He Qing felt an inexplicable surge of indignation. Perhaps it was because he was truly dedicated to doing practical things, and had indeed done them, yet he was still misunderstood, that this feeling became even more intense.
A later internet complaint suddenly popped up in her mind: All men are pigs.
This sudden thought startled He Qing for a moment, and then he couldn't help laughing. With this interruption, his grief and anger weren't as strong.
Thousands of years of patriarchal society have shaped these concepts and mindsets. How can they be changed so easily? It's even more impossible for them to suddenly change just because she did something. This reality is normal.
However, this incident brought back He Qing's previous worries.
The low status of women is not something that happens overnight. Changing it will also require a long and arduous struggle. Do you want to be the first to do so?
Perhaps she couldn't do much, and couldn't truly split the darkness and usher in the dawn. But even if she could only point the way forward for those who came after her, it would still be meaningful. Even if she failed, at least she had tried, and didn't let herself live a life of frustration.
She didn't know if she could do anything else, but she could try...
Let’s start with Mr. Gu. One day, he will be looked at with new eyes and will put away his ridiculous superiority and arrogance.
Thinking of this, she spoke slowly, "Master Gu is truly an upright gentleman, always abiding by the rules and regulations. He is truly admirable. The phrase 'each content with his place' is truly well-speaking. I heard that Master Gu became famous at a young age, but because of Prime Minister Xue's suppression, he was never prominent in the court. Now it seems that Master Gu is content with his lot."
If everyone stayed in their place, Gu Zheng would continue to be buried in the Hanlin Academy and would not be able to make a breakthrough for at least twenty years.
It is such an overbearing rule that you only need to break the rules yourself and suppress others.
Even though Gu Zheng was a man of great cunning, his expression changed slightly, but he quickly said frankly, "Of course. Prime Minister Xue also wanted to hone me, and I am naturally grateful. Without Prime Minister Xue, I would not be where I am today."
He Qing found that compared to him, he still had a lot to learn.
The first rule is not to let other people’s words sway your own thoughts. Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, you must hold on at the moment, otherwise you will lose.
Secondly, he didn't understand the affairs of the court. Gu Zheng could even take on the entire court alone. There was no chance of winning an argument with him. If he wanted to suppress him, he had to find a topic that he was good at but he didn't understand.
A topic that Gu Zheng didn’t understand... He Qing’s mind instantly flashed with the five words he had used to express pity for Gu Zheng: the limitations of the times.
Just then, a gust of wind blew by, and a leaf fluttered between the two of them. Affected by the air currents created by the carriage, it swirled in the air. He Qing immediately pointed at the leaf and asked, "Master Gu, did you see that leaf?"
"Hmm?" The topic jumped too quickly and Gu Zheng could hardly keep up.
He Qing was very pleased with this reaction and asked with a smile, "Look at things suspended in the air. Whether they are as light as a leaf or a feather, or as heavy as a stone, they will eventually fall to the ground. Why is that?"
Gu Zheng: ???
The cause of the incident was indeed the friction between the Han and Bai peoples.
The two ethnic groups live together, and their living habits and beliefs are quite different from each other, so conflicts are naturally a long-standing issue.
The Bai people are skilled in horseback riding, archery, and hunting, making them a formidable force. However, the local Han people of Ruizhou are equally fierce and aggressive, and will not give the other side an advantage. This has led to constant friction over the years. However, because both sides are aware of each other's strength and desire long-term development, they have held back and avoided escalating the conflict.
In addition, the government has always been a smooth-talker in such matters. As long as they can live in peace, they don't care about anything else. Over time, there is a certain tacit understanding between them.
When to make trouble, how many people to send, and to what extent... these subordinates may not know, but the leader is sure to know. Occasionally, the two tribes will even work together to deal with and deceive the authorities.
At their peak, they had driven out three local officials in a row, from county magistrates to prefectural governors. One of the county magistrates even died in the area.
It was precisely because of the death of the county magistrate that things became difficult to control, and the court felt that it should curb the local customs in Ruizhou, so it sent capable officials like Tang Lichen there, hoping that he could bring some changes to the local area.
At that time, Tang Lichen's rank was not high enough to be in charge of a state. Liu Muchuan and the late emperor chose him against all odds, so his official position was the acting governor of Ruizhou. This was a compromise made by the court for an official with strong ability but low official rank, which shows the trust the court placed in him.
Tang Lichen lived up to this trust and quickly concluded Magistrate Zhang's case after arriving there. It turned out that the unfortunate magistrate had died in a brawl between two clans.
This matter is quite interesting. Hundreds of people from the two tribes gathered together to fight, but no one died on either side. Only County Magistrate Zhang was in trouble.
Although the local residents of Ruizhou were known for their rebellious nature and disregard for government officials, they understood the seriousness of the death of an imperial official. Therefore, they colluded to conceal the incident, reporting it as an accidental death.
Tang Lichen spent a lot of effort to divide and disintegrate the opponent's alliance from within, and only then did he figure out the whole story.
Because he had received the emperor's instructions in advance, in order to prevent him from being unable to control the local situation, the emperor even gave him the power to dispatch troops stationed nearby, so things went very smoothly. Tang Lichen not only arrested all the people involved in the case, but also found out the traitor who infiltrated the yamen and helped them cover up the matter, and dismissed him from his post for investigation.
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