Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

In fact, according to the customs of the time, the Jia family did not have many choices.

Either send the two women back to their parents' home, no longer supporting them, and let their parents arrange for them to remarry or do whatever they want, which is called "returning to one's ancestral home".

Alternatively, a side courtyard could be set aside in the Ningguo Mansion, with regular supplies of silver and rice provided, allowing the two to live out their remaining years in peace, thus maintaining the dignity of the entire clan, a practice known as "staying to observe chastity."

Generally, powerful and wealthy families like the Jia family mostly choose the latter, such as Li Wan.

In particular, as the former wife of the clan head and the mistress of the Ningguo Mansion, if Lady You were to remarry after returning to the clan, it would be quite detrimental to the reputation of a large family like the Jia family!

In fact, if Lady You's title had not been revoked by the court, she would have had no chance of returning to her family and remarrying.

Because the Han Dynasty system imposed extremely severe penalties on women of noble birth who remarried:

"Any woman who remarries after her husband's death shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane, and her marriage shall be confiscated and she shall be divorced."

In other words, a woman of noble birth could not remarry even if her husband died; otherwise, she would be convicted and stripped of her title.

Remarrying while the husband is still alive is an even greater crime against human ethics, and should not even be considered!

Now, although Lady You and Qin Keqing no longer hold the status of noblewomen, it is not easy for them to divorce and remarry.

Firstly, the husband's family would not allow it, as they have priority in dealing with the women when the husband is not around.

Secondly, it also has a great impact on their own reputation!

During the Han Dynasty, the laws and etiquette actually encouraged the wives and concubines of the powerful and wealthy to remain chaste.

The laws of the Han Dynasty explicitly protected widows who voluntarily remained chaste, and strictly prohibited the husband's or wife's family from "abducting" them for forced marriage; violators would be punished.

In other words, if Lady You and Qin Keqing decide to remain chaste in the Jia family, no one may force them to remarry.

In terms of etiquette and law, a relatively tolerant and flexible attitude is adopted towards commoner widows. As long as it does not involve "running away from her husband" or similar situations, they are generally not interfered with.

In the hall, facing Grandmother Jia's question, Jia Jing remained silent for a moment, not answering, but instead asking in return with a blank expression:

"In your opinion, Madam You, what is the best course of action for Madam Qin?"

Grandmother Jia glanced at Jia Jing's expression, her heart stirred slightly, and she carefully said:

"In a large family like ours, there is absolutely no reason to let the clan chief's wife, who has committed a crime, return home and remarry."

"I think... it would be better to designate a side courtyard in Ningguo Prefecture for them to live in and observe their chastity, with the clan providing them with a certain amount of silver and rice every month so that they can live without worry."

"This way, they can maintain their own dignity, and it also shows your...benevolence as the new clan leader!"

Unsurprisingly, Grandmother Jia ruled out the option of having You Shi and Qin Keqing return to their kinship and remarry.

Even though she knew that for "widows" like Lady You and Qin Keqing who had no children, remaining chaste would be very difficult!

If they remained chaste in the Jia family, it would mean that the two of them would face a bleak life of seclusion for the rest of their lives, characterized by "a life of quiet desolation, no laughter, constant weaving, and never stepping out of the hall."

However, these are all worth sacrificing for the sake of the Jia family's dignity and reputation!

As for why a side courtyard of Ningguo Mansion was chosen?

Firstly, because remaining chaste meant staying in the husband's family, and Ningguo Mansion was the original place where Lady You and Qin Keqing lived.

If they were to leave the Ningguo Mansion, their vows of fidelity would lose their foundation.

Secondly, the Ningguo Mansion, as the location of the Jia family's ancestral hall and ancestral temple, although now belonging to Jia Jing,

However, if Lady You and Qin Keqing remain chaste, Jia Jing has an obligation to provide for them in accordance with etiquette and clan morality!

Of course, there was also the intention of having Jia Jing, the new clan leader, monitor the two of them.

After all, there's always gossip around a widow's door. If her chastity leads to a scandal, the Jia family will become a laughingstock.

Upon hearing this, Jia Jing remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:

"The old lady just said that a family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings, so why does she turn around and not show kindness to her own daughter-in-law, who has always been blameless!"

