Chapter 154 Women's Freedom to Marry

Su Jingyao completed her goal, with a satisfied smile on her face, and walked briskly from the Qianqing Palace back to the Kunning Palace.

Along the way, her skirt fluttered in the wind like a dancing butterfly.

The bed in Kunning Palace was remade by Su Jingyao at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is bigger than Jun Zechen's dragon bed and looks spacious and comfortable.

Because the dragon-phoenix fetus is already about one year old, it is a very active and lively time.

Su Jingyao often lies on the bed with a smile on her face, watching the two little ones crawling around happily on the bed.

Sometimes, the two little guys would even fight playfully. You push me and I grab you. Their cute and naughty looks make people laugh.

Su Jingyao just lay on her side, supporting her head with one hand and using the other hand to protect the two children from time to time to prevent them from accidentally falling off the bed.

His eyes were full of tenderness and pampering as he watched the children playing, as if time had stopped at that moment.

She is an orphan now and has never experienced family love. But when she comes here, she feels the love from her own parents as well as the blood relationship passed on to her by her own children.

All of these make Su Jingyao feel extremely warm.

Because of the little princess, when Jun Zechen came to Kunning Palace, he no longer let people take her away directly like he did with Xingxing before.

Instead, he would lie on the bed with her, with a gentle smile on his face, and reach out to tease the two children. The scene was extremely heartwarming.

Two days passed after I returned from the Qianqing Palace.

After Su Jingyao finished dealing with some things, she leaned on the bed as usual, accompanying her two active children.

The little princess is simply lawless. She already knows how to bully her brother at the age of one.

If her brother fought back, she would run to Su Jingyao with unsteady steps and complain to her mother in a baby voice.

Cute and funny.

At this time, Miaoyun walked in quietly and bowed slightly.

"Master, the Lord of Qingping County has sent a memorial to the Emperor."

After hearing this, Su Jingyao raised her eyebrows, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Jun Zechen handled it so quickly?

"Well, let her enter the palace in the afternoon, and you send someone to pick her up."

Su Jingyao said calmly with a calm expression.

When the Princess of Qingping County entered the palace, Su Jingyao dressed up specially, put on gorgeous palace clothes, and sat dignifiedly on the couch in the warm pavilion.

Her posture was graceful and her expression calm.

"Your humble servant pays homage to Her Majesty, and wishes Her Majesty the best of health and happiness."

The Lord of Qingping County bowed respectfully, his voice clear but with a hint of nervousness.

"Please stand up, County Lord. Miaoyun, please give me a seat."

Su Jingyao raised her hand slightly, motioning her to stand up, with a faint smile on her face.

The Lord of Qingping County was wearing plain clothes today. His cold face seemed to be deeply tired, and his eyes were a little dim.

After she sat down slowly.

Su Jingyao asked softly, "Why does the county lord look unhappy? Could it be that my brother bullied the county lord?"

Su Jingyao's eyes were filled with concern, yet also seemed to contain a hint of inquiry.

After hearing this, Qi Wanyin's face turned even paler. She then took a deep breath and spoke.

"Your Majesty, I came here today to discuss something with you."

She clenched her folded hands tighter.

"Your Highness, please feel free to speak."

Su Jingyao sat up straighter and looked at her calmly.

"I want to cancel my marriage with Minister Su."

The Qingping County Lord bit his lip, his expression firm yet a little uneasy.

Su Jingyao's gaze suddenly became sharp and fell directly on the Lord of Qingping County. She remained silent for a long time.

There was a strong sense of oppression in her eyes.

Under such a look, the Lord of Qingping County trembled slightly.

If His Majesty had not threatened her, there was no way she would have canceled the marriage.

Minister Su...he is really nice.

She had clearly erased all traces of the incident, so how could His Majesty find out?

The most important thing is, why did Your Majesty want to investigate her?

The Lord of Qingping County stood up from the stool and knelt in front of Su Jingyao.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. My words and actions are inconsistent. I know that my actions will bring shame to the Su family, but I originally returned to the capital just to find someone to rely on."

The Qingping County Lord's voice was filled with tears and his head was bowed deeply.

"Minister Su is a very warm person, but I have lost the ability to like someone because of what happened to me in Junguo when I was a child and what happened to me in Canglang later."

As the Qingping County Lord spoke, he began to sob.

"I do not want to delay Minister Su. Minister Su deserves a better woman."

The mayor of Qingping County raised his head, his eyes blurred with tears, and his words were solemn.

"In half a month, the Queen Mother will return to the palace. For the rest of my life, I only want to be with her, surrounded by the green lamps and ancient Buddhas. I beg you to grant my wish."

The Lord of Qingping County kowtowed again.

Su Jingyao remained silent.

If Su Jingyao didn't know the whole story, she would probably sympathize with Qi Wanyin because of her interpretation.

Then he said, "Since the county lord Qingping has made up her mind, the marriage should be a matter of mutual affection. If the county lord is unwilling, I will not force it."

"It's just... I don't know if my brother knows about your decision?" Su Jingyao asked.

"I have come to pay a visit to Her Majesty today. After obtaining Her Majesty's consent, I will inform Minister Su." The Lord of Qingping County replied quickly.

"Well, in that case, the county lord should withdraw."

Su Jingyao waved her hand with a cold expression.

"Yes, I will take my leave."

