The most dissolute couple in the capital

The next day, just after noon, the Prince of Yan came to visit.

(Noon: 11:00-13:00)

The two had lunch. Cui Qingyi took a walk in the back garden to digest her food, while Li Chengjing frowned as he reviewed his notes.

"What's the difference between these two kinds of tattered grass?!"

When the two went to the front hall, the Prince of Yan was already sitting and drinking tea, with Aunt Guan standing by to serve him.

"Your Highness, Prince Yan." Cui Qingyi greeted him with a smile.

Li Zhao stood up and returned the greeting, saying, "Royal Uncle, Royal Aunt."

She got straight to the point: "I read my aunt's letter yesterday. Yingzhu's matter was handled cleanly and efficiently, but the problems it exposed are probably much more troublesome."

Cui Qingyi nodded: "Your Highness is right. That couple are just minor figures, but the fact that they came to our door shows that the orphanage girl has now acquired a skill and has been targeted by certain people."

Lee Seung-kyung chimed in from the side, "Exactly! Nobody cares when they're raising the kids, but now that they're earning money, they suddenly claim kinship!"

The world is driven by profit. As long as there is something to gain, let alone a daughter who hasn't been seen for more than ten years, there would be plenty of people vying to be the father of a monkey that sprang from a stone.

Li Zhao's gaze darkened: "The reason Yingzhu's matter was resolved was because she worked at the Liang Prince's estate, and had the support of her imperial aunt and uncle. But the hundreds of orphans in the orphanage will be scattered to work in workshops, pharmacies, and factories in various places in the future, and it is impossible for every one of them to be protected by the Liang Prince's mansion."

Cui Qingyi stroked the rim of her cup with her fingers: "Your Highness is right. If it's like this in the capital, if the orphanage model were to be extended to other prefectures and counties, the local clan power would be far more difficult to deal with than the local ruffians in the capital. With the pressure of 'filial piety,' even the government would have to think twice."

Hearing this, Li Chengjing frowned: "Wait, she's already been thrown away, what's the point of talking about filial piety?"

Cui Qingyi patiently explained, "The laws of Da Ning govern the world based on filial piety, and parents have a natural right to dispose of their children. Even if a child was abandoned back then, as long as the blood relationship is established, the biological parents can come forward to assert their rights at any time. If the government decides to rule, nine times out of ten it will be biased towards the parents. The reason that couple was scared off yesterday was because you brought up 20,000 taels of silver and the Prefect of the Capital, but if it were in a different place, in a different setting where there was no prince to keep things in check, I'm afraid that girl would most likely have been taken away."

Li Chengjing opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but then swallowed his words.

Li Zhao put down his teacup and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips: "I have thought of three paths regarding this matter. I came here today to discuss it with my uncle and aunt."

Cui Qingyi sat up straight and nodded slightly to signal her to continue.

"The first option is one that can be implemented immediately in the short term." Li Zhao took out a roll of paper filled with small writing from his sleeve, unfolded it, and placed it on the table. "All orphan girls who have been raised and trained by the orphanage and are working in related workshops or shops, whether government-run or private, must sign a contract. The contract shall state that this girl was raised and taught skills by the orphanage, and that the orphanage and its partners have the grace of nurturing her. If anyone claims to take her away based on kinship, they must first repay all expenses."

Li Chengjing leaned over and glanced at it, muttering, "Is it about the same as the 20,000 taels I got yesterday?"

Cui Qingyi shook her head: "It's different. Your Highness's approach is much more formal than yours yesterday. Yours yesterday was improvised, mainly relying on your memorization. But a formal document goes through the official filing process, and its legal effect is completely different."

She turned to Li Zhao: "How should the amount of the contract be set? If it is set too high, I'm afraid some people will say that the court is profiting from it and is essentially keeping slaves; if it is set too low, those greedy relatives can afford it, and the contract will become a worthless piece of paper."

Li Zhao gave her an approving look: "Auntie, your consideration is thorough. The amount should not be a one-size-fits-all approach, but should be calculated based on the actual cost. For each orphan girl, from admission to graduation, her food, clothing, living expenses, the cost of hiring a teacher, and the waste of raw materials should be recorded in detail. The final training cost will vary from person to person, but every expense will be traceable. In this way, we can not only shut down any pretext for 'profiteering', but also make those who want to take advantage of the situation think twice about their wallets."

Li Chengjing slapped his thigh: "That's great! Make them pay to ransom the person; if they can't afford it, they shouldn't try to extort money!"

Following Li Zhao's train of thought, Cui Qingyi continued, "But Your Highness, a mere contract might deter street ruffians, but it might not deter clan elders. If local clans unite to pressure local officials, accusing the orphanage of 'adopting people's children and cutting off their lineage,' the imperial court will be in serious trouble. At that point, a label of 'unfilial piety' will be slapped on their heads, and even the strongest contract will have to soften."

Li Zhao nodded.

"So there's a second way." She turned the note to the second page, "Using loyalty to suppress filial piety."

Li Chengjing tilted his head: "Huh?"

Cui Qingyi explained, "Your Highness means to incorporate some of the orphaned girls who have achieved academic success into the government's service."

Li Zhao nodded: "Among the girls raised in the orphanage, some are already doing work sorting military medicines, and some have been seconded by the Ministry of Works to assist in construction. These people are doing official business. Once they have the status of 'serving the court,' they are first and foremost people of the court, and only secondly, whose daughters they are. Article 37 of the Da Ning Code clearly states: 'For all officials and servants, relatives may not interfere with their official duties without the permission of their superior.' In other words, if her biological parents want to take her away, they must first get past her superior."

Li Chengjing understood: "Brilliant! Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been mutually exclusive! To dare to obstruct the court is to defy the imperial decree!"

Cui Qingyi thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness's move was brilliant, but there is a potential problem I would like to mention."

Li Zhao made a "please" gesture.

"Incorporating these orphaned girls into the government service can indeed use 'loyalty' to suppress 'filial piety,' but the premise is that their jobs must be genuine. If it's just a nominal position while they actually work in private workshops, once discovered, it will give others ammunition to accuse the court of abusing its power for personal gain." Cui Qingyi paused, "Moreover, this approach can only protect a portion of the population. Those who are capable, skilled, and useful to the government. What about the rest? Not every orphan from the orphanage can get a job in the Ministry of Works or the pharmacy."

Li Zhao was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "My aunt is right. So the second route can only cover a portion of the people, but those people are precisely the ones most easily coveted. They have skills and can earn money, which is exactly what those greedy relatives want to take away. As for the rest..."

She paused for a moment, her gaze slightly narrowed.

"The third path is a long-term solution: promoting female-dominated households."