When the Bai family was bullied by the Bai clan in the past, each of them also harbored anger in their chests, lamenting that a family of loyal ministers and good generals… where all the men died fighting for the Kingdom and the people, would end up in such a state.
However, almost every clan has such rules, declaring that women cannot inherit family property. If there are no sons in the family, they either hand over the family property to the clan or adopt a son from a relative’s family of the same clan to continue the bloodline.
“If even the Bai family faces such treatment, then… what kind of bullying must orphans and widows from ordinary families endure?” Bai Qingyan’s voice was steady and measured. “The Bai family has experienced this and deeply understands its harm, so the new laws must change, and the idea of male superiority over females must change even more! The daughters of the Bai family are blessed by heaven, born into the Bai family of Duke Zhenguo’s mansion, a family that has never looked down upon women. They study the classics of sages and learn military strategy just like men, and at age ten, they rush to the battlefield for training! Therefore… it is said that in the Bai family of Duke Zhenguo’s mansion in the capital city, no good-for-nothings are ever produced!”
Bai Qingyan’s voice became solemn, and the students’ emotions seemed to be infected by her words as they straightened their backs and listened earnestly.
She shifted her steps: “Imagine if Duke Zhenguo’s mansion, the Bai family, looked down upon women like ordinary families. When Prince Liang of Jin rebelled in the capital city, how could my second sister, who had already married and had children, lead troops in battle and reclaim the lives of the capital’s citizens from Prince Liang? Reclaim the families of the officials?”
Bai Qingyan spoke of her sister with honor, her tone filled with pride: “How could my fourth sister, Princess Gaoyi Bai Jinzhi, be so invincible, attacking and capturing Han City, becoming the greatest contributor to the destruction of Liang?”
“Please imagine again, if the daughters of the Bai family were not each carefully raised by their elders, learning the family’s aspirations from childhood just like the sons, inheriting the Bai family’s backbone and protecting the people’s peace, after the Southern Frontier battle during the Xuanjia years, the Bai family would likely have been branded with the crime of treason… and would no longer exist! At that time, the Bai family members would be too preoccupied with their troubles to rush to the chaotic Southern Frontier battlefield. If the Bai family had retreated then, not to mention later destroying the Liang kingdom, whether the land beneath our feet now belongs to Xi Liang or Great Zhou would be questionable.”
“These words are not Bai Qingyan boasting about her achievements, but rather I want to tell you all that even if only daughters remained in the Bai family, they would still rush to the battlefield… because the daughters of the Bai family, like the men of the Bai family, have never been looked down upon. They equally inherited the Bai family’s aspirations, because grandfather, father, and uncles never considered the Bai family women incapable of great responsibility, always teaching us to take protecting the Kingdom and securing the people as our duty.”
“When the Bai family elders returned from great battles… they would always analyze the battlefield together with the Bai family descendants, telling us in detail about every general they had fought against, conducting war games with us, making no distinction based on gender. Therefore, we understood the Southern Frontier commander’s battle situation very deeply, and understood the Southern Frontier terrain very deeply! This gave us a greater chance of victory than other generals!”
“This is just the Bai family. If… more families no longer looked down upon women and let women read and become literate just like men, and among women… those willing to support their husbands and educate their children, wouldn’t they supervise and educate their children better because of their extensive learning? If women had the path of official service, not just being born solely to marry and live dependent on men, in the future, if families faced difficulties or the Kingdom faced great troubles, why worry about families not prospering… or the Kingdom not being strong? Why worry about orphans and widows being bullied?”
Bai Qingyan once again looked toward the student who had earlier told her that allowing women to take imperial examinations and enter officialdom would throw Great Zhou into chaos: “Coming back to what this student feels – that Great Zhou has enough talent and need not select more from among women…”
Hearing some Imperial Academy students’ voices in agreement in low voices, Bai Qingyan chuckled softly, then stood up and faced the direction from which the most discussion was coming, asking: “Does Great Zhou have enough talent? Talent doesn’t just refer to… those who have read some books and recognize some characters! I believe that in terms of scholarship, each of you present is outstanding, but if you were asked to implement new policies on the former Liang territories, which of you students could produce a relatively complete plan? Should gentle policies be used, or should harsh policies be used?”
She looked around and, seeing the students’ faces unchanged but seeming restless, she looked up at the students kneeling on the second floor and asked: “Now, with Xi Liang and the Rong Di about to engage in great battle, both countries wish to form alliances with our Great Zhou. How should our Great Zhou respond? Would allying with Xi Liang or allying with the Rong Di be more beneficial to our Great Zhou?”
She smiled and turned, looking toward the students kneeling in the eastern section: “After the great disasters at Chongluan Ridge and Shuijiang City, how should reconstruction proceed? Does anyone have suggestions that could reduce the people’s suffering?”
The seated students still had no one to answer, and their palms inevitably tightened as their hearts suddenly became clear…
They understood – the talent Bai Qingyan wanted to recruit for the court was not those with exceptional scholarship, but those who could accomplish practical matters.
Just as Bai Qingyan had said earlier, what she wanted… were these four words: benefiting the nation and the people!
Bai Qingyan’s expression became solemn: “For a Kingdom, talent… is never enough! Your perspectives and vision should be broader. Even if Great Zhou’s territory were only as large as the former Jin kingdom, I would not dare say Great Zhou has enough talent! Now Great Zhou has completely incorporated Liang’s territory! And must use this as confidence and support to unify the world and create that era of eternal peace. In this case… can Great Zhou’s talent be sufficient?”
This was the first time outside the military and officials that Bai Qingyan had openly declared the ambition of unification to students… to the world.
Indeed, the students erupted like a pot boiling over, discussing animatedly.
“Unify the world?!”
“Doesn’t this mean more wars?”
“Such militarism… fighting year after year, month after month! They say it’s for the people, but isn’t it the people who suffer from wars? Can’t we make good alliances and cease fighting, with the two countries not invading each other?”
“Great Zhou just destroyed Great Liang and gained all of Liang’s territory. Can’t we let the people rest and recuperate?”
“You bunch who only know how to read books all day know nothing! If we truly want what’s best for the people, the world must be unified. Only with world unification, with all under heaven as one family, can we create eternal peace!” Cheng Yuanzhi could no longer restrain himself, pushed away Shen Kunyang, who was blocking him, and strode purposefully toward the Talent Recruitment Hall.
Cheng Yuanzhi clasped his hands in salute to Bai Qingyan, his ox-like eyes widening as he glared menacingly at those Imperial Academy students: “You pedantic scholars who only know how to read books, do you know what kind of life the border people live? In this prosperous capital city with its brocade and flowers, all you see is… what’s that ghostly thing!”
“Decadent luxury!” An Imperial Academy student supplied the phrase for Cheng Yuanzhi.
“Yes, that’s the luxury! Once a foreign Kingdom invades, the border people are slaughtered like cattle and sheep by enemy nations! The Rong Di come to steal grain every year… once they enter a city, they massacre everyone – not even dogs and chickens survive! Which of you has escaped death under Rong Di’s curved blades?”