Lady of the Minister

Perhaps she's been under too much pressure lately, thinking that maybe going for a walk might help her see things more clearly, and perhaps she wouldn't be so lost in thought.

After returning home, she felt a pang of regret. She thought it over and over, why couldn't she leave? Was it because they were afraid that if she left, she would have no one to rely on in the future? Now that she was so capable and handled affairs with ease, she could easily make a living through business until old age. She couldn't understand it.

In the evening, Peng Xuan'an entered the palace to request a four-day rest, which the emperor granted.

The next morning, they prepared a carriage early and headed to a place called Juanzhou.

On their way to Juanzhou, they happened to arrive at dinner time and passed through a village. The simple carriage stopped in front of an inn, and the two of them got off and went inside.

The waiter greeted the distinguished guests with a bright smile, "Are you here for a stay or a meal?" He sized up the two men's clothes; though simple, their demeanor was extraordinary. He could tell at a glance that they were from a wealthy family.

The inn wasn't crowded, but it was still lively.

"Let's eat," he said.

He glanced at Pang Linqiu beside him; her eyelashes were lowered, and she still looked preoccupied. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, to take her hand and ask her what was wrong?

The waiter gestured for the customer to enter, saying, "Please come in, sir."

His hand trembled, wanting to hold hers but then he hesitated and let it fall limply. He mustered his courage and decided to take her hand anyway. Just as he approached her hand, she noticed and quickly went inside to find a table. "Waiter, I'd like to order."

He smiled helplessly and sat down as well.

The waiter enthusiastically poured tea for the two of them, "What would you like to eat, sirs?"

What kind of signs do you have?

"We have Dongpo pork, Taibai duck, Ji Shengmu braised fish..." he listed a series of famous dishes.

Pang Linqiu remained silent, continuing to sip her tea.

Peng Xuan'an looked at her, "Madam, which one would you like to eat?"

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Don't miss this scene of Madam Lu's private affair!"

"Why did it have to be mealtime? Hey, cousin, wait for me!"

Two children suddenly appeared at the entrance of the inn. One urged the person behind him to hurry up, while the other chased after them. Their voices drifted into the inn, instantly attracting Pang Linqiu's attention.

Turning to look at the street outside the shop, I saw a few more people—some curious, some watching the drama unfold, and some lamenting. They were all heading in the same direction, just like the two children, to see the play.

Pang Linqiu couldn't help but look at the waiter curiously, "Waiter, what's going on outside? Why is it so lively?"

The waiter glanced at the pedestrians outside and said, "This group of people is busy going to the county government office to watch a play."

What play?

"I heard it's Lu Yue, the drunkard. His wife ran off with someone else and was caught a few days later. She's probably being interrogated now."

Pang Linqiu stood up, turned around and walked outside, and Peng Xuan'an quickly followed and grabbed her.

"Isn't Madam going to eat?"

"I'm not hungry, I want to go take a look."

He was a little worried. "I'll go with you."

Pang Linqiu nodded, letting him do as he pleased.

Only the waiter stood there silently; a rare customer had just vanished...

The county government office wasn't far from here, and the two followed the crowd of onlookers until they found it. A group of people stood at the entrance, making it difficult to see what was happening inside.

A crisp slap echoed loudly inside, becoming a terrifying sound even among the onlookers.

Then came the man's angry curses: "You slut! I've been feeding and drinking you, and you dare to run off with someone else!"

Pang Linqiu felt a strange pang of sympathy for the woman after hearing her story. She wanted to see what was happening inside, but all she could see were dark, swarming heads. Peng Xuan'an, who was taller in the crowd, saw the scene inside and was shocked.

Inside the yamen, a woman lay half-prone on the ground, her legs sprawled out as if broken, her weathered face bearing a prominent red handprint. The man knelt on the ground, pointing at the woman and looking up at the county magistrate.

He hesitated, wondering if he should let her see it. He felt sorry for the woman in that scene.

