Pawn Crossing the River

"Not seeing my sister being bullied does not mean that I don't speak well." Zhang Yuelu said.

Qi Xuansu said: "My uncle's temperament can be seen from you. I know that you beat Li Tianzhen."

Zhang Yuelu's eyes flickered and he said slowly: "Li Tianzhen asked for it. As the saying goes, I will not offend others unless they offend me. We have known each other for so long, have I ever hit you?"

"That's not true." Qi Xuansu turned to ask, "What is it like when you are a daughter at home?"

"Why are you asking this?" Zhang Yuelu immediately looked at Qi Xuansu alertly.

Qi Xuansu said: "Just ask casually and make sure you know what you are doing, so as not to let your father-in-law see any flaws."

Zhang Yuelu hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly agreed to this reason, and then said confidently: "When I was at home, well... I was naturally a gentle, virtuous, well-educated lady."

It's just that when he said this, Zhang Yuelu was not as strong and determined as usual, but instead felt a little guilty.

Qi Xuansu said with a half-smile but not a smile: "'Knowledge' means reading the story books from Qingping Bookstore? 'Wenwan' means dancing with a knife and a stick? 'Xianshu' means going out to drink in the middle of the night?"

"I didn't go there specifically to drink that time. I went to the weapons shop. It just happened to be my chance to attend someone else's wedding. Since it's a happy event, it's reasonable to drink a little wine." Zhang Yuelu argued, "You were also there, you know."

Qi Xuansu suppressed his laughter and said seriously: "I went to the weapons store to buy a pistol for self-defense. You have both the 'Dragon Hand Gun' and a semi-immortal object. What are you going to do in the weapons store? Is it true that ladies and weapons shops are the most popular? match?"

Zhang Yuelu was speechless and simply stopped pretending: "I am a disciple of the Taoist sect, not a disciple of the Confucian sect. Why do I have to abide by those common etiquette? I can do whatever I want, and you have to control me?"

Qi Xuansu finally proved his point of view: "From this point of view, my uncle is definitely not easy to get along with."

Zhang Yuelu suddenly reacted: "Not to mention that I don't have a brother, even if I do, who is your elder brother-in-law?"

Qi Xuansu smiled and said, "I thought you agreed."

"I think you want to imitate Li Tianzhen." Zhang Yuelu rolled his eyes at him, "Also, can you bully me just by yourself? I can't help but bully you."

Qi Xuansu said: "The Taoist sect is not allowed to take concubines, let alone keep outside concubines, so we can't perform a full martial arts show. It's just a matter of who has the final say. You are the deputy hall master, and I will obey orders in both public and private matters."

This has to mention the marriage system of Taoism. In a sense, the moral standards of Taoism are higher than those of the secular world. In today's world, the system of monogamy and multiple concubines is still practiced, and among the people, there is also a system similar to equal wives. The so-called three wives and four concubines, although the imperial court did not recognize the so-called equal wives due to imperial decrees and other reasons, it was still a common practice.

But in Taoism, Xuansheng directly abolished the system of multiple concubines, leaving only one husband and one wife.

Why are women’s status in the world inferior to men’s, and why are men superior to women? The fundamental reason lies in the difference in physical strength between men and women. Women are weak and inferior to men. There are many things that men can do that women cannot do, such as joining the army and killing enemies. Women are weak and will not be the opponents of men in head-to-head combat.

What you can’t get on the battlefield, you can’t get anywhere else.

But why is the status of women in Taoism not weaker than that of men, and why is there no saying that men are superior to women? Because various methods have eliminated the difference in innate physical strength between men and women, women can also ascend to immortality, fly to the sky and escape from the earth, break mountains and crack rocks. If men can do it, women can also do it, so the status of men and women will naturally tend to be the same. equality.

In the eyes of many women, Xuansheng's move was in line with the general trend. Women can only improve their status by supporting themselves instead of relying on men for a living. The truth couldn't be simpler. It's better to rely on oneself than to have one's father and mother. It's better to rely on oneself than to rely on mountains and rivers for support.

However, the Taoist sect at that time was still dominated by men. In addition, the Taoist sect did not exist independently in the world and was still inextricably linked to the secular world, so it still aroused considerable opposition. So Xuansheng took a trick and changed the name to "Taoist couple" instead of "husband and wife". When Taoist priests get married, they always become Taoist couples instead of husband and wife, and there can only be one Taoist couple, which indirectly cancels the status of concubine.

Seriously speaking, the fact that the Taoist sect and the Daxuan court were able to defeat the Confucian sect and the Great Wei court also had something to do with this.

At that time, Daxuan's top priority was to expand the army, and army expansion was inseparable from money, food and population. Real elite soldiers must specialize in training, which is the word "off production". They are separated from agricultural production and need to be supported by others. Soldiers can only be young and strong men, and young and strong men are the backbone of farming. In other words, one more Soldiers are one less farmer, and the difference between an increase and a decrease is twice the difference. This is also the reason why in the past dynasties, it is difficult to end well in military affairs.

Everything in the world is inseparable from food. Because of food, the pace of military expansion has never been fast, and the population gap is huge. This cannot be accomplished overnight, and can only be planned slowly.

