"Who goes there? State your name!" The gavel slammed down, startling everyone.
"Your Honor, I am Liu Zhaodi, and I work at the dyeing workshop in the county. My husband's family lives in Zhangjia Village. Because Zhang Daniu often beats me and my daughter, I am suffering terribly. The day before yesterday, the dyeing workshop paid my wages. I was planning to bring my daughter to the city yesterday to find a doctor for treatment, but Zhang Daniu not only refused to pay me, but also beat my daughter and me."
Yesterday, after hearing about my plight, the county magistrate's wife paid for my and my daughter's medical treatment. However, after returning home, Zhang Daniu suspected me of hiding money and wanted to beat my daughter and me to death. I was truly at my wit's end. They say even tigers don't eat their cubs, but this Zhang Daniu is more vicious than a tiger. That's why I decided to report this to the authorities, intending to divorce Zhang Daniu and raise my daughter myself, and never live with him again.
Zhao Di memorized what Xi Chun had taught her beforehand, and even with so many people watching today, she was able to successfully express her demands for her daughter's sake.
“Zhang Daniu, tell me yourself, is what Liu Zhaodi said true or not?” Fu Changfeng then looked at the timid Zhang Daniu standing to the side.
"Your Excellency, I only hit her because she was disobedient. What man in this world doesn't hit his wife? My mother said that women only listen when they are hit and scolded."
Zhang Daniu stammered out these words, and Old Lady Zhang next to him nodded in agreement, glaring fiercely at Zhao Di.
"So you admit that it's true that you personally beat your wife and daughter?"
“I hit my little girl by accident. Who told her to run over here when adults are fighting? She’s a blind brat, a worthless piece of trash. I didn’t even kill her.” Encouraged by his mother, Zhang Daniu became more and more arrogant.
"How dare you, Zhang Daniu! You not only beat your wife, but also a five-year-old child. Do you think you're right? Who told you that all men in the world beat their wives? In my opinion, only useless people do that. Husbands and wives should be respectful and supportive of each other. How can you vent your emotions by beating each other?"
Since you yourself admit it, and Liu Zhaodi no longer wishes to live with you, this judge will naturally grant you a divorce. Furthermore, Zhang Xiaoni will live with Liu Zhaodi, and you must repay Liu Zhaodi the medical expenses incurred for both of Zhang Xiaoni's treatment. From now on, you will part ways amicably and no longer entangle each other.
"My lord, I'm not having this! This isn't fair! I only hit my wife a few times, so why can't she stay with me? Liu Zhaodi, you shameless woman, going to work at the dye shop, have you lost your mind? Tell me, which wild man did you meet that dares to treat me like this, dares to cuckold me?"
Upon hearing the county magistrate's verdict, Zhang Daniu immediately expressed his dissatisfaction and even stood up to beat Liu Zhaodi.
"Stop! Pull them apart! Zhang Daniu, are you going to hit someone in front of me?"
"Sir, she must have hooked up with some random man. How dare she take me to court? Don't I have any dignity left?"
"That's right, sir. I don't think you're any better. You're actually protecting this woman. What man doesn't beat his wife? So what if my Da Niu beat her? This is our family matter. It's none of your business. And she wants a divorce? I think she's asking for trouble. We won't agree to it. She married into our family and hasn't even given us a grandson. We gave her a dowry of 500 coins. Now she wants to just walk away? She's dreaming!"
Old Mrs. Zhang jumped out angrily and pointed at Fu Changfeng, cursing him. This angered the other onlookers. Since Lord Fu came to Shaoming County, their lives had become so much better. Now, someone dared to speak ill of the county magistrate. Immediately, some people expressed their dissatisfaction.
"How dare you! This is no place for you to run wild! Guards! Old Mrs. Zhang has behaved inappropriately and offended an official of the court. Zhang Daniu has beaten his wife and disregarded his young daughter. Considering Old Mrs. Zhang's advanced age, let Zhang Daniu bear the punishment for his mother. Guards, give her twenty lashes in front of everyone."
From now on, if anyone dares to beat a woman without cause, and if I find out, he will be whipped ten times! As soon as Fu Changfeng arrived in Shaoming County, he used his iron-fisted methods to secure his position and killed those villains. It seems that some of these people have forgotten their way of doing things, so he will use this incident to establish his authority.
"No, don't hit my son! Don't hit him!" Seeing several constables tie Zhang Daniu's hands and feet, make him lie face down on a wide bench, and begin to whip him with a thick, long rope, Zhang's old woman was terrified.
"This family really thinks our county magistrate is a rabbit? They even dare to talk back to him. Now those who weren't beaten before are going to get a lesson."
"Isn't beating women a common occurrence? Why is the county magistrate making such a fuss? If I beat my wife in the future, won't I get another beating from the county magistrate?"
"Who knows? I don't think there are many men who don't beat their wives."
"If you ask me, the county magistrate wasn't wrong. There was a woman in our village who was beaten to death by her husband and mother-in-law. They wrapped her in a tattered mat and threw her into the back mountain. After that, the whole family started to have bad luck. Some died, and some got strange diseases. Later, someone gave them advice and found a shaman who said that the wife who was beaten to death had come back to take revenge."
"If they wanted to get better, they had to properly bury his wife's remains on the back mountain, erect a tombstone, and burn paper money for her every year. And guess what? After the family did as they were told, they really did get better; the strange illness disappeared, and their bad luck stopped."
"Is that really the case? Then it seems we should go easy on them. If we beat someone to death, who will cook and wash the dishes at home, and who will take care of the children?"
Upon hearing these words, Fu Changfeng and the others shook their heads and sighed. It seemed that the prevailing customs here had indeed persisted for many years, and it would take more time and effort to change them.
The divorce between Zhang Daniu and Liu Zhaodi became the first case in the county. Many women also learned that besides being divorced by their husbands, there was another way. Moreover, if the man beat them severely, they could go to the county government to file a complaint. The county magistrate would also send someone to supervise. If the man beat them again, they would be whipped again.
This gave many women confidence, and for a time, some men no longer dared to hit women easily.
"It seems that if we want to improve the quality of people here, we need to start from the root. First, we need to promote a positive learning atmosphere and change the prevailing customs. Second, we need to improve the status of women. Only then will we be able to reduce the occurrence of such things," Xi Chun remarked after learning about these events.
After the divorce, Zhao Di moved into the staff dormitory of the dyeing workshop. She no longer had to take care of her parents-in-law or her husband. She only needed to work hard and take care of her daughter. She felt much more relaxed and confident.
She even used her spare time to sew a purse for everyone. The women in the dye shop were delighted by her change, and she suddenly realized that this was the kind of life people should live.
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