CCWAD – Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Phoenix Nirvana

Prologue:

“When I declared in the Golden Hall my intention to establish a Grand Academy for Women, the entire court fell silent. An elder minister trembled as he stepped forward: ‘Your Majesty, this will shake the foundations of the nation!’ I looked into his cloudy eyes and knew this reform had only just begun.”

—

The drought in the north finally eased under the court’s full relief efforts, but the shock this natural disaster brought to the new dynasty had far from subsided. Upon returning to Bianliang, Yan Qing clearly felt the shift in the court’s atmosphere. The old officials, who were already displeased with women in power, used this disaster to loudly proclaim the theory that “heaven sends disasters when women rule.”

On this day of the morning court, as soon as Yan Qing proposed building more women’s schools in various regions, she was met with fierce opposition.

“Your Majesty!” Minister of Rites Wang Wenzheng knelt on the ground, his voice filled with sorrow, “The national treasury is empty, and the disaster victims are starving. We should prioritize people’s livelihoods! Could the matter of women’s schools be postponed for now?”

Following him, several other ministers stepped forward in agreement. Their reasons were grand and noble, nothing more than the tight treasury and unsettled populace, but Yan Qing knew clearly that these people were merely using the opportunity to obstruct the new policies.

“My esteemed ministers,” Yan Qing began slowly, “Do you know what my greatest realization was during this northern tour?”

The court was silent.

“It was not the severity of the drought, nor the suffering of the disaster victims,” her gaze swept over each minister, “but the women struggling on the brink of death! They had no opportunity to read and understand principles, no ability to support themselves. When disaster struck, they were the first to be abandoned!”

She stood and walked to the imperial steps: “I personally witnessed fathers selling their daughters to sixty-year-old men for a bag of rice; husbands driving their wives out of their homes for a mouthful of food. If these women could read and write, if they could be self-sufficient, would it have come to this?”

At this moment, Lin Wanqing, the newly appointed top scholar of the Women’s Examination, stepped forward to report: “Your Majesty, during the disaster relief, I visited many places and discovered a heartbreaking phenomenon: in prefectures and counties where women’s schools were established, the abandonment and sale of women were significantly less frequent. Because they are literate, they can teach, they can work, and they do not have to rely entirely on men for survival.”

“Absurd!” An old minister could not help but retort, “Women appearing in public, what kind of propriety is that!”

“Propriety?” Yan Qing sneered, “Is propriety more important, or is human life more important?”

She suddenly raised her voice: “Issue my decree: From this day forward, establish women’s workshops in all prefectures and counties, teaching women skills such as weaving and embroidery. Furthermore, establish a Grand Academy for Women in the capital, selecting outstanding women for admission!”

The court erupted in an uproar. Establishing a Grand Academy for Women meant that women would truly gain equal educational opportunities with men!

“Your Majesty! Think thrice!” Grand Tutor Zhao Mingcheng knelt and wept in protest, “The Grand Academy is a place for nurturing national talent. If women are allowed to enroll, I fear… I fear it will lead to chaos throughout the land!”

“Chaos?” Yan Qing looked directly at the old minister, “Will the land be in chaos, or will your hearts be in chaos?”

She no longer paid attention to everyone’s objections and directly ordered: “This matter is decided, no further discussion!”

After the court session, Yan Qing had a long talk with Li Shishi in the imperial study.

“Today’s actions will likely offend many old officials,” Li Shishi said softly.

“If they are offended, so be it,” Yan Qing rubbed her throbbing temples, “If we have to consider their thoughts in everything, these new policies will never be implemented.”

She walked to the window and looked out at the Bianliang city beyond the palace walls: “Shishi, do you think we are too hasty?”

Li Shishi walked to her side: “We cannot afford to be slow. This northern tour made me realize that the common people cannot wait. Every day delayed could mean countless women suffering.”

Just then, an attendant reported: “The students of the Grand Academy are kneeling outside the palace gates, demanding the abolition of the Grand Academy for Women.”

Yan Qing sighed: “What is to come, will come.”

Outside the palace gates, hundreds of Grand Academy students were indeed kneeling. They held banners proclaiming “Defend Sacred Learning,” their expressions agitated.

