Chapter 123 Tower of Abandoned Babies
During the Hehuan Festival, Du Qingtang and Pei Yuchun were standing and sitting in the pavilion beside the bridge.
Du Qingtang stood with his back to the dim lights, his face hidden in the darkness, his expression unclear.
Pei Yuchun raised his head slightly and looked at Du Qingtang with his wet green eyes.
From his eyes, Du Qingtang saw the tiny lights on the other side of the river and his own figure.
Her eyes were so focused, as if she was the only one in the world, and revealed just the right amount of admiration and pleading.
He's begging me.
Ask me to love him.
Du Qingtang lowered his eyes and looked at the two people's overlapping hands.
The young man's hands were thin and slender, with thick joints and round, well-trimmed nails. Blue veins were faintly visible under his honey-colored skin.
At this moment, covering the back of her hand, he could clearly feel the roughness of his fingertips and the scorching heat.
One has to admit that Pei Yuchun is very clear about his strengths and is very good at using them to make people let down their guard and reveal their true feelings.
Indeed, Pei Yuchun's eyes were exactly what Du Qingtang wanted. Whenever they appeared, they could always grab almost all of her attention.
But she is Du Qingtang.
She has no sincerity and will not be sincere to anyone.
Du Qingtang pulled his hand back: "General Pei, you are drunk."
Pei Yuchun only felt his palms empty, and a cold wind rushed in. The coldness penetrated into the heart tissue, deep into his limbs and bones, traveled along the veins throughout the body, and finally gathered in the heart.
It made his heart tremble, as if all the warmth was taken away, leaving only endless coldness.
A trace of melancholy flashed across Pei Yuchun's eyes, but disappeared in an instant. He blinked slowly, and the fake drunkenness dissipated, and he regained clarity and rationality.
Du Qingtang stood beside the stone table with his hands behind his back, his tone calm and composed: "It's late at night. If General Pei doesn't return, your subordinates will be worried."
Pei Yuchun curled his fingertips slightly, his voice hoarse: "Master Du is absolutely right. It's time for me to go back."
After saying this, he stood up and bowed, "Thank you, Lord Du, for your hospitality. Pei will take his leave first."
Du Qingtang nodded slightly and said, "General Pei, please be careful on your journey. I'm sorry I can't see you off."
Pei Yuchun smiled, the curve of his lips a little forced, turned around and stepped into the glittering lights, disappearing in the bustling crowd.
"Xianyu, we're back!" Du Qingzhu was holding several oil-paper bags in her hands. "I bought some snacks. Let's go back and eat them on the kang. They're so delicious."
"Why is there a lantern here?" Du Qingju pointed to Du Qingtang's seat.
It is a crabapple lantern.
Exceptionally exquisite, emitting a soft glow.
Du Qingtang took a step forward and saw it. He picked up the lantern and said calmly, "I saw it on the road just now and bought it."
Zhu and Ju didn't suspect anything. Du Qingzhu rubbed his arms and said, "It's getting late and colder. Why don't we go back first?"
Du Qingju responded with action, covering her nose and sneezing.
"Let's go, don't catch a cold."
Du Qingtang was the first to walk out of the pavilion.
A gust of wind blew, and the clothes rustled.
The crabapple lanterns also swayed continuously, and the light and shadow flowed like a dream.
......
The next day, the Golden Crow rose in the east and the Jade Rabbit set in the west.
Only at this point did the Hejia Festival come to an end.
The people who had enjoyed the whole night of traveling were full of energy and went home chatting and laughing with their companions.
When the young man and woman returned home, their parents asked, "How was the marriage? Did you find someone you liked?"
The man and woman who gave each other lanterns blushed and nodded, suppressing their shyness.
The parents were overjoyed and secretly prepared betrothal gifts and dowries for their children.
The men and women who failed to send out the lanterns shook their heads regretfully, ate their meal, went back to their rooms, lay down and fell asleep.
The parents sighed, took out the copper coins they had saved for a long time, and went to find the matchmaker in the cold wind.
In the following half month, young men and women began to get engaged.
Du Qingtang kept his word and personally officiated their wedding.
After drafting the marriage certificate, Du Qingtang handed it to the newlyweds: "I wish you a happy marriage and a long-lasting love."
The young man and woman looked at each other, their eyes full of affection: "Thank you, sir, for your auspicious words."
Du Qingtang watched them leave with beaming faces and continued to handle official business.
As he was writing furiously, there was a knock on the door. Du Qingtang said without even looking up, "Come in."
With a creak, someone pushed the door open and walked in.
"Sir, I'm here to bring you lunch."
Du Qingtang paused, then looked up and saw a young man in a coarse cloth shirt. He was as strong as a bear, with a silly look on his face. He was holding a food box in his hand, and carefully supporting the bottom with one hand.
"Sir, the general asked me to bring you food." The man stood awkwardly at the door and repeated in a muffled voice.
Du Qingtang: “…”
After the Hehuan Festival, Pei Yuchun sent his personal soldiers to Shaoqing Mansion every day to deliver meals, and the dishes were changed every day, with no repeated dishes.
