sbdcsierra Chapter 544 Her ambition
Chapter 544 Her ambition
Prefect Ling looked at the vibrant young women before him with satisfaction. At their age, they had weathered many storms, yet they had grown up amidst them.
The youth are the future of this country, no, the future of this era.
He is fortunate to have met such a group of vibrant and bright young people in his life, and he will surely witness the best of times.
"The imperial examination is not something that can be accomplished overnight. When Yuzhou gradually improves and everyone can have enough to eat and wear, more people will want to study, and more talented people will emerge and shine." Prefect Ling looked at the plaque of Mingxin Academy, which he had written himself. "Perhaps one day, women will also be able to participate in the imperial examination."
Lu Yangyang and the others followed his gaze to the plaque of Mingxin Academy.
Yes, perhaps one day women will be able to freely enter and leave schools, and even go to the examination hall and the imperial court.
The matter at Mingxin Academy was resolved smoothly. Although there were inevitably many problems at the beginning of classes, the girls were very serious and willing to work hard, and soon they got into the swing of things and got on the right track.
Liang Qiu, the Liang family girl who had been rescued by Lu Yangyang, had finished her postpartum confinement and recovered well. Her newborn daughter was also very healthy and adorable. The first thing she did after recovering was to go to the yamen to accuse her husband of plotting to murder her and demand a divorce.
The Zhou family, who had been imprisoned for over a month, had long lost their arrogant demeanor. Once in court, Prefect Ling simply tricked them separately, and they confessed everything like beans spilling out. They had been plotting to cause their wife to have a difficult childbirth, to abort the child, or even to kill both mother and child, so that they could rightfully seize their wife's dowry and bring the other girl into the family.
The whole family were accomplices.
He wept bitterly, begging Liang Qiu for forgiveness.
Liang Qiu coldly looked at the family that used to be so harmonious. She never dreamed that such dirty and vicious thoughts would be hidden under those seemingly honest and kind faces. If it weren't for the help of a benefactor, she would have already lost both her child and her body. Even if she had managed to give birth to her daughter, she would still have been harmed by these rotten-hearted people!
Liang Qiu spat fiercely at the Zhou family members kneeling on the ground: "Pah! Forget about forgiveness. If I were a vengeful ghost, I would definitely dig out the black hearts of your three families and let the world see how filthy they are! Just because you were pregnant with a girl, you went to such lengths to harm me. Are you even human? You had an affair with someone outside and had a bastard child. You wanted me to step down, but you couldn't bear to part with my dowry, so you came up with this vicious idea! What excuse did you use about carrying on the family line? There are plenty of families where children are born before the parents have children. Even if I really had a daughter and couldn't have any more, you could have just divorced me with a letter of divorce. Why did you have to take my life? Now, whatever your fate is, you deserve it. It's because Heaven has eyes!"
Then, looking firmly at Prefect Ling, he said, "My lord, I want a divorce. I want to take all my dowry with me, and I want their family to compensate me for my losses!"
Prefect Ling looked at the Zhou family: "Zhou Dalang, you attempted to kill your wife but failed. The evidence is conclusive. Your parents were accomplices. I hereby order you to divorce Liang, and your dowry shall belong to her. You shall also compensate Liang with twenty taels of silver. Do you have any objections?"
"My lord, my lord, I am willing to compensate you. I do not want a divorce. I know I was wrong. I only ask for Qiu Niang's forgiveness. I will definitely turn over a new leaf and live a good life in the future..." Zhou Dalang knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
Prefect Ling slammed his gavel: "Since you have no objection to the compensation, then the divorce is settled. Your relationship with Lady Liang is over, and the murder is beyond doubt, leaving no room for your doubts."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Dalang collapsed to the ground in despair.
But then Prefect Ling continued, “According to the laws of the Great Zhao Dynasty, anyone who attempts to kill his wife shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled three thousand li. Zhou’s parents were accomplices, so they shall be exempted from the caning and sentenced to three years of penal servitude.”
The Zhou family thought that the fine would be the end of it, but they never expected such a severe punishment. Zhou's mother couldn't help but curse on the spot: "No, it can't be! She's alive and well! We've already agreed to pay compensation. She only gave birth to a worthless child. Giving her money is already a huge favor. Why should my son be exiled! Why! You corrupt official, did you take her money to be so biased towards her? Heaven, open your eyes and see! My son is innocent!"
"Insulting an official of the imperial court is an even more serious crime." Prefect Ling coldly shouted, "You should be glad that Lady Liang is still alive. If she had died because of this, the one who intentionally killed his wife would be hanged or beheaded immediately!"
The Zhou family members trembled violently, collapsed to the ground, and dared not utter another objection.
Zhou's mother rolled her eyes and fainted.
After the verdict was handed down, Liang Qiu stood up and walked out of the courtroom. Facing the sun outside, she looked at Lu Yangyang in the crowd, walked quickly over, and asked nervously, "Dr. Lu, I asked my mother to take care of my child during the day. Can I come to the academy?"
Lu Yangyang nodded and said loudly, "Of course!"
The onlookers couldn't help but murmur, "Can a woman who has given birth really go to school?"
Someone chimed in, "You don't understand, do you? I've heard that Mingxin Academy teaches more than just reading and writing; it also teaches skills like playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and so on. These used to be things only the daughters of wealthy families could learn, but now Mingxin Academy teaches them all, and the tuition isn't expensive. I'm thinking of having my daughter learn these skills too; she'll definitely find a good husband!"
"But what's the use of a woman learning this if she doesn't stay home to take good care of her child after giving birth?"
"I heard that after learning the skills, they can help find a place to work and earn money. Alas, this woman is pitiful. She is so young, and she has encountered such a family. If she cannot find a good family in the future, she will have to rely on herself!"
"So it seems that Mingxin Academy has really done a good deed!"
"The prefect is a good official. In the past, if a woman was beaten to death by her husband, it would just be a matter of rolling her up in a mat. Who would really investigate? Now, a reception area has been set up outside the prefectural government office. It is said that anyone who does not understand the law can go there to ask questions, and anyone who has been bullied can come to file a complaint. He truly cares about the people!"
Lu Yangyang called for someone to take Liang Qiu to the academy, and then followed Jiang Zhiyi out of the crowd.
Looking at the people in the distance, the two exchanged a glance and smiled.
Seeing how Yuzhou has transformed in such a short time, and with the people's faces filled with anticipation and hope, they couldn't help but feel happy too.
“When I was very young, I was used to eating at the homes of many families. I often heard the village chief say when dealing with disputes, ‘We ordinary people can only suffer injustice if we encounter it. How can we go to court? If we go to court, we’ll be half dead. Who cares about the truth?’ Later, my father became a county magistrate. In just one year, when the village chief encountered trouble from a neighboring village, his first words were, ‘Let’s go to the yamen and find the magistrate to get a clear judgment!’” Lu Yangyang said with a smile.
"With officials like Lord Ling, the people have a sense of security."
Jiang Zhiyi looked at the people who were discussing earnestly, and his eyes also shone with light. "And His Highness the Crown Prince is Lord Ling's source of confidence."
"Yangyang, I hope that one day I can stand under the bright mirror, becoming a source of confidence for the people. I also hope to stand in the imperial court, becoming a source of confidence for officials like Lord Ling who speak out for the people."
From encountering misfortune and hesitating to die for the sake of her family's reputation, to curing her serious illness and leaving the family that bound her, from Jiangnan to the salt mine, from opening Zhenyanfang to arriving in Yuzhou and establishing Mingxin Academy.
Jiang Zhiyi confronts her ambition for the first time.