Gu Yuzhi scratched his head and said, "Have the elite soldiers confirm the identities of those who have been implicated in the Jade Tablet in the mansion, thoroughly investigate their maternal families, and how they entered the Chu Prince's mansion."
Among the evidence of crimes brought by the Prince of Qi against the various prefects in Jiangnan, several involved these prefects adding women to Gu Yufan's harem.
Although the number of women in Gu Yufan's harem was certainly less than that in his father's palace, having witnessed the lives of unfavored concubines in the palace, Gu Yuzhi could easily imagine the fate of the unfavored women in Gu Yufan's harem.
In addition, with Shu Xiaohan's subtle influence, Gu Yuzhi already had some goodwill towards women.
He thought for a moment and continued, "If they were forced into it and haven't done anything wrong, let's see if we can release them from the manor."
Chief Secretary Xie was taken aback by Gu Yuzhi's astonishing words, and his knees sank even lower: "Your Highness, this is absolutely unacceptable!"
If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they'll grow back in the spring!
These women may have been innocent before entering the manor, but things changed after they entered. Gu Yufan was their god!
Now that the sky has fallen, the chances of these women from the inner quarters being released are extremely slim. Even if they do get out, they'll either face certain death or be forced into brothels.
If he's dead, that would be fine; but if he's alive, it's hard to guarantee they won't take their anger out on His Highness.
Wen Xiuzhu also chimed in, "Your Highness, a woman's chastity is of paramount importance. Since these women in the Chu Prince's mansion have enjoyed wealth and honor, they should also bear the consequences."
"Whether they are exiled or beheaded should be decided by the Emperor. Your Highness must not make decisions on your own."
Gu Yuzhi blinked and said, "I didn't say we'd release it now! I meant we'd release it after my brother agreed."
He puffed out his cheeks and thought to himself, "But what Manager Wen said makes sense; a woman's chastity is of paramount importance..."
Gu Yuzhi was pondering this when he heard Teacher Shu say bluntly, "What do you mean by a woman's chastity being greater than heaven! These women are already pitiful enough, unable to marry a suitable husband; it's already a tragedy."
"Waiting in the backyard all day for Gu Yufan to favor her, sharing a man with many women, that is the second greatest tragedy."
The longer Shu Xiaohan stayed in ancient times, the more she hated these so-called rules.
"They already have a hard life because they are out of favor, and now that Gu Yufan is going to die, they have to be buried with him. What kind of logic is that?"
Wen Xiuzhu waved his hand impatiently and said, "You are not from our time, so naturally you can't understand! Their husbands are guilty, so naturally they can't escape it."
"You say they live a pitiful life, but have you looked at what they eat and wear? There are plenty of people who are more pitiful than them, so why don't they get punished?"
Ever since their argument that caused Gu Yuzhi to faint, Shu Xiaohan and Wen Xiuzhu have been trying to control their true feelings.
In addition, Wen Xiuzhu had considered quitting halfway through, feeling that he had let the young prince down. He thought that Shu Xiaohan had been accompanying the young prince during that time, so Wen Xiuzhu endured it as much as he could.
But at this moment, neither of them wanted to hold back anymore. They not only argued verbally, but their eyes were also filled with malice.
Upon hearing Wen Xiuzhu's argument, Shu Xiaohan burst into laughter: "You say these women eat well and dress well? Why don't you go ask them if they'd rather live like this in the mansion, or if they'd rather live the life of ordinary people?"
"Ridiculous!" Wen Xiuzhu said, flicking his sleeve. "As women, they should know the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. Whether they want to live a certain kind of life is not their choice!"
Shu Xiaohan closed her eyes, clearly not wanting to argue with Wen Xiuzhu about these things anymore, as it was pointless!
Only the young prince and the emperor have the final say.
Although she didn't think that persuading the young prince meant she had succeeded, she still wanted to give it a try.
Shu Xiaohan walked slowly to Gu Yuzhi, squatted down and said, "Young Prince, Gu Yufan's unfavored women couldn't possibly have any contact with anything. If they are implicated, it would be truly unfair."
Her eyes darted around, and she whispered, "Why don't you ask the young prince and the emperor to plead for these women to go to the northern desert?"
"Isn't the young prince currently preparing to establish a girls' school? Let those girls with a skill go and contribute to the young prince's fiefdom."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yuzhi was immediately tempted.
The evidence shows that the women sent to Gu Yufan's harem were carefully selected, and most of them were skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
If my brother really agrees, wouldn't it be perfect for these women to go to the girls' school?
Wen Xiuzhu sneered, "Teacher Shu, your idea is perhaps a little too naive!"
"Girls' schools were not necessarily accepted by the world, so these women with sinful backgrounds were sent there to be teachers..."
Wen Xiuzhu's eyes betrayed his sarcasm: "Then not only will this girls' school be subject to much criticism, but even the school His Highness wants to open will be ruined, not to mention inviting a great Confucian scholar of our time to be the headmaster!"
Gu Yuzhi's initial excitement quickly turned into hesitation.
He had to admit that what Manager Wen said was the truth.
Even someone of Xu Mama's status would be very reluctant to work as a chef outside the mansion, let alone the women in the Chu Prince's mansion's backyard.
Gu Yuzhi sat on the bottom step, resting his chin on one hand, his mind a little confused.
Seeing this, Shu Xiaohan became anxious: "Young Prince..."
It took Gu Yuzhi a while to come to his senses. He smiled at Shu Xiaohan and said, "Teacher Shu, although I don't quite agree with some of what Manager Wen said, what he said does make sense."
"These women are from Gu Yufan's harem. Their best fate is to be exiled."
If he were to be exiled, he would plead with his elder brother, the emperor, to allow him to be exiled to the northern desert.
If the sentence is beheading, then there's nothing that can be done.
However, Gu Yuzhi felt that his elder brother would not be soft-hearted towards the women in Gu Yufan's harem.
Chief Secretary Xie shifted his knees slightly, then turned to continue his persuasion: "Your Highness..."
Gu Yuzhi then remembered that Chief Secretary Xie was still kneeling, and hurriedly stepped forward to help him up: "Chief Secretary Xie, let's sit down and talk."
Amidst Xie Changshi's terrified expression, Gu Yuzhi leaned forward and whispered, "Actually, I think it's a good thing that the Princess of Chu hanged herself. After all, the Princess of Chu probably didn't know more than Gu Yufan's advisors, right?"
Chief Secretary Xie nodded heavily: "I hope so. But in any case, Princess Chu still destroyed a lot of evidence."
The brazier in front of Gu Yufan's study was filled with the ashes of burnt paper.
The brazier was placed blatantly in the courtyard, and when the wind blew, the ashes were scattered everywhere, as if the Princess of Chu was deliberately using this method to mock them.
Even if they enter Jiangzhou, they are unlikely to obtain any evidence detrimental to Gu Yufan.
On the contrary, if this matter were used by someone with ulterior motives, Gu Yuzhi could be accused of driving Wang's sister-in-law to her death...
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