Chapter 861: The Correct Way to Open a Window [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
The national seal has many uses.
As long as one is willing to sacrifice the nation's fortune, the Imperial Seal can allocate the nation's fortune to bring favorable weather to certain areas within the territory, to bring timely rain to places suffering from drought, and even to bless a region with the nation's fortune, reducing the suffering of patients in areas ravaged by plague.
The fate of a nation—it has countless applications.
In the past, the kings liked to use it to consolidate their rule, but Shen Tang wanted to use it to do something that could be described as groundbreaking! The ministers subconsciously straightened their backs and listened attentively. Shen Tang said, "I want to give women the right to choose whether or not to give birth."
Everyone was puzzled and confused.
They couldn't keep up with Shen Tang's thought process.
But this did not include Gu Chi. His expression was visibly grave and worried, but he did not interrupt Shen Tang. Everyone listened as the young lord spoke gently: "All living beings are born from the crotch of women, but childbirth is an extremely risky thing, especially continuous childbirth. As long as the body can still give birth, most women will give birth until they are no longer able to have children."
Many people could no longer maintain their composure.
Some, with impatient tempers, even tried to stop Shen Tang.
It wasn't that they wanted to rebel, but rather that the topic of their lord was far too dangerous—she was the leader of a powerful force, and more importantly, the ruler of a nation. The population under her rule depended on women to bear children, and only women in the world could give birth. Without enough people, taxes wouldn't be enough to sustain the force, and even recruiting soldiers would be a problem. If a neighboring country invaded, they would be like fish on a chopping block. How was that any different from suicide?
If these words get out, they will further shake people's morale.
Qian Yong opened his mouth, but seeing no one step forward, he swallowed his words—as long as this matter didn't get out, everything would be fine. Even if it did, he could simply say that his lord was young and his ideas were whimsical, and that would be enough to smooth things over.
Shen Tang seemed oblivious to the reactions of the crowd, continuing to spout her explosive idea: "My initial thought—to grant eligible women within the territory a share of the nation's fortune, and to prevent women from becoming pregnant frequently by separating their primordial essence during intercourse. Of course, this would also reduce the number of gynecological diseases women suffer from due to unhealthy and unhygienic sexual practices; hygiene is indeed a serious issue..."
Her government office built several perfume shops.
According to quarterly business feedback from perfume shops, ordinary people don't like to bathe much. Economic issues are one factor, but personal habits also play a role. Furthermore, physiological differences between men and women lead to men neglecting hygiene, causing significant suffering for their female partners. Women in prosperous towns fare somewhat better, but women in remote rural areas generally suffer from gynecological diseases—a detail mentioned by Dr. Dong.
The atmosphere inside the tent was very quiet.
Until Gu Chi asked her seriously, "Forced?"
Shen Tang shook his head: "Of course it's not mandatory. The initial idea is that women of marriageable age can control a small part of the nation's fate according to their own will."
Zhao Feng forcefully plucked out several strands of his beard. There were things he wanted to say, but he didn't know where to begin. Just as he was pondering this, a familiar, gentle voice came from the air: "Your Majesty's compassion for the people is deeply moving. However, the war has just ended, and the land is desolate. This is precisely the time to encourage the common people to rest, recuperate, work peacefully, and raise children. Your Majesty's actions are perhaps inappropriate."
At this critical juncture, the government should be encouraging its people to marry and have children. Yet, its ruler is attempting to squander the precious resources of the state on this very issue. Given the current situation, this is an absolute blunder! Regardless of how the civil and military officials will react, the male citizens will surely rebel... and, moreover, there are lurking enemies adding fuel to the fire.
Qin Li knew that Shen Tang's heart was good.
But this suggestion shouldn't be made at this time.
At least we should wait until the country is stable and the population is so large that the land can no longer support it before intervening to control population growth. But that scenario doesn't apply to times of chaos; centuries of warfare have led to a dwindling population.
Qin Li's words were quite tactful.
We've offered all the advice and reminders we needed to. If our lord insists on going his own way, then those who have remained silent will step forward to oppose him. The atmosphere within Shen Tang's inner circle has always been good; such a large-scale conflict between lord and subject is unprecedented.
Qin Li thought that her young and impetuous lord might argue with her for a few rounds, but to her surprise, she thought about it seriously.
"Um—Gong Su's words make sense!"
Her idea was indeed somewhat out of step with the times.
but--
"This idea is brilliant! It would be such a waste not to use it!" She slumped into her seat, dejected, her shoulders slumped, muttering to herself, "These days, so many women get pregnant again right after giving birth. The previous child didn't get nutritious breast milk, and the baby in the womb doesn't get nourished either, leaving the mother's body exhausted. Tell me, if you give birth to one at the beginning of the year and another at the end, and then two in one year, yet the babies are as thin as kittens, how are they supposed to survive?"
