After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 823 - 813: Quite a Thinker

Zhao Hanzhang flew into a rage, letting Xuan Yuxiu and other Han ministers know that Zhao Hanzhang is not so gentle either. Indeed, how could someone who commands the entire army have a soft temperament?

This outburst stopped Xuan Yuxiu and Liu Qin from further commenting, even though they felt the emperor’s funeral was too simple.

After all, Liu Yuan was not Zhao Hanzhang’s sovereign, but an enemy king. Even if she exposed Liu Yuan’s corpse to the wilderness, she would merely gain the notoriety of being ruthless. A grand burial would earn her a good reputation, while burying him with imperial honors would not only exceed that but indirectly acknowledge Liu Yuan’s status and achievements in life. This alone was enough to win over the ministers of the Han Kingdom.

Even Liu Yi could not find words of resentment against her.

The two countries are rivals, and Liu Yuan was once a Jin Minister and a Prince, so his status naturally added a touch of righteousness to Zhao Hanzhang’s attack. Besides, this war was initiated by the Han Kingdom.

The defeat of Pingyang City was due to their inferior skills, so while they were furious and humiliated, they found it hard to resent Zhao Hanzhang.

If she had committed some inhumane acts, like killing their emperor, massacring their people, soldiers...

Yet, the emperor had died of his illness by himself, and Zhao Hanzhang even summoned the Imperial Physician to try to save him; she refrained from wantonly slaughtering the people, whether Han or barbarians, as long as they did not attack her soldiers or violate her orders. She treated them all equally; as for captured soldiers, she treated them even better.

Since the fall of Pingyang City, the Zhao Family Army has not committed atrocities wherever they pass, only obeying orders to inventory the assets of officials and the court’s property.

She performed so well that those seeking faults couldn’t find any, eventually muttering in low voices about her small-mindedness for taking so many burial items and tearing up the burial list, while issuing a ban on human sacrifice, murmuring that she was petty, holding a grudge, or similar trivial comments.

Zhao Hanzhang was completely unaware; her anger subsided somewhat when Fu Tinghan came over for dinner, "I did not expect that they were on the brink of national demise, yet still thinking about human sacrifice, almost wasting over two hundred lives in vain."

Fu Tinghan: "I heard about it on my way here; they said you were very angry today. Are you still upset?"

Zhao Hanzhang snorted and pondered, "I can forbid it now, under my watch, but what about where I cannot see?"

Fu Tinghan contemplated and said, "Don’t you often say that the higher-ups set the example for subordinates? You abolished the human sacrifice system and prohibited officials from burying live people and livestock, promoting simple burials, and the populace will naturally follow."

Zhao Hanzhang lowered her head in thought, "But it’s too slow; who knows how many might die from human sacrifice during the time it takes for top influences to reach the lower strata?"

"Today I asked Mr. Ming and learned that, even though Emperor Qin Shi Huang prohibited human sacrifice from his time, and subsequent Han emperors did not advocate it, people still engaged in live burial."

"Husbands die, wives are sacrificed; concubines are sacrificed; masters die, servants are buried. These have become tacit assumptions, especially among some Feudal Lords, unrestricted by the court, acting lawlessly, with many incidents of secret murders for burial," Zhao Hanzhang said, "Now, in troubled times, people’s lives are mere trifles; for the sake of ostentatious burials, thousands might be slain."

It was for this reason that Xuan Yuxiu felt Liu Yuan was benevolent for choosing only his favorite young concubines for sacrifice, with few palace maids and eunuchs accompanying him. He couldn’t understand why Zhao Hanzhang was so furious.

"What do you intend to do?"

"I plan to have Uncle Cheng lead local academic institutions to act. I won’t just strictly mandate from above to eliminate the practice, but also promote from below, changing their mindset."

Top leaders’ disapproval is one thing; a change in mindset is more vital. Otherwise, if she dies someday and a successor comes to power, won’t the human sacrifice system be revived like a spring breeze?

In truth, human sacrifice was prevalent during Former Qin, but Emperor Qin Shi Huang disliked it and opted for terracotta and wooden figurines as substitutes. Since then, the emperors did not advocate human sacrifice, though some feudal lords and nobles in regions would secretly practice human burial.

Zhao Hanzhang merely knows that historically, until the Liao Dynasty, human sacrifice began to flourish again, where emperors extensively used it, and it spread among the nobility, subsequently into the people. Wealthy civilians started to promote grand burials, imitating human sacrifice.

After the Liao, both the Jin and Yuan dynasties practiced human sacrifice, and in the Ming Dynasty, this custom persisted until Ming Yingzong abolished the human sacrifice system; the practice of burying alive ended only then. However, come the Qing Dynasty, the custom revived.

During Kangxi’s reign, the ban was again decreed, yet among the populace, the human sacrifice practice of wives dying for husbands persisted. The court encouraged it by awarding plaques such as "loyal women" and "chaste women" for wives sacrificed, until the Republic of China era, when this custom hadn’t entirely disappeared.

Thus, abolishing the system and setting the example isn’t enough; it requires transforming the mindset through thought.

Zhao Hanzhang hummed, "When I find some spare time, I’ll write a few stories, specifically about wives, concubines, and servants sacrificed, taking revenge from the underworld."

"Cough, cough, cough..." Fu Tinghan choked a bit, coughing several times before calming down, "You’re going to write ghost stories?"

"Yes," Zhao Hanzhang said, "I not only want to write, but also publish."

The more she spoke, the more she felt her idea was brilliant, saying joyfully, "At that time, I’ll choose a pen name for myself, get the publisher to print it, and sell it like storybooks. Rest assured, I won’t let anyone know I wrote it."

"However, there aren’t many literate people in the world, whether spreading through schools or storybooks targets the elite classes, yet most sacrificed are civilians and slaves," Zhao Hanzhang said, "So what’s the use of only they knowing? They are likely beneficiaries; it must reach the lower classes, letting them know rebellion is necessary."

Fu Tinghan then helped her think of ideas, "Storytelling? Theater? Who would say ghost stories in teahouses?"

Zhao Hanzhang stroked her chin and said, "Then, stage it as a play."

Zhao Hanzhang glanced around furtively, speaking in a soft voice, "Don’t let Mr. Ji and Mr. Ming know about this; they always find things for me to do. Don’t you have people in your hands? Have them help by finding some storytellers and actors to perform this play."

The more she spoke, the more she felt her idea was sound, "Theater is very profitable, with few entertainment options in this era, it’s bound to be popular. Aren’t they worried about revenue channels?"

Fu Tinghan: "...You’ve got quite an imagination; the people in my dark division always want me to take your power, now you want them to stage your play to make money for you."

Zhao Hanzhang smiled at him, "Don’t worry about these details, after all, they also earn money to give to you, and you spend it for us, it’s merely using my storybook idea to make money now. What does this signify? It signifies we are meant to be a family; I wasn’t part of earning the money previously, now I’m just getting more involved."