PFC Chapter 201 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (105)
Chapter 201 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (105)
"Don't you think she's a woman, and that's unconventional?" When Lu Liruan heard this word from Lu Wanqing, she saw a moment of dejection on her face.
She has always been a person with her own ideas since she was a child.
I can't recall Lu Wanyun. She was a quiet girl since childhood, but she always had a smile on her face.
Marquis He'an often praised his daughter for being well-behaved, saying that she was always cheerful and would surely have no worries in her life.
Lu Liruan could sense that although she appeared innocent on the surface, she actually had her own unique insights into many things.
It's not just about young girls confined to their chambers; it also reveals a certain wildness.
Some of the children from the collateral branches of the Lu family, seeing that she seemed honest, tried to bully her, but they all failed and did not get any advantage from her.
From childhood to adulthood, the words she spoke were gentle yet pierced straight to the heart.
But her expression was innocent, leaving others with no reason to get angry. Arguing with her would only make one appear rude.
Her words were sometimes so funny and lively that they made Lu Liruan and Lu Wanyun burst into laughter.
She laughed along, then blinked: "I'm just telling the truth, why can't anyone listen to me?"
Now that Lu Yushi has become the second prince's concubine, she has suffered quite a bit at her hands.
"Deviating from the norm? Which norm, which path? Your own, or someone else's?" Ji Shumin raised an eyebrow, his tone indifferent.
“There will always be gossip.” Lu Liruan sighed. After Lu Wanqing let it slip, Aunt Zhao stopped caring about who Lu Wanyun was going to marry. She kept nagging Lu Wanqing every day, crying and making a scene, as if she was afraid that her daughter would go down the wrong path.
"I want to advise Qing'er not to take other people's words to heart, but to seek what you want and do what you want to do, so that you will not regret this life." Lu Liruan was determined to do what she wanted and believed in what she believed, but she did not know whether she should advise others.
The world is full of troubles, and sometimes one's will is not enough to overcome them. In this era, Lu Liruan can't help but wonder what impact her advice to Lu Wanqing to do what she wants will have on her future.
This kind of thinking can be considered a form of self-discipline, not easily influencing others. Only if I can be responsible for Lu Wanqing's future and can provide her with a safety net can I speak passionately.
If you cannot do it yourself, but instead persuade others to pay for your ideas that you think are right and feasible, isn't that a kind of impulsive and irresponsible act?
"Why don't you speak?" Ji Shumin looked at her.
After listening to Lu Liruan's thoughtful consideration, Ji Shumin smiled and said, "Liruan is much more thorough in her thinking now than before."
Lu Liruan thought to herself, it's not because I've been thorough, but because I'm able to look at things from a broader perspective. Although my mission is to save Ji Shumin, everything around me is a living, breathing person with their own thoughts and choices, and they are not people I can control.
How absurd would it be if we arrogantly tried to interfere with other people's future and manipulate them like chess pieces just because we know more than them?
Because of Ji Shumin, Lu Liruan knew all too well how difficult it was to change things and to become entangled with the fate of others; it was by no means a trivial matter.
"Does Li Ruan need my help?" Ji Shumin asked. Lu Li Ruan looked at him and found that he looked very serious.
"Because she's my sister?" Lu Liruan looked up at him sensitively, then realized she was being a bit too sensitive.
"Does Li Ruan believe that all women in the world should receive help?" Ji Shumin, with his keen insight, easily discerned the question that Lu Li Ruan was truly pondering.
"Sometimes I wonder why most women can't do what they want to do."
Seeing that Lu Liruan did not speak, Ji Shumin said to himself.
Lu Liruan caught her breath and was about to say that it wasn't the woman's fault for not wanting to do it.
Then Ji Shumin continued, "If women could also engage in farming, join the army, and participate in government affairs, how many more capable people would there be, and how much stronger would the country become?"
Lu Liruan: ...
Goodness, so you think women hold up half the sky here?
Lu Liruan felt indignant about this matter, considering how many women in the world suffer oppression and criticism.
Ji Shumin's thoughts went beyond that; he considered what benefits women could bring to the country and its people if they could act according to their own will.
Seeing a hint of surprise in Lu Liruan's eyes, Ji Shumin tilted his head and said, "They all have hands and feet, heads, eyes, and mouths, so why can't they do the same things?"
"Then why does the world favor men more?" Lu Liruan wanted to hear Ji Shumin's embarrassment.
