Youyang County Government Office, above the court hall.
Qiu Zhixian slapped the gavel tree in his hand heavily on the table, with a majestic look on his face: "Who is here?"
Sheng Wei hurriedly said: "Sheng Wei, a common man, pays homage to Master Qingtian!"
"Why?"
Sheng Wei said: "The common people want to sue the common people's son-in-law, Sun Zhigao, a scholar in this county!"
"Sue your son-in-law?" Although he already knew the script, Qiu Zhixian still looked very surprised: "Sheng Wei, do you know what you are doing?"
Sheng Wei cupped his hands and said: "The grassroots know very well what they are doing. The grassroots are suing the grassroots' eldest son-in-law Sun Zhigao. Please magistrate and investigate!"
"Where is the petition?" Qiu Zhixian stopped asking and immediately started the process.
The master on the side quickly stood up with a piece of paper: "Here is the paper!"
Qiu Zhixian took the petition and hurriedly scanned the contents. He then raised his eyes and looked at Sheng Wei: "You said you want to sue your son-in-law Sun Zhigao for disrespecting his elders? Can you elaborate on it?"
"It is an honor to be the magistrate of the county!" Sheng Wei bowed his hands again and saluted: "Three days ago, it was my mother's sixtieth birthday. The common people held a banquet at home and invited old relatives and friends to celebrate my mother's birthday!"
"Yes, the Japanese officials also went there that day!" Qiu Zhixian nodded.
Sheng Wei said: "That day, my little girl Shulan and Sun Zhigao also came back to congratulate my mother on her birthday. But they never thought that Sun Zhigao not only showed no respect to my mother, but instead was arrogant and went on to celebrate the birthday banquet, completely ignoring the occasion and doing it in front of everyone. In front of my mother and guests, I scolded Cao Min for being a bastard! Cao Min was Sun Zhigao's father-in-law, and he always treated him with courtesy and never slacked off in the slightest.
I never thought that after the guests had dispersed, my mother became more and more unhappy as she thought about it. Sun Zhigao seemed to be scolding the common people, but he was also scolding my mother. Thinking of this, my mother felt depressed and fainted. She passed out for several days. , couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and looked thinner day by day, the doctor was also at a loss what to do.
And this is not the first time Sun Zhigao has done this. In the past, he relied on his status as a scholar to dominate the families of ordinary people. He completely ignored the face of his father-in-law and spoke to his mother with a gun and a stick. He never More than half respect. "
Qiu Zhixian's face became darker and darker: "Sheng Wei, are you serious about what you said?"
"The grassroots people will never dare to tell lies. The grassroots mother is still sick at home, unable to eat, and has trouble sleeping. My mother said that Sun Zhigao neither regards me as his father-in-law nor regards my mother as his elder, then he Our Sheng family cannot afford this son-in-law, so we sincerely ask the county magistrate to make the decision for my family and let my daughter Shulan and Sun Zhigao reconcile!"
"Sheng Wei, do you know the consequences of lying in court and deceiving your own officials?" Qiu Zhixian said with a majestic look.
Sheng Wei hurriedly knelt on the ground, with a sincere face, and said loudly: "The common people will never dare to tell lies. The county magistrate can call Sun Zhigao to confront the common people! As for my mother's situation, Dr. Zhu from Huichun Hall can also testify."
"Come here, tell Sun Zhigao, tell Chun Tang Zhu Youzheng!"
Not long after, Sun Zhigao and Dr. Zhu were brought to the court.
Qiu Zhi County did not ask Sun Zhigao, but asked Dr. Zhu first: "Zhu Youzheng, I want to ask you, have you seen the old lady of the Sheng family recently?"
"Returning to the county magistrate, sir, ordinary people have been going to the Sheng family every day in recent days to treat the old lady of the Sheng family!"
"Have you been going in the past few days? When did it start?"
"Three days ago, the night of the old lady's sixtieth birthday!"
Qiu Zhixian nodded: "Tell me how you treated Mrs. Sheng!"
Doctor Zhu said: "That night, it had been dark for a while, and the common people had closed their doors and were getting ready to go to sleep. Unexpectedly, the husband of the Sheng family came knocking on the door and said angrily that his old lady had fainted, and asked the common people to follow him. Going back to see a doctor, life is at stake, so the common people naturally dare not slack off and follow the master of the Sheng family to the Sheng family!
