"Acts that men would not consider shameful, women should not be ashamed of either. Because these rules were all set by men, for their own benefit."
"......"
"And you! Pei Changying! You betrayed me long ago, and I never want to go back to that place for the rest of my life!"
Gu Sang's heart-wrenching words struck everyone present with stunned silence, their minds going blank.
Even the ministers who had condemned Gu Sang for being shameless were rendered speechless!
Because.
To their astonishment, they could not find words to refute her.
Yes.
Why was it that?
Why were acts permissible for men considered sins for women?
Who made these rules?
On what grounds were they made?
The consorts fell silent, their eyes downcast in a daze, glancing at the cold palace and the open sky, their eyes reddening terribly.
Gu Sang's words.
They were like a flame, igniting the ancient women's suppressed resentment and defiance!
They were also like a splash of icy water, instantly dousing Pei Changying's fury.
And accompanying that, a tinge of guilt towards Gu Sang.
He had once promised to make her the empress, vowing to spend his life with her, only to marry Gu Qingrou in the end.
He had broken his promise.
"Gu Sang, I betrayed you only because you forced my hand."
"You offended me countless times, and if not for the fact that we were once husband and wife, I would have demoted you from a consort long ago, let alone allow you to become an imperial consort!"
"And those words you just spoke were utter nonsense! Women are meant to be subordinate to men, how dare you compare yourself to us?"
Pei Changying's implication was that he did not make Gu Sang the empress because of her own repeated mistakes.
She should be grateful to have retained her position as an imperial consort.
And she should not entertain such foolish ideas anymore.
She should hurry back to his side, for her world views were all wrong - men were the superiors of women.
Foolish woman.
Hopeless.
Gu Sang ignored Pei Changying's raving and shifted her gaze back to the screen, where she saw Lu Mufei approaching with a bottle of mineral water.
"Xiao Sang, have you finished filming your scenes?"
The director came over and responded, "Not yet, there are a few more scenes to go. At Gu Sang's pace, we should be able to wrap up the filming this afternoon."
"Haha Mu Fei, I have to thank you this time. If you hadn't introduced her, I would never have found such a talented actress."
Lu Mufei looked surprised.
The director was notorious for his strict standards when it came to the works he filmed. He had only heard of the director making actors cry, never praising a newcomer.
And to even call Gu Sang an "actress" - if he didn't know the director's character, he would have thought the director was just exaggerating.
"If there are any future short films, please consider Gu Sang."
"Haha, you don't need to say that, I'll definitely find Gu Sang first. An actress with such exceptional talent is hard to come by - it would be a waste if she didn't join the entertainment industry."
Before 11 a.m., Gu Sang had finished filming all her scenes.
After having lunch with everyone at the inn, Lu Mufei helped her move her luggage to the car.
After bidding farewell to the crew, Gu Sang sat in Lu Mufei's car.
The young man in the driver's seat smiled with a hint of mischief, "Actress Gu, don't forget us when you become rich and famous."
"Alright, I'll borrow your auspicious words - I won't forget you when I become rich and famous."
Gu Sang was in a great mood.
Before she got in the car, the director had paid her.
"Great actress, there's a banquet coming up, and the head of a film company will be there. Shall I introduce you?"
"How embarrassing, haha! I'll have to treat you to a grand meal then?"
"That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say! Let's go! You're buying the meal!"
Gu Sang and Lu Mufei joked and laughed as they headed towards the city center.
Her smile was relaxed and contented, unrestrained and radiant, like the winter sun.
Pei Changying recalled that Gu Sang had never smiled like that in front of him.
This smile, when seen by the emperor, was strangely jarring, stinging his eyes until they became teary, yet he could not look away.
Pei Changying gritted his teeth, "Gu Sang, I won't let you stay in that world forever."
"No matter the cost, I will go to the modern world and bring you back! You belong to me alone!"
The ministers shook their heads in disdain, "The former consort's actions were truly a violation of propriety. His Majesty was wise not to make Gu Sang the empress."
"Indeed, uttering such corrupting words and committing such shameless deeds, how could she become the mother of a nation?"
"......."
As these ministers continued to condemn Gu Sang and defend male supremacy, the modern livestream then showed a scene that astonished all the ancients.
Gu Sang and Lu Mufei had just entered a mall.
They were discussing what to eat when suddenly!
A plump woman bumped into Gu Sang. Lu Mufei quickly steadied Gu Sang.
Just as Gu Sang regained her footing, she saw the plump woman who had bumped into her walk up to a couple ahead and slap the man across the face.
"Scumbag man and woman, humph!"
"I work so hard at home taking care of the son and in-laws, and you're out here fooling around with some woman."
The ancients: !!
Seeing the most revered man being slapped, the ministers were enraged, "What an audacious woman, daring to hit her husband! Divorce her!"
"Preposterous! How could a woman hit her husband? The women of that era are too unrestrained."
"If a man allows himself to be trampled by a woman, is he even a real man? Hit her back!"
As the ministers fumed in outrage, the scene they wanted to see unfolded.
The man at the mall entrance raised his fist and struck the woman in the head with a punch.
"Good! That's a true hot-blooded man."
The ministers cheered and applauded.
Seeing the woman dazed from the blow, Lu Mufei could not stand by any longer.
Lu Mufei and Gu Sang rushed forward together, supporting the woman to prevent her from falling.
Lu Mufei looked coldly at the man who had hit her, "What kind of achievement is it to beat a woman?"
"I advise you to mind your own business. And you, vicious woman, couldn't you have discussed this at home? I'm just an ordinary colleague of hers." The man warned the woman threateningly.
If they weren't in public, he would have beaten the woman senseless long ago.
The woman laughed through her tears, "Ordinary colleague? If I hadn't sneaked a look at your chat history, I might have believed your lies. You kept calling her 'darling' this and 'darling' that, and now you tell me she's just an ordinary colleague?"
"You two were walking hand-in-hand at the mall. Did you think I was blind?!"
"Scoundrel, I'm going to divorce you. You won't get a single penny, and you can forget about keeping the child."
Upon hearing this threat, the man's face darkened like gathering storm clouds, looking at his wife like an enemy as he said viciously:
"Divorce? Don't even think about it. I won't agree!"
The consorts watching from Xuyang Palace, though unfamiliar with the concept of divorce, could somewhat guess its meaning from the couple's conversation - it likely meant having the man write a divorce deed.
Seeing the man refuse, the consorts' hearts sank.
Could it be...
Even in a world two thousand years into the future, women still could not achieve true freedom?
Were the earlier displays of freedom in clothing, love, and more, merely illusions?