"These are all cases where the pregnancy is relatively stable, and the baby can stay in the mother's womb until full term. What about those with unstable pregnancies? They get pregnant and miscarry, get pregnant and miscarry again. A woman may get pregnant dozens of times in her life, give birth to more than a dozen children, but only three or five of them grow up to be adults!"
"This is truly cruel!"
"Since they will only have three to five babies if they are born, why can't they only have three to five pregnancies and three to five births, so that they can suffer less pain? Of course, I also know that infants are prone to death, so having so many babies is to ensure that enough children can grow up."
"but--"
"In the end, I couldn't bear to."
As she spoke, tears welled up in Shen Tang's almond-shaped eyes.
Bai Su was moved. Having traveled extensively throughout the country, she had seen a wide range of things, and what her master described was commonplace in the countryside. Lin Feng and the other unmarried men, unfamiliar with such matters, widened their eyes upon hearing this, a hint of fear flickering within them.
Gu Chi: "..."
He recalled certain things at an inopportune time.
The lord once said that there was a house where someone wanted to remove the windows to increase the light, but the others in the house disagreed. This person then suggested removing the roof, and then the others agreed to remove the windows. Now, the lord is poking at the roof right in front of him—
The camp fell silent again.
It wasn't until Chu Yao sighed and said something completely unrelated that he finally asked, "After the lord retrieved the imperial seal, did he check it?"
Shen Tang, who was engrossed in her role, suddenly stiffened: "Huh?"
Chu Yao said, "Even if we support our lord's actions, the national destiny within the Imperial Seal does not support them. Previously, in defending Chaoli Pass, all those who could fight were wiped out in order to prevent the city from falling..."
It also includes the private treasury of their own lord.
Who knows how many years it will take to repay that astronomical debt?
Hearing Chu Yao's words about "cutting off the fuel supply," everyone in the tent secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If possible, they wouldn't want to create conflict with their lord over such a matter. Just as Qin Li had said, this suggestion was extremely untimely!
With too few people, they couldn't stop the enemy.
Preventing ordinary people from having a livelihood is tantamount to depriving them of their right to build strong families. Not only will men make a fuss, but women will too.
Commoners, especially those with their own land, needed more people to cultivate the land together in order to have enough to eat and survive. Villages and commoners would even fight over the ownership of a road or a well.
In villages with few people, or families with few members, their fields, wells, and roads will be forcibly taken away.
They might even lose their lives in the process of fighting.
The lord's kindness is good, but it is ill-timed.
The nation's destiny can be used to do many more things.
Shen Tang bit her lower lip tightly, seemingly very discouraged, but inwardly she was frantically trying to find someone, and Gu Chi's ears were about to be deafened by her noise!
Gu Chi: "..."
He wouldn't dare to provoke hatred at this critical juncture!
Just as Gu Chi was about to close his eyes, adopting the attitude of "it's all the same whether you stick your neck out or not," and helping his lord continue this charade, Xun Zhen, who had been silent all along, sighed: "My lord has some truth to what he said."
Gu Chi and Shen Tang were both surprised.
None of them expected Xun Zhen to end up like this. Could it be that her conscience returned after she burdened her lord/her with a huge loan?
Xun Zhen seemed oblivious to the strange expressions on his colleagues' faces: "Rather than having two weak and easily dying babies at the beginning or end of the year, it's better to have only one relatively strong baby that can survive."
Ning Yan carefully considered her options before offering a suggestion: "Making women of childbearing age not give birth would cause unrest. How about a compromise? Let's grant women who have given birth this right and appropriately lengthen the interval between one child and the next, for example, a year? In this way, newborns can receive enough breast milk from their mothers, and mothers can also have a year to recuperate and prepare for the next child?"
She tried to choose a roundabout and tactful way of expressing herself: "Of course, infants are weak and prone to death. If a child cannot be raised within a year, the parents may want to have another child as soon as possible to make up for the pain of losing their son or daughter. They do not insist that it must be a full year."
When the second child is born, the first one will be almost two years old.
Generally speaking, the younger the child, the more likely they are to die young. If a child can live to be two or three years old, their chances of survival increase significantly.
The mother will also have time to recover.
Ning Yan's suggestion was very similar to the window that Shen Tang wanted to open.
However, Shen Tang's plan was for two years.
However, considering the practicalities, she could only reluctantly give up.
It is no easy feat for a proposal to gain support in a year.
