Chapter 149: Sky Screen Live Streaming System (24)

Daliang, Yongshou Palace, the residence of the Empress Dowager.

Ever since she discovered her grandson and granddaughter appearing in the Heavenly Palace shown on the Sky Screen, the Empress Dowager, who had been washing her face with tears due to the tragic loss of her eldest daughter and son-in-law, spent most of her days sitting in the small garden in front of her sleeping quarters, looking up at the Sky Screen.

"Women marrying too early is actually harmful to their bodies?"

Hearing these words, the Empress Dowager murmured in a daze.

She thought of her own long-suffering mother and her sister, born of the same mother.

One passed away before the age of thirty, and the other married at fifteen, having three children in five years, only to die young from uncontrollable bleeding while giving birth to her third child.

Before today, she had also believed this was fate, that the women of the Feng Family of Xinglin were ill-fated and short-lived.

Until just now...

So, her mother, her sister, and those cousins who died young in the clan, were they not ill-fated, but rather victims of marrying and bearing children too early?

Looking at the barrage area again—the heartfelt voices of commoners from all over Daliang seemed to verify this point.

"Bitao."

"This servant is here."

"Help me change my clothes; I must go see the Emperor."

Not many days later, following the decree that "having no sons shall not be grounds for divorce," the Daliang legal code added a new clause: "Women shall not marry before the age of eighteen."

Once this new law was issued, the entire court was in an uproar:

"My poor child! If only this law had existed a few years earlier! My child wouldn't have had to marry and bear children so young, ruining her health and lingering on a sickbed..."

"Heaven has mercy! My daughter is blessed! She gets to wait two more years before marrying..."

"It is a pity my daughter was ill-fated; she died in childbirth last month, leaving behind my poor grandson... *sob* *sob*..."

Most of the voices were in support; even those who cried did so because their own children lacked good fortune, thinking that if they had waited a year or two, or even three, perhaps they wouldn't have died in childbirth.

But there were also some pedantic and stubborn elders who, while not daring to speak out against imperial power on the surface, cursed the imperial court behind its back for meddling in others' affairs.

They even want to control at what age a woman marries!

What are families who bought Child Brides early supposed to do?

The heated discussions about "Child Brides" in various places reached Xiao Yanze through the barrage.

Consequently, not long after, the imperial court added a supplementary clause to the new law: the abolition of the trade in Child Brides!

In other words, from now on, Daliang women may only discuss marriage and wed upon reaching eighteen. Anyone violating this law will be severely punished.

Xie Yang knew nothing of this; if she did, she would certainly send a silk banner to Hu Qinqin.

Thanks to those sarcastic remarks of hers—which in the modern era were purely nonsensical, unpleasant chatter—being taken by the ancients as a reference and applied effectively, it could be considered a virtuous deed!

At the end of August, Xie Yang returned to Beijing with her niece and nephew after having traveled through domestic first and second-tier cities and famous scenic spots.

When they left, there were three suitcases for one adult and two children; when they returned, not only was there an extra 30-inch large suitcase—filled with souvenirs bought along the way—but they had also sent countless packages home and to her uncle's and eldest sister's houses, all filled with good things they had found delicious, fun, or useful along the way that they wanted to share with their family.

These three months of travel were truly an eye-opener for Xie Jilin and his sister; they followed their aunt to many places—

They toured world-renowned historical sites and natural scenery!

They played in large amusement parks!

They rode horses on the grasslands!

They skied on the snow in Snow Town!

They rode cruise ships on the Yangtze River!

They rowed boats in Ancient Towns!

They watched fireflies at camping bases!

They ate lake delicacies!

They explored karst caves!

They soaked in hot springs!

They took photos with the national treasure, the panda!

They played on bamboo rafts on the river!

They rode cable cars in the canyons!

They played in water parks!

They went to Disneyland!

They rode luxury cruise ships!

They experienced sea fishing and diving!

They watched the featured performances at the scenic spots...

The people of Daliang beneath the Sky Screen followed the brother and sister in an immersive experience of cloud-traveling, feeling both envious of the Little Marquis and the Princess and deeply shocked.

How can the Heavenly Palace have so many modes of transportation to choose from?

The lightning-fast big flying chickens!

The square boxes that are smaller than horse-drawn carriages but move many times faster!

The things painted entirely green, looking like dragons, that are called trains despite having no fire!

The high-speed rails that look very similar to trains but are longer, faster, and have better interior settings in the carriages!

And the big ships that can carry not only people but also small cars across great rivers and seas!

The big ships called Cruise Ships that are several stories high and more luxurious than hotels!

And the yachts that can only seat three to five people, with speeds that can rival an arrow shot from a bow!

【There are so many choices for travel in the Heavenly Palace!】

"Not only are there many choices, but haven't you seen how the mountains of the Heavenly Palace have been split into individual tunnels? When a car reaches a mountain, there is no need to go around; it can pass directly through the tunnel. The tunnels are even embedded with lights brighter than night-luminescent pearls!"

"And those surging great rivers—to think that such high and long bridges could be built over them! How is this achieved? Can our Daliang learn this?"

Xiao Yanze: "..."

As a generation of emperors, how could he not want to learn, but is this something one can learn just by wanting to?

He had absolutely no idea how these mountain tunnels were excavated to be so smooth and spacious! Nor did he know how the great bridges over the rivers were erected.

He could only let the Ministry of Works study them carefully to see if they could be imitated.

Besides this, whether in the imperial court or among the common people, business opportunities had been discovered to varying degrees.

The tourism industry gradually became popular across Daliang, driving the economy in many places and adding an unexpected sum of wealth to the national treasury.

September 1st, the day primary and secondary school students across China return to school.

At seven o'clock in the morning, the alarm clock on Xie Jilin's bedside table rang.

He scrambled out of bed, picked up the button on the bedside table to turn off the air conditioner, and then picked up another remote control to open the curtains.

The early autumn morning sun spilled into the room. He knelt on the bed to fold the quilt first, then slid off the bed, straightened the bed sheet, opened the window for ventilation, and went into the bathroom to wash up.

Facing the fresh short hair in the mirror, he was slightly dazed.

After returning from the trip, he had taken the initiative to suggest getting a haircut.

Firstly, he discovered that the males here, whether adults or children, basically all had short hair.

During the trip, he occasionally saw a few men with long hair, and heard people nearby say they were artists.

For a child as young as him, wearing long hair would always attract attention wherever he went.

Secondly, the summer was too hot; as long as he went out, his hair would get sweaty.

Previously, servants helped him wash his hair, but the people here, no matter how wealthy, bathed and changed clothes by themselves.

Every time he saw his aunt squatting by the bathtub to help him wash his hair until she was covered in sweat, he couldn't bear it.

But he was still too young; he could manage to wipe his body, but he could not wash his hair independently yet.

After weighing it several times, two days before reporting to school, he proposed getting a haircut.

His aunt took him to a large hair salon in the mall and had the hair stylist in the shop design a refreshing hairstyle that suited his head shape.

The cut hair was not sold to the staff member who offered a high price to buy it, but was cleaned by his aunt, put into a plastic seal bag, and given to him to keep.

He thought, this must be what his father once called "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," right?