“Village Head!”
Jin Feng shouted down from the platform. “Later go to the school and ask the teacher to work an extra shift tonight. Have him write in big characters with lime wash on the walls of the textile mill, brick kilns, lime kilns, everywhere: Women hold up half the sky!”
“Got it!”
The old village head nodded at once.
“I know many of you are unconvinced and wonder why women should hold up half the sky. Let me tell you why!”
Jin Feng roared. “Never mind anything else. You all collect wages every month, but do you know where those wages come from? They come from the soap the women make and the cloth they weave!
And what about the men? What do you do? Can you make soap? Can you weave cloth? Apart from brute strength to haul bricks and build houses, what else can you do?”
At this, many men looked ashamed.
The feudal notion that men were superior to women ran deep in Da Kang. Strong medicine was needed to cure it.
So Jin Feng pressed on, deliberately blurring lines. “Of course, some men might say they can fight bandits and escort caravans. Can’t women do the same?
We won’t even talk about individual fighting strength. A-Mei is right over there. Anyone who disagrees is welcome to spar with her.
As for coordinated combat, the female soldiers are now no worse than the men. The last few escort missions led by female soldiers were completed even better than those led by men.
And management? The textile mill and soap factory are all run by women, everything in perfect order. Then look at the brick kilns and lime kilns: people relieving themselves everywhere, fighting every other day. I’m too embarrassed to even mention you lot!
So stop looking down on women. Anything men can do, women can do too. But things women can do, men might not be able to!”
Up on the platform, Jin Feng’s speech continued. Down below, the Ninth Princess felt her blood surge.
Even as a princess, she had always felt crushed beneath the mountain of male superiority.
If she had been born a man, would she ever have been reduced to marrying into Tubo to save the realm?
She had already learned from Qing Muluan’s letters that Jin Feng championed equality between men and women.
Now that she had come to West River Bay, the feeling was even stronger.
When she visited the saltworks earlier, she had noticed that over eighty per cent of the managers were women.
This proved that Jin Feng’s belief in equality was not mere talk; he put it into practice.
On the platform, Jin Feng went on.
“You all love establishing rules, don’t you? Fine, now I’m establishing one. From today onward, any man in this village who beats his wife or concubine without cause will never work in any village factory again!”
Jin Feng shouted toward the crowd. “Xiao Yu, come up here!”
“Yes!” Xiao Yu quickly climbed onto the platform.
“Tomorrow we establish the West River Bay Women’s Brigade, dedicated to women’s affairs. You will be the brigade captain, Dongdong the vice-captain!”
Jin Feng declared. “Aunties and sisters, listen well. If your men beat you for no reason in future, report it to the Women’s Brigade. Once it is confirmed, the brigade will stand up for you!
In our village, women can live perfectly well without men. If you feel you can no longer stay with your husband, the Women’s Brigade will help you obtain a divorce at the county office. You can still work and support yourselves and your children!”
In feudal times, men divorcing wives was common, but women seeking divorce was almost unheard of.
His words caused an uproar in the crowd.
No one had expected Jin Feng to say such a thing.
“Women can live perfectly well without men!”
Beneath the platform, the Ninth Princess murmured to herself, “If the whole realm were like West River Bay, if only I had met the master earlier, how wonderful that would have been!”
Although they had known each other only a short while, the breadth of vision and character Jin Feng revealed in conversation had already earned her deep admiration.
Today’s speech on equality between the sexes filled her with the bitter feeling of having met him too late.
If she had encountered Jin Feng sooner, she might not have planned to marry into Tubo. Instead, she could have joined hands with him and achieved great things within Da Kang.
“Xiao Yu, this task is yours. Can you handle it?”
Jin Feng looked at Xiao Yu.
“I can!” Xiao Yu thumped her chest in guarantee.
She had been in Qingshan County helping Zhang Liang gather intelligence, but manpower was short, so she had returned yesterday to bring more people and planned to leave again tomorrow morning.
Now she changed her mind.
Everything beyond Jinchuan County fell under the Clock Tower group led by Zhang Liang and Han Feng. She had only gone to Qingshan to help because she did not fully trust others.
Uniting the women and forming the Women’s Brigade had always been her responsibility.
Xiao Yu decided to leave Qingshan matters to Han Feng’s subordinates and focus entirely on the Women’s Brigade.
“The Women’s Brigade must also watch for wicked daughters-in-law who abuse the elderly or children. Once discovered, the same punishment: no more work.”
Jin Feng added.
“Understood!” Xiao Yu nodded.
“That settles it. Village Head, anything else?”
Seeing the village head shake his head, Jin Feng waved a hand. “Meeting dismissed. Everyone back to work!”
He leapt down from the platform.
Noticing the Ninth Princess still there, smiling at him, he walked over. “Your Highness hasn’t left yet?”
“If I had left, I would have missed such a moving speech,” the Ninth Princess said with a smile.
“I have made a fool of myself before Your Highness.”
Jin Feng replied helplessly.
Such incidents were rare in the village, yet one had occurred the very day the princess arrived.
He had worried she might be displeased.
But then he relaxed. The princess was soon going to Tubo. Whether she was pleased or not no longer concerned him greatly.
“Beating concubines is not unique to West River Bay. It happens across the realm,” the Ninth Princess said. “Yet the only person this palace has ever seen stand up for women is the master himself.”
Jin Feng only smiled and said nothing.
“Master, if you are free, would you walk with this palace around West River Bay?”
Wishing to mend relations, the Ninth Princess took the initiative.
A princess had spoken; Jin Feng could hardly refuse. He stepped aside with a welcoming gesture. “It would be my honour.”
The Ninth Princess alighted from the carriage and, accompanied by Jin Feng and Tang Xiaobei, entered the village.
The cement kilns did not yet produce enough for both housing and fortifications, so roads were not yet paved with cement.
However, the ironworks produced plenty of coal slag each day, and the village head had the men spread it on the paths, keeping them from turning to mud.
The Ninth Princess had never seen such a surface before. Full of curiosity, she had Qin’er pick up a piece for her to examine.
The group first visited the textile mill.
The mill was now running smoothly. Every workshop bustled with activity yet remained orderly.
Thanks to Jin Feng’s earlier speech, the women’s gratitude toward him had deepened. From the moment he entered, greetings never ceased.
Many unmarried girls gazed at him with shining, watery eyes.
