Chapter 234: Shattered
The students originally came to support the Nian family in adhering to their ancestral teachings and resisting the selection of female officials.
At this moment, they all opened their eyes wide, looking at everything happening in front of them with disbelief.
Nian Sihua's eyes were no longer as gentle as Nian Zongben remembered, only coldness remained.
Nian Zongben's eyes widened in anger, his gray beard trembling slightly with rage. "Evil creature, how dare you threaten my brother with a knife? Are you still my daughter of the Nian family?"
Everyone was shocked.
Nian Zhaoqian rushed out holding Nian Sheng, who was covered in blood.
His face was full of anxiety and sadness.
He knelt heavily in front of Qu Ling and cried, "Princess, please save my daughter."
The third wife followed closely behind, already crying her eyes out.
She kept kowtowing to Qu Ling, her shrill cries filled with despair.
"Princess, please make the decision. The selection of female officials is the imperial decree. If I choose a female official, I will die. So please revoke the decree."
Nian Sheng was originally lying in his father's arms with his eyes closed.
She opened her eyes at the right moment, her eyes filled with fear and pleading, her voice weak, "Grandfather, don't kill me... don't kill me..."
Qu Ling had someone carry her to Zhuoxi Courtyard and asked them to take her there. "Let the accompanying female doctor take a look at her."
The third lady thanked him and followed him, stumbling.
Those students who had once stood firmly on the side of the Nian Mansion were dumbfounded, looking at each other, not knowing how to react.
They couldn't believe it.
The most scholarly family in Jiangnan actually wanted to beat their own granddaughter to death to protest the selection of female officials.
There is character, but isn't it a bit too inhumane?
Seeing this, Nian Zhaoyun immediately retorted sharply, "Don't be fooled by this family of three."
He pointed at Nian Sheng and said, "The blood on her body is not hers at all. It belongs to my eldest brother's son."
Then he turned to the stunned Nian Zongben and said, "Father, that vicious woman Nian Sihua injured Ajun's wrist and beat him all over."
Nian Zongben couldn't believe his ears and his face looked ugly.
how so?
Nian Sihua exerted force on his hands, and blood immediately appeared on Nian Zhaoyun's neck. "That beast almost beat my third brother's daughter to death, and he wants to beat me too. Killing him is not too much."
He then said to Nian Zongben, "You think my divorce is embarrassing, and you think your granddaughter's selection as a court lady goes against your wishes. In short, if a daughter of the Nian family doesn't obey your wishes, she will die."
The crowds of people who came to watch the fun were truly amazed.
The Nian family, which has always been known for its virtue and integrity, actually has so many dirty deeds.
Many people actually feel quite comfortable.
I thought you were a clean river, but in fact you are a stinking ditch.
That's wonderful.
At this moment, the students who expressed their support for the Nian family felt a bit uncomfortable.
Qu Ling remained silent.
Only then did he look at Ma Xiao, whose eyes were dull, and said, "You are dying."
She had asked someone about it on the boat coming to Jiangnan.
This Ma Xiao is Nian Zhaofeng's favorite student, and he is very active.
Ma Xiao's forehead was covered in cold sweat and he was panicked.
Nian Zhaoqian kowtowed heavily, his forehead touching the ground. "Princess, I will leave the clan today and have no further connection with the Nian family."
Nian Sihua also put away her knife and knelt down to kowtow, "I, a humble woman, also request to be removed from the Nian family tree."
All his children wanted to distance themselves from him, and Nian Zongben couldn't bear it.
"Shut up, all of you! Shut up!"
In the chaos, Yangzhou Governor Yu Liang finally arrived.
He never showed up, but secretly sent people to follow him.
Ever since Qu Ling started banging on the door, he couldn't sit still anymore.
The princess's behavior was completely different from what he expected.
After Ma Xiao signed the life-and-death bet, he finally put aside his contempt for the princess.
Of course he could see clearly that the princess would not joke about her title.
