Chapter 14 Can it be killed?

Since Zhou Changchun was arrested, the government has investigated and tried him, but has yet to deliver a verdict.

The Zhou family's two children were taken away by Sun's maternal relatives, and people in Yong'anfang often gossiped about it.

Song Sao squatted under the eaves of the Yu family's house and whispered to Zhao Niangzi, "Has the Zhou family's case been decided yet?"

Zhao Niangzi took out a handful of melon seeds from her sleeve and said, "Not yet, but I heard this case is difficult to judge."

The two were talking when they were both drawn to the carriage parked at the door.

Yu Mingshu had just gone to the academy to pick up Yu Dan. She originally wanted to ask Yuan Yi if he had read the article she had submitted, but Mr. Yuan was not at the academy. Yu Dan returned the paper she had submitted untouched.

Just two days ago, she thought her path to education had begun to take a turn for the better, but Yuan Yi's actions were like a bucket of cold water poured on her hopes.

My already speechless mood worsened when I saw the woman squatting at my door.

Yu Mingshu asked helplessly, "Zhao Niangzi, where else could you be talking? Why are you squatting at my doorstep?"

Aunt Song beckoned her closer, pointed to the house next door, and said with great interest, "Just now, the head mistress of the Wei family, Zhang, came with a group of maids and servants!"

Zhao Niangzi also said, "Your house is nearby, so you can see it clearly."

That's a very convincing reason.

Yu Mingshu relented and sat down on the steps: "You weren't talking about Hua Xiaoniang just now, were you? I think I heard something about the Zhou family case?"

Yu Dan sat down close to her, staring intently at Zhao Niangzi with a thirst for knowledge.

Sister Song also said, "That's what I was just about to ask. Murderers should pay with their lives. That's the law of nature. What's so difficult about judging this?"

Zhao Niangzi said, "The difficulty lies in the fact that Zhou Changchun insists that it was Sun who pulled out the hairpin and stabbed him first."

Yu Dan frowned and said, "If Madam Zhou made the first move, this will turn into a mutual fight..."

Zhao Niangzi nodded and said, "If it was really a fight, and Sun Shi struck first, I'm afraid Zhou Changchun will only be sentenced to a hundred or two hundred strokes of the cane."

Sister Song asked again, "According to him, a verdict of mutual assault would be appropriate, so why has the verdict been delayed?"

“Zhou Changchun’s confession has no evidence. Who can prove that Sun pulled out the hairpin and stabbed him first?” Zhao Niangzi suddenly remembered something, and her voice suddenly weakened. “However, I also heard that someone vouched for Zhou Changchun. In a couple of days, this case will definitely be decided.”

Yu Mingshu remained silent for a long time, concerned only with one question: "Can eighty strokes of the cane kill a person?"

Aunt Song shook her head and said, "This sentence is neither too lenient nor too severe. Zhou Changchun is a doctor himself, so he shouldn't die."

The three women sighed in unison.

Women already have it tough in this world. To die unjustly in one's husband's family and not even get justice is unacceptable.

The most absurd thing is that if the genders in this case were switched, and the wife were the one who murdered her husband, she would be sentenced to death on the spot.

"Can one hundred and sixty strokes of the cane kill a person?" Yu Dan suddenly asked.

Zhao Niangzi and Song Sao looked at each other, then nodded hesitantly.

"This... should be possible, right?"

Yu Mingshu stared at him: "What are you thinking about?"

"Sister, don't forget that Zhou Changchun not only murdered Sun Shi, but also dumped her body in the wild river outside the city," Yu Dan said excitedly. "According to the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty, mutilating a corpse and dumping it in the water are punishable by a reduced sentence of one degree for murder in a fight. In this way, with both crimes combined, Zhou Changchun still has a chance of receiving a heavy sentence!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Niangzi and Song Sao were so shocked that they were speechless. They stared wide-eyed for a long time before happily patting Yu Dan's shoulder.

“Your mother always tells me how naughty Sanlang is, but I think he’s actually very clever! He truly deserves to be called a scholar. How come we didn’t think of this?” Sister Song praised.

"A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation," Yu Mingshu sighed with a smile.

Looking closely at Yu Dan's expression at this moment, he was much more energetic than when he was forced to read the Four Books and Five Classics at night. Perhaps this kid was a law student at heart.

While the group was talking, there was some noise from next door.

The gates of the Wei family mansion reopened, and the plump maidservant whom they had met before followed behind Hua Jian. The two of them politely saw Madam Wei out the door.

Even Wei Zhangshi had a warm smile on her face, calling Huajian "little sister" repeatedly, as if she and Huajian were close friends who had known each other for many years.

This scene left the people standing at the entrance of the Yu family's residence speechless.

Yu Mingshu sarcastically remarked, "With a virtuous wife at home and a beautiful concubine outside, Vice Minister Wei is living a truly carefree life."

The day before the next ten-day holiday, news came from the Jingzhao Prefecture that Zhou Changchun's case had been decided.

As Yu Dan had predicted, the two crimes were combined, and he was sentenced to 160 strokes of the cane.

Upon hearing the news that evening, Yu Dan sat in front of a volume of the Book of Rites for an hour, unable to memorize even half a sentence, and kept pulling his sister to talk about the law.

Yu Mingshu had always held law in high esteem, so he didn't urge him to memorize the texts, but listened patiently.

According to Yu Dan's analysis, Zhou Changchun's crimes could have been punished with other penalties, such as imprisonment or exile. As for why the legal advisor was sentenced to caning, it might be due to concerns about Zhou's two children.

