Chapter 43: A New Sky
With the arrival of the new Prefect of Qinzhou, Fang Jian's work in the prefecture fell into a proper rhythm. After the initial wave of chaos, things slowly began to stabilize. Even so, by the time she looked up, the end of the year was already near. Amidst the sound of firecrackers heralding a new era for Qinzhou, the fourteenth year of Yongxing arrived.
All the major clans of Qinzhou were affected to varying degrees by this wave of purges. One by one, they learned to act with their tails between their legs. The officials of Qinzhou, from top to bottom, were almost entirely replaced. Those with ties to the powerful clans who had committed even minor derelictions of duty were all dismissed from office. Mid- to high-ranking officials were selected and appointed by the Ministry of Personnel and arrived in succession, while low-ranking clerks were recruited anew from within Qinzhou. Perhaps at Her Majesty's direction, most of the newly appointed officials were women. The local powerful clans were already at a disadvantage and naturally trimmed their sails to the wind, doing their utmost to preserve their families and fortunes. This meant they had no choice but to let their capable daughters step forward and actively align themselves with the female officials. Families like the Chens and the Songs went so far as to have their young women become the heads of the family directly. The days when the young men enjoyed all the benefits were gone for good. No matter how dissatisfied they were, they could only bottle it up, complaining in secret but daring not to act.
Among the common people, a new wave of social openness was ushered in. More and more young women began to leave their homes. Families with only daughters could finally hold their heads high and openly boast about their girls' merits. Many married women came to file petitions against their husbands, demanding a mutual divorce. Many commoners also sued the powerful clans for seizing their land and plundering their property. The government offices ruled on all these cases according to the law, favoring no party. This alone was a level of justice the common people had never seen before.
During the New Year, the government offices sealed their doors for the holiday. Fang Jian, who had been busy for the better part of a year, finally had time to step out of the yamen and walk the streets of Qinzhou. Qinzhou was a prosperous center of commerce, its people wealthy and its city bustling. It was the Spring Festival, and a joyous atmosphere was everywhere. The faces of the passersby were all wreathed in smiles. Walking among the crowd, Fang Jian was infected by their happiness. Seeing a vendor selling candied hawthorns by the roadside, she took out some money and bought two skewers. She handed one to Xiuzhu and held the other herself, eating it rather inelegantly as she walked. When she came to a stall selling malt candy, she wanted to buy some of that as well, so she stood to the side, waiting for the vendor to wrap it for her. Xiuzhu teased her for having a sweet tooth like a child, but she wasn't annoyed and chatted cheerfully with Xiuzhu.
"Mother, Mother, I want candy!"
A little girl's tender voice sounded from behind. Fang Jian turned to look and saw Luo Suwei, holding the little girl's hand. Luo Suwei was startled for a moment, then hurriedly bowed in salute to Fang Jian. Fang Jian bowed slightly in return.
Luo Suwei was among the first wave of Qinzhou women to obtain a mutual divorce from their husbands. Her husband wasn't a bad man, far from the tragic cases of abuse and humiliation that others later cried about. She had simply found that life, like a clay doll's, was utterly devoid of interest. She once thought it was a circle she could never escape, but just as she was about to resign herself to her fate, a light shone in. That light had been chiseled out, bit by bit, with the bare hands of her former friends. It started with two people, then grew to countless more, year after year. She, too, had once thought their efforts were futile. But who would have thought that hard work pays off, and that one day they would actually succeed?
Song Qiong and Chen Qingshang had sought her out many times, hoping she would join them in their cause, but she had refused. She was afraid, and she didn't believe it could succeed. After Song Qiong's death, she became even more convinced that one had to accept one's fate; this was her fate, and Song Qiong's. She knew what Chen Qingshang and Song Wan were doing, so she and a few of her close friends established the Qiulan Poetry Society. They claimed it was to rival the Feipeng Poetry Society, but it also served to make Feipeng less conspicuous. Outwardly, she said they couldn't let Feipeng outshine them in literary fame, but in her heart, she still wished them well. She just watched from a distance. This was who she was, she thought—a cowardly, despicable, selfish person.
Until the day of Chen Shouyi's public trial. She watched from within the crowd and finally understood the kind of life Song Qiong had lived. Tears streamed down from under her veiled hat, washing away the silt that had encased her heart and allowing her desolate soul to see the sun again. Every day thereafter, that heart cried out, making it impossible for her to endure any longer. That spirit broke through all the invisible shackles, compelling her to submit her petition.
She was the first woman from a powerful clan to request a mutual divorce. Countless elders came to persuade her, saying her husband had no serious faults, that he was just a bit too fond of amusement, so why must she seek a divorce? The Ye family naturally disagreed as well, and the dispute dragged on for days. But fortunately, the Luo family was now headed by her younger sister, who stood firmly by her side. So she submitted a petition to the government, requesting a mutual divorce, custody of her daughter, the return of her dowry, and the establishment of her own independent female-headed household. The lawsuit became the talk of the town. The Prefect of Qinzhou personally presided over the case and granted all her requests. And with her as the precedent, another wave of mutual divorces swept through Qinzhou.
Fang Jian took the package from the vendor, opened it, and handed a stick of malt candy to the little girl. The little girl looked at her mother, and only after seeing her mother nod in approval did she happily say her thanks and accept the candy from Fang Jian.
