Chapter 26
The Zhou Mansion.
Zhou WuXin calculated the days - his eldest grandson was on patrol duty in the capital city today, doing street patrols and unable to take leave at will.
The next time he would be off was five days later.
If he were to lay his hands on his granddaughter-in-law, five days later any marks on her body would have faded completely, and his grandson would not discover anything.
Zhou WuXin thought to himself as his eyes reddened, gazing down at his beautiful young granddaughter-in-law whose arms he had pinned to the headboard of the bed.
"You can scream yourself hoarse, but no one will come to rescue you."
"It would only let people know about our affair. Do you think Jia Cheng would still want you if he found out?"
Zhou WuXin narrowed his clouded yet lust-filled eyes, looking down at his granddaughter-in-law's tear-filled expression.
The more she looked like that, the more excited he became.
"As long as you don't say anything and I don't say anything, Jia Cheng won't find out, and you can still be the good granddaughter-in-law of the Zhou Mansion..."
"I will tell your mother-in-law to hand over the household affairs to you from now on. You will be in charge of everything in the mansion."
Zhou WuXin tempted her.
Min Rou reached to pull out the hairpin from her head, but Zhou WuXin had already slipped a drug into the bird's nest soup he had sent to her after her meal.
She was now completely powerless and had no strength to stab Zhou WuXin with the hairpin. As soon as she pulled it out, it fell to the ground with a clatter.
Min Rou closed her eyes in despair, about to bite her tongue and commit suicide, but Zhou WuXin rudely stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth!
"Even the gods in heaven cannot save you now!"
"Stop struggling!"
Min Rou's tears streamed down her face.
She cried out to the heavens, but there was no response. She cried out to the earth, but it remained silent!
She regretted that she didn't even have the strength to knock herself unconscious!
She stopped struggling numbly and closed her eyes.
But just as she had given up hope and saw no way out, amidst her despair, a righteous and resounding voice came from outside in the quiet night, as if it had been thrown down forcefully!
"Right Censor Zhou WuXin, you are surrounded!"
"Let her go!"
Min Rou's tears continued to flow, her eyelashes trembling.
Was the pain too much for her to bear that she was hallucinating?
She dared not open her eyes. Even if it was just a delusion of some heavenly immortal descending to save her, she would rather stay in this illusory dream forever than wake up.
Min Rou held her breath.
Heavenly immortal, take her away.
She would rather die right now, die a clean death immediately...
"Zhu Female Doctor, quickly go in and examine her."
Examine what?
To see if she had been defiled or not?
Min Rou's eyelashes trembled in pain as she shook all over, her arms helplessly covering her chest.
"How outrageous! Zhou WuXin, you are a third-rank Right Censor, yet you commit such evil deeds in your own mansion, knowingly breaking the law!"
"You come out here at once for your Emperor!"
The heavenly immortal outside seemed to have changed into someone else, and now claimed to be... the Emperor?
Min Rou was stunned.
Were the immortals she had imagined to save her actually the Emperor?
Min Rou smiled bitterly.
She really had a wild imagination.
An immortal would have been enough, but she had even imagined the reigning Emperor, the Son of Heaven... leaving the palace on this mid-autumn night, instead coming to the residence of a lowly official to rescue her, an ordinary commoner woman.
What merit did she have to deserve such treatment?
If the Emperor wanted to save anyone, it would be the common people whose homes had been swept away by the recent floods, leaving them homeless and displaced.
What was she in comparison?
But as Min Rou pondered this, she heard a loud crash.
This time, it didn't seem like something from her imagination.
She even felt the footstool next to her bed shake.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... please allow your servant to explain..." Next to her ear came the wails of her husband's grandfather - no, that beast worse than a dog, who would not even spare his own granddaughter-in-law, begging for mercy!
Soon after, there was a heavy thud as someone fell to the ground.
Min Rou opened her eyes in a daze, tears streaming down her face, and saw Zhou WuXin sprawled on the floor, having fainted.
A foul stench filled the room, and there was a puddle of yellow liquid beneath Zhou WuXin.
He had actually wet himself out of fear.
And Min Rou, clutching her outer garments that had nearly been torn off, sat up on the bed in shock and saw a well-dressed woman entering from outside.
The woman smiled warmly at her, "Miss Min, I am a female doctor from the Tongren Medical Hall. The old master of the Liu Family has requested me to come and treat you. Do not be afraid."
Min Rou's tears welled up, and she suddenly looked up.
As the other woman gently held her hand and patted it reassuringly, the tears in Min Rou's eyes fell instantly.
This wasn't her imagination?!
It was real!?
A real heavenly immortal had come to save her!
Min Rou let out a wail and burst into tears.
