Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Several imperial guards looked at Zhang Chunhua in disbelief, then looked back at her. Zhang Chunhua was not as pretty as Chan Yi and Quan Shuyu, so why would the young master like her?

Zhang Chunhua was also stunned for a moment before she answered, "If it can bring my father's safety, Chunhua is willing to do so."

Knowing that she had misunderstood, Chen Shao did not explain: "How old are you this year?"

Zhang Chunhua blushed and said, "I'm eighteen."

"Thirty years." Chen Shao said.

Zhang Chunhua didn't understand what he meant.

Chen Shao stepped over the gate of the back house and took a few more steps before he said calmly, "Use your thirty years to make up for the time your father took away from you for corruption and bribery. During these thirty years, you need to take charge of all the work of planning, building, managing, and teaching at the Hongyuan County Girls' School. Of course, you can get married, but whether you get married or not, you must not interfere with all the affairs of the Girls' School."

In fact, she wanted to popularize not only girls' schools but boys' schools as well. The reason why they were not comprehensive schools was because some deep-rooted prejudices could not be changed overnight, and she did not think that she could change them by her own efforts.

Whether it was a girls' school or a boys' school, she had already envisioned them when she opened the Huimin Pharmacy.

Only by universalizing education among all people can we eliminate ignorance on a large scale, discover talents better, and use them to stabilize the country.

As for choosing Zhang Chunhua, it was purely because in this era, it was very rare to find a woman who was educated, had a certain level of knowledge, and was not arrogant. In addition, it was even rarer to find someone who could be commanded by her and was obedient.

Zhang Chunhua didn't know what she was thinking. She thought Chen Shao was going to... A hint of disappointment flashed through her heart. She couldn't tell where this disappointment came from, so she could only ask dryly, "Your Excellency is going to open a girls' school in Hongyuan County?"

"I originally planned to think about this matter after everything is stable." Chen Shao said calmly, "Since you want to plead for your father and you happen to have read some books, I will advance the schedule by two steps and give you a chance to atone for your father."

Zhang Chunhua's fingertips were slightly curled.

Chen Shao continued: "According to my plan, girls' schools will not only be opened in Hongyuan County, but also in every village and town. The purpose of opening girls' schools is not only to teach girls who come to school to read and write, but also to teach them other survival skills besides getting married and having children, such as embroidery, silk flowers, account keeping, business, etc. So once you accept my commission, what awaits you is thirty years of hard work and running around."

Zhang Chunhua reminded: "Throughout history, no one has ever opened a girls' school. Although this is a precedent, I am afraid that after it is opened, few people will be willing to send their girls to study and learn to read."

"It's not just about opening a girls' school, everything is difficult at the beginning." Chen Shao said calmly, "People are unwilling to send their girls to school to learn to read and write because they think it is useless for girls to read and write. But after girls finish reading and learning to read and write, and learn the skills to make a living, they can earn a stable income, and this income is no less than that of men, so won't they flock to the school?"

Why do families with the means want to send their sons to school? It is simply because after they learn to read and write, they can pass the imperial examinations and bring honor to their family. Even if they fail, they can still find a job as an accountant or something else to support their family.

If women who can read and write also have these opportunities, why not do it?

Zhang Chunhua nodded thoughtfully: "If that's the case, they will naturally flock here."

"There's no need to rush for success. First, open one in the county town to test the waters. When conditions are ripe, we can open one in each town and village." Since it was something he had planned long ago, Chen Shao spoke naturally and logically. "The Zhu family and the Gu family were raided one after another, leaving hundreds of shops vacant. These shops are now in my hands. After all the investigations are completed and these shops are integrated, the shopkeepers, managers, accountants, waiters, etc. will all be re-arranged. At that time, all capable people, regardless of whether they are men or women, will be appointed."

Zhang Chunhua asked tentatively, "Your Excellency, aren't you afraid of what others may say about you for employing women to do things?"

"Since it is done by capable people, why would others say irresponsible things?" Chen Shao asked, "Are they saying that they can't even beat a woman?"

Zhang Chunhua's heart suddenly surged with passion, and she said in a crisp voice, "I do!"

As expected, Chen Shao smiled and said, "Since you are willing, go find Miss Quan and sign a personal contract with her. After that, bring her to me."

Zhang Chunhua should be.

"As for your father," Chen Shao continued, "I will have time to deal with his case after I finish dealing with the cases of those gardens. As long as your father has never killed anyone, I can let him off the hook. In addition, your mother and sister..."

Chen Shao thought for a moment and asked her, "What do you think?"

Zhang Chunhua considered and said, "I will have them move out of the prefect's mansion. When they leave, they will not take anything except the necessary clothes. But after they leave, they will need money for everything. I would like to ask you to lend me two hundred taels of silver. After everything is settled, I will definitely find a way to repay you."

Chen Shao agreed.

As we were talking, we arrived at the lobby.

Zhang Chunhua was originally still hesitating whether to follow in, but when she saw Chan Yi and Quan Shuyu were busy inside, she quickly followed Chen Shao's footsteps and went in.

There were quite a few people in the lobby.

When they saw Chen Shao coming, they greeted her enthusiastically.

Chen Shao also responded to them patiently and carefully.

When she walked to the desk, she saw Chan Yi asking questions and Quan Shuyu recording. They were so busy that they didn't even have time to greet her when they saw her coming. She couldn't help but order the Yulin Guards who followed them to move a table and a stool over.