"Both Madam You and Madam Qin are so young and childless. Wouldn't it be a tragedy to force them to live as widows for the rest of their lives?"

Grandmother Jia was stunned upon hearing this, and paused for a moment before belatedly realizing that she had been scolded by her third grandson again!

But then, Jia Jing continued in a loud voice:

"What I mean is, our Jia family shouldn't force them to remain chaste just for the sake of the reputation of a 'chaste widow'."

"You Shi and Qin Shi have had a tough time in the East Mansion all these years. They didn't enjoy much happiness when Jia Zhen was alive."

"Now that Zhenrong and the other woman have committed crimes and have been expelled from the register, why should we make them suffer as well?"

"Even the national law hasn't implicated them, yet we want to use social norms to confine them for life. This is hardly a dignified thing to do!"

"Moreover, the words 'chastity' sound nice, but behind them lies the blood and tears of countless women."

"This matter goes against human desires, forces people to do what is impossible, and is utterly inhumane; it is an evil act that drives the living to their deaths!"

At this point, Jia Jing paused, then continued:

"The Jia family's dignity and reputation must not be lost!"

"But dignity and reputation are earned by future generations, not by having many 'chaste' women in the family!"

"Our family made Lady You and Lady Qin observe chastity. Outsiders might praise us for our strict adherence to etiquette, but who knows what they're really saying behind our backs!"

"I think we should respect the personal wishes of Madam You and Madam Qin, and follow their own desires."

"If they are willing to remain chaste, then two of them can be settled in a side courtyard of the Ningguo Mansion, and a monthly allowance will be provided continuously."

"But if they want to return to their ancestral home and remarry, we must grant their wish."

"Firstly, it gives them a way to survive; secondly, it demonstrates the benevolence and kindness of the Jia family. This is a win-win situation that aligns with the natural order and human sentiment!"

Jia Jing had actually been paying attention to the matter concerning Lady You and Lady Qin, but he had only been back for a short time and hadn't had time to deal with it yet!

Qin Keqing is involved in a major royal secret, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard is still investigating her intensively. How could he possibly let her go unpunished?

The reason why the two were given such leniency was actually related to Qin Keqing's identity.

Of course, from his heart, he also disliked the set of rites and teachings of Zhu Xi and Cheng Yi, which were passed down from the Song Dynasty during the Han Dynasty!

In the Han Dynasty, remaining chaste was not just about not getting married.

To remain chaste in a certain sense actually means life imprisonment.

A virtuous widow must live a secluded life, refrain from wearing makeup and engaging in entertainment, and work day and night to serve her parents-in-law and care for orphans.

Physical hardship is bearable, but mental loneliness and depression are the real torture.

Many widows endured the hardships of life, from youth to old age, living in misery but unable to die. They could only suffer and endure, because dying while observing chastity was considered an "evil death," while only suicide to follow one's husband was considered a "heroic act" encouraged by the law.

What is meant by "martyrdom for one's husband"?

The act of a wife committing suicide to follow her husband in death was considered the highest level of female virtue and loyalty in the Han Dynasty.

In the historical documents about the Han Dynasty that Jia Jing read, there were countless stories of women who died for their husbands, which was shocking.

According to incomplete statistics from just one county in Southern Zhili, more than 700 women committed suicide after their husbands died during the more than 100 years of the Han Dynasty. The county with the most chaste and virtuous women in the Han Dynasty had as many as 3,000 women.

In some regions, Neo-Confucianism developed to its extreme, even extending to the persecution of unmarried women, giving rise to the term "chaste woman."

"Chaste woman" refers to an unmarried woman who remains chaste or even commits suicide after her fiancé's death. Some women remain widows for life, while others starve themselves to death after hearing the news of their husband's death.

This is a true reflection of how the traditional ethics of our time are killing people!

Of course, Jia Jing did not think that the concept of chastity was wrong, but that nothing should be taken to extremes or even turned into moral fanaticism that loses basic human rights!

Moreover, those Neo-Confucian scholars who vigorously promoted the concept of chastity were themselves not exactly virtuous.

Zhu Xi once seduced two nuns to become his concubines, and his eldest daughter-in-law became pregnant after her husband's death. After the incident was exposed, he was demoted and had to confess his crimes.

Such double standards and hypocrisy are truly disrespectful!