Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 143, Section 142: The Struggle Over the Abandoned Wife
Trapped inside the carriage, Prince Qian was full of energy but had nowhere to use it, Princess Wen was still stuck in her own thoughts, and the tall and strong Yan Cong acted as the driver in front of the carriage door, blocking out most of the sunlight.

Qin Shi is currently keeping things hanging with stories, just hoping to give them some peace and quiet.

It's a pity that among the Four Great Classical Novels, Journey to the West has too many gods. If Ji Heng knew this, whether it was because he longed for the gods or was angry because of the havoc in the Heavenly Palace, it would be inappropriate.

However, given Ji Heng's temperament, whether he would approve of the immortals' character is another matter entirely.

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is fine, but since it's a story set at the end of the Han Dynasty, she needs to revise it further.

Not to mention "Water Margin," the Qin Dynasty, which is now known for its martial spirit and its willingness to fight anyone who disagrees, probably doesn't understand the logic of appeasing "mountain bandits."

"Dream of the Red Chamber"... Don't be fooled by the princess's pedantic writing style. If she heard this story of a helpless young woman trapped in a difficult situation, she would probably be so angry that she would uproot a willow tree!
As for those online stories about "never underestimate a young person's potential"—with the values ​​of today's educated people, ideas like "survival of the fittest" and "might makes right" are contrary to natural law, ethics, and morality.

Lao Tzu said, "Heaven has no favorites, but always favors the virtuous." The core idea is that Heaven treats people equally, but often looks out for the virtuous.

The Book of Rites states: "People should not only love their own parents, nor only cherish their own children," advocating that people should not only care for their own relatives, but also care for others.

Even though the Qin state was prosperous in military affairs, it was no less capable than others in terms of caring for the elderly and the young.

As for the even more fervent tomb raiding...

Ha! The Lishan Underground Palace is still under construction. If we're talking about tomb raiding, Ji Heng would probably have to screen every tomb raider in the world.

She thought about it for a while, and couldn't help but feel a little amused. But Wang Ziqian couldn't wait any longer, so without further consideration, he simply brought up a story from abroad:
"The story is enjoyable because the prince and princess actively discuss the difficult parts."

Upon hearing this, Princess Wen immediately sat up straight—when it comes to brains, she's second to none!
Although Prince Qian was not very bright, he didn't think so, and was therefore equally confident: "Is it a story about the Chief Justice solving a case?! Tell me quickly!"

Qin Shi sorted out his thoughts: "This is a story written by a foreign novelist named Roald."

"Is it a foreign land where the Qin ruler was born?" Prince Qian asked curiously.

Qin Shi shook his head: "No, that's not it."

She continued, "A woman named Mary had a husband who seemed distracted when he came home. Mary sensed something was wrong and questioned him repeatedly. Her husband then admitted that he had another lover and wanted to separate from Mary."

Princess Wenliu's eyebrows shot up: "What a shameless dog! Marriage between men and women should be based on sincerity. As the husband, he has committed such a crime, yet he still has the nerve to talk to his wife and try to get a divorce?"

Prince Qian pondered, "This man is neither virtuous nor capable. Since that's the case, divorce wouldn't be so bad. Let Madam Ma remarry."

I wonder if Madam Ma has any children. If she does, she would be even more welcome if she remarried.

They share the same values, but they clearly lack experience in understanding issues from a grassroots perspective.

Qin Shi looked out of the carriage and saw Yan Cong's tall figure standing upright, meticulously driving for her.

She did not hear Yan Yun's dying words, and therefore did not know that Yan Yun had arranged for Yan Cong to lead the army for the Queen in the future.

All she knew was that the fact that the other party, as the son of a captain and one of the three dukes, personally drove them was an obvious sign of respect and goodwill.

Since that was the case, even though the other party did not hold an official position, she could not treat the descendant of General Yan in this way, so she raised her voice and asked:
"Young Master Yan, please leave the driving to the other drivers. I would like to ask you to explain this matter and clear up the prince and princess's doubts."

Yan Cong responded, and the carriage, which was slowly moving through Liyang City, did not need to stop. A skilled driver swiftly jumped onto the carriage.

Yan Cong's tall frame couldn't squeeze into the carriage anymore—that would be too cramped—so he knelt on the soft cushion by the door, where the railing provided some support.

Qin Shi asked, "Does Young Master Yan have any different opinions about this couple?"

That’s great!
Yan Cong looked tall, but he was only fourteen years old, about the same age as princes and princesses. Naturally, he had his own insights into such stories. The only difference was that the Yan family was simple and frugal, and he often wandered the streets of Xianyang with the young men, thus gaining a good understanding of the ways of the world.

He then said seriously, "If this Lady Ma were in my Qin state, according to Qin law, she would have no right to object if her husband requested to divorce her."

That's how the laws of Qin state are now: men have the right to file for divorce, but women do not.

Princess Wen frowned, her eyes blazing with anger.

Wang Ziqian hadn't mastered the Qin Laws yet, but he found them very interesting, so he concentrated intently.

Yan Cong said, "In the countryside, one must inform the Three Elders before abandoning one's wife and register her at the post station. With the Three Elders mediating, as long as she is not determined, this Madam Ma may not lose her husband."

Wang Ziqian snorted: "What use is a husband who has no sense of responsibility?"

He then asked, "What are the 'Three Elders'?"

Yan Cong explained, “The people live in a rural area with a post station every ten miles. All matters, big and small, are handled by the post stations, which can’t keep up with all the issues. So, the village selects respected elders to be called the ‘Three Elders’ and are specifically responsible for handling daily disputes, weddings, funerals, and other matters.”

"We can't possibly involve the Court of Justice in deciding every marriage matter, big or small, for the common people, can we?"

"In addition, there are the [Order], [Tax Collector], and [Patrol Officer], who are respectively responsible for land management, tax collection, and public security management."

Prince Qian understood.

But Princess Wen also agreed: "This husband is useless. Since he has mentioned abandoning his wife, Madam Ma might as well go home."

Yan Cong shook his head: "Although the laws of Qin support women owning land, it is based on two conditions: military merit and inheritance. Since this Lady Ma has been abandoned by her husband, she most likely does not own any land."

"Without land and having been abandoned by his wife, unless he remarries immediately, he will have no food to eat when he returns home. If this continues, he will likely starve to death."

“Remarriage is feasible, but if she is innocent, she can only take 40% of the family property with her—for this, her husband may have to find fault with her.”

"If she also meets the 'Three Undesirable Circumstances'—having a husband but no home, enduring three years of mourning, and experiencing poverty followed by wealth—then..."

Yan Cong hesitated, "If that's really the case, unless she has the ability to resist and fight against her husband, if he's determined, I'm afraid..."

He didn't speak, but everyone understood what he meant.

Princess Wen's eyes widened in disbelief that this was actually under the rule of Qin: "How could this be?! By what right?!"

Qin Shi smiled faintly: "Nowadays, most of the farming and fighting are done by men, while women are in a weaker position."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Princess Wen intently—instead of being obsessed with trivial details, why not delve into this?

If this were to happen, Princess Wen would still live on in history books and be praised by people thousands of years from now.

　To avoid spoilers, I won't reveal the story's title yet; I'll do so after I finish writing this section.

　　[The word "husband" originally referred to an adult male during the Spring and Autumn Period, but by the Qin and Han Dynasties it also referred to a woman's spouse.]

　　At this time, Qin law had both aspects of gender equality and inequality. But don't worry, things will progress slowly!

　　(End of this chapter)