Sure enough, the testimonies of the others did not match his. He had only given each of them a few taels of silver and promised them that when he became their aunt, he would give each of them another 100 taels of silver.

The reason why those people agreed was not because the cakes painted by Zhao Qingye were delicious, but because they wanted to find something to hold against Zhao Qingye so that they could threaten him in the future.

"Where did you get the silver? Tell the truth." The Dali Temple official slammed the wooden stick in shock.

The people who have been promoted have indeed become richer, but this does not include those who have just passed the exam.

Everything has a process. For Zhao Qingye, he is still at the stage of being poor, otherwise why would he need to wear sackcloth?

Therefore, it was impossible for him to take out hundreds of taels of silver at once to bribe the people around Miss Wang.

"That's what I saved." Zhao Qingye said, trying hard to suppress his panic.

Until the last moment, he didn't want to admit that he really didn't want to die.

"Oh, how did you save so much money?" The Dali Temple Minister asked with great interest, with a playful gleam in his eyes like a cat playing with a mouse.

He doesn't even know his death is approaching, so let's see if he won't play a trick on him.

Zhao Qingye couldn't answer. Before he passed the imperial examination, he was just an ordinary farmer's son. A farmer's son might not be able to save more than one hundred taels of silver in his lifetime, so no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't make up a lie.

Even though he had guessed the result long ago, he was unwilling to accept it.

He regretted that he should not have reported the case to the police.

Or in other words, he shouldn't have sold his wife without making a fuss.

He should set a trap and make everyone think that she ran away with a man on her own.

One wrong step leads to all wrong.

The Dali Temple official looked at his gloomy face, smiled, and slapped the wooden stick: "Why don't you tell the truth?"

"I said, I said, I sold her." Zhao Qingye said honestly.

He wanted to continue lying, but if he did, he might get beaten again, so he swallowed the lie silently.

He really doesn't want to be beaten again.

He is now feeling dizzy and numb. If he continues like this, he will die. It is better to tell the truth.

Anyway, selling his wife was not a crime, but his career path was cut short.

But at least he got admitted to a university and had a good future, so he no longer had to work hard.

Everyone was shocked and pointed at him:

"He even sold his first wife. He has read so much that all his books have gone to waste."

"His wife was so good to him, but he betrayed her once he got married. What a ruthless person."

"If you can even sell your own wife, you are unworthy of being a scholar."

Zhao Qingye listened to everyone's scolding without a trace of shame on his face. Those hypocritical guys said nice things, and if they had such a good opportunity, they would definitely make the same choice as him. However, he knew better than to say it aloud to avoid being put in a sack.

…

Qin Ruchu sat in the carriage with her head down. Tang Yiqian stretched out his slender and beautiful hand, lifted her chin, and asked with concern: "What's the matter?"

"I'm fine." Qin Ruchu slapped his hand away and said unhappily.

〖I am just angry. The scumbag didn't receive any punishment. The Dali Temple Minister just let him go, let him go...〗

Tang Yiqian listened to her thoughts and asked carefully, "Are you angry about what happened just now?"

"Shouldn't I be angry?" Qin Ruchu clapped her hands angrily, "He sold his wife, and there were no consequences. There was no cost of committing a crime at all. No wonder there are so many people selling their wives and children."

They are family members, not cats or dogs.

"But selling a wife and children is not illegal." Tang Yiqian said calmly.

Qin Ruchu felt as if a basin of ice water was poured on her, chilling her heart. She forgot that this was the ancient society, where men were the gods and had the power to dispose of women and children in the family. To men, these were all resources that could be utilized, while women and children were tools for them to gain wealth and glory and could be abandoned when necessary.

In fact, she already knew it.

But she didn't want to and was unwilling to accept the reality.

She was unwilling to be a man's vassal.

Man's tools.

I don't want to be abandoned by a man at a critical moment.

She wants to be her own master.

She hopes she can take control of her own life.

"You can." Tang Yiqian seemed to see what she was thinking and said.

Qin Ruchu's eyes flashed with a frightening light, "Really?"

"Aren't you in the Ministry of Justice?"

The Ministry of Justice can make laws. Once the laws are passed, people will no longer dare to sell their wives and children openly, and this will effectively stop these things.

"You're right, I can do it." Qin Ruchu grabbed his arm, raised the corners of her lips, and showed him a brilliant smile: "You reminded me, thank you."

"You're welcome. Who asked you to be my wife? I just want to remind you that this road is difficult."

Reform means bloodshed and casualties. If she fails, she will be doomed. Is she ready?

"No matter how difficult it is, I have to leave. If I don't leave, my daughter and granddaughter will have to leave too. For the future of my daughter and granddaughter, so that they won't be dominated by a man, no matter how difficult it is, I will try."

Maybe the final result will be failure, but she has planted the seed of fire, so she can be considered successful.

Tang Yiqian looked at her determined expression with deep eyes and said in a deep voice: "I will help you."

"Hmm?" Qin Ru looked at him with suspicion.

Tang Yiqian reached out and touched her face. It felt soft and smooth, like the finest silk. He couldn't let it go. "Isn't your daughter and granddaughter also my daughter and granddaughter?"

Qin Ruchu: “…Get lost.” Who said she wanted to give birth to a daughter or granddaughter for him?

Her daughter and granddaughter are hers alone. What does it have to do with him?

System: "Host, there is another melon. Do you want to eat it?"

Qin Ruchu had never thought the system's voice was so pleasant, and said without hesitation: "Eat."

System: "Zhao Qingye's wife has escaped and is complaining to him."

Qin Ruchu suspected that she had heard wrongly: "What did you say?"

System: "I said Zhao Qingye's wife is complaining to him, hoping to get his sympathy, because she doesn't know that she was sold by her husband, she just thinks it's her bad luck to encounter this."

Qin Ruchu: 〖……〗

System: "But now I am ready to tell her that Zhao Qingye's wife is the daughter of a butcher. She has been helping her family slaughter pigs since she was a child and has developed a lot of skills."

If she knew that she was betrayed by Zhao Qingye...

Qin Ruchu: "Very good. Where is Zhao Qingye? Tell me."

She couldn't wait to see his excitement, so that she could soothe her disgusted mood.

Isn't there a saying that if the people you don't like are unhappy, you will be happy.

That's just the way she is.

System: [Right at the city gate.]

Zhao Qingye was recovering from his injuries at a clinic not far from the city gate when he ran into his wife who had just escaped...

Qin Ruchu quickly lifted the curtain and said to the coachman, "Turn around, I want to go to the city gate."

"Okay." The groom turned the horse around without asking any more questions.