The Sinful Woman's Golden Branch: The Jade-Faced Yama is Actually Me (Thirteen)...
No matter how exquisite the ancient architecture is, the lighting in the deep courtyards is not very good, and at this time of day, it is already a bit dim.
Ye Xiqing listlessly got up and turned to look at Ji Siyin: "Princess, you saw the people who came to greet you. Did you notice anything wrong?"
Ji Siyin could tell from her expression that she was angry again.
"He's not strong, but he's got a lot of temper," Ji Siyin thought to herself, grimacing inwardly.
But these days, the two have been getting to know each other better, and Ji Siyin has also softened a lot, so she pretended not to see it and asked with a look of eager learning, "What question?"
"They are all men."
Ji Siyin:...
"You seem to really hate men..."
Ye Xiqing looked up and said calmly, "Princess, don't say such things in front of me. These words are just like 'all men are no good' or 'kill all the unfaithful men in the world,' as if I, as a woman, am just being sentimental and complaining to the world."
"But the truth is that I was sold by my father like a commodity, and then tortured half to death by the man who bought me, and everyone thought it was only natural."
"Can my pain and awakening be summed up by simply saying 'I hate men'?"
Ji Siyin:...
In this era of hierarchical relationships, where rulers and subjects were treated as equals, fathers and sons were treated as equals, and the ruler was the guide for the subject and the husband for the wife, no one had ever expressed to her so bluntly their disgust for her father, or even for all men.
As a princess who was well-educated by the emperor's mother, she had a mature sense of right and wrong and a value system, so she did not feel that Guan's father was anything worthy of respect as a father.
However, in this historical and cultural sphere, the idea of moderation is deeply ingrained, and people are very resistant to ideas that cross the line. Even someone as extreme as Princess Yongning was happy to become Ye Xiqing's mentor and persuade her to return to the "right path".
She spoke earnestly, "I know your father was very cruel to you, which caused you to lose faith in men, but not all men in this world are bad. For example, my father, my elder brother, and my consort..."
Ye Xiqing interrupted her without hesitation: "Your father will not pass the throne to you, your elder brother will not pass the throne to you, and after you lose your princess status, your consort will immediately have three wives and four concubines."
“Princess, we commoners have no right to inherit the throne. If we can tolerate men, we can still live.”
"You truly have the right to inherit the throne, and are being stripped of it because of your status as a woman, yet you are so considerate of men. That's truly remarkable."
Ji Siyin: Huh?
Now that's settled. Without even thinking about it carefully, she knows that Ye Xiqing is being sarcastic towards her.
However, the emphasis of the word "debate" is on the act of debating, not on the act of arguing.
As soon as Ye Xiqing started arguing with her, Ji Siyin felt a surge of resentment.
He raised his head and said, "But even after my mother became emperor, she did not exclude all male officials. You are too extreme; going too far is not good."
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiqing chuckled and smiled as she looked at Princess Yongning.
"Then why did you come all the way to Dengzhou? Have you forgotten?"
"Isn't it because your mother wasn't extreme enough, and still wanted to follow tradition and pass the throne to a son?"
"If your mother had been as extreme as the male emperor and stipulated that the throne could only be passed to a woman, regardless of whether she had a daughter or not, then you, as an only child, could have rightfully succeeded to the throne."
"Why did you come all the way to Dengzhou? Do you like seafood?"
Ji Siyin:...
No! You're just throwing accusations at her without saying a word! You can't defend yourself without resorting to personal attacks!
Ji Siyin suddenly stood up. She was so competitive that she felt terrible if she couldn't win an argument. She paced back and forth, finally finding an angle, then turned and gritted her teeth, saying—
"Ah, then how do you explain that my brother treats me very well, but my sister-in-law always seems to dislike me?"
"Actually, I don't mind my brother becoming emperor. Even if he becomes emperor, I will still be a princess."
"I just couldn't stand my sister-in-law. I fought for the throne so that I could see her suffer."
"If it weren't for her, it wouldn't matter whether we fought for it or not."
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Seeing that Ye Xiqing remained silent, Ji Siyin was overjoyed. Haha! She won!
Being able to win an argument with Ye Xiqing was truly something to be happy about, and Ji Siyin almost wanted to go out and ride a horse around to celebrate.
But as the joy faded, the smile disappeared.
It seems I really shouldn't argue with Ye Xiqing about this; she said that for her own good.
