Doge's Palace.

Wang Shao, the political envoy of Zuobu, sighed and said: "Tang Xunpress, this advocates that marriage is simple, and it is okay to severely punish drowning infants, where can the marriage age of men and women be forcibly stipulated?" ”

Tang Mukai, the political envoy of Youbu, joked: "That is, if a scholar goes out to study and does not come back on time to get married due to illness, will he be guilty of not being married?" ”

"If you want me to see it, it's still the old way, don't do more new tricks." According to the inspector Yuan Xuan, he said.

Li Long, the commander of the capital, looked at Wang Yuan and said with a haha: "General Manager Wang called us here, there must be a perfect plan, everything that is subject to General System Wang!" ”

All the officials looked at Wang Yuan.

Wang Yuan played with the purple clay pot in his hand, this thing was given by the student, and it was not very valuable. He sighed: "Seven days ago, outside the military camp of the Governor's Palace, there was a cry of a baby in the middle of the night, and someone abandoned the baby girl there, just to let the Governor take it away and adopt it. I sent people around to look for his biological parents, and although I found nothing, I knew that drowning in babies was common in Zhejiang. Therefore, I know that the Tang Dynasty Imperial History mandated the marriage age of men and women, which was unanimously opposed by the officials and people of Zhejiang. ”

Tang Fengyi was very young at this time, and she was admitted to the Jinshi three years earlier than Wang Yuan. He stood up angrily and said bitterly: "Gentlemen, why is it common for Zhejiang to drown babies? It's not because you're too poor to afford it. On the contrary, Zhejiang is too rich, and marriage is extravagant! In the past six months or so, the contemptible micro-service has visited more than ten states and counties privately, and the extravagance of Zhejiang is simply unbelievable. ”

The crowd was silent, and they were silent.

Tang Fengyi continued: "It's just a wedding and funeral invitation, even killing a pig has to be treated, and the neighborhood must give gifts to the banquet, and if the gift money is less, there will be no face." The dowry is even more terrible, a commoner's family, the annual cost is only a few taels of silver, and the dowry for marrying a daughter is more than ten taels! This is still a small people, and there are even more wealthy families, and marrying a daughter can make ordinary rich families on the verge of bankruptcy! With such an atmosphere, who would dare to have a daughter? ”

Min Kai, a member of Zuo Politics, said: "The main reason is that the people are too poor, and there are not many drowning babies in Hangzhou, Jiaxing, and Huzhou." ”

Tang Fengyi said angrily: "That's in Fucheng!" If Min participates in politics and doesn't believe it, you can go to the countryside to have a look, there are also countless babies in the countryside of Sanfu! ”

Li Long reminded: "Tang Yushi, this drowning of the baby girl is not just because of the dowry. Here in Zhejiang, there is a very bad custom, it is rumored that the first child gives birth to a girl, if it is not drowned, it is difficult to give birth to a boy. Therefore, it is a wealthy family, afraid that they will not be able to give birth to a son, and often drowns the first baby girl. ”

"Nonsense, gossip to confuse the public, this foolish man and foolish woman!" Tang Fengyi was even more angry.

The custom of drowning babies has been followed in Jiangnan for nearly a hundred years, and the imperial court has issued many decrees, but it has been repeatedly banned.

The Chenghua Dynasty promulgated the "Regulations on Prohibiting Extravagant Marrying and Drowning Women", ordering the officials of the three departments of the provinces in the south of the Yangtze River to prohibit local marrying and trespassing regulations, advocating frugality in marriage, and opposing the extravagant practice of dowry and dowry. Once the phenomenon of infant drowning is discovered, it must be severely punished, and the neighbors who do not report it will be punished together!

The Hongzhi Dynasty also promulgated the "Regulations on the Disposal of the Murder of Descendants and the Drowning of Newborn Men and Women", stipulating that those who are not military infants shall be assigned to the nearby guard to fill the army; Those who drown infants in the military will be assigned to the frontier to fill the army; Those who drown babies in the frontier military will be sent to the extreme border to fill the army; Infantile drowning of the Far Frontier Army, making him the most dangerous frontier sentinel. Civil and military officials who drown infants shall be reported to the imperial court for handling. If the neighbors don't report it, they will be punished together!

