Marry my elder sister? Fine! I'll give you the letter of annulment and marry someone else.

Because he had just been punished, the entire imperial study was filled with a strong smell of blood.

The emperor's face looked grim, and he was clearly disgusted, but he kept a straight face and didn't get angry.

Instead, the wise king looked at these women with a satisfied smile on his face.

They were changed into new prison uniforms, but they still couldn't stop the blood from seeping out. Their bodies were shaking and their faces were pale and completely bloodless.

Song Zhi gritted his teeth and said, "They tortured you."

"We're fine."

The woman closest to him forced a smile and said, "Don't worry, young lady. Compared to the beatings, scoldings, and hard work you endured at home, this is nothing."

It is common for women to be beaten to death by their families, not to mention just being injured.

Even if she dies, people will just sigh that she has a bad fate and no blessings. Not only will the murderer not be brought to justice, he can even remarry.

The world is unfair and there is no place to seek redress.

Song Zhi clenched her fingertips and asked, "Your Highness sent them to prison and abused them. Is this inappropriate?"

The virtuous king, however, confidently denied the crime, saying, "When have I ever abused my power of private punishment? The injuries on her body are simply pre-existing. Why are you blaming me for them?"

"That's right. The injuries on their bodies were caused by their husbands because they were disobedient and didn't do good things. Don't wrongly accuse a good man like the virtuous king."

The people lying on the stretchers quickly agreed. Now they supported the wise king very much in their hearts and spoke for him without thinking.

If your husband is violent at home, that is a family matter. The government and the emperor will not care, and it is completely different from lynching.

Song Zhi was disgusted by their shamelessness and gnashed his teeth. "Their wounds are so fresh, how could they possibly..."

"enough."

The emperor finally couldn't help but shout, "Stop talking about these trivial matters. I just want to know whether what the wise king has pointed out is true."

Song Zhi was silent.

The fact that a woman was beaten to death was just a trivial matter and no one would care about it at all.

The wise king looked at the women threateningly, "Tell me what she taught you after you went to her shop. Remember to speak clearly. If you say something wrong, your life will be in danger."

The women answered without hesitation, "What can we say in a shop selling rouge and powder? Of course, they will introduce rouge and powder to us."

"That's right, Miss Song sells good quality and low prices, so we like to patronize her."

The virtuous king frowned coldly, "You are lying. If she didn't say anything to you, how could you have become a different person after visiting her shop a few more times?"

The group of women said, "It's just our own sudden realization. What does it have to do with Miss Song's shop?"

"you!"

The virtuous king gnashed his teeth and said, "Are you sure you want to persist in your delusion? If you tell the truth, I can even plead with the emperor to show you some mercy."

They shrugged it off, saying, "We didn't do anything wrong. We don't even know why we were arrested. Why would they frame Miss Song just to give her a break?"

Everyone spoke in a firm and resolute tone, and the emperor looked at the wise king deeply.

The virtuous king immediately said, "Brother Your Majesty, I absolutely did not lie. I saw with my own eyes that they had set up a girls' school in the backyard of their guest house. When I went there, they were still holding books in their hands. The facts are before our eyes, and it is useless for them to deny it!"

"emperor."

Song Zhi stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, this is nonsense. My application has not been approved, so how could I possibly open a girls' school without permission?"

The virtuous king asked, "Then why are they studying in the backyard of your shop?"

"If they want to read, then they can read. I like sharing. The book is there anyway, so if anyone wants to read it, they can pick it up and read it."

"You're... making up stories. How could there be so many books in the backyard of a normal shop?"

"I'm keeping the shop there, and I'm going to put a few more books there to pass the time when I'm bored. Your Highness, this isn't too much, is it?"

"You can read it, but what's the point of reading a book for these illiterate people? Your explanation doesn't make sense."

Song Zhi sighed, "Everyone has the right to yearn for something. They can't translate just because they can't read. What kind of rule is that?"

"Even if we take a step back, a school still needs a teacher. Your Highness, have you seen the teacher?"

The wise king: "..."

This question really got him thinking.

Indeed, he had people secretly surround the shop at the beginning, and did not let out even a fly, let alone people. There was indeed no teacher inside, as a school should have.

The virtuous king frowned and looked at Song Zhi, "You did it on purpose!"

Song Zhi said: "I am innocent."

At this time, a eunuch came in from outside and whispered in the emperor's ear, "Your Majesty, Master Song and Master Li have been outside asking to see you."

The emperor's expression changed. He looked at the virtuous king and then at Song Zhi.

Seeing that the virtuous king couldn't produce any favorable evidence, he weighed the matter several times, rubbed his brows in frustration, and pretended to be fair and said, "In my opinion, this is a misunderstanding. The virtuous king made such a rash move for the stability of Tianqi. Don't take it to heart, my child."

"However, this action was indeed too hasty. To express your apology, how about the virtuous king find a time to entertain Lord Song and Zhier."

"Yes, I obey your order." Although the wise king was unwilling to let Song Zhi go without any harm, he really had no more favorable evidence, so he had to lower his head and agree unwillingly.

After receiving the wise king's reply, the emperor waved his hand wearily, "That's all for today. Everyone, please go back."

With just a few words, she easily revealed what the virtuous king had done today, and it was clear that she was biased towards the virtuous king and trying to smooth things over.

Song Zhiqi gritted his teeth. What a dog emperor! I wonder if he would be so magnanimous after finding out that he was cuckolded.

But no one noticed that the wise king showed a smug smile from an angle that outsiders could not see.

For him, today's game was not completely in vain. At least the people lying on the stretchers would remember the image of him, the wise king, who argued for them today.

But the emperor did nothing.

In comparison, he will definitely be able to build momentum for himself better in the future.

A tug-of-war that was much ado about nothing came to an end.

Everyone supported each other as they walked out, with Song Zhi and the girls walking at the end.

As soon as he went out, Song Yang and Li Yan immediately surrounded him.

"Daughter, are you okay?"

"fine."

Song Zhi looked at the women covered in blood with an uneasy look in his eyes, "They may need a doctor."

Song Yang didn't ask any more questions. "We will leave the palace immediately and get a doctor for them."

The group slowly walked away until they were far away from the high vermilion wall. Song Zhi then said to the women, "Everyone, thank you for not rebelling today."

In fact, when the emperor summoned them, she was worried for a moment. After all, human hearts are unpredictable, and no one can guarantee whether someone will say anything in such a situation.

A woman straightened her chest and said, "Women also have blood and emotions, and young ladies have great love. How could we casually frame them?"

“Even though we have never been to school and cannot read, we know that those who carry firewood for the people should not be frozen to death in the snow, and those who pave the way for freedom should not be trapped in thorns.”