After diagnosing Mrs. Sheng's pulse, Cao Min determined that the old lady was suffering from an emergency attack and a surge of qi and blood. He immediately gave the old lady an injection and prescribed a prescription. In recent days, Cao Min went to Sheng's home every day to give Mrs. Sheng a follow-up consultation. , but the old lady was troubled by the heart disease. Instead of getting better, the condition became more serious and she became very haggard. If the heart disease is not cured, I'm afraid..."
"What are you afraid of?" Qiu Zhixian asked.
Doctor Zhu sighed, shook his head and said helplessly: "I'm afraid he will die soon!"
"Master Magistrate!" Sheng Wei immediately knelt down on the ground and even cried a little bit as he begged, "Please make the decision for my Sheng family!"
Then he pointed at Sun Zhigao and said angrily: "Sun Zhigao, you bastard, it's all you who made my mother sick like this."
With a "pop" sound, the gavel fell again.
Qiu Zhixian said sternly: "Quiet!" Sheng Hong immediately stopped talking.
Qiu Zhixian looked at Sun Zhigao and asked sternly: "Sun Zhigao, what else do you have to say?"
"The students are wronged!" Sun Zhigao defended himself with an innocent face: "The old lady of the Sheng family is sick. It's because she is old and in poor health. What does she have to do with the students? The county magistrate is aware of it!"
"You still dare to argue, if you hadn't been rude and rude at the banquet that day, yelling at me, my father-in-law, and even walked away, making my mother embarrassed in front of all the guests, and putting the face of my Sheng family on the Trampled in the mud, how could my mother be so ill?"
"I······"
"Quiet!" Sun Zhigao still wanted to argue, but before he could speak, he was slapped back with a slap in the face.
"Sun Zhigao, I want to ask you, were you the one who made such nonsense and cursed Sheng Wei at the birthday banquet of the old lady of the Sheng family that day?"
"Master Magistrate, the students were wronged!" Sun Zhigao almost subconsciously cried out, but as soon as his words came out of his mouth, Magistrate Qiu said 'boldly' to block him back.
"Sun Zhigao, the Japanese official was also at the banquet, sitting not far from Sheng Wei. I heard you say with my own ears: 'There is no way to make a fool of yourself!' When you said this, you were looking at me and Sheng Wei direction, and glared at Sheng Wei, even if I saw and heard wrongly, there were so many guests at the banquet, could it be that they all saw and heard wrongly too?"
"The county magistrate knows it well. Sheng Wei is the student's father-in-law. How could the student scold him?" Sun Zhigao hurriedly defended himself.
"Is it possible that you are scolding me?" Qiu Zhixian's face darkened.
Sun Zhigao had long lost his usual arrogance. He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, and sweat was dripping from his forehead. "How dare, student?"
With a snap, the gavel sounded again.
"Sun Zhigao!"
Qiu Zhixian shouted again, almost draining Sun Zhigao's courage. Although Sun Zhigao usually talked loudly with people outside, it was all about what I will do after high school, but when he came to the court, he became a prisoner. The judge is not only arrogant, but also has no courage.
"The matter has come to this, and the witnesses and material evidence are all there, but you still dare to make excuses? Could it be that because of your status as a scholar, you think that I will favor you?"
Killing people and killing people's hearts is nothing more than this!
"Master Magistrate, the students were wronged!" No matter how much Sun Zhigao cried out, he was so powerless in the face of the ironclad facts.
As early as the day of the banquet, the news that Sun Xiucai was rude and insulting his father-in-law at the banquet of the old lady of the Sheng family had spread throughout Youyang. Youyang is only that big, so it would not take long for everyone to know about it. .
The next day, the news that the old lady in the Sheng family's main house was made ill by Sun Xiucai had already spread out. In addition, Sun Xiucai was always high-minded and arrogant in the county.
The reason why Sheng Wei did not take Sun Xiucai to court immediately the next day was simply to wait for public opinion to ferment.
