People in the Ming Dynasty are lawless

Chapter 747: Female Worker Forced to Commit Suicide

When the mask was pulled off, everyone was stunned. This was the most capable clerk of Xuji Cloth Shop, and he was also named a model craftsman in Hangzhou last year.

Zhu Youwei picked up the unburned tinder on the ground and said softly, "Go tell Fatty Xu that I will come to visit you in person at midnight tonight."

As dusk fell, Xu's Cloth Shop had already closed its doors. Shopkeeper Xu lit three incense sticks in the Buddhist temple when he suddenly heard the sound of tiles on the roof.

"Who?"

The silver scissors came through the air and nailed to the plaque above his head. Zhu Youwei's voice came from the beam: "Didn't Mr. Xu want to see me?"

Shopkeeper Xu slumped on the ground, his crotch wet.

"Princess, please spare my life..."

"Don't worry, I won't kill you." Zhu Youwei landed gracefully, "I just want to invite the boss to watch a show."

When the drums of midnight sounded, the wealthy merchants in Hangzhou were "invited" to the dock by the Jinyiwei. In the firelight, ten fully loaded cargo ships were unloading, and each bale of cotton yarn was stamped with the seal of the Eastern Palace.

"Aren't you guys going to cut off my supply of raw materials?" Zhu Youwei's voice was mixed in with the river wind, "Are these enough for the workshop to use for three months?"

Mr. Li fell to his knees: "My princess, please understand, this is all Fatty Xu's instigation..."

"Shut up!" Zhu Youwei shouted, "Aren't you just afraid that women are stronger than you? Today I'll open your eyes!"

She clapped her hands, and Xiaotao led the women workers to the loom. The sound of the shuttles was like rain, and in less than half an hour, rolls of "Qianqing cloth" were formed before everyone's eyes.

"Look carefully." Zhu Youwei grabbed a piece of cloth and threw it at Shopkeeper Xu's face. "This is the cloth woven by the woman you look down upon! It's 30% stronger than the best Su silk in your shop!"

The scholar suddenly rushed out of the crowd and knelt in front of the loom: "I am willing to work as an accountant in the workshop! Please take me in, princess!"

Shopkeeper Xu looked ashen. He watched more and more merchants defect and finally realized that the situation was hopeless.

In the early morning light, Zhu Youwei stood on the roof of the workshop and looked out into the distance. Xiaotao came over holding the account book: "Princess, another seventy people signed up last night."

"As expected." Zhu Youwei put away the silver scissors. "The hardest thing in the world is not iron, but the human heart. Once a crack is made, the light will come in."

Xiao Tao looked towards the West Lake. The first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the huge crowd in front of the workshop. She saw the man who beat his wife yesterday, nodding and bowing as he sent his wife to work.

"My Lord, did we win?"

Zhu Youwei smiled but did not answer. The morning breeze brushed her temples, and the silver scissors sparkled in the morning sun.

……

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but the door of Hangzhou Women's Workshop was already crowded with people. As soon as Xiao Tao opened the door, she heard a burst of crying and shouting from the crowd.

"I won't leave! I want to work here!" A young woman in a blue headscarf held on to the door frame tightly, with her husband and mother-in-law pulling her arms behind her.

The grandmother slapped her thigh and cried, "What a sin! My Liu family has never had such a shameful thing happen to them for three generations! If you don't come back with me today, I will hit my head against the wall and die here!"

Zhu Youwei stood on the steps, her silver scissors gleaming coldly in the morning light. She watched more and more female workers being dragged out by their families, and her eyes gradually darkened.

Xiao Tao stamped her feet anxiously: "Princess, what should we do? If this continues, everyone in the workshop will leave!"

Zhu Youwei said nothing, and turned to walk into the workshop. The yard was mostly empty, and the remaining female workers gathered in twos and threes, their faces full of anxiety.

"Manager, my father said that if I come again tomorrow, he will break my legs." A thin girl wiped her tears, "But I want to earn money to treat my mother's illness..."

Zhu Youwei patted her shoulder and suddenly raised her voice: "Everyone listen, we will start work as usual today. I won't stop you if you want to leave, and the wages of those who stay will be doubled."

The female workers looked at each other, and one of them asked quietly, "What about our families..."

"I'll take care of it." Zhu Youwei spun the silver scissors between her fingers, "Xiao Tao, go and ask Magistrate Zhao to come."

As the sun rose higher, the sound of looms in the workshop became sporadic. Zhu Youwei stood in front of the window, looking at a few scholars peeking across the street. They held the "Legends of Women" in their hands and pointed at the workshop from time to time.

"Princess, we've checked it out." Xiao Tao rushed in. "It was the people from Xu's Cloth Shop who were instigating this. They went door to door saying that the workshop was immoral and threatened to cut off the business of those female workers."

Zhu Youwei sneered: "It is true."