Then Ma Xiao will definitely die.
This means that something will happen to the Nian family.
He was very sure that even if the Nian family was innocent, they would be framed.
Besides, he knew better than anyone that the Nian family was not so innocent.
But he still didn't expect that the ones who tore off Nian Zongben's face were his own children.
How ironic.
"Your humble servant greets Her Royal Highness the Princess."
Yu Liang was very polite. "I was busy with official business last night and was unable to go to greet the princess. I deserve to die."
Qu Ling smiled faintly, "Sir Governor, you should address me as the Imperial Envoy."
Yu Liang was very respectful. "Princess, or Imperial Envoy, I am at your disposal."
Qu Ling laughed.
Such a sensible person can stay until the last to die.
"Sir Governor, I am following His Majesty's order to select female officials. The Nian family openly defied the order. What is their punishment?"
Yu Liang broke out in a cold sweat.
Of course, the whole family will be executed.
From the princess's attitude, it is clear that the emperor does not care at all whether the methods used in Jiangnan are too harsh.
The emperor just wants to keep the peace.
Jiangnan is unwilling to take the exam, but there are many people taking it.
He pleaded directly, "According to the law, he should be beheaded in public, but please, Princess, please be lenient because this is the first offense for the Nian family."
Nian Zongben is on the verge of collapse.
How come the Nian family was suddenly charged with such a serious crime?
What went wrong?
It wasn't him who organized the exam boycott protest.
He just said a few vague words, and it was left to the students to speculate.
The Nian family never actually said a word to the outside world about opposing the court's selection of female officials.
This was all spontaneously initiated by the students of Tongjiang Academy.
"I have never said that the imperial court should not select female officials, nor have I ever disobeyed an order."
When he said this, Nian Zongben himself was stunned.
He opened his mouth, wanting to change his words, but how could he do so?
The tough guy said directly, yes, my Nian family disobeyed the order, so what?
He knows how to choose between integrity and the lives of his entire clan.
Qu Ling was very satisfied.
"So, Tongjiang Academy didn't instruct the students to boycott the exam in protest, right?"
She forced Nian Zongben to express his position.
She wanted to make the largest scholarly family in Jiangnan become the most painful knife stabbing those students who boycotted the exam.
"Yes, Tongjiang Academy has never given such instructions." Nian Zongben didn't dare to gamble with the Nian family.
Qu Ling chuckled, "Well, from today onwards, anyone boycotting the exam in protest will be expelled from the academy. Is that alright, old sir?"
The students all looked at Nian Zongben.
"I am not the headmaster of the academy. This rule can only be decided after my son returns to the capital and summons the teachers of the academy."
Nian Zong originally wanted to brush it off.
Qu Ling said, "The journey from the capital back to Jiangnan is long and dangerous. The autumn examination is approaching. If Nian Zhaofeng doesn't come back, wouldn't that be a waste of time?"
Nian Zongben's whole body seemed to be frozen.
Is this a threat to him?
He glared at Qu Ling, wishing he could tear her to pieces.
Qu Ling had long been accustomed to being hated.
"Old man, what do you say, is it okay or not?"
Nian Zongben's hands and feet suddenly became stiff, and a feeling of powerlessness arose spontaneously.
Etiquette and laws are only useful to reasonable people, not to butchers.
"It's as the princess wishes."
Qu Ling then burst into laughter. "That's good. Admitting one's mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue. I will not pursue the crime of not allowing my granddaughter to participate in the selection of female officials."
Nian Zongben finally understood what it meant to confuse right and wrong.
She smashed the door of the Nian family and forced them to express their stance. In the end, the Nian family still had to say "Thank you, Lord."
There is really no place to seek justice.
At this point, the students stopped watching the fun and became listless.
I wanted to speak up for justice, but Ma Xiao was kneeling next to me.
People are easily instigated, but when a knife is really put to their neck, they will assess the situation.
