CHAPTER 358: CHAPTER 343 LI SHIMIN IS MOVED

"How come you’re all gathering and exchanging ideas without prior agreement?" Li Shimin asked casually.

He kept restarting his inquiries to discover that some of the concubines seemed to have reached some kind of consensus, yet they had never directly communicated; no matter how he investigated, he couldn’t see any secret communication between them, which was quite bizarre.

Could it be, by sheer coincidence, that everyone decided to open a shop?

This is simply impossible.

Li Shimin sensed something was amiss.

Mary Sue, being an advanced tea master, pretended nothing was amiss and continued to work out, unabashedly saying, "Actually, us concubines discussed among ourselves before entering the palace. We can’t rely on royal favor and luck bestowed from above... We decided to be self-reliant and self-sufficient, so we deliberated and planned to pursue our individual interests."

Upon hearing the explanation, Li Shimin’s heart stirred slightly.

Was it before entering the palace, during the selection process, that they communicated?

If that’s the case, it explains everything.

Simultaneously observing their relationships, it indeed seemed they were only acquaintances.

Even while managing their businesses, they would argue and fight, refusing to lend even a penny, and over a few taels of silver, they would pull hair and tear clothes, wildly wrestling with each other.

"Who said women are inferior to men? Must rely on men?"

Mary Sue said, "We can live well on our own. If it weren’t for the current Emperor, forbidding women from entering court as officials, forbidding them from taking imperial exams... If gender equality were recognized, we surely would..."

Mary Sue, being straightforward as modern people are, spoke quickly without realizing the person in front of her was the Emperor himself.

If any regular emperor heard this, the rulers of the mythic Primordial Chaos dynasties throughout history would have surely decapitated this woman!

Women and eunuchs are prohibited from political involvement, not allowed to become officials.

This has been a lesson throughout the ages, mentioned in various classic teachings.

Yet Li Shimin was not that pedantic; instead, he looked at this unabashed woman, suddenly chuckling, "Miss, do you know why throughout history women were not allowed to enter politics or become officials? Even the current Empress is merely an eighth-rank mortal, without an official seal in hand, not even as good as a ninth-rank local official?"

Indeed.

Ninth-rank receives the Celestial Dao fragment official seal, which qualifies them to enter higher authority, yet Empress Changsun is just a common eighth-rank mortal without the Power of Laws.

Mary Sue scratched her head, "I don’t know. Anyway, it’s definitely not a matter of aptitude. Based on my understanding, men’s temperament and physicality indeed have advantages, but only slight advantages that can be compensated through hard work... Moreover, there are strong women with Celestial Dao Level aptitude, so why can’t they become officials?"

Li Shimin smiled and held up two fingers, "There are two reasons. First, in the ninth-rank world, integrating the Celestial Dao core fragment is for those who qualify, but the number of official seal positions for ninth-rank strong ones is limited... They are usually insufficiently distributed; strong ones compete fiercely for a position that common talents are generally abundant."

"Secondly, historically, some women have entered court, but the outcome was that emperors and empresses would vie for power, possibly holding certain official positions, leading to a powerful harem, empresses and eunuchs ruling the court, creating chaos in governance... There are not a few such incidents leading to downfall."

Mary Sue instantly understood, "I see. So, the empress’s harem is not allowed political involvement, nor does the harem hold any real power, and women aren’t allowed to enter court as officials. Because once women are allowed to take imperial exams, it would eventually form a large female official group, and the empress being the largest female official, would also inevitably hold real power through the official seal, sharing the emperor’s authority... It would sow seeds of internal strife."

Li Shimin nodded, feeling this woman’s ideas aligned well with his.

She worked hard in her cultivation, yet was open-hearted, which showcased a heroic spirit not letting men overshadow her, utterly different from those delicate concubines in the harem without dreams.

Suddenly, he felt a relaxed sensation akin to sharing discussions with male friends, a rare experience without burdens.

"So, do you understand now?" Li Shimin asked.

"Such profound knowledge."

Mary Sue was astonished, patting his shoulder and then linking arms with Li Shimin, "So that’s it, court upheaval... It seems you’re working hard as a guard."

He pretended not to recognize the other, maintaining an unabashed demeanor while befriending him, using his ’adorable girl’ persona online to charm countless men, knowing this affectionate approach is most enticing.

"Thus, you can only cultivate to the eighth rank, transitioning from the weakest mortal to the strongest one, yet in front of officials holding positions, there’s hardly a difference... Would you still cultivate?" Li Shimin curiously asked.

"Oh, why not?"

Mary Sue responded calmly, continuing to exude her personal charm, "How many official seals are there in the world? Most people in the world are just ordinary, uninspired eighth-rank soldiers, right? By cultivating, we can also be self-reliant and self-sufficient and even assist ninth-rank adults!"

"Maybe I’ll regret being born as a woman, that no matter how strong my aptitude, precedent cannot be set, my future closed, but I must strive to live life." Mary Sue said, thinking how this approach works; men love this kind of approach, akin to good buddies with a pretty girl.

Moreover.

They are lifestyle players, engaging in secondary professions; why aim for top-tier combat levels?

They don’t fight wars.

As logistics players, they naturally serve top-tier combat forces, following a relaxed path.

Current players belong to two groups.

The first being combat players, obviously not becoming harem women, fighting hard outside, then us lifestyle players developing logistics strength here...

It’s akin to using Emperor Tang’s resources to cultivate their vast logistics players to support combat players evolving outside.

Using Emperor Tang’s funds, helping players accumulate expertise in logistics support.

"I see, if the harem concubines all thought like you, it would be wonderful." Li Shimin was very pleased, after all, the harem is a massive financial expense, bloated all the time.

Women do not strive to cultivate yet consume large amounts of resources.

They indulge in all sorts of entertainment; after cultivation, they’re still just mortals, what use is there?

But as the Human Emperor, he cannot speak against this bad practice.

After all, long-held beliefs stem from three obediences and four virtues, explicitly preventing political involvement, all deliberately intended by successive emperors.

"You’re excellent, regardless of gender, everyone must be self-reliant and independent." Li Shimin felt somewhat strange, encountering this type of exchange for the first time in the harem, a new experience even compared to the virtuous Empress Changsun.

"Be a light, provide warmth as a light!"

Mary Sue patted her proud chest and said loudly, "Even in this lifeless harem, we must become active, exercise, it’s the goal of my gym establishment!"

Emperor Tang displayed a slight surprise.

"By the way, would you like to get a membership card? VIP gym card."

Mary Sue began promoting, "Although I’m sure my cultivation isn’t as strong as yours, honestly, I am quite gifted in the development of fitness equipment. You can use this equipment to exercise!"