But Ji Shumin's eyes flashed with disdain: "Once you gain power, you use so-called rules, scriptures and morality to bind the hands and feet of some people, just so that you can beat five people instead of ten people before."
It was surprisingly sharp and precise.
"But if someone were to compete with you, would you still think that way?" Lu Liruan looked earnestly at Ji Shumin's face. She was willing to discuss this issue in depth with Ji Shumin because, whether in the previous plot or in Lu Liruan's past interactions with him, Ji Shumin had never made her feel confined or disappointed.
Lu Liruan didn't want to change a woman's future alone, or her own sister's future, without knowing what the future held, and then worry about whether her decision was right.
If possible, she wanted to do everything in her power to change the path of all women with their own thoughts.
It sounds like they've become even more arrogant.
Ji Shumin seemed to have heard something amusing. He lowered his head and coughed twice while laughing, "Li Ruan knows that I love arguing with others..."
He tilted his head, his tone gentle yet frank: "If anyone can beat me, regardless of whether they are a man or a woman, I will admit defeat."
He exuded a self-satisfaction that wasn't annoying, but rather a calm and convincing one; he certainly had the confidence to say such things.
"Because they're afraid of losing the fight, they suppress people prematurely. If all officials in the court and the army are like this, do they think the country is going to fall too late?" Ji Shumin scoffed.
Lu Liruan pondered for a moment, and it seemed that Ji Shumin did not see things from the perspective of a woman, nor did he feel that it was unfair or oppressive.
We can't expect that from him... After all, he is a person of this era, and it is unrealistic to expect him to think from a woman's perspective.
But in another sense, his thoughts did not contradict those of a woman.
Lu Liruan thought to herself: "A person with a righteous heart would not be willing to engage in underhanded schemes, would not take pleasure in bullying others, and would not pretend to be ignorant when he knows the truth. Such a person, even if he does not deliberately do anything for women, would still do the right thing and speak the truth."
Because the heart is righteous.
Those with impure hearts will make excuses for all sorts of things, as Ji Shumin said, they are despicable and base yet think highly of themselves.
When did you start thinking about these things?
"When the Zhuang family girl killed the enemy, someone said to me, 'She's a woman, what right does she have to be above them?'" Ji Shumin seemed to recall, his tone contemptuous.
"What did you say?" Lu Liruan had never heard him mention such a past event.
"Miss Zhuang and her female soldiers are now stepping on his head..." Ji Shumin said calmly, "Actually, no."
"Ok?"
"General Zhuang dealt with him according to military regulations?"
"Because of what he said to you?"
"Because he wanted to surrender while defending the city." Ji Shumin's expression turned stern. "This kind of person is naturally no good, and this proves it."
Lu Liruan clicked her tongue in surprise, and upon closer reflection, it was indeed true.
"If he doesn't like something, he'll use his arrogance to trample the Zhuang family girl underfoot. In the end, he's not only inferior but also tries to trip her up behind her back. He's so stupid that he deserves to die," Ji Shumin concluded.
Ji Shumin, He Pingyan, and Zhuang Yuxun were constantly entangled in the original storyline. Lu Liruan discovered that they also had something in common: although their personalities were completely different, they were all quite... violent and aesthetically pleasing.
If you're not convinced, come and fight me until you submit.
"My mother also went to the battlefield with the army back then," Ji Shumin suddenly said.
"Huh?" Lu Liruan was stunned.
"The An family, like the Zhuang family, were military generals for generations. At their peak, they enjoyed the deep trust of the late emperor."
Lu Liruan then remembered that the Empress was indeed a military officer.
"If the An family had not been so prosperous, the Empress would not have entered the palace to become Empress."
Lu Liruan opened her mouth, wanting to ask, "Is the Empress of that time the same as Zhuang Yuxun now?"
But Zhuang Yuxun followed his heart and stayed on the border. He and He Pingyan were kindred spirits, comrades who could stand shoulder to shoulder, and renowned generals who would live and die together.
But the empress became the empress.
Although Ji Shumin didn't elaborate, Lu Liruan felt a lump in her throat, as if something was stuck there.
"Li Ruan, you've said all this to me today, is there a path you also want to take?" Ji Shumin looked at Lu Li Ruan with a hint of wariness.
What he just said made perfect sense, but now, looking at Lu Liruan, Ji Shumin didn't seem like someone who could get Lu Liruan to do what she wanted.
Lu Liruan was taken aback by his question: "What are you thinking? I didn't say I was going to go into business."
"I don't want to go into business, I want to do something else..."