Du Qingtang wasn't sure whether Pei Yuchun made it himself or had his personal soldiers buy it from the restaurant, but considering what he said that night, it was most likely the former.
I don’t know what method was used, but the food was always warm when it was delivered to Shaoqing Mansion, and it still looked, smelled and tasted delicious.
Du Qingtang thought her attitude was clear enough, and repeatedly asked the personal guard to tell Pei Yuchun not to send any more food, but he still did his own thing and his personal guard would show up on time at 7:15 PM every day.
Du Qingtang couldn't vent his anger on the honest personal soldier, so he had to let him go.
——She suspected that Pei Yuchun was sure of this and that was why he asked this person to deliver the meal.
Du Qingtang raised his hand and rubbed his brow, his tone calm: "I know."
The personal guards were as if pardoned. They placed the food box on the table beside them, clasped their fists in salute, and respectfully left the duty room.
After the personal guards left, Zhou Tongzhi came over again.
"Sir, the people we sent out to negotiate business have returned," Zhou Tongzhi said respectfully. "Currently, one hundred and thirty-eight clothing shops across the fifty-two prefectures have reached cooperation agreements with the garment factory. Here is the contract, please review it."
Du Qingtang looked through it and found Baoding Prefecture and Pingyang Prefecture.
Taking into account the time spent on business negotiations, it can be said that the efficiency is extremely high.
"No Xia Jing?"
Zhou Tongzhi smiled bitterly, "According to people who went to Xiajing to discuss business, the clothing store in Xiajing heard that the woolen clothes were from Shaoqing Prefecture, and they kicked him out without even looking at them."
Most outsiders did not know that the bandit problem in Shaoqing Prefecture had been eradicated and that people's lives were thriving. They still had deep prejudices against Shaoqing Prefecture and subconsciously believed that the clothes produced in Shaoqing Prefecture were not good stuff, so they expelled the people from the garment factory.
This reminded Zhou Tongzhi of the time when he first received the appointment document. At that moment, he felt like the sky was falling and he even wanted to die.
It was not until he arrived at Shaoqing Prefecture that he realized how wrong he was.
Well, the past is too painful to recall, so let’s not talk about it.
Du Qingtang said calmly, "A forced melon is not sweet. You don't need to go to Xiajing again in the future."
Wool sweaters are soft, comfortable, and provide excellent warmth, and are available in a variety of styles.
As long as you open up sales channels, there will be no worries about no one buying.
The owner of Xiajing Garment Shop will regret it sooner or later.
Du Qingtang told Zhou Tongzhi to keep the contract and not lose it. Finally, he instructed, "Continue to send people out. All travel expenses will be reimbursed by the garment factory. The more cooperation agreements you reach, the more rewards I will give you."
Zhou Tongzhi knew that this person would never treat meritorious officials unfairly, so he responded with a smile.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and asked boldly, "Sir, may I ask when the trade fair will open?"
"At the end of the month." Du Qingtang raised his eyes. "What's wrong?"
Zhou Tongzhi touched his nose and said, "I went to the garment factory this morning and many workers were asking about it. I was also a little curious, so..."
Du Qingtang understood and added: "There is no threshold for the mutual trade. Shaoqing Prefecture residents and foreigners can all set up stalls to trade. They just need to pay the stall rental fee."
However, one thing is that you are not allowed to bring sharp weapons and there must not be conflicts between vendors, otherwise you will not be allowed to enter.
Zhou Tongzhi understood what was going on and withdrew with a bow.
When he reached the door, he glanced at the food box on the table and looked ashamed: "I came at the wrong time and delayed your meal."
Du Qingtang glanced at the food box, hummed softly, and said nothing.
-
With the help of soldiers from Loushan Pass, the woolen sweaters became a best-seller and became popular in Shaoqing Prefecture and surrounding prefectures.
Regardless of gender, age, rich or poor, woolen sweaters are light and warm, with a soft texture, and are almost better than jackets and robes in terms of user experience.
Not to mention, woolen sweaters are cheaper than cotton-padded robes and jackets. If you buy one and wear it under your clothes, as long as you take good care of it, you can wear it for ten or eight years without any problem.
On the other hand, midwife training is also in full swing.
When the government posted the notice, most midwives in the city were unwilling to receive any unified training.
Participating in training not only delays their time to earn money by delivering babies, but also calls into question their midwifery skills.
However, the prefect was very tough and they dared not disobey him, so they could only go to the government office to receive training reluctantly.
However, when they arrived at the place, they found that the person training them was a young girl.
"She looks like a young onion. You can tell she's never given birth before. Why would she teach me how to deliver a baby?"
"This is too outrageous. The prefect is making fun of us."
Complaints arose one after another, but Du Qingju stood behind the desk without changing her expression.
She had heard too many bad things in her years of medical practice, and the midwife's remarks were like tickling and could not hurt her at all.
At this moment, one of the midwives slapped her thigh and said, "No wonder she looks familiar to me. She is the doctor who delivered Huang Tuzi's wife before her!"
The other midwives immediately pricked up their ears and rushed to ask questions.
"What female doctor?"
"Can she really deliver babies?"
