Xie Zhihong never expected that his private affairs would be brought up by his superior, and hurriedly replied, "Yes, when my wife passed away, my daughter was still young and cried and begged me not to remarry. Therefore, I have been a widower ever since."
Lord Jia frowned.
“When you were an official in the provinces, being a widower was not a big problem. However, now that you are an official in the capital, things are very different.”
Xie Zhihong asked, puzzled, "What do you mean by that, sir?"
"You haven't been in the capital for long, so you may not know this. Since the time of Emperor Taizu, there has been an unwritten rule for appointing young and handsome officials."
"Please enlighten me, sir."
"Emperor Taizu believed that if young officials did not marry, they would inevitably be prone to lust and corruption. He also warned his attendants that a virtuous wife is essential for a virtuous official. A virtuous wife can stabilize the household and prevent the spread of decadence. Therefore, he often ordered officials to marry as soon as possible. Jin Shen, if you delay in marrying, I'm afraid you will not be able to appease the emperor."
Xie Zhihong was greatly alarmed.
However, he quickly replied, "My lord, I have not always been a widower. When I was in Jizhou, I had my eye on a woman, and we will marry as soon as the time is right."
Lord Jia looked at him sharply: "Jizhou?!"
Seeing his surprise, Xie Zhihong stammered, "Yes, Jizhou..."
"Oh dear, how foolish of me..." Minister Jia stamped his foot. "The Great Ganhu Law states: Any official in a prefecture, state, or county who takes a woman from his jurisdiction as a wife or concubine during his term of office shall be punished with eighty strokes of the cane and dismissed from office. How dare you, a local official in Jizhou, presume to take a woman from your jurisdiction as a wife or concubine?"
"Please forgive me, sir," Xie Zhihong hurriedly said. "The Great Law only states that one cannot marry while in office. Now that I am an official in the capital and no longer in office in Jizhou, I should not be bound by the law."
Minister Jia looked helpless.
“Young man, you have too little experience. You haven’t been an official in the capital for long, you haven’t seen any storms, and you don’t know how powerful the censors are. If they want to find fault with you, they’ll find fault with you even if it’s just a small thing. They can stir up trouble at the slightest provocation. You didn’t get married during your term, but you did go on a blind date. Can you avoid suspicion? Take my advice and break off this engagement quickly. I’ll find an official matchmaker to find you another good match.”
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