Chapter 265: Ending
Qu Ling turned to look at the official who had spoken. "Shameful things? Tell me, which one is shameful?"
The official's face was full of contempt.
A woman keeps a lover. Is such a dirty thing worthy of being brought up in the court?
He said, "Yu Liang was corrupt and perverted justice, and framed loyal officials. He should be punished for all his crimes. Why should we dwell on who he killed and what dirty deeds he did in his backyard?"
"Of course it must be corrected."
Qu Ling said firmly, "I brought Jiang Liniang here."
There was a buzz of discussion in the hall.
Someone scolded, "This woman is unfaithful in her marriage and has an affair with a man outside her family. She is violating moral standards. How can we allow her to enter the Golden Throne Hall? She is defiling this sacred place."
"If you think it's dirty, you can just take off your official uniform and get out of this palace." Zhao Yuanrong glanced over.
The hall was completely silent.
The emperor raised his hand and said, "Bring the man up here. I want to see him."
The guards led Li Niang into the hall.
She was wearing a clean, plain prison uniform, no makeup, and her hair was simply tied up in a bun.
Facing the contemptuous or inquiring gazes of the civil and military officials in the court, he did not feel awkward at all.
She walked to Qu Ling's side calmly, knelt down and saluted, "The guilty woman Jiang, I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
The emperor's questions were almost the same as the ones Qu Ling asked in Jiangnan.
Li Niang's answer was the same as that day, but her tone was more calm.
"It is natural for a man to have three wives and four concubines. If a woman is dissatisfied, even divorce is not allowed."
"I can only watch the person who once sat by my side become unrecognizable, feeling aggrieved."
"There are virtuous and generous women who accept it, those who weigh the pros and cons and endure it, and those who are stubborn and will fight their husbands to the death. And the guilty woman, for example, will give him a taste of his own medicine."
The court officials looked at each other in bewilderment.
Some people murmured, "It is indeed inappropriate for Yu Liang to keep a concubine. It would be more correct to take her into the palace."
"But you're having an affair over such a small matter. That's too much."
The emperor then asked, "What do you think?"
Everyone lowered their heads and stopped talking.
Who doesn’t have any concerns?
If what Li Niang said were really done, and the wives and concubines in the family followed suit, wouldn’t the whole place be in chaos?
The emperor slowed down his tone and said, "Today is a meeting. If you have anything to say, please speak up. There is no need to be shy."
Among the court officials, several young officials who had been promoted after the fall of the Song family exchanged glances.
They tried to guess what the emperor was thinking.
The emperor couldn't have been unaware of Li Niang's presence here.
The emperor wanted to make a fuss about this matter.
Then someone stepped forward and said, "I believe that Yu Liang's case could have been avoided."
"What Li Niang said is not entirely without reason. If she had been able to divorce smoothly and leave the Governor's Mansion, the subsequent entanglements and killings might not have happened."
"I boldly propose that the old system of divorce be abolished and divorce by peaceful consent be promoted."
"If one party disagrees, they can appeal to the government. Regardless of the reason for the divorce, the woman's dowry must be returned in full. The divorced woman must also be allowed to establish her own household and not be controlled by her natal family."
Some people questioned, "How can marriage be treated as such a trivial matter? If women demand divorce at the drop of a hat, wouldn't that disrupt social order?"
"Aren't the so-called principles and moral principles also established by humans? Since they are established by humans, they can be modified to make them more reasonable."
"you--"
Those who opposed it were furious, "Have you ever considered that if a divorce is forced upon them, the unhappy husband's family will definitely harm the woman secretly, and there will only be more murders."
"This is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater," said Jiang Yanzheng, another young official. "Do we have to block all rivers just because we're afraid of drowning?"
These young officials did not care whose interests were infringed, they only wanted to repay the emperor for his promotion.
Besides, nothing else matters compared to promotion and wealth.
Even if Your Majesty wants to abolish concubines, they will agree.
It would be best if those old stubborn people strongly opposed it and angered His Majesty.
Only when someone is dismissed from office can someone be promoted.
Moreover, this kind of ethical code is not some heavy tax that harms lives.
Your Majesty is far from a tyrant, and they are far from treacherous ministers.
There was a great deal of noise in the hall, with voices of approval and opposition rising and falling, and the arguments continued.
The emperor looked at several important ministers.
These old foxes have a clear mind.
In their view, the emperor was willing to improve the situation of women, so there was nothing wrong with going along with it.
So they came forward one after another and said that the young people's proposal was too arbitrary.
You need to take into account both emotion and reason, and also consider the woman's livelihood after the divorce.
He also said that when it comes to revising the laws, long-term planning is required.
The emperor then said, "Since that is the case, this matter will be led by the Crown Prince, who will then select suitable officials to implement it. The Ministry of Revenue and relevant officials will fully cooperate. We will first draft a set of regulations and then gradually implement them."
