From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 1206

This cup of tea was a bit heavy, and a bit overwhelming.

Zhou Yuan never believed that pie in the sky would fall, but today it seemed that such a good thing really happened.

Madam Xuesang, a person who had nothing to do with Dajin, actually stood on his side.

The tea was still a bit hot, so Zhou Yuan did not drink it immediately.

He asked in a low voice: "Why? Logically, your position should be towards Yeerqiang and Sima Yi. After all, you are his stepmother and his concubine. The relationship is really close, and there is no reason to betray."

"Yeah."

Mrs. Xuesang said softly: "Everyone thinks so, and it is true in fact."

"When I married the late king, he was seven years old and I was only nineteen."

"The year the late king left, he was nineteen, and I was thirty-one."

"The year I left him, he was thirty-six and I was forty-eight."

"This means that I have been taking care of him, from the age of seven to thirty-six, almost thirty years."

"Of course he regards me as the most important person in his life, both wife and mother, like an elder, and like a confidant."

"Outsiders naturally think so too."

At this point, she looked at Zhou Yuan and smiled softly: "But no one cares what I think."

Zhou Yuan frowned and did not speak for the time being.

Madam Xuesang continued, "It's not just me, all women in the entire Western Regions are like this."

"People put a lot of marks on them, gentle, virtuous, polite, and tactful... countless."

"It seems to be a compliment, but it is all based on men's standards. Because they think such women are good, they tame women in this direction. The more they meet their standards, the better women they are."

"So... everyone says I'm good, but do you think I'm really happy?"

"At the age of nineteen, I married an old man in his fifties and served him for twelve years. I thought I was free, but I had to continue to serve his son."

"I treat Sima Yi as my own son, but in the end, I want to be his woman."

"How should I accept it? How should I convince myself emotionally? How should I deal with myself?"

"Ah... In fact, no one cares what I think. I have to do what they think is right. This is a good woman."

Zhou Yuan gradually understood her things.

He originally thought that Madam Xuesang was a boxing master who transcended the times, but after careful consideration, he realized that she was talking about something else.

The ancient rules oppressed a large number of people, and women who were "passed down from father to son" and "passed down from brother to brother" were just the most prominent representatives.

She received praise, but all this was not what she wanted.

She treated Sima Yi as her own son, but the rules required her to sleep with Sima Yi.

"I thought I could endure it."

Mrs. Xuesang said, "I did endure it, and I did it very well."

"But... after I got old and lost my beauty, you see, I was still abandoned."

"I'm sixty, but it feels like I've only lived to sixteen, because after sixteen, I'm no longer living for myself, but for those bullshit rules."

"I've been praised and respected all my life, but I've never lived like a human being."

"I'm like a plaque, a plaque of morality and chastity, worshipped, coaxed, and respected, like a dead thing."

She lowered her head and whispered, "I have a better fate. At least I don't have to worry about food and drink, but what about others?"

"In marriage and ethics, they suffer the same hardships as me. At the same time, in life, They are not well fed and clothed, and are often beaten and scolded. They are given away in turn, treated as pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep, and treated as goods..."

"Your Highness, Prince Wei, tell me, why should I defend Yarkand? Why should I defend this Khanate that treats women as slaves?"

"I have suffered greatly from it, how can I stand on its side?"

Zhou Yuan looked at her and couldn't help saying, "But... do you trust me so much? To be honest, we just met, and you don't even know what I am going to do."

Mrs. Xuesang said, "Yes, I am here, and I am not well-informed. But I know two things, only those two things."

Zhou Yuan said, "Which two things?"

Mrs. Xuesang looked at him, her eyes clear, and said seriously, "You let women study and enter the Imperial Academy."

Her eyes were shining.

At this moment, Zhou Yuan was a little afraid to look at her.

He just laughed dryly twice and didn't answer.

Mrs. Xuesang continued, "You let the women in Wengzhou who were violated by the island pirates go to the weaving workshop to start a new life and become self-reliant, and took them to the battlefield to make merit."

Is her intelligence not well-informed? It can be better than this.

Zhou Yuan felt ashamed.

It was like doing somethingGood things, but being surrounded by a bunch of people praising, made people very embarrassed, and a little proud in their hearts.

Xue Sang looked at Zhou Yuan and said seriously: "Your Highness, Prince Wei, women in the Western Regions do not want to be slaves, cattle and sheep, or goods, even if they are... highly praised goods."

"We want to be human beings, want to read, want to learn knowledge, and want to control our own lives."

Zhou Yuan closed his eyes and pressed his temples hard.

He laughed, a self-deprecating laugh.

The example of Guan Lu gave him a revelation, that is, every era has smart people in every era, as long as they are given good inspiration, they can open up new wisdom.

At least in Zhou Yuan's view, Guan Lu is now more like a time traveler and a red believer than himself.

And now, Madam Xue Sang also gave him a revelation.

It turns out that in every era, there are so many people who have awakened, but they are not strong enough, can't stir up any waves, can't do anything, so they can't affect history, so there will be no traces of them in the book.

Madam Xue Sang is obviously such an awakener.

She realized it in misery and awakened in bitter hatred.

And her awakening was not a matter of one or two days.

"When did you have these ideas?"

Zhou Yuan couldn't help asking.

Madam Xuesang smiled bitterly: "When I became Sima Yi's woman."

"At that time, I thought it was ridiculous for women to live in this world."

"I would actually be inherited, inherited by my nephew who grew up with me, my nephew who I treated as my own."

"During that time, I almost went crazy."

"I wanted to end my life, but I was afraid that the Yier family would be retaliated, so I endured it, endured it, and slowly figured out a lot of things."

"So... while I was good to Sima Yi, I slowly instilled some ideas into him."

"Be careful and influence him subtly, so... there was a vigorous cultural reform more than ten years ago."

She shook her head again and whispered: "It's useless. Even if the law clearly stipulates that women are not allowed to inherit, there are still people who do so. It's not up to you. "This is Yining City, let alone other poorer places." "The women here are still living in purgatory, more miserable than me." "Then I realized...some things can't be changed by law." "It takes ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to cultivate a person. What we need to change is our mindset, and the first step is education." "The Yarkand Khanate will not understand this, because ideas and education must be based on a profound cultural heritage." "The Western Regions should have belonged to the Great Jin." "The Western Regions should have returned to the Great Jin." Madam Xuesang stood up, bowed deeply to Zhou Yuan, and choked up, saying, "The Western Regions, please, Your Highness, the King of Wei." Zhou Yuan picked up the teacup and felt the warmth... Well...the tea is not so hot anymore, the temperature is just right. He drank it in one gulp, feeling refreshed.