Three powers
"I have inquired about matters large and small among the common people and have heard of a barbaric custom in remote areas: if the firstborn is a girl, it is considered unlucky, so female infants are killed one after another in order to obtain a so-called 'auspicious' male infant. Your Majesty..." He raised his eyes to look at the Emperor.
The emperor sighed, feeling angry: "Outrageous! I must eradicate such vulgar customs!" He looked at the eunuch beside him, "Fengchi, convey my decree and have Prime Minister Wang deal with such vulgar customs."
The eunuch bowed respectfully and said, "This servant obeys the decree." Then he hurriedly left.
The Emperor rubbed his forehead, a slight headache in his eyes. "My dear minister, you must have been quite serious about the matter of population today. Please speak frankly." He thought of Pang Linqiu.
Peng Xuan'an hesitated for a moment and pondered for a while.
He had no choice but to get straight to the point: "Your Majesty believes that you should grant women in the world some rights."
"What rights?"
"Your Majesty, grant three powers: choice, life, and survival."
“One option is that Your Majesty should grant women the right to choose their partners, rather than through matchmakers, buying and selling, or forced marriage…” He thought for a moment, “They should also have the same opportunities as men to pursue happiness, so that fewer women will commit suicide.”
"The issue of female infants being born is a matter of abandonment, and all those who abandon them should be punished accordingly. Your Majesty might consider establishing an official agency in the countryside to specifically take in abandoned infants, regardless of gender."
"The preservation of the three powers guarantees a woman's life after marriage. I urge Your Majesty to enact new laws that punish all those who abuse their wives. Husbands who cause their wives to become disabled should be imprisoned for ten years and granted a divorce..."
The emperor nodded, then sighed softly, "Does my dear minister know what I'm talking about?"
"Your Majesty, I know." He knelt down, his forehead touching the ground, and said earnestly, "I only want to find a way to survive for the women of Tao Kingdom. I cannot bear to see their plight."
The Emperor looked at Peng Xuan'an, who was kneeling on the ground, with mixed feelings: "Please rise, my dear minister." After Peng Xuan'an stood up, he asked: "Did Lin Qiu tell you to say that?"
Peng Xuan'an was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, "These are not what you said, Madam, but my own thoughts and ideas."
The Emperor clearly didn't believe it, decisively assuming that she had ordered him to do so. "The three powers you mentioned, my dear minister, are not difficult, but..."
"Your Majesty, please speak!" he said eagerly.
"Do you know, my dear minister, how many men of the Tao Kingdom will be left alone and destitute after the implementation of the three powers?"
Peng Xuan'an was clearly taken aback, and shook his head: "Your Majesty, ...this subject does not know..."
The emperor smiled at his foolishness: "Do you know how many men have managed to marry through matchmakers or buying and selling? If the three powers are implemented, women will obtain so-called happiness, but what about the men? The men of Tao fought bloody battles to guard the country's borders, dying without marrying or being able to marry. My dear minister, you can ask them if they are willing?"
"But Your Majesty! If we force women like this, they will resist in their own way. They will try to kill themselves or escape. At that time, the population of Tao Kingdom may fall into a state of deep depression! I hope Your Majesty will think this through carefully!" He was sweating and still insisted.
Seeing his persistence, the emperor was somewhat moved by his words, and suddenly recalled what had happened in the past. He couldn't help but chuckle, perhaps finding it ironic.
"My dear minister, are you sure these words were not taught by your wife?"
Peng Xuan'an shook his head, "No, I don't know why Your Majesty..." He suddenly realized that there was only one possibility! Pang Linqiu had also come and said similar things.
Seeing his sudden realization, the Emperor nodded and looked down at him calmly, saying, "My dear minister, do you know that if I granted all women in the world the right to choose, do you think Linqiu would still marry you?"
Peng Xuan'an looked up in disbelief, his eyes wide as he cautiously asked, "Your Majesty... what do you mean by that..." He swallowed hard, his mind a jumble of panic.
The Emperor was very pleased with his reaction. He smiled and said, "What do you mean? Haha... Lin Qiu didn't tell you a word about this?"
Peng Xuan'an shook his head, "Never..."
Peng Xuan'an asked in confusion: "Could it be that Madam came by? But... when did this happen? How come I didn't receive any news?"
"Do you know why she came to see me a few months ago?"
"I don't know."
“She entered the palace a few months ago, begging me to grant her a divorce.”
Peng Xuan'an froze upon hearing the word "divorce," his mouth half-open as if he wanted to say something but then stopped, and his body trembled inexplicably.
