Her tone was not harsh, nor did she scold sharply. It seemed as if she were just calmly stating a fact.
Over the past five years, she had encountered too many such things. From initial anger to present calmness.
She also knew that she couldn't save all the girls in the world who were belittled, abused or even sold by their parents. But she could save one if she could.
The little girl looked at Song Wanchu as if being illuminated by a warm ray of light. The gentle and just woman in front of her was like the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva who saved the suffering.
She plopped down on her knees and kowtowed like garlic.
"Kind Bodhisattva, please save Erya. Erya is willing to be your servant for a lifetime!"
Song Wanchu bent down to help her up and carefully dusted the dirt off her knees.
"Child, no one is born to be a servant. If you call me mother, you are my daughter from now on."
The little girl shouted without hesitation, "Mother!"
The voice was clear and loud, with a sobbing tone of gratitude.
The couple's faces turned green with anger.
"Good-for-nothing thing! We've raised you up, but you recognize a stranger as your mother?"
"You raised me just to make me a slave for your son. Now that I'm grown up, you want to sell me to build a house and marry a wife for him!"
Perhaps Song Wanchu's hand was warm and powerful, giving the little girl the courage to resist. "You always said I was superfluous. You wouldn't even give me a full meal. You treated me like a toy and sold me around. You didn't even care when that brute almost killed me. For just ten taels of silver, you wanted me to give false testimony and wrong a good man like Young Hero Song!"
"Since you think I'm superfluous, why did you give birth to me?"
Every word was a tear - filled accusation.
The couple probably didn't expect their docile daughter to burst out with such strong resentment.
The woman's lips turned white and she murmured, "Isn't this how every family raises their girls? I also went through this when I was a child..."
"Do you want your daughter to suffer the same pain you endured?"
Song Wanchu retorted, "You are not only unworthy of being parents, but also unworthy of being human beings!"
The strange looks from the common people made the couple feel as if they were sitting on pins and needles.
"What a good girl! If I had a daughter, I'd hold her in the palm of my hand. How could I bear to beat and abuse her?"
"That's right! Sons are your own flesh and blood, but aren't daughters? They're all the same!"
Hearing the discussions of the common people, Song Wanchu felt relieved.
There were still more parents in the world who loved their children.
Moreover, in the past five years in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the taxes had become lighter and lighter, the common people had become richer and richer, living a stable life, and the buying and selling of people had become less and less.
Liang Yuzhou was too lazy to waste words on such a despicable couple. He directly asked, "How much did Lai Youde pay to buy her?"
The man said sheepishly, "Twenty taels."
Song Chenxi was indignant. "Twenty taels of silver can buy off your own daughter's life? You're worse than pigs and dogs!"
"Fifty taels is enough to buy off your family affection with your daughter."
Liang Yuzhou took out two silver ingots from his purse.
When the couple saw the silver, their eyes turned greedy.
Song Chenxi snorted loudly. "Your feelings for Erya aren't even worth fifty taels!"
He grabbed the two silver ingots and threw them at the man's and woman's foreheads.
The two staggered back and fell, regardless of their bruised buttocks, they turned around to look for the silver ingots.
"How about it? Does it feel good to be knocked out by silver?"
Song Chenxi sneered.
The county magistrate was sweating profusely on the side.
Who on earth were these people he had met today? Why were they all so hard to deal with?
Song Wanchu led the little girl's hand and walked out of the courtroom.
Behind them were the praises of the common people.
Outside the courtroom, the sun was shining brightly. It was a wonderful day.
"Come on, mother will take you home."
The little girl was so happy that she was about to cry. "Mother, Erya is willing to serve you for a lifetime..."
"From now on, you're not called Erya anymore."
Song Wanchu smiled and gently stroked her back. "Mother will give you a new name. It's Xinqing, which means the sky is clear after the rain. You're not a low - life. From now on, you'll also be loved."
"Yeah, I like the new name mother gave me!"
Song Chenxi suddenly popped out from behind Song Wanchu and grinned at Xinqing.
