The Empress' Livestream - Chapter 548
Chapter 548: Happenings in the World (XVIII)
The two female soldiers were sisters; the elder was 17 years old, and the younger was 15. They also had a younger brother who was seven.
Just after the earthquake the year before, a full-scale reconstruction was underway in Xiangyang District. In order to cut down on grain rations, the family originally wanted to sell the two older daughters to the brothel. However, Jiang Pengji was renovating those places at that time, so they were being watched. They had nowhere to sell their daughters even if they wanted to.
Later, they heard that anyone would be compensated with half a tael of silver if they sent their daughters to the female battalion. Hence, they sold all their daughters to the female battalion.
They would be able to receive a tael of silver by sending their daughters to the female battalion. There would also be two less mouths to feed at home.
As for their future, even if their mother was somewhat worried, their grandmother was watching her. She did not dare to reveal any abnormal emotions.
Later, the two filial daughters secretly gave their monthly wages to their mother, hoping that she could keep it in a secret stash and that she would be able to speak with confidence at home. However, their mother had always liked to please her husband and mother-in-law, so she easily let the cat out of the bag.
Now, one of her daughters was promoted to centurion and the other had become the head of the medical troops. Their wages were double of what they had received before!
Their family trumpeted them and showed off everywhere. Matchmakers soon came to propose marriage. The bride price offered was very generous.
The husband whom they were engaged to was in his early thirties. Two of his ex-wives had died and he had four children. He was quite rich.
He was very contemptuous of women who went to war, but he had his eyes on the statuses of the soldiers in the female battalion. He felt that there would be someone easy in the battalion.
As long as he could help his family, he could just marry them and worship them as the Gods of Fortune.
The two families clicked right away and made chaos in the female battalion. They were unreasonable and made a scene. They wanted to drag their daughters home with them and marry them off right away.
Jiang Nongqin stopped them and sent an urgent letter to Jiang Pengji at the same time.
Perhaps it was Jiang Nongqin’s kind attitude that gave these people the confidence to be rude and shrewish towards Jiang Pengji.
However, Jiang Pengji was not amiable. She immediately shot back. Her ominous aura was scary enough.
Jiang Pengji chose to arrogantly ignore the unruly people. As for the sister soldiers, she was perplexed.
“Tell me your choice.”
The older female soldier bit her lower lip. Dodging Jiang Pengji’s gaze, she stammered, “I’ll obey Grandma’s wishes.”
Although the district magistrate had promised that the female troops could register themselves in the female household upon their discharge from the military at 24 years old and that the children whom they gave birth to would have their mothers’ surnames, it was hopeless for her.
Her mind was a mess. It was filled with the waves of verbal bombardment from her father, mother and grandmother from a few days ago.
The audience in the streaming room exploded upon hearing those words.
Sangque: “Holy crap… She’s really out of her mind to go back and marry a man who’s old enough to be her father. He’s an old man who has two dead ex-wives and four children. She actually said that she’s willing to? The streamer has already said that she’d back them up. Damn!”
Saipu: “I’m so angry that I’m about to explode! Do they not trust the streamer? If I were the streamer, I’d be so disappointed.”
Miaomiaoda Detu: “Don’t be enraged. What’s the use of cursing? If I were the streamer, I’d just slap them twice to wake them up.”
Xuanyue Zhidie: “I can’t. My heart is about to explode. Why is the soldier not willing to believe the streamer?”
Guiqiu Yuepiao: “This is simply plunging a knife into the streamer’s heart! She’s now making preparations for the reveal of her identity in the future, so she must strongly support the female troops and let women be on the front line. Now, the female troop smacks the streamer in her face. How ridiculous!”
Jiang Pengji did not feel as awful as the audience in the streaming room thought she might. In fact, she was very calm.
In fact, perhaps she was too composed.
Feng Jin looked at Jiang Pengji with worry etched on his face and sighed.
Had it not been Jiang Nongqin’s territory, he really wanted to interfere and solve this problem before Jiang Pengji came.
He knew her temper well. She would not suffer any losses at all.
She would get those who made her suffer a little loss to pay her back thousands of times over.
Jiang Pengji calmly shifted her gaze to the younger female soldier. She asked, “What about you? Are you like your sister?”
This female troop was a centurion. According to Jiang Nongqin, she trained very hard every day. She was still training even though the others were already resting.
In the previous siege, when her arm was shot by flying arrows, she gritted her teeth and pulled out the arrow herself. She stopped the bleeding hastily and continued to fight.
She was very headstrong. Jiang Nongqin secretly wanted to train her to become the deputy lieutenant of the female battalion.
The centurion looked at Jiang Pengji nervously. Her grandmother was staring at her with a gaze that could almost eat her.
“I’m not willing to. I’m unwilling to get married and have children like my sister,” she replied with panic in her voice. “Didn’t you promise before that the female troops can retire from the military at the age of 24, register as an independent household and that the children whom they give birth to in the future can have their mothers’ surnames? If that is so, I’m not willing to get married…”
Compared with being secretly bruised by her grandmother’s pinching, she preferred to kill with swords, spears, two-edged swords and halberds.
Only then did she feel that she was her own and free.
Jiang Pengji smiled and said, “I know. I’ll fulfill my promise.”
“You’re a damned brat. Are you trying to piss me off?!”
The old woman disregarded Jiang Pengji and reached out to the girl’s waist.
She had long, white nails. One could imagine how painful it would be if one’s flesh was pinched.
Smash…
The transparent glass was thrown on the ground and the broken pieces scattered. The old woman was so terrified that she flinched.
“How should one be punished if she attacks a soldier in public?” Jiang Pengji turned her head to ask Feng Jin.
Feng Jin answered, “She should be flogged thrice.”
Jiang Pengji said, “Yes. Write it down.”
She waved at the younger female soldier, signaling her to sit on the seat below.
Jiang Pengji said calmly, “Every nation has its own laws and every family has its own rules. The military camp is a place of strict discipline. You know what kind of a place the female battalion is too. Do you remember that you’ve signed a document when you sent your daughters here? The document clearly states that the female troops under the age of 24 mustn’t get married or pregnant. Violators and instigators should be flogged a hundred times in public. If the soldier insists on marrying, her status will be stripped and she’ll never be rehired.”
Now, the people kneeling on the ground below had changed their countenance. The older female soldier had turned ghastly pale.
“As for you… You’re excellent. You’ve lived up to the expectations of the lieutenant of the female battalion.” She glanced at the younger female troop. “You’ve reminded me of something. This is indeed my negligence. You’re not even 20 years old, so it’s a little too early for you to get married. However, the household registration should commence. From now on, all female troops will be transferred out of their original household registrations and have an independent household!”
In Jiang Pengji’s opinion, humans were humans regardless of their gender, as long as they were talented.
In her opinion, people who could not be put to use were no different from trash.
Jiang Pengji said haughtily, “Huaiyu, execute what’s written in the female battalion agreement. You don’t have to talk nonsense with them.”
Feng Jin sighed. He knew that this would happen.
Ten rounds of flogging would take a huge toll on the commoners’ bodies, let alone a hundred.
He replied, “Yes, Lord. I wonder who the main instigator is?”
As he finished speaking, he scanned the people who were kneeling in front of them. Of course, they were all dead silent.
