Chapter 736 Holy crap, there really is a throne to inherit!
Yu Mingyue sneered, "You, married to a man, actually help him take concubines and even advise him to rest with other women. Do you know how shameful that is for a woman? And you call yourself a virtuous woman—"
She stopped talking and gritted her teeth.
"...?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback. Although she had considered many reasons why the other woman "looked down on" her, this one...
She didn't even care about being angry, or about the words "historical records" that she had barely heard from Yu Mingyue's mouth but had swallowed most of herself. She just frowned slightly as she looked at the other woman, thought for a moment, and said calmly, "I'm not jealous, I'm not selfish. What's wrong with advising my husband to go to his concubine's side? Does that mean that Lady Chu should be left alone in her empty room? Do you know how sad it is for a woman to be alone in her empty room after marriage? As a woman myself, I can't be so domineering, and I can't let others experience this kind of suffering."
At this point, Shang Ruyi's tone became somewhat harsher.
If I remember correctly, Yu Mingyue's mother—of course not the Yu Mingyue in front of me, but the Yu Mingyue who has long since passed away—was abandoned by Yu Dingxing.
Even if she hasn't experienced it herself, she should at least have heard of it and have some feelings about it.
"What do I care about other people's suffering?"
To everyone's surprise, Yu Mingyue sneered, "What I'm saying is true, a woman like you has disgraced all women!"
"..."
At this moment, Shang Ruyi also vaguely felt that the Yu Mingyue in front of her seemed to be no longer the usual Yu Mingyue. Although the usual Yu Mingyue was arrogant towards her and hated them, she always spoke in a cryptic way. There was malice in her words, but she had never expressed it so clearly before.
Looking at her slightly red eyes, Shang Ruyi realized that it must be because she had been drinking and had just suffered a setback in the main hall, which made her unable to maintain her facade any longer.
Her malice now seemed to be directed not only at herself.
Instead, it was something that Shang Ruyi didn't know.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi completely gave up on getting angry with someone who was already drunk and might be about to reveal all her hidden thoughts, perhaps someone from hundreds of years in the future. She calmed herself down and said in a calm tone, "How have I embarrassed a woman this time? Tell me, I'm listening."
"Haha, hahahaha,"
As if she had heard a joke, Yu Mingyue reached out to steady herself against the pine tree beside her. The suffocation and tightness in her chest made her want to vomit, but she couldn't. She could only suppress the nausea, grit her teeth, and fiercely said to Shang Ruyi, "Men and women should be monogamous and stay together until old age. There are no concubines or secondary wives. This is called 'one man, one woman, one life, one love.' Do you understand?"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's eyes lit up immediately.
One lifetime, one love?
These words, like a warm current, instantly melted into her heart, catching her off guard and making her feel an indescribable joy. She subconsciously turned around and looked at the Hundred Blessings Palace, which was still brightly lit in the dark night, like a magnificent heavenly palace. She thought of Yuwen Ye, who was still being toasted inside, and of the mutual understanding, appreciation, love and companionship between the two of them along the way.
One husband and one wife, staying together until old age.
One life, one love, one partner.
If that's really the case...
Thinking of this possibility, she smiled subconsciously, and there seemed to be some anticipation in her smile.
But the next moment, a cold wind blew, causing the pine and cypress trees beside Yu Mingyue to sway slightly and make a rustling sound, which also brought Shang Ruyi back to her senses. She looked at Yu Mingyue with a complicated expression, pondering her experiences, and then thought of the world around her, and slowly said, "This is indeed very good."
"..."
"However, whether they are concubines or other women who are taken as wives, they cannot be treated as principal wives. Their choices are already limited."
"That phrase again!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Mingyue's face darkened further—it was precisely this sentence that prompted Shang Ruyi to turn the tables on her when she ridiculed Lüxiao, and now she was doing it again. However, Yu Mingyue reacted quickly, immediately sneering, "Does one have to get married? Will one die if one doesn't get married? Will one die without a man?!"
Her words surprised Shang Ruyi.
But after another thought, she said, "But how can a woman survive if she doesn't marry? You and I come from wealthy families, but—"
At this point, she gave a bitter laugh and said, "Not to mention that we were born into wealth, we still suffer all the hardships of being a woman."
Shortly after her father's death, at the funeral hall, she was driven out of the Shang family business by her elder brother, Shang Shoufei.
Yu Mingyue herself experienced much suffering after being abandoned along with her mother, eventually leading to her suicide by drowning. However, she had a miraculous encounter where she was resurrected by the spirit before her, allowing her to live a second life and "speak wildly" in this new world.
Unfortunately, she couldn't cross the river herself, but after being rescued, she immediately turned around and mocked the drowning person.
