Chapter 365 Old Liu is a little moved
Minister Liu sighed bitterly and stood up again. He knew that he had been persuaded by the Queen a little, though only a little.
"Empress, I admit that you have some truth in what you say. I also know that you have been trying every possible way to support women and balance the current predicament of Dayu. However, that marriage law..."
He stroked his mustache in embarrassment, looking down at the booklet in his hand. He knew a lot of things, but Old Liu wasn't a hard-headed person. How could he dare to go against everyone?
The emperor and the empress looked at each other and raised their eyebrows with great satisfaction.
Hehe, there's hope!
"Well, Lao Liu, listen to me, this matter is actually not as serious as you think.
How did I figure it out?
Look, I'm an emperor after all, right? I don't have concubines, do I? Just treat me like a virtuous ruler and tell everyone about my happy life.
If I took concubines and they gave birth to many illegitimate children, would they have to compete with my wife's children for food and drink? Would my wife still be willing to give me her dowry and then rack her brains to earn money to support the Ministry of Revenue?
The annual salary you receive is all earned by the Queen! Look at how much we eat as a freeloader, isn’t it considered to bring honor to our family?”
The emperor is used to being shameless, but his subjects cannot follow the emperor in being shameless, otherwise Dayu will really be finished!
"Your Majesty, I know there is some truth in what you said, but could you please stop talking for now?"
The Minister of Rites took a hard breath, unwilling to face this emperor's student who had ruined his reputation in the education world. He turned to look at the Empress, preferring to face the bleakness of life head-on.
"Tell me, Queen, what exactly do you want to do?"
Jiang Wan curled her lips into a smile.
"It's not excessive. I just want to fight for a little bit of fairness within the limited space."
"For example? Let me be frank with you. The idea of turning the world upside down and reversing yin and yang will never work in the capital. Please, Your Majesty, please stop talking!"
“…I’m not that lacking in intelligence.”
Seeing that the Minister of Rites had finally softened his attitude, Jiang Wan seriously discussed the details with him.
"First, of course, it's about taking concubines.
I suggest that the law clearly state that there should be monogamy and no concubines.
Everyone says that taking concubines is for the purpose of having children. If this is true, then shouldn't women take male concubines? Why is it the other way around, wasting so many opportunities for men to have children?
This Yu family and the country clearly have no benefits at all. The only benefit is satisfying men's lust."
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Minister Liu, who also had two concubines at home, was embarrassed by the Queen's sharp words that revealed the truth.
"Then, if the wife he married is not happy and delays the continuation of the man's family line, then isn't it right to take a concubine?"
"If the woman is willing, she can divorce. The marriage law supports this. If she doesn't want to divorce, there must be other solutions. After all, there are always countermeasures for every policy, don't you agree, Lord Liu?"
Jiang Wan wasn't naive. She knew she could never eliminate many situations that skirted the law. But she would do her best to create a better life for the vast majority of women who wanted to live a good life.
"Besides,"
A strange thought flashed in her eyes.
"Who says that infertility is always the woman's fault? Have the men checked themselves? What if it's their fault?
I have discussed this with Dr. Sun, and he will set up free consultation points in each of the Sun Clinics in the various prefectures of Dayu to help men check for fertility issues."
“Cough cough cough cough…”
Minister Liu spit hit his throat and choked him so much that he almost died from coughing.
My goodness, how did that rude man Jiang Huailiang raise his daughter? How could he raise his eldest daughter to be so fierce and vigorous?
"...Your Majesty, you have thought it through very carefully."
"That's right, don't you see whose wife this is?"
Old Liu's praise was against his will, and the emperor laughed happily.
Jiang Wan ignored the sarcastic tone in the Minister of Rites' words. As a man, he was right to be unhappy. After all, not everyone had the broad-mindedness and tolerance of Li Chengxiu, who dared to support her in revising the doctrine.
"Secondly, marriage law should protect the rights and interests of both men and women. After all, marriage is a union of two families. If there are too many illegitimate children, wouldn't that be bad for both families?
Therefore, I propose that the absolute rights and interests of the legitimate lineage must be guaranteed! Only by cutting off the qualifications of illegitimate and legitimate children from the root can we minimize the number of children who die in the harem.
Third, the rope around the woman's neck should be untied. Women should not be locked up in the inner chamber to engage in intrigue and intrigue. This is a huge waste!
I have been discussing with the Minister of Revenue for a long time how to make use of the vitality of women, and we have also come up with effective solutions in this regard.
Minister Liu might as well have a good chat with Minister Chu later, he will definitely gain something from it.
As long as Lord Liu is willing to reform, our Dayu will prosper in the future, and your presence as the Minister of Rites Liu Maosheng will be the most prominent part of our achievements!
By then, the wise minister whose reputation will be passed down through the ages will be Lord Liu..."
The queen skillfully brought out the bowl of chicken soup again and guzzled it down. Whether it was delicious or not was unknown, but by the time Old Liu left the palace, he had been fooled into a state of confusion.
To be honest, he didn't completely believe the Queen's solemn words, but he was indeed somewhat tempted. Think about it, ever since the Queen interfered with the Ministry of Revenue, that old man surnamed Chu now walks around arrogantly in front of the six ministries with his head held high!
He was envious, jealous and hateful, but he couldn't help being moved.
It will be sung through the ages and will be remembered forever!
Isn't that the highest pursuit for those of them who are pursuing a career in the government? If what the Queen said is reliable, then it's not impossible for him, Liu Maosheng, to take a risk!
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and he rushed to the Minister of Revenue without stopping.
"The Ministry of Revenue has no money!"
Minister Chu's heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys are all in pain from all the money he has spent recently. Now he says this to everyone he sees.
"Old Chu, I'm not here to ask for money!"
"No one comes to the temple for no reason. Why are you coming to my Ministry of Revenue if you don't want money?"
The Minister of Revenue rolled his eyes arrogantly at the man's lies. Anyway, I have the goods now, unlike before when I was poor and had low aspirations, and I felt guilty and inferior to everyone else.
Now...
He coughed timidly.
"Hey! I used to owe you a lot of salary from the Ministry of Rites, so I had no problem with you calling me Old Chu. But now, how should you address me?"
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