Before the most famous doctor in Qi, Xie Changqiu, was taken away, he looked at his five daughters and lamented, "Having daughters is worse than having sons. When trouble comes, there's no one to rely on!!!"
So Xie Zhaoying traded her simple clothes for travel garb, set out alone for Yongdu, stopped the imperial procession, and petitioned the emperor directly.
The biggest mistake Zhang Che ever made was picking up a stubborn young woman clutching a petition on the road to Linchuan Post Station.
He had meant to wander freely as a knight-errant, help out where he could, and take in the scenery. But after hearing her say, "The law should protect all people," he put away his sword and picked up the legal codes. The carefree young master became the toughest man in the imperial court.
"Is life in the palace hard?"
"Hard."
"Then I'll get you out."
"No. I want to see these cruel punishments abolished and this wrongful case overturned with my own eyes."
"All right. I'll stay by your side."
Theme: A child studying Chinese legal history got distracted while reading about Emperor Wen of Han abolishing corporal punishment and Ti Ying's petition to save her father, and inspiration came flooding in. I'm not very knowledgeable about history, so this is set in an imaginary dynasty. It's not meant to be historically accurate, and the details aren't meant to stand up to scrutiny, so please don't dig too deeply. The central theme: the courage of an ordinary person can break through the constraints of powerful people's schemes and pry open rigid rules, allowing the cold law to take root among the people and become a shield of justice that protects them.