I don't care how you survive!
Upon seeing Shang Ruyi's bitter smile, Yu Mingyue seemed to understand what she was going to say after mentioning "born into wealth." She immediately seemed to have lost her mind due to anger and forcefully waved her hand: "In short, for a man to take a concubine, and even advised him to go to other women, you are, you are a disgrace to women!"
Shang Ruyi sneered: "How can we not care? We are in such high positions, we can't just think of ourselves."
"..."
There are so many women in the world, not just you and me.
"..."
"You can't even survive yourself, yet you're leading others down this path."
These words silenced Yu Mingyue. Her throat tightened, and her eyes cleared a little. But when she looked at Shang Ruyi again, her expression turned cold and sharp. She sneered, "Does she have to be supported by someone? Don't you know how to find a job yourself?"
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency?"
Another term she had never heard before appeared. Shang Ruyi looked at her in surprise: "What is 'Public Throne'?"
Yu Mingyue bit her lower lip and glared at her fiercely, her expression a mixture of disdain and speechlessness: "Work! Work! It's about supporting yourself!"
"Supporting oneself?"
"You do the work, people pay you, and then you support yourself! Whether it's carrying manure or chopping wood, is it really that hard to support yourself!"
"Who would hire a woman to carry manure and chop firewood?"
Shang Ruyi found it utterly ridiculous. Shaking her head, her gaze gradually turned contemptuous: "Just now, you even said that I had lost my honor by going into battle, so why are you making women carry manure and chop firewood now? Isn't that a bit too two-faced?"
"..."
"Besides, even when it comes to carrying manure or chopping firewood, men are stronger than women. Who would hire someone weak to do that?"
Yu Mingyue was furious: "What about weaving? Aren't you supposed to be men farming and women weaving? You can weave and spin, right? You don't need to go out and show your faces in public!"
Shang Ruyi said, "Weaving does not require showing one's face in public, but not every woman in the world knows how to weave."
"..."
"As I said before, women have very few choices."
"..."
"Besides, you insist on having a 'public seat' position, but what about a woman who marries, supports her husband, raises children, and manages the household? Isn't that also a 'public seat' position? It requires hard work and effort, just like being a prime minister or a teacher in an academy?"
"..."
"However, one side's salary is visible, while the other side's salary is invisible."
"..."
"Why do you see marriage as so despicable? Then why did you even get married—"
"you!"
Yu Mingyue was filled with rage, and she clenched her fist tightly with the hand that was holding the tree trunk. Shang Ruyi frowned slightly. She seemed to feel that the other party was eager to tear her hair off. Although she was now the Princess Consort of Qin, and Yu Mingyue was of high status, she had enough reason to make her die without a burial place if she dared to make a move against her. But she was still a little surprised.
This person truly has no concept of hierarchy, so her instinct is to resist things and people that displease her. However, perhaps it is the teachings of others that have made her realize that she cannot act this way—recklessly.
Does this mean that the world she lived in had no hierarchy or social status?
Shang Ruyi's mind went blank again.
She asked instinctively, "Yu Mingyue, what exactly is your 'hometown'—"
"Alright!"
Yu Mingyue waved her hand, interrupting her abruptly, as if she didn't want to argue with her anymore about things she herself hadn't even figured out. She coldly said, "In short, I just look down on you. Just because you took a concubine for your husband, I despise you!"
Shang Ruyi's brows gradually furrowed.
Although she tried her best to control her emotions and wanted to extract more of Yu Mingyue's hidden thoughts from her drunken mouth, this naked disgust still made her feel uncomfortable.
look down?
At most, she felt a little sad... Although she had to suppress this sadness under the dignity of being the Princess Consort of Qin, why should she be looked down upon?
She thought for a moment, then let out a long breath and said calmly, "I don't know why you're targeting me like this, but I've done this in a way that is both morally sound and in accordance with my conscience."
"..."
"Besides, having him visit the concubine more often is not only selfless on my part, but also makes Madam Chu's life a little easier."
"..."
"Moreover, this move is also to ensure the continuation of the royal family's lineage."
"..."
"After all, he is the Prince of Qin, a prince of the imperial family. If I—I mean, hypothetically—cannot give birth to a crown prince, at least there are concubines and others who can bear sons to inherit his mantle—"
"Give birth to a son?"
Upon hearing those four words, Yu Mingyue immediately sneered, her eyes filled with disdain, and even a hint of contempt and relief, as if Shang Ruyi had run into her trap. She said, "I can't stand hearing such words. Having sons, having sons, what's the use of having sons? Does his family have a throne to—"
She stopped speaking at this point, her face stiff and somewhat unpleasant.
After a long pause, he muttered, "Damn, there really is a throne to inherit."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com