Now I really have to marry the princess.

Chapter 103 Facing Challenges Head-on and Persevering

"Unfulfilled desires, separation from loved ones." Empress Zhangsun repeated these words to herself before shaking her head with a smile.

She felt that if the conversation continued, the kid would probably start shouting arrogant things like, "The Yellow River flows endlessly, and my desire for happiness will never die."

Let's change the question then.

She couldn't help but think of the scene where Yuan Fengqing gave up her boudoir so that Wang Baoyu could take a nap.

Although it was written in a dream, and only a few strokes of the pen, it evoked a wealth of thoughts.

Perhaps it's the unique charm of that illicit relationship.

She couldn't help but think of Erlang and his brother's wife, Yang. Perhaps because of this, Erlang couldn't control himself and had thoughts of having intimate relations with her.

Empress Zhangsun felt her cheeks burning and quickly pulled herself back from her daze.

But the phrase "indistinguishable" just wouldn't leave my mind.

Compared to the sensual and explicit nature of "Spring Behind the Curtain," which comes and goes quickly, "The Half-Concealed and Half-Revealed" is truly the most tantalizing.

She glanced up at Yang Zhengdao, who was looking down at his nose and contemplating his thoughts.

He couldn't help but wonder how this kid could be so good at understanding the subtle nuances of human nature and discerning the hidden threads of emotion.

The author portrays Baochai as elegant and gentle, with a hidden sharpness, while Daiyu as pure, aloof, and deeply devoted to love.

If she were Wang Baoyu, she truly wouldn't know how to choose between her two younger sisters.

Thinking about this, she suddenly had an idea.

This is a good opportunity to examine Yang Zhengdao's attitude towards marriage by examining the plot of "The Story of the Stone".

"I understand Zhengdao's intentions, but what if Zhengdao is like Wang Baoyu?"

This is a life-or-death question!

If you choose Daiyu, you'll be someone who breaks off an engagement; if you choose Baochai, you'll be someone who is unfaithful.

Let's try it and see if we can bypass this problem.

Yang Zhengdao, with a solemn expression, cupped his hands and said, "If I were Wang Baoyu, I would never dare to disregard human ethics for personal feelings. As the Immortal Sun said, and the Imperial Pharmacy has a certificate, marriage between close relatives will result in fertility problems."

Empress Zhangsun was taken aback.

She couldn't help but rub her forehead. All she remembered this morning was the joys and sorrows, the love and affection between the characters in "The Story of the Stone," and she had completely forgotten the underlying theme and the deeper meaning.

Both "The Spring of the Curtain Screen" and "The Story of the Stone" are used to illustrate the principles of not marrying close relatives.

wrong!

This kid is avoiding the question!

What a clever little thing!

Empress Zhangsun looked at Yang Zheng with a half-smile and said, "What if Wang Baoyu, Xie Baochai, and Xiao Daiyu are not close relatives?"

Okay! It's unavoidable!

Then all we can do is argue and make trouble!

Yang Zhengdao cupped his hands again and said, "Your Highness, if I were Wang Baoyu, I would marry both of these women."

"Marry them all!?"

"Exactly!" Yang Zhengli said confidently.

"A woman's love is devoted, and she dares to entrust her whole life to him; a man's love is true, and he should protect her with his life. Even if he is disgraced and shattered to pieces, he will be willing to accept it, and he will not regret it even if he dies nine times."

Empress Zhangsun was taken aback again, thinking to herself, "She really is infatuated."

She sighed and slowly said, "Tell me how you can marry someone else. The Tang law forbids it: anyone who marries another woman while already married will be sentenced to one year of penal servitude, and the woman's family will receive a reduced sentence. Don't talk about being willing to do it and having no regrets even if it means dying nine times over. Such recklessness will only bring trouble to the Xiao family."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhengdao's eyes darted around. Tang inherited the laws of Sui, and the original owner was aware of this article.