“Your Majesty!” the leading student shouted, “The Grand Academy is a place of sages and scholars, how can it be defiled by women!”

Yan Qing did not respond immediately but ordered several books to be brought. She walked to the students and handed them the books one by one.

“This is ‘Lessons for Women,’ this is ‘Analects for Women’,” she said calmly, “Both were written by women. Since you wish to defend sacred learning, have you ever read these books?”

The students looked at each other. They had naturally heard of these books but had never seriously studied them.

“If you are unwilling to even read the classics written by women,” Yan Qing said faintly, “On what grounds do you have the right to judge whether women should study?”

A student vehemently retorted: “But… but there is an order to yin and yang, and a distinction between men and women…”

“Well said, ‘order to yin and yang’,” Yan Qing interrupted him, “Then I ask you, heaven is yang, earth is yin. If there is no earth, where will heaven be? The sun is yang, the moon is yin. If there is no moon, how can there be the alternation of day and night?”

She surveyed everyone: “Yin and yang complement each other to give rise to endless life. Men and women are both indispensable parts of this world. Why can men study and understand principles, while women must remain ignorant?”

The students were speechless.

At this moment, an unexpected person appeared – Zhao Qingyun, the granddaughter of Zhao Mingcheng. This young girl, only sixteen years old, disregarded her grandfather’s objections and bravely came to the palace gates.

“Fellow students,” she bowed to the Grand Academy students, “I am not talented, but I wish to say a few words.”

Under everyone’s astonished gaze, she spoke eloquently: “Confucius the Sage said ‘education for all,’ did he ever say only for men? Mencius the Master said ‘to educate those with talent in the land,’ did he ever say not to include women? You read the books of sages and scholars, why do you only remember those doctrines that restrict women, and forget the original intention of the sages?”

She became more passionate as she spoke: “Although I am shallow in learning, I know the principle of ‘cultivating oneself, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world.’ If women cannot even read, how can they cultivate themselves? How can they regulate their families?”

The Grand Academy students were rendered speechless by her questions. Some began to reflect, while others remained unconvinced, but at least, they were willing to listen.

This storm ultimately ended with Yan Qing’s victory. The Grand Academy for Women began construction as scheduled, and women’s schools in various regions were also steadily progressing.

However, the voices of opposition never ceased. Some secretly sabotaged the women’s schools, some spread rumors to slander female students, and even more deliberately made things difficult for female candidates in the imperial examinations.

Facing these obstacles, Yan Qing did not retreat. On one hand, she severely punished those who undermined the new policies, and on the other hand, she continuously improved the systems, allowing more women to change their destinies through education.

Three years later, when the first batch of female students from the Grand Academy graduated, Yan Qing hosted a banquet in the palace to entertain them. Among these women, some had already become female officials, some were teaching in schools in various regions, and some were preparing for further studies.

“Your Majesty,” Lin Wanqing raised her cup for a toast, “There are now a thousand women’s schools across the country, with over a hundred thousand female students. This is the prosperous era Your Majesty has created!”

Yan Qing looked at these spirited women, her heart filled with emotion. They were no longer weak individuals confined to their inner chambers but talented individuals capable of standing on their own.

“This is only the beginning,” she said with a smile, “I hope that one day, women will be truly equal to men, no longer needing special consideration, nor suffering unfair discrimination.”

After the banquet, Yan Qing climbed the palace walls alone. The Bianliang city in the night was brightly lit, and compared to three years ago, the city seemed even more prosperous.

Li Shishi quietly came to her side: “What are you thinking about?”

“Thinking about the bits and pieces of the past three years,” Yan Qing said softly, “Sometimes I also wonder if what we are doing is right.”

“Right or wrong is not important,” Li Shishi held her hand, “What is important is that we have given countless women hope.”

Yes, hope. Perhaps this was the meaning of everything they had done.

In the distance, the lights of the Grand Academy for Women were still on. There, a group of women were studying late into the night, for their own dreams, and for the future of this nation.

A new era was slowly unfolding in their hands.

—

(End of Chapter 40)