My Lady Says She Wants to Marry Me - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Lu Youming sat high atop the bench, wearing her official hat and green robes.

Her expression was cold and hard, her eyes sharp and dignified. On either side, the yamen runners rhythmically struck the floor with their staves, shouting the opening cries of the court.

She looked straight ahead at the commoners and scholars gathered outside the gate to observe. She had intentionally invited the public to witness this trial. This “eating the legacy” case carried a powerful warning; she wanted the people to know that while clans might have their own internal rules, a clan member who committed a crime would still be apprehended and sentenced by the government.

The surroundings fell into a dead silence. This was Lu Youming’s first formal court session since taking office. Usually, she handled minor disputes through private mediation. In ancient times, the commoners feared officials as they feared tigers; often, simply hearing the word “official” made people retreat. Very few dared to bring their grievances directly before her.

A sharp crack of the gavel made everyone’s heart skip a beat. Shen Ming, the defendant, felt it most acutely. He was in his late fifties or sixties, with a face marked by time and bitterness. His eyes were filled with panic, his whole body trembled, and his forehead was drenched in sweat.

Across from him, Madam Shen (Shen San-niang), whose face still bore bruises, looked up at the County Magistrate sitting high above. She couldn’t hold back any longer, collapsing to the ground in sobbing tears.

Lu Youming remained expressionless. She struck the gavel again to confirm the identities of the plaintiff and the defendant. “Who stands before this court? State your names and places of origin.”

Su Wanrou, dressed in men’s attire, sat in the position of the Main Clerk, recording the proceedings and the official testimonies.

“This humble woman is Shen San-niang of Hexi Village. I sue the Shen Clan Leader for seizing my late husband’s property and attempting to sell me and my children,” she managed to say clearly despite her terror.

“Lord! This woman is making false accusations!” Shen Ming shouted, straightening his back in angry rebuttal.

“Impudent! No shouting is permitted in this court!” Head Constable Wang growled, his eyebrows knitting together. He hated nothing more than people being rowdy in front of the Lord. He brought his staff down—thwack—against Shen Ming’s shoulder, making the man stagger and scramble to kowtow in apology.

The onlookers, seeing the usually easy-going Wang Da so fierce, felt a chill of fear. They looked back at the Magistrate sitting beneath the plaque inscribed “Bright Mirror Hanging High.” She was no longer the gentle, harmless person they saw in the streets. They felt the weight of her authority and grew even more respectful—and fearful. Yet, in their hearts, they still wouldn’t allow anyone to speak ill of her.

Lu Youming was unaware that the people’s secret admiration for her had already reached a level of blind devotion.

“Are you Shen Ming, the Clan Leader of the Shen family in Hexi Village?” Lu Youming asked in a cold, methodical tone.

“This humble one is,” Shen Ming replied, enduring the pain in his back.

“Madam Shen accuses you of seizing the property of her deceased husband and secretly attempting to sell a widow and her orphans. Do you plead guilty?”

“I am wronged, Lord! It was she who brought bad luck and killed my Shen family kinsman! As Clan Leader, I feared she would… would… kill others with her curse, so I only wished to drive her away!” Shen Ming spit out his rehearsed defense.

“Nonsense! Everyone knows my husband died because he was injured in the flood! His wounds turned feverish and he lingered until last month!” Madam Shen retorted immediately.

“Madam Shen, do you have witnesses or evidence for your claims?”

“I do! Physician Wang, who treated my husband, and my neighbors can all testify for me.”

As the testimonies piled up, the truth became clear to everyone: this Clan Leader was truly a vulture trying to “eat the legacy” of a dead man. Shen Ming listened to the whispers from the crowd, his mind spinning with only two words: Finished. Finished.

The case was crystal clear, and the judgment came swiftly.

“I sentence Shen Ming to three thousand li of exile. Half of his property is to be confiscated as a warning to the world.”

As the gavel struck for the final time, the people outside the yamen broke into cheers and applause. Most had wives and children; seeing such an atrocity stirred both rage and fear in them. Shen San-郎’s body was barely cold, and he still had a son and daughter; Shen Ming’s greed was simply too revolting to ignore.

Shen Ming collapsed in despair. For a man his age, three thousand li of exile was a death sentence. He was dragged away by the guards.

After the trial, Lu Youming stepped down to comfort Madam Shen (whose name was Zhu Yin). She sent officers back to Hexi Village to announce the verdict and warn the Shen kinsmen: if anyone harassed the widow again, they would be arrested for forced labor.

“This humble woman thanks the Lord,” Zhu Yin knelt in gratitude. Lu Youming hurried to help her up. She truly hated the ancient habit of constant kneeling.

Su Wanrou, seeing Lu Youming reaching out to help the woman, quickly stepped in and took over. How can a man and woman touch so freely in public? she thought.

Once they returned to the private quarters, Lu Youming grinned. “Hard work today, Lady. You can go back to your holiday now.”

Su Wanrou gave her a mock-stern look. “I’m not the tired one, you are. I wanted to tell you about this case yesterday, but I forgot after finishing work at the workshop. Next time, you mustn’t help a woman up yourself,” she scolded gently, holding Lu Youming’s hand. “You are appearing as a man now. If people see that, it will damage your reputation.”

Lu Youming rubbed her head, realizing her slip. “I won’t do it again.”

“Sigh… in this world, life is so hard for women. There are many such cases, but not every official cares to try them,” Su Wanrou sighed. “If my uncle hadn’t been the Prefect of Jinling back then, another mother and daughter might have been sold into a brothel.”

Lu Youming’s brow furrowed. In ancient law, selling free-born women was a crime, yet often husbands or parents did so without punishment. Today, Shen Ming was only punished because he was a clan leader with no legal right to sell her, and the evidence was undeniable.

“If women could step out of the home, earn money, and contribute to the state’s taxes, their status would naturally rise,” Lu Youming mused. But she knew that economic development required science—and even in the modern world, discrimination persisted.

Su Wanrou laughed at her “husband’s” extraordinary monologue. “Then you must work hard, Husband. The South is prosperous; the oppression of women here is at least slightly lighter than elsewhere.”

Lu Youming took her hand and said seriously, “Change is hard. I can only do what is within my power.”

Neither of them knew that in a few days, an even more difficult challenge would arrive.

In Jinling, Shao Jiechuan sat in his study for a whole day without eating, staring at the returned memorial. He looked at the words scribbled on it: “Unimportant minor path.” He burst into a fit of hollow laughter. A miracle that could save the nation was called a “minor path” by the Eldest Prince, who was supported by the very people he ignored.

Did the Emperor know? He was trying to let the Eldest Prince balance the court to ease the succession struggle, but the Prince truly had no talent for governance.