Five hundred years ago, when our Queen Mary III promoted the feminist movement, there was also a woman in the far East who started an era of feminist revival. The Orientals refer to her as the woman of the plum blossom (translation error).

This woman established a kingdom of women in accordance with the ancient traditions of the East. Later in her long court career, she used this small kingdom to become the uncrowned queen of the court.

―――――――――― "The Protracted War of Western Women's Rights"

Situ Yun had something to discuss with Empress Dowager Chen today, but before he could enter the door, he was blocked by a group of palace maids and eunuchs. said that the Empress Dowager Chen wanted to take a nap today and didn't see outsiders.

"For most of the day, why did the queen mother sleep?" Situ Yun was surprised: "The queen mother has never had the habit of sleeping more." ”

Empress Dowager Chen has been the Queen Mother for a year, and she has nothing to do every day. Those old opponents back then are now bowing down one by one, and there is no sense of accomplishment at all. Not to mention sleeping, I often have insomnia these days.

Situ Yun said with concern: "Could it be that the queen mother is sick?" Have you ever summoned a doctor? ”

Several female officials at the door smiled bitterly. Except for the morning greeting, no one from Ningshou Palace has always come. The most critical point is that the Emperor Taishang is still there.

If the Emperor Taishang is gone, Situ Yun abides by filial piety, and Empress Dowager Chen is the first person in the harem, even Queen Wang has to look at her face. But now that the Emperor Taishang is still there, Empress Dowager Chen doesn't dare to worry about anything with Queen Wang. For fear that the Emperor Taishang would be unhappy, he called her to the Taiji Pavilion and reprimanded her, saying that she was in power. Of course, as long as the Empress Dowager Chen doesn't do anything, the Emperor Taishang is also willing to leave face for the Empress Dowager who is "more precious than the mother and the son".

The emperor's harem was handed over to Empress Wang, and the emperor's harem was unwilling to interfere with Empress Dowager Chen. There is something in the palace to find the queen, and there is the emperor above, and several nobles are the only one who is the most leisurely.

No one came all day, so Wei Qian was idle and had nothing to do, tossing things to play by herself in the name of filial piety.

Today, Empress Dowager Chen and Wei Qian celebrated the Shangsi Festival, and simply closed the palace gate and tinkered with it themselves.

Who would have thought that Situ Yun would come over at this time?

Calculate the time, he should be working in Zichen Hall at this time!

Situ Yun came in regardless of the obstruction, Wei Qian's ears and eyes were clear, and he instantly noticed that there was someone outside the tent. and Empress Dowager Chen were furious and wanted to arrest Situ Yun.

Situ Yun hurriedly appeared: "Wait-it's me!" ”

Lifting the curtain, I suddenly saw a young girl standing barefoot on the lawn in the distance.

With bright eyes and bright lips and bright teeth, the girl who had just exercised stood in the greenery, and Situ Yun was stunned.

However, this situation did not last long, Wei Qian exclaimed, hurriedly put on embroidered shoes, wrapped herself and Empress Dowager Chen with a curtain, and said: "Niangniang, the wind is cool, let's go into the house." ”

Wei Qian and Empress Dowager Chen can be debauched, now that a man is present, how can Situ Yun take advantage?

Empress Dowager Chen nodded, glared at Situ Yun, and the two hurried in. Situ Yun touched his chin and looked at the sky. With his hands in his hands, he followed into the main hall of Ningshou Palace.

"It's a pity, it's this one." Wei Qian's shadow remained in her mind, but it was a pity that Wei Qian was disabled and could only look at it but not touch it, which was undoubtedly the biggest regret of this person who cherished flowers.

In Ningshou Palace, Wei Qian and Empress Dowager Chen changed their clothes in the back, and Wei Qian handed the ginger soup prepared in advance to Empress Dowager Chen: "Now the weather has not completely warmed up, we have just sweated, in order to avoid catching a cold, Niangniang still drinks some ginger soup to drive away the cold." ”

After the palace people next to the Empress Dowager Chen checked it, the Empress Dowager Chen drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing that Wei Qian still didn't drink, Empress Dowager Chen asked, "What about you?" ”

"I just ate some sherbet, and now my stomach is cold, so I shouldn't drink ginger soup."

