The Lucky Farmgirl-Chapter 1974 - 1949: Female Wei Zhi

The Emperor inspected everyone’s drinking habits, and it was already half an hour later by the time he returned to the back hall. Most of the students were being carried out, and Manbao and the others could hear some people shouting from the back hall.

The Emperor entered with a straight face and said, "Two or three students drank too much and caused a commotion, so I had them sent back."

The Empress gave him a reproachful look, thinking that he was too reckless as an Emperor.

The Emperor then turned to Zhou Man, changing the subject by asking, "Why are you here?"

Worried that Bai Cheng might behave improperly from drinking, Manbao replied, "I came to see Princess Mingda and Princess Changyu, but it’s getting late now, so I will take my leave, Your Majesty."

The Emperor was about to change the subject and naturally couldn’t let her leave, so he didn’t acknowledge her salute, instead directly sitting down next to the Empress and asking, "Is there anything unusual about Mingda and Changyu’s pulse?"

Manbao could only stand straight and reply, "There is nothing unusual about Princess Mingda and Princess Changyu’s pulse."

Oh right, she also needed to go to the Imperial Hospital to record the pulse diagnosis, she almost forgot about it.

The Emperor nodded but still didn’t let her leave and remembered something, "Is Bai Cheng your Junior Brother?"

Manbao immediately decided not to leave, nodded, and then looked up at the Emperor, "Yes, he is my Third Junior Brother."

The Emperor then asked, "He just said that husband and wife are one, there is hierarchy between ruler and subject but not between husband and wife, what do you think?"

Without thinking, Manbao said, "I think he is correct."

The Emperor raised his eyebrows and asked, "How is it correct? Aren’t all the rites and laws determined by hierarchy, husband above wife, isn’t it written not only in the rites and laws but also in the ’Lessons for Women’?"

"Your Majesty, ’Lessons for Women’ was written by Ban Zhao for the Han dynasty’s harem, to teach them to have a way without a position, to stabilize the political situation," Manbao said, "All the women in the world admire and pursue Ban Zhao’s talent and character, and Ban Zhao herself mentioned in ’Lessons for Women’, ’To teach men and not women, would it not be covering each other’s numbers! In the ’Rites’, at eight years old they begin to be taught books, and at fifteen they reach school age. Is it not possible to take this as a model!’?"

She paused for a moment and continued, "Doesn’t the royal family always hire famous teachers to teach the princesses? Obviously, it’s not to make the princesses only follow the words of their husbands after they marry. Men and women alike should have their own opinions, their own dignity, and so there is no so-called hierarchy between husband and wife."

The Emperor opened his mouth, and after a long while, he turned to the Empress and said, "Why do I feel like I’m seeing a female Wei Zhi?"

Manbao: ...

Mingda and Changyu: ...

The Emperor asked, "Have you read ’Lessons for Women’?"

"Of course I have, I even copied it," Manbao said matter-of-factly, "My teacher taught me."

The Emperor asked, "You’re not from that time, how do you know that Ban Zhao wrote ’Lessons for Women’ for the Han dynasty’s harem and not to teach daughters?"

"She had no daughters," Manbao said, "This is what my teacher told me."

She said, "My teacher said that during the Han dynasty, the relatives of the imperial family held exorbitant power, and at that time... "

"Alright, alright," the Emperor didn’t need Zhou Man to give him a history lesson, he now knew the downside of having a teacher like Mr. Zhuang teach students, they could link everything to broader issues, ’Lessons for Women’ was just something to teach women about virtue and skill, why did it end up linked to politics?

He said, "I understand your point, but the hierarchy between husband and wife is an eternal truth, just like the hierarchy between ruler and subject..."

Inwardly, Manbao criticized, aren’t these hierarchies set by people?

According to later research from the Encyclopedia Library, in ancient times, human society started with matrilineal clans, where women were dominant, but did they say anything about it?

However, such rebellious thoughts she only dared to think in her mind. After all, if she mentioned this, it would suggest a rebellious idea of overturning the hierarchy between ruler and subject.

Although she didn’t speak, the Emperor wasn’t a fool, seeing her look down at her toes, he knew she didn’t agree, and asked, "You don’t agree, but have you thought about the consequences of not respecting the rites and laws?"

Manbao sighed and said, "As early as the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, sages lamented that people’s hearts were not ancient, and the world order had collapsed. Your Majesty, the customs have long been broken, and the current rules are not all set by the ancestors. There have always been people adding rules to the rites and laws that suit their own interests. Those without enough influence would distort the words of the ancestors to create rules that suit their own interests."

"Not only now, but in the future, people will do the same, and the rules they follow will certainly not be the same as the ones we follow now."

Changyu looked confused, indicating that she understood each word she said, but couldn’t understand it when they were put together into a sentence.

Mingda appeared to be in thought, while the Emperor and the Empress looked at Zhou Man in shock, not expecting her to have such rebellious thoughts.

But mainly, when they thought carefully, they realized that what she said was indeed true.

The Emperor and Empress remained silent for a long time, and Mingda couldn’t help but ask her, "What can be done then, leave a message forbidding them to change the rules?"

Manbao smiled and said, "Why not change them?"

"The current rules suit us, but not necessarily those of that time. If Your Majesty summoned ministers now and asked them to kowtow all the way from the palace gates to the main hall, how much time would be spent just on summoning and audience?" Manbao said, "Times have changed, and naturally the rules will change as well."

Mingda: "Then..."

Manbao seemed to know what she was going to say and said, "Bai Shan said, people of today should handle today’s affairs, people of tomorrow will handle tomorrow’s affairs. Worrying too much not only ages you quickly, leads to an early death but also drags future generations along."

Emperor: ...

The Empress lightly coughed, and Manbao immediately realized her blunder, and promptly bowed, "I have overstepped, Your Majesty, please forgive me."

The Emperor wordlessly waved his hand, having forgotten what he originally wanted to ask.

The Empress, however, hadn’t forgotten the matter of Bai Cheng that the Emperor specifically brought up. She guessed that if he mentioned it at this time, he must be more satisfied with him; she felt complicated. Although she was glad that the Emperor appreciated Bai Cheng without her reminder, which was obviously his talent, she was still somewhat reluctant about Bai Cheng as a match for Mingda.

But despite her reluctance, she glanced at her well-behaved daughter and still asked Manbao, "What family members does your Junior Brother have?"

Only then did the Emperor remember, yes, he wanted to ask about Bai Cheng’s situation.

Manbao then elaborated, "He has a grandmother, his parents, an elder brother, and a sister-in-law. Old Master Bai is well-known in our village."

The only landlord, how could he not be famous?

Manbao repeated verbatim the nice things the villagers used to say when flattering Old Master Bai, "Old Master Bai is a famously good person. The road to the county town from our village was very difficult before, and it was Old Master Bai who paid to have it repaired."

"Most of the roads and bridges within ten miles of us were funded by him," though he was a bit stingy, always giving just enough money, requiring the villagers to make extra effort.

"His family never delays payment. Once they hire someone, they pay them according to their labor," Manbao said, "Mrs. Bai is also easy to get along with, gentle and often giving us snacks to eat."