"I..." Pei Linye was about to speak when he saw Shen Qianchen and Shen Qianhuang walking in hand in hand from behind Shen Zhi.

Pei Linye was stunned for a moment, then he curled his lips and smiled, his eyes bright, firm and calm, like a tall and tough birch tree in the wind.

After the four of them greeted each other, Pei Linye called out in a gentle voice, "Azhi." He called her by her name and no longer called her cousin.

"I am attracted to you and sincerely want to marry you. I want to hold your hand and grow old with you. Are you willing?" Pei Linye proposed to Shen Zhi in front of the sisters Shen Qianchen and Shen Qianhuang, and went straight to the point.

His expression was solemn and his eyes were sincere, revealing his true heart and displaying it nakedly in front of the people present.

He wanted to let the sisters Shen Zhi and Shen Qianchen know that he was sincere.

Shen Qianchen and Shen Qianhuang looked at each other silently, and the two sisters smiled at each other. They were very satisfied with Pei Linye's frank attitude.

The two sisters didn't say anything. They would comfort Shen Zhi in private, but would not persuade Shen Zhi in front of others. Whether to remarry or not, Shen Zhi had to figure it out on her own.

The room was silent for a moment.

Pei Linye stared at Shen Zhi, and Shen Zhi also stared at Pei Linye, and slowly said: "I am married for the second time, and I have one son and two daughters."

Pei Linye said seriously: "I know."

Shen Zhi looked deeply at Pei Linye, who was only three steps away from her. Her heart was actually not as calm as she appeared to be.

She had never been the kind of indecisive person, nor did she want to keep Pei Linye hanging on purpose, but this time, she hesitated for a long time and couldn't make up her mind.

She was hesitant and afraid of everything, and sometimes even she hated her own hesitation. She felt that she was not herself anymore.

The people who finally changed her were her two daughters.

She saw with her own eyes how Shen Qianhuang gradually walked out of the shadow of "that incident". Over the past three months, Shen Qianhuang went from staying at home all the time to joining the emperor on the autumn hunt. She also made new friends during the hunt. A smile appeared on her face, and she looked reborn.

Also, Shen Qianchen told himself again and again to listen to his heart and not to worry about her.

Her daughters were much stronger and braver than she was. If she had been in their situation, there was no way she could have done better than them.

Both of them have bravely walked out of the shadow of the past, but she, as a mother, is a generation older than them, and she is complacent and worrying about nothing.

Many times, “thinking it through” only takes a moment.

In fact, her feelings had been very clear a long time ago. If she didn't want to, she could have rejected it sternly and not given Pei Linye any hope. It was because she cared about him that she was hesitant and concerned about some unfounded things.

Shen Zhi took a step forward, suddenly stretched out her right hand, and held Pei Linye's hand tightly.

The two people intertwined their fingers, palms touching.

She didn't say anything, but Pei Linye, Shen Qianchen and Shen Qianhuang could all see what Shen Zhi meant.

Shen Zhi agreed! In an instant, Pei Linye's eyes lit up, and his pupils glowed with an unusually bright light, and he was ecstatic.

His thin lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't say it, as if he was afraid that words would break this beautiful dream.

Shen Qianchen tugged at Shen Qianhuang's sleeve and winked at her playfully.

Shen Qianhuang was also smiling, and that smile was so pure, bright, and brilliant.

Both sisters were happy for their mother.

Outside the hall, the wife of Duke Mu appeared under the eaves at some point, and saw this scene, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Aunt Xu said repeatedly, "That's great, that's great!" She was also very happy, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes and she wiped them with a handkerchief.

Then, Lady Mu, Duke of Mu's wife, could not help but look at Shen Qianchen. After confirming that Shen Qianchen was genuinely happy, she felt relieved. However, she was still somewhat worried that those boring censors would use this incident to make a fuss about her virtue as a woman.

Lady Mu, Duke of Mu, calmed herself down and decided not to think about these troubles.

