Shipin Dalizheng

She looked bitterly at the person behind Mrs. Wei who was also looking at her with accusatory eyes.

"Ever since I was very young, I knew I was different from others. Because of my brother and I's appearance, we were questioned and abused by countless people. My mother suffered so much injustice, and none of you can empathize with us. To protect us from harm, we were not even allowed to go out. That would have been fine, but my mother's confinement could block the outside world's strange eyes, but it couldn't block the pain we suffered at home. My brother was beaten by my father..."

As she spoke, she couldn't control her trembling. "Father knew in his heart that my brother and I were his own flesh and blood, but he was so cruel as to beat my brother to death. Let me ask you, if you were treated like this at home, how would you live? I know many of you don't like me, discriminate against me, and ridicule me, but I don't care about any of that. It's your freedom. But if you don't like me, you can choose to ignore me. You don't even have to force yourself to say hello hypocritically when we walk on the street. Why did you invite me here today? Madam Wei, did you invite me here specifically to humiliate me and trample on me in such an occasion? You have been through rain and snow yourself, do you want to tear up all women's umbrellas? My mother also comes from a prominent family. She has never made any mistakes in her marriage and raising her children. Now she just wants to live a peaceful life. Does the old lady have to force her to death?"

Tang Tiantian's tearful questioning made many ladies and young ladies in the room lower their heads and ask themselves, what would they do if they encountered such a thing?

Madam Wei flew into a rage. "No one is forcing her to death. As a woman, you should be virtuous, gentle, and generous. The Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues are the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. The father is the bond of the son, and the husband is the bond of the wife. These are the rules passed down by the saints. Without rules, there is no order. Sima's divorce is against the will of heaven. Today, on behalf of all women in the world, I will label Sima a woman without virtue. You, Tang Tiantian, are also an unfilial and rebellious woman."

A maidservant spread out paper for the old couple Wei. Old Madam Wei was going to write down the crimes of Tang's mother and daughter on the paper. Once Madam Zhenlie stamped her seal on it, they would be criticized for the rest of their lives. Tang Tiantian's face turned pale.

"Wait a minute."

In a hurry, Rong Tang swung his folding fan and knocked the seal out of Madam Wei's hand. Madam Wei cried out in pain.

Minister Wei's eyes were bloodshot as he berated Rong Tang, "Marquis Jian'an, don't go too far. You're just a dandy boy with an empty title, and I'm a second-rank minister with real power. If I give you face, you're the Marquis Jian'an. If I don't, you're not even worthy of entering my mansion."

"Well, Minister Wei, you're showing your fangs now, and you can't hide your tail anymore? You're saying that anyone less senior than you isn't worthy of entering your mansion, right? You specially invited my fiancée here just to bully her, right? I'm telling you, as long as I'm alive, that's impossible. And that old aunt, with that worthless title of Madam Zhenlie, judging this and that, who gave you the power?"

Madam Zhenlie's face flushed crimson, and she was about to collapse. "I am a Madam Zhenlie of the second rank, a role model for women all over the world..."

"What a role model! You're a role model for women all over the world, but where do you put the Empress Dowager? And where do you put the Empress Dowager? Even if the Empress Dowager and the Empress don't argue with you, where do you put His Majesty the Emperor?"

Madam Zhenlie was completely bewildered and had no idea how to respond. Minister Wei angrily shouted, "What did my mother say that was wrong? Why are you humiliating her like this?"

Rong Tang glared at him and said, "No one is humiliating her, she is humiliating herself. She is a woman, but she is not a woman either. She can't distinguish right from wrong, and doesn't understand human reason. She holds on to the words of a self-righteous saint, barking here and bullying other women. She is basically a fake man in a woman's skin."

Madam Zhenlie was so angry that she was shaking all over. "Lord Jian'an, I, I will go to the Golden Palace to sue you..."

"Anyone who doesn't go is a grandson. I was just about to sue you for distorting the words of the sages and discrediting all men, making everyone mistakenly believe that all men in Dai Viet are shameless, despicable, and filthy. As the Supreme Emperor of Dai Viet, can you accept that his male subjects are so despicable? If your Majesty can accept it, I, the Earl of Jian'an, will be the first to respond to your call and let Madam Zhenlie see where the bottom line is when it comes to men's shamelessness. If your Majesty cannot accept it, please ask Madam Zhenlie to restore the reputation of all men in the world."

Mrs. Zhenlie couldn't understand it even more. How could she discredit the man and insult him? She clearly spoke for him in every word.

"Hello... Earl Jian'an, I'd like to ask you, as a role model for women, how have I brought shame upon men? And how have I distorted the words of the sage?"

Minister Wei's eyes were red as he shouted, "Marquis Jian'an, if you don't give me an explanation today, I will either die admonishing the court or strip you of your title and demote you."

"Okay, then let's have a clear debate. Madam Zhenlie, how many years of education have you received? Have you read the Four Books, Five Classics, and the Dai Viet Code?"

Madam Zhenlie sarcastically said, "I am just a woman. Women should read the female instructions and precepts. Women are virtuous without talent. There is no need to read the Four Books and Five Classics and the Daiyue Law."

Rong Tang let out a mocking smile. "How can you have the courage to point fingers and shamelessly judge this and that if you haven't read the Four Books and Five Classics or the Daiyue Law? Forget about an official's wife. Even if it's an illiterate old woman from the countryside who can distinguish right from wrong and speak reasonably, I respect her. A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. People like you who only know half the truth about everything are just idiots."

There was a discordant laugh behind them, but when everyone turned to look, they couldn't see who was laughing.

Minister Wei was furious, and Earl Jian'an stopped yelling, "Rong Tang, you insulted my mother. I will never coexist with you!"

Rong Tang said calmly, "Minister Wei, as you said, you were once a Jinshi. Please recite the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues to your mother in full. Don't leave out a single word, or she might take it out of context and become a laughing stock."

Minister Wei blushed and turned pale, but in the end, he didn't recite a single word. Madam Zhenlie glared at Rong Tang and said, "This is something known to everyone in the world. Why should my son waste his breath on it?"

"What you think is a waste of words is the true meaning of the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues. The father is the bond of the son. If the father is unkind, the son will flee to another place. This applies to Miss Tang's siblings and their father. The husband is the bond of the wife. If the husband is unrighteous, the wife can remarry. This applies to Madam Tang and her husband. The correct interpretation of the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues is that the king should set the right example for his subjects, parents for their children, and husbands for their wives and concubines. The responsibilities and obligations of both parties are equal, not unilateral persecution. This is the complete words of the saints. Minister Wei, you are always nagging at home, only saying what is beneficial to you. You don't say a word about the correct guidance that should be done. Madam Zhenlie, you haven't read much, have you? At most, you heard your son nodding his head while reading, and vaguely memorized a few sentences, and then used them to pretend to be talented and virtuous. Pah!"

Madam Zhenlie's eyes went dark and she swayed for a moment, and the maids and servants below screamed in fear.

Minister Wei pointed at Rong Tang's shaking hands and said, "Rong Tang, you've made my mother sick. I and you..."

"Irreconcilable, right? Who pissed her off? Wasn't she the one who pissed her off? The Daiyue Law clearly defines three ways to dissolve a marriage: divorce, amicable divorce, and righteous severance. The Sima family submitted a petition for righteous severance to the Jingzhao Prefecture. If anyone isn't convinced, they can just go and argue with the Jingzhao Prefecture. What's the point of secretly bullying someone else's daughter? You bunch of hypocrites, is this how you set an example?"