Chapter 147 The truth is as clear as a mirror

“Crackle—”

Wen Xiangjun and Zhao Yuanchun stood at the entrance of the post station, watching the postmaster light a string of big red firecrackers with a long wooden stick.

The crackling sound of firecrackers made this secluded post station lively.

Today is New Year's Eve.

The two had to stop and rest at the post station.

Everyone else at the post station had returned home for reunions, leaving only the postmaster behind. His wife brought their two daughters and New Year's goods to reunite the family.

After the firecrackers are set off, the steaming dumplings are ready.

The county magistrate's thirteen-year-old eldest daughter and twelve-year-old youngest daughter brought two bowls of dumplings to Wen Xiangjun and Zhao Yuanchun and said respectfully, "My two lords, please try our dumplings."

The county magistrate's wife clutched her apron and smiled ingratiatingly at the two men.

Wen Xiangjun and Zhao Yuanchun did not refuse. They thanked him and took it, sitting at the table with the two little girls.

The county magistrate also came back, closed the door, rubbed his hands and sat down.

The charcoal fire in the stove has not yet gone out.

The dumplings in the bowl were steaming and producing white mist.

After eating a delicious and juicy dumpling and drinking a sip of soup, the chill I had just felt outside was dispelled.

The postmaster wiped his nose and wiped it on the side of his shoe.

His wife glared at him and said, "How can you behave like this in front of the two adults?"

The postmaster smiled awkwardly and picked up the bowl: "I am rude and disturbed you two. I will go to the stove to eat."

Wen Xiangjun said hurriedly, "It's nothing to disturb us. Don't we need to wipe our noses? Sit down quickly, sit down quickly."

Zhao Yuanchun said, "Besides, this is supposed to be your family reunion dinner. The two of us interrupting would be a real disturbance."

The postmaster's wife was flattered and said, "Your Excellency, what are you talking about? We are so happy that you two have the honor to eat with us. How can this be considered a nuisance?"

She was a little excited and a little embarrassed, rubbing her hands and said, "My lords, can I ask you something?"

Wen Xiangjun smiled and said, "Just ask, sister-in-law."

She said, "I see that you two are both women, yet you are both officials. May I ask, sir, is it true that women can be officials nowadays?"

Wen Xiangjun nodded and said, "Your Majesty has already issued an imperial decree in the autumn allowing women to enter government and attend school. Doesn't Linfen know this?"

The postmaster continued, "I have heard of this matter, but... none of the masters here would take it seriously. The adults I serve at the post station have only heard about it, but no one has taken any real action."

Wen Xiangjun's expression changed. "How dare they disobey your Majesty's order? How dare they!"

Zhao Yuanchun advised, "Sister, don't worry. Your Majesty is not implementing this forcefully. He is simply giving us a legitimate reason to go to the academy and later enter the government. Moreover, the court is not peaceful. This is no less than a reform. If Your Majesty really implements it forcefully, it may cause instability in the court."

Men have been in power for thousands of years. If we want to compete with them, it will not be done overnight. However, since we are fortunate enough to enter the officialdom, we should do our job well and make a good start. In the future, we should train and recommend more women. When half of the officials in the court are women, even if these officials are not sincere in doing it, or even suppress it, the decree for women to enter the officialdom will be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

Besides, our queen has already entered the court to attend to government affairs, so don't worry, the good days for women are still to come."

Wen Xiangjun's heart burned with excitement when she heard this. Just as she was about to speak, the postmaster's wife excitedly said, "Then, could the two gentlemen please give our daughter a promotion?"

Her eyes were shining, her breathing was a little rapid, and she looked at Wen Xiangjun and Zhao Yuanchun with anticipation and nervousness.

Her thoughts were written all over her face. Zhao Yuanchun had known what she was thinking for a long time. She was not disgusted by her thoughts, but was very pleased.

It is already very rare that she can seize the opportunity to fight for a smooth path for her daughters instead of letting them just get married.

Wen Xiangjun had the same idea and looked at the two little girls.

Neither of them ate their dumplings, but sat very still, not daring to look around.

Wen Xiangjun smiled and reached out to touch their heads. "Entering the government is no joke. They are still young and don't understand anything. If we use our power to push them into the government, it won't be a good thing for them, or for us either."

The postmaster hurriedly said, "You two gentlemen are right. My wife has lost her mind. Please don't take it personally."

The postmaster's wife was not discouraged: "We also know that our daughters are young and don't know anything. We dare not ask the two masters to do big things. It would be good to let them serve by your side and gain experience."

Zhao Yuanchun looked at her and said, "Are you really willing to let your daughter follow us? Think carefully. If you send your daughter to us as a maid, you will hardly see each other in the future. And if you waste time, it will be difficult for her to get married. This is a lifelong thing."

