The most dissolute couple in the capital

Li Chengjing blinked: "Women's household?"

Cui Qingyi nodded: "The laws of Da Ning do indeed contain provisions for female households, but very few are actually registered. For a woman to establish her own household, she must meet several conditions—be over twenty years old, have no father or brothers to rely on, and obtain approval from both the village head and the county government. The process alone takes more than half a year, not to mention the passive shirking of responsibility by officials in various places."

Li Zhao continued, "That's not all. There's a deeper reason why the practice of allowing women to live independently hasn't been implemented. The imperial court encourages marriage, and increasing the population is a national policy. Once women establish their own households, they are often unwilling to marry. This affects the marriage rate in the performance evaluation of local officials. So, from top to bottom, no one is willing to approve it."

Li Chengjing pondered, "Then how do you push it?"

"We can't force it; we have to reform it." Li Zhao leaned forward slightly. "My idea is to reform the existing system of female households. For example, women who have rendered meritorious service to the court or possess special skills could be specially approved to be registered as female households. Furthermore, if a woman registered as a female household later marries into the family, the government could reduce or exempt her from some taxes. In this way, we can both avoid violating the national policy of encouraging marriage and allow these women to completely break free from the control of their original clans and take their destiny into their own hands."

Cui Qingyi lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then slowly said, "Your Highness's idea is feasible, but some parts need to be carefully considered."

"First, even in households with female members, there are still issues of filial piety and clan ties. Have these female members severed ties with their biological parents, whether through abandonment or sale? The key question is whether there will be resistance and insincere resistance when this practice is promoted in various places, and how should it be regulated?"

Li Zhao frowned slightly, clearly she was also weighing this point.

Cui Qingyi continued, "Secondly, the promotion of women-owned households will inevitably be opposed by conservative officials, and how to handle this contradiction is also a major problem."

Li Zhao leaned back in his chair, his fingertips rhythmically tapping the armrest: "This is not something that can be accomplished in a year or two. I will discuss the details with my staff. We will first conduct pilot programs in the capital and a few directly governed prefectures to accumulate cases and data, and then gradually expand the program when the time is right."

Li Zhao's three paths—short-term, medium-term, and long-term—are progressively linked and interconnected, truly demonstrating a strategic vision for achieving great things.

"Your Highness," Cui Qingyi put down her teacup, softening her tone, "each of these three paths requires the cooperation of someone in the court. The short-term training contract requires a legal interpretation from the Court of Judicial Review or the Ministry of Justice; the medium-term incorporation into official service requires the approval of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War; and the long-term reform of female households involves the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel. There are many complexities involved, so Your Highness need not be in such a hurry."

Li Zhao's eyes flickered slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "Don't worry, Aunt. I've already asked Minister Zhang to draft the first draft regarding the contracts. Incorporating them into the official staff is even simpler. I've already handled those tasks in the Ministry of Works; we just need to formalize the existing temporary assignments. As for the female households... we'll take our time."

Cui Qingyi stopped there and did not pursue the matter further.

After listening for a while, Li Chengjing finally digested the information and suddenly raised his hand, saying, "Wait, I have a question."

Both women looked at him at the same time.

"The documents, official documents, and female households you're talking about are all institutional things, right?"

Li Zhao nodded: "That's right."

Li Chengjing said frankly, "The system is the system, but those shameless relatives may not understand it. You show them the contract, and they can't even read a word; you tell them that loyalty is more important than filial piety, and they think you're talking nonsense. These kinds of people sometimes just deserve a beating."

Cui Qingyi: "..."

Li Zhao: "..."

Li Chengjing continued counting on his fingers: "So I think, besides all this flowery language, we also need a simple and brutal solution. For example, set up a yamen (government office) next to each orphanage, or have inspectors regularly patrol the orphanages and workshops. Those scoundrels will naturally cower when they see officials around. All that grand theory you're spouting is for those in the court; but to deal with those rascals and ruffians, we need fists."

After a brief silence, Li Zhao chuckled softly.

"Uncle is right. No matter how good a system is, it's just a piece of paper if it can't be implemented. The grassroots level definitely needs corresponding enforcement. I've made a note of that."

Lee Seung-kyung puffed out his chest triumphantly, his expression as if he had scored full marks on a test.

Cui Qingyi saw this and her lips curved into a barely perceptible smile.

Although this person is slow-witted, the things he occasionally says actually have a certain uncanny truth to them.

Cui Qingyi took a sip of tea and said casually, "By the way, speaking of this troublemaking couple, it was the manager of Jufulai Restaurant in the south of the city who came up with the idea, and that's how they found out their daughter was in the orphanage."

Li Zhao remained calm: "I know what I'm doing, Auntie, don't worry."

After the three finished their discussion, Li Zhao took his leave.

No matter how brilliant the discussions in the tea room today may be, they are ultimately just empty talk. To truly implement everything, there are countless complex details that need to be finalized and unseen conflicts between us.

After seeing Li Zhao off, Aunt Guan came to see Cui Qingyi.

This lady-in-waiting, personally appointed by the Empress, has been stationed at the Liang Prince's residence for nearly two years. During these two years, Aunt Guan has handled all the welcoming and sending-off ceremonies and social interactions outside the residence with impeccable skill; inside the residence, she has personally mentored Mama Xiao and Su Xin, managing the vast Prince's residence in an orderly manner.

It can be said that thanks to her, Cui Qingyi was able to lie so comfortably and peacefully.

But today, after presenting the matching cards, Aunt Guan did not leave as usual, but stood there hesitantly, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Cui Qingyi's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately sensed something was wrong.

Sure enough, Aunt Guan spoke up tactfully. The meaning behind her words was clear: "Your Highness, the rules of the manor are now fully established, and Su Xin and Mama Xiao have also been trained. Do you think... perhaps we could arrange for someone to take over so that I can return to the palace to report to Her Majesty the Empress?"

It's not really her fault. Aunt Guan was an ambitious career woman, originally a promising lady-in-waiting to the Empress, accustomed to the high-level politics of the inner palace.

Now, in the Liang Prince's Mansion, although the mistress is kind and generous, and the prince never causes trouble, life is too leisurely!

Every day, besides checking the accounts, she would watch her masters banter and joke with each other. For a female official who loved her job, this was simply a waste of time.

She was originally a lady-in-waiting to the Empress, with a promising future. Now she works as a steward in the Liang Prince's mansion. Although Cui Qingyi treats her very well and she has freedom in managing the affairs of the mansion, it is not what she wants.

After hearing this hint, Cui Qingyi's cheeks flushed slightly, and she wept silently inside.

She was reluctant, truly reluctant. Where could she possibly find another manager as capable as that?

But Cui Qingyi was, after all, a principled matriarch and could not bring herself to beg and plead to keep someone.

"I understand what you mean, Aunt." Cui Qingyi suppressed her sadness and smiled gently. "These past two years have truly been a waste of your talents in the manor. There's no need to rush the handover. Once I've chosen the right person, I'll send you back to the palace in style."

After seeing Aunt Guan off, Cui Qingyi sighed resignedly, "Go, call Suxin and Mama Xiao here..."