Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Shi Wanxia's shocking remarks caused a huge uproar among the crowd, and everyone was discussing it.

Just then, a pale-faced scholar in his early twenties stepped forward. His expression was stern, and his eyes were piercing.

He shouted at Shi Wanxia, ​​"As a woman, how could you utter such shameless words? You have disgraced the family!"

"Since ancient times, when a woman loses her chastity, she either hangs herself to preserve her family's reputation or shaves her head and becomes a nun, spending the rest of her life with only the light of a lamp and the sound of Buddhist scriptures. But you are not ashamed, but proud of it. It is truly heartbreaking!"

The scholar's words were resounding, like a heavy hammer blow, striking the hearts of everyone present.

Shi Wanxia was overwhelmed by his imposing presence and was speechless for a moment. Her face was pale, and her eyes revealed a hint of panic and fear.

She never imagined that her remarks would elicit such a strong reaction, let alone that someone would stand up and criticize her so harshly.

Some people in the crowd began to echo the scholar's views, condemning and hurling insults at Shi Wanxia.

"Ha, may I ask if you, brother, are also a scholar? I ask you, what have you learned that went to waste! Where were you when the bandits were rampaging? I remember that scholars are supposed to learn the Six Arts of a Gentleman. Not to mention that the Six Arts of a Gentleman require you to be at the forefront, why didn't you, as a scholar, step forward to deal with the bandits? They are also your relatives. You are strict with others but lenient with yourself!"

"How am I wrong? Even if you don't step in to stop it, and can't act like a man to stop such evil deeds, the fact that you're spouting such righteousness and morality and pushing these two humiliated girls to their deaths makes you look good!"

Shi Wanxia steadied herself and retorted. These ancient scholars considered themselves superior, but in reality, most of them only read extremely pedantic and useless books, instead becoming a burden on their families to support them.

In this remote village, Li Xu was the only scholar, and was highly respected by everyone. He was tall and slender, with a fair complexion, and his eyes revealed intelligence and determination.

People flocked to Li Xu to curry favor. They surrounded him, showering him with flattery. Li Xu smiled and humbly responded to their praise.

“Scholar Li is the pride of our village! If he becomes a successful candidate in the imperial examinations in the future, we will all benefit from his success. You ignorant woman, you must not be disrespectful to our scholar,” a villager said.

Although Li Xu was furious at the woman's rude remarks, he tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor. He quietly looked at the woman before him and had to admit that she was indeed quite attractive.

Compared to those rural women, she was more beautiful and had a more unique temperament.

Her skin was as white as snow, her eyes as bright as stars, her lips as red as cherries, and her long, black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. If she were more obedient and virtuous, I might consider taking her into my household.

“Young lady, I am Li Xu. You are no ordinary woman. You must be well-versed in the precepts for women and know the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, right? These two women have lost their chastity today. It is only right and reasonable for us to deal with them according to the ancestral rites and laws. I hope you will not interfere in this matter. Otherwise, if anyone here hurts you, I will be heartbroken.”

After finishing his sentence, Li Xu gave her what he thought was a charming smile, and waved his paper fan lightly twice, looking every bit like a lewd, lewd man.

Shi Wanxia suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, inwardly cursing the pretentious man in front of her.

He dared to threaten her; he was utterly arrogant. However, she showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, she straightened her back and met his gaze without flinching.

Just then, Shi Wanxia suddenly felt a familiar presence coming from behind her.

She was slightly taken aback and turned around, only to see Li Changyu standing behind her at some point. A hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"Do you think I'm afraid of you?" Shi Wanxia's voice was full of confidence and determination.

"When I say you've wasted your education, am I questioning you? I'm asking you, what have you learned after all these years of studying? All you can do is talk about your knowledge from Zhihu, and think that because you're a scholar, you're superior to everyone else here, and that they have to be extremely respectful to you."

"Oh dear, what a disgrace! Someone like you wants to be an official? If someone like you were to become an official, all you'd do is exploit the people, bully the weak, and plunder their wealth. You'd be a corrupt official who harms the region."