"That day, Zhang Lihua's baby came out feet first, looking like a difficult birth. Huang the butcher and his mother kept dithering and refused to call a doctor, so in the end, it was Zhang Lihua's sister who invited this female doctor."
"You don't know, at that time, Zhang Lihua had no strength to push, and she was even breathing more out than in. It looked like she was going to die, and then this female doctor came into the delivery room and performed a cesarean section to deliver the baby..."
Everyone exclaimed, "Is she the Doctor Du who performed a cesarean section to deliver a baby?"
"Yes, that's her. I was watching from the sidelines, my legs shaking, but Doctor Du didn't even blush. He quickly cut open Zhang Lihua's belly, took the baby out, and then sewed her up right there."
"Wow, it looks like you're quite capable."
"I heard that many people who came to her for gynecological treatment were cured after taking a few prescriptions. I don't know if it's true or not."
"My nephew's wife prescribed the medicine at Xinglintang, and it worked in three days. I've never been to Xinglintang, and I didn't expect Doctor Du to be so young."
Everyone was in awe, their dissatisfaction with Du Qingju disappeared, and they obediently accepted the training.
Five days passed in a flash. Du Qingju taught seriously and the midwives also learned seriously. They really learned a lot.
"When I was delivering babies, I didn't care if my hands were dirty or not. I would just put them in. I never thought that this would actually make the mother sick."
"But the mother had a difficult labor, and the baby wouldn't come out unless I took it out with my hands."
"There's nothing we can do. Giving birth is like walking through the gates of hell. We can only pray to God to protect the mother and not let her have a difficult delivery. Otherwise, we can only have the cesarean section that Doctor Du mentioned."
"I can't do that, and I don't think any ordinary doctor can do it either."
The midwives were chatting as if no one was around. Du Qingju walked out of the training room with a thoughtful look in her eyes.
Back at the government office, Du Qingtang was still working overtime in the duty room, and Du Qingzhu was also still busy in the Shixiang Pavilion.
With nothing to do, Du Qingju rolled up her sleeves and walked into the kitchen.
The weather in Shaoqing Prefecture is cold, and water freezes into ice as soon as it falls. Girls are very susceptible to colds, especially my seventh sister. If she catches a little cold, she will suffer from unbearable abdominal pain during her menstruation. Many times, she was in so much pain that she couldn't get up and rolled around on the bed.
Du Qingju plans to make a medicinal meal for her sisters to warm and replenish their yang energy.
After preparing the ingredients and herbs, Du Qingju poured them into the soup pot.
It takes a long time to stew the medicinal food. Du Qingju took the coal balls, picked them up with tongs, and put them into the stove one by one.
"Xianyu! Xiaoba!" Du Qingzhu's cheerful voice came from outside the kitchen, "I'm back!"
"Xianyu hasn't come back yet." Du Qingju turned her head to look at the door, and accidentally the coal ball tilted and got stuck in the stove.
Du Qingzhu leaned against the door, peering inside and sniffing: "What delicious food are you making? I seem to smell medicinal herbs. Is it a medicinal meal?"
Du Qingju lowered her head and said nothing, just staring at the stove, as if trying to see a flower.
Du Qingzhu was a little puzzled. She rubbed her cold hands and walked into the kitchen. "Xiao Ba, what are you looking at?"
Du Qingju suddenly came back to her senses and murmured, "I'm looking at the coal balls."
Du Qingzhu came over to take a look, completely confused: "Isn't it just a coal ball stuck in there? Just use the tongs to take it out."
"Yes, you can use tongs to get it out." Du Qingju straightened up suddenly, her eyes flashing with a startling light. She ignored the soot on her hands and grabbed Du Qingzhu's hand. "Seventh sister, if the mother has a difficult delivery and the baby is stuck in the birth canal, can we use tongs to remove the baby?"
"What?" Du Qingzhu was stunned. "Use pliers to grab the baby out? Xiaoba, are you kidding me?"
Du Qingju shook her head like a rattle and pointed at her face with her backhand finger: "Seventh sister, look, I'm serious. I'm not joking with you."
Du Qingzhu looked at Eighth Sister's beautiful face. Her expression was not false at all. She was speechless for a long while. "Why did you think of this out of the blue?"
"I was training the midwives this afternoon. They said that if a woman has a difficult birth, they usually have to insert their hands into the birth canal..." Seeing Du Qingzhu's face pale, Du Qingju paused and skipped the details. "This is extremely harmful to the mother and may cause heavy bleeding. If the bleeding cannot be stopped, the mother will die."
"I was thinking about what could replace my hands until I saw the coal briquettes and an idea suddenly struck me."
Du Qingju shook the tongs in her hand: "If the coal balls can't come out, you can use tongs. If the baby can't come out, can we use forceps?"
Du Qingzhu folded his arms, his expression serious and thoughtful. After a moment, he raised his hands and placed them next to the fire tongs: "Compared to hands, tongs are more slender and relatively less likely to cause damage."
Du Qingju nodded vigorously: "That's the truth!"
"What's the reason?"
After Du Qingtang finished his official business, he returned to the third hall to change into his casual clothes. When he walked into the kitchen, he heard Du Qingju say this and asked casually.