Knowing that she was in poor health, why did you deliberately say these things to upset her?
Along the way, Ji Siyin had fully understood Ye Xiqing's physical condition. Out of normal tolerance for a patient, she automatically tempered her temper in front of Ye Xiqing by three points.
When confronting superiors, one can say anything; once one calms down, Ji Siyin does indeed feel a bit regretful.
He turned back sheepishly; he probably wasn't so angry he died, right?
She didn't want to have to make zongzi for her every year for the Dragon Boat Festival.
Ji Siyin had already made up her mind that if Ye Xiqing cried, she would apologize to her, setting aside her princess dignity and, for the first time ever, apologizing to a mere insignificant strategist.
But when she turned around, she saw Ye Xiqing leaning against the bedpost, looking at her with a half-smile, as if he had been waiting for her.
Seeing her turn around, he smiled and said calmly—
"In the princess's opinion, what do you think of the Princess Consort's cousin, Imperial Censor Fan in the court?"
Ji Siyin:...
She didn't really want to argue anymore, but since Ye Xiqing asked, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer:
"Not so good. Although he is my sister-in-law's cousin, he is a rare upright and loyal minister. I am neither close to him nor do I dislike him."
Ye Xiqing then smiled:
"Yes, Princess Nankang comes from the Fan clan of Yingchuan. Because she is a woman, she is your sister-in-law. If she were a man, she would be a loyal and upright minister whom even the princess speaks highly of."
"Although Lord Fan did not have the honor of marrying into the royal family, he had a principal wife, two concubines, and a bunch of beautiful maids who bore him five or six children. Every day after court, he would act as emperor at home."
"Your sister-in-law had to stay by your good-for-nothing brother's side day after day, enduring the mistreatment from her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, and suffering hardships in exile. In the end, she risked her life to give birth to two daughters before finally having a son and overcoming all difficulties."
"To be honest, if I were your sister-in-law, I would hate you too. If I were your brother, I would love you too. Even if I were Lord Fan, I would still be loyal to you. I would support you if you wanted to become emperor."
"But among all these people, who are you, Princess? Where do you stand? Who are your allies, and who are your enemies?"
"If you can't even tell the difference, then I can only say that I've misjudged you; you're not suited to be an emperor."
“If you lack the ability to distinguish friend from foe, and the determination to speak up for women of the world, then I no longer wish to assist you.”
Ji Siyin:...
He sat back down in the chair in front of Ye Xiqing's couch, gritted his teeth, and seemed to utter three words through clenched teeth: "I was wrong."
Lord Ye Xiqing generously forgave her: "It's alright. It's good to admit your mistakes and correct them. The princess truly has the demeanor of a wise ruler."
Ji Siyin:...
No, you really climbed up that way?
Ji Siyin rushed over to find Ye Xiqing like a kicking donkey, but soon became obedient, sitting on the edge of Ye Xiqing's bed with a sullen expression, listening to her "strategy for governing the prefecture".
"Although it is said that serious illnesses should be treated with minor remedies and strong medicines should be simmered over a gentle fire, if you really simmer it over a gentle fire, you will waste such a good furnace that God has given you."
"Now, Dengzhou is like a medicine furnace in the hands of a giant. As long as the giant is still around, no matter what's jumping around inside—lobsters, fish, turtles, herbs, rocks, or mustard greens—you can boil it all. If not now, when?"
"Following the old ways may keep you stable, but you should know that unless you become a man, you will not be the beneficiary of this old way."
"So at least your own territory must become a matriarchal kingdom. Don't ask if this will anger the patriarchal kingdoms outside. Before this, you have always obeyed the system set up for you by the patriarchal kingdoms. Have they treated you well?"
"To achieve this, we must undoubtedly keep salt in our hands. Dengzhou is located by the sea, and the salt industry and maritime trade are of paramount importance."
"From now on, all salt fields in Dengzhou will no longer recruit male workers. If there are not enough female workers in Dengzhou, we will recruit female workers from other places."
"The 'Daughter Salt' I offer was given to me in a dream by the Goddess of Wushan. When a woman touches it, she becomes as white as snow, but when a man touches it, he becomes filthy. Salt fields that produce 'Daughter Salt' do not employ male workers. This is the will of the gods, and those who disobey will be punished by heaven."
"Business development should not be neglected, and agriculture should not be abandoned."
"In order to encourage childbirth and increase the population, the household registration in Dengzhou was divided into households established by mothers, households established by women, and households established by men."
