On August 7 of the first year of Shengong, it rained.

The woman walked on the muddy mountain road, taking difficult steps.

Her floral cloth garment was soaked with rain, and strands of black hair hung down from under her turban, hiding her face.

The ground was uneven, potholes, one foot deep and one foot shallow, and she fell to the ground from time to time.

When she fell, she got up again until her blue floral jacket was completely soaked in black mud, and she finally reached her destination.

It is a dilapidated land temple.

The couplets had fallen, and the outer wall was in tatters. The top of the ruined temple has been ruined, and a puddle of water has accumulated on the ground, which can no longer shelter from the wind and rain.

"I ...... I can't live anymore! ”

"I ...... I was framed, but they ...... They didn't believe me! ”

The woman fell to her knees in front of the idol of the earth god, her head slamming against the ground.

Her scalp was cracked, and blood was running down the bridge of her nose, making her look very embarrassed. The woman's lips were a little pale, and she was trembling.

Rumble!

There was thunder outside.

Lightning and thunder shone out the countenance of the god of the land.

Under the tall statue, the figure of the woman became very small.

There was no one nearby, and the cold wind blew, and a cold cold current pierced her body.

The woman looked up, and the gust of wind rushed into her body, making her spasm. The woman suddenly let out a long, high-pitched whistle, not like a human sound.

Ahh

The sound echoed throughout the land temple, but it was pouring rain, and no one could hear it at all.

……

The next day, the rain stopped.

The woman's body was found in the Land Temple.

She was still wearing the floral robe that stood all over the dirt, and she sat on the altar with a pale face.

"I came back from the county seat early in the morning, walked to the land temple at the head of the village to rest for a while, who expected to see her sitting here, I called her unresponsive, and I don't know what happened."

Lao Xu squatted on the ground, his voice still trembling a little.

In front of him was a village of people of all ages in Gubei Village, watching the excitement, those who came to identify the corpse, and those who passed by, all gathered around.

An old woman had already arrived, she checked the woman inside and out, and suddenly snorted coldly: "Isn't this the inappropriate mother-in-law in Qi Shusheng's house?" Phew! Look at this appearance, he secretly ran out at night to steal a man, but God had eyes and chopped him to death! Hum! Split well! ”

As soon as they heard this, everyone felt that this woman was somewhat familiar.

Most of the people in a village know each other. It's just that this Qi scholar's mother-in-law is different, it is said that she was originally a lady who eloped with Qi Shusheng and came back.

Qi Shusheng is a showman, but he has not been lifted for a long time in the exam, until his father and mother died, and he gave up this thought. Fortunately, he went to a large family in the county to find a job as a teacher.

Da Zhou is not as rigorous as Qianqin, and elopement is not a big deal.

The two had a big wedding in the village, and Qi Shusheng had no elders in his family, so he had to invite the elders in the village to come over as a witness. There were a lot of people in the village that day, and it was very lively.

Someone inquired that the Qi family seemed to be a big lady in another place, and most of the weekdays were woven at home, and the fields were handed over to other people in the village to take care of. Miss Qianjin has never farmed, which is also a matter of course. So not many people have seen Qi's true face.

Life went on as usual, and the husband and wife lived together in harmony. It's a pity that one night it rained heavily and the ground was slippery, so Qi Shusheng was in a hurry to go home, so he walked in a hurry, didn't pay attention to his feet, and fell into the ravine when his foot fell into the ravine. By the time people found out, they had already swallowed their breath.

When a person dies like a lamp goes out, he can't be saved.

The Qi family was heartbroken, and with the help of the young men in the village, they found a place for Qi Shusheng to be buried.

It was at this funeral that the people in the village saw Qi's true face. But seeing her in a white dress, chic sideburns, an almond face with a slightly sad face, skin like condensation, Chu Chu moving, people can't help but feel pity.

Most of the women working in the village are rough, and the young men have never seen such a woman like water. A few even forgot that they were here for the funeral and secretly glanced at Qi.

The laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, compared to other dynasties, were very lenient for women.

If the husband is dead, the woman can remarry someone else. Even if the husband is not dead, if the woman wants to divorce, she can also go to the government to apply for divorce.

So a lot of people moved their minds, especially the young people in the village who had not yet married. So Qi Shusheng hadn't been dead for many days, and a matchmaker knocked on the door of the Qi family and came to the door to propose.

Even, some people from outside the village heard about this and called someone to be a matchmaker.

The Qi family was unbearable, and one day, two dukes came from the county office, looking at a plaque placed on the lintel of the Qi mansion, so as to stop everyone from watching.

That's the archway of chastity.

In the middle of the plaque is the word "chaste", and there is a small character next to it to mark the time, and below is a row of words carved out with an ink pen "Gubei Village Qi Chong Wife Festival Woman Qi Shi".

This means that the Qi family is going to keep the festival for the husband, although the law will not be mandatory, but since ancient times, etiquette runs through people's hearts, and the festival for the husband will be commended in the county.

If anyone dares to molest, he will be whipped and imprisoned, and he will be sent to the border at worst.

Many people lamented in their hearts, feeling that it was a pity that the Qi family had a superior appearance.

This incident had been a long time coming, and the Qi family had contracted out their own land, and at the same time used the woven cloth to send it to the city to sell, so that they could also maintain their family.

Who would have thought that a few days later, someone suddenly released the news, saying that he had seen Qi and another man adulterous.

If you are a festival woman, you must keep the festival, this is the rule, and this news is indeed very unfavorable to the Qi family.

The people in the village didn't believe it at first, but then someone gradually spread the news, and some people even found the man's pocket next to the courtyard of the Qi Mansion, which undoubtedly deepened the suspicion of the people in the village about the Qi family.

Even as the news gradually spread, the merchants in the county town who had originally purchased the cloth refused the cloth provided by the Qi family.

Originally, I thought that I would take care of her, but if I committed adultery with someone without permission, it would be despised.

"Looking at her vixen, I expected this to happen!" There was an old man in the village who swore an oath.

Fling dirt enough and some will stick.

Qi Shi didn't go out, and he couldn't argue with anyone.

She stayed in the house, and some women would deliberately amplify the shouting and scolding when they passed by the Qi Mansion, and some even deliberately splashed dirty water in front of the Qi Mansion.

The only chaste archway in the village now looks like a joke.

No one wanted to farm for the Qi family, so she went out to farm by herself. Looking at her slender waist, it is obvious that she is physically exhausted. The land was also a mess, for some people estimated that they had trampled it in the night.

In such a hot weather, she still wrapped her whole body tightly.

Everyone is accusing her, and if she has to go to the county seat to buy rice, she will also be pointed at her backbone and abused.

But now, she's dead.

"Village chief, are we going to report to the official?" A man muttered quietly.

The village chief looked Qi Shi's death up and down, frowned and said, "What kind of official, such a stain in our village is enough to make people laugh." Roll up her body in a straw mat and throw it in a random grave. ”