Lord Qingping kowtowed again, then stood up and slowly left the warm room.

Su Jingyao stared at the back of the Qingping County Mayor as she left. There seemed to be an indescribable loneliness in her back.

She couldn't help but frown slightly.

What on earth did Jun Zechen do to make the county magistrate so easily propose to cancel the engagement?

Her fingers tapped lightly on the small table on the couch.

Anyway, the Lord of Qingping County doesn't look like a law-abiding person, nor does he deserve sympathy.

Half a month later, the Queen Mother returned to the palace. Qi Wanyin said that she wanted to stay with her all the time. Did she have to live in the palace?

When Su Jingyao thought of this, she couldn't help but turn the bracelet on her wrist, her eyes looking a little dazed.

That's good, since she's keeping watch over him, she doesn't have to worry about the Qingping County Lord causing any trouble.

Moreover, the Queen Mother was a sober person. She could see through some of the little tricks of the Lord of Qingping County without Su Jingyao having to expose them herself.

The Queen Mother's feelings for the County Lord will only exist as long as the County Lord does not infringe on the interests of the Queen Mother and Jun Zechen.

How much kindness and compassion can someone like the Queen Mother, who has been in power in the harem for so many years, have?

Su Jingyao sneered.

The county chief should not shoot himself in the foot.

During this time, Su Jingyao was also busy preparing for the Queen Mother's return to the palace.

Now that the kingdom has recovered Yuehui and Canglang, and the treasury is full, the ceremony must naturally be held in a grand and extraordinary manner to show her, the queen and His Majesty, her importance and filial piety to the queen mother.

Two days later, Jun Zechen agreed to Qingping County Lord's request to cancel the engagement because Qingping County Lord was the orphan of a martyr and because of his contributions in the Canglang Battle.

For a moment, the capital city became lively as if a huge rock was thrown into a lake.

Some people felt that it was not worth it for the Su family. They shook their heads and sighed, their faces full of anger and indignation.

There were also people who laughed at the Su family's broken engagement, and the shrill laughter echoed in the streets and alleys.

Some even thought that the county lord was a heretic, and some even thought that he had been in Canglang for several years and had no sense of propriety, righteousness, and integrity.

All kinds of unpleasant words came flooding in.

Su Jingyao tolerated such rumors for a few days. Two days before the Queen Mother returned to the palace, Su Jingyao finally took the initiative to ask Jun Zechen for the freedom of marriage as a woman.

He even wrote a short essay of thousands of words, quoting from classics, with his handwriting beautiful and powerful.

It was presented to the Qianqing Palace in the name of the Empress and reviewed by Jun Zechen.

When Jun Zechen saw the Queen's memorial, surprise first flashed in his eyes, and then the surprise gradually turned into admiration and appreciation.

His eyes were fixed on the paper with beautiful handwriting, his expression focused and serious.

There are several paragraphs that are written like this.

[The Book of Rites says: "Eating, drinking, and sex are the greatest desires of human beings."

Marriage is the greatest desire of human beings.

If a woman is not allowed to marry freely and is forced to obey the arrangements of power and interests, she will surely feel resentful and die in depression.

In this case, how can families have peace and how can society have harmony?

For example, Mencius said: "Respect the old as my own, and the young as my own."

Your Majesty is kind and compassionate. You should understand the feelings of women and allow them to make their own choices about marriage, just like men. This will show your majesty's kindness and generosity, and benefit all people.

Women's freedom to marry does not violate common sense, but rather conforms to human nature.

To enable women to have happy marriages, harmonious families and prosperous society.

I hope Your Majesty will think deeply about this, implement this benevolent policy, and create a good story that will be passed down through the ages.

I am extremely terrified and respectfully await your Majesty's judgment. 】

This is a passage from the text. After reading it, Jun Zechen's eyes stayed on the memorial for a long time, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.

He had always known that his queen had many unique insights of her own.

However, the marriage between the Lord of Qingping County and the Su family was not well-intentioned.

Therefore, even though Jun Zechen knew that the Lord of Qingping County had been the subject of a lot of controversy in recent days and had stayed indoors in the county mansion all day, he did not show any sympathy.

But she never expected that her queen would put aside past grudges and come up with such a far-reaching idea.

It not only helped the lord of Qingping County, but also worked for the welfare of women all over the world.

Thinking of this, Jun Zechen felt a warm feeling in his heart.

On the second day, Jun Zechen wore a dragon robe and sat majestically in the court.

During the morning court session, he solemnly informed all the ministers of the empress's memorial.

When the ministers heard the news, they were immediately outraged and argued endlessly with different opinions.

Some ministers frowned and shook their heads repeatedly.

Some ministers were whispering to each other.

However, the Su family and the ministers who were on good terms with the Su family in the court naturally stood on the side of the Queen.

The Su family's current glory is all due to the Queen, so they naturally would not go against the Queen.

Even Minister Su agreed with his sister's idea.

Even though he was the person involved in this incident, he did not want the Qingping County Lord to be criticized by the world because of it.

So when Minister Su expressed his attitude in the court, the ministers who held opposing views saw that the person concerned was so clear-headed and righteous, so they had no choice but to shut up and could not say anything more.

And judging from His Majesty's attitude, he obviously highly appreciates the Queen's move.

If I object again, wouldn't that be going against His Majesty?

The atmosphere in the court became subtle and tense.