Shipin Dalizheng

After driving away the scoundrel, Emperor Xuanning remained silent for a while. He Daban picked up the paperweight and put it back on the imperial desk.

"Otomo, what do you mean by all the officials of the Ministry of Rites supporting a fifth-rank official? What power does he hold that is worth fighting for?"

He Daban lowered his head, "I don't understand. But I know one thing."

"What phenomenon?"

When it comes to who holds the most authority in a family, outsiders address his wife and children as Madam So-and-so, Young Master So-and-so, or Miss So-and-so. But if a son is the most capable, outsiders address him as Dad So-and-so. Your Majesty, the most promising member of the Tang family isn't Mr. Tang, but Young Master Tang. And I think if Miss Tang weren't a woman, she'd be just as promising.

"In other words, their target is Tang Fuyun."

He Daban didn't say anything and poured him tea.

"I didn't realize that Prince Rui had already taken control of the Ministry of Rites and was even trying to get involved in the Ministry of Handicrafts. His block of wood has attracted many birds to roost. No, not only the Ministry of Rites, but also the Ministry of Revenue..."

Emperor Xuanning quickly formed a network in his mind. Two of the six chancellors had expressed their intention to support Prince Rui. Although the left and right prime ministers had not yet expressed their opinions, Prince Rui had already gained the support of one-third of the court officials.

"I underestimated him after all."

Logically, as an emperor, he could not interfere in the trial of civil cases at will. He has always been cautious and does not want to be caught by court officials.

"Otomo, does Oetsu law have any provisions regarding the separation of husband and wife?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Although there have been no successful cases of women seeking divorce in this dynasty, there must have been cases in previous dynasties, otherwise this article would not have appeared in the law out of thin air."

"No, I remember that Jingzhao Prefecture sentenced Rong and Jin Shizhao to death some time ago."

He Daban was speechless. "That was Jin Shizhao's own letter of severance, a request he made himself."

Would Jin Shizhao take the initiative to ask his wife to divorce him? That was definitely impossible. If she did, what would he eat and drink? Wouldn't all those years of planning be in vain?

No one would believe that Rong Tang, the "filial son," hadn't played a trick on this. Now the Sima family had filed a petition for divorce on behalf of Madam Tang, and Tang Xunze was adamantly refusing to agree. He had also enlisted the support of officials from the Ministry of Rites. Those corrupt scholars who defended old traditions would surely not agree. This was a knife to subvert patriarchal rule.

Emperor Xuanning himself was also very conflicted. On the one hand, he was the emperor and wanted the Tang brothers and sisters to break away from Tang Xunze's control and concentrate on serving the court. On the other hand, he was also a man and did not want any woman to break away from the control of her husband and father's power and become an independent person.

So he compromised and asked, "Can divorce solve the problem?"

Zhaohua divorced, and as the emperor, he could accept it.

He Daban sighed, "Your Majesty, if they divorce, Madam Tang will be free, but Young Master Tang and Miss Tang are still Tang family blood. This is the clan law. Unless they are divorced, or Master Tang has committed a grave sin, then these two children will have a chance to leave the Tang family. Look, although Madam Rong and Jin Shizhao have divorced, the mother and son of the Jin family are now seriously ill and bedridden. No matter how estranged the father and son are, doesn't Earl Jian'an still have to feed them well?"

Emperor Xuanning looked at He Daban and said, "Hmm, good idea!"

"Summon Tang Xunze to the palace tomorrow. I want to ask him for advice on how to educate children. Also, how old is Minister Wei's son? He must be seventeen or eighteen. I'll use Lord Tang's methods to help educate him. I wonder if he will become as smart as Tang Fuyun."

He Daban was very pleased. "Lord Tang is very experienced in educating children. I think it will be useful. Congratulations, Your Majesty, you will soon have a few geniuses."

On the other hand, Rong Tang left the palace, and it was Li Dequan who saw him off. When they reached a deserted place, Li Dequan said with a smile, "Marquis Jian'an, I just heard from the eunuch in Kunyi Palace that the Empress Dowager went to give Madam Zhenlie an imperial decree."

"Oh, I wonder what the imperial decree contains..."