[Woo, Grandpa is amazing! He took office just three days ago and has already uncovered Zhou WuXin's disgraceful actions! It's wonderful that the poor and beautiful Aunt Min has been saved!]
In the Donghua Palace.
Concubine Liu cradled her bright-eyed little Chu Chu, patting her tiny arm.
"Your Highness, this servant sees that the little princess seems to be waking up. Perhaps she has slept too much during the day. Shall this servant take the little princess to the side chamber? Your Highness, you should rest first."
The night-duty wet nurse, Zhang Jia, advised.
[Ah ah ah, this old scoundrel wet himself in fear when he heard the Emperor's voice!]
[Poor Aunt Min, she thought Grandpa had come to rescue her was just a fantasy.]
[Oh, Aunt Min realized it wasn't a dream - the female doctor was real, and Grandpa and the Emperor Father had truly come to save her!
She cried and knelt on the ground. The effects of the drugs hadn't worn off yet, and she was weak all over, but she still wanted to kowtow to Grandpa and the Emperor Father!]
Concubine Liu turned her ear to listen, raising her hand to stop Zhang Jia from taking her daughter away.
"Wet nurse, you may rest. You have worked hard today. I will take care of the little princess myself."
Zhang Jia was instantly touched to tears, "But how can this be?"
"This is my duty."
Concubine Liu met Zhang Jia's grateful expression, her ears turning red.
She just wanted to indulge in some gossip.
Knowing that Min Rou was safe, she let her desire to hear her daughter's thoughts and indulge in gossip take over.
"Wet nurse, say no more. You may go."
After Zhang Jia left, Concubine Liu immediately sat up and perked up her ears.
[Woo, Aunt Min said she would treat my paternal grandfather as her life-saving benefactor and respect him like her own parents from now on, taking care of him in his old age!]
[And the Emperor Father, Aunt Min said she has no way to repay the court. But she is skilled in embroidery, an expert in the double-sided Shu embroidery. She heard I had just turned a month old, so she wants to make clothes for this little princess!]
[Woo, the Emperor Father asked her if she wanted to keep her reputation as a woman intact and cover up this incident. He could find other charges to punish Zhou WuXin.]
Concubine Liu held her breath anxiously, clutching the handkerchief in her hand.
A woman's chastity had always been considered extremely important by scholars.
If a woman lost her chastity, there were countless examples throughout history of women drowning themselves in lakes or being forced by their families to hang themselves.
But these people never considered whether the loss of a woman's chastity was her own fault!
Why should the woman have to bear this responsibility!
This incident was Zhou WuXin's crime, wasn't it?
Concubine Liu's chest heaved.
But she knew it was useless to object.
She could not stop the gossip and judgment of this world.
If only the misogynistic attitudes of the men and conservative scholars of the Tianqi Dynasty could be changed.
If only the status of women could be elevated.
Concubine Liu fervently wished for this, while also anxiously glancing at her daughter.
How would Min Rou respond to the Emperor's question?
She would endure it, right?
But soon, Chu Chu smiled and began silently commenting on the live broadcast in her heart.
[Woo, Aunt Min said to ask the Emperor Father to handle this fairly!]
[She is not afraid of being criticized for losing her chastity as a woman.]
[She is only afraid that this evil person's crimes will not be made known to all! She is only afraid that this evil person will not receive the punishment he deserves!]
[She is only afraid that in the future, there will be more women who suffer, afraid that there will be more evil people in this world who think it's acceptable to take advantage of women just because they dare not speak out!]
Concubine Liu was instantly stunned by this earth-shattering inner voice, tears uncontrollably welling up in her eyes.
Chu Chu also turned red with excitement in her swaddling clothes.
[She said that being rescued by the Emperor and Grandpa was an act of heaven's mercy, a blessing bestowed upon her. If she were to cower in fear again, it would be an ingratitude towards this blessing.]
[So from this night onwards, she is no longer afraid of anything.]
[She also wants to divorce her husband! Unless her husband cuts all ties with the Zhou Mansion!]
[Woo!]
["Auntie Min Rou, I must call you! You're too awesome!"]
Concubine Liu was so stunned that she couldn't breathe.
Min Rou thought, what about herself as a concubine?
In theory, women of the harem should receive more adoration from the common people.
What she ate and wore was largely paid for by the national treasury, from the labor of the common people.
Then how could she repay the common people?
Concubine Liu's eyes flickered.
She should learn from Min Rou and help the suffering women of the world!
Use her position in the harem to seek a path where women could walk side by side with men!
[Ding.]
[A grand aspiration detected nearby.]
[Side quest activated: When women are strong, the world will be stronger.]
[System updating, entering temporary hibernation.]
Chu Chu was taken aback.