The State Orders You to Get Engaged

"Alright, I'm not kidding anymore. I'm talking to you about something serious." Wu Zong straightened his expression.

Seeing this, Zhao Ruxi quickly suppressed her smile and pointed to the pavilion, saying, "Let's go inside and sit down to talk."

The two sat down, and a maidservant came forward to pour tea and serve snacks. Only then did Zhao Ruxi ask, "What is it?"

"What are your thoughts on your marriage?" Wu Zong asked.

Zhao Ruxi: "..."

"Is this what you mean by 'serious business'?" she asked, her face full of suspicion.

"Otherwise what?" Wu Zong remained serious. "This is a major life event, determining how you'll live for the next few decades. Isn't that a serious matter?"

That makes perfect sense; Zhao Ruxi was completely speechless.

"No, I..." Zhao Ruxi gave up arguing with him and answered his question first, "I'm not thinking about this right now, so I don't have any thoughts on it."

With curiosity, she asked, "Why do you ask that? Do you perhaps want to play matchmaker for me?"

"I'd like to, but are there any young men in the capital you'd fancy?" Wu Zong glared at her. "Fu Yunkai had feelings for you before, but you refused. Later, didn't that second-place scholar also have feelings for you? I'm telling you, are you not planning on getting married?"

Wu Zong admitted that in the entire Great Jin, there was no woman more outstanding than his junior sister. No one could match her talent and ability alone. But even the most outstanding woman needs to get married, right? If she wanted to live a lonely life, regardless of her own abilities, the scorn of the world would drown her.

Zhao Ruxi was displeased upon hearing this. "What's wrong with not getting married? I'm not eating anyone else's rice. I can support myself, why should I have to put up with other people's attitudes and serve them?"

She had no intention of getting married in modern times, but now she's being pressured into marriage every day in ancient times—it's truly outrageous!

Seeing that she was still arguing, Wu Zong laughed in anger, "Do you think I want to meddle in your business? You have a father, a mother, and a master; it's none of my business to interfere. But I have to remind you, if you're not engaged by the time you turn sixteen, the Emperor will definitely bestow a marriage upon you. Do you believe me?"

"Huh? No way?" Zhao Ruxi's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Because you are the top female scholar," Wu Zong said. "Now all the women of the Great Jin are following your example."

Although the Great Jin had been established for a long time, and the people had been recuperating and the population had gradually increased, the court no longer needed to force people to get married when they reached a certain age in order to increase the population. However, it also did not want to see a situation where no one got married.

As the top female scholar in the imperial examination, Zhao Ruxi was the focus of everyone's attention in the Great Jin, and a role model for Great Jin women. If she didn't marry, the Emperor would be the first to be displeased. Wouldn't that set a bad example for women? If every woman with talent followed her example, relying on her own abilities to make a living and refusing to marry, wouldn't the population of the Great Jin stop increasing?

In the era of cold weapons, numbers equal strength. A country with five million people is undoubtedly more powerful than a country with two million people, both in terms of conscription advantages and labor resources.

When Wu Zong told Zhao Ruxi all this, Zhao Ruxi was stunned and speechless for a long time.

So she's that important? She's become a benchmark, influencing the entire Great Jin's population growth. She's really capable.

"I'll be sixteen soon; my birthday is in a few days," she said, her face full of worry.

"Have you found anyone you like? If so, tell me right now, and I'll even bring that guy to propose to you, even if it means taking a leash," Wu Zong said.

Zhao Ruxi calmed down. An engagement was out of the question, at least not this year.

She said, "I'll write a letter to my master. If the Emperor wants to bestow a marriage upon me, he will surely consult my master first. I'll ask him to explain things for me then. I won't get engaged yet, but I promise that we will definitely get married by this time next year."

Wu Zong shook his head. "Junior sister, why haven't you realized the seriousness of the matter? Is this the Emperor's problem? It's the court officials' problem. The Emperor is naturally biased towards you. As long as you don't go too far and haven't made any moves before you're seventeen, he won't interfere. The problem is, will the court officials let you off the hook? When the Emperor appointed you as the top scholar, he used that excuse, so the court officials couldn't say anything. They're all here waiting for you."

"Women's education and official positions are permitted because of the rules set by Empress Shengyao, which they cannot obstruct. However, when women's education, official positions, and marriage conflict, they have something to say. Population growth is a matter of national importance, and everything else must give way to it. After all, the country does not lack officials. Women returning home to have children and men becoming officials is the best arrangement for them."

Zhao Ruxi: "..."

Thinking about how modern professional women are unwilling to get married and have children, especially those with higher education levels; and how developed countries are experiencing negative population growth, causing their leaders great concern, she couldn't find a way to refute it.

"Let me think about it, I'll handle this properly," Zhao Ruxi said.

The reason she and Xiao Lingyan concealed their relationship was because they feared that the opposing faction would harm her and use her to blackmail Xiao Lingyan.

Now, to prevent women's paths to education and officialdom from being blocked, and to let people know that education, officialdom, and marriage and family can be balanced, shouldn't she make her relationship with Xiao Lingyan public?

Xiao Lingyan is two years older than her; he's eighteen this year. He's probably under even more pressure to get married than she is.

Some people will do anything to become the Consort of the Prince of Qi. Xiao Lingyan has encountered countless undesirable romantic interests in the past two years.

Wu Zong nodded and said, "I'm just reminding you. As long as you understand the underlying principles and have a solution, that's good."

After finishing this important matter, he asked, "Are you having any difficulties with official business?"

Zhao Ruxi shook her head. "There are no difficulties, just some doubts."

She told Wu Zong about how she had accidentally obtained a winemaking recipe, and asked, "If I want to grow glutinous rice on a large scale in Nanyang to make wine, I wonder what the imperial court's attitude will be towards this?"

Why did ancient times emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce? Simply because agriculture was underdeveloped, yields per acre were too low, and the grain produced was never enough to feed the population. Therefore, the imperial court wanted to keep farmers firmly tied to the land and imposed great restrictions on what could be grown on it. Land suitable for growing grain had to be used for growing grain. Developing sideline businesses and planting cash crops was very difficult, and large-scale cultivation was absolutely not allowed.

Wine is a very grain-intensive product. Although glutinous rice is considered a grain, its use in brewing wine is subject to limitations.

Zhao Ruxi was aware of this as well, but unsure of the court's intentions, she asked Wu Zong.

Wu Zong cupped his hands in a gesture of Empress Shengyao. If it weren't for Her Majesty having people find sweet potatoes and potatoes, two high-yield crops, from overseas, the people of Great Jin wouldn't have enough to eat. And your desire to brew large quantities of wine would be impossible."