"Xianyu, you're back." Du Qingju suppressed her excitement and told the youngest brother about her recent revelation. Finally, she asked nervously, "What do you think?"
What does Du Qingtang think?
Naturally it is great!
Du Qingtang never showed up, but Du Qingju was actually inspired by coal balls and fire tongs, and then came up with the idea of obstetric forceps.
Forceps can be said to be a magical tool for midwifery. They can effectively assist in the smooth delivery of the fetus, thereby ensuring the safety of the mother and child.
Du Qingtang suppressed her amazement and said with a smile, "Eighth sister, all the women in the world will be grateful to you."
Du Qingju was greatly encouraged by what she heard. Her cheeks flushed with excitement. She paced back and forth, holding the tongs. "I must make the forceps as soon as possible. We can try them out in Shaoqing Prefecture first. If they can be popularized throughout Daxia, that would be perfect."
"It's indeed very good." Du Qingtang glanced at the soup pot. "But the most urgent thing right now is to stew the medicinal food before midnight. What do you think, Eighth Sister?"
Du Qingju blushed and slowly calmed down: "I know, I know. I'm just so happy."
After saying that, he took out the coal balls and put them back into the stove.
Then put the soup pot on the stove and the medicinal food will be ready after an hour.
That night, the three sisters shared a pot of medicinal food, and they felt warm all over. When they fell asleep, they even had sweet dreams.
......
The next morning, Du Qingju hurriedly finished her breakfast and went straight to Xinglin Hall.
She told Liang Chuxia about her idea, and Liang Chuxia clapped her hands and laughed, her expression visibly excited: "Sure! Master, please do it quickly, and I can help you!"
With the full support of her sisters and apprentices, Du Qingju spent all her time on using forceps except for sitting in the clinic and training.
But before Du Qingju could make the forceps, the market outside the west city gate was officially opened on November 30th.
Early that morning, the people of Shaoqing Prefecture set out from their homes, carrying things on their shoulders and in their hands, and ran towards the west city gate in the dim morning light.
When we met acquaintances on the way, we greeted each other happily without slowing down.
"Going to set up a stall in the market?"
A quaichang is a market for mutual trade.
"Yeah, what are you going to sell?"
"My son went hunting in the mountains mid-year and collected some leather. My daughter-in-law and I made leather boots out of it and sold them at the market."
"Leather boots are good. They are windproof and cold-resistant. I don't have any good things at home. I only carved some wooden objects."
“As long as I can make money.”
"That's right."
The people walked briskly and soon arrived at the west gate.
After leaving the city and continuing west, you can see a half-person-high stone tablet standing on the side of the road in the distance.
The stone tablet is brand new, with the words "權場" written on it in silver and iron strokes.
At the entrance of the market stood about twenty soldiers, tall and strong, with long swords on their waists, looking very majestic.
In addition to the government soldiers, there were five clerks responsible for registration, collecting rent and stall fees, and distributing stall numbers.
The people reported their names and places of origin and paid stall rental fees.
The government clearly stipulated that the monthly stall rental fee was one hundred coins per square meter, which could be paid monthly or every ten days.
The clerk distributed booth signs: "Your booths are 408 and 409, which are the eighth and ninth booths in the fourth row."
"Yes, yes, we've made note of it. Thank you, sir."
The people took the stall signs, nodded and bowed, and walked into the market in high spirits.
They originally thought they were the first to arrive, but when they entered the market, they found that dozens of foreigners had already set up stalls and were talking in a language they could not understand.
As they walked along, the two were surprised and sighed.
"Hey, why are there still people selling lumps of earth?"
"Is that wine? It's actually red, so pretty!"
"There's actually a place selling clothes. They're all colorful and festive."
Arriving at their own stall, the two men put out their leather boots and wooden items, sat on the small wooden stools provided by the market, and waited for the market to open at noon.
More and more people came to set up stalls, including Xia people with yellow skin and black hair, as well as foreigners with various eye colors and skin colors.
There are some racist people among the Xia people. When they see foreigners, they subconsciously mock and curse them.
The guards on the side immediately stepped forward: "A warning!"
"If you gather these three times, you will no longer be allowed to set up a stall in the market."
The faces of those people changed slightly, and they scattered like birds and beasts in an instant.
At noon, the sound of firecrackers popped at the entrance of the market.
Accompanied by the noisy voices, it is bustling and lively.
Xia people and foreigners poured in and paraded between the stalls.
The vendors opened their mouths and shouted loudly.
"Buy leather boots, leather boots made of deerskin and wolf skin!"
"Selling fish and shrimp, freshly caught this morning!"
"Goods! Selling good stuff!"
"Food Pavilion snacks! Delicious snacks!"
The market was huge, and customers walked around, stopping here and there, buying whatever they found interesting. Even those who were not interested were attracted by the vendors' calls, stopped to take a look, and then paid and left.
After walking around for a while, two hours had passed.
Looking at the sun above their heads, the guests screamed in surprise.
"It's noon so soon? I don't think I've been shopping for long."
"Oh my god, why did I buy so many things?"
"But the things in the market are really cheap, and there are many varieties. There are many rare gadgets that I have never seen before."
"You mean the foreigners' stalls?"
