Chapter 8 — Heaven's Destiny is Difficult to Disobey

20Ta Song gave my notes to Tieu Tu. Writing was taught to me by him, he naturally recognized it. Tieu Tu issued a decree and ordered the government to carefully investigate this matter. I was afraid that if I alarmed the marquis, he would secretly take people away, so I took a few healthy people and rushed straight into the mansion. But as soon as the marquis was captured, a group of people rushed into the mansion. They were all local marquis. When they saw me breaking into the forbidden area and tying up the marquis, they immediately shouted to report to the officials to arrest me. We were also waiting for this. I sat seriously in the yard, waiting for the government official to arrive. When the government officials arrived and read the decree, those servants immediately ran away, no one dared to get involved in this matter anymore. When we rescued the two sisters of the beautiful woman from Giang Nam, the government official came to ask me to negotiate, saying that the marquis was after all a descendant of a noble man, just a moment of confusion, and he had not really mistreated them, so it was better to settle it privately and let him compensate a sum of money. The beautiful woman cried and said that the marquis tried to force her many times, but asked her sisters to use their bodies to save her. Killing him a thousand times is not enough. Hearing that, I firmly demand that he be severely punished. The government officials had no choice but to follow our wishes and submit the marquis's crimes to the top, but still deliberately said a few words in favor of him. Even though Tieu Tu ordered the Marquis to be stripped of his title, after torturing him and then imprisoning him in prison, my heart still could not calm my hatred. I pretended to give him food and sneaked into prison. Then he used poison to kill that marquis. 21Tieu Tu secretly hid this story. He came to see me, asking why I acted so impulsively. "If things break out, what do you think I should do to protect you?" "I've made a decision, I won't regret it." "You..." He was so angry that he couldn't speak. I asked him if he still remembers how his mother-in-law committed suicide because she couldn't bear the humiliation? He stared at me, not understanding what I wanted to say. "For a woman, the humiliation in her heart is the fatal blow. Your mother-in-law did not want to live without any dignity, so she chose to kill herself." He sighed: "She shouldn't think like that." I sighed too. Indeed, men cannot sympathize with women's pain. Even the person he loved the most was humiliated, he couldn't understand. The government is like that, Tieu Tu is no different. I looked up at the horizon, my heart suddenly became clear like a mirror. Only when a woman stands tall can she make others respect the dignity and life of women, and can save women in the world from suffering. For the sake of thousands and thousands of women, so that no one has to suffer the same fate as my aunt, I have changed my decision. I told him: "Tieu Tu, I am willing to follow you back to the palace." His eyes suddenly became bright under the sunlight, his eyes were filled with only my silhouette. He hugged me tightly. Don't ask why I changed my mind.22The pub's business has gone back on track. I left the pub to the sisters, then followed Tieu Tu back to the palace. After returning, Tieu Tu told me to adopt a general named Trieu as my adoptive father. After that, he ignored all objections and made me Queen. Although hundreds of officials clearly knew the situation, no one dared to speak out against it. As for Ta Song, she left the palace early to find the person in her heart, that person was guarding the border. She wanted to follow the calling of her heart, give up everything to live with that person on the border. Tieu Tu also fulfilled his previous promise, giving me the glory of hundreds of red dresses and a wedding ceremony filled with flowers and wishes. On the day of our big wedding, Tieu Tu put on a dragon robe and stood on the high hall

under the noon sunlight. He shined brightly, his eyes following me without leaving. I stepped up from below, step by step towards him. Every step we take, we go up a step. Every time we go up a step, we get a little closer to that light. I wholeheartedly turned towards the sunlight, memories flashed from my mind, from the dark abyss without sunlight, to the courtyard full of white snow, and then to today's magnificent main hall. We have been on this road for too long, too long. Just like men are born to stand in the light, but women have to go through countless difficulties to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. I took a deep breath and stood next to Tieu Tu. Filled with joy, I decided to open a path filled with light for all women in the world. So that they can be born bathed in the morning sunlight! Tieu Tu looked at me with teary eyes, his eyes filled with tenderness, held my hand tightly, and announced to the world that from now on I am the peerless and noble Queen, his wife, the person he will hold hands with for the rest of his life. The ritual lasted until late at night. When everyone had left, in the new room, he lifted my veil and drank wine with me. Although there was little alcohol, the love was heavy, and soon we were both passionately in love. The red curtain swayed slightly, love threads wrapped around, and the wind and rain did not stop. I don't know how long it took for him to fall into a deep sleep, but he still hugged me tightly and didn't let go. He whispered: "I have finally brought you home." "Mac Mac, we will live together until we are old..." I quietly looked at his sleeping face and gently replied: "Okay." Tieu Tu, I will live with you until we are old. But I will borrow your halo to light the path for women in this world. You should try to live a long life. 23 Tieu Tu grew up under the pressure of the royal government. After ascending the throne, he immediately seized power. Fearing that power would fall into the hands of others, he abolished the position of Prime Minister and established a cabinet. My initial intention was to get involved in politics. It seems that this is truly a myth. But fortunately, the harem is still my decision. I dismissed all the concubines of that nominal father and sent them out of the nursing home. I also re-issued the palace regulations, stipulating that all palace maids, when they turn 16 years old, can voluntarily go to the palace to decide on marriage, and no one can force them to pair up with eunuchs. I also established female officials in the palace and opened an internal library. From the families of mandarins, we selected people who were talented in literature, poetry, calligraphy, painting and martial arts. They will join us in recompiling women's dogmas, eliminating old and outdated ideas, and calling on women to study independently. Let's research self-defense weapons for women, and distribute them to the public for free. If you want to improve the status of women, you must first remove the "chains" that are restraining their thoughts. The capital suddenly blew a wind of feminism, making the courtiers unhappy. They simultaneously accused me of having treasonous intentions and usurping power. Although Tieu Tu did not believe it completely, he also began to be wary of me. He said, although he did not believe that I had treasonous intentions, he still had to give the hundred officials an explanation and asked me to dismiss the female officials. I asked him: "After so many years of the dynasty being established, the capital's economy has never been able to recover like the golden age of the previous dynasty. Does your Majesty not know why?" "I of course know, before the dynasty was established, there were constant wars, the number of men in families decreased, there was a shortage of labor force, the natural economy was difficult to recover." "But why do you think of these things?" Tieu Tu looked at me with eyes.