Yu Mingshu didn't understand. "While being imprisoned or exiled certainly prevents one from taking care of their children, does that mean that if one is beaten to death with 160 strokes, they can take care of their children?"

“Who knows, Zhou Changchun might be lucky to survive,” Yu Dan shrugged. “As the saying goes, evil deeds can last a thousand years.”

…

After recuperating for about half a month, Wu Qiuniang's health has improved significantly compared to the past ten years, and she is now able to go out to the market on her own.

Yu Mingshu sighed inwardly. Zhou Changchun was a father and husband who could be described as utterly wicked, but as a famous doctor in Xicheng, he had truly accumulated merit.

Human nature is a very complex thing.

April 30th is a ten-day break, and it is also the day when the Zhu family holds a banquet to celebrate their eldest son's success in the imperial examination.

Wu Qiuniang perked up early in the morning and dressed up in a rare way, wearing the brocade dress she used to wear when socializing with her husband's colleagues and their families. She also wore gold and jade hairpins. As the saying goes, clothes make the man and a saddle makes the horse, and this outfit made her complexion look much better.

Yu Mingshu has been in the Great Liang Dynasty for nearly two months. She has always worn commoner clothes and hardly ever wears jewelry. Today, her mother dragged her to dress up, and for the first time, she realized that she was the daughter of an official.

Yu Mingshu stared blankly at the bronze mirror, wondering how to describe the illegal structure above her head. Layer upon layer, towering majestically, it was beautiful as it was, but it was making her cervical spondylosis flare up.

If she had arrived a year earlier, before she even reached marriageable age, would she have needed such an exaggerated hairstyle?

Wu Qiuniang had no idea what her daughter was thinking. Standing behind Yu Mingshu, she looked at the graceful and beautiful girl in the mirror, and her eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.

Yu Mingshu scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, only to find a thick wig. This wig was made of dyed horsehair, and its texture was far inferior to modern wigs.

"Mother, this jade hairpin is a bit heavy. Maybe we should wear fewer of them."

“Today’s banquet is full of distinguished guests. If you remove two hairpins, others will look down on you.” Not only did Wu Qiuniang not agree, she also picked out two more pearl tassels and held them up to her head.

Yu Mingshu sighed with melancholy, trying her best to soothe her cervical spine; this was the price of being a beautiful woman.

After supervising her styling, Wu Qiuniang rushed to the west courtyard. Yu Mingshu's head was too heavy, and she really didn't want to move, so she waited at the courtyard gate.

Men's clothing is lighter than women's clothing, and in less than a quarter of an hour, Yu Dan was dressed and followed his mother out.

It's hard to imagine that Yu Dan could look like a handsome young man when he dressed up properly.

Yu Mingshu was unaware that Yu Dan viewed her in the same way.

"Sister, what kind of deal did you make with the gods behind my back? How did you go from a nun practicing asceticism to a fairy descended to earth overnight?"

Yu Mingshu rolled her eyes at him: "Thank you, but if you don't know how to compliment someone, then don't."

Yu Dan clicked his tongue and said, "This expression is unseemly; it is not the work of an immortal."

Yu Mingshu raised her foot to kick him, but Yu Dan dodged quickly. She could only threaten him from behind: "Come on, find me a whisk used by immortals, and see if I don't whip you and you're done for."

Wu Qiuniang was really annoyed watching the two of them behaving rudely and fighting back and forth.

"When we arrive at Master Zhu's residence later, you two must not be as rude and uncouth as you are now, do you understand?"

The siblings exchanged a glance and agreed in unison.

…

Yu Mingshu firmly believed that there were few truly self-disciplined and proper saints in this world. These seemingly noble families, who put on a show of being polite and well-mannered in front of others, were just putting on a show.

Fortunately, she has some acting skills. She may not be able to play the role of a well-bred lady forever, but it's easy for her to play it for a day or two.

The carriage stopped outside the Zhu family's gate, and Yu Mingshu followed his mother out of the carriage. The road in front of this official residence was indeed extraordinary, much wider than the alleys of Yong'an Ward, allowing two carriages to pass side by side without any obstruction.

Arriving at the same time as the Yu family was the carriage of the Wei family, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

Yu Mingshu thought of Hua Xiaoniang, who lived next door, and the gossip the neighbor ladies were spreading. He almost lost his composure. He barely managed to suppress the urge to wink and exchanged a glance with Yu Dan, and sure enough, he saw the same restrained expression on Yu Dan's face.

Yu Dan leaned close to his mother and whispered, "Mother, this Master Zhu may not be a high-ranking official, but his household is filled with dignitaries and nobles."

Wu Qiuniang glared at him and sternly admonished him, "Be careful what you say and do."

Yu Mingshu secretly noted it down: Master Zhu was good at socializing with superiors.

Upon seeing the Yu family alight from their carriage, Madam Zhu disregarded the other guests and warmly greeted them.

"Sister-in-law Yu! It's been two years since we last met, and you look much better!" Madam Zhu warmly grasped Wu Qiuniang's hand before turning to the brother and sister behind her. "These two must be Miss Mingshu and Sanlang, right?"

Yu Mingshu lowered his head slightly and bowed, but then hesitated on how to address Madam Zhu.

Madam Zhu sensed something and spoke first: "My lord has received great kindness from Brother Yu and has vowed to regard Brother Yu as his own brother. Naturally, he will also regard Mingshu and Sanlang as his own juniors. You two must not be so formal and just call me Auntie."

"Greetings, Auntie." The siblings greeted each other in unison, displaying a remarkable understanding.

Madam Zhu smiled even more broadly and beckoned the young man not far behind her to come forward.

"Sixth Brother, come here quickly and greet Aunt Yu."