0091 Guanyin Swallow (Part 4)
The hall fell silent instantly, and everyone wore different expressions.
Everyone present was of higher status than her, so it was incredibly bold of her to say such a thing in public.
Sun Yaoji remained calm: "Since you think their explanations are not entirely satisfactory, then if it were you, what kind of plan would you come up with for me?"
Shu Fu mentally reviewed the words she had prepared, then suddenly looked up and met those clear eyes.
"Your Highness, in my opinion, it is education."
Sun Yaoji's eyes flickered, and her brows gradually relaxed.
She wasn't in a hurry to ask more questions, and instead looked up in the direction of Li Miao: "Sixth Sister, you should take all the ladies and wives out for some fresh air first, and tell Second Sister to stay here with me."
Li Miao was slightly surprised, and subconsciously looked at Shu Fu, pointing at the door with her eyes to indicate that she would wait for her outside. Then she invited everyone to walk outside.
As everyone filed out, the inner room became spacious, and pale spring light streamed in through the windows, spilling onto the floor, as if the soft, golden green carpet outside had also been brought into the room.
What a bright and beautiful scene.
She was momentarily distracted when she heard Empress Sun say gently, "I heard from Sixth Sister that you are shy, so I sent them all away. What you are about to say is just like chatting with an ordinary elder, so don't hold back."
Shu Fu felt a warmth in her heart and raised her head earnestly, saying, "Your Highness, what Miss Qin and the lady in the inner room said was very good. If we are to create an 'equal situation' as proposed in the draft of the new policy, yet still allow women at the bottom to live in dire straits and allow a man to marry multiple women, isn't that self-contradictory and utterly ridiculous?"
"But the Duchess of Su's concerns are indeed valid. If all the brothels in Dali are simply shut down, how will these women make a living after they are released?"
"This is simply because these are not the fundamental issues."
Shu Fu let out a soft sigh: "If Your Highness had asked me this question last year, I might not have been able to say anything. But since Father was sent on a mission to the Southern Frontier, he occasionally mentioned in his letters that the customs of the various tribes in the Southern Frontier are quite different from those in the Dali era."
She dipped her finger in the tea and sketched a rough map of the Miao region, with Wuling Mountain and Leigong Mountain as the boundaries, on the small table beside her. Finally, she left a heavy water stain in one of the spots.
"Your Highness, please look. This place is called Wulong Mountain. With this mountain as the boundary, there are two tribes to the west and three tribes to the east, making a total of five tribes. All of them have women as their tribal chiefs, who are in charge of important matters such as mulberry cultivation and sacrifices," she said, attributing what Zhan Yaoguang had told her to Shu Rongguang. "I learned from Aye's letter that the Miao people are skilled in and value Gu poison, and the Gu poison techniques of these tribes are more suitable for women to learn. These women who have learned Gu poison have the responsibility of protecting their people, thus establishing their prestige in the tribe, which gives them the power to make important decisions."
"Therefore, I believe that if we want the new policies to be implemented and women in the world to have a place to rely on, we should establish schools and promote education."
Sun Yaoji did not directly affirm her words, but asked instead, "What kind of education is being promoted? When I lived in Longyou before, I saw that the Li family had its own clan school, and even set aside a room specifically for girls to use for teaching. I suppose other aristocratic families should do the same, but it seems that they have not achieved the same results."
Shu Fu said, “Your Highness, the ‘education’ I’m talking about is not about learning to be a wife for a certain man, but about learning the Imperial Academy, the Four Gates Academy, the Law Academy, the Mathematics Academy, and the Calligraphy Academy. It’s about writing policies on current affairs, riding and archery, and doing anything that a man in the Dali era can do.”
“And use this as capital to serve the emperor in the future,” she said, standing up and turning to Sun Yaoji, bowing respectfully.
Shu Fu's heart pounded. She gently touched her chest and then solemnly said, "They are not the female officials set up in the inner court of the previous dynasty to serve the imperial concubines, but officials who wear brocade robes and six-sided shoes." She paused and added, "Just like General Qin."
Upon hearing her words, Sun Yaoji's eyes deepened, yet they gleamed with a subtle light.
She held Shu Fu's hand in her palm, and after a moment, she tidied the stray hairs from Shu Fu's temples: "Second Aunt Shu? Your parents raised you very well... no, it's because you're naturally beautiful."
"You spoke very well, but there is still a bit of naivety and impetuosity in your words."
Shu Fu's ears turned red, and her voice became as soft as a mosquito's buzz, growing ever lower: "I know, Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness..."
“However…” Sun Yaoji suddenly smiled, “that’s what I think too.”
Sun Yaoji stood up and took out a stack of papers from the box brought by the palace maid and handed them to her: "This is a plan I drafted before you, and some of the things in it coincide with what you said. Before this, no lady had ever thought of things at this level, so when Sixth Sister first handed me your plan, I was really surprised."
"Shu Erniang, you are very smart, I like you very much."
Shu Fu was startled. The heat from her ears quickly spread to her face, and a strange warmth emanated from her limbs.
Sun Yaoji squatted down again, almost at eye level with her, as if she were not a powerful empress with outstanding achievements, but merely a woman with naive ideals who was equal to her.
She said, "If I and those women from earlier wanted to create the Great Li Dynasty you mentioned, would you be willing to help me?"
Shu Fu pursed her lips and looked directly at the intelligent and resilient Queen: "Having gained Your Highness's favor, I would gladly die for it."
Sun Yaoji's clear and deep eyes finally curved into a genuine and joyful smile, like two crescent moons rising from the bottom of a lake, hanging in the deep blue sky, radiating a faint, brilliant light.
"You've read the stories of Shang Yang and Wu Qi, but aren't you afraid of dying and losing your way?"
Shu Fu pondered for a moment, then said, "To be honest, I am indeed afraid, but since Your Highness and so many ladies are not afraid, I am not so afraid either. There is only one thing..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but Sun Yaoji understood that she was asking how to ensure that the next emperor would follow the old system and continue to implement the new policies.
Sun Yaoji pondered for a moment, then solemnly said, "I only have one daughter."
Shu Fu's heart skipped a beat, and she abruptly raised her eyes, meeting the other person's clear and firm gaze.
Sun Yaoji smiled and said no more: "Alright, I've kept you too long. Sixth Sister is probably missing you. Go out and play with those young ladies."
Shu Fu responded and got up to walk outside. As she approached the door, she suddenly turned back and said, "Your Highness, I suddenly remembered that there is something I haven't reported yet."
"Go ahead and speak."
"In order to write the policy essay to Your Highness, I read through all the books in Dali that concerned the southern border, but all of them omitted what I just mentioned. If it weren't for my father's letter, I probably would never have known about this in my life."
Her voice was cold: "Then, what exactly are those gentlemen who are responsible for compiling the books thinking?"
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