He had often heard of cases where quarrels between ordinary couples escalated to the point of involving the government. He glanced at her, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. He wondered if witnessing this scene would stir up some feelings in her and cause her to distance herself from him.

He glanced up again at the scene inside, then looked down at her. She had somehow squeezed into the crowd and rushed to the front. He didn't need to hesitate any longer; he didn't want her to see, but she had already run to the front to see.

"How dare you, Lu Yue! This is not a place for you to beat people up!" The county magistrate, who was over forty years old, slammed the wooden tablet on the table.

"Your Honor, you must do me justice!" The man instantly changed his attitude, looking aggrieved like a victim, accusing the woman beside him: "I treated her well, and she ran off with another man! If I hadn't searched for her so desperately, I'm afraid I would have been lonely for the rest of my life."

The woman was disheveled, propping herself up on her elbows, her wrinkles around her eyes prominent, and tears streaming down her face. She looked to be around forty years old, her life weathered. "Sir," she cried, "I just want to live..."

The county magistrate exclaimed in confusion, "Oh?" and looked at her. "Madam Lu, what do you mean by that?"

The woman wept and said sadly, "My lord, if I don't run away, he will beat me to death. I just want a peaceful place to live, and I never eloped with a man."

"Nonsense!" Lu Yue exclaimed in alarm.

"Quiet!" The county magistrate glared at him.

Pang Linqiu was curious about what had happened, so Peng Xuan'an squeezed into the crowd, took her hand, and whispered in her ear, "Madam, let's not watch anymore, okay?" He lowered his head, not wanting to affect the people behind him.

"I want to see."

"Aren't we going sightseeing?" He didn't want her to see, afraid that what was about to happen would affect her opinion of him.

Pang Linqiu found him annoying, "Watch it first, then go."

"But……"

"Sir, she is a wife I bought from a slave trader. Shouldn't I teach her how to be a good wife and mother?"

"In these ten years, she gave birth to two money-losing daughters for me. Shouldn't I blame her? Sir! She's trying to extinguish the bloodline of my Lu family! I'm the one who provides all the money in the house, and she's lazy and irresponsible. Shouldn't I reprimand her?"

The magistrate looked at her solemnly: "Mrs. Lu, is that really the case?"

The woman, Mrs. Lu, wept bitterly, crying out, "My lord! It's not what he said! Lu Yue gambles and drinks all day long, and when he's drunk, he beats me to vent his anger. If I don't escape, he will really beat me to death, my lord! I beg you! Please let me leave him!" She kowtowed and pleaded.

"During the day I'm busy running around, farming, weaving, and taking care of the children, while he keeps asking me for money to gamble..."

"Shut up!" Lu Yue was furious and raised his hand to hit her.

Pang Linqiu couldn't stand it any longer. She raised her hand to strike someone, which was quite obvious, but the county magistrate remained silent. She shouted, "Stop!"

Everyone in the hall looked over and marveled at her courage.

Peng Xuan'an stood there, stunned.

"Who are you?" the county magistrate asked sternly, frowning.

Pang Linqiu was about to enter the hall when she was stopped by two guards.

"The Pang family of Kyoto, the fourth young lady of the Pang family, Pang Zhichun." She said loudly and firmly, not using the identity of the wife of the Minister's wife, but her own.

The county magistrate was taken aback. He considered in his mind her identity and status, and whether she was worthy of his bowing and respect.

He remembered, and hurriedly stood up with a fawning smile, stepping forward to greet her, "So you are the Minister's wife, I was blind."

The onlookers were startled and took several steps back, not daring to approach her.

Sure enough, even when she introduced herself using her own identity, people still only said, "Oh, so you're the Minister's wife!" She didn't want to rely on the status he bestowed upon her to gain respect and deference; she had her own identity too.

"Bring a chair," the county magistrate called out, waving her hand to signal the guards blocking her way to let her in.