As he was talking, Magistrate Zhao and his runners hurried over. Sweat was still on his forehead, and it was obvious that he was in a hurry.

"Princess, this is not easy to handle." Prefect Zhao wiped his sweat, "After all, it is a family matter, and the government cannot interfere."

Zhu Youwei took out a list from her sleeve and said, "The families of these female workers either own shops or work in the government. You will know what benefits Xu Ji Cloth Shop has promised them once you check."

Prefect Zhao opened the list and his expression gradually changed. He recognized several names on it, all of whom were well-known figures in Hangzhou.

"I will check it out right away."

"No hurry." Zhu Youwei put away the silver scissors, "Accompany me to go somewhere first."

The midday sun was blazing, and Zhu Youwei and Prefect Zhao stood in front of the Hangzhou government office. The yamen runners struck the drum to report the incident, which soon attracted a large number of people to watch.

"My dear elders," Zhu Youwei said in a clear voice, "Has the Women's Workshop ever done anything immoral since it opened?"

A brave man in the crowd shouted, "No! My daughter works in a workshop and behaves very well!"

"Then why would anyone force them to go home?" Zhu Youwei took out a stack of contracts from her sleeve. "This is the contract signed between the workshop and the female workers. The wages and working hours are clearly written in black and white. I would like to ask you, which shop can pay such a high wage to women?"

The people were talking about it. Someone whispered, "My wife worked in the workshop for half a month and earned more than me..."

Zhu Youwei struck while the iron was hot: "Today I swear here that if any woman voluntarily comes to the workshop to work, anyone in her family who stops her will be against His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

The whole place was in an uproar when these words came out. Prefect Zhao stepped forward and said, "My princess is right. I hereby announce that Hangzhou Prefecture encourages women to work. Anyone who forces them to work will be punished for disturbing people's livelihood!"

Manager Xu, who was hiding in the crowd, had a livid face. He was about to slip away when he was stopped by several Jinyiwei.

In the evening, the sound of looms in the workshop became more intense. The women workers who were taken home came back one after another, followed by their reluctant family members.

"Princess, my father asked me to come and apologize..." The girl from the morning lowered her head, "He said he won't stop me anymore."

Zhu Youwei nodded, and glanced at the men standing outside the courtyard gate. Some of them were ashamed, and some were still muttering, but no one dared to step forward to stop them.

Xiao Tao came over and whispered, "Princess, is this really possible? I'm afraid they will change their minds when they return."

"No." Zhu Youwei put away the silver scissors. "I have asked Prefect Zhao to write a notice about what happened today and post it all over the city tomorrow. These people care most about their reputation and dare not openly defy the government."

As the night deepened, the lights in the workshop were still bright. The women workers were concentrating on weaving cloth, as if they wanted to make up for the losses during the day.

Zhu Youwei stood in the yard, listening to the sound of the loom. She knew that this storm was far from over. Those hiding in the dark would use more sinister means.

But at least tonight, these women can finish weaving the cloth in their hands with peace of mind.

…The morning mist enveloped the city of Hangzhou, and the surface of the Qiantang River glowed grayish-white.

Zhu Youwei stood by the river and watched the bailiffs drag the wet body ashore.

The corpse was that of a young woman. Her blue cloth clothes had been swollen by the river water, and her fingers were tightly clenched around a work badge from the Women's Workshop.

Xiao Tao covered her mouth and stepped back, tears streaming down her face. "It's Aunt Liu's daughter. Her father came to the workshop to make trouble yesterday..."

Zhu Youwei held her silver scissors tightly in her sleeves. She squatted down and gently closed the worker's wide-open eyes.

"Check properly."

In the morgue of the prefectural government, the sweat on Prefect Zhao's forehead never dried. He trembled as he flipped through the autopsy form: "The princess did commit suicide by jumping into the river. Her family said... they said she was depressed."

Zhu Youwei sneered and used the tip of the silver scissors to pick up a bruise on the cuff of the female worker. "Would someone who is depressed leave five finger marks on his arm?"

Suddenly there was a noise outside the door. Aunt Liu rushed in crying, followed by several fierce-looking men.

"Give my daughter back to me! Your workshop killed my daughter!" Aunt Liu threw herself on the corpse and burst into tears, but her eyes were always stealing glances at Zhu Youwei's expression.

The leading man grabbed the prefect Zhao by the collar and said, "My sister entered your workshop alive and well, and now she is in this state. If you don't give us an explanation today, we will go to the capital to file a complaint!"

Zhu Youwei's silver scissors suddenly pressed against the man's Adam's apple.

"Okay, let's go now." Her voice was colder than the ice in Qiantang River. "It's a good opportunity to let His Royal Highness see how the marks on your sister's wrists came about."

The man's face changed and he subconsciously let go of Prefect Zhao.

The morgue was gradually crowded with people. Xiao Tao was sharp-eyed and saw a few employees from Xu's Cloth Shop among the crowd, whispering to each other.

