On the ferry outside Wulin Gate, at a tea shop, Wei Sisi and Shi Huiyu, disguised as men, drank tea and watched people coming and going. Shi Huiyu also held a copy of "China Daily" in her hand.
The two were young and beautiful, and it was difficult to tell whether they were male or female, attracting the prying eyes of many passers-by.
"Sisi, I heard that your second brother went to Jinling City, why didn't you go to see him off?"
Shi Huiyu looked at the newspaper and frowned slightly.
"What are you giving me? It's not a farewell, it's just going to Jinling to take the martial arts exam."
Wei Sisi seemed to have something on her mind and replied casually.
"In my opinion, your second brother went to Aurous Hill, and you were also moved. Isn't that right?"
"Aren't you excited? Staying at home all day is so boring!"
Wei Sisi pouted and mumbled.
"You said, we are going to take the martial arts exam, can they accept us? From ancient times to the present, there seems to be no precedent for the imperial court to accept female students!"
Shi Huiyu instantly became sad and pitiful.
"Don't be discouraged. In my opinion, the martial arts hall will recruit female students. You see, the newspaper just said that all young people with aspirations in the Song Dynasty. Youth, as the name suggests, is young people, regardless of gender."
Wei Sisi glanced around and said "Shh".
"Remember, we have to tell other sisters about this, and we have to keep it secret. If the court finds out, our dream will come to nothing."
"Keep it secret! Keep it secret!"
Shi Huiyu said softly, and the two looked at each other and laughed.
"I just don't know, does my father agree?"
Wei Sisi expressed her concerns with a grimace.
"Your father is busy in Jinling City all day, so how can he care about you? When the time comes, your father just wants to object. What can he do if the emperor is there?"
"You're right! Kill first and then show off!"
Wei Sisi was in high spirits, and the sadness on her face disappeared.
Although my father was strict, he was still kind. As long as he can enter the martial arts hall, my father has no choice but to accept the fait accompli.
"It is better to be a centurion than a scholar. The emperor is wise, mighty and ambitious. Let's make great achievements together, just like Hua Mulan!"
Shi Huiyu smiled broadly and her eyes shone.
"Okay! Why don't the man take Wu Gou and collect Guanshan Fifty States? Let's go back and tidy up before going back next month. I don't want to be discovered by my father and be driven back!"
Wei Sisi was also very interested and even a little impatient.
The Jinling Martial Arts Hall may be an opportunity, an opportunity to change their lifelong destiny.
She didn't want to be controlled by her parents and tied up in a deep house.
"Let's go back to the city first and discuss it with other people."
The two paid the money and left lightly.
The notice board at the city gate outside Wulin Gate was surrounded by people going in and out of the city. Everyone looked at the notice above, and someone seemed to be blocking it.
Wei Sisi and Shi Huiyu who entered the city were also attracted by the contents of the notice.
"Lin'an Prefecture announced that from now on, the laws of the Song Dynasty clearly stipulate that it is forbidden to bind women's feet, fight cocks and crickets, and all other related activities. Any citizen of the Song Dynasty who is found to have feet bound will have to pay 20 for the first time. Penalties shall be fined, 40 for the second time, or multiples of the fines..."
Someone read it out, and the people below were in an uproar.
"10 sticks! It's a good punishment. After all, those rich people have a lot of money!"
Someone called out immediately.
"Ten penalties at a time don't seem to be much. If you are fined seven or eight times a year, even wealthy people will go bankrupt!"
Someone calculated carefully, which immediately caused an exclamation.
"From now on, Lin'an City will be much quieter if there are no birds chirping or crickets chirping!"
"Those dandy boys, who don't care about their lives, can always find a place to gamble!"
"You have to be secretive! If you are discovered, you might go to jail!"
Everyone was talking a lot, Wei Sisi and Shi Huiyu smiled at each other and walked away.
In fact, these news and decrees are in the newspapers, but when I heard them with my own ears, I still felt different.
