vrcanaries Chapter 1: Men or Women, Which is More Suitable to Be Emperor?
Chapter 1: Men or Women, Which is More Suitable to Be Emperor?
"If you ask me, women are naturally more suited to be emperors than men!"
"It is precisely because men are clearly aware of this that, in order to prevent us women from gaining power and shaking their position, they have always been extremely vigilant against us, constructing a comprehensive set of shackles that extend from the physiological to the psychological, and from the family to society!"
"And it is precisely because of this that in the five-thousand-year history of Chinese civilization, only one female emperor, Wu Zetian, has ever appeared!"
"But look, even though we women only produced one female emperor, Wu Zetian, she still accomplished countless great feats!"
"Inheriting the legacy of the Zhenguan era and paving the way for the Kaiyuan era, the territory expanded unprecedentedly, and its civil and military achievements were unparalleled..."
"If it weren't for the way men guarded against us women, depriving us of our right to participate in politics and destroying our opportunities for education, we could have been much greater! The sky of history should have held more stars belonging to women!"
…………
In front of the screen, Gu Xiaoxiao's typing was rapid and forceful, as if she was releasing some long-suppressed emotions, and her words revealed a fervent admiration.
Her words were like a cannonball thrown into a calm lake, causing a huge uproar in the comment section of a video on a certain platform about "who is more suitable to be an emperor, a man or a woman".
"Well said! This is the truth of history!"
"Wu Zetian is definitely the most unfairly maligned emperor, a victim of patriarchal historical perspective."
"My sister is right. Male rulers are prone to massacres, while female rulers only know how to build."
…………
These voices of approval quickly converged, forming a brief surge of enthusiasm for the idea that "women are more suitable to be emperors than men."
In this small comment section, a brief female utopia seems to have been established, and Gu Xiaoxiao has become the spiritual leader of this group.
Meanwhile, in a high-end apartment on the other side of the city, Xiao Qingkuang was leaning back on a leather sofa, idly scrolling through his phone.
As a history enthusiast, he would normally disdain such videos with strong gender antagonism, but the words "Wu Zetian" made him stop scrolling.
Opening the comments section, the first top comment is Gu Xiaoxiao's passionate writing.
Xiao Qingkuang frowned slightly, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
As a rigorous historian, he is most disgusted by applying modern gender politics to ancient history, and even more disgusted by the "pastoral feminist historical view" that deliberately distorts the facts in order to attract attention.
"Nonsense."
He muttered something under his breath, his finger slid lightly across the screen, stopping below the most impassioned comment.
After a moment's thought, Xiao Qingkuang began his "commentary":
"Wordless Stele: I will delete negative comments!"
…………
After sending the message, a playful smile appeared on Xiao Qingkuang's lips.
At this moment, his seemingly casual comment was like a heavy hammer blow, precisely striking the foundation of the newly established female utopia.
The comment section fell into a brief silence, followed by a massive, overwhelming reaction.
"Pfft—this guy's so mean!"
"Hahaha, that's hilarious! The wordless stele really doesn't have anything written on it!"
"It's chilling to think about. After Wu Zetian's death, a stele was erected without inscription. Was it because she 'didn't want to' write anything, or because she 'dared not' to?"
…………
Gu Xiaoxiao looked at the comment, especially the words that followed in support of it, and her originally flushed face turned deathly pale.
Her citations of classic texts and her lengthy discourses appear strangely pale and powerless in the face of this brief comment.
The wordless stele, that huge stone stele standing in front of Qianling Mausoleum, has remained silent for thousands of years despite the erosion of wind and rain—is it not the greatest irony for those who try to prove the greatness of Wu Zetian?
"You...you're distorting the truth!" Gu Xiaoxiao tried to retort, her fingers trembling as she typed her reply, "The reason the Stele Without Words is called the Stele Without Words is because Wu Zetian's achievements were so great that they cannot be described in words!"
But her reply was quickly drowned out by a sea of "hahaha" and "I'm so upset" emojis.
"I've broken down, I've really broken down."
"Hahaha, this is hilarious!"
"The Wordless Stele: I have nothing to say, yet you insist on defending me!"
…………
Meanwhile, Xiao Qingkuang continued typing, explaining her views in detail:
"Wu Zetian's ability to become empress in feudal times as a woman actually exhausted the credibility of all women who had existed before her!"
"If you really like them, you should choose those like Empress Deng Sui and Empress Lü Zhi. At least their performance during their reigns was much more impressive than Wu Zetian's!"
"Deng Sui ruled as regent for sixteen years, yet she was able to revive extinct states and continue interrupted lineages. Although Empress Lü was ruthless, she also promoted 'governing by doing nothing,' laying the foundation for the 'Reign of Wen and Jing.' These are truly women with political wisdom!"
"As for Wu Zetian, to be honest, she didn't have many real achievements to speak of during her reign. Moreover, during her time in power, countless riots broke out across the country, and her massive construction projects caused countless families to be torn apart and lives lost..."
…………
These remarks once again shattered the gradually stabilizing harmonious atmosphere in the comments section.
Those netizens who were immersed in "Wu Zetian worship" immediately erupted in anger upon seeing these "negative comments".
Someone immediately retorted, "You're smearing Wu Zetian. Weren't the 'Palace Examination' and 'Military Examination' she established contributions?"
Some people directly questioned: "What do you know about history? During Wu Zetian's reign, the economy prospered, the population grew, and the territory expanded compared to the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang. You're talking complete nonsense!"
Xiao Qingkuang couldn't help but scoff at the flood of rebuttals and doubts that came his way.
Xiao Qingkuang was too lazy to reply to each of the emotionally charged insults. She simply kept typing on the keyboard, slowly explaining her somewhat sharp views:
"Regarding the grand historical question of 'whether men or women are more suitable to be emperor,' in my opinion, it is an oversimplified and false proposition!"
