CHAPTER 131: CHAPTER 131: AFTERMATH

Jiang Shaohua received the complaint paper and quickly glanced through it.

The first one was a married daughter suing her natal family. This woman had worked hard for many years in her natal home and saved up for two looms. It was originally agreed that she would take them as part of her dowry. However, after her mother passed away, her father remarried. The stepmother brought a son into the family and was unwilling to part with the looms, forcibly keeping them. The married daughter felt indignant and had already filed multiple complaints with the county government.

The second case involved a daughter-in-law suing her mother-in-law, which wasn’t a complicated case either. After the daughter-in-law married into the family, she was very industrious, earning silver by weaving silk each year. However, half of the income was used to support her natal family. The mother-in-law was furious and subjected her to relentless scolding and difficulties. The daughter-in-law, unwilling to comply, filed a complaint with the county government.

The last case was of a daughter suing her father because her father wouldn’t let her marry and kept her at home. The woman was already twenty-four years old, and had become a standard "old maid." Every time a matchmaker came with a proposal, her father would reject them, leaving the daughter feeling frustrated and emotionally troubled, prompting her to file a complaint.

After Jiang Shaohua finished reviewing the complaints, she looked up at County Magistrate Cui: "If I’m not mistaken, these are not the first times these complaints have been filed, right?"

County Magistrate Cui, a bit embarrassed, said: "I dare not hide the truth from the Commandery Princess. Indeed, it’s not the first time these three families have filed complaints. I’ve held court sessions, but each time, the outcomes were not satisfactory to them."

Jiang Shaohua raised an eyebrow: "How did County Magistrate Cui judge these cases? Why don’t you tell me?"

County Magistrate Cui cleared his throat: "In the case of the married daughter suing her natal family, I judged that the looms are the property of the natal family and should stay there."

"In the case of the daughter-in-law suing the mother-in-law, since the daughter-in-law married into the husband’s family, she should prioritize the husband’s family and cannot continuously support her natal family."

"As for the last case, I believe that an unmarried daughter should obey her father, and if the father does not allow marriage, she should remain at home to be filial to her father."

Jiang Shaohua smirked: "With judgments like these by County Magistrate Cui, no wonder they felt dissatisfied and filed complaints again and again."

County Magistrate Cui: "..."

County Magistrate Cui’s fair face flushed with some red, clearly feeling a bit upset. However, facing the Commandery Princess, he couldn’t and didn’t have the right to retort. He finally managed to squeeze out two sentences: "Then how should the cases be judged? I ask the Commandery Princess for guidance!"

Jiang Shaohua said lightly: "You are a descendant of a great family, having studied from a young age, and what you have learned is all about a woman’s duties—obeying the father before marriage, the husband after marriage, and the son after the husband’s death. Fundamentally, these three complaints all stem from the same issue: women having no property rights. That’s why you judged the cases in such a manner."

"Ye County is different from other places. Women there cultivate mulberries, raise silkworms, spin silk, weave, earn silver, support the family, and establish households. In such circumstances, women’s status is naturally much higher than in other places. As the parental official of a county, why don’t you adapt and still use outdated methods to judge cases?"

County Magistrate Cui’s face turned bright red, he bowed his head and cupped his hands: "What the Commandery Princess says is certainly reasonable. However, I have judged everything according to Da Liang Law..."

"Da Liang Law can also be changed." Jiang Shaohua interrupted County Magistrate Cui: "Take the case of Zhou Ying killing her father, for example. There were many hidden truths. If she had been executed immediately, how tragic it would have been for Zhou Ying and her mother."

County Magistrate Cui almost blurted out, "She was meant to be beheaded," but fortunately, he had some restraint and held it back.

Jiang Shaohua observed the changes in County Magistrate Cui’s expression and chuckled softly: "County Magistrate Cui, are you thinking that it’s because I deliberately shielded her that Zhou Ying, who killed her father, could escape death?"

County Magistrate Cui stayed silent.

He was quite bold.

Next to him, Chen Jinyu furrowed his brow.

Jiang Shaohua stopped Chen Sheren from intervening with a glance and said calmly: "Indeed, I did it deliberately. I think some rules in Da Liang Law, which have been established for decades, are no longer suitable and need to be revised and amended."

"Zhou Ying’s case, where she killed her father, is a human tragedy, and such things should not happen again. Therefore, I want to use this case to give the husbands in Nanyang County a severe warning."

Specifically, to give Lu Junma a warning!

County Magistrate Cui silently criticized in his heart. The Commandery Princess continued, "Ye County’s customs are different from other places. Since women earn silver and support their families, they should have certain property rights."

"County Magistrate Cui, Yang Shi will preside over these three cases as the chief judge, and you will be the assistant judge."

...

On the third day after the case of Zhou Ying killing her father, Ye County held a public trial again.

This time, it wasn’t just men watching the spectacle outside the county government; many women also showed up.

Most of these women were married, while some were around twenty and still dressed as young maidens.

The men found it inconvenient to gather too closely. Most people were neighbors and knew each other well, so taking advantage would be inappropriate.

"How many times has Lady Zhao filed a complaint already? Why doesn’t she give up?" a few familiar young wives whispered among themselves: "Her biological father married a stepmother and treats the stepson like his own. Why would he give the loom to her as dowry?"

"She has filed complaints three times, and each time County Magistrate Cui ruled the loom belonged to her natal family. Lady Zhao married well; her husband’s family has looms. It’s just that she can’t swallow this indignation."

"If it were me, I couldn’t swallow it either. If it were my own mother and brother, it would be one thing, but a stepmother’s son being more precious than a biological daughter?"

Soon, they all became righteously indignant.

"Shh, keep it down; the trial has started."

Yang Shi, with a serious expression, slammed the gavel and called the plaintiff and defendant to the court.

County Magistrate Cui, as the assistant judge, sat to the side of Yang Shi.

As for the Commandery Princess, having nothing else to do today, she came to attend the trial. Before the hearing started, she specially instructed: "I am here just to observe and will not speak randomly, nor interfere in the judgments made by Yang Shi and County Magistrate Cui. You just need to judge the cases fairly."

Yang Shi nodded with respectful demeanor but sighed inwardly with despair.

The reputation of the Yang Family might fall into ruins because of him!

The Commandery Princess was watching coldly from the side; how could he dare to go against her wishes?

These three cases actually all arose from disputes among women with high status striving for their property rights. In Ye County, where the situation is unique, women bringing lawsuits to the county government was unheard of in other places.

Despite his internal complaints, Yang Shi proceeded with the trial without any delay.

In the first case, he ruled that the Zhao Family must give one loom to Lady Zhao.

Mr. Zhao looked dissatisfied, and Yang Shi scoffed: "These looms are the property that Lady Zhao has accumulated by working tirelessly day and night. You previously agreed to give them as a dowry, so why are you now refusing to provide them?"

"I only ordered you to give one loom to your daughter, which is already lenient. If you dare to protest further, I’ll have you flogged thirty times and award all two looms to Lady Zhao!"

When Yang Shi became furious, Mr. Zhao immediately fell silent.

The stepmother, kneeling beside, initially wanted to argue, but after receiving a glare from Mr. Zhao, she bowed her head.

The sixteen or seventeen-year-old stepson had even less courage to utter a word.

Lady Zhao, teary-eyed, choked out: "Thank you, sir. Actually, my husband’s family is wealthy, and I have looms to use daily. I just can’t swallow this grievance."