si-mexico Chapter 429 Only the Tang Dynasty can do it!
Chapter 429 Only the Tang Dynasty can do it!
The warm sunlight sprinkled on the ground inside the house, forming patches of light.
Li Shimin sat on a chair, squinting his eyes slightly, as if recalling something.
When Li Chengqian mentioned the name "Mei Niang", a barely perceptible fluctuation flashed in his eyes.
"Mei Niang? Is she okay?"
Li Shimin's voice was a little low and full of emotion, as if he was asking about the recent situation of an old friend he had not contacted for a long time.
Li Chengqian stood aside, his arms folded across his chest, a complicated smile on his lips, and said, "Good, it couldn't be better."
"Now I have promoted her to the third rank and put her in charge of this matter."
"When you faked your own death, those concubines could still live out their lives in peace on the prince's fiefdom, but those concubines were still in their prime."
"Your decision has left many of them trapped and dying in Ganye Temple, surrounded by ancient Buddhas and green lanterns. Their best years of youth have been wasted. It's truly a pity."
Although there was a hint of complaint in Li Chengqian's words, it was more about his unwillingness to accept the fate of these women and his resonance with the people at the bottom of society.
We must make major changes in the issue of gender equality to prevent similar tragedies from happening again in our time.
There has never been any conflict between men and women. All conflicts are caused by class conflicts!
Li Shimin listened to his son quietly, a trace of guilt appearing on his face.
He slowly raised his hand and touched his head uncomfortably, his action like a child who had made a mistake and was pointed out, with a little embarrassment.
He had indeed not paid much attention to this matter before. In his memory, most of his energy in those years was focused on political struggles in the court, national security and stability, and expansion of territory. He inadvertently neglected the turning points in the fate of these women in the harem.
It is this small negligence that determines the lives of so many people.
At this moment, his mind involuntarily emerged with what the three brothers said when they were bathing that day.
Their simple words still echo in my ears: "Only His Majesty would take us peasants seriously."
Now I think that maybe I was standing too high before, so high that I ignored the suffering of the lower class people, and even failed to give due care to the fate of these beautiful ladies in the harem.
Thinking of this, Li Shimin's eyes became a little dim, and he fell into a brief silence.
Li Chengqian looked at Li Shimin in deep thought, and a mischievous smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
He gently stretched out his hand, waved it slowly in front of Li Shimin, and said teasingly, "What's the matter? Old Li, are you thinking about your old lover?"
"If you really want to, I'll go ask Wu Meiniang if she's willing to come and accompany you."
The tone was full of teasing and intimacy. At this moment, they were not the high and mighty emperor and the emperor emeritus, but an ordinary father and son, joking with each other in their spare time and making jokes without any scruples.
Li Shimin was caught off guard by Li Chengqian's sudden teasing, and his originally slightly weathered cheeks instantly flushed.
He glared at Li Chengqian angrily and said, "Get lost! I'm already this old, and you still dare to tease me about this kind of thing."
"Let bygones be bygones. Everything has returned to dust, earth to earth, and is gone with the wind."
He paused, his expression becoming serious, and then he continued, "However, I really support your idea. Gender equality is a good thing!"
"If your mother were still alive and knew about your current thoughts and actions, she would probably be the first to applaud!"
Speaking of this, Li Shimin's eyes revealed nostalgia, as if he saw the dignified and beautiful face of Empress Changsun standing beside him, praising her son with a look of satisfaction on her face. The picture was so clear, as if it was within reach.
When Li Chengqian heard Li Shimin's words of approval, the smile on his face froze slightly and he did not speak for a while.
In fact, improving the status of women has always been an extremely difficult task in all dynasties, just like rowing against the current, with many difficulties.
Only the Tang Dynasty had such unique soil and opportunities to nurture such seeds of change.
The reason why the Tang Dynasty was able to do this was mostly because of the current Li Shimin and the deceased Empress Zhangsun.
Both of them were open-minded, and had a tolerance and understanding for matters between men and women that was beyond their time. They actively advocated for women to receive education and participate in social affairs. This made the status of women in the Tang Dynasty much higher than that in other dynasties, which is difficult to achieve even in later generations.
Moreover, the legal provisions that need to be repaired and improved for gender equality are far more than just a few.
In the Tang Dynasty, the social atmosphere was relatively open. Not only did men have the custom of keeping concubines, but women from wealthy families also had the custom of keeping male lovers.
If we want to thoroughly promote gender equality, we naturally cannot ignore these issues.
We can only take tough measures and implement them across the board to avoid causing many problems.
After all, if everyone is obsessed with these romantic things and ignores having offspring, then the country will not have enough population, so how can it develop?
Thinking of this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but feel a sense of relief in his heart.
In other feudal dynasties, implementing such reforms would have been nearly impossible, or even unthinkable. Only during the Tang Dynasty, with its multi-ethnic integration and open-mindedness, was the public relatively tolerant and less resistant to such changes.
This is also an important reason why the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues had relatively little binding force in the Tang Dynasty.
Throughout history, if the Tang Dynasty had not gradually declined starting from the Anshi Rebellion, with its openness and tolerance, as well as the integration of multiple ethnic groups and multiple thoughts, it might have been possible to transcend the inherent framework of the feudal dynasty and enter the capitalist stage ahead of time.
If this were true, many subsequent disasters might have been avoided, and history would have been rewritten in a completely different direction.
"If the Queen Mother knew, she would definitely be very happy."
Li Chengqian said with emotion.
"Old Li, you've really benefited from the times. Tell me, if you were an ordinary citizen living in my Qianwu Dynasty, would you curse your mother all day long?"
Li Chengqian's eyes flashed with curiosity, and he asked Li Shimin with a smile.
Li Shimin frowned slightly, a puzzled look in his eyes. He looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Why should I scold you? Isn't life pretty good now?"
His eyes revealed longing, and he continued, "Don't be so rude, boy. If I could live with your mother in the Qianwu Dynasty, my life would surely be happy and peaceful. I wouldn't trade it even for the throne of Emperor."
"Being an emperor may seem glorious, but in reality, it's exhausting and tiring all day long. It's nowhere near as comfortable as being an ordinary citizen."
"Of course, they are the people of your Qianwu Dynasty. For the rest, I will choose the emperor."
Li Shimin emphasized this.
Li Shimin had a good idea of the lives of the lower-class people in all dynasties.
Li Chengqian listened to Li Shimin's words, shook his head gently, a look of pity appeared on his face, and jokingly said: "Then you have no other women, Old Li."
Hearing this, Li Shimin sighed softly, his eyes revealing deep affection, and he slowly said: "If you allow me to be Guanyin's maid, I will be with you forever."
"Even if there are no other women, what does it matter? As long as I can be with her, this life is enough."
His tone was filled with affection for Empress Changsun. At this moment, time stood still, and only that deep love flowed slowly in the air, filling the entire room.