Hua Jiuniang earns money through embroidery to support her husband Lu Zheng's studies. She opens a shop to help her brother-in-law find a wife, provides her sister-in-law's dowry, cares for her wicked father-in-law in his old age after he takes advantage of her, and supports her mother-in-law. When her husband passes the highest imperial exam, Hua Jiuniang is already seven months pregnant.
She thinks life is finally getting better, but her husband turns out to be an ungrateful wretch. He wants to divorce her and marry a general's daughter.
"Jiuniang, the Protector-General's family has been loyal for three generations. His daughter is a precious jewel, and she's also seven months pregnant. You're just an orphan. You simply aren't good enough for a top scholar like me."
He even wants to demote her from wife to concubine, threatening divorce if she refuses.
He beats Hua Jiuniang, too, killing the fully formed baby in her womb!
Clutching the urn of ashes, Jiuniang heads for the capital, determined to appeal to the emperor.
The general's daughter sends a gang of bandits to humiliate Hua Jiuniang, then has her imprisoned on the way to the capital. She scatters the baby's ashes and sentences Hua Jiuniang to execution at the Meridian Gate.
She kneels before the execution platform with a letter and a blade of loyal courage... and all of Great Zhou is shaken!
"Who said Hua Jiuniang was an orphan? Her father fought to the death in Luoyang twenty years ago, and his body was never found! Utterly loyal!"
"Her mother once leapt into the sea with the young emperor to preserve the nation's line! Righteous to the core!"
"Her uncles took arrows for the Son of Heaven and saved his life! Men of the highest integrity!"
"Her brother took an arrow for the emperor, her sister founded an army of women, her grandfather's entire clan and even her maternal grandfather's entire clan died fighting bandits, their bodies left unrecognizable... Even in the generation of the Great Ancestor, one of her elders died protesting before the throne for the sake of the nation!"
Hua Jiuniang's entire extended family died for their country, and she was still divorced? The emperor explodes with rage!
How sad it is when the orphan of a loyal martyr needs to do everything he can to protect himself.
Yes, it's very beautiful. I hope everyone will follow it.
Can you keep updating it?