“All right … They think you’re meddling in affairs you shouldn’t be, and you’ll bring the whole kingdom to ruin,” Xiaomin blurted. “And—and that all the foolish decisions the king has made can be traced back to you.” As soon as the words left her lips, she flushed and looked at me with wide, terrified eyes, as if afraid I would suddenly spring down from the bench and strike her. But I wasn’t angry at all. In fact, I wasn’t even surprised. How many women throughout history were blamed for the weaknesses of men? We made such convenient scapegoats. We were raised to be small, to be silent, to
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