A Husband's Virtue

This scene is set in the palace of the Ming Emperor, who has just returned from a trip to the Holy Land. He is overjoyed to see his wife and daughters-in-law again, and he is amazed to learn that they are not only serving him in bed, but also in public as well. He feels that his achievements and virtue have surpassed those of the five emperors and three sovereigns, and that he has been unjustly deprived of his life. He wonders how he could have died so unjustly, and wonders why he is being treated so poorly by the emperors. The emperors, he says, treat their wives and daughters as if they are servants, not wives or daughters. He thinks that it is ridiculous that a man should be allowed to work as a government official and discuss government matters while neglecting his duties as a husband. He also wonders why a woman should be treated as if she is not married. He believes that women have only ever given birth to babies when they are in their "baw