The guards on either side lowered their hands, bowed, and gestured for her to enter the hall to rest. "Madam Minister, please!"

Peng Xuan'an didn't want to get involved, but since she was so open about her identity, he had no choice but to acknowledge her as the Minister and enter the hall with Pang Linqiu.

The county magistrate served tea, and he asked curiously, "May I ask what brings the Minister and his wife here?"

"I just happened to be passing by and thought I'd join in the fun," he said.

"I see. It is my honor that Your Excellency has come to my humble village." He deliberately flattered Peng Xuan'an, then glanced at Pang Linqiu and praised, "I never imagined that your wife would be so stunningly beautiful, a perfect match for Your Excellency..."

Pang Linqiu, not wanting to hear his flattery, asked in a cold tone, "Is the county magistrate not going to conduct the trial?"

The county magistrate was somewhat troubled. "Hospitality is paramount. Let's stop here for today and continue the trial tomorrow. I hope Your Excellency and your wife will do me the honor of staying at my home..."

Pang Linqiu immediately became displeased and glared at him, "No need, continue the interrogation."

“But…” he said, looking at Peng Xuan’an with concern.

"As you wish, madam."

The county magistrate nodded helplessly and had no choice but to return to his desk, sit upright, and look down at the two men below and the two men sitting to the side whom he could not afford to offend.

“The county magistrate need not concern himself with us; just proceed with the trial as usual,” she said.

"You're right, Madam! I understand." He was already trying very hard not to notice them.

The county magistrate cleared his throat, reverting to his "fair and impartial" attitude, and asked, "Lu Yue, is what she said true?"

"Your Excellency! I only hit her a few times, but she couldn't take it and decided to sneak out while I was away!"

After hearing this, Pang Linqiu gripped the crossbeam tightly with her fingers, gritting her teeth but remaining silent.

The woman raised her hand to wipe away her tears, "Ten years... Lu Yue! Ten years! You've beaten me for ten years! With every punch and every kick, did you ever think of my life or death?"

“If I didn’t care, you would have been nothing but a skeleton by now. Would you still be alive today? I just didn’t want you to be too spoiled, so I gave you a few slaps to deflate your spirits.”

The woman burst into laughter upon hearing this, looking at him as if she had gone mad: "Spoiled? Hahaha... When have I ever been spoiled? I've worked tirelessly for this family year after year, and what have you done?" She glared at him, weeping: "You took the money meant to save the children's lives! You took the money meant to save Fuxin (your second daughter) to gamble! To buy alcohol! Do you know, that cold winter night, I held her in my arms, she was so small, so small..." Her voice grew more and more desperate: "Only two years old... lying motionless in my arms..."

She thought of her daughter, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably; she tried to wipe them away, but they wouldn't stop. She repeatedly kowtowed and pleaded, "My lord! I beg you! I beg you! Please let us divorce! I don't want to die!"

The magistrate remained silent. "According to the law, divorce requires your husband's consent. Your pleas to me are useless. I will not interfere in divorce matters."

She was utterly desperate, overwhelmed by helplessness, despair, and pain. She collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, "Why? Why can't I?!"

"I'll have Lu Yue sign and put his fingerprint on this document, so he won't beat you again. What do you think?" He wanted to finish quickly.

"No! I don't want to!" It's useless! Useless! She'll only die faster!

He sighed softly, “Woman Lu, don’t misunderstand my intentions! In Tao Kingdom, men are valued above all else. It is already merciful of me to ask him not to beat you.”

Pang Linqiu was burning with rage, but what could she do?

Lu Fu's gaze suddenly shifted and landed on Pang Linqiu. She adjusted her posture and, with difficulty, dragged her limp lower limbs to face her.

She kept kowtowing and crying, "Madam! Please! I don't want to die! Please save me! I want to live..."

Her hair was disheveled, and her face was unsightly. It was impossible to tell what her expression was, but all that was clear was that she was begging her, pleading with her through tears.