Empress Dowager Chen nodded, thought about it, and instructed the palace people: "Go and put the big coat of the palace on Concubine Ning." ”

Wei Qianyi frowned: "Niangniang, the concubine still wants to go out to see His Majesty?" "Wei Qian's plan is to warm up in Empress Dowager Chen's house and avoid Situ Yun.

"Silly girl!" Empress Dowager Chen glared at Wei Qian, knowing her son Mo Ruomu, Empress Dowager Chen understood Situ Yun's temperament. Looking at Wei Qian's appearance of a shawl, she has a bit of the graceful demeanor of a bathing beauty. My son likes this the most.

He brought his white bear jacket again, dressed Wei Qian briefly, and pulled Wei Qian out to see Situ Yun.

Situ Yun sat in his seat, and when he saw the long-haired beauty wrapped in a big coat, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Wei Qian subconsciously covered her coat more tightly and listened to Situ Yun and Empress Dowager Chen.

"The Queen Mother and Concubine Ning, what are they?"

"Flying a kite, I don't want your father to talk too much, so I closed the palace door."

"How big is it?" Situ Yun smiled and said: "The queen mother wants to put paper kites, just in the imperial garden, why hide and close the palace door." Erchen thought that his mother was sick, so he trespassed. ”

"I'm too lazy to be chewed by those concubines." Empress Dowager Chen thought of those concubines, although she bowed her head and was a minister, but a group of people led by Concubine Zhen Gui were beside the emperor, and it was difficult to ensure that she would not sour her when she turned around.

And Wei Qian is also there, maybe what Queen Wang said about her.

"Okay, this palace is clear about this side of things. Say, at this time, you suddenly came over, definitely not to ask for peace in the main palace, right? ”

Situ Yun nodded, and was not polite in front of his biological mother: "Erchen is ready to cut the harem." ”

"Abolish the harem?" The Queen Mother frowned slightly: "Why does the emperor mean this?" ”

"Erchen thought, I passed on the rank of the concubine from Li Tang, but over the years, the maximum number of people in the harem was only fifty or sixty, and the number of 100 people is really useless, why not streamline one or two to divert it for other uses?"

"If you can't use it, why streamline it?" The Queen Mother originally thought that the emperor favored the Taoist priests, and wanted to emulate the emperor, and had the idea of being pure and lacking desires, and cultivating the Tao to become an immortal, but now she couldn't help but let go when she heard it: "As for the flower consumption, those Baolin girls are just attached to the lords of the palaces, and how much silver can they spend?" ”

So, the positions are very different. If the queen mother listened, she would definitely raise her hands in agreement with the emperor's mention, and she would not stop praising him. Abolish the harem, how many competitors is this to reduce for her! Even the four concubines and nine concubines below also agreed to seconded the proposal one by one, which is the greatest guarantee for their status.

If the queen mother was in the harem back then, the emperor said this, she would also agree. But now......

As the queen mother, what she wants is a full house of children and grandchildren, and she is ready to continue to add people to the emperor during the general election tomorrow!

Alive! Having more children and grandchildren is a blessing! Now that the emperor is old, he ponders cultivation and health preservation every day, and rarely lets others sleep except for Concubine Zhengui. Empress Dowager Chen can't have children, so she can only let the emperor give birth to a little grandson!

No matter how the emperor persuaded her, the Queen Mother only did not let go. In desperation, the emperor's eyes fell on Wei Qian.

After the initial period of time, Wei Qian took off her jacket without sweating. But Situ Yun's eyes looked at it, Wei Qian nodded and shook his head, Situ Yun suddenly understood, and after pondering in the palace for a while, he said goodbye and left.

After he left, Wei Qian smiled and said, "Queen Mother, do you know who is the biggest in the world?" ”

"The whole world is not the king's land, and it is naturally the emperor's greatest." After thinking about it, Empress Dowager Chen added: "The emperor's filial piety is in the front, and this dynasty is naturally the biggest emperor." ”

"The Emperor is also the emperor, but the emperor is also afraid of one thing." Wei Qian said quietly.

