the rebellion had just been quelled, what could be more important than urgent news from the army?
The eunuch knelt before the Dan Emperor with a thud, holding up the letter and exclaiming joyfully, "Your Majesty, great joy! Great news! A great victory has been reported in Hedong. After Li Huaiguang's rebel army was surrounded and intercepted by the combined forces of the Shuofang and Huihe armies, his generals, realizing their situation was hopeless, took his head and surrendered to the court. The Prince of Linhuai's swift cavalry reports the victory, and the head, captives, and troops will soon be brought to Chang'an as a present to Your Majesty!"
"Good! Good!" The emperor slapped the armrest of the dragon table and stood up with joy.
The Empress was also overjoyed, rising to join the others in the hall in congratulating the Saint. After all, during the Fengtian Crisis, two emperors and four kings had risen up and divided the country, but now, all of them had finally been defeated. The restoration of the shattered Tang Dynasty was truly a blessing for the country and the people.
The hall was filled with joy for a while, and everyone was immersed in this great news. How could they still remember the funeral in Changhua Palace and the fact that Lingling County used a daughter to preside over the funeral?
Only Cui Fufeng seemed to be lost in thought, and suddenly remembered the moment when Ling Tianshui said to Qian Deng under the candlelight in the mourning hall that you will get what you want.
Was it just a coincidence that the Prince of Linhuai suddenly wrote a letter to report victory at this very moment?
Did he write anything else in that letter besides the battle report?
After reading all the good news, the emperor's face remained full of joy, but his eyes were inevitably filled with a thoughtful expression.
After collecting the battle reports, the emperor ordered the Taichang Temple to prepare a grand ceremony to offer sacrifices to the ancestors. He also ordered it to be announced to the world that all provinces and prefectures would reduce taxes and levies this year to celebrate the great victory.
As everyone in the hall cheered "Long live the emperor", the emperor suddenly remembered something and signaled the eunuchs to help Qiandeng rise up. He said, "On this day of universal celebration, I recall that Prince Changhua and the Crown Prince also sacrificed their lives for their country. Their loyalty is commendable. After the Fengtian Incident, the people are now displaced and the country is in tatters. It is all thanks to the soldiers who bravely defended their homes and country on the battlefield. The Lingling County Lady is right in her memorial. Men go to war, and women stay behind. With uncertainty at the rear, how can the soldiers at the front fight with peace of mind? The countless tragedies of the past show that times have changed and people's hearts have shifted. The court cannot possibly let the soldiers on the front lines be disheartened and afraid of their families and what will happen after their death!"
Seeing the emperor's attitude, which seemed to indicate a final decision, the Minister of Rites immediately said, "Your Majesty is absolutely right! The laws established by our ancestors can be changed, so why can't the customs of the people be changed?"
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites opened his mouth, but under such circumstances, he could only shut up and hang his head in disappointment.
Minister Cui, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke up. "I second the motion. I believe that for the sake of the country and the people of the world, it is truly a good thing that the Princess of Lingling has set this trend."
Due to the warm atmosphere and the emperor's attitude, the funeral of Lady Qi was settled. The Lingling County Lady was in charge of the soul and the funeral ceremony. The Changhua Palace was the first to take such an innovative approach and it set an example for the world.
As for the matter of becoming a monk, no one mentioned it again.
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