Chapter 143
After Yingxiang left, Wenshi was also busy.
Before winter last year, he had already organized manpower to repair and reinforce several dikes in Ping County. Now that the weather is warm and the people are busy with spring plowing, he has not forgotten about repairing bridges and roads. He immediately ordered County Magistrate Su to organize the county soldiers to get to work.
These tasks were all done by the county soldiers; spring planting was a major event for the people.
Unlike the soldiers stationed on the frontier, these prefectural and county soldiers were mostly used by local militia to suppress bandits. There were 500 county soldiers and 1,000 prefectural soldiers.
Of course, if the local banditry becomes too severe, one can request assistance from the capital. There are also tens of thousands of elite troops stationed in the suburbs of the capital to protect it. As long as the emperor approves, they can also support the suppression of local bandits.
Ping County has more than ten towns under its jurisdiction, and there are also many villages. As Wen Shi requested, County Commandant Su led three hundred men, selected a supervisor, and ordered them to start work immediately without delay.
Bridges that need repairing should be repaired, roads that need repairing should be repaired, and once all that is done, any dilapidated houses belonging to poor families should be repaired as well.
"If you ask me, the old county magistrate was much better. He didn't cause so much trouble. This bridge is a bit old, but if everyone is careful when crossing it and holds onto the ropes, nothing will happen. This county magistrate these days is really troublesome, always finding things for us to do."
Some people complained with dissatisfaction.
"Stop talking. The supervisor's coming soon. What if the higher-ups find out and you want to quit?"
The person next to him quickly whispered a reminder.
The county soldiers don't usually train that strictly. Right now, it's a peaceful and prosperous time with few bandits. Most people live and work in peace and contentment, and no one would cause trouble for no reason.
In recent years, some young and middle-aged men have been eager to join the county army camp, where they can receive government pay, live comfortably every day, and not have to work in the fields. How wonderful!
Guarding the city walls, shifts can be changed in half a day, and it's not tiring.
"Sigh, never mind."
It's normal to have complaints. As long as you do things smoothly, Wen Shi will know about it and won't punish you for it, nor is it necessary.
“I remember you’re from that village up ahead, no wonder you’re working so hard.”
"I must work hard. After this is fixed, I will feel more at ease about my family's daily outings."
Beijing
Inside the Imperial Study, Emperor Jingyuan sat on the dragon throne and saw Wen Shi's memorial.
Memorials from local officials, unless they belonged to high-ranking officials on the frontier, had to be checked according to procedure before being sent to them.
Wen Shi delivered it late, and the journey wasn't short, so it wasn't surprising that he received it now.
Emperor Jingyuan opened the memorial and read it word by word. After reading it, he began to make corrections with a faint smile on his face.
"Wen Qing is a capable official. I believe he can govern Ping County well and ensure that the people live in peace and happiness."
When he discovers a problem, he will solve it directly. After arriving in Ping County, he became the county magistrate and began to handle local government affairs and adjudicate cases. He was very busy every day, but he was immersed in it all in order to make a name for himself.
"Your Majesty has a discerning eye. Lord Wen will certainly not let Your Majesty down and will do his duty to the best of his ability."
The emperor smiled upon hearing the compliments from those around him.
“I thought he was young and when he first entered officialdom, who wasn’t working diligently and full of ambition? I didn’t reward him much or give him important positions. But as time goes on, many officials may not be able to stick to their original intentions. They may become lax and lazy, doing things half-heartedly, or they may want to take shortcuts to get promoted and make money.”
"People like that are unusable."
"He persevered. He spent five years in the Hanlin Academy as an editor, working diligently every year without complaint. I still remember the first court records he compiled, and I also remember the last one, without any difference."
"Looking at it now, it was the right thing to let him go. It would be a waste of his talents to keep him in the Hanlin Academy."
"Your Majesty is wise."
"Go and summon the Minister of Justice. I have something to say to him."
"yes."
After reading Wen Shi's memorial, the emperor rubbed his temples and thought of a previous case. It seemed that this matter needed to be resolved; it was no small matter. There were likely similar incidents happening every day in the region, but he couldn't possibly know them all.
In recent years, the court has continued to debate the issue of choosing an heir, but since the eldest son has not yet been born, he does not want to make a choice directly.
As long as his health is not seriously compromised, the matter of succession is not of paramount importance. He has already grown some gray hair, but his health remains excellent.
Not long after, the Minister of Justice arrived. He first paid his respects and, seeing that the emperor seemed to be in a good mood, guessed that nothing bad had happened.
"I remember that when the late Emperor was alive, he revised the law once, and many harsh punishments were abolished to show kindness to the people. Local authorities could not take lives lightly, and death row inmates had to be reviewed by the Ministry of Justice before they could be executed."
"yes."
"Many years have passed, and recently I have been reading the memorials submitted by local officials. I have found that some laws and regulations are still unreasonable."
The Minister of Justice was taken aback, but then adopted a look of listening attentively. If the emperor was dissatisfied with any provision of the law and asked him to amend it, he would certainly do so, as it was his duty.