"What?" The Queen Mother seemed to be a little displeased and looked at Wei Qian. Wei Qian's face was calm: "Queen Mother, you have forgotten that Daxian Xunzi once said, 'The monarch, the boat also; Those who are common to the people, the water is also; Those who are in the water carry the boat, and those who are in the water are overturned. The one who worries about His Majesty has nothing but the will of the people. I heard that the south is not peaceful now, and Xu is Majesty has the intention to use this to show that he has no intention of being a woman, and is diligent in government and loves the people. ”

"South? What's over there? ”

"The concubine is not clear, but listening to the rumors, it seems that the people have some complaints, saying that the emperor is not right. Niangniang, don't forget, the south is the territory of the Zhen family. ”

Zhen family! Empress Dowager Chen's expression darkened, at present, she is an honest person, isn't she afraid of causing trouble for her son?

"The most difficult time for the new emperor to ascend the throne is in the first few years." Wei Qian sighed and said: "As long as Your Majesty sits firmly on the dragon chair, the people under your hands will grow up, and there will be heirs under you to consolidate the national ancestry, and you will be loved by all the people outside." Then, there is nothing to be afraid of. ”

The Queen Mother listened thoughtfully: "The people's will is indeed important, but the harem must be cut?" ”

"There are so many people in the harem, how many people can be summoned in a month? Excluding the time of a few favorite concubines and the queen's mother, I am afraid that the remaining time will not even be ten days. It is rare to see 20 concubines in a month. Moreover, although His Majesty is young, it is impossible to indulge excessively, so as not to hurt the dragon's body. In this way, the harem really can't use those masters. ”

"But the harem corresponds to the previous dynasty, and another meaning of the draft is to let the harem and the previous dynasty connect and stabilize the dragon court."

Marrying the daughters of various families also has the meaning of proton in it. and all the magnates are prosperous and stable, and the imperial power is stabilized.

Empress Dowager Chen thought about it well, marrying women from various families, even if she was not lucky, as long as she filled in a name in the harem, she could also win people's hearts. If the harem is cut, although it will win the hearts of the people, I am afraid that there will be fewer targets on the side of the powerful.

When Wei Qian heard this, she laughed and said, "The concubine has never seen a powerful family that uses a woman to protect a hundred years of prosperity. The family inheritance is still the male sacrifice incense. It is the daughter in the harem, and the mother family votes for others and there are no longer a few. is not favored by the king, and it is difficult to control his family after entering the palace. It's better to let His Majesty get a benefit, so as to win the hearts of the people. ”

"Moreover, there are fewer people in the harem, and there are fewer fights, maybe Your Majesty will be able to obtain the dragon son earlier."

Empress Dowager Chen was stunned in her heart, and suddenly remembered the death of Situ Yun's first concubine Deng. is not only Concubine Deng, but also the unborn baby boy in her womb.

Empress Dowager Chen's face changed uncertainly, and finally said: "So, it's the palace that is wrong." ”

"Don't dare." Wei Qian said softly: "Niangniang is also for His Majesty's good, the royal branch is scattered, this is the work of the Queen Mother." ”

Mentioning the heir, the Queen Mother sighed: "Yes, now that the emperor has no children under his knees, you need to fight a lot!" Looking at Wei Qian with anticipation, Wei Qian quickly opened the topic: "Niangniang said that the harem is connected with the previous dynasty, and it is indeed a good way for the harem to envelop the former dynasty with grace." The concubine has a plan, even if the harem is cut, it can allow His Majesty to borrow the power of each family safely, and maybe he can further control each family. ”

"Oh?" Empress Dowager Chen said: "If you have the right idea, this palace can help you say a few kind words in front of Your Majesty." ”

Wei Qian shook her head: "As long as the people in the harem don't dislike the concubine and toss." ”

"Since the beginning of Zhou Tianzi, there have been nine concubines and many women, in addition to being the emperor's women, they are also female officials who take care of the harem, and they have the responsibility of educating the harem and managing the palace maids, which is the beginning of the female official system. After the Qin and Han dynasties, inherited from the Sui and Tang dynasties, there is the law of female officials in the Shang Palace, which is shaped like an inner court. It's just that the previous dynasty used eunuchs more and abolished the system of the Shang Palace's inner court. Although there are female officials in our dynasty, their power and scale are far inferior to those of previous dynasties. ”

"You want to re-establish the inner court?"