"Yes, I can't walk anymore when I see foreigners' stalls. I want to buy this and that."
"The key is that those foreigners were really welcoming and gave me several small things."
"In fact, foreigners are not as bad as the legends say. They are also human beings, and there are good and bad people. We don't need to kill them all with one stick."
"That's right. Don't we have bad people in Shaoqing Prefecture?"
"It's quite a lot. In the past, a falling tile in Shaoqing Prefecture could kill a bad guy. Thanks to the prefect's suppression of bandits and arrest of refugees, the city is much quieter now. When I go out, I no longer have to worry about being hacked by someone for no reason."
"I just gave a bunch of vegetables I grew at home to a foreigner at the stall next door. The girl was so moved that she burst into tears and chattered non-stop. It made me laugh and feel sad at the same time."
"Alas, next time I will never join them in bullying foreigners."
"Me too."
At noon, the vendors took a break, finished their meal and sat down to count their money.
The sound of copper coins flowing into the coin box makes people feel refreshed and their mouths stretch from ears to ears.
"Excluding the stall rental fee, I earn much more in a month than I used to earn carrying sacks."
"The prefect is really trying to find ways for us to make money."
This made everyone laugh.
On the other side, the foreigners heard the Xia people's laughter and were very curious. They asked the translator beside them: "What are they laughing at?"
The translators were foreigners with registered residence in Shaoqing Prefecture. Each foreigner was assigned an translator, and the government paid them one or two taels of silver per month as wages.
The translator replied truthfully, "They said they made some money today, and they attributed it to the prefect's efforts."
The foreigners nodded repeatedly.
"I make money too."
"It's great that I didn't get beaten up for setting up my stall today."
"Your prefect is really nice. She made me feel welcome."
The translator agrees with this.
The prefect not only provided them with jobs, but also sent people to protect them.
Unlike previous officials, who thought that they were special in appearance and rare commodities, they sent people to capture them, raise them, or sell them at high prices.
There were many foreigners who came to Shaoqing Prefecture with them back then, but now there are only a few thousand of them, precisely because of the persecution of those corrupt officials.
"clang--"
Accompanied by the loud sound of gongs, transactions in the market continued.
It gets dark early in Shaoqing Prefecture, especially in winter.
An hour and a half passed in a flash, and the sky gradually darkened.
The gong sounded again.
The palace guards carried a gong, struck it, and shouted, "The market is closed. Please leave as soon as possible. We will open on time tomorrow at noon."
The guests left with a feeling of having found something new from various stalls.
The vendors carried empty bamboo baskets on their backs, held heavy money boxes in their hands, and walked out of the market humming little songs.
The Xia people entered the city, while the outsiders rode donkeys or mules and rushed back to their hometowns as the sun set.
When I got home and opened the door, my family came to greet me with smiles on their faces.
"How is it? Do you earn a lot?"
The vendors smiled but said nothing, just shaking the cash boxes in their hands.
The collision of copper coins makes the most beautiful sound in the world.
......
When the trade first opened, there were only 5,000 stalls.
Zhou Tongzhi and others were once worried that the 5,000 stalls could not be rented out.
Who would have thought that on the third day of opening, all 5,000 stalls were rented out.
Not only that, there are many people outside the market who want to rent stalls.
The clerk reported the people's demands to Zheng Tongpan, who was so excited that he quickly went to Du Qingtang and asked, "Sir, how about adding another thousand stalls?"
No one wants to go against money, so Du Qingtang naturally agreed: "There is still vacant land around the market, so just expand it."
"Yes, I'll do it right away!"
Judge Zheng was ready to go and left in a hurry.
After Du Qingtang finished his official business for the day, he took out the plan he had drafted when he first came to Shaoqing Prefecture.
Bandits are gone, corrupt officials are gone, wealthy families and merchants have become honest, the economy has developed, and 60 to 70 percent of the people have money to earn...
After checking off the items one by one, almost half of them were completed.
But this is far from enough. Shaoqing Prefecture should be better, far surpassing the other 139 prefectures of Daxia.
Du Qingtang tapped his chin with the pen and slowly smiled.
"Sir, someone outside is beating a drum to complain!"
Du Qingtang's smile gradually faded. He put away the plan and walked out: "What's the situation with the person beating the drum?"
The bailiff shook his head. "The one beating the drum was a young girl. She looked utterly miserable, her feet stained with blood. When we asked her why, she simply said she wanted to see the prefect, refusing to divulge a single word."
Du Qingtang frowned and walked quickly to the lobby.
The young girl the yamen runner was talking about was already kneeling in the hall. Her condition was more serious than what the yamen runner said.
The girl was only of marriageable age, with delicate features, but very skinny. Kneeling there, she looked like a piece of clothing hanging on a branch, feeling very empty when the wind blew.
There was a fist-sized bruise on the side of her face, a large cut on her forehead, and pinch marks on her neck, which were a terrifying black and purple color.
Du Qingtang's eyes darkened slightly. He sat upright under the plaque that read "A Clear Mirror Hangs High" and asked solemnly, "What grievances have the people in this hall suffered?"