After hearing what he wanted to hear, Qu Ling turned to Nian Zhaoqian and asked, "Who beat your daughter?"
Nian Zhaoqian said in a loud voice, "The eldest son of the Nian family, Nian Jun."
"Sir Governor, how should we deal with privately established criminal laws?"
Nian Zongben's expression changed drastically.
Yu Liang knew that he could not be saved, "seriously injured, exiled three thousand miles, or killed, beheaded."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Qu Ling asked.
Nian Zongben roared in despair, "Princess, do you really want to kill them all?"
"He has learned his lesson. If we go into detail, how should the people who hurt him be dealt with?"
At this moment, he hoped Nian Sihua would die.
It was Nian Sihua who brought disaster to the Nian family.
It was Nian Sihua who made him so embarrassed.
"In that case, then I'll spare you the exile," Qu Lingyun said calmly, "I'll give you thirty lashes, right here."
The governor did not dare to plead anymore and ordered the officers to arrest the man.
Qu Ling never set foot in the Nian family.
However, the image that the Nian family had established in Jiangnan collapsed.
Nian Jun was caught, his face pale, frightened and scared. "Grandfather said he wanted to kill her, and I obeyed him."
Nian Zongben was filled with resentment and felt unbearable pain in his heart.
The world-famous old gentleman has been disgraced from today onwards.
Nian Jun was forced to kneel on the ground.
Facing the onlookers.
The executioners were Qu Ling's guards.
Thirty lashes shattered the pride of the Jiangnan Nian family and also broke down the wall that the students had built with their future.
Before he finished the thirty lashes, Nian Jun died.
The long street was extremely quiet.
The princess really can kill people.
"Scholars are weak and can't withstand a few whippings."
Qu Ling's face was full of disgust, which made Nian Zongben completely collapse.
"You killed innocent people in Jiangnan. Even if it costs me my life, I will seek justice!"
He actually crashed directly into Qu Ling's carriage.
The guards restrained him.
Nian Sihua's voice was very clear, "Father is really eye-opening. Nian Jun whipped his sister, which was discipline. Princess punished him according to the law, which is killing innocent people."
"He died from the whipping, and that's the princess' fault. His sister died from the whipping, and that's her own fault."
Nian Sihua spat at him, "What kind of scholarly family is this? They're full of hypocrites."
"You evil creature! In my Nian family, there is no such person as you who betrays your own people!" Nian Zongben cursed angrily.
"Okay, you must do what you say and remove me from the Nian family!" Nian Sihua said disdainfully.
Qu Ling rubbed his brows and said, "Let him go."
The guard let go.
"Are you still going to hit me? If not, I'm leaving."
Nian Zongben's face flushed abnormally, then he spat out a large mouthful of blood and fell limply.
"Father!" Nian Zhaoyun rushed over to support him.
Nian Zhaoqian subconsciously stretched out his hand, but quickly withdrew it.
He can't be soft-hearted.
This time, he must leave the Nian family and find a place to live for his wife and daughter.
Nian Zhaoyun would never dare to confront Qu Ling head-on.
While people were collecting Nian Jun's body, Nian Zongben was carried in.
He wanted to order the servants to close the door, but then he remembered that there was no door at the Nian family's house.
"Hurry up and call the doctor, and go tell my brother the news."
He used busyness to cover up his fear and ran away in a flash.
Qu Ling didn't make things difficult for him.
Come one by one.
Qu Ling didn't rush to leave, but looked at Ma Xiao, whose soul was wandering.
"Hey, you're back to life." She supported her chin with her hand.
Ma Xiao was trembling all over and spoke with difficulty, "Princess, I didn't lose..."
I couldn't even finish a sentence before I could make a sound.
Su Shang killed him with one sword.
He covered his neck with his hands.
The blood stung the eyes of everyone present.
Qu Ling said, "Everyone, don't imitate him and talk nonsense, otherwise, it will be easy to lose your life."
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