Chapter 38: The Scholar Gets a Black Eye
Minglu's head was busy, looking back and forth, at a loss.
"Master—"
Zhan Xingzhu got off the carriage with a dark face and walked towards Yao Qingling.
At this moment, Qingling had already made her way through the crowded throng and was standing at the very front.
After walking that short distance, she understood that this public humiliation was not a punishment or disgrace for a general, but rather the court handing the judgment over to the people.
Let the world judge his merits and demerits.
The people were simple and honest. They only knew that the general had protected them from enemy invasion and their homes. They did not understand the concept of not killing those who surrendered, nor did they understand where the court's benevolence was reflected.
Is it the benevolence that allowed those corrupt officials to escape death when the Yellow River breached its banks five years ago, leaving hundreds of thousands of people displaced, their families destroyed, and their lives ruined?
The people are very honest; whoever protects their lives, they will protect those lives in return.
A thunderous roar erupted from the crowd, demanding that the court release the general, restore him to his original post, and allow him to return to the battlefield!
Yao Qingling was filled with excitement as she looked at the scene before her.
She clenched her fists, raised her arms, and wanted to join in the shouting.
Suddenly, a large hand grabbed her wrist. Qingling turned her head and saw Zhan Xingzhuo with a gloomy face: "This matter has nothing to do with you. Don't get involved."
Qingling pressed her lips together, glared at Zhan Xingzhuo for a while, but her wrist was firmly gripped by him and she couldn't break free. She turned her head to look at the stands again.
Her eyes were shining.
With so many people supporting them, the soldiers' passion will not cool.
Zhan Xingzhuo lowered his eyes, looking at the woman who was excited and passionate.
He suddenly realized that Yao Qingling had been lifeless for a long time, so long that he thought Yao Qingling had always been indifferent, numb, and selfish.
She simply maintained the demeanor of a virtuous wife, dealing with the Duke's mansion, with him, and with the gaze of outsiders.
But at this moment, she came alive before his eyes.
Her eyes shone with a fervent light as she gazed intently at someone; she no longer appeared aloof and haughty, but rather passionately expressed herself.
Zhan Xingzhuo looked intently at Lin Shiyuan in the cage.
This is the person who reignited the storied corruption case, making Zhou Zhining a "remnant of the crime."
Yao Qingling actually got excited for this kind of person?
Women who lack knowledge are easily swayed and lack the ability to think for themselves.
The people pleaded for the general's life, but there were also dissenting voices.
A scholar wearing a jade crown jumped onto the platform and loudly expressed his opinion: "You only see Lin Shiyuan's great military achievements and his protection of the country and the people, but you must also see the consequences of killing surrendered soldiers."
"The longer the war drags on, the more casualties there will be on both sides... You say the general is protecting the people, but what about the people who die in the war? If the war continues, the people will not have peace and will not be able to live a normal life. To avoid the chaos of war, they will have to leave their homeland. Isn't this displacement and separation of family members?"
"These military generals are nothing but killing machines. They fight to accumulate merit, gain more military power, and dominate a region..."
Qingling's face was grim as she stared intently at the scholar.
Most of the soldiers came from humble backgrounds, and their rise in the army influenced the power of aristocratic families in the imperial court.
They are suppressing this emerging force.
Qingling suddenly realized that this trial might be a contest between imperial power and powerful clans.
As the scholar recounted the dangers of war and the military generals' desire for fame and power, the people fell silent, and the voices supporting Lin Shiyuan were drowned out by another faction.
The box on the right, marked with the word "death," was filled with more and more stones.
Yao Qingling's breathing was calm, and she clenched her fists tightly.
Other scholars joined in, demanding that Lin Shiyuan be severely punished.
They vividly taught the people what it means for one general to achieve success at the cost of countless lives, rather than simply defending the country.
But that's not how it is. The soldiers bled and sacrificed their lives... and so did the civilians... countless lives should not have been lost in a power struggle!
Yao Qingling couldn't help but take a step forward, but was suddenly pulled back.
She turned around and glared at Zhan Xingzhuo: "Let go!"
The man simply gripped her hand tighter, coldly looking ahead: "Yao Qingling, what are you doing out there, a woman, getting involved in all this commotion?"
But deep down, he was also deeply moved by the enthusiastic support from the people.
But he quickly adjusted himself. Lin Shiyuan, this killing machine, would only cause more killing if he lived. All human lives were just stepping stones for him to climb the social ladder.
He's not that noble.
Those people in the imperial court shouldn't be comparing the Zhou family's case to that butcher general.
Yao Qingling couldn't break free.
At that moment, a figure pushed through the crowd and strode onto the stands.
"You're talking nonsense—" The Imperial Censor's wife's voice was loud and clear. Her eyes were wide with anger as she pointed at the scholar and berated him. She ordered the scholar to go to the battlefield and use his silver tongue to persuade the Japanese.
She argued with the scholar.
She even punched the scholar, giving him a black eye.
"...You can't even beat me."
A burst of laughter erupted from below.
The Censor's wife continued, "You think you can convince people with words? But the enemy will only think you are weak and easy to bully. They will kill more of our people, seize more of our land, and steal our silver, cattle, sheep, and all our good things!"
When Yao Qingling was in the mansion, she could sometimes hear the sound of Imperial Censor Cao arguing with his wife next door. Most of the time, the Imperial Censor's wife won the argument.
But she won not because she was more eloquent, but because she was unreasonable and used brute force; Imperial Censor Cao always said that only petty people and women are difficult to deal with, and his wife won.
Qingling laughed.
Zhan Xingzhuo's face was sullen.
The Imperial Censor Cao berated him in court; his wife openly argued with him, but they were actually the same kind of people.
It's true that you can't sleep in the same bed with two different kinds of people.
The Censor's wife continued, "Even now, in major cities and towns, there are still many displaced people from Luozhou, Nanxiang, and other places. They have no homes, and some displaced people cannot survive. They gather together and become bandits, causing harm to the local area. This is caused by corruption; it is a man-made disaster. Corrupt officials have turned their knives on innocent people."
"General Lin killed surrendered soldiers; his sword was pointed at the enemy. By killing the enemy troops, he weakened their fighting capacity and made them fear us..."
Yao Qingling nodded vigorously.
The censor's wife didn't speak as eloquently as the scholar, but her simple language resonated more with the people's interests.
But she alone could not withstand the arguing of dozens of scholars.
If more women like the Censor's wife could be promoted, that would be great.
She searched through the crowd, and suddenly her eyes caught something.
The small figure was anxious in the crowd, about to rush onto the stage.
Lin Qiao was on the opposite side. She also saw Qing Ling and saw her gently shaking her head at her.
Lin Shiyuan is on trial, and if Lin Qiao were to go up there, it would not be good for Lin Shiyuan.
She was too young, which only gave those in the shadows another weakness to exploit in Lin Shiyuan.
With a burning passion in her heart, Yao Qingling flung Zhan Xingzhuo aside and rushed toward the platform. By the time Zhan Xingzhuo reacted, Yao Qingling had already stepped onto the platform.
She looked calmly and composedly at everyone in the audience: "I'd also like to tell you a true story, would you like to hear it..."
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