Grace, who had made up her mind, didn't hesitate to pick up her chopsticks and start eating.
After a few bites of meat, Empress Dowager Lu spoke up, "How was your visit home yesterday?"
Grace sat up straight, as if reporting to her department head, "After returning home yesterday, everything I saw and heard was about the great achievements Empress Dowager has made for Da Liang over the past few decades, especially her efforts to elevate the status of women. I greatly admire Empress Dowager and consider her my idol!"
"And what else?" Empress Dowager Lu inquired.
Grace paused for a moment. She was thinking about Sean's situation, but could she mention it?
After a few mental gymnastics, she glanced across the table and said, "There is something that has puzzled me."
"Go on," Empress Dowager Lu urged.
"The official from the Ministry of Rites who got into trouble, is he perhaps affiliated with Your Majesty?" Grace asked cautiously.
Empress Dowager Lu raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Not bad, not bad at all."
Clearing her throat, Grace continued.
After a few rounds of trying, Empress Dowager Lu's gesture of skewering lamb with chopsticks had become very skillful. She said, "Did you hear what the Emperor said just now?"
Certainly...
"The Emperor left and then came back, which startled me, so I didn't dare to move and had to stay. But I didn't hear anything!"
Only a fool would admit to eavesdropping!
"That's a shame," Empress Dowager Lu said with some regret, "I was just about to discuss this case with you. After all, you're not just a young lady from a wealthy family; we can't have you working in the kitchen all the time, can we? Considering that you come from the 21st century, you might have some value to offer."
Grace felt tempted, but she didn't fall for it.
Empress Dowager Lu continued, "Do you know why Sean couldn't be severely punished?"
That was indeed puzzling.
Grace tried, "If Your Majesty would kindly explain..."
"What's there to explain? What's the point if you didn't hear anything?" Empress Dowager Lu interrupted, "You didn't hear anything, so there's no point in discussing it, right?"
Fair enough, she's quite adept at playing games.
Grace said, "Actually, although I tried not to listen, my ears seemed to have a mind of their own and the sound just slipped in."
"Is that so?" Empress Dowager Lu put down her chopsticks, "What did you hear then?"
"...You and the Emperor were discussing Sean?" Grace looked at her, seeking confirmation.
"Correct." Empress Dowager Lu nodded, "And were you wondering why I want to protect him?"
Was there even a need to say it out loud?
Grace didn't evade, "There must be a profound reason behind Your Majesty's actions, which ordinary folks like us may not comprehend."
To be honest, when Aunt An mentioned Sean's situation yesterday, Grace thought Empress Dowager Lu was being extremely confused. But after hearing her conversation with the Emperor just now, she felt that if Sean wasn't affiliated with Empress Dowager Lu, it wouldn't make sense.
In just a few words, Empress Dowager Lu had subtly indicated her intention to protect Sean. As an Empress Dowager, it was common to have a few loyal subordinates, even if the Emperor was her own son.
However, Grace found Empress Dowager Lu's change a bit hard to understand. Clearly, she had done a lot for the women of Da Liang, and with just one Flower Moon Festival, she had eliminated many feudal customs. From the tone of Empress Dowager Lu's conversation with the Emperor, it was clear how respected she was in the eyes of the people. One would think she was a reasonable person. So why protect someone like Sean?
The Flower Moon Festival was her creation, and for someone like Sean, who was a troublemaker, shouldn't she get rid of him?
Empress Dowager Lu said, "Others may not understand, but you must and you will."
What a refreshing statement.
Grace wasn't a court official, so why should she be expected to understand?
But when the boss is on the right track, you have to support them, and when they're not, you have to find a way around it. Grace lowered her head, "Sean committed crimes while working for Your Majesty. His embezzlement must have caused concern for the state. Your Majesty, with your wisdom and strength, is willing to give him another chance, indicating that his offense might not be as severe. Your Majesty is compassionate and willing to give him an opportunity."
"He embezzled one hundred thousand taels."
"..."
Empress Dowager Lu continued, "One tael of silver in this dynasty can buy two and a half stones of rice. The amount he embezzled could buy you many houses and estates."
Grace remembered that in the era she came from, rice was 1.5 yuan per kilogram, and one stone of rice was about 59 kilograms. So, one tael of silver could buy more than 700 yuan worth of rice? One hundred thousand taels of silver, damn, that's over seven hundred million yuan! A deputy minister of the Ministry of Culture embezzling seven or eight hundred million, that couldn't be considered a small offense!
So, the question arose, if he was such a big embezzler, shouldn't Empress Dowager Lu have even less reason to protect him?
Empress Dowager Lu picked up some scallion leaves with her chopsticks and then asked Grace, "Do you know about the Flower Moon Festival?"
"Oh, yesterday on my way back, not only did I see the champion of the Flower Moon Festival, but I also saw the champion of the medical examination. Later, I heard a lot about Your Majesty's great achievements. I'm very grateful for the efforts you've made for women all over the world. Thanks to Your Majesty's wise decisions, the women of Da Liang are not living so miserably. I feel fortunate to enjoy the prosperity of Da Liang under Your Majesty's rule!"
Empress Dowager Lu had experienced both domestic and palace struggles, gradually carving out her own path, and it was rare that at this moment in her life, she still remembered women in the world. Such broad-mindedness had to be acknowledged.
Empress Dowager Lu showed no signs of modesty, "When I came here, I was only ten years old. At that time, in the Lu family, I was framed by my stepmother's daughter, and my own father beat me, his legitimate daughter, and then threw me into the fields to fend for myself.
"Later, I dealt with that stepmother and father, and then I met the late Emperor. People said that a daughter who lost her mother wasn't worthy of the well-born late Emperor, and there were countless examples of women's dignity being trampled upon.
"But that's how society is.
"If it weren't for me, you who traveled through time would indeed be busy copying 'Female Precepts' and 'Female Admonishments' at the Zhao family right now. And you wouldn't have the chance to wander around outside all day," Grace bowed deeply, "So, to be able to travel to the reign of Empress Lu, I feel immensely honored and happy!"
"Unfortunately," Empress Dowager Lu sighed, "this fortune won't last long for you."
"...How so?" Grace asked.
"Because it affects the interests of certain people," Empress Dowager Lu replied.
Grace hesitated, "Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."
Empress Dowager Lu didn't give a direct answer. She picked some scallion leaves from her bowl, then asked Grace, "Do you have any ideals?"
"..." Ideals, Grace did have them. But it felt a bit awkward to suddenly discuss life ideals when she was still just a small fry in her hands.
"I do have ideals," Grace replied.
Without waiting for her response, Empress Dowager Lu continued, "My initial ideal was to break the traditional gender hierarchy, to let women all over the world hold their heads high and live with dignity. But later on, I found that it was too difficult to put into practice. With my efforts alone, the things I could achieve were very limited."