A major characteristic of the Sui and Tang laws was that most of the articles that did not involve state affairs followed the principle that officials would not investigate unless the people filed a complaint.

Furthermore, the law explicitly stipulates that for marriages involving illegal marriages, if a non-relative files a complaint, the court shall not readily grant a judgment.

In other words, this crime of bigamy cannot be brought by others.

So he cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, this law stipulates that a complaint is sufficient for judgment."

Empress Zhangsun chuckled, speechless at the seemingly unreasonable answer.

According to the account in "The Story of the Stone," Wang Baoyu was extremely favored in the Wang family, and if he insisted on something, the Wang family would simply let him do as he pleased.

The Xie family was too busy trying to cover it up to expose their family scandals and bring it to the authorities.

She shook her head and said, "One husband and one wife is an immutable law. A man who marries another woman is not truly a wife."

What Empress Zhangsun was saying was that bigamy was not recognized by the government.

After a moment's thought, Yang Zhengdao argued sophistry: "In my opinion, the love between Baoyu and Daiyu is not something that the world can accept, so why should we care about the world's etiquette and laws?"

He paused again, gathering his emotions, and then said slowly, "Since he has a promise with Baochai, he should naturally give her the title of wife; since he is in love with Daiyu, he should naturally give her the affection of wife. But that Wang Erlang is wavering back and forth, utterly irresponsible. Isn't he just hurting both of them in vain?"

Then he suddenly stood up and adopted a cynical look.

"If the world spits at me, curses me, and despises me, I will remain calm. If the world slanders me, belittles me, and despises me, I will simply laugh it off."

""

Even if this love is not tolerated by the world, I will remain steadfast; even if this affection goes against propriety, I will go alone.

After saying this, he bowed deeply to Empress Zhangsun again. When he stood up, his face was full of desolation, but he forced a smile through his desolation.

"My heart is pure and bright, what more needs to be said! Ah-Zhi will understand me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Lizheng Hall fell silent.

Empress Zhangsun gazed at the infatuated young man before her, speechless for a long time.

The midday sun shone through the windows of the main hall, casting its light back onto the boy.

The bold statement "I will go alone" and the open-mindedness of "My heart is bright" left her momentarily stunned.

Ah Zhi should marry this young man!

After a long while, she finally calmed down and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"Ado, focus on the task at hand."

Um! ?

Are the famous sayings of Master Yangming really that powerful?

He's already getting his mother-in-law to call him that so affectionately!

Yang Zhengdao quickly bowed and said, "I will definitely write 'The Story of the Stone' well so as to warn the world and not disappoint the sage."

Empress Zhangsun's lips curled into a smile again.

She is sensible and obedient, exceptionally talented, devoted to the Crown Prince, and on good terms with the princes—excellent! Excellent!

When Yang Zhengdao left the Lizheng Hall, the sunlight outside was just right.

Although he managed to gloss over the issue of Empress Zhangsun, it still lingered in his mind.

The reason is simple: the Tang Dynasty truly practiced monogamy!

It's quite pathetic!

None of the women around him were actually registered persons in the Tang Dynasty.

Su Hongyi was born to a maid, and so must A Wu and A Liu.

Naza was a Hu woman, and Yingluo was a musician.

For those women, let alone becoming wives, even securing the status of a concubine would be an impossible task.

Therefore, leaving Chang'an was imperative.

He needed a place where he could have the final say, where things were done his way, rather than staying in Chang'an and living according to their etiquette and rules.

Ugh, this is so difficult!

This was merely to secure the status of a concubine for his women.

If he were to encounter a noblewoman from a high-ranking family, he would truly face the "Baoyu dilemma".

A noblewoman from a high-ranking family would never become a concubine.

That's an insult to the family name; it's a recipe for a blood feud.

However, if you encounter such a situation, you absolutely cannot back down; you must face the challenge head-on and persevere relentlessly.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of these pointless and upsetting matters, and followed the eunuch leading the way to the Imperial Horse Park.