The woman slumped to the ground with her head, her thin clothes covering her body, her spine clearly visible. "I want to sue all the men in Sanli Village, Qingyang County. They abandoned their baby girls in the stone pagoda and forced their daughters and granddaughters to bear children for them."
Everyone in the court—the prefect, the clerks, and the bailiffs—all gasped.
Du Qingtang suddenly clenched the gavel and said in a deep voice, "Tell me the details, and I will make the decision for you!"
The woman's name was Xu Lianxin, and she was from Sanli Village, Qingyang County.
She has an older sister and originally had many younger sisters, but as soon as they were born, their father threw them into a stone tower at the entrance of the village and left them to fend for themselves.
Not only her sister, but eight or nine out of ten baby girls in the village were abandoned in the stone tower.
Xu Lianxin and her sister were among the one or two who luckily survived.
But for Xu Lianxin, living is worse than death.
Xu Lianxin's sister is two years older than her. After she came of age, she moved to the empty house next door.
At that time, Xu Lianxin didn't understand why, but she was reluctant to be separated from her sister.
In the Xu family, her grandparents, parents all scolded her for being a money-loser, but her elder sister treated her best, taking good care of her and even leaving the eggs she had hidden for her to eat. For this, she was beaten half to death by her grandmother.
The night her sister moved out, Xu Lianxin hugged her and said, "Sister, can you not leave? I still want to sleep in the same room with you."
My sister smiled, and there was sadness and despair in her smile.
She said nothing, gently pushed Xu Lianxin away, and left without looking back.
But within a year, my sister's belly grew bigger and bigger.
Xu Lianxin had seen pregnant women in the village and knew that her sister was pregnant.
But my sister isn’t married yet!
Xu Lianxin asked her sister who the thief was.
My sister gently stroked Xu Lianxin's withered hair without saying a word.
In just one year, my sister lost a lot of weight, but her belly became very big and bulged out so scary that it seemed like it would burst at any moment.
"Xinxin, don't ask anything."
"You don't want to know."
Her sister's answer aroused Xu Lianxin's rebellious psychology.
From that day on, she had been secretly keeping an eye on the men who appeared around her sister.
But time passed day by day, until my sister gave birth to a daughter, no man other than grandpa and father appeared in the Xu family.
The day after my sister gave birth, my father went out with the newborn baby girl in his arms and came back with nothing in his hands.
The baby girl is gone.
Xu Lianxin thought her father had given the child to her biological father, so she lay outside the window and talked to her sister.
"Sister, will that man be good to my niece?"
My sister didn't say anything, as if she was asleep.
Another half a year passed like this.
My sister is pregnant again.
Xu Lianxin was shocked and angry, and ran to question her sister: "Is it still that man?"
My sister had lost some weight, and her cheekbones were prominent, making her eyes look large and dull. "I don't know."
What do you mean by not knowing?
Xu Lianxin was almost going crazy with anger and was determined to catch the thief.
At night, Xu Lianxin tossed and turned, unable to sleep, wondering how to find the person.
Just at this moment, she heard footsteps.
Xu Lianxin cheered up.
It must be that thief!
Xu Lianxin secretly got up, lay behind the window, poked a hole in the hemp paper, and looked out with one eye open and one eye closed.
She saw her father.
My father pushed open my sister's door, walked in, and then closed the door.
When I came out again, it was already half an hour later.
Xu Lianxin didn't understand why her father went into her sister's room and stayed there for so long.
Until the next morning.
That day was Xu Lianxin's fifteenth birthday, and her mother cooked two eggs for her for the first time ever.
The eggs smell so good.
Xu Lianxin took small sips and shook her legs in satisfaction.
If only I could keep eating it.
After eating two eggs, Xu Lianxin was about to go back to work when her grandmother stopped her and said, "From now on, you don't have to work anymore."
Xu Lianxin was confused: "Why?"
She suddenly felt a little panicked, but she couldn't tell why.
Then I heard my grandmother say, "Take good care of yourself and give birth to two sons for your grandfather and your father."
This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, leaving Xu Lianxin stunned on the spot.
Xu Lianxin accidentally knocked over the dishes and screamed, "One of them is my grandfather, and the other is my father, how can this be possible?!"
The mother said expressionlessly: "Why not? Your sister has given birth too!"
Grandma sneered and said, "We raised you so that you could carry on the Xu family line. Otherwise, you would have been thrown into the stone pagoda like the girls your mother gave birth to after you."
Grandpa said as if it was a matter of course: "Every family in the village does this, it's all for the sake of continuing the family line."
The father grinned, revealing his yellow teeth: "I gave birth to you, you should repay me by giving me more sons."
Xu Lianxin knew the stone pagoda.
The adults in the village said that the stone pagoda was filled with negative energy and that girls were not allowed to go near it.
Xu Lianxin always thought that her parents had given her sister away, but she never expected that they actually threw the newborn baby girl into the stone pagoda!
She never expected that the reason she survived was because they wanted to use her belly to have a baby!
Xu Lian felt a turmoil in her stomach and vomited on the spot.
Her father was so angry that he beat her up and even locked her in the house: "Be good and give birth to a few sons for the Xu family. Maybe when the time comes, I'll be happy and marry you off. Otherwise... humph!"