After hearing what she said, the postmaster's wife hesitated.

The postmaster was unwilling and said anxiously, "Your Excellency is right. My wife has lost her mind. Please don't listen to her nonsense."

Zhao Yuanchun nodded and lowered his head to continue eating dumplings.

Although Wen Xiangjun felt a little regretful, since the other party's parents were unwilling, she couldn't say much.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The postmaster's wife suddenly said, "Don't be afraid! What's so good about being married? It's just like being around the stove. Following you two masters, at least you can gain experience and avoid being bullied. If you two masters don't mind and you need someone to serve you, then let them stay with you."

Zhao Yuanchun nodded approvingly, even feeling a little envious of the two little girls. They were really lucky to have such a mother.

She smiled and said, "We don't need them to be our maids. If you are really interested, I can ask the Imperial Concubine to let them enter the palace as maids. His Majesty has set up a civil and military academy in the palace. Lord Wen and I passed the examination at the academy and entered the officialdom. The academy offers many courses. After entering, they can choose the one they like to study. They will also receive a monthly allowance. However, it will be a bit tiring for palace maids, after all, they still have to work after class."

When she heard that she could enter the palace and receive a monthly stipend, the postmaster's wife's eyes lit up again. She was so overjoyed that she pulled her two daughters to her side and said, "Hurry up and kowtow to the two adults!"

The two daughters knelt down obediently.

Wen Xiangjun hurriedly stopped them and said with a smile, "The palace is in need of women, and the government needs women even more. You are providing timely assistance. There is no need to kowtow. Just sit down."

The mother, daughter and their two companions responded cheerfully and sat back happily.

Unexpectedly, the postmaster said, "My two lords, don't listen to them. My family only has two daughters, and they are not as good as others. Now even my daughters are gone, so I..."

Before Wen Xiangjun and Zhao Yuanchun could say anything, the postmaster's wife interrupted him and yelled, "What's the point of having them around? If they run into a bully, the whole family will suffer. Don't you know what happened to the Chen family? If our daughter ran into something like that, what would you do? It would be better to let our daughter enter the palace. If she has a promising future, then we won't have to worry about bullies. Why don't you just take advantage of your daughter's fame and become a wealthy old man when you're old? You're so short-sighted!"

Wen Xiangjun silently gave a thumbs up to the postmaster's wife.

The postmaster was stunned by the noise.

Come to think of it, this is indeed the case.

Even if daughters are not allowed to enter the palace, once they get married, they will still have people around them, they will just be closer.

But if they enter the palace, regardless of whether they can be as glorious as the two adults in the future, they can at least learn something and have a skill to rely on.

Having a skill will give you confidence, and when you get married in the future, you will have enough energy to take care of your parents.

Seeing the Postmaster's expression, Wen Xiangjun knew that he had relented, so she deliberately asked, "It seems that someone is unwilling, so even if..."

"Yes! Yes!" The postmaster was anxious when he heard it, and said hurriedly, "I was distracted just now. I am willing! Sir, please don't hold it against me!"

Wen Xiangjun smiled and said, "I won't bother with you, don't worry."

Zhao Yuanchun, who was standing nearby, suddenly looked at the postmaster's wife and asked, "What did you just say? The bully... and the Chen family matter. Was the bully called Zhao Sihu?"

The postmaster's wife nodded and said, "His name is Zhao Sihu. Has your Excellency heard about it?"

This post station is close to Linfen, so it is not surprising that they know about this case.

Wen Xiangjun and Zhao Yuanchun immediately perked up.

Zhao Yuanchun said, "I have heard of it, but I don't know the specific circumstances. Can you tell us more about it?"

The postmaster's wife immediately recounted the whole story.

The Chen family lived in Renyi Village, Dongxiang, Linfen County.

On the third day of September, Chen's mother went back to her parents' home for something, and Chen's father had to get up early to work. His eldest daughter and two sons were still sleeping soundly. He couldn't bear to disturb his children, so he just got up, closed the door and went out.

There was a grocery store opposite the Chen family. The owner of the store was called Zhao Sihu. He was a very evil man. When he saw that the Chen family members were not at home, he broke into the Chen family and raped Chen Xianger.

At this point, the postmaster's wife was furious: "The eldest daughter of the Chen family is only eleven years old, younger than the two in my family. That Zhao Sihu is nothing!"

It was exactly as the victim said.

Zhao Yuanchun suppressed his anger and deliberately asked, "In broad daylight, you actually did such a wicked thing. Isn't Zhao Sihu afraid?"

The postmaster's wife said, "Zhao Sihu is rich, and the government office is a place that takes money. He is naturally not afraid of using money to open the way." When Chen Shizhu came back and saw his daughter covered with bruises, he immediately reported Zhao Sihu to the county government. However, the county magistrate did not try the case and dismissed Chen Shizhu's complaint on the grounds that the case was unclear and could be discussed later.