Li Niang's legs were numb from kneeling, but she was very happy.
The officials had nothing to argue about.
Qu Ling then talked about another thing.
"Yangzhou Chief Clerk Sun Han often beats his wife for no reason. Such a tyrannical man, so cruel even to his partner, how could he, as an official, love the people like his own children and show sympathy for them?"
"If an official beats his wife and holds a high position, the people will follow suit. Over time, more and more people will be beaten and have no one to turn to for help."
This time no one disagreed.
It is wrong to hit people.
Beating one's wife and children is even more shameful.
Even if someone has done something in private, they dare not speak out about it openly.
"As an official appointed by the court, he treats his wife like this. He is unworthy of being a man. Sun Han will be demoted to a commoner, given 20 strokes of the cane, and will never be employed again as a warning to others." The emperor gave the order immediately.
He also pardoned Li Niang, "You have committed adultery and should be punished according to the law. However, I appreciate your courage in submitting evidence against Yu Liang. Your Highness pleads for your pardon and you may return home."
Li Niang kowtowed and thanked him.
That night, she left the capital.
Qu Ling gave her a set of clothes and said, "Take care of yourself."
Li Niang sat at the dock all night with the silver bills in her pocket.
When it was daybreak, he smiled and took a boat straight down to the south of the Yangtze River.
She did not return to her parents' home.
He ordered some wine and bought some side dishes, then went to Fan Shu's house.
Fan Shu was also spared punishment because he reported Yu Liang. He was only beaten with ten sticks and then sent back.
Li Niang asked about his home address and entered Fan Shu's house amid the pointing and talking of passers-by.
The simple house can barely keep out the wind and rain.
"Li Niang, is that you?"
Fan Shu was shocked when he saw the familiar figure. He quickly put on his clothes and got up from the bed.
"You're back?"
"It's me, I'm back." Li Niang smiled, put the things she brought on the table, and sat down.
"Please sit down. I want to talk to you."
Fan Shu was a little dazed, then he moved over to the bamboo chair and sat down.
He lowered his head and said nothing.
"What are your plans for the future?" Li Niang asked.
Fan Shu's throat tightened, his eyes filled with confusion. "I want to... leave Yangzhou."
He said to Li Niang, "Would you...would you like to go with me?"
"Where are you going?" Li Niang smiled.
He poured Fan Shu another glass of wine and asked, "Are you going to your hometown?"
"Yes, come with me," Fan Shu said, his Adam's apple rolling. "I'll take you to meet my adoptive father, and I'll marry you."
Li Niang laughed, "Will he agree?"
Fan Shu lowered his head and said nothing.
"See, you lied to me again." Li Niang drank a glass of wine.
"You knew your adoptive father would never agree to you marrying me, yet you still wanted to take me back."
"In the end, it was nothing more than making me feel wronged."
"If you really want to marry me, why leave Yangzhou?"
Fan Shu drank the wine in front of him in one gulp, looking embarrassed. "What happened between you and me has spread like wildfire in Yangzhou City. Why should we stay here and be looked down upon?"
Li Niang poured herself another glass of wine and said, "When you approached me, you should have known that you would not have a good ending in this life."
Fan Shu was shocked.
Li Niang continued, "It's the same for me. From the first man I met, I never thought about having a good ending."
"I'm so glad to have met the princess. I have the opportunity to speak my heart out to Your Majesty in this lifetime."
Li Niang drank one cup after another.
"I took the wrong path and did the wrong thing. Your Majesty has forgiven my sins, but I can't turn back."
"Everyone in front is dead. I killed them all. You are the only one left."
Fan Shu's eyes suddenly widened.
An intense pain came from my chest.
He opened his mouth and blood dripped from it.
"Li Niang..."
Only then did Fan Shu realize that he was unable to speak.
Before he lost consciousness, he vaguely saw that the corner of Li Niang's mouth was bleeding.
"Who told you to lie to me? Let's settle all our grudges in the underworld."
This was the last sentence he heard.
Qu Ling held Jiangnan's letter in his hand with a complicated expression.
Li Niang and Fan Shu are dead.
Sun Han lost his job for beating his wife, but the third daughter of the Nian family refused to separate from him no matter what.
It's getting worse.
He was arrested by the government again and whipped twenty times.
The government used him as an example.
If an official beats his wife, he will lose his job and be demoted to a commoner, or be whipped twenty times if he does not change his ways.
Many people have become more restrained.
The men had complaints against the emperor.
The women were very happy, as life was finally not as difficult as before.
Sun Han became a key target of observation. After being whipped several times, he became completely obedient.
The third girl happily returned to her parents' home and said, "He has changed and he treats me very well now."
Mrs. Nian Er was furious and lay in bed for several days without being able to get up.
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