After the Yulin Guards were arranged, Chen Shao did not ask Zhang Chunhua for her opinion, but directly ordered: "I will ask, and you will take notes."

Zhang Chunhua sat down at the table obediently.

"You can line up here too." Chen Shao called out. The people in the back immediately rushed over here. After they lined up, Chen Shao patiently asked the woman in the first line, "Auntie, could you please tell me your name, age, and where you live?"

After the woman reported it and Zhang Chunhua took note of it, Chen Shao continued, "Who are you going to sue, aunt?"

The woman immediately replied, "My husband is gone!"

Seeing the anxious look on the woman's face, Chen Shao tried to comfort her a little before saying gently, "Aunt, don't be anxious. Tell me what happened slowly."

"I have to be anxious," the woman's tears welled up in an instant, and then fell down. "He came to Hongyuan County early yesterday morning to sell straw sandals, and he hasn't returned home yet. This is not the first time he has come to the county to sell straw sandals. This has never happened before."

"Did you fall somewhere?" asked the person in the back.

"We have looked for him," the woman replied quickly after wiping away her tears. "We have searched the road from the village to the county town three times, but we have found nothing. Sir, please help me. My whole family depends on him for support. If anything happens to him, I will die..."

"Auntie, don't worry," Chen Shao comforted, "Tell me carefully, when did your husband leave the house yesterday?"

"Yesterday he got up in the morning, fed the chickens and ducks, and then fed the pigs, then took the cakes and went out." The woman said anxiously, "It was not long after dawn when he left, probably less than 3:00 p.m. If I had known that he would not be able to come back yesterday, I should have asked him to bring a few more cakes. He was usually reluctant to eat or wear anything, so he left all the food and drink he had for us..."

The more the woman spoke, the harder she cried.

Chen Shao asked Zhang Chunhua for a handkerchief and handed it to her. As she wiped her tears, he continued to ask kindly, "Did he come to the county town alone, or did he come with someone?"

The woman said quickly, "Li Daniu from the next village is with him. They often go to the county town to sell straw sandals together. Last night, Li Daniu came to my house to ask him to go up the mountain to cut cattails today. He said that the sun had not yet set, so they sold the straw sandals and went home. I panicked and ran back to my mother's house. My eldest brother from my mother's family has been feeling unwell recently. I was hoping that he went to visit my eldest brother. There was no one at my eldest brother's house, so I guessed that something had happened to him. I looked for him everywhere, but I couldn't find him..."

The woman burst into tears.

"Maybe he went to other relatives' homes?" someone else asked.

"I've looked everywhere, but can't find it." The woman cried so hard that she held onto the table and then collapsed to the ground.

After signaling Quan Shuyu to help her sit down on the chair, Chen Shao tried to use a calm tone and asked calmly, "How far is Li Daniu's village from yours?"

The woman was crying so hard that she couldn't answer. Someone who knew her answered for her, "It's less than two miles away."

Chen Shao continued to ask: "When they usually come to the county town to sell straw sandals, where do they meet? When they go home after selling the straw sandals, where do they part?"

The people around me couldn't help with this question. The woman cried for a while before she reluctantly answered, "We met at the crooked neck road and separated there to go back to the village."

The common people who helped answer the question earlier said, "The crooked tree is on the way to the county town, about two hundred feet away from their two villages."

This distance is not far. If the woman's husband had an accident on this road, the murderer is most likely someone from the same village. But it is very difficult for a fellow villager to completely avoid being seen. Even a cruel person like Shi Xing would have to scout the area for a long time, and then take advantage of the opportunity when the victim is out and alone before taking action. The villagers...

Chen Shao asked patiently, "Have your family or your spouse ever made enemies with anyone in or outside the village?"

"Normally they just quarreled a few times. There are always quarrels in every village," the woman cried bitterly. "How can hatred reach this point?"

Many of the people nearby nodded in agreement.

If it wasn't a vendetta, and her husband disappeared near the village... No, no, Chen Shao's mind moved, the so-called disappearance in the nearby village was just Li Daniu's statement.

What if this statement is not true?

Chen Shao calmed himself down and asked the woman again, "Does Li Daniu often ask your wife to go up the mountain to cut cattails?"

The woman nodded.

Chen Shao asked again: "How often do they cut cattails?"

The woman answered skillfully, "Usually, we mow once every ten days. Sometimes, when the weather is bad or we are busy at home, we may only mow once every half a month."

Chen Shao stared into her eyes and asked, "When was the last time you went up the mountain to cut cattails?"

The woman still didn't think about it, so she answered, "On the 19th."

Today is the 25th, and her husband disappeared yesterday, which means it has only been five days. Chen Shao, who already had an idea in mind, asked to prove his idea, "Are there any cattails left from the last harvest?"

The woman nodded: "There are still three bundles."

Chen Shao continued: "How many pairs of straw sandals can be made from one bundle, and how many bundles can be made in a day?"

"One bundle can make seven or eight pairs. It will take at least seven or eight days to make three bundles." A citizen answered quickly.

Chen Shao looked at the commoner who was the first to help the woman answer, "I wonder if this elder brother could show me the way?"

The first person to offer help was a middle-aged man. He came over and said, "Sure. Where are you going, sir?"

Chen Shao helped the woman up and said without letting anyone know, "Go to Li Daniu's village and capture him! Fu Jiu, prepare the carriage!"