“I can do what I want to do by your side.” Lu Liruan shrugged. “I want to see you be a good ruler, and I want you to be able to help those women who want to walk their own path.”
Ji Shumin seemed to relax a bit, but Lu Liruan never expected that what he did next would catch her completely off guard.
Ten days before the Lunar New Year, Lu Liruan's two older brothers, Lu Chengming and Lu Chengan, returned with their youngest brother, Lu Chengfeng, who was studying in Jiangnan. The boy, who was only a teenager, had grown quite a bit and frowned with a mature look, concerned about how Lu Liruan was doing.
Lu Liruan then bid farewell to Ji Shumin and returned to the Marquis of He'an's residence for a few days, planning to return before the Lantern Festival.
Lu Wanqing had already written to her two older brothers to tell them what she was thinking. Her eldest brother, Lu Chengming, had not yet made a decision, but her second brother, Lu Chengan, readily agreed: "When there is a shortage of people, no one can compare to one's own brothers."
"She's your sister!" Marquis He'an frowned and slammed his hand on the table.
"Brother and sister," Lu Cheng'an changed his address.
"Oh dear, what if something happens..." Marquis He'an seemed to be wavering.
"What could possibly happen while she's with my older brother?" Lu Cheng'an nodded to Lu Wanqing, showing his strong support for her.
Lu Wanqing sat there nervously. If her father would let her do it this time, she could go to Jiangnan with her brothers after the New Year.
They've been in the rouge business lately, so it's not surprising that Lu Wanqing got involved. Rouge and face powder from Jiangnan have always been famous in the capital. If things go well, she might even open a few more shops in the capital in the future.
Madam Gao had always doted on her daughters, but this time she didn't say much.
Marquis He'an habitually sought his wife's opinion.
Then Madam Gao gave him a long, meaningful look and asked, "Does Your Excellency know what I wanted to do before we married?"
"Madam... what do you want to do?" Marquis He'an stammered. Despite his advanced age, he felt a little uneasy and nervous when his wife asked him this question.
"I loved playing the zither when I was young." Madam Gao raised her hand, and traces of her past playing could still be seen on her slender fingers.
"Madam's musical skills are indeed amazing," Marquis He'an replied. It wasn't flattery, but rather that Madam Gao's playing was indeed exquisite, though she didn't play often, and Marquis He'an didn't know if she liked it or not.
"When I was still a young lady, I thought that if I could make a living by playing the zither, I would be willing... but my father scolded me, saying that I should give up being a proper young lady and want to become a courtesan?"
"My mother cried and sobbed, saying I wasn't a good girl, and she even smashed my piano, telling me never to touch it again!"
Mrs. Gao spoke in a very calm tone: "Later, I didn't want to. I thought that if I didn't want to earn a living by playing the piano for others, I could become a piano teacher for young ladies from wealthy families. That way, I could keep playing the piano."
"I asked my parents, if they don't let me do anything, then why do they make me learn the zither? My mother replied, 'Other girls all learn it. If a woman doesn't know how to play the zither or flute, how can she marry into a better family than other girls?'"
Everyone at the table listened intently.
"And then what happened, Mother..." Lu Wanqing pressed.
"Later, I married into the Marquis of He'an's mansion. Heaven was kind to me; I was lucky enough to meet the Marquis. Everything in the mansion is comfortable, and I have all of you good children..." Madam Gao sighed.
She turned her head and looked at the flustered and innocent-looking Marquis He'an with a hint of reproach: "Look at you, what's the use of me learning all that? The Marquis can't even understand the notes of the pentatonic scale... It's clear that what my mother said back then was wrong."
"Yes, yes, I really don't understand." Seeing the slight melancholy in his wife's expression, Marquis He'an nodded in agreement, which amused everyone at the table.
"My musical skills are no longer up to par, otherwise I would like to go out and teach female teachers. So, the things I want to do will not disappear with the passage of time. Today, the Marquis will not let Qing'er go out. Does he want to say those words that my mother told me back then?"
Madam Gao said earnestly, "Qing'er is good at accounting and managing the household affairs. She will definitely marry better than other girls... Why don't you say that Qing'er is clever and good at accounting? She can be a good accountant and do a good business?"
“What the lady says is true…” Marquis He’an nodded: “If Qing’er is truly willing.”
"Father, I do!" Lu Wanqing's voice suddenly became loud, and everyone looked at her.
"Father, I don't want to get married right now. I just want to... go out and see the world." She pursed her lips, the girl who was always smiling was now incredibly serious and determined.