Chapter 104 Women Without Talent

The umbrella handle slammed to the ground with a thud.

Jiang Jinshu stood dumbfounded in the rain, asking blankly, "Why?"

The Celestial Master seemed astonished by her naiveté, gazing at her for a long time before speaking.

"Your brother has gained his current fame by stealing your poems and essays. Your parents need his achievements to bring glory to the family. They are afraid that you will reveal the truth and ruin the reputation your brother has worked so hard to build, so they want to cut out the light from your eyes and lock you in a cage."

"That, that marriage..."

“Your brother has made a deal with the Hanlin scholar, and from now on your poems will belong to your husband’s family.”

Jiang Jinshu suddenly laughed, laughing so hard that her whole body trembled, letting the cold rain wash over her cheeks.

It turns out that her so-called good reputation and future prospects were always built on the pain of her gradual blindness.

A marriage between people of similar social standing is nothing more than changing the cage, continuing to be someone else's ink fragrance.

In a daze, I seemed to see the poems I had written over the years burning in the rain, page by page, turning into the wild geese on my brother's official robes, into the sandalwood pen holder in my father's study, and into the jade bracelet on my mother's wrist.

It was the only thing that never belonged to her.

Rain dripped down her hair, indistinguishable from tears.

The Taoist priest gazed at her silently as raindrops dripped from the edge of his straw hat, splashing tiny water droplets on the bluestone slab.

"What does the young lady plan to do?"

Before he could finish speaking, a flurry of footsteps suddenly came from the alley entrance.

The light of the torches pierced the rain curtain as Jiang Jincheng led his servants in.

The jade pendant at his waist jingled as he ran; it was a birthday gift that Jiang Jinshu had personally chosen for his elder brother last year.

"Witch!" Jiang Jincheng roared, "How dare you use your seductive words to bewitch my sister!"

The Celestial Master suddenly laughed.

When she looked up, her eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight. "My surname is Lu, and my given name is Yao."

With a flick of her wrist, a copper coin brushed past Jiang Jincheng's ear. "Please address me as Master Lu."

"Sister!" Jiang Jincheng grabbed Jiang Jinshu's slender wrist, his grip so tight it almost left a red mark. "This vixen is skilled at bewitching people; don't fall for her tricks!"

Men in the capital all disliked and even feared this young female fortune teller who set up a divination stall in a deep alley.

They privately called her a witch.

In her eyes, their romantic escapades, exam cheating, and secret plots were all laid out in the finest detail, like bamboo slips laid out before them.

Jiang Jinshu remained completely still when facing Jiang Jincheng.

She slowly raised her eyes, and her usually gentle almond-shaped eyes were now filled with frost, which made Jiang Jincheng's heart tremble suddenly.

“Young Master Jiang,” Lu Yao interjected, “Miss Jiang refuses to go with you; you must respect her decision.”

"Shut up!" Veins bulged on Jiang Jincheng's forehead. "It's none of your business to interfere in the affairs of the Jiang family!"

Lu Yao chuckled softly, her laughter like pearls falling onto a jade plate, yet it sent a chill down Jiang Jincheng's spine.

"Young Master Jiang, how did you write your 'Memorial on Politics' for last year's autumn examination? I wonder what the examiner will think when he sees the two characters 'Jin Shu' (锦书) at the end of the original manuscript."

Jiang Jincheng's face turned deathly pale instantly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

How could this enchantress know?

The essay that propelled him to the top tier was clearly a casual piece his younger sister had written in her room.

“Copying a few poems is nothing more than deceiving the world and stealing fame,” Lu Yao’s voice was as light as a feather, yet as heavy as a thousand pounds, “but to dare to plagiarize even examination essays—”

She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, and Jiang Jincheng staggered back half a step, his official boots stepping into a puddle.

“According to the Great Sheng Law, those who cheat in the imperial examinations—” Lu Yao slowly recited the legal provisions, “will be stripped of their academic titles and exiled three thousand miles away.”

"In severe cases, the perpetrators will be executed by being cut in half at the waist in the marketplace, and their families for three generations will be barred from holding official positions."

Jiang Jincheng's expression changed drastically, then he gave a sinister smile: "What proof do you have?"

He turned to Jiang Jinshu, his tone suddenly softening, "Sister, if anyone slanders you, they can simply say you plagiarized my work. Only when the Jiang family prospers can you prosper. When you get married, you'll need a strong family to support you, won't you? You've always been the most sensible."