full of strangeness. From ancient times until now, emperors have been suspicious, especially towards people like Tieu Tu, who sat on the throne after many years of living in the abyss. His suspicions only deepened. I half-truthed and half-falsely said: "After I left the Emperor, I went around among the people, seeing a lot of the suffering of the people. At first, I intended to contribute a little, to settle down in one place. But because my heart still lingers on my old love for the Emperor, I returned to your side." Something for people, as well as for the common people." Hearing that, Tieu Tu slightly relaxed his eyebrows: "So the Queen created female officials for this reason?" I nodded, saying that if we want to restore the economy, we cannot distinguish between men and women. Things that men can do, women can also do. But if we don't destroy outdated ideas, will any family dare to let their women go out to make a living? Only when the Imperial City sets an example will people all follow. Hearing that, Tieu Tu bowed his head in deep thought. A gust of wind blew through the window, turning off some of the lights in the palace. Tieu Tu's face fell into half darkness and half light. After a while, he nodded slightly: "The Queen makes sense." "But how did you come up with these things?" I have to thank him for being able to come up with these things. In the past, every time Tieu Tu studied after class, he would secretly copy a copy and study in the dark. He is the crown prince, the future king, and the things he learns are the ways of governing the country. From ancient times until now, there have been two paths to governing a country. A bright and righteous path, that is the moral standards and rules of the emperor; The remaining path is insidious and unintentional, a way to control the people. We harmonize both, take the essence, and think of a way to skillfully enhance women's status. He wants to make a name for himself, I want to bring happiness to women forever. Although the paths are different, the destination is the same. I don't need to honestly tell him every word. I knelt down on the ground, half crying and half ashamed, apologizing: "Once upon a time, I was afraid that the Emperor would laugh at me for being uneducated, so I secretly read a few books. I saw the palace servants throwing away the Emperor's letters to practice writing, and I felt sorry for him, so I kept many of His Majesty's writings. Over time, I learned a little bit of morality, and then came up with this countermeasure." I gave him a few old, yellowed pages of paper that I had hidden for a long time. Tieu Tu saw the discolored papers, his eyes wavered slightly, and quickly helped me stand up. "You're so stupid, these are just essays thrown away when I was still a crown prince. I didn't expect you to keep them for so long like treasures." He hugged me tightly, as if we were truly a sincere husband and wife at this moment. But in the dim light of the fire, we can still see the doubt and distance in Tieu Tu's eyes. It turns out that we are all acting, playing roles of deep love. 24 In any case, with Tieu Tu's support, this path will be less difficult. After publishing the book on teaching women, I immediately presented it to Tieu Tu, asking him to allow women to go out and work. The female officials in the palace all came from mandarin families, and under their authority they had many properties. After they took the lead in hiring women, other professions began to follow suit. Women gradually step out of the house and participate in different professions. Soon, the capital's economy improved markedly. The courtiers had nothing more to say. But at the same time, new problems follow old problems. Many women work hard to earn money, but the money is taken away by their family members. Much

Women work hard to make a living during the day, but at night they have to take care of the house. Their lives are even more tiring than before. We realize that, if we only give women the opportunity to make a living without giving them real power and status, it is no different from changing the way they are exploited. From ancient times until now, women have not had the right to own property. The law stipulates that they cannot inherit family property. After marriage, the husband's family's property has nothing to do with them, and even the dowry is under the control of the husband's family. They can only rely on men for everything. Marrying one's wife, one's son is one's son. They alone do not have their own voice. If you want change, you must reform the law. But is the law something we can arbitrarily interfere with? I secretly enticed the nobles who had the only daughter in the family, convincing them to present a petition to the Emperor, asking to amend the inheritance law. We also cleverly used a few measures to give the opposing side benefits, so they wouldn't oppose anymore. Very quickly, new laws began to be promulgated. The new law stipulates that women can inherit half of the family's assets. If the only daughter does not marry and recruits a son-in-law to join the family, she can inherit the entire property. In addition, the money women earn will be at their own disposal. Although not completely fair, this matter affects men's rights, so it must be done gradually. After changing the inheritance law, we sought to amend the marriage law to improve the freedom and status of women in marriage. They have the right to divorce, remarry, and control their dowry. In addition, the new law also stipulates: prohibiting buying and selling of female slaves, those who are sold as slaves will be returned home; Mandarin families are not allowed to arbitrarily kill slaves, etc. But the process of amending the law was not easy, because it violated the rights of countless men. Voices of protest rose like a tidal wave, especially the old aristocrats, who protested the most fiercely. Tieu Tu did not want to lose their loyalty, so he wanted to stop this several times. We must use all means and skillfully discuss with Tieu Tu to complete the law reform. With legal protection, the girls worked more enthusiastically than before. The capital was prosperous for a long time, even the night markets were crowded and bustling all night.