"My Lord, they are inciting the people."

Zhu Youwei nodded. She suddenly raised her voice: "Aunt Liu, where is the salary your daughter received yesterday?"

Aunt Liu's crying stopped abruptly.

"The wages were all given to her father..."

"Bullshit!" A lame old man suddenly squeezed out of the crowd, "My daughter told me last night that you guys withheld her salary this month!"

The scene was in chaos. The man raised his fist to hit the old man, but was pinned to the ground by the Jinyiwei. During the struggle, a purse with the word "Xu" embroidered on it fell out of his arms.

Zhu Youwei picked up the money bag with silver scissors. "Manager Xu is really generous. He paid so much money for a life."

The crowd was in an uproar. Aunt Liu sat slumped on the ground and suddenly grabbed the hem of Zhu Youwei's skirt: "Princess, spare me! It's all their fault! Shopkeeper Xu said that if someone dies, the workshop will not be able to operate..."

The sun was blazing at noon, but Zhu Youwei felt cold all over. She looked at the young female corpse and remembered that three days ago, the girl was still smiling and saying that she wanted to earn money to buy new clothes for her brother.

"Xiao Tao, prepare the horse."

The door of Xuji Cloth Shop was closed, with a new seal on it. In the teahouse across the street, several young men who looked like scholars were talking loudly.

"Have you heard? The Heroine Workshop forced decent women to death!"

"I said that women shouldn't show their faces in public. Is this my retribution?"

Zhu Youwei's silver scissors cut the rope in front of the teahouse door with a click. The cloth curtain fell down with a crash, covering the heads of the scholars.

"The murderer who forced someone to death has confessed in the government office. Do you want to go and listen?"

She jumped on her horse and headed straight for Hangzhou Prison. In the damp cell, the Liu family man huddled in a corner, his arrogance gone.

"Princess, please spare my life! I was only doing this for the money, I really didn't mean to cause any death..."

Zhu Youwei kicked over the oil lamp in front of the cell door. The flames jumped onto the hay, casting a flickering light on half of her face.

"A human life is worth only twenty taels of silver?"

When I returned to the workshop, the yard was eerily quiet. The women workers gathered in groups of three or four, some sobbing quietly, and some staring blankly at their looms.

Xiao Tao came over with red eyes: "Princess, another seventeen have left. Their families came to make trouble and said they would break their legs if they didn't leave."

Zhu Youwei looked at the workshop which was mostly empty, and suddenly grabbed a shuttle and smashed it on the ground.

"Pass on my words. From today on, the Women's Workshop will have a female guard. Every sister who wishes to stay will be equipped with a short sword."

As dusk fell, Zhu Youwei stood alone by the Qiantang River. The river water sobbed and swept away the paper money she had scattered, and the hoarse sound of the night watchman's clapperboard could be heard in the distance.

"Princess, Prefect Zhao wants to see you."

Prefect Zhao held a wooden box in his hand and said in a trembling voice, "I have found out that Xuji Cloth Shop bribed twelve officials from the Weaving Bureau in the past six months. Here is the account book."

Zhu Youwei flipped through the account book and suddenly stopped at the last page. There was a special expense recorded there - 100 taels of silver, and the purpose was written as "buying 1,000 copies of "Legal Admonitions for Women" to distribute to each household."

"What a way to kill someone without using a knife."

As the night deepened, the lights of Hangzhou city gradually lit up. Zhu Youwei stood on the roof of the workshop, watching a team of Jinyiwei rush into the backyard of Xuji Cloth Shop.

Xiao Tao ran up breathlessly: "Princess, the female guards are ready. According to your instructions, we have selected thirty brave sisters."

Zhu Youwei nodded. She looked at the fire rising from the Xu family in the distance and said softly, "Tomorrow we will post a notice to recruit widows and orphans for the Women's Workshop. We will provide food and accommodation, and double the wages."

"But this kind of expenditure..."

"I have plenty of silver." Zhu Youwei's silver scissors gleamed coldly in the moonlight. "I want to see who is more stubborn, their words or my silver."

At five o'clock in the morning, a team of horse-drawn carriages quietly drove into the backyard of the workshop. More than twenty ragged women, young and old, jumped out of the carriages, all homeless widows.

Zhu Youwei personally distributed blue cloth work clothes to them.

"From today on, this is your home."

When the morning light pierced through the clouds, the sound of the looms in the workshop rang out again. This time the sound was particularly uniform, like some kind of silent declaration.

Zhu Youwei stood at the gate, looking at the idlers pointing and talking across the street. She suddenly pulled out the short knife from her waist and nailed it hard on the door.

"If you dare to kill anyone in my workshop again, I will cut off his head with this knife!"

The red silk on the hilt fluttered in the wind, just like the blood on the bank of Qiantang River that day...

(End of this chapter)