"Did you all see clearly? This mark is the result of being attacked with a stick."
Bei Yutang held a stick and used it to compare the bruised area, allowing them to feel it more intuitively.
"Yes, yes, that's right."
"It seems Sanniang didn't lie."
"We misunderstood."
When they came out, the villagers anxiously asked about the results.
"Just like what Xiangjun said, Sanniang was murdered."
"We misunderstood."
Sanniang wiped her tears silently, and her injustice was cleared.
The village chief could see that the local gentleman was going to protect Sanniang. One must bow their heads under the eaves.
Aunt Lin said dissatisfiedly, "Even so, it's an indisputable fact that she was defiled. As a widow, she should remain chaste for her lost husband. Now that she has failed to preserve her honor, she should be thrown into a pig cage. If she still has any sense of shame, she should die to preserve her honor."
After hearing what Aunt Lin said, the villagers all expressed their agreement.
A white-haired old woman stepped forward and said, "Our Jihyo Village has been famous for its chastity arches since ancient times. If a woman cannot maintain her chastity today, she should be drowned in the pond to preserve her reputation."
"Yes, that's right."
"If a woman like this appeared in our Jihyo Village, it would ruin its reputation for hundreds of years."
"Yes. Sanniang must die."
"No matter what, she failed to maintain her chastity and should be thrown into a pig cage."
Someone directly said to Sanniang, "Sanniang, if you still have any sense of shame, you should bang your head against that chastity archway and die right now."
"We can't let Jihyo Village have a bad reputation because of you."
"Sanniang, you couldn't keep your chastity. It was your own fault. Since you did something wrong, you should die to prove your innocence."
Sanniang was frightened by the villagers' damn words and turned pale.
"Enough." A cold voice stopped the voices of condemnation.
The sound was obviously not very loud, but everyone present heard it clearly, which made them shut their mouths unconsciously.
Everyone looked at her in surprise.
The faint smile that had been hanging on Bei Yutang's lips disappeared.
She looked at the villagers with cold eyes, "Yes, someone deserves to die. But isn't the person who deserves to die the one who defiled Sanniang's body? What did Sanniang do wrong?"
"You want to preserve the village's reputation for chastity, but why should you sacrifice Sanniang's life? Shouldn't you capture the despicable person who defiled Sanniang and use him as a memorial to the chastity arch you've guarded for centuries?"
"If you have the guts, just grab that man instead of forcing a helpless, weak woman here."
Bei Yutang looked at the chastity arches and felt it was dazzling.
These things bound all women in the world, they were like shackles, tightly pressing all women down. Why can a man remarry or take a concubine after his wife dies?
Why is it that when it comes to women, they have to be buried alive with their husbands after their deaths to preserve their reputation and chastity, in exchange for these cold chastity arches?
"That man deserves to die, but Sanniang must die too. We cannot allow any woman whose body has been defiled to remain in our village," the old man said coldly.
"Yes, that's right."
Bei Yutang looked at them and she understood that no matter how much she said, they would not listen.
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