Shi Wanxia wasn't afraid of offending this person. After all, those with nothing to lose have nothing to fear. What kind of future could such a scoundrel who only bullies the weak possibly have?

Li Xuqi's forehead veins throbbed, his eyes flashing like cold arrows as he looked at Shi Wanxia: "Ignorant, vulgar, and spouting nonsense! As the saying goes, 'Of all things, only studying is noble.' How dare you, an ignorant woman, insult me? Insolence! Seize him and drown him too!" Li Xuqi was furious and ordered his men to arrest her.

Not daring to offend the scholar, the villagers rushed forward to seize her. Shi Wanxia sneered and hid behind Li Changyu. The villagers dared not make a move, after all, he was not only their benefactor but also a man who could kill bandits as easily as chopping vegetables. No one dared to anger him.

"Haha, oh, you're getting anxious already. Is your Dao heart wavering? I say, you old fogies teach your children to be filial to their parents, yet you treat your wives like objects. How can you say such things? Are you trying to have your cake and eat it too?"

"My fellow women here, let me ask you, just because you are women, does that mean you should look down on yourselves and feel useless? But think about it, don't you also have to do farm work and housework, washing clothes and cooking? Women are inherently weak, so why do you do more than men?"

Li Xu and the others turned pale with anger. This woman's sorcery was bewitching people. They angrily rebuked her, saying, "Witch, you are spreading sorcery and bewitching people. I will definitely report you to the authorities. Your actions are against the will of Heaven and are extremely rebellious. Since ancient times, women have followed the will of Heaven, served their husbands and raised their children, and upheld the virtues of womanhood. This is the way of Heaven."

"Oh my god, you scared me to death! Go ahead and complain if you can't win an argument. Are you three or five-year-old children? Think carefully about what you're studying for. Studying isn't about making yourself superior and suppressing ordinary people."

Shi Wanxia held most ancient scholars in contempt, having been distorted by so-called scholars.

“You ignorant woman and child have never read books, how can you understand the principles in the books? You are extremely rude. We only tolerate you because you are the sister of Hero Li. This is our family matter, please leave. Otherwise, don’t blame us for being impolite.” Seeing that Scholar Li was being harassed by this woman, Third Uncle directly stepped in to drive her away.

"Yes, I am ignorant. If I hadn't studied, I wouldn't know that one should establish a moral compass for heaven and earth, secure a destiny for the people, continue the lost learning of the sages, and usher in an era of peace for all generations. Since Scholar Li considers himself a scholar, does he dare to have a contest with me, a mere woman? You can set the question. Do you dare to accept it?"

Seeing that the time was almost right, Shi Wanxia realized that these people were deeply rooted in feudal ideas, and that if she wanted to save these two innocent girls, she would have to use magic to defeat magic.

"Since the young lady is literate, she must not be an ordinary woman. How can she be so unconventional?"

Amid the bustling crowd, an elderly gentleman dressed in a dark cotton-linen long gown slowly emerged.

His face was kind, and his eyes revealed a profound wisdom. This old gentleman was Li Xu's husband, and he had come to discuss some important matters with the village chief.

Li Xu's husband walked steadily through the crowd and came to the village chief. Upon seeing him, the village chief immediately stood up to greet him, his face showing respect.

"Young lady, although I cannot agree with many of your words, those four lines are indeed excellent. I wonder which great master they came from. Would you be so kind as to introduce me to this person? He is a man of great talent and has expressed the aspirations and goals of us scholars."

Although Shi Wanxia didn't like the old man's words, she still knew the importance of respecting the elderly and caring for the young. She performed the Tang Dynasty's Wanfu ceremony, even though she didn't know the local etiquette. This wasn't just a perfunctory gesture.

"Greetings, sir. These four lines were written by a great thinker, and I have read them. However, what you say represents the aspirations of all scholars, which I cannot agree with. Most people study only to become officials and make money. Even if they had some ideas about benefiting the country and its people, the people wouldn't be living such difficult lives now, would they?"

This era has too many people who are solely focused on studying to change their social class, becoming officials who act as accomplices to evil and harm the common people. Let's not tarnish Mr. Zhang's four-character maxim.