The Princess of Northern Land

Lin Zige kept her head low, saying nothing. She knew that Ziyin was being protective of her, but the feeling of discomfort was still overwhelming in her heart. "Brother Dayou doesn’t care and neither does our family. Why should we heed what others say? It’s absurd that just by seeing an arm, people call for the need to take responsibility. Apparently, when a woman’s arm is seen, one must take responsibility. Men are also humans, and they bare their arms. Should women also be accountable then? Look carefully, they are arms. They’re just a bit paler and slenderer, there’s no difference." Suddenly, Lin Ziyin made a shocking move. She rolled up her sleeve and revealed her white, delicate arm to all those present.

Everyone watched wide-eyed, "If anyone harbors indecent thoughts, go home and take a good look at your mother’s and sister’s arms," she calmly rolled her sleeve back down under the gaping stares of the crowd, "Don’t call the Tatars barbaric, their customs are robust because they treat women equally as men. Do not forget that whenever a man despises a woman, or casts lewd glances at her, remember, you were also borne by a woman. Without your mother, you’re nothing. As for women, if you look down upon your own gender, then you deserve to be belittled."

"Ziyin, what are you doing?" Zige tearfully rushed over to hold her, "It’s not worth it, not for my sake."

"Hear me out, this will be the last time I reiterate this. As a member of the Lin family, regardless of being man or woman, we are ultimately humans. Other’s opinions matter not, what matters is what our own family values. If you don’t love your own family, and you don’t love your home, then how will you ever profess love to your nation? You were just seen with bare arms, so what? Even if you were completely seen, how does it matter? If you feel taken advantage of, simply rip apart his clothes and let everyone have a look."

What kind of argument was this? The villagers were left agape, even the other members of the Lin family didn’t know how to respond.