He dared not accept this answer, and gave a bitter smile as if all his strength had been drained: "Your Majesty, I do not know... what you mean by this..."
"Xuan'an, you must have heard about the Pang family's illegal salt trade, embezzlement, bribery, and murder. Do you really think that Lin Qiu married you... just to save her own life?"
Peng Xuan'an's Adam's apple bobbed, his heart pounding with panic, "Your Majesty..."
"He'er sent me a message saying that you two are a good match and she hopes that I will grant you another marriage. I summoned her to the palace and asked her if she was willing to marry you. She was extremely unwilling. She said she would rather shave her head and become a nun than marry you."
"If I hadn't threatened her with her family, she would be buried long ago, instead of being the wife of the Minister."
Suppressing the overwhelming sorrow in his heart, he took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm as he asked, "Your Majesty... why did you tell me... these things?"
"She shows no regard for your marital bond and is determined to divorce you. You have spent five years loving her, but she loves someone else. I feel sorry for you; those five years have been wasted just like that. I am telling you this so that you can see her clearly and avoid falling deeper into her trap."
Peng Xuan'an instantly understood everything. A surge of emotions—frustration, disappointment, and pain—overwhelmed him, making it difficult to speak. He begged His Majesty to stop, but he couldn't bring himself to say it; he didn't want to hear it anymore! Those voices were like knives piercing his ears!
"I thought that you had served in the army for many years and it was time for you to take a good rest, settle down and start a family. At that time, you happened to write to me, asking to marry Miss Pang Si, and I agreed. But I never expected this person... Alas..." He sighed regretfully.
Peng Xuan'an's face paled instantly, and he gritted his teeth in hatred.
"Xuan'an, Xuan'an," the emperor called out several times when he saw him in a daze.
"Your Majesty, please speak..." His voice gradually grew weak and desperate.
"I grant you permission to divorce Pang Linqiu and marry a new wife."
Peng Xuan'an smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I don't need it, I... only want..." only her.
The emperor sensed his reluctance and advised him, "There are countless women in the world, why be so infatuated with just one?"
"If you like a woman like Linqiu, I can find you someone who looks similar, so that the Peng family line can continue. What do you think, my dear minister?"
Peng Xuan'an still refused, "Your Majesty, if someone who looks like her is found to replace her, then what difference is there between her and that object?" His chest ached and he could hardly breathe; even taking a deep breath made him tremble.
His voice was hoarse, carrying little hope: "I only want her... even if... we don't love each other, it doesn't matter..." He only wanted her by his side, to never leave him, even if they didn't love each other.
The emperor shook his head in exasperation, feeling it wasn't worth it. "Why did Xuan'an have to bring this upon herself?" He was still thinking of trying to persuade her further, "She would rather die than..."
"Your Majesty, please stop speaking..." he pleaded weakly, kowtowing.
"Xuan An!" The emperor was furious.
His voice grew weaker and weaker, filled with despair: "Your Majesty... I don't want to hear anymore... Please, Your Majesty... don't say any more..."
The emperor had no choice but to swallow his words.
Peng Xuan'an stood up shakily, bowed respectfully, and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your Majesty, I take my leave..."
"Wait! Xuan'an!" The Emperor called out to Peng Xuan'an, who was turning to leave.
Peng Xuan'an turned and bowed, his eyes lowered and his brows furrowed with sorrow. "Your Majesty... what urgent matter do you wish to discuss?"
"Do you still want to exercise these three powers?" the emperor asked, bringing the focus back to the main point.
"Your Majesty..." He paused for a moment, recalling what she had said to him at Yuanshe, and the truth about marrying him. After hesitating for a while, he responded loudly, "Your Majesty! I wish..."
"I have one condition."
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"After you return to your residence, ask Pang Linqiu if she wants a divorce. If she does not care about any marital affection, then I will grant all women the right to choose. If she does not wish to, then I will not grant her that right."
Peng Xuan'an was stunned, not understanding what the emperor meant, and stared wide-eyed at the person above: "Your Majesty, what is this...?"
"Xuan'an, what you said about them being able to pursue happiness just like men, instead of being forced into marriage by matchmakers, is true. If she is unwilling, then I am right; over time, they will fall in love. Even if it is a marriage by matchmakers, forced marriage, or buying and selling, they can still live a good life and fall in love with each other. If she is willing, then I will respect her and allow her to find a new husband."
He was extremely displeased upon hearing this, and gritted his teeth while clasping his hands in a fist salute: "Your Majesty, I understand... Your Majesty, I take my leave..."
He then left the Imperial Study.
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