No matter what, as a mother, Lady of Duke Mu naturally loves her daughters. The eldest daughter, Shen Zhi, is only in her early thirties and has a long life ahead of her. Shen Qianhuang will get married eventually, and Shen Yunmu will also have to marry. The children cannot accompany Shen Zhi for her whole life. Lady of Duke Mu still hopes that Shen Zhi can have a companion to grow old with, and hopes that her daughter can be happy in the second half of her life and not be alone for the rest of her life.

Besides, Pei Linye is really good. There is nothing wrong with his appearance, character, and temperament.

The key is that he is a caring person.

This is also the reason why Lady Mu, the Duke's wife, wants to promote this marriage from the bottom of her heart.

She just wanted her eldest daughter to find a loving husband.

"..." Shen Zhi's cheeks gradually turned slightly red.

At first, she was too embarrassed to say it out loud, so she answered Pei Linye with a handshake, which represented holding hands with him and growing old together.

But now, when the two of them held hands for a long time, she felt that this action was a little too intimate, especially since her two daughters were still there.

She wanted to withdraw her hand, but Pei Linye held her hand tightly and refused to let go. At this time, Shen Qianchen said with a smile: "Uncle Pei, when are you going to get married?"

"Let's invite a matchmaker to come over quickly." Shen Qianhuang joked with her.

Pei Linye's visit today certainly cannot be considered a formal engagement. When families like the Pei family and the Shen family arrange a marriage, they either ask the women of their relatives or old friends to act as matchmakers, or ask an official matchmaker to go to the girl's house to propose marriage. This is considered a formal proposal.

Pei Linye is also a man in his thirties. He is usually calm and steady, and is even known as a cold-blooded smiling tiger. But now, a rare trace of embarrassment appeared on his handsome wheat-colored face.

He held Shen Zhi's hand again, his palm sweating from nervousness. He rubbed the back of her hand lovingly with his fingertips, then let go and said, "I'll go find a matchmaker today!"

Before he finished speaking, he ran away as rashly as a young boy.

By the time Shen Zhi, Shen Qianchen and the others came to their senses, the person had already run far away.

Shen Zhi: “…”

Shen Qianchen: "..."

Shen Qianhuang: "..."

After a brief moment of daze, Shen Zhi burst out laughing.

Her smile was so bright and joyful. It was a happy smile that came from the heart, as bright as the sun in June in summer, without a trace of haze.

At this moment, Shen Zhi was as beautiful as a rose blooming freely.

Even the wife of Duke Mu was a little stunned. She hadn't seen her eldest daughter smile like this for many years, as if her edge and her happiness had been worn away bit by bit in her marriage with Chu Lingxiao.

Shen Qianchen looked at the smiling Shen Zhi, and the corners of his lips curled up as well, thinking that this was a good idea.

Shen Zhi had been trapped in the Chu family for the best fifteen years of her life, which was already hard enough. In her previous life, she died in the Shen family and completely missed Pei Linye. She probably didn't know until her death that Pei Linye had been waiting for her.

In this life, perhaps it was God's mercy that made up for Shen Zhi and Pei Linye.

How wonderful! Shen Qianchen's eyes were slightly dazed, and he felt that the things in his previous life seemed to have become very far away.

Madam Mu cleared her throat and said, "Azhi, I'll have someone fetch Brother Mu later. You and Sister Huang will stay in the mansion tonight. Don't leave."

The wife of Duke Mu was so happy that she smiled so hard that her eyes narrowed into ears. She asked someone to prepare lunch, and then sent someone to tell Duke Mu and his son the good news. In her heart, she was also thinking about how to arrange a wedding for her eldest daughter and prepare a dowry.

The good news spread throughout Duke Mu’s Mansion in the blink of an eye.

An hour later, the official matchmaker invited by Pei Linye came to propose marriage with great fanfare. As a result, the whole capital knew that day that the queen's biological mother was going to remarry, which was like a stone that caused a thousand ripples.