Xu Lianxin curled up in the corner with her legs hugged, thinking to herself, what a pity, both eggs were spit out.
Just when she was in despair, the door suddenly opened.
The elder sister came in and pulled Xu Lianxin out: "They are all asleep, you should leave here quickly."
Xu Lianxin asked, "What about you?"
My sister said, "I'm pregnant, they don't dare to do anything to me."
Xu Lianxin cried and asked, "Is the baby in your belly theirs?"
The elder sister didn't answer, but just pushed her hard: "Run, keep running, don't look back!"
Xu Lianxin always listens to her sister.
So she kept running and running.
She couldn't run anymore. Her lips were bitten and her mouth was filled with the smell of blood, but she kept running and didn't dare to look back.
Xu Lianxin didn't know how long she had been running.
She heard someone say that the prefect had imposed heavy penalties on those who committed adultery and ordered severe punishment for those who abandoned baby girls.
Xu Lianxin continued running, from night to morning, and from morning to afternoon.
She finally arrived at the government office.
Xu Lianxin grabbed the drumstick and struck the drum hard to appeal for justice.
......
"Please, sir, save my sister!"
In the court, Xu Lianxin kowtowed continuously until her forehead bled and her face became blurred.
Du Qingtang gave a look, and the clerk quickly stepped forward and helped Xu Lianxin up.
"Don't worry, young lady. The prefect is upright and honest. He will never let go of such a cruel and inhumane beast!"
Xu Lianxin cried out: "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir..."
She thanked him again and again, then suddenly her body swayed and she fell down limply.
Du Qingtang had her taken to Santang and arranged for a doctor to treat her. He then called Zhou Tongzhi over and said in a cold voice, "Immediately send someone to notify all county officials, from the county magistrate to the village chief, to gather in Sanli Village, Qingyang County."
Zhou Tongzhi had already heard about the incident in Sanli Village. Seeing the prefect's stern brows and grim eyes, his eyelids twitched twice. He did not dare to hesitate and immediately took the order and left.
Du Qingtang then instructed Du Yi: "Go and invite Miss Wang and take them to Sanli Village."
The school is closed today, so Wang Nianci and other girls should be at home.
The women in Sanli Village have suffered from persecution and may have a stress response towards men, and at this time they need comfort from the same sex.
Du Qingtang went to the military camp outside the city, selected a thousand soldiers from the government, and called for tens of thousands of garrisons. A large group of people rode their horses straight to Qingyang County.
When we arrived at Sanli Village, we happened to see a man throwing a baby girl into a stone tower.
The baby girl sobbed and cried, but the man turned a deaf ear to her and cursed: "You're a waste of money, you're useless, go to hell!"
"Bang!"
The air was filled with white smoke, and the bullet hit the man right between the eyebrows. He didn't even have time to scream before he fell to the ground and died in an instant.
Shoubei Wan rode forward at lightning speed and took the crying baby girl into his arms.
The baby girl had just been born, and her body was still covered in blood. Guard Wan looked at her and couldn't help but punch her in the leg: "Beast!"
Du Qingtang put away his musket and said expressionlessly, "All soldiers, listen to my order. Capture all the men in Sanli Village immediately."
"yes!"
Upon receiving the order, the government soldiers filed into Sanli Village.
The villagers of Sanli Village had never seen such a scene before. They were frightened and looked for weapons everywhere. Some picked up kitchen knives, and some waved sticks.
"Are you someone?"
“Get out!”
The palace soldiers had already roughly understood what had happened in Sanli Village from the scene just now. With rage burning in their chests, they rushed forward without thinking and beat them up violently. Then they tied up the men like pigs and dragged them to the village entrance.
"Sir, everyone is here. What do you plan to do with them?"
When the man in the front heard Shoubei Wan call the man in the crimson robe on horseback "Sir", his heart trembled violently and his face turned pale.
Du Qingtang played with the musket nonchalantly, his expression indifferent: "Don't worry, let's talk about it after everyone arrives."
Shoubei Wan knew that the prefect was in a bad mood at the moment, so he didn't dare to say much and stood aside in silence.
This place happened to be at the wind's outlet, and the biting cold wind hit my body like a knife cutting, and in a moment I shrank and shivered.
The head of Sanli Village asked in a trembling voice, "I wonder how I have offended you, sir. Please tell me clearly."
Du Qingtang didn't even glance at him and slowly wiped the musket.
The village chief wanted to ask more questions, but the palace soldier blocked his mouth with a towel that smelled of sweat.
Two hours passed in a flash.
Officials from all over Shaoqing Prefecture, from the Tongzhi to the village chief, arrived in Sanli Village one after another.
Seeing the large number of men kneeling on the ground, everyone's face changed slightly. They dismounted and stood respectfully with their hands lowered, holding their breath and not daring to make a sound.
Apart from the sound of the wind, the only sounds around were the snorting of horses.
Another half hour passed like this.
Zhou Tongzhi dismounted, subtly pounded his waist, which was aching from the jostling, and bowed, saying, "Sir, everyone is here."
Du Qingtang raised his eyes and faced the officials of Shaoqing Prefecture.
