The Duchess Goes on Strike

Liang Suni was the pride of her clan, a paragon of propriety and virtue, naturally chaste and obedient, exemplary in speech and bearing, and a model wife for a noble household. At fifteen, she married Xie Hanzhang, Duke of Zheng. Barely three months after their wedding, her husband donned his armor and left for the frontier. He was gone for ten years.

Throughout those ten years, Liang Suni cared for her mother-in-law, ran the household, and managed its affairs inside and out, keeping the enormous Duke of Zheng's residence in perfect order. Who in Chang'an would not praise her unmatched virtue?

Liang Suni thought those ten years had actually been quite pleasant. There were only her and her mother-in-law at home. Her mother-in-law was kindhearted and simple, with a gentle nature and a mind of her own, more or less. Liang Suni took over the household accounts as soon as she arrived, and her mother-in-law relied on her in everything. The two of them lived happily together, much to the envy and resentment of many.

But everything changed after Xie Hanzhang returned in triumph.

He came back to the capital with more than elite soldiers and prisoners. He brought his concubines, too.

There was a subordinate's younger sister, beauties given by others, and beauties bestowed by the emperor. Each had her own charms and personality, and each made trouble in her own special way. The Duke of Zheng's residence became livelier than ever.

Her mother-in-law changed, too. She began keeping a close eye on Liang Suni's belly, ordering all kinds of strange tonic medicines and urging her to bear heirs for the Xie family.

The days became so unbearable that a thought began to grow wildly in Liang Suni's heart.

She was done. She wanted a divorce!

After her divorce, with all the world before her, Liang Suni planned to... inspect her properties.

First stop: Dongdu.

Three months later, Dongdu was rocked by a series of revelations about exorbitant taxes and levies, setting off a major upheaval in its officialdom.

Second stop: Yangzhou.

Six months later, an investigation in Huainan uncovered the illegal sale of government salt, and one salt official after another fell from power.

Third stop: Yuzhang...

Years later, Liang Suni earned the nickname "Bane of Corrupt Officials" among the common people, but she thought she hadn't done anything at all.

She glanced at the silent figure walking ahead of her, and the Imperial Sword in his arms.

All right, maybe she had done just a tiny bit.

Theme: The world is vast. You shouldn't be confined to one small corner.