Most people at that time were influenced by Confucian ideas about women's virtues, emphasizing that men are superior to women and that women should be faithful to their husbands. In many places in the Great Qi Dynasty, people were proud of chastity arches. They felt that Shen Zhi's divorce and remarriage were really a disgrace to society.

Early the next morning, an imperial censor impeached the queen's biological mother at the morning court for being unvirtuous and frivolous, and even mentioned that Shen Zhi was disrespectful to her mother-in-law in her previous marriage.

After the censor finished listing Shen Zhi's five major crimes, the whole court fell silent.

The court officials had different expressions, some remained noncommittal, some lowered their heads and stared at the tip of his shoes, some officials cast indescribable looks at the censor, thinking that he was simply a blockhead, and some even raised their heads secretly to glance at Gu Jue in front of them.

Gu Jue tapped the armrest of the dragon throne twice with one hand and asked two questions: "Censor Wang, do you know how many able-bodied men Da Qi has lost in the war in the past five years? How much has Da Qi's population decreased?"

Wang Yushi: “…”

Wang Yushi was neither from the Ministry of War nor the Ministry of Revenue. He was at a loss for words and could only answer stiffly, "I don't know."

So, Gu Jue asked the Minister of War and the Minister of Revenue to answer. The two ministers stood up one after another and answered respectfully:

"In the past five years, more than 200,000 soldiers have died in battles across Da Qi."

"The population of Da Qi has decreased by five million."

The figures reported by the two ministers shocked all the civil and military officials in the court. When the late Emperor Gu Lang ascended the throne, the Great Qi Dynasty still had a population of about 40 million. In just a few years, 5 million people disappeared.

Gu Jue continued, "The court encourages widows to remarry and encourages men and women to get married and have children. Shen Zhi, as the queen's biological mother, sets an example and responds to the court's call. She should be rewarded and named Lady Anguo!"

The whole court was in uproar again.

In the Great Qi Dynasty, except for titles such as princess, county lady, and county lady, women were generally considered noble by their husbands, relying on the titles and imperial edicts obtained by their husbands. For example, Shen Zhi was the wife of the Marquis of Yongding.

In the more than 100 years of history of the Great Qi Dynasty, only two people were given the title of "Lady Anguo". One was Lady Liang, who went to the front line on behalf of her husband and defeated the enemy country. The other was the wife of Prime Minister Nie Shicong fifty years ago. During her lifetime, Lady Nie established dozens of charity halls in the Great Qi and rescued countless abandoned orphans. She was named Lady Anguo by the Queen Mother Zhao at that time.

Shen Zhi was the third Lady Anguo.

Wang Yushi: “…”

Censor Wang's face looked extremely ugly, with turns of blue and white.

He impeached Shen Zhi for being unvirtuous and frivolous, but the new emperor publicly conferred the title of Lady Anguo on Shen Zhi. This was too tyrannical.

Censor Wang felt that the mocking gazes of the people around him were like needles piercing him.

"emperor……"

Censor Wang wanted to say more, but Gu Jue was impatient to listen and asked directly: "Do you think the court's decree is unreasonable?"

Wang Yushi also knew that the new emperor was displeased, but he was already in a difficult situation, so he could only bite the bullet and say, "A widow remarrying is infidelity in the first place."

"What about the loss of able-bodied men in Da Qi?" Gu Jue asked immediately.

Wang Yushi replied solemnly: "Your Majesty, I can encourage every household to have more children, reduce taxes appropriately, and require women of marriageable age to marry, otherwise they will be fined or arranged to marry by the court."

Wang Yushi really believes this. If there is a shortage of population, then we should encourage more births and early marriage and early childbearing. Why should we encourage widows to remarry? Isn't this corrupting the moral character? !

Everyone else was silent, watching this showdown between the king and his subjects quietly.

Gu Jue tapped his slender fingers on the armrest twice again, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but simply asking again: "How many children does that family want?"