She pondered for a moment and nodded: "Tu Nan's suggestion is feasible. If this measure can reduce the number of infant deaths, the overall population will not decrease, and may even increase. The defense of Chao Li Pass has exhausted the nation's resources, but some have been saved up in the past two months, and there are not many women who meet the requirements, so it can be managed with difficulty. What do you all think of this plan?"
The group exchanged glances and looked at each other discreetly.
While calculating the accounts, they weighed the pros and cons.
The compromise proposal wasn't as radical as it had initially, but its consequences were still unpredictable. The war had finally come to an end, and no one wanted further turmoil. Soon, several people began to voice their opinions, but Shen Tang was not satisfied with the outcome.
Chu Yao understood everyone's concerns. He said, "My lord, the autumn harvest is just a few days away. The livelihood of the common people in Yanzhou depends entirely on this harvest next year. I believe that the autumn harvest is of utmost importance. If we were to implement this method throughout the country now, the nation's fortunes would be too strained. We might as well choose a county to implement it in and see the results. If it is truly feasible, then we can extend it to a prefecture, and finally the entire country."
Change always goes against the tide.
This move also involves population growth, so it requires even more caution.
Facts speak louder than words!
This will also prevent malicious interpretations and slanders from those with ulterior motives.
A change of mindset doesn't happen overnight.
Before large-scale implementation, it is necessary to release information to test public opinion and subtly influence people to accept the changes.
Chu Yao's proposal was a compromise after a compromise.
However, it is more prudent.
At the same time, it perfectly matches Shen Tang's thoughts.
“Wu Hui’s idea is very comprehensive.” As a lord who can correct her mistakes, Shen Tang is naturally willing to admit them. She sincerely said, “I was indeed too rash and aggressive before.”
Chu Yao: "We are all your subordinates and advisors. It is our duty to share your burdens, solve your problems, and correct your shortcomings. Your lord is a kind and benevolent man, and everything you do and think is for the benefit of the people. There is no need for us to blame ourselves."
What could our lord possibly have done wrong?
The Lord led them to stand at the dividing line between the old and the new, personally breaking down the old order and establishing a new order on the ruins of the old order, walking a path that no one had ever walked before.
She is still young and has the right to boldly try and make mistakes.
Shen Tang nodded obediently on the surface, her cheeks slightly flushed, seemingly embarrassed by Chu Yao's words. In reality—
Gu Chi was almost deafened by her loud laughter!
My lord's schemes are truly endless!
The people under his command also echoed Chu Yao's sentiments.
but--
Qian Yong muttered under his breath, "If this were really implemented, wouldn't it mean that even the most casual couples engaging in sexual activity at night would have the fate of the nation at stake? Just thinking about it makes me wonder—"
He frowned, racking his brains for words to describe the scene. Qian Yong didn't object to using martial arts to block it; after all, his wife's health was more important. If this worked, their relationship could take a significant step forward.
Who understands the suffering of being kicked out of the room by the wife every day!
But the nation's destiny was also used in this matter—
Something feels off.
Before this, the fate of the nation was sacred and inviolable to Qian Yong, but now that it was being used in this way, it made him want to try it himself.
Qian Yong not only thought about it, he also said it aloud.
Gu Chi: "..."
Everyone: "..."
What's the difference between muttering and shouting through a megaphone? Just keep this habit hidden; your colleagues' ears are ears too, they'll get dirty!
The proposal was approved, but its implementation proved difficult.
First, it's not easy to find a place to use them as guinea pigs.
Because this place needs to have enough pregnant women!
Yanzhou and Ganzhou were clearly unsuitable; these places had just been ravaged by war, suffering severe population loss, making it difficult for even young adults to survive, let alone pregnant women. After much deliberation, they could only target their main base. Longwu County, under Shen Tang's governance, was thriving, attracting a large influx of refugees. They settled there, surviving and multiplying, and many were pregnant, making it a perfect testing ground.
Most importantly—
Shen Tang has a very high reputation in Longwu County!
The common people were more accepting of and obedient to her reforms.
Even if there is opposition, they can easily suppress it!
Shen Tang made a firm decision: "No need to choose anymore, it's Longwu County! If Longwu County performs well, the next stop will be Heyin County! Heyin County is managed by Wen Zhu, and its prosperity and stability are better than Longwu County! If both places are approved, then we'll choose Yanzhou!"
Everyone: "..."
The He Yin Commandery is still nominally under Lord Wu's control. Since my lord dares to say this, it seems Xu Jie will soon become a new colleague?
Each with their own thoughts, they all bowed and said, "Yes."
|ω`)
Currently, it's impossible to reduce births and plant more trees; we still need to encourage childbirth due to limitations in productivity. However, we should strive to protect rights within these constraints. It's not a fundamental solution, but it can at least address the symptoms.
(End of this chapter)
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