When he was first adopted five years ago, he was as thin as a bean sprout. Now he was a head taller than Song Wanchu.
"Sister Xinqing, when we get back later, you'll have more than sixty elder brothers, elder sisters, younger brothers and younger sisters to get to know. Do you have a good memory? Don't get dizzy then!"
Xinqing blushed and smiled shyly. "Thank you, Young Hero Song. You saved my life."
Song Chenxi proudly puffed out his chest. "Why be so polite? Call me big brother!"
Liang Yuzhou walked out of the courtroom a little later.
"Shi Minglang is becoming more and more irresponsible. There's such a corrupt and unjust county magistrate under his jurisdiction. I don't know how many common people he's harmed, and he doesn't even know about it!"
Shi Minglang was still the prefect of Yunzhou.
His political achievements were outstanding. The emperor had wanted to promote him two years ago.
His uncle, Shi Jinglu, was promoted to be the tutor of the crown prince. The position of the Minister of Dali Temple was vacant. The emperor wanted to summon him back to the capital to inherit his uncle's mantle.
Tens of thousands of common people in Yunzhou petitioned for Shi Minglang to stay in his post.
Coincidentally, Chu Yueying was pregnant with their second child. Shi Minglang was worried about his wife's long - distance travel, so he also petitioned to stay in his post for three years.
The emperor listened to the will of the people.
It was just that this year was the last year of Shi Minglang's tenure.
Song Wanchu smiled. "Yunzhou has twelve subordinate counties. He can't notice everything. He's also the father of two children. With busy government affairs and a family to take care of, how can he be perfect in every aspect?"
Song Chenxi was very good at flattering Liang Yuzhou. "That's right, father. Lord Shi doesn't have so many eyes. It's up to you to find these corrupt officials and punish them!"
Liang Yuzhou glanced at him imperceptibly.
Song Chenxi lowered his head. "Father, I was wrong. I acted rashly this time and caused trouble for you and mother."
His attitude of admitting his mistake was very good.
"Will you do it again next time, right?"
Song Chenxi didn't say a word.
He couldn't just ignore such evil things.
Xinqing nervously looked at Liang Yuzhou and then at Song Wanchu.
She didn't want Song Chenxi to be punished because of her.
But father Liang Yuzhou was so majestic that she was very scared and didn't dare to plead for Song Chenxi.
She looked at Song Wanchu with hopeful eyes.
It seemed that father listened to mother the most.
Song Wanchu looked at Song Chenxi. The young man lowered his head and his eyes were stubborn.
His expression clearly said, I'm wrong, but I'll do it again next time.
"Chenxi, do you know where you were wrong?"
Song Chenxi didn't say a word.
"You were too rash. It's right to save people, but you shouldn't have attacked Lai Youde in his own house. Isn't that leaving evidence for others?"
Liang Yuzhou softened his blaming tone and became more earnest. "When doing something, you should first clarify your primary goal. Saving people is the most important thing, and venting your anger is secondary."
"I know. If I just saved the person, I would be in the right."
Song Chenxi said, "But I couldn't help it. He was so hateful!"
"If you can't even control your own emotions, how can you talk about caring about the world?"
The young man fell silent.
"You should beat him up in a deserted place in the dead of night when the moon is dark. Let him taste the feeling of suffering but having no evidence to arrest the perpetrator."
Liang Yuzhou said casually, but it shocked Song Chenxi. "And that county magistrate is no good either. He deserves a beating even more."
Song Chenxi looked at Liang Yuzhou with admiration.
His father seemed even more tall and wise in his eyes.
He really learned something useful!
The corner of Liang Yuzhou's mouth finally showed a little smile. "Back then, your father beat up many people in this way."
On that day, Song Wanchu took Xinqing back to the princess mansion.
She bathed her and changed her into brocade clothes.
Then she opened the ancestral temple and wrote her name, Song Xinqing, in the family genealogy.
After busying until evening, the butler came in to report. "Madam, Second Master, Mrs. Qi is here."
Mrs. Qi was Song Wanchu's cousin - in - law.
She must have come for Suisui.