Wang Yushi pondered for a moment, thinking that most ordinary families have five or six children, so he said, "Seven or more is better."

People at that time believed that having more children meant more blessings, and those who did not dare to have more children were generally afraid that they could not afford to raise them. As long as the imperial court exempted the people from taxes and promoted the idea of ​​having more children, in another five years, even if the population of Da Qi could not return to the peak of five years ago, it would have greatly increased.

Censor Wang was already thinking about whether he should draft a new memorial after the court session, detailing the terms of this decree.

The next moment, Gu Jue nodded and said, "Okay."

Censor Wang was delighted and tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth that were about to curl up, thinking that the new emperor was convinced by his advice and that he had made a suggestion that was beneficial to the country and the people.

Just as he was about to thank him, he heard Gu Jue ask calmly, "How many children does Wang Aiqing have?"

Wang Yushi: “…”

Censor Wang was stunned for a moment, and hadn't reacted yet, but Gu Jue didn't give him a chance to speak again, and said with a smile: "Then my dear Wang, go back and have the baby first. Censor is an official, and he should set an example for the people. The people have to have seven children, so you have to have at least twice as many. Wait until you have fourteen before you talk."

"You don't need to take the errand for now, so as not to disturb your childbirth."

Although Gu Jue said these shocking words, his expression and tone were understated, and his meaning was very clear. It was tantamount to stripping Censor Wang of his official position and forcing him not to come to work until he had given birth to fourteen children.

Censor Wang opened his eyes wide, unable to believe his ears, and almost pinched his thigh to see if he was dreaming.

“…”

“…”

“…”

There was silence in the Golden Palace again.

All the civil and military officials in the court looked at Wang Yushi with strange expressions.

Although they didn't know how many children Wang Yushi had, most of the censors were honest officials and would not keep too many concubines. The impression they had was that the wedding in Wang Yushi's family was ten years ago, and it seemed that Wang Yushi's third son got married at that time.

Wang Yushi was already in his fifties and looked frail. If he had a child at this age, people would say he was "too old to have a child". Regardless of whether he could still have children at this age, if he had to have 14 children, Wang Yushi would probably die.

Thinking of this, everyone looked at Censor Wang with more complicated eyes. Sympathy, sighs, and emotions were all present. They felt that this man was not being tactful enough.

Even if Wang Yushi felt that it was inappropriate for the Queen's mother to remarry, he could have reported it privately to the new emperor to test his opinion first. There was no need to say it publicly in the Golden Palace.

Many court officials secretly exchanged glances and had an idea in their minds.

It seems that the new emperor is optimistic about the marriage between Pei Linye and Shen Zhi. The man is the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Gu Jue’s confidant, and the woman is the queen’s biological mother. I’m afraid Gu Jue is also happy to make Pei Linye one of his own.

Several cabinet elders thought more, especially the Minister of Revenue Xu Qian.

The population of the Great Qi State has been declining sharply in recent years due to various wars, and has been decreasing year by year. Xu Qian is the one who knows this best and has mentioned it to the late emperor. However, the late emperor felt that the population decrease was mainly in the north, northwest and northeast, and did not take it seriously. Instead, he emphasized that the population in the capital and Jizhou had increased.

Xu Qian also discussed this issue privately with Zhang Shoufu, Yang Xuanshan and others, because the customs in many places in Da Qi were too pedantic. Although the population was sharply declining, they still insisted on requiring women who had lost their husbands in war to remain chaste. There were even young women who became widows before they even got married, and they insisted on not allowing women to remarry.

The imperial court had repeatedly issued decrees to encourage widows to remarry, but there were always some old-fashioned people like Wang Yushi who jumped out to say things like "be faithful to one's husband" and "after the husband's death, one should follow the son", etc., as if remarrying women was digging up their ancestral graves.

Therefore, the implementation of these policies was not smooth.

(End of this chapter)