Yuan Qingling asked: "Then why is she guarding you? She guards you if she is not guarding others? Do you know what you have done? Do you want this palace to take care of your mean daughter-in-law over the years? talk to you?"
The old lady fell to the ground and cried and said, "Madame, forgive me, madam, the old woman is just afraid that she will run away and leave a few poor sons. I used to treat her so well, I dote on her like a pearl, she Don't be ungrateful."
"Did she run away?" Yuan Qingling's voice increased, and her expression became stern, "You should treat her better to prevent her from running, instead of trying to make things difficult. You used to think that you had this house in hand, They can call their mother and son, but in fact, she bought a house outside and didn't leave, why do you think that is? You still want to stay and plan your house, right?"
"No... No, that's not what the old woman meant, please forgive me."
"Who wants your life?" Yuan Qing said sharply: "Ben Gong wants you to cherish your blessings. You are a young widow, why don't you know the hardships? Her life is already difficult, and everyone else knows and understands her plight. What about you? You deliberately make things difficult, do you treat yourself like a relative?"
The old lady cried aloud, and she didn't know if she was afraid or was really awake. Yuan Qingling didn't ask her for the time being, but turned to ask Master Xu, "Your husband left early, he could have remarried, why didn't you marry at that time? ?"
There were tears in Master Xu's eyes, "Returning to the mother's words, there are three reasons. The first is that they are reluctant to give up their sons. They are all meat that fell from the wives' stomachs. If they are found and married, they will definitely be abandoned. As my mother-in-law said, the deceased husband was very kind to the women, and he was really fond of them. The women did not want to forget him, nor did they want anyone to take his place. Third, the deceased husband of the women was extremely filial. Before leaving, I was worried that the old mother who was widowed and raised them would not know if she could bear it, and she was afraid that she would be lonely and helpless in the future, so the people's women performed filial piety for him, guarding her mother-in-law to serve her till she grew old."
Yuan Qingling's eyes were full of pity, "You are a person who values love and righteousness, and this palace admires you."
"Don't dare, don't dare!" Master Xu didn't know what to say, he just felt that everything in front of him was like a dream.
Yuan Qingling looked at the old lady again, "Listen to what your daughter-in-law has to say, and think about what you've done over the years, it's not too much."
The old lady cried even more. She was used to being domineering. She always had to hold everything in her hands to feel safe.
Mrs. Chen didn't expect that she had made things difficult for her daughter-in-law. After listening to their conversation, she sighed deeply and said, "Mother Lu, you used to be a teacher in the mansion. How can you be so domineering and selfish? You are so disappointing."
The old lady reached out to pull Madam Chen's sleeve, tears streaming down her face, "Madam, I know I'm wrong..."
"What's the use of you talking to me? The Empress is here, you tell the Empress." Madam Chen pulled her hand away.
The old lady went to beg Yuan Qingling to admit her mistake, Yuan Qingling shook her head, "Why do you confess your mistake to this palace?"
The old lady was stunned and looked at her daughter-in-law. She couldn't take the face to admit her mistake, but the empress stared at her sharply, so she had to go over and murmured, "I... I used to be too mean to you. , can you forgive mother..."
"Now is not the time to admit mistakes." Yuan Qingling interrupted her, "If you admit your mistakes in front of Ben Gong, you may not really know your mistakes. There are some things that Ben Gong is not happy to say today. Mrs. Chen, listen to me too. Let's see if what Ben Gong said is reasonable."
Mrs. Chen was immediately awe-inspiring, "Please give me a lesson."
Yuan Qingling said: "Since the emperor ascended the throne, the law has been revised to protect the status of women. However, for thousands of years, the concept that women are inferior to men has been deeply rooted, and it has become the norm that women are inferior to men, and there are men who suppress women. But what makes this palace most angry is that women always despise women, women always make things difficult for women, we women will not unite to protect our own interests, but will find a lot of reasons to excuse men and further despise women."
"Just like what the old lady of the Lu family did today, her son died early, leaving her daughter-in-law and several children behind. Instead of caring and caring, she made things difficult for her, making her daughter-in-law's life even worse. Fortunately, Master Xu was strong enough. Enough self-improvement, to establish a foothold in the capital with a craft, and to set up a family business for my sons, if they were weaker, I am afraid that they would have hanged their husbands long ago."
"In today's world, men's status has been solidified, and it will not happen overnight. Should we women also think about how to unite to improve our status, instead of blindly waiting for men to show weakness or ask for their protection, the imperial court? In the future, there will be relevant laws to protect the status and rights of women, but we also have to think about how to get out of this step. Can this first step start with women not making things difficult for women?"