Emperor Kangxi was stumped by the question.
He was a native of ancient times, and had a bit of a male chauvinist streak, but as an emperor, he was also very tolerant in his ways as a ruler, though of course he couldn't tolerate everything.
Before meeting Youqing, if someone had suggested that Emperor Kangxi remarry one of his concubines, he probably would have either beheaded or exiled.
However, after he and Youqing became of one mind, Kangxi was quite open-minded about this matter.
Furthermore, from the perspective of an emperor, he was mindful of widows remarrying, as this represented population growth, so he did not particularly favor chastity arches.
However, on the other hand, the chastity archway has always been highly revered by the Han people. As a Manchu emperor ruling a country that was almost entirely populated by Han people, if Emperor Kangxi really clashed with this "culture," he would inevitably be exploited by those who opposed the Qing and sought to restore the Ming.
"The chastity archway imposed too much constraint on women."
Once a chastity arch is erected, this woman can no longer have any connection with men; otherwise, the consequences will be even more tragic than Liu's fate.
"I understand what you mean."
Emperor Kangxi always knew her intentions and that she was keen to improve the status of women.
Daughters in Mongol and Manchu families actually had a pretty good status. It was only after they moved to the capital that their status gradually declined, and eventually, the difference between them and women in Han families became less significant.
"I will consider it. The chastity archway is related to the Han people's concept of chastity. Although I do not like this kind of chastity, abolishing it all at once requires considering the current situation."
Although the anti-Qing restoration movement was not a significant force, it had always existed. If he dared to abolish it, chaos would inevitably ensue.
Youqing: "I didn't say you should abolish it. What's the point of abolishing the chastity arch? Even if you issue an official decree to abolish it, you can't stop it. What I mean is, could we find some widows who have remarried as a reward?"
"What do you mean?" Kangxi didn't quite understand what she meant.
"The world is vast, and there are plenty of widows who remarry and live prosperous lives. When you encounter such a widow, reward her, which can be considered as indirectly encouraging her to remarry. As for the chastity arch, the court already anticipates that widows will remarry. You only need to express your dislike for it, which is much better than actually ordering its abolition."
After all, some clever people like to overthink things. If the abolition order is actually issued, there will inevitably be people jumping up and down in protest. But if the abolition order is not issued and people simply dislike the chastity archway, it might have unexpected effects.
Some people just love to speculate on the emperor's intentions, and that's perfect.
Emperor Kangxi didn't think about it in that way. It wasn't that he didn't understand, but that being an emperor for so long can sometimes lead to rigid thinking.
"This matter will be arranged after we return to Beijing."
Youqing was satisfied upon hearing this.
Only when she was caught in the torrent of the times did she truly understand her own weakness. She did what she could, even if it wasn't much, it was enough to comfort herself.
The Zhen family of Kaifeng Prefecture was now a thing of the past, and Kangxi and Youqing continued south.
This time, they don't plan to stop along the way and intend to go directly to Anhui.
After leaving Henan, the first place we arrived at was Qiao County, a place known for its outstanding people and abundant resources. It is the hometown of Hua Tuo, a place famous for traditional Chinese medicine, the birthplace of Cao Cao, and the ancient capital of three dynasties.
This place is considered quite famous.
"This place is interesting; they don't grow crops, they grow medicinal herbs."
Upon entering Qiao County, Youqing noticed that there weren't many crops in the surrounding fields, but there were plenty of medicinal herbs, so she inquired about them.
Emperor Kangxi knew quite a bit about this place.
"The demand for medicinal herbs is high, and wild medicinal herbs are not easy to find, so naturally we have to grow them. The soil here is suitable, and with the reputation of Hua Tuo, this place has developed based on these medicinal herbs."
In modern life, Youqing usually endures minor illnesses on her own, and if she can't bear it, she takes some Western medicine and gets an IV drip. For serious illnesses, she is hospitalized. As for traditional Chinese medicine, she rarely comes into contact with it in modern times.
A course of treatment usually lasts at least ten days, with a bowl of dark, bitter medicine every morning and evening. Most people can't handle that!
Therefore, even though Qiao County was renamed Bozhou in modern times and is one of the four major Chinese medicinal herb markets, it is not particularly famous among the many scenic spots and historical sites.
We were about 20 or 30 li away from the county town when the carriage stopped. It was noon, and time to eat.
Liang Jiugong led his men to prepare lunch. Kangxi and Youqing were also busy. They saw people weeding in the field and decided to go over and ask them.
Medicinal herbs are everywhere in Qiao County; I wonder what the quality of life is like for the people here.
At this time, several old farmers were eating in the fields. They were eating coarse grain buns with rice soup so thin you could see your reflection in it, and they were swallowing them whole.
Looking up, they saw Kangxi and Youqing coming over. The two thought they were dressed very plainly, but in the eyes of the country folk, clothes that were neat and without patches, and not coarse linen, meant that the family was well-off.
With the added presence of the two individuals, the elderly farmers felt inexplicably reserved, and their eating speed slowed down.
As the two men entered, Kangxi asked, "We are merchants on our way. How far is it from here to the county town?"
It was just a pretext to strike up a conversation; the routes Kangxi took had been scouted in advance.
The group breathed a sigh of relief; it turned out they were just asking for directions.
One of the old farmers said, "Go west from here, turn right at the second fork in the road, go straight to the end, turn right again, go straight again, and you'll reach the end."
It was explained very clearly, um... but Youqing didn't quite understand.
Fortunately, they weren't actually there to ask for directions.
Having asked for directions, Kangxi began chatting with the group.
"I see that you've planted medicinal herbs in your fields. I wonder how you harvest them?"
Several people couldn't help but sigh when they heard Kangxi talk about medicinal herbs.
"Don't even mention it. If we hadn't planted all the medicinal herbs in the ground, we would have liked to plant some crops. At least if we planted crops, we could at least have enough to eat. But if we planted medicinal herbs, we would hardly have any food to eat."
Emperor Kangxi was puzzled. Medicinal herbs should be a crop with good economic benefits, right? There has always been a large market demand, and the medicinal herbs in this field are growing well. How could this be?
"What do you mean by that?"
"The prices offered by the merchants who come to buy medicinal herbs have been decreasing year by year for the past two years. I heard that this year they have dropped by another 20% compared to last year. If this continues, we really won't be able to make a living."
"Yes, in the past, growing medicinal herbs was more promising than growing crops. But in the last two years, growing medicinal herbs has not been as lucrative as growing crops. At least with crops, you don't have to worry about food and drink. If you grow medicinal herbs, you can't just eat them all if you can't sell them."
"Didn't you ever think about selling it under a different brand?"
"I've thought about it, of course I've thought about it. It's just that all crows are black, one after another they're all the same, their hearts are all black!"
"The government doesn't care?"
Since medicinal herbs are a cash crop in Qiao County, and the people are not getting the prices they deserve, the government should take a look at this matter.
"Pah, they don't care. They're practically living in the homes of the herbal medicine merchants, eating and drinking their food."
That resentment is incredibly strong!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