"Haha, it's an imperial decree. The Empress Dowager's Thousand Years Banquet has been cancelled, and she's feeling a bit down, so she ordered Madam Zhenlie to become a nun and practice Buddhism for a hundred days in Fahua Temple on her behalf."

Rong Tang wanted to laugh, but held it back. "Xiao Tang just arrived in the capital, and I don't know what the Empress Dowager likes yet. I hope the eunuch can give me some advice."

Li Dequan said, "The Empress Dowager likes sweet food. In the past, the Ministry of Internal Affairs purchased candies from the Liang family, which didn't taste good. This year, they switched to candies presented by Duke Du, and the Empress Dowager likes them very much."

Rong Tang immediately knew how to please the Queen Mother and bowed and said goodbye.

When Rong Tang returned to the Bo Mansion, a servant from the mansion who had been gathering information arrived to report what had happened at the Wei Shangshu Mansion. It was said that Madam Zhenlie was still lying in bed, having fallen from her bed after being asked to become a nun in the Empress Dowager's place. Not only was she dizzy from the fall, but she was also forced to go to the palace to express her gratitude.

After Rong Tang finished laughing, his face gradually turned serious and he asked Butler Tao, "Where is the Madam?"

Today was really strange. Rong Xiu had clearly entered the Wei family before him, but he made a big fuss in the front and back yards of the Wei mansion and there was no sign of Rong Xiu.

Butler Tao was also stunned. "The Madam is ill, and Master doesn't know?"

Rong Tang frowned, "Are you sick?"

"Not long after you left, the lady returned, sweating profusely and suffering from severe abdominal pain. She asked a doctor to take her pulse, give her some medicine, and then she went to bed."

After all, he was the elder of the family, so Rong Tang had to go and see him. He walked to the gate of the courtyard. The maid saw him and wanted to go in to inform him, but he stopped her and approached the main house quietly.

Mother Yao was talking to Rong Xiu, "Is the Madam feeling better?"

Rong Xiu said weakly, "Much better, Mother Yao. Actually, I...I felt much better as soon as I left the Wei Mansion. Although you encouraged me before I left, telling me not to be afraid of anything and that Master Bo would take the blame for me if anything went wrong, I was still panicking. Who is Madam Zhenlie? She values ​​a woman's reputation the most. I went there, but she still criticized and blamed me again and again. I finally had a few days of peace and quiet, and I really don't want to have to deal with any of the ladies in the mansion."

Mother Yao advised, "But this won't do. Lord Bo has officially integrated into the circle of nobles in the capital. There will be more invitations from various mansions in the future. This is also normal communication between ladies. Are you turning them all down?"

Rong Xiu seemed even more distressed when she heard this. "Now I just want to chant Buddha's name quietly at home. I really don't have the energy to deal with these trivial matters. When I see those people, I feel like they are mocking me. I have no connection with them at all, and I am stuck in the mansion as a lady. If the mansion really needs a mistress to manage the household, let the master marry Miss Tang. It's not even a hundred days old yet, so it's not impossible to get married in Rexiaoli."

Mother Yao sighed and walked out of the house. She was surprised to see Rong Tang standing at the door. "Uncle..."

Rong Tang gestured for silence, and the two of them walked out of the courtyard together. Mother Yao knelt down and said, "Master, this old servant is useless. The Madam...she is timid and can't stand up to the public."

Rong Tang was silent for a moment. To be honest, he had also thought that Rong Xiu's helpless look was normal.

She was originally an ordinary peasant girl. With no one at home, she was adopted by the old Earl Jian'an for a few years. She learned the traditional education of a good wife and mother for several years, but she did not develop any sense of independence. Later, she experienced several unhappy marriages and was unlucky in marriage. The label of having a miserable life was not only given to her by others, but I am afraid she also gave it to herself.

Bringing her here seemed like a salvation, but in reality, it was actually a disturbance. Now, she was worried about everything, unable to bear the burden of being the mistress of the house, and terrified of returning to Baimei Temple to live a hard life without food and clothing. So, when she left the Bo Mansion and appeared in other people's houses, she would have a strong stress reaction, as if she had a serious illness.

"this is not your fault."