“Does Miss Wang know why the scumbag Chen Shimei sent Han Qi to kill Qin Xianglian? Han Qi couldn’t bear it and committed suicide for righteousness. Then Chen Shimei blamed Qin Xianglian for Han Qi’s death and tried every means to have her killed?”
“Greed for wealth and status,” Wang Qiang blurted out.
Hua Ruyi shook her head repeatedly, “Wrong. In ancient times, men could legally have multiple women, embracing them left and right, enjoying the bliss of having multiple wives. He wouldn't have risked his life for such a matter. His relentless persecution of Qin Xianglian and his desire for her death were actually for self-preservation. If Qin Xianglian didn't die, he would have to die.”
“Self-preservation?” Wang Qiang was startled and quickly asked, “Why?”
Hua Ruyi explained, “Although ancient men could have many women, they followed the system of one principal wife and multiple concubines, not what we commonly call three wives and four concubines. A man could only marry one principal wife. Unless he was married to two houses simultaneously, having multiple wives was illegal. Chen Shimei had already married Qin Xianglian, and then married the princess. The princess would only be a concubine. Would the royal family agree to let the princess be a concubine?”
Wang Qiang replied, “Of course not. Who would dare let the princess be a concubine? That would be courting death! But Chen Shimei could divorce Qin Xianglian and then legally marry the princess, wouldn't that be legal?”
“Divorce her?” Hua Ruyi scoffed, “How could he divorce her?”
“The Seven Grounds for Divorce. He could just pick one and divorce Qin Xianglian.”
“He couldn’t divorce her. Viewers of costume dramas now only know that ancient men could divorce their wives based on the Seven Grounds, but they don’t know that wives could also counter with the ‘Three Not-to-be-divorced’ clauses. The ‘Three Not-to-be-divorced’ are: First, if a woman’s maternal family is deceased and she has no one to rely on, she cannot be divorced. Second, a wife who observed mourning for her parents-in-law for three years cannot be divorced. Third, if the husband was poor and humble before but became wealthy later, he cannot divorce the wife who shared his hardships. Look at Qin Xianglian, does she fit any of these?”
Wang Qiang listened intently and analyzed, “The first one is uncertain, but Chen Shimei’s parents died, and Qin Xianglian observed mourning for over three years. Chen Shimei became the top scholar after marrying Qin Xianglian and going to the capital for the imperial examinations. Both the second and third clauses fit.”
Hua Ruyi smiled, “Exactly. According to ancient laws, if a woman met any of the ‘Three Not-to-be-divorced’ clauses, even with the ‘Seven Grounds for Divorce,’ the husband could not divorce her. Qin Xianglian met two clauses at once. How could Chen Shimei possibly divorce her? Moreover, the law also stipulated that demoting a wife to the status of a concubine was illegal. Divorce was impossible, and demoting her status was also not allowed. Since the princess could not be a concubine, Chen Shimei only had one option: to kill Qin Xianglian. Only when Qin Xianglian was dead could he provide an explanation to the royal family and save his own life!”
Wang Qiang suddenly understood, “So that’s how it is. It feels like all these years of watching ‘The Case of Chen Shimei’ have been wasted!”
Hua Ruyi said meaningfully, “The reason I've rambled on and given so many examples is to tell the viewers in front of the screen not to follow the crowd when facing issues, but to have their own independent thinking abilities. Even historical records left by the ancients should not be fully believed. After all, as the saying goes, it’s better to have no books than to believe all books!”
Wang Qiang stood up and applauded him, “Well said, ‘it’s better to have no books than to believe all books.’ Director Hua, you truly are Director Hua!”
This interview was broadcast live online.
After the program, topics such as #HuaRuyiInterview# and #BetterToHaveNoBooksThanBelieveAllBooks# exploded on the trending list.