"Not bad," Gu Qingheng nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed to sing his own praises.
"If he likes me too, and I don’t dislike him, then I would consider it," Yang Ruxin nodded. "Of course, that’s provided he doesn’t look down on my background."
Gu Qingheng laughed, "He wouldn’t look down on it, but what if he had a disability? Would you look down on him then?"
Yang Ruxin frowned, "Why does it sound like you’re talking about yourself?"
Gu Qingheng’s face flushed slightly, "What if I said it’s me? Would you look down on me then?"
"Gu Qingheng, you..." Yang Ruxin’s eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, she was caught off guard.
"Just kidding," Gu Qingheng forced a smile, "Let’s continue talking about Princess Nishang." He would wait until he could see again before bringing it up; otherwise, it would be too unfair to her.
"Oh." Yang Ruxin nodded mechanically, feeling an indescribable sensation in her heart. She was beginning to feel a bit nervous and then a bit of anticipation, and when he said he was kidding, there seemed to be a tinge of disappointment... Forget it, forget all these feelings, she’d deal with them later. At the very least, she would wait until his eyesight was restored. Otherwise, what if she didn’t meet his expectations in terms of her appearance?
It had to be said that both of them held the same concerns, and both were considering the other’s feelings.
"Princess Nishang not only obtained a divorce, but she also took her two sons with her. She changed their last name to Yong and established a family rule that Yong men could not take concubines, and Yong women could not become concubines... After a hundred years went by, and though dynasties changed, the Yong Family remains prosperous to this day..." Gu Qingheng continued with his magnetic voice to speak of Princess Nishang’s story, "However, it was since that time that the Imperial Court amended the legislation. It allowed women to head their own households, but there were conditions..."
"What conditions?" Yang Ruxin’s eyes went wide.
"Because..." Gu Qingheng licked his lips, "Because when a woman heads her own household, it means that her property no longer belongs to her family anymore, and the elders cannot dictate what she does with it—this is considered a form of betrayal. So, the condition is... a whipping of twenty lashes..."
"Fuck his grandma!" Yang Ruxin couldn’t help but hurl an expletive. What kind of perverse law was this? Women are punished if they don’t marry, and even when they set up their own household, they’re punished. Would they be happy if all women were killed off? How would they like a society of only men? Unfortunately, these thoughts had to remain in her mind, as they were futile to voice out loud.
The corners of Gu Qingheng’s mouth twitched. Was this woman actually cursing? But then he laughed as well, appreciating her true character: "Actually, Princess Nishang managed to do this because it was during Emperor Han Zheng’s reign. Emperor Han Zheng had only one Empress his entire life, and they were deeply in love. That’s why he supported Princess Nishang. If it had been any other emperor, well, who knows..."
Yang Ruxin frowned, then realized what he meant. Indeed, the Emperor had many women, as a symbol of his imperial power, but now a woman was essentially challenging this—wasn’t that an affront to his authority? So, Princess Nishang was indeed quite fortunate.
"In fact, Emperor Han Zheng initially intended to enact a law to abolish the practice of taking multiple wives and concubines, but it was merely a thought that met with fierce opposition from the Ministers of the Imperial Court. Some even spilled their blood in Jinluan Hall. Emperor Han Zheng had no choice but to drop the matter." Gu Qingheng too sighed softly, "In the end, the law was only amended to allow women to head their own households, to divorce, and to remarry..."