The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 1026: keep in mind
Chapter 1026 Keep it in mind
Dong Changyuan bowed to Bai Jinzhi again, and then said to Li Mingrui: “Lord Li, you should talk to His Majesty!”
Li Mingrui knew that Dong Changyuan did not want to steal the credit, so he nodded gratefully and said to Bai Qing, “Your Majesty, there is a law in the new law that encourages widows to remarry. I have received news that there are people spreading rumors that… all the members of the Bai family are widows, but the Queen Mother and the ladies of the Bai family have not remarried, nor has… Your Majesty remarried. This new law is clearly aimed at the common people, not the nobles!”
Bai Jinzhi was furious when he heard this: “What does it have to do with them whether my aunt, my auntie and my elder sister get married or not? The new law encourages widows to remarry, but it doesn’t force them to do so! If my mother wants to remarry… I, Bai Jinzhi, will be the first one to agree with her!”
“Be careful or your third aunt will beat you when she hears this…” Although Bai Qingyan scolded Bai Jinzhi, he was very pleased in his heart. For children who have grown up and whose mother or father remarries, they would feel more or less uncomfortable, whether for their own reputation or their own feelings.
The fact that Bai Jinzhi thought this proved that she really put her mother’s feelings first, and she was very happy about her sister’s filial piety.
She remembered when she first proposed this new policy and talked about it with her mother over breakfast, her mother had such concerns and was worried that this new law would be directed at the Bai family.
“Your Majesty, it is natural for Princess Gaoyi to think so. However, if there are people who want to oppose the new law and use this to cause trouble, forbidding widows to remarry and claiming that widows do not want to remarry, and constantly bring up the royal family as an excuse, I am afraid that the good situation that has just emerged will be disrupted…” Li Mingrui was really worried.
“Where did this wind come from…” Bai Qingyan asked.
If Li Mingrui had not received any confirmed information, he would never have dragged Dong Changyuan to talk about this matter in front of Bai Qingyan.
Especially after the incident with Li Mao, the left prime minister of the previous dynasty, Bai Qingyan put aside past grudges and promoted Li Mingrui to implement the new law. Li Mingrui was always good at seizing opportunities, and there was no reason for him to ruin his future by doing nothing with Bai Qingyan.
“After some trouble, I have found out that the news originally came from the Qin Mansion…” said Li Mingrui.
What a coincidence…
Bai Qingyan stroked the agarwood table with his fingers. First, the guards of the Qin Mansion approached Xiao Si, and then the second lady of the Qin Mansion met Sun Wen from a distance. Then Li Zhijie found out that the news came from the Qin Mansion.
Bai Qingyan had seen the two girls from the Qin family before, but they definitely didn’t have such thoughts and skills. He was probably being directed by someone behind the scenes.
“In your opinion, how should we deal with this…” Bai Qingyan raised his eyes and looked at Dong Changyuan and Li Mingrui.
Li Mingrui glanced at Dong Changyuan, then hesitantly spoke: “If your Majesty’s aunt has someone willing to remarry, or… your Majesty can appoint another emperor, perhaps it can ease the situation a little.”
Dong Changyuan frowned, this was a very bad idea… But he couldn’t think of a more suitable solution now. If the rumors were allowed to escalate, it would inevitably hinder the implementation of the overall new policy.
Moreover, when encouraging widows to remarry, we must never give in. Once we give in on any of these points, others will use it as an excuse to criticize the new policy, especially the nobles.
“Lord Li’s answer is so unconfident, I think it’s a bad idea.” Bai Qingyan said with a smile.
“I am ashamed that I cannot share your majesty’s worries. It is because I, Lord Dong and I could not come up with a solution, and I feel that the situation is serious, so I came to inform your majesty of this matter.”
“In fact, it would be best if Your Majesty could appoint another imperial husband…” Dong Changyuan was Bai Qingyan’s cousin, so he was naturally more daring than Li Mingrui in saying this. He was afraid of touching Bai Qingyan’s heart, so he hurriedly bowed to Bai Qingyan, “Your Majesty is sad because of the death of the imperial husband, I understand! You have a deep relationship with the imperial husband, I also understand, but Your Majesty is the imperial husband’s wife, and you are also the emperor of the Great Zhou. You must have children for the royal family, the more heirs the better. If what I said… is offensive, please forgive Your Majesty.”
It could be heard that Dong Changyuan was indeed concerned about her cousin: “Cousin Changyuan, there is no need to be so cautious. I understand what you mean.”
Dong Changyuan hurriedly bowed and saluted. Although Bai Qingyan called him cousin, Li Mingrui was here… he must not disrupt the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects.
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. If Your Majesty feels that this method is not feasible, Lord Dong and I will do our best to suppress the rumor!” Li Mingrui gritted his teeth. Rumors have always been difficult to suppress. They cannot be taken lightly or seriously, and it is very difficult to strike the right balance.
“It is more difficult to stop the people from speaking than to stop a river from flowing. It is not difficult to solve this problem. There are still ten days until Princess Gao Yi’s birthday. Before that… the two adults should do their best to help the situation.”
Dong Changyuan and Li Mingrui looked stunned.
“The Great Zhou Dynasty recast new laws, set up schools to allow more people to read, and opened up channels for people to express their opinions, in order to make people understand politics and discuss politics. As the old saying goes… If you don’t argue, you won’t understand. Whether this new policy is good or not, it’s not up to the nobles to say. The people have the final say. Since this is a new law for widows, naturally those widows who have lost their husbands have the final say!”
Li Mingrui understood Bai Qingyan’s meaning and glanced at Princess Gaoyi: “Your Majesty wants to deal with this matter on Princess Gaoyi’s birthday?”
“Most of the Bai family’s descendants have birthdays in October, so we can take advantage of Princess Gaoyi’s birthday to hold a party for the people to enjoy. If someone really wants to cause trouble, isn’t this the best time? In this way… we can have a debate in front of the people. At that time, let Princess Gaoyi invite Lord Liu. Lord Liu is an orator with unparalleled eloquence and sharp words.” Bai Qingyan thought for a moment and said, “Also, we can invite the widows who have recently married to talk to the people about the difference between being a widow and being married.”
Dong Changyuan didn’t expect that Bai Qingyan would be so broad-minded as to dare to let the people discuss politics.
“The people are honest and simple, especially those who have never been to school. They need guidance… Break down the truth and explain it to them. When they see the benefits, they will understand the benefits of the new policy.” Bai Qingyan looked at Dong Changyuan and chuckled, “I know that my cousin Changyuan has always been noble and always focuses on work and doesn’t like to talk big, but I hope that my cousin Changyuan understands that if we can guide the people’s speech, the implementation of the new policy will be twice as effective with half the effort! It is better to guide than to block. People’s words can be feared… but people’s words can also be respected. It all depends on how the court guides them.”
Bai Jinzhi turned to look at his eldest sister, just like before…his eldest sister never tired of listing the Bai family’s achievements in front of the people and pushing the Bai family’s reputation to the peak.
Thinking of the scene when the people welcomed the loyal souls of the Bai family at the South Gate and knelt down on the long street to bid farewell to the heroic spirits of the Bai family…
Bai Jinzhi clenched her fists. She had to remember this!
Sorry, I fell asleep while trying to coax the kid to sleep… Update is coming! First update, please give me a monthly ticket…