"Do you remember the name of Concubine Xiande's Fengzao Palace Shangshu?" Wei Qian said: "This dynasty has long had a system of female officials, but it is not systematic. Why not take the opportunity of cutting the harem to reorganize the inner court? Anyway, concubines prefer women to serve than eunuchs. ”

Moreover, after streamlining the harem, the nobles of each family have no chance to enter the palace, but they can take the opportunity of female officials to join the inner court. When he turned back to his old age, he issued an order to release him from the palace and give him a favor to marry, which is the means to envelop all families. ”

"With the help of female officials, give the noble girls a layer of identity?" Empress Dowager Chen pondered, Wei Qian did this, giving these powerful daughters of various families some grade status. They will not be bullied in their husband's house, and they will definitely be treated better. In the future, an atmosphere will be formed, and it will also make the powerful families take the initiative to send their daughters to the palace for gilding. And don't worry about being selected by the harem and trapped in the harem. Some families who cherish their daughters may not find a way to make their daughter's family deliberately lose the election.

"Cutting the harem, there are fewer people, and there are fewer struggles. Carefully tidy up the harem, re-establish the system of the inner court, take care of the six palaces with the queen, and the nobles of each family enter the palace as officials, and those who have reached the age of 20 leave the palace to marry. If you do well in the palace, you can also give the title of township monarch and county lord, retain the position of female official after leaving the palace, and receive the court silver every month, with the same fate. And this kind of self-earned title of female official is higher than the gold content of the edict. ”

"In other words, it is to convert the regular money of the concubines who were cut in the harem into the regular money of female officials?" Empress Dowager Chen heard Wei Qian's intentions. This transformation can not only show that Situ Yun is not a woman, diligent in government and loves the people, and is a virtuous monarch. You can also take the opportunity to envelop the nobles of various families, and use another means to replace the draft with the selection of female officials, and also put the aristocratic marriage in the hands of the royal family, increasing the control of the Daming Palace.

What Wei Qian didn't say was that the female official system meant the revival of women's rights.

The female official system prevailed in the Sui and Tang dynasties, and the status of women was much higher than that of women in the later Ming and Qing dynasties. The Ming Dynasty replaced female officials with eunuchs, and the Qing Dynasty had the Internal Affairs Office to manage palace maids. The status of women is declining.

In this era, women are not allowed to enter the court, and female officials are their ultimate. Then it is better to repair the female official system and leave the sprout of feminist revival.

"A woman with the title of a female official marries into her husband's family, because the relationship in the palace will make her suffer a lot less in her husband's family. This is the limit of what we concubines can do. Wei Qian sighed faintly: "Niangniang is also a woman, she should know what happened to the daughters who married into powerful families, right?" ”

Empress Dowager Chen herself asked a few palace maids to go out of the palace to marry, and that experience was definitely not good. Later, she died of illness, and she could only let people give out a piece of silver in the palace, and she didn't know whether it was used. That's the personal maid who has been with her in the palace for decades.

"The concubine body always has to think about the people around her. My family Chun'er and Ling'er have followed for many years, and they can't let them accompany their concubines in the palace for a lifetime. ”

"That's right." Empress Dowager Chen nodded, and also looked at the several palace maids beside her: "If this palace is not there in the future, these girls are afraid of being bullied." ”

Several palace maids' faces changed drastically, and they quickly knelt down. Wei Qian also leaned over and pleaded guilty: "Niangniang must not say such an unlucky thing." ”

"Who can survive for thousands of years?" Empress Dowager Chen disagreed, and asked everyone to get up: "Your system of re-establishing the inner court is good. However, there is Zichen's inner court on the emperor's side, and if you really want to say this, it can only be a women's court. The court of our daughter's house. ”

Empress Dowager Chen's eyes flashed, and she had a little thought. Maybe you can take the opportunity to install your own people and find a way to reclaim some power? However, it is not easy to arrange on the emperor's side, and you need to discuss it with Yun'er.