Her Majestic Battle Cry

Chapter 1042

The scholars submitted their articles, but Jacob rejected them outright without even presenting them to Rafael. The scholars‘ attitudes were dismissive, and they still held prejudice against the workshop. They were reluctant to even consider issuing a clarification.

“Submit it again tomorrow. If it’s still like this, then there’s no need to bother coming back,

Jacob instructed indifferently.

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“Sir, you’re a scholar yourself. Now that you’ve gained power, why are you making things difficult for other scholars?” one scholar asked, gritting his teeth.

Jacob responded with the simplest, most direct retort, “It’s a pity you weren’t born a woman. Maybe then, you’d understand the hardships your mothers face.”

“What does the workshop have to do with women? It’s a place for discarded wives,” another one of them scoffed.

Jacob’s expression darkened. “If there are discarded husbands, they can go too.”

The scholars froze.

“Discarded husbands? Such talk is absurd!”

Jacob looked at them with scorn in his eyes. “Oh, really? Why wouldn’t there be discarded husbands? Are all men in this world so virtuous, so much better than women?”

“Men face hardships. They build careers, support their wives, and raise children. What doesn’t a man do?” one of them argued.

Jacob shot back, “And what doesn’t a woman do?”

The scholars stared at him in shock, as if he had just uttered some blasphemous words.

“There’s only one day left,” Jacob continued. “If I don’t have an article I’m satisfied with by this time tomorrow, then forget about your future. You can go back to farming, sell your articles, or let your wives sell their embroidery. Maybe they’ll support you until your hair turns gray, and when they’re old, you can just kick them out.”

With that, Jacob gestured for Travis to escort them out.

Swinging an iron rod menacingly, Travis shouted harshly, “You lot crawled out from under a woman’s skirt, studied for a few years, and are now acting all high and mighty and insulting your mothers.

“The one thing I hate most in this world is people like you who are ignorant, ungrateful, don’t stand up for others, and don’t understand the hardships of life. All you do is criticize this and that. Did all your education go to the dogs? If you have the ability to denounce

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Chapter 1042

corruption, come talk to me and I’ll cheer you on!”

Though they looked down on this crude, rough man, the scholars couldn’t even lift a hand to defend themselves. Now, with one blow, they were forced to flee in disgrace.

The next day, they all dutifully submitted their articles.

This time, Jacob was much more satisfied. At least they had written about the hardships and helplessness of women in the world, as well as acknowledged the original intent behind the establishment of Skye Embroidery. After all, not all women who were cast out were terribly wicked. Even those who had erred deserved a chance to redeem themselves.

The articles also touched on how being abandoned was already enough of a disgrace, and without a place to stay, the only option left was death. A question was raised: Should abandoned women be denied the right to live?

But, as expected, the scholars were still reluctant to sign their names or stamp their seals. When Jacob saw them hesitate for a third time, his patience finally snapped.

“Mr. Mullen!” he called out.

The sound of footsteps came from outside. Before Travis even entered, the scholars had already signed their names and stamped their seals, eager to leave. By the time Travis walked in holding his iron rod, they were already pushing and shoving each other out the door.

Having the articles only solved part of the issue. The situation at Ironridge Estate still needed thorough investigation. The public had already decided that Jessica was guilty of heinous crimes–plotting to harm the marquis child, being unable to tolerate concubines, and even abusing her servants.

The charge of servant abuse had stirred a great deal of public outrage. Many poor families had children sold into servitude, sent off to high–ranking households as slaves or maids. So, this accusation struck a deep chord with the people, stirring both sympathy and anger. Fortunately, Violet and Claire soon returned with the results of their investigation.

As soon as Violet saw Carissa, she immediately reported, “It was Giles. He organized the maids and servants to track down the storytellers and paid to spread rumors about Jessica’s behavior at Ironridge Estate. I found one of the maids. After a little intimidation, she confessed that most of the stories were fabricated. Jessica never mistreated them. They were all Emma’s servants.”