RWNEFE -Chapter 495 The Scholar in a Confucian Robe Is Left Speechless

The men were eager for someone to step forward and speak on their behalf.

And sure enough, someone was pushed forward.

“Your Highness the Regent,” the man said, “you keep saying you want to open a path for women to live. According to what you say, does that mean women today are all walking toward death? If we follow your reasoning, then marrying and bearing children would be wrong—would it mean they are walking a road to death?”

The people standing beside him quickly moved away, keeping their distance from the man who had spoken.

Shen Lanxi looked at the scholar dressed in a Confucian robe. She did not grow angry; instead, she spoke as calmly as if stating a fact.

“Come closer and speak.”

Fear flickered in the scholar’s eyes. A moment ago he had spoken on impulse. What if Shen Lanxi took revenge on his family afterward?

“Do not worry. I pardon you,” Shen Lanxi said loudly.

The scholar hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward as if gambling everything.

There was no escaping anyway. He might as well try—perhaps he would catch the attention of some official.

Shen Lanxi said, “You have misunderstood my meaning. I believe many people share this same doubt, so I will take this opportunity to explain clearly.”

“Marrying and bearing children is part of the natural order. But there are some people who, though born of women, despise women and consider them as low as dirt. No one crawled out from cracks in the rocks. If you had only fathers and no mothers, would anyone be born? The nation would long ago have perished.”

Shen Lanxi gave a faint smile. “This shows that women and men are equally important. Neither can be lacking.”

The scholar persisted, “But what you implied earlier was that once a woman marries, she is stepping onto a dead-end road.”

Shen Lanxi asked calmly, “What is the purpose of laws? Does the existence of laws mean there are no criminals?”

The scholar was speechless.

Shen Lanxi continued, “Or is it that the law applies only to men and not to women?”

The scholar fell silent again.

Wei Dongzhu spoke, “Of course not. The law applies to both men and women—to everyone. The law serves as a warning and lets all people know the consequences of breaking it.”

Shen Lanxi nodded. “Well said. In the past, laws have occasionally been revised—laws that apply to both men and women. But marriage laws have never been corrected, so many provisions have become like chronic illnesses, never treated in time, eventually turning into hidden dangers.”

The scholar was clearly unconvinced. To him, Shen Lanxi’s words seemed almost like contempt for the law.

Seeing this, Shen Lanxi said, “If you have something to say, speak it directly. Today I pardon you.”

The scholar still hesitated, afraid she might retaliate later.

“Rest assured,” Shen Lanxi added. “I will not take revenge afterward—though only for today, and only regarding this matter. If you contradict me on other matters today, I will still judge you guilty of disrespect.”

The scholar looked up. “Really?”

Shen Lanxi smiled slightly. “I like people who dare to speak frankly. You have the potential to serve in the Censorate.”

Joy flickered in the scholar’s heart, and he immediately said, “How has the law of Great Zhou become, in your words, a chronic illness?”

Shen Lanxi asked, “Do the rules for the annual imperial examinations change from time to time?”

The scholar lifted his head proudly. “Naturally.”

“Why do they change?” Shen Lanxi pressed sharply.

“To eliminate abuses, and to make them…” better.

The scholar suddenly changed expression—he realized his mistake.

Shen Lanxi smiled faintly. “Revising the law is also to eliminate abuses and to make things better.”

A trace of chagrin flashed in the scholar’s eyes.

Shen Lanxi continued, “Regarding Madam Song’s case today—do you know all the details?”

The scholar shook his head. “I have heard roughly, but not the whole story.”

Shen Lanxi said, “Very well, then I will tell you. The man before you is named Tian Chunshan. The woman lying here is Song Hehua, Madam Song.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Wei Dongzhu saw Tian Chunshan about to speak and immediately ordered his men to bind him and gag his mouth.

The woman who had been having an affair with Tian Chunshan was so frightened that she covered her own mouth with one hand and her child’s mouth with the other.

Shen Lanxi continued, “In order to seize the family property and take over Madam Song’s position as shopkeeper, Tian Chunshan arranged for his mistress to come and cause disturbances at the door for several days, creating the illusion that Madam Song had fallen ill from anger. In reality, he drugged her, locked her in the woodshed, and intended to starve her to death.”

The scholar’s expression changed drastically. Pointing at Tian Chunshan, he angrily shouted, “Villain! Shameless, despicable, treacherous, and vicious—utterly disgraceful!”

Shen Lanxi said, “If I had not happened to go incognito today to observe the people’s lives, in two more days his scheme would likely have succeeded.”

“At that time, if anyone asked about it, the villain would have used the mistress to deflect rumors, claiming she had angered Madam Song into illness. Then he would say Madam Song was narrow-minded, fell gravely ill, and passed away. Afterward, he would put on a show of condemning the mistress, sever ties with her, and present himself as a loving husband and devoted family man. A few years later, who would still remember Madam Song?”

“After a few years, the mistress could change her identity, marry him as a second wife with her child, and who would know?”

The scholar flushed red, unable to refute her.

Shen Lanxi continued, “If this plan had succeeded, the vast fortune Madam Song earned would all have fallen into the hands of a villain. Her children would then be mistreated by a stepmother, forced to eat coarse food, and hurriedly married off and driven out. In the end, all the wealth Madam Song earned would benefit the mistress’s child. Would you be satisfied with such an outcome?”

Naturally, no one would be satisfied.

Evildoers should meet retribution—how could such a shameless couple be allowed such a perfect ending?

For a moment, anger surged through the entire crowd.

Just then, Tian Chunshan’s family was brought in as well.

“My son, what is happening?”

“Release my son!”

“Let go of my father!”

“Let go of my father!”

Wei Dongzhu shouted angrily, “Insolence! Do you not kneel when you see the Regent Prince?”

Tian Chunshan’s mother trembled and only then noticed Shen Lanxi, the only person seated.

The Regent Prince?

She shuddered violently.

Shen Lanxi said coldly, “You all arrived and saw only Tian Chunshan being held and Madam Song lying here unconscious. None of you even noticed her. I truly feel both sorrow and anger for Madam Song.”

The last two words were directed at Madam Song’s son and daughter.

“Your Highness…” Tian Chunshan’s mother dropped to her knees with a thud. She glanced at Madam Song, then quickly looked away in fear.

Had Song Hehua died? If she was dead, why had it brought the Regent Prince here… unless…

Turning her head, Tian Chunshan’s mother saw the mistress and her child kneeling nearby. Her legs went weak, as if all strength had been drained from her body.

It was over. Why were they here too?

Shen Lanxi looked coldly at Madam Song’s children. “Will you not step forward to see whether your mother is dead or alive?”

The two she had called out shrank back, retreating behind Tian Chunshan’s mother.

“Madam Song truly raised you in vain.”

The sound of hurried footsteps approached from afar—the court officials responsible for revising the laws had arrived.