At the gate of Wulin, a group of healthy servants came out of the city carrying several sedan chairs, but they were stopped by the officials at the gate.
"Stop, get off the sedan and conduct an interrogation!"
"Bold, these are the family members of Xianggong Ge Hong, Secretary of the Ministry of Punishments. Why don't you let them go quickly?"
Kennu stared and put his hand on the knife handle.
"What? Do you want to do something?"
The leading officer took a step back, his face full of anger, and directed the other officers to go up.
"Take this guy down and hand him over to your husband!"
"Wait!"
The man who looked like a steward next to the sedan in front stepped forward and stopped the aggressive official. He took a few steps forward and took out a few treasure bills from his wallet.
"Brother, there are Mr. Ge's family members inside. It's not good for them to be exposed in public. Please make it easier."
I stuffed the Huizi into my hand, and there were only ten or twenty of them. The official nodded slightly, waved his hand, and all the officials retreated.
"Let go!"
The official took a few steps back, and the sedan was lifted forward. After only a few steps, it was stopped by two armored imperial guards.
The official was stunned for a moment, and before he could react, he was already being held by two forbidden soldiers.
"What are you going to do?"
"You don't do anything but openly accept bribes. It's really easy for you, Niang, to be an official!"
Du Er stepped forward and knocked the hat off the officer's head with a slap.
"Listen, I'm taking over here now, and you will be taken to Lin'an Mansion for trial! Take it away!"
Du Er waved his hand proudly, and the imperial army suppressed the dejected officer.
In the past, these officials showed off their power to their brothers, but now that they have seen it, I feel so comfortable.
The imperial court was implementing the New Deal, and these forbidden soldiers, who came from the bottom of the civil society, were well aware of the sufferings of the people's livelihood, and could be used to monitor the situation openly and secretly.
"return to!"
After being blocked and threatened by the imperial guards, the two sedan chairs were carried back.
"What do you think? Do you still want to collect the money a second time? Go back and tell us Mr. Ge, and go to the emperor to get a copy of your book!"
The steward's face was livid, and he pretended to be powerful.
"The emperor personally issued an order. Lin'an Mansion clearly stipulates that all sedans entering and leaving the city must be inspected to see if their feet are bound. Do you dare to disobey the emperor's order?"
Du Er pointed to the notice on the city wall with a stern look on his face.
"You bribe the official, threaten the imperial army, regard the law as nothing, and enter and leave the city gate at will. Don't you want to live anymore?"
"you……"
The steward's face turned pale and he could no longer speak.
"Get off the sedan for interrogation! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!"
Du Er was not polite and immediately issued a military order.
No matter what you do, Xianggong Ge or Xianggong Guo, they are following the emperor's orders, following the law, and they are honest and upright, no one cares.
"Okay, okay! Stop checking, I'll pay the fine!"
The manager was so panicked that he had to pay for it to settle the matter.
It is never a good thing for a woman from the house to be exposed in broad daylight.
"It seems that the feet are bound. However, we still need to check to see how many times it is, and then we need to register it and check every month."
Du Er looked at the steward and smiled coldly.
"If you have money, we are happy to accompany you. But when you enter the city, the fine you will pay will be doubled. Don't forget it!"
It was checked whether the feet were bound, the name was verified, the name was registered, the fine was collected, and the warrant was issued, and everything came to an end.
The steward looked ugly, waved his hand, and everyone carried the sedan out of the city gate.
"Madam, how can this be done? How much does it cost to go in and out like this?"
After leaving the city, the steward whispered distressedly to the sedan behind.
"How many times is it today?"
The lady in the sedan still spoke softly.
"Back to Madam, this is the second time. It cost 40 yuan."
The steward whispered back, not forgetting to remind him.
"Madam, if it is discovered next month, it will be 80 pieces."
Whenever a woman is found with bound feet, I heard that the government will send a doctor to the home regularly to investigate. If you find that your feet are still being bound, the rules will be stricter each time.
