Kill the sadistic male protagonist and become the emperor

Ren Baozhi recalled the article that had just shamed her, and she tapped her toes in embarrassment. "Let me put it another way. Why do you compare yourself to Ban Zhao? What are your feelings towards Ban Zhao... well, what are they?"

Jiang Jingfeng thought for a while: "It's a bit complicated."

"Oh? Then Jingfeng, would you like to tell me in detail?"

Jiang Jingfeng sighed softly, "During the seven years of my imprisonment, I spent every day in my room either reading or writing. I've read all the classics, including poetry, prose, and songs."

"But what interests me most is history," she said. "However, every time I look through the annals, I find that they are dominated by men. At this time, I wonder, have women in history disappeared? Did they really have no contribution at all to their families and countries? Why are women so invisible in the annals of history, and why is it so difficult for historians to write about them?"

"It turns out that the woman was not only locked up in the house, but also in the book. I won't accept this, Baozhi, I won't accept this." Jiang Jingfeng seemed to follow his thoughts and returned to the small house where she had been locked up for seven years.

"I kept searching, kept looking, and finally came across several women in the annals of history. They were intelligent and brave, cunning and vicious. Regardless of whether their actions in the books were objective or not, all I saw was their strength. It was their existence that made me feel that I, too, could one day see the light of day again."

"But the more I read, the more I realized these women were often referred to as 'the wife of so-and-so,' and their stories were often entangled in love affairs and the glory of their husbands. Why? Why do even the most heroic women have to spend lengthy descriptions of their loves and husbands? Why can't we just write about this person, this woman, and her merits and demerits?"

"Even a hero like Lü Zhi couldn't escape this rut. Few people know about her political actions, but her brutal murder of concubines is the talk of the town. But, since ancient times, which emperor hasn't had blood on his hands? Why do history books gloss over the crimes of men and only highlight the crimes of women?"

Ren Baozhi could see that Jiang Jingfeng was a little excited. The last time he made his past experiences public at the Jiang Mansion, she remained calm.

But when talking about historical records, she became extremely excited. Perhaps these questions have been bothering her for a long time.

"It wasn't until I read the Book of Han that I realized women could write history books!"

"So, the reason why history books favor men so much is because the people who compiled them were also men!"

Jiang Jingfeng's eyes were red as she spoke. She calmed herself down and asked, "Baozhi, do you know 'Ruji'?"

Ren Baozhi shook her head: "I've never heard of it."

"'Ru Ji' was a woman from the Warring States Period. Because Lord Xinling had avenged her father's murder, she vowed to repay him with all her heart. When Lord Xinling offered to steal the King of Wei's tiger talisman, she agreed without hesitation."

"She chose this path, which is the most difficult and dangerous one. She has already been blessed by the Holy Spirit and can enjoy wealth and glory. If this matter is exposed, the consequences for her can be imagined."

"But Ruji's generosity and heroic deeds were no less impressive than those of men. She was willing to sacrifice the rest of her life to repay a favor owed to Lord Xinling. It was with Ruji's half of the tiger talisman that Lord Xinling was able to command the army, repel the powerful Qin, and save the State of Zhao from dire straits."

"Who can say Ru Ji wasn't a loyal and filial person, a person of great righteousness? Who can say Ru Ji didn't contribute to the country? But the history books have written far more about Xinling Jun than Ru Ji. In my opinion..."

Having said this, Jiang Jingfeng suddenly stopped.

Ren Baozhi noticed that she was hesitant to speak, so she asked, "According to Jingfeng, what do you think?"

"It's just my random thoughts," Jiang Jingfeng lowered her head, her voice a little stagnant, but she seemed to have figured something out in an instant, "But who can say that random thoughts are not a woman's thoughts?"

She let out a long, stagnant breath, not looking up, her voice low, "In my opinion, Lord Xinling is nothing but a hypocrite. He may have been taking advantage of Ruji's gratitude to tell her about the theft of the tiger talisman, even though he knew it would ruin the rest of her life."

Ren Baozhi was filled with admiration when she heard this.

She didn't expect that Jiang Jingfeng, a woman living in a feudal society, could have such a profound analysis of Ru Ji, and she didn't expect that she would dare to make such "treasonous" questions to the man who represented a "positive image" in history books.

Regardless of whether Jiang Jingfeng discovered some clues from historical records or she was just "thinking wildly", a person who is willing to think and dares to question will surely make achievements in the literary world in the future.

Jiang Jingfeng slowly stood up, and Ren Baozhi's hand was gently brushed down by Jiang Jingfeng. Her palm slid down her sleeve, leaving it empty. The arm of the person wearing the clothes was frighteningly skinny.

Ren Baozhi clenched her five fingers, trying to grab something, but she caught nothing.

Jiang Jingfeng felt a little short of breath. This room made her feel suffocated. It was like another small dark room. Although there was a candlelight, it still imprisoned her and was airtight.

She walked to the window and opened it completely. The cold wind hit her face, which was a little painful, but more refreshing.

She was finally able to breathe deeply.

Jiang Jingfeng looked out the window and continued, "Baozhi, I still have so much to say. I've been holding it in my heart for a long time. Can I tell you?"

Ren Baozhi took a winter coat and put it on her, then stood with her in the wind: "Okay."

Jiang Jingfeng's tone was filled with regret. "Ruji was willing to sacrifice her own future just to exchange for the stability of a country, but for such a woman, her deeds in history books only ended with the salvation of Zhao."

"Perhaps, in the eyes of the compilers, Ru Ji's contribution to history was simply to retrieve the talisman for Lord Xinling, helping him accomplish his great cause of saving Zhao. Ru Ji's personal fate after retrieving the talisman was unnecessary to record in the annals. After all, who would care about a woman's joys, sorrows, anger, and the ups and downs of her fate?"

"Yes, no one would pay attention," she asked and answered herself, "so I only know that 'Ru Ji' was a woman from the Warring States Period, the favorite of King Anli of Wei. Her birth and death years are unknown, her place of origin is unknown, and even whether the word 'Ru' is her surname or her nickname is unknown..."

She suddenly chuckled, but it was mixed with a sigh: "How ridiculous."