Everyone bowed and saluted, saying in unison: "Your humble servants pay their respects to the prefect."
The villagers of Sanli Village who were kneeling on the ground trembled even more violently.
Mr. Prefect!
She is actually the prefect!
Thinking about the decree issued by the government not long ago, everyone felt dizzy and despair appeared on their faces.
It’s over!
Du Qingtang didn't waste any time and got straight to the point: "Last month, I issued two decrees. Do you remember?"
Except for the government officials, the rest of the officials looked at each other in confusion.
The prefect issues several decrees every month, and how would they know which two they are?
However, for the sake of their own lives, they still responded in unison: "Your Excellency, we remember it."
Du Qingtang said coldly, "But there are always people who pretend to obey but actually disobey, treating the government's orders as a joke and not taking me seriously."
"Now, let me reiterate this."
"Those who commit adultery or incest will be castrated, paraded through the streets for half a month, and ultimately torn apart by a chariot."
"The people of Shaoqing Prefecture are not allowed to abandon or drown baby girls. Violators will be beheaded, fined 100 taels of silver, and their descendants will not be allowed to take the imperial examinations."
"These people—" Du Qingtang pointed at the villagers of Sanli Village, "They have committed both adultery and abandonment. Their audacity and recklessness make this official very unhappy."
In the crowd, the magistrate of Qingyang County was shocked, lowered his head and acted like a grandson, trying hard to reduce his presence.
"A country has its own laws, and a family has its own rules."
"For both crimes, I sentence them to castration, followed by the death by quartering. Do you have any objections?"
The officials' pupils were dizzy, and their backs were covered with cold sweat in the cold winter.
The villagers looked pale, struggled desperately, and begged for mercy loudly.
"Please spare my life, sir! I know I was wrong, and I will never do it again!"
"Please forgive me, sir. I didn't do anything. You arrested the wrong person!"
Du Qingtang turned a deaf ear to him and spoke clearly, emphasizing each word: "This incident has made me realize that Shaoqing Prefecture is very vast. I cannot take care of every place and know the crimes committed by every person."
"Then from now on, I ask that you all take the trouble to assume the responsibility of supervision."
"If I discover that someone has committed a crime and is at large, harming innocent people, all local officials will be considered accomplices and punished with the same crime."
These words were like a bolt from the blue, frightening the officials to death.
"Same crime? Will I also be castrated and quartered?"
"That's too harsh."
But even so, they couldn't say anything to refute.
The prefect is in a violent state at the moment and should not be provoked easily.
"I have no objection."
"Your Excellency is wise."
Du Qingtang's expression relaxed slightly. He raised his hand and his own soldiers came forward holding sharp blades.
The villagers of Sanli Village trembled like sieves and burst into tears.
“Don’t come over here!”
"Get out of here!"
But even if they shouted at the top of their lungs, they were unable to stop the palace guards.
These soldiers, who had dealt with bandits and foreigners before, had fierce eyes and swung their swords.
Blood splattered and screams were heard everywhere.
The officials' eyelids twitched and their legs trembled when they heard this. They covered their faces with their sleeves and dared not look at him any longer.
At this moment, the prefect's cold voice filled my ears like a demonic sound: "Look carefully at everything. This is the result of pretending to obey while secretly disobeying, knowingly breaking the law."
Officials: “…”
Under the tyranny of the prefect, they had no choice but to roll down their sleeves and watch the execution, suppressing their nausea and fear.
Hundreds of people were castrated almost at the same time, rolling on the ground in pain and urinating and defecating.
That's not enough.
Du Qingtang ordered Guard Wan: "Push the stone tower down."
The garrison commander Wan had no suspicion and immediately ordered the soldiers to push the tower.
Although the stone tower is called a stone tower, it is only one story high. The palace soldiers used tools to push it down without any effort.
The stone tower collapsed with a loud bang, dust flew, bricks and stones were scattered all over the ground, revealing the pile of baby girl's bones in the tower.
Each bone looked so thin and frail that it was seen by the officials. They first felt it was eerie and terrifying, but then they felt pity for it and thought it was extremely pathetic.
"Based on the length of these bones, those children were basically thrown into this stone tower as soon as they were born."
"How cruel! If they didn't want the child, why did they give birth to it? Aren't girls their own flesh and blood? How could they have the heart to throw a living person into a stone tower!"
"Perhaps the prefect is right. This kind of person has lost all conscience and is worse than pigs and dogs. He deserves to be torn into pieces by five horses and suffer all the tortures in the world!"
After the castration was over, another stick of incense passed. When the villagers of Sanli Village had tasted the pain of a life worse than death, Du Qingtang ordered the palace soldiers to carry out the punishment of being torn apart by chariots.
The hemp ropes were put around the villagers’ necks and limbs, with the other end connected to the horses’ hooves.
The palace soldiers whistled and fifty horses started running. In an instant, the ten people were torn into pieces by the five horses, and red and white blood flowed all over the ground.
A gust of wind blew.
The cold wind howled, as if the souls of those abandoned baby girls had returned.
They cried and sang happily.
For your own short-lived life.
The perpetrators were severely punished.
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