"It seems that the only solution is to stop Yue'er from binding her feet!"
The lady hesitated and spoke softly.
I found out a few more times, not to mention the loss of money, but I was afraid that I would not be able to keep my reputation as an official.
Wei Sisi and Shi Huiyu watched carefully, each made a face and led their horses into the city.
"Boy, are you going out for a walk?"
Seeing that it was Shi Huiyu and Wei Sisi, Du Er greeted them with a smile on his face.
These two women often practice martial arts in Yujin Garden, and they are all known to the brothers.
"Du Er, well done!"
Wei Sisi gave a thumbs up.
"Du Er, when are you going to Jinling?"
Shi Huiyu asked curiously.
"Classes at the Martial Arts Hall will start in early March. We will go there around the end of February, and we will have to take the assessment then, but it won't be a big problem."
Du Er thought about it and replied.
"Du Er, let's meet in Jinling then!"
Wei Sisi said a confused sentence and walked away with Shi Huiyu.
Du Er looked at the two women's leaving figures and shook his head.
See you in Jinling then. What does that mean?
Wei Sisi and Shi Huiyu walked for a while, when Wei Sisi's eyes sharpened and she suddenly screamed.
"Huiyu, who is that? Why does it look so familiar?"
"It seems to be Wu Yanei! He is leading the horse and carrying the burden. Is that his father? Where is he going?"
Shi Huiyu looked at it and said curiously.
Wei Sisi rolled her eyes and immediately became interested.
"Go over and ask!"
"I met Uncle Wu."
Wei Sisi and Shi Huiyu went over and greeted Wu Nian one after another.
There is such a large circle of powerful people in Lin'an City. Basically everyone knows the princes and nobles.
"Sisi, Huiyu, what are you..."
Before Wu Nian finished speaking, Wei Sisi snatched him away.
"Uncle, where are you guys going, big and small?"
"Sisi, the emperor has decreed that the Jinling Martial Arts Hall and the Jinling University Hall will recruit the children of Lin'an officials. Wu Feng insists on going to the Martial Arts Hall, but he refuses to go to the Jinling University Hall. Uncle..."
Wu Nian's words were interrupted impatiently by Wu Feng.
"Dad, what are you talking about? Leave now, we have to catch the ferry!"
Wu Feng moved forward with a dark face, ignoring the sincere greetings of Wei Sisi and Shi Huiyu.
Wu Nian had no choice but to follow with his entourage.
"No way? The Jinling Martial Arts Academy won't accept everyone, right?"
Wei Sisi sighed strangely as she looked at the leaving figures of Wu Nian and his son.
"Actually, Wu Feng is pretty good. He can ride a horse and shoot an arrow. He is also generous, but his temper is a bit too hasty. Besides, ordinary people who don't know how to ride a horse or shoot an arrow, how can they compare to them?"
It seems that Shi Huiyu has a good impression of Wu Feng.
"The Wu family and the emperor are not at odds with each other. Do you think it was the Queen Mother's idea for Wu Feng to go to Jinling to teach martial arts?"
Wei Sisi said something suspiciously without thinking.
"That's definitely the case! The emperor is magnanimous and ambitious. He is indeed a great figure of his generation!"
Shi Huiyu's face turned red and she said quietly.
"Huiyu, I see you are in love. You might as well enter the palace and directly become the emperor's concubine, entangled with each other every day. That would be much better than going to the martial arts hall!"
"Wei Sisi, you are the one who bursts out of spring! Let me see if I don't tear your stinky mouth apart!"
Shi Huiyu's whole face turned red.
"Huiyu, why not go to the Qiantang River and watch the spring tide?"
The two stopped fighting, and Wei Sisi was in high spirits and suddenly became interested.
"The spring tide comes late with rain, and there is no boat crossing the wild river. Let's go to the Qiantang River to watch the spring tide!"
"Let's go! When we go to Jinling, we may not have the chance to see it!"