Fang Jian looked at Luo Suwei again and asked, "I heard you've established your own household. Is life treating you well?"
Luo Suwei still had her gentle and dignified appearance, but the smile she revealed was far more sincere than before. "Everything is well. I have some wealth of my own, enough to support myself."
"Do you have any plans for the future?"
"A'wan and the others are planning to open a school for girls, to teach young children from poor families. I thought that since I've studied for so many years, I could at least be of some help, so I volunteered to be a teacher." Luo Suwei stroked her daughter's hair. The little girl looked up at her mother, uncomprehending.
"That's wonderful." Fang Jian was also pleased to hear this. "Your literary talent is quite remarkable. It was truly underutilized on mere boudoir poetry."
Luo Suwei's cheeks flushed slightly at the words. She clasped her hands in a salute to Fang Jian. "Thank you, my lord, for all your help to us."
Fang Jian waved her hand. "Don't say that. To have this day is all due to your own choices. I was merely a gust of wind."
"Then we thank you, my lord, for letting us ride that wind."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Luo Suwei took her leave. Watching her lead her child into the distance, Fang Jian remarked to Xiuzhu with a sigh, "It's too much of a pity for a person like that to be trapped in the inner quarters. It's a good thing she still had the courage to walk out."
Not everyone was as willing as Luo Suwei to walk out of their cage. Chen Qingshang's mother, having lost her only son, cried and caused scenes at home all day. Her complaints went from cursing fate and bemoaning her bad luck to shifting the blame onto Chen Yangzheng and Chen Qingshang. Chen Yangzheng had been sentenced to dismissal and exile and was already a thousand li away. All of her mother's fury was now directed at the two sisters, Chen Qingshang and Chen Qingzheng.
After the Chen family's downfall, Chen Qingshang took control as the external head of the family, while Chen Qingzheng took over the household management that had originally belonged to the main wife. At first, their mother was in the throes of genuine grief over losing her son, washing her face with tears every day and falling gravely ill. But after she recovered, she discovered that the world at home had changed. No one listened to her commands as the head wife anymore. She went to her two daughters to complain, trying to reclaim her authority over the household, but was deflected by Chen Qingshang's lukewarm responses. She realized her two daughters were trying to sideline her, and her demeanor changed completely.
"Chen Qingshang, you unfilial daughter! Do you still consider me your mother?" Her mother came to curse at her daily, something Chen Qingshang had already grown accustomed to.
"What is Mother saying? Mother is, of course, still my mother," she replied calmly, flipping through a letter in her hand.
"Then tell me, was it you who caused your brother's death?" Her mother was no fool. After thinking it all through, she had managed to see Chen Qingshang's hand in the matter.
"Mother, watch your words. Did I make my brother beat his attendant to death? Since he committed such a wrong, he had to be prepared to face the law." Chen Qingshang frowned.
"Then why did you let the Censor into the estate to search that day?"
"How was I supposed to know you buried the bodies in your own garden! Five of them, no less! Mother, don't you feel a shred of guilt?" Chen Qingshang found it laughable. She had indeed put on a show with Fang Jian, but the outcome had been beyond what she knew.
"Chen Qingshang, this is what you wanted all along, isn't it?" Her mother's expression turned venomous, her words stabbing at Chen Qingshang's heart like daggers. "We raised a viper. Fine, just fine. Go on and be your family head. From this day on, don't call me Mother."
Chen Qingshang stood up and said coldly, "In that case, please stay in your courtyard, Madam Chen, and don't come out and cause trouble. The sky over Qinzhou no longer belongs to the Chen family."
"You! You…" Her mother stormed off, flinging her sleeves.
Chen Qingshang watched her mother leave, her expression weary. Chen Qingzheng emerged from an inner room and hugged her older sister.
"A'jie, is this alright?"
"It's fine. Once Mother calms down, she'll realize that for the rest of her life, she has to rely on us. Is she going to rely on her sons by concubines instead?" She patted Chen Qingzheng's hand. "If they hadn't always doted on our brother, would things have come to this?"
"Did Father and Mother truly love our brother?" Chen Qingzheng seemed unable to understand.
Chen Qingshang sneered. "Brother, you, and I are all just objects of the Chen family. What status, what position, whether to be doted on or discarded—it's all up to the family head and the main wife. What they can't let go of is not a child, but this power to control everything."
"And now that power is in our hands, right?" Chen Qingzheng looked at her older sister, a different kind of light in her eyes.
"A'zheng, what makes us human is having something to hold onto. Remember your original intentions. Don't let your eyes be clouded," Chen Qingshang said to her young sister.
A chill went through Chen Qingzheng's heart. She replied, "You're right, A'jie. I'll remember."
"Go do what you need to do. The Chen family won't fall just yet. Oh, right, keep an eye on Mother. Don't let her cause trouble."
Obtaining the Chen family head's token was merely the first step. Countless difficulties still lay ahead. They had borrowed Her Majesty's power, so they had to deliver beautifully on what they had promised Her Majesty. Only then could the Chen family, and the other clans of Qinzhou, have a chance to start anew.
Author's Notes
Also gave Luo Suwei a happy ending.
The Qinzhou side-story is basically over. Next chapter will return to the main CP.
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