The ancient imperial court, which was slow to react, issued relevant decrees for two consecutive dynasties, which shows how serious the phenomenon of infant drowning in Jiangnan is.

Jiangxi is more serious than Zhejiang, and everyone says: "Jiangxi people love spoiled women the most." ”

Tang Fengyi stood in the center of the main hall of the Land Temple, looked around and said, "Gentlemen, when I was contemptible and subdued, I encountered this kind of thing. A child in a certain county, engaged to the daughter of the neighbor early, these two childhood sweethearts, and the two families are also quite friendly. But they have been engaged for nearly ten years, and the woman is in her twenties, but she has not been able to visit the church. Why? All because of the county's extravagant marriage. The man is a widow again, and the woman must give a dowry, otherwise she will be laughed at by the neighbors! ”

Wang Yuan asked: "So, Tang Yushi forced the marriage age?" ”

Tang Fengyi said: "Not bad. If the government comes forward, they must be married before they are crowned and crowned. For both men and women, there is a step to go down, and they can get by on face. Why not? ”

"Then the governor is good at advocating and supporting what Tang Yushi discusses." Wang Yuan said with a smile.

"The king is wise!" Tang Fengyi was very unhappy when she came to see Wang Yuan, and more than ten letters of impeachment were issued. However, after this incident, he greatly changed his opinion of Wang Yuan, and thought that the governor was sensible.

The same is true for Wang Yuan.

In the past, I always thought that Tang Fengyi was a fly, buzzing all day long, so noisy that people wanted to slap her to death. But it is such a person, but he has been paying private visits to Weifu for half a year in a row, seriously investigating the phenomenon of infant drowning in Zhejiang, which has compared many officials today.

No matter what her ability is, at least Tang Fengyi is willing to do things.

Wang Yuan himself wrote a notice, which was written in the vernacular, and asked the Zhejiang Third Division to immediately announce it to the whole province. There are three contents: first, weddings and funerals shall not be violated; second, advocate simplicity and encourage frugality; Third, those who drown infants are confiscated into the army, and those who do not report it are guilty of the same crime; Fourth, before the age of 20 for men and 15 for women in Zhejiang, they must complete their marriage, otherwise they will be punished with hard labor. Rectification within one month, the past will not be investigated, and repeat offenders will be severely punished!

When the officials left and left the Governor's Palace, they looked at each other and smiled bitterly, thinking that Wang Yuan and Tang Fengyi had nothing to do.

Wang Yuan paced to the side hall, which had been converted into a guest room. The old mother invited from the city was putting the baby girl to sleep, and this was the baby girl who had been abandoned outside the barracks of the Governor's Palace.

Some parents are really ruthless and indulge in infants, and are often abandoned on the roadside, temples and large households.

It is estimated that I heard that Wang Yuan was a good official, so the parents of the baby girl came from the countryside and quietly left the child outside the governor's mansion.

Wang Yuan learned about the infantile drowning in Zhejiang, and the whole person was about to explode.

There may be poor people who drown babies, but can Zhejiang be poorer than Guizhou? How can Guizhou not have such bad habits!

There are only two reasons, one is extravagance, and the other is feudal superstition.

In particular, those who drown babies in wealthy families often listen to the rumors of the market, believing that it is unlucky to give birth to a girl in the first child, and if they do not drown, it will be difficult to add a man. Pity those drowned baby girls, who were obviously reincarnated into a rich family, not only could not be a daughter, but they became unjustly killed female ghosts before they opened their eyes.

The ratio of men to women in Zhejiang is very terrifying, and many men are still in their thirties and forties and still can't get a wife.

Later, the missionary Matteo Ricci also wrote an article describing it: "There is a much more serious evil in China, which is the drowning of female babies in some provinces...... This kind of massacre of innocent people is not done secretly, but openly and openly let everyone know about it. ”

Knock on the point, not secretly, but openly let everyone know!

What does this mean?

Drowning a baby girl has become a common thing, and the common people have long been surprised by it, even missionaries from the West.

The Third Division of Zhejiang Province quickly posted the notice throughout the province, and a month passed with little effect.

No one paid attention to Wang Yuan at all, because it was a family matter. As the saying goes, it is difficult for a clean official to decide family affairs, and the governor still dares to mess around?