Chapter 364 The Queen's Tongue
He picked up the population data book on the table that he had ordered people to compile and organize long ago, waved it, and motioned the other party to take it.
"Master Liu, please take a look at this account book first."
Old Liu stood up and took it with both hands, walked back to his chair and sat down, silently flipping through the pages. He turned the pages very lightly, but the shocking numbers on the pages made Old Liu's heart skip a beat.
"Empress, where did this account book come from?"
"I ordered people to go to each state capital to collect statistics a few months ago. At that time, I just wanted to compare the approximate number of people with the Ministry of Revenue to see what appropriate development plans each state capital could make to revitalize local people's livelihood.
But I didn't expect these numbers to be so shocking!
"Look carefully at the population from the time of Emperor Daqiqing to the present. How much has been lost? More than half!"
Jiang Wan pronounced the last four words very clearly.
"This loss is quite horrific, but the most terrifying thing is that the current Dayu is still following the system of the previous dynasty. Men in the families of high-ranking officials often take pride in the large number of women in their harems.
Women in the countryside had a low status, even being treated like dirt and not valued. Some families even strangled or drowned their baby girls to avoid raising the so-called money-losing item.
Master Liu, you have been in charge of etiquette and law for many years, so you should know the cause of all this evil, right? "
Minister Liu frowned and remained silent.
And the Queen's exposition continued.
"Since there are bad causes in the past, there will inevitably be bad consequences in the future.
You also said that the yin and yang of heaven and earth were born together. Can reproduction and survival depend solely on men? If women are completely oppressed to the point of having no room to survive, will only men remain in this world?
Due to the chaotic times of the past few years, more of us worthless women died than men. But now that we are recuperating, I would like to ask if we should rely on women to give birth to children?
Without us women who are as insignificant as grass in the eyes of men, can you precious men reproduce on your own?"
"This doesn't mean that women can't survive, right?"
The Minister of Rites rarely retorted, but was ruthlessly retorted by the Queen.
“Yes, men can give some women the opportunity to become slaves, which can indeed help some lucky women survive.
If you look at the last account book, you will see that most women in the society have many brothers. Only after a family has given birth to several sons will a woman be allowed to survive.
The purpose of surviving is to work and serve their brothers and sisters when they are young, and then be sold when they grow up in exchange for dowry to help their brothers and sisters get married.
Then the woman who was sold continued her sinful life in the new prison! Then people praised her as a virtuous and filial person.
If this virtue is so good, why don't men carry it on their heads?"
The queen's eyes were extremely cold.
"It seems like women are born guilty, and giving birth to a baby girl after marriage is an unforgivable sin! Then who would be willing to give birth to a girl?
When women have no other way out, a rope and a well are their last resort.
If this vicious cycle continues for a long time, Master Liu, when the number of women in Dayu decreases and the population decreases, how can we break it?"
Minister Liu was speechless again.
He was born into a noble family, and the rules and etiquette he had been taught since childhood meant that men were born superior to women. Therefore, he had never lowered himself to look at such a common problem from a different perspective.
But now, he was stumped by the queen's question.
"Let's talk about taking a concubine."
Jiang Wan was never the type to refuse to give in even if she was right. Seeing that the Minister of Rites was seriously thinking about this issue, she did not pursue the issue further but instead changed the subject.
"Again, Dayu needs to rest and recuperate now. As for life, does it require a man and a woman to get married?
Nowadays, there are fewer women than men, and the men of high position and power have a collection of women from their harems at home, so he alone has taken the wives of many people.
With so many people in the harem, there will inevitably be competition, competition between legitimate and illegitimate children, and competition between wives and concubines. Of course, this is understandable. If there is no competition, it is basically impossible to survive in the harem.
But Lord Liu, you might as well think about it, are there more children who survive because a man robs many women, or are there more children who survive because a man and a woman get married?
The country and the people are the foundation. If we end up with nothing but people, what's the point of talking about the country and the world? We can just be wiped out by Dali or Linyue!
"When that happens, you, the Minister of Rites who is in charge of rituals and laws, knowing clearly that they have drawbacks but daring not to act, will be the number one culprit in the destruction of the nation! You will be nailed to the most shameful page in history books, and be ridiculed by future generations of other countries for thousands and thousands of years!"
The Queen was so skilled in putting on this heavy iron hat with her backhand that she stunned the Minister of Rites, who was a smooth-talking and somewhat loyal and patriotic minister, with a loud bang.
"No, let me think about this first, what does this have to do with me?
How can we accuse the country of subjugation? No! What is the crime of subjugating the country?
Our Great Yu Heaven and Earth are peaceful and prosperous, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. This legacy will surely last for thousands of generations to come!"
Old Liu was still a little shocked by the Queen's blow, but he instinctively knew that the Queen had put too much of a accusation on him, and he, Liu, could not bear such a heinous crime!
Kneeling down and shouting slogans according to one's true heart, trying to let the emperor know that one is loyal and patriotic, is definitely more stable than the throne under one's butt!
Even though his wife told him that the country was doomed, the heartless emperor still sat on the dragon throne and waved his hands indifferently.
"Oh, Old Liu, I know you're anxious, but don't be anxious yet. Just tell me if what my wife said makes sense.
I just told you that once this marriage law is enacted, the benefits will be endless. How about letting the Queen talk to you again?"
"No need, I can figure it out myself later!"
Goodness me, the Queen just casually opened her mouth and kicked herself into a place that will be infamous in the history books for eternity. If the Queen continues to act like this, it will be difficult for Old Liu to not die in apology today!
"Hey, how could you have figured it out earlier? Come on, come on, sit back down.
Then listen to me tell you the details. This is all my fault. No, this is all my fault. I worked hard all night and thought about it carefully. I finally figured out this wise decision!"
Your Majesty, please just speak. Why are you always looking at the Empress? If you didn't keep asking with your eyes, I, your humble servant, would really like to believe that you will make a wise decision one day!
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