The Chen family was dissatisfied and filed another lawsuit, and asked the midwife who examined the woman's injuries at the county government to examine Chen Xiang'er's injuries as well. However, the midwife deliberately refused, and Zhao Sihu took the opportunity to cry out that she was wronged.

The Chen family naturally failed to win the lawsuit, and their lawsuits were repeatedly dismissed.

But the Chen family did not back down and continued to sue again and again. Everyone in our county knew about it.

I guess the county magistrate was afraid of being criticized, so he brought Zhao Sihu in for questioning.

My two daughters and I went to see it that day. Zhao Sihu refused to plead guilty and kept shouting that he was innocent.

The county magistrate interrogated Chen Xianger again.

Chen Xianger told the whole story of how she was raped.

The county magistrate actually said, since you were raped by Zhao Sihu, your lower body must be injured. As long as I personally examine your injuries, the truth will be revealed.

Although Chen Xiang'er was young, she knew that men and women should not touch each other, let alone such a thing. She flatly refused and only asked the county magistrate to let a woman from the county government office come to examine the body.

However, the county magistrate rejected Chen Xianger's request on the grounds that she was already engaged and it was inconvenient for outsiders to examine her private parts.

At this time, Zhao Sihu accused Chen Xianger's second uncle Chen Shitou of organizing a group to gamble.

In fact, we all know that it was Zhao Sihu who gathered people to gamble, and he confuses right and wrong in order to intimidate the Chen family.

The county magistrate was a complete piece of shit. He arrested Chen Shitou and threw him into jail without saying a word.

Chen Xiang'er suffered this humiliation, and seeing her second uncle imprisoned, she was so devastated that she committed suicide in court. Alas, such a young lady was gone. The county magistrate, not only had no mercy, but even claimed that Chen Shitou had stabbed Chen Xiang'er to death, and that Zhao Sihu had committed adultery with Chen's mother and was caught by Chen Xiang'er. Both mother and daughter were in cahoots with Zhao Sihu. He only sentenced Zhao Sihu to exile.

Having said this, the postmaster's wife was no longer angry, but only sighed.

The eldest daughter sitting on her left continued, "I've seen Zhao Sihu. He's riding in a big carriage. He's not in exile!"

Wen Xiangjun gnashed her teeth, "A bunch of beasts!"

"The Chen family was so pitiful. They weren't satisfied and filed a complaint, and as a result, Chen Shizhu lost his wife again... We couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so we collected money to send them to the capital to file a complaint. They haven't returned yet, and we don't know what's going on with them." The postmaster's wife sighed, looked at Wen Xiangjun carefully, and said, "Sir, please help them."

Wen Xiangjun didn't hide anything anymore and said, "Don't worry, Chen Shizhu has already gone to the capital. His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine have seen their complaint. Lord Zhao and I are here to investigate this case by His Majesty's order."

The postmaster's wife was stunned for a moment, then clasped her hands together and said happily, "That's great! The Chen family will finally be vindicated. Your Majesty and Your Majesty are so wise!"

Zhao Yuanchun didn't look very happy, and she didn't say much. She listened to Wen Xiangjun and the postmaster talking and finished her dumplings in silence.

When they returned to the room, Wen Xiangjun asked, "What happened to you just now? You didn't say anything after that."

Zhao Yuanchun sat on the bed and said, "I'm thinking about this case."

Wen Xiangjun said, "What else is there to think about? The postmaster's wife has already said that everyone in the county knows about the Chen family. This case is as clear as a mirror. We don't need to report to His Majesty or His Majesty. We can just go to the county and get the person tomorrow."

Zhao Yuanchun said hurriedly, "Absolutely not. This case isn't difficult. The difficulty lies in the layers of officials involved. Many have accepted bribes, from the yamen runners to the prefects. I'm afraid all of them are corrupt. If we just arrest the county magistrate, the others will have already heard about it. It's best not to alert them and report directly to His Majesty and His Majesty."

Wen Xiangjun thought about it and agreed, agreeing with her decision. However, she was furious and pounded the bed, saying, "It's such a clear case, but they couldn't handle those bastards right away. It's really frustrating!"

The room was simple and there was no desk. Zhao Yuanchun unpacked his bag, took out the inkstone and ink stick, poured some water from the basin on it, and slowly ground the ink on his legs. He didn't know what he remembered, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

Wen Xiangjun said, "You can still laugh? I'm almost mad to death!"

Zhao Yuanchun laughed and said, "When I think of their fate, I naturally want to laugh."

Wen Xiangjun was stunned: "What will happen?"

Zhao Yuanchun glanced at her and said, "Given His Majesty's temperament... Sister, what do you think will happen to them?"