"All the people under heaven are my children, regardless of gender."
"Your Majesty is right."
“Currently, after a man and woman get married, the land and house are entirely in the man's name, given by his family. I think this is the proper thing to do.”
“But if the man dies suddenly, and he is blindly filial, he will not care about the life or death of his wife and daughters, and will return all the family property. I think this is not reasonable.”
"No woman can guarantee that she will give birth to a son in her lifetime, especially ordinary people, who cannot have three wives and four concubines."
"After a husband dies, a woman can remarry and find someone else to live with, but not all stepfathers in this world are good. I remember there was a case like that a few years ago."
“A stepfather beat three stepdaughters to death while drunk. He was severely punished by the law and lost his life. But if he hadn’t been desperate and unable to survive, I think the mother of these children would not have remarried and taken her children with her, which led to their deaths.”
After the emperor finished speaking, he sat on the dragon throne and looked straight at the Minister of Justice.
“Your Majesty, this has always been the case. When they separated from their families, their belongings were all obtained from the older generation. Since they returned them after their deaths, there is nothing wrong with that.”
"As for a woman remarrying, if her family can't be relied upon, there's really nothing that can be done."
The Minister of Justice paused for a moment after speaking, then immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, may I speak?"
"Go ahead and tell me."
The emperor spoke in a detached tone.
"Filial piety is a matter of course. I know that you care about the people's livelihood and are concerned about all the people under heaven. I think we can add this clause."
“If a woman’s husband suddenly dies after marriage and she has no son to inherit the family business, but has a daughter and does not want to remarry, her husband’s estate will first be used to support the mother and daughter. Before the daughter gets married, the house and land of her husband’s family will be given to the woman to make a living and raise the child. If the woman remarries after the child grows up, she must return the estate to her husband’s family.”
"If she does not marry, after she dies, the land and house will return to her original husband's family. She cannot sell or rent them at will, but can only use them for living purposes."
"Whether the family separates or lives together, the husband's family is not allowed to actively drive out the widow and orphans or seize their land and houses after the husband's death. Violators will be fined and compensate the victims."
The emperor nodded, saying that this change was good and, in a way, achieved the best of both worlds.
This was originally the Minister of Justice's duty. Seeing that the emperor was fairly satisfied, he was relieved. After all, there were many things to consider, but adding this clause was not a bad thing.
Wealthy families value their reputation and generally wouldn't allow such things to happen. Moreover, daughters from wealthy families usually have a dowry when they get married, so even if they encounter a shameless person, they can still support themselves and won't starve.
But ordinary people really don't have that kind of capital, especially women, who can only rely on their own family before marriage and on their husband's family after marriage.
After watching the Minister of Justice leave, the Emperor put Wen Shi's memorial aside and continued reading the next one.
After the Minister of Justice left, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; thankfully, he had a quick mind.
They were afraid of displeasing the emperor, which would result in losing their official positions or being sidelined.
Upon closer examination, the emperor was also acting in the best interests of the people. He couldn't leave women no way out, so there was nothing wrong with that. Clan law is no greater than the law, and this has been true since ancient times.
Upon returning, he immediately summoned his men and added this law to the legislation, thus providing protection for some orphans and widows.
Prefectural City
On the day of the prefect's wife's birthday banquet, Yingxiang arrived at the banquet hall half an hour early. There were already many women gathered there, chatting idly with each other.
Even strangers will greet each other and get to know each other.
She was not of low status; the current social hierarchy was scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant.
It was the prefect's wife's birthday, and since it was going to be celebrated, it was bound to be a grand affair. Yingxiang had been staying here for the past few days and had been treated with exceptional hospitality.
She's secretly learning, and maybe she'll need it someday.
Fortunately, after the birthday banquet, she could buy some things and go home.
"Madam Wen, please sit here."
When the appointed time arrived, the prefect's wife came over, and everyone exchanged pleasantries. Everyone attending the banquet was dressed very formally, and their bodies smelled strongly of cosmetics. Yingxiang, however, did not find it uncomfortable at all.
That pill was truly excellent.
After the banquet began, her seat was not far from the head of the table, so she was considered an honored guest in a way. Yingxiang was dressed appropriately, and she sat upright with a table full of dishes for herself.
Thinking back to what Wen Shi had told his father during the Spring Festival, he realized that wealthy families were indeed very particular, with all the banquets served separately.
"Thank you all for gracing us with your presence today. I will drink this in one gulp first, and you may all make your own way."
Afterwards, everyone picked up their wine glasses. Yingxiang couldn't possibly drink alcohol, so she initially thought she could just cover it with her sleeve. However, when she got closer, she discovered that the glass contained not wine, but warm water.
She was a little surprised, took a small sip to confirm it was warm water, and drank half a cup at once.
Yingxiang silently kept it in mind. Thinking back to the meals that had been delivered these past two days, which seemed to be mostly nourishing, she could understand what was going on. Perhaps she had learned it from her maid, but the thoughtful and proper way of doing things still put her in a good mood.
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