[Quick Wear] Daily Cleansing of Trash

Chapter 173: May the Queen Mother be blessed with good health 6

After hearing Mei Xiangxue's words, Prince An was thoughtful: "Yes, judging from the details, this Duke Jingguo might be hiding some unspeakable secrets..."

Mei Xiangxue smiled: "So, I still have to trouble Prince An to investigate thoroughly!"

Upon hearing this, Prince An hurriedly responded, "The Empress Dowager is too kind. Now that I know about it, I will carefully investigate it. Please rest assured, Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager!" After saying this, he looked at Mei Xiangxue with affectionate eyes.

Mei Xiangxue smiled and looked away.

What a sin.

After handing the matter over to Prince An, Mei Xiangxue led her men back to the palace.

In the evening, Mingang came to pay his respects, and the mother and son had dinner together.

Mei Xiangxue didn't care about not talking while eating or sleeping, so the two of them talked and laughed at the dinner table.

Halfway through the meal, Mingang hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Mother, what should we do with Concubine Wen?"

Mei Xiangxue thought for a moment and said, "Let's follow the law. Let's do whatever needs to be done."

She remembered that the laws of the State of Liang had provisions for adultery, and she would look it up in the book when the time came.

Ming Ang was troubled: "But... she betrayed my father and should be put to death..."

Mei Xiangxue said sternly, "Noble Concubine Wen did not enter the palace of her own free will. If it weren't for your father's imperial decree, given her family background, she might have already married Duke Jingguo as his legal wife. Why would she have entered the palace and schemed with other women for a man she didn't love?"

Mei Xiangxue had dealt with Concubine Wen before and knew that she was a very smart and talented woman. However, even the smartest woman would easily lose her mind when she fell in love.

In the original plot, the capital of Liang was conquered by the Yuan Empire. The original author and the young emperor fled in a hurry, naturally unwilling to bring the late emperor's concubines with them as a burden. Unwilling to be humiliated, Concubine Wen and several other concubines committed suicide in their own chambers before the Yuan army stormed the palace.

Therefore, Mei Xiangxue tends to believe that Concubine Wen did not know that Duke Jingguo was collaborating with the enemy and selling out the country.

She may have thought that Duke Jingguo just wanted to seize the throne, so she placed spies around the original body, hoping to help her beloved man, but she did not expect that Duke Jingguo would choose to cooperate with the enemy country for the throne.

"Besides, men can have three wives and four concubines, so why should women have to remain faithful to a mediocre man?" Mei Xiangxue asked back.

Mingang hesitated: "But... since ancient times..."

Mei Xiangxue shook her head. "Because it's been like this since ancient times, does that mean it's right? An'er, men are human, women are human too. Since we're all human, who is nobler than who? Even the Ming family was just a peasant family a hundred years ago. Who could have imagined back then that a farmer digging for food in the fields could become emperor?"

If she wasn't afraid of causing social unrest and allowing foreign races to take advantage of the situation and cause great suffering to the people, Mei Xiangxue would have wanted to overthrow the feudal dynasty and create a world of equality for all!

However, reality does not allow it. Judging from Liang's current social conditions and technological level, it is difficult to establish a constitutional monarchy, and the prerequisite is to conquer all the surrounding countries. Otherwise, when you are halfway there, outsiders will come to burn, kill and loot, which would be a waste of time.

People who have experienced modern society can certainly point out a thousand bad things about the feudal dynasty, but in this era when people are ignorant, surrounded by foreign enemies, and can hardly even guarantee enough food and clothing, the existence of the emperor has a certain value.

Mei Xiangxue caressed Haoda'er's little head and said slowly, "Ang'er, whether men or women, since we are all citizens of Liang, you should try your best to be fair within the scope of the rules. You are the emperor. If even you can't do it, others will be even less likely to do it. If Concubine Wen did something illegal, the law should be used to sentence her. But if she is shackled with layers of shackles just because she is a woman, that is too unfair."

The customs in Liang State were relatively open, and its laws were relatively complete, with detailed standards for judging and sentencing the crime of "adultery".

Mei Xiangxue was not encouraging men and women to have affairs. She just hoped that Mingang could handle the matter as fairly as possible, rather than giving a lighter or heavier punishment just because the other party was a man or a woman.

After all, in this era, the emperor's behavior had a huge impact on the people below him. If the emperor could respect and protect women's rights, then the people would naturally follow suit and change their attitudes towards women.

After hearing Mei Xiangxue's words, Ming Ang nodded, thoughtfully.

After unremitting efforts, Prince An and General Qin Dingxiang cooperated and finally found evidence of Duke Jingguo's treason.

The Qin family has guarded the border for generations, and their influence there is vast and deep-rooted. However, their family members are stubborn and insensitive to some things. However, when the thread appears, as long as you have patience, you can slowly untie the tangled knot.

The Qin family found the people stationed by the Jingguo Public Security Bureau at the border, followed the clues and uncovered a series of clues, and directly found evidence of Jingguo Duke's treason.

What is surprising is that although Duke Jingguo looks indifferent with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, he has actually been in contact with the Yuan Kingdom for ten years.

"When the late emperor was alive, Duke Jingguo was quite cautious and didn't have much contact with the Yuan Kingdom. After the late emperor passed away and the emperor ascended the throne, he probably felt that his chance had come, so he inevitably acted without restraint, which allowed my people to find the loophole."

In the imperial study, Qin Dingxiang distributed the collected evidence to everyone while speaking.

Taifu Zhong Yu, who had been dragged into the secret meeting, carefully examined the documents in his hands and angrily blew his beard and glared: "Outrageous! This is truly outrageous!"

When intellectual people curse others, they will only say "how unreasonable". Mei Xiangxue was afraid that the old man would faint from anger, so she quickly winked at Ming Ang.

Ming Ang understood what he meant and quickly walked over to Zhong Yu to support him, saying, "Master, calm down! Don't let your anger get you in trouble!"

Zhong Yu looked at the obedient, sensible, and polite little emperor, and thought of the traitor Duke Jingguo. He felt both relieved and sad, and couldn't help but complain to the late emperor: "Qi Qi, a lowly person, actually entrusted him with such an important task. Alas!"

Mei Xiangxue continued: "So, what should we do now?"

Zhong Yu frowned: "The evidence is conclusive, he should be detained immediately!"

Mei Xiangxue rubbed her chin. "First, there was Aunt Yu, who had been lurking in ambush within the palace for years, and then there was Duke Jingguo, who colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. Over the years, I wonder how many of Liang's secrets have been stolen by the Yuan. The Emperor is young, and the country has four regents. The Yuan doesn't know how devoted you three are. Do you think the Yuan will take advantage of this opportunity to attack our country?"

Mei Xiangxue's words shocked the other four people.

In the original plot, as soon as the young emperor ascended the throne, Aunt Yu and Qiu Shuang began to sow discord between the original emperor and Prince An. As soon as Prince An died, the Yuan army immediately arrived, forcing the injured Qin Dingxiang to fight the enemy.

It took only two years from Mingang's accession to the throne to the Yuan Dynasty's conquest of Liang.