“The mother of the household shall be granted 20 mu of permanent land and 80 mu of allotted land. For each child she raises to adulthood, the adult female shall be granted 20 mu of permanent land and 80 mu of allotted land, and the same shall apply to the adult male.”
"If a woman marries out of the family and becomes dependent on another household, her permanent land will be transferred along with her, and her share of land will be returned. If she becomes the matriarch, she will be treated as if she were the matriarch and established her own household."
"When a woman of marriageable age separates from her husband and becomes an independent household, she is granted land in accordance with the same rules as other women of marriageable age. If she raises children to adulthood, she is granted a separate household in accordance with the rules for women of marriageable age."
“If a male household is established independently, and there is no one to carry on the family line, he will not be granted permanent land, but only 40 mu of land allocated to each household. If the household is extinct, the land will be closed.”
"If a male of the Ding family marries a female of the Ding family, the head of the household shall be registered under the name of the female of the Ding family or her mother. All details shall be the same as if the mother were to establish the household."
“Young girls can become mothers to reproduce, and are very precious. From the time of their birth, they are given 40 mu of land. When they reach adulthood, they are included in the land of the adult males. If they die young, their land is taken away.”
Ji Siyin frowned: "They say it's to boost the population, but they're rewarding unmarried women while reducing the benefits for married women. Won't that mean no one will want to marry their daughters off in the future?"
As for why it is said that the treatment of married women was reduced, the land system of the Dayu Dynasty was based on the number of people to be allocated land. Because the land was vast and the population was sparse, and there was a lot of undeveloped wasteland, it was divided into permanent land and allotted land.
Yongye land refers to land that can be inherited and sold. It is mostly fertile land that has already been cultivated and is the farmer's own asset.
The allotted land was not allowed to be sold, and most of it was in remote and desolate areas. A large amount of it was granted to farmers for cultivation and harvest.
While the laborer is alive, the allocated land is no different from regular land assets. However, after the laborer dies, the land is reclaimed by the government, essentially a paid land reclamation service for the government, with ownership changing hands upon death.
According to Ye Xiqing's account, Ding Nu always had perpetual land, but she would lose her allotted land if she married.
When a male is a member of a family, he owns the permanent land and all the allotted land. When he becomes an independent member, he loses the permanent land and his allotted land is halved.
Doesn't that mean that having a daughter and keeping her at home is more cost-effective than marrying her off to another family? In the future, whoever has a daughter will be happy to give her away for free!
Ye Xiqing looked at Ji Siyin: "Isn't this the essence of this strategy?"
"People in the countryside know to raise fewer roosters and more hens when it comes to raising chickens for eggs, but they don't know why they raise people."
"Due to the previous outdated system, women had no property. When they grew up, they moved to other families and were abandoned by their mothers and fathers. Countless girls who could have become mothers were drowned in the river as soon as they were born."
"If our Great Yu Dynasty wants to develop, it must increase its population. But this system doesn't want our mothers to be born. Isn't this trying to destroy the very foundation of our Great Yu Dynasty!"
"The poor population is caused by this system. After the princess takes office, she must abolish this outdated system and get to the root of the problem!"
Ji Siyin:...
If you want to mess with men, just say so, and don't go around spouting a bunch of high-sounding principles, acting like you're really concerned about the country and its people...
But what's going on? Why does this system seem more and more feasible the more you listen to it?
As the daughter of the Empress, her mother did not want to raise her to be an idiot, so her studies were more rigorous than those of the princes.
The teacher would also teach her the art of governing a country and the methods of controlling the people, but no one ever mentioned that the way to increase the population was to allocate land to women and young children, and to prevent the killing of women and children, rather than encouraging women to marry.
Ji Siyin rubbed her forehead. It's hard for a person's thinking to break free from the cultural environment that surrounds them, but as long as there is a little enlightenment, a brand new way of thinking will open up.
Her thoughts were deep, with some things vague, but gradually becoming clearer.
After what seemed like an eternity, he slowly raised his head—
"Good plan, you carry it out, I'll do the killing!"
She described herself as a misogynistic and extreme person, yet she so easily uttered the word "kill."
Ye Xiqing smiled, but did not agree.
She looked up at Ji Siyin, her eyes full of sincerity.
"What are you saying, Princess? Of course, the master must be pure and flawless."
How could you kill someone?
"Of course, you will carry it out, and I will do the killing."
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