Lu Yao clicked her tongue softly, shook her head and sighed, "Young Master Jiang, you're too shameless."

She ignored him and turned to Jiang Jinshu: "Do you want justice?"

Jiang Jinshu stared blankly at his brother, seemingly still stunned by his shamelessness. After a long while, he whispered, "Justice... does it really exist in this world?"

Lu Yao flicked her fingers, the copper coin dancing nimbly between her knuckles: "If you don't even have the courage to cry out for justice, then there will naturally be no justice in this world."

Jiang Jinshu remained silent for a moment, then a resolute look gradually appeared in his eyes: "...Fine, I will seek justice."

Lu Yao smiled slightly: "The handwriting may be difficult to decipher, but the poison is irrefutable evidence. When the poison of the black beak enters the body, the pulse will definitely be abnormal. The pulse records and medicine residue from the Imperial Hospital can be examined by the coroner of the Ministry of Justice."

She paused, her smile deepening. "Coincidentally, Minister Li of the Ministry of Justice owes me a favor. His daughter's fiancé was keeping a mistress, and I helped her calculate this rotten affair and ended this ill-fated relationship. With this connection, I will definitely prevent your father and brothers from having absolute power."

The story of Jiang Jinshu, the young lady of the Jiang family, accusing her brother of stealing her poems and articles, and her parents poisoning her to blind her in order to protect her brother, has become the hottest topic in the capital.

In the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, the evidence was irrefutable.

The medical records of Jiang Jinshu after she was poisoned, the black beak residue in the medicine dregs, and the original manuscripts of her poems and essays written in her early years but signed by her brother were all presented.

The presiding Minister of Justice, with a somber expression, pronounced the verdict in court:

Jiang Jincheng plagiarized other people's articles and took the imperial examination under a false name. According to the law, he was stripped of his academic title, given one hundred strokes of the cane, and exiled three thousand li away.

Jiang's father and mother were both sentenced to three years in prison, and half of their property was confiscated and given to Jiang Jinshu as compensation.

Despite the overwhelming evidence, the prominent families in the capital were still abuzz with discussion.

In teahouses and taverns, many people shook their heads and sighed: "Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. Even if our parents are wrong, how can we, as their children, take them to court? This Miss Jiang is too cruel."

Even more pedantic Confucian scholars angrily said, "A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent! If she had been content with her lot and hadn't flaunted her talents, how could she have caused such a disaster? Now her father and brothers have been convicted, and the Jiang family has lost all face. How will she ever be able to stand up in this world again?"

The elders of the Jiang family have declared: "This woman is extremely rebellious; her name should be removed from the Jiang family genealogy!"

Faced with rumors and gossip, Jiang Jinshu, wearing a plain gauze blindfold, stood in front of the Criminal Department with Lu Yao's help.

"They say I'm heartless?" She chuckled softly, her voice hoarse. "Then I'll be heartless to the end—"

Jiang Jinshu used the compensation she received from selling her possessions to build a girls' academy in the south of the city. A stone tablet in front of the academy was inscribed with:

"Talent transcends gender; virtue lies in right and wrong."

Lu Yao leaned against the academy gate, tossing a copper coin high into the air and catching it again, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "Now, the capital is going to be even more lively."

After the Jiang family case was settled, Lu Yao's reputation spread like wildfire over the imperial city walls.

The Empress Dowager sent a phoenix-shaped sedan chair to invite them, saying that she had dreamt of a blue phoenix entering her bosom the night before and wanted to ask about its fortune.

Lu Yao placed three copper coins in the Empress Dowager's palm and said, "The Azure Phoenix has descended upon the world, signifying the great flourishing of education for women throughout the land."

This coincided perfectly with Jiang Jinshu's plan to establish a girls' academy, which amazed the Empress Dowager.

The old emperor summoned her at the Double Ninth Festival banquet and asked if she had any requests. She then revealed the overlapping sun and moon in the divination: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Observatory has overlooked a Ziwei star."

Three days later, news of the successful pacification of the flood indeed came from the southeast.

The following year, when the reign title was changed to Tianxian, the young female Celestial Master was granted the title of National Preceptor.

According to the "Records of Stars" on the desk of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, when the Purple Star accompanies the moon, a guest star will break through the clouds and arrive.