"Although Wu Zetian is the only woman to have truly ascended the throne under the spotlight of history, if we broaden our perspective and examine those women who truly wielded power, we will find that their presence is not lacking in the long river of history!"
"Whether it was Empress Lü's 'ruling from behind the throne' or Deng Sui's 'reviving the extinct and continuing the interrupted line,' they both held power at different historical junctures, demonstrating remarkable political wisdom and skill."
"However, you must understand one thing, and this is the core point I want to emphasize—Wu Zetian cannot represent you, nor can she represent any modern woman—it's not that Wu Zetian was a woman, and you are a woman, that Wu Zetian's prowess means you are prowess, or that Wu Zetian's lack of prowess means you are not prowess!"
"This logic of forcibly linking individual achievement with the entire gender group is itself a sign of naivety!"
"Wu Zetian's success was the result of her personal talent, ambition, opportunities, and the specific historical context. Her glory belongs only to her, and she naturally bears her own stains. This has no direct connection to all women, and it cannot be used as evidence that 'women are more suitable to be emperors than men!'"
"In my opinion, whether a man or a woman is more suitable to be emperor cannot be determined solely by gender; it depends more on the individual!"
"To secure the throne, one needs exceptional leadership, keen political acumen, unwavering willpower, and the ability to control the overall situation. These qualities are never determined by gender; they are shaped by experience, education, and environment!"
"Using gender to judge whether someone is suitable to be an emperor is as absurd as using height to judge whether someone is suitable to be a painter!"
History has proven countless times that both men and women can become wise rulers or foolish rulers.
"The real deciding factor is never 'gender,' but 'human being'...individually!"
…………
After this lengthy post was sent out, the comment section fell into a brief silence once again.
The prepared rebuttals and slogans about "male oppression" and "female awakening" seemed pale and powerless in the face of this calm and rational analysis.
Xiao Qingkuang didn't check the replies anymore. He turned off his phone and let the controversial topic continue to ferment in the virtual world.
He knew he couldn't convince everyone, but at least he expressed his own thoughts!
What Xiao Qingkuang didn't know was that on the other end of the network, a woman named Gu Xiaoxiao was staring intently at her phone screen. At that moment, her eyes were red and her fingertips were trembling slightly from the excessive force.
Xiao Qingkuang's seemingly objective and calm analysis was nothing short of the most vicious brainwashing and oppression in her eyes.
She felt that she... or rather, the entire female community, was completely isolated, as if the whole world was looking down on them with the eyes of "vested interests," denying their value.
She felt like a moth trapped in a glass bottle, able to see the light outside but unable to break through the seemingly transparent barrier.
"Distorted logic, ignoring the facts..." She gritted her teeth, typing each word in the chat box, tears welling up in her eyes from her grievances. "Women are clearly superior to men, why won't you admit it?"
Gu Xiaoxiao felt that she had been deprived of her right to speak and excluded from this male-dominated discourse system. As a result, her voice, her demands, her talents... all seemed to become synonymous with "making trouble" in the eyes of those self-righteous men!
"It's because of men like you that women's rights aren't protected!"
She continued typing, each word like a cry against the injustice of fate.
"You've become accustomed to being superior, accustomed to mistaking prejudice for truth, and oppression for protection!"
"Women are clearly better at governing, but you men, because of your gender, have always suppressed us women, and in the end, you even label us women as 'irrational' and 'emotional'!"
…………
At this moment, Gu Xiaohua felt like she was suffocating. The feeling of powerlessness and anger was intertwined and almost swallowed her up.
Even so, her fingers continued to tap incessantly on the keyboard:
"You use this stigmatizing tactic to erase our abilities and cover up your incompetence!"
"If I have the chance, if I have even one fair chance, I will prove it to you!"
"I want to prove that those so-called 'objective analyses' are nothing but a fig leaf to cover up fear. I want to prove that women are not only capable of shouldering responsibility, but also of making contributions beyond the scope of their responsibilities. I want to prove that, on the same starting line and with the same resources, women's wisdom, resilience, and inclusiveness are far more suitable than men's arrogance and prejudice for taking on that supreme position!"
…………
As you wish!
Just as Gu Xiaohua's emotions reached their peak due to the incomprehension she felt, and her fingertips were about to shatter the phone screen, a cold, emotionless, mechanical synthesized voice abruptly appeared deep within her mind.
[The host's strong dissatisfaction with the existing social structure and extreme confidence in their own abilities have been detected. The conditions for starting the "Gender and Dominance" debate have been met.]
[System notification: The host's firm belief that "women are inherently more suited to be emperors than men" will have the opportunity to be verified in a real historical context!]
[Next, the system will match the host with a suitable opponent!]
[Detected that the host is engaged in a heated online debate with a man whose ID is "陌上人如玉，公子世无双" (A Gentleman Like Jade, Unparalleled in the World), and has been matched as your opponent!]
Next, you and your opponent will be placed into two completely identical parallel feudal dynasties, and you will become the emperors of those dynasties!
Mission objective: Defeat your opponent within thirty years!
[If the mission fails, you will be permanently erased; if the mission succeeds... you will gain the "authority" to reshape the gender power structure in the real world!]
…………
In an instant, Gu Xiaohua's pupils contracted sharply, and her breathing became rapid.
However, before she could fully process this sudden influx of information, the scene of the rented room in front of her began to distort and blur violently.
All she could see was that the mocking words on her phone screen seemed to transform into countless menacing black tentacles, dragging her into a bizarre and surreal vortex.
Gu Xiaohua wanted to struggle a little more, but the next second, a huge feeling of weightlessness, as if it were forcibly tearing her soul from her body, instantly swallowed all her consciousness like a black tide...