On this day, there was no shortage of people who were enraged by the tale of the princess and her prince consort.
In contrast, Cao Wenbin's popularity soared to new heights.
Nearly every reader of Capital Weekly silently prayed that no future issues would feature another despicable man like the prince consort. Ideally, every love interest should be a virtuous gentleman like Cao Wenbin.
But whether or not Her Highness the Fifth Princess had a particular fondness for emotional torment, no one could say.
Cao Wenbin's portrayal remained consistent and admirable—he continued to live up to the title of "Ideal Gentleman." Yet the other stories penned by Yun Shu grew increasingly tragic with each passing issue.
One tale told of a gentle noblewoman who married a seemingly refined heir of a prestigious family, only to suffer daily humiliation and cruelty. The man played the loving husband in public while sabotaging her reputation behind closed doors. She was so trapped by societal expectations that she dared not speak a single word of complaint.
Another story described the capital's most esteemed talent—a renowned female scholar—who suffered a disastrous marriage. Though her natal family urged her to separate from her husband, she could not bring herself to bear the stigma of divorce, fearing the judgment of society and the damage to her family's reputation. In the end, her silence cost her life.
And yet another tale depicted a husband who, though outwardly devoted, secretly poisoned his wife so she could no longer bear children. His true intention? To legitimize his beloved concubine who had given birth to a son. He later demoted his wife under the pretense of infertility. And the poor woman, unwilling to be branded a divorced woman, swallowed every ounce of humiliation.
Each story was more distressing than the last. The husbands were always cruel and scheming, the wives bound by fear of judgment—choosing death over divorce.
Compared to these heart-wrenching accounts, the original story of the princess and her prince consort began to seem almost uplifting.
At least the princess had once dared to fight for her right to divorce. At least she had made the effort.
And in the end, she had succeeded in freeing herself from that vile man.
In every way, she was far braver than those women who would rather die than speak up.
"Why is it that women aren't allowed to initiate divorce?!"
After over a month of enduring Yun Shu's relentless tales of painful marriages, Zhao Er Xiaojie could finally take no more. When she gathered with her close friends, she could no longer hold her tongue.
"Are women not human? If observing the so-called 'virtues of womanhood' means enduring humiliation and abuse until death, then those virtues are not worth preserving!"
"Lower your voice!"
Her companions jumped at her outburst, startled.
Yet perhaps they, too, had begun to question the rigid traditions they were raised with. None of them could bring themselves to argue with Zhao Er Xiaojie.
One friend only murmured a warning:
"If someone overhears you, it won't be good."
"And why not?"
Zhao Er Xiaojie's indignation burned hot.
"Are you saying that if someone hears what I've said, they'll be too afraid to marry me? If so, then clearly that person is just like those wretched men from the stories! If someone like that won't marry me, then that's a blessing from Heaven!"
"Uh…"
The girls exchanged looks and said nothing more.
Even young maidens who had not yet left their boudoirs were shaken to the core by a few of Yun Shu's articles. For those already married—especially those with similar experiences—these tales struck even deeper.
So, after the sixth issue of Capital Weekly hit the streets, it was no surprise that several noble madams began openly demanding divorce.
And the very next day…
Yun Shu was impeached.
Emperor Xuanwu: "…"
Yun Shu: "…"
Seriously? The audacity of these people!
Inside the imperial study, Yun Shu stood with a scroll of memorials tossed at her by her Imperial Father, her expression pure innocence.
"Father Emperor, did You not scold them for this?"
"…"
In all his years on the throne, Emperor Xuanwu had never once seen someone who had just been impeached act so shamelessly calm—and even question why he hadn't rebuked the censors who impeached her.
He nearly burst out laughing in disbelief.
"Have you misunderstood the situation, or are you pretending to be clueless? The memorial impeaches you!"
"Of course I know they're impeaching me."
Yun Shu lifted her chin, completely self-assured.
"But isn't it because they mistreated their wives, and now, after reading my stories, those wives no longer wish to endure it? In the end, this is a mess they brought upon themselves.
What did I do wrong? Was my crime that I dared to write about the things they did?"
Emperor Xuanwu: "…"
Yun Shu: "…"
The two stared at one another for a moment before Emperor Xuanwu finally snapped, his tone laced with exasperation.
"Have you never heard the phrase, 'Even an upright judge finds it hard to rule over domestic matters'?
How can you be so sure those wives asking for divorce are exactly like the women in your stories?"
"I can't be sure."
Yun Shu pouted.
"But if she wants to divorce, that means she doesn't want to live like this anymore. If she doesn't want the life she has, then why not leave?"
"You—!"
Emperor Xuanwu was thoroughly at a loss.
He could not understand. His daughter had grown up in the deep palace, shielded from the world. She had never known heartbreak—how then had she become so fierce on the topic of divorce?
Yet there wasn't much he could say.
After all, this little rascal was no fool. Her very first story in Capital Weekly had subtly alluded to him.
If he truly punished her now over these impeachment memorials, everyone who had read those first issues would immediately draw the connection—linking the Fifth Princess and himself with the fictional princess and the cold-hearted Emperor from her tale.
"In any case, this mess is your doing. If you don't want it escalating further, then clean it up immediately."
Emperor Xuanwu shot her a dark look and huffed.
"All this fuss over some petty official from the Cao family. Was it really worth the trouble?"
"Father Emperor is right. I'll wrap up his story in the next issue of Capital Weekly."
Yun Shu clearly understood the importance of knowing when to stop.
With a bright smile, she agreed readily, raising a hand in oath:
"I promise not to write another tragic love story. I'll come up with something new."
Emperor Xuanwu: "…"
Somehow, he had a feeling this little scoundrel was digging a brand new hole even as she filled the last one.
Still, since she had been in the palace this whole time and hadn't encountered anything else, surely whatever mischief she stirred up next wouldn't be more outrageous than this.
Thinking thus, he let the matter drop. Instead, he brought up something else.
"We have heard that you've used your project on low-cost papermaking as an excuse to avoid your studies for quite some time now."
"Did Grand Preceptor Ye tell You that?"
Judging from the tone, Yun Shu guessed Emperor Xuanwu's stance and immediately defended herself.
"But surely the Grand Preceptor also mentioned that he approved my research himself, didn't he?"
===
"Impeached" means that a government official (usually a president, judge, or high-ranking leader) has been formally accused of serious misconduct while in office. Or in simple term: Impeached = Officially accused
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The sentence "Even an upright judge finds it hard to rule over domestic matters" means: Even a fair and wise person (like a judge) struggles to deal with personal or family issues.
This sentence implied that: No matter how intelligent, fair, or powerful someone is, it's still difficult to handle family conflicts or emotional personal situations. These situations are messy, emotional, and complex, and they don't always follow clear rules like a court case does.