Chapter 107 Taoist Companion Friends

"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 asked instead, "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 family 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 stage 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 military campaigns in all dynasties rarely end well.

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. A considerable amount of manpower is wasted doing housework. 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 release the shackles of etiquette on women. The Confucian school criticized them as mosquitoes and flies. The Golden Tent did not understand etiquette, but was able to rule the Central Plains. It can be seen that extraordinary things should be done in extraordinary times.

However, this kind of thing cannot be forced by government orders, but must be induced by benefits. Daxuan started with textile workshops, promised silver and money, and hired female workers. At the same time, it took into account the etiquette and separated female workers from male workers. In this case, there will inevitably be women who can't help but come out to work to supplement the family income. In this way, it will take advantage of the situation and form a trend. Then it will be pushed forward slowly through the mentality of following the crowd. That will be a natural outcome.

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

In this way, the role of women is greatly played, more manpower is liberated, Daxuan successfully expands its army, and also lays the foundation for the reform of Taoism in the future.

Of course, rules are rules. There must be people who violate the rules in Taoism. If no one knows, it's fine. Once discovered, they will be punished at the least and demoted at the worst, affecting their future.

In addition, when practicing Taoism to the end, one will inevitably reduce human desires. There are many people in the Taoist sect who never marry.

Because of this, Qi Xuansu said so.

Zhang Yuelu joked: "I have to thank Xuansheng. Along with the system of multiple concubines, the parents' orders and matchmaker's words were also abolished. Although parents can still influence their children's marriages, children at least have room to refuse, so my mother can't force me too much. If she pushes me, I will go to the ancestral hall to sue her."

Qi Xuansu sighed: "There are two worlds inside and outside the Taoist sect. No wonder Yujing looks down on the Imperial Palace."

Zhang Yuelu said: "My mother has lived in the local area for a long time and has been infected with many old habits. She still believes in the old ways. You have to bear with her."

Qi Xuansu smiled and said: "You have forgotten that I haven't been in Yujing for a long time. Sometimes I don't even look like a Taoist disciple."

Zhang Yuelu looked him up and down: "Except Jiang Lake has more experience, but the others are not obvious. "

Qi Xuansu said: "Speaking of experience, I really have no experience in dealing with elders. "

Zhang Yuelu waved his hand and said: "You don't have to worry too much. It's not going to the Great Immortal Mansion. It's just a house. There are only my father and my mother. They are not great figures. Can't you, an old man, handle it?"

Qi Xuansu was stunned: "I always thought your family was in the famous Great Immortal Mansion."

"You think too much." Zhang Yuelu looked at the river outside the boat, "I said, we are a small clan, and the Great Immortal Mansion is the residence of the big clan. Take the court for example, which clan can live in the palace? "

Qi Xuansu vaguely felt that Zhang Yuelu had a very complicated feeling for the Zhang family, and didn't like this so-called family with a high threshold to the sky.

And Zhang Yuelu is not as "heartless" as she seems on the surface, or as generous and patterned as she seems on the surface. She still cares about some things.

The ferry was moving slowly. In addition to the captain of the boat, there were only Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu sat at the bow, supporting herself with one hand, and turned her head to look at the surging river outside the boat.

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

After a long time, Zhang Yuelu retracted her gaze, 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."

"Coincidentally, I don't have any either." Zhang Yuelu said half self-deprecatingly.

Qi Xuansu asked: "Now? Are we considered close friends?"

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

Qi Xuansu wanted to agree, but the words "it depends on you" reminded him of his other identity, and he said: "Qingxiao...I mean, if one day, I disagree with you, have different ideas, or even go against you, or...lie to you, what will you do?"

Zhang Yuelu was slightly startled. She didn't expect Qi Xuansu to ask such a question, but she didn't think too much about it. She replied: "Disagreements are common, even between parents and children, let alone friends? It can only be said that they are not like-minded. As for going against each other and deceiving, it's a bit serious. I'm afraid we can't even be friends."

Qi Xuansu laughed dryly: "Is that so."

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

Qi Xuansu half-truthfully said, "I have many secrets, and I must be hiding something from you. But I don't intend to lie to you. Even if I do, it's because I have no choice."

Zhang Yuelu didn't take it seriously, but just smiled and said, "Virtue, I have no choice."

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 drifting away.