In this case, the Daxuan court, which had not yet conquered the world at that time, focused on women. Because of the ethics, men were in charge of the outside world and women were in charge of the home. Many women did not go out or step out. Taking care of housework has resulted in a considerable amount of manpower being wasted. Nowadays, men's manpower is stretched thin, but what about women? As long as the shackles of ethics on women are lifted, and women are allowed to go out of the house and participate in work, won't women be able to hold up half of the sky?

So Daxuan decided to let go of the shackles of ethics on women. Confucianism's accusations were just the humming of mosquitoes and flies. Jin Zhang didn't understand etiquette, but he could still dominate the Central Plains. This shows that extraordinary things should be done in extraordinary times.

It's just that this kind of thing cannot be pushed forward by political decrees, but must be induced by benefits. Daxuan first started with textile workshops, promised money, hired female workers, and at the same time took into account the etiquette and culture to separate female workers from male workers. In this case, there will inevitably be Women couldn't help themselves and went out to work to support their families. In this way, they took advantage of the situation and formed a trend. Then they gradually promoted it through the mentality of following the herd, and it was a matter of course.

Then use this as an example and gradually extend it to other fields.

In this way, the role of women was greatly brought into play, more manpower was liberated, Daxuan successfully expanded its army, and it also laid the foundation for the future restructuring of Taoism.

Of course, rules are rules, and there must be people who violate the rules within the Taoist sect. It would be fine if no one knows about it. Once discovered, they will be given a demerit in the least, or demoted in the worst, which will affect their future.

In addition, cultivating Taoism to the end will inevitably reduce human desires. Among Taoists, there are many people who will never marry.

Because of this, Qi Xuansu said this,

Zhang Yuelu joked: "I want to be grateful to Xuan Sheng, who was deposed along with the system of multiple concubines and the parents' orders to find matchmakers. Although parents can still influence their children's marriages, the children at least have room to refuse. , so my mother can’t push me too hard. If she pushes me too hard, I’ll go to the ancestral hall to sue her.”

Qi Xuansu said with emotion: "There are two worlds inside and outside the Taoist gate. No wonder Yujing doesn't look down on the divine capital."

Zhang Yuelu said: "My mother has lived here for a long time and has acquired many old habits. She still believes in the same old ways. You should be more patient with her."

Qi Xuansu smiled and said: "Have you forgotten that I haven't been in Yujing for a long time, and sometimes I don't even look like a Taoist disciple."

Zhang Yuelu looked him up and down and said, "Except that he has more experience in the world of martial arts, I can't tell anything else."

Qi Xuansu said: "Speaking of experience, I really don't have the experience to deal with elders."

Zhang Yuelu waved his hand and said: "You don't have to worry too much. It's not like you're going to Da Zhen's Mansion. It's just a house. It's just my father and my mother. They are not great big shots. Can't you cope with this old man? ?”

Qi Xuansu was startled: "I always thought your home was in that famous Da Zhen Mansion."

"You are overthinking." Zhang Yuelu looked at the river outside the boat, "I have already said that we are a small sect, and Dazhen Mansion is the residence of the big sect. Take the imperial court as an example, which sect can live in the palace?"

Qi Xuansu had a vague feeling that Zhang Yuelu had very complicated feelings for the Zhang family, and he didn't really like this family whose so-called threshold was as high as heaven.

Moreover, Zhang Yuelu is not as "heartless" as she seems on the surface, or in other words, grandeur, structure, etc. She still cares about some things.

The ferry was moving slowly, and apart from the boss of the ferry, there were only two people, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu sat at the bow of the boat, supporting his body with one hand and turning his head to look at the turbulent river outside the boat.

Qi Xuansu sat opposite Zhang Yuelu and could only see her profile.

After a long time, Zhang Yuelu looked away, looked at Qi Xuansu, and asked: "Tianyuan, did you have any close friends in the past?"

Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said, "Probably not."

"What a coincidence, neither did I." Zhang Yuelu said half-mockingly to himself.

Qi Xuansu asked: "What now? Are we considered close friends?"

"That's... right?" Zhang Yuelu blinked, "This not only depends on me, but also on you. I don't like wishful thinking."

Qi Xuansu originally wanted to agree, but the words "It also depends on you" suddenly reminded him of his other identity, and he said instead: "Qingxiao... I mean if, if one day, I have an opinion with you. If they disagree, have different ideas, or even go against each other, or... lied to you, what would you do?"

Zhang Yuelu was slightly startled. She did not expect Qi Xuansu to ask such a question, but she did not think too deeply and replied: "Disagreements are common, even between parents and children, let alone friends? All I can say is It’s not considered like-minded. As for going against the grain and cheating, it’s a bit serious, even if you are a friend.”

Qi Xuansu laughed dryly: "That's it."

"What, are you hiding something from me? Or are you planning to lie to me?" Zhang Yuelu joked.

Qi Xuansu said half-truthfully: "I have a lot of secrets, and I must be hiding something from you. But I didn't intend to lie to you. Even if I lied to you, I had to do it out of necessity."

Zhang Yuelu didn't take it seriously, he just smiled and said: "With virtue, you have to repay love as a last resort."

Qi Xuansu also smiled, but his mood gradually became depressed.

Because the joy of accumulating three "Xuan Zi Gong" was gradually replaced by the heaviness of another identity.

Even Zhang Yuelu, who was so close, seemed to be gradually moving away.