Although this dynasty is not as harsh on women as in the Ming and Qing Dynasties in official history, it is not easy for a woman to reconcile with her husband. These days, the mother-in-law making things difficult for her daughter-in-law is no reason for reconciliation at all. A filial piety Words can suppress all your reasons.
Confucianism emphasizes the three cardinal principles and five constant principles. The Sheng family not only wants to free Shulan from the misery of the Sun family, but also wants to protect their own reputation from being damaged, so as not to gain a reputation as a bully.
But the Shengwei couple and the eldest lady thought about it for two years, but couldn't find any suitable reason.
Fortunately, Pinlan mentioned it that day and said that since everyone had nothing to do, why not ask Wang Zhong? So that day Wang Zhong was invited to the hall, and he had the idea to use filial piety to suppress all the Sun family's countermeasures.
But having an idea is not enough, there must be truth, so that outsiders can believe it. Sheng Wei did not agree, and Li took the initiative to ask for help, but the eldest lady felt sorry for her granddaughter and did not want her to continue struggling in the quagmire of the Sun family. The decision was made immediately, so Wang Zhong gave the eldest lady an injection and used some tricks. In addition, the eldest lady herself was really angry with Sun Zhigao and became more and more worried about Shulan's life in the Sun family. Everything was natural. It became logical.
Moreover, on the day Wang Zhong left, he made a special trip to visit Qiuzhi County and asked him to take care of the Sheng family.
Qiuzhi County immediately sentenced Sun Zhigao and Sheng Shulan to reconcile, but Sheng Wei said that Sun Zhigao was ruthless and the Sheng family could not be unjust. The courtyard of the Sun family now was Shulan's dowry. The Sheng family should have taken it back, but they thought After marrying two families, and the Sun family was born in poverty, they left the courtyard and the 20 acres of farmland from Shulan's dowry outside the city to the Sun family, so that Sun Zhigao could continue to study and support his granddaughter. Lan and her grandson's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law love.
If they negotiate privately, even if they want to reconcile with Shulan, Sun Zhigao will never compromise without biting off several pieces of flesh from the Sheng family. However, this is in court. Sheng Wei's generosity , even the magistrate of Qiu County praised him, saying that Sheng Wei understood righteousness well, and the Sheng family was worthy of being a scholarly family. How could Sun Zhigao dare to say anything, for fear that if he continued to toss, even the current yard and the twenty acres of fertile land would be lost.
Naturally, the servant girls and servants who had accompanied Shulan in marriage also followed Shulan back to the Sheng family.
When Shulan returned home, the eldest lady and Mrs. Li held Shulan's hands and burst into tears.
Within a few days, news came out from the Sheng family that the eldest lady's health had begun to improve.
Sun Zhigao, on the other hand, was still the same as before, drinking and sleeping with prostitutes every day, and often said outside that Shulan had not given birth to a child for several years after marrying him, and he had long wanted to divorce Shulan.
Sun Zhigao's original intention was to ruin Shulan's reputation and regain some face for himself, but others were not fools, so how could he believe whatever he said.
Of course, those who accompany Sun Zhigao to eat wine and have sex with prostitutes will naturally follow Sun Zhigao's words and support and support him. After all, they still have to use Sun Zhigao's money to win, eat and go whoring!
According to Sun Zhigao's squandering speed, within a month, all the soft money that the Sheng family did not take away would be squandered by him.
But on the other side, after Wang Zhong left Youyang and crossed the Yangtze River, he did not take the waterway again. Instead, he took Wang Erxi and Yu Chuer, riding fast horses, all the way north by land.
In just ten days, the city of Tokyo was already within reach.
"We're finally here!" The three of them reined in their horses and stopped, looking at the towering tower in front of them, with smiles on their faces.
"Let's go!" Wang Zhong dismounted, pulled the reins, and said with a smile, "Go back to Sweet Water Lane first!"
Although it was almost evening, the number of pedestrians walking on the street was much less than at other times, but there was still an endless stream.
Tianshui Lane is in the outer city, not far from the city gate. It will be there in a short time.
"Zihou?"
Wang Zhong had just walked to the door of his home when a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him. He turned around and saw Gu Er, who was a head taller than before, standing by the bridge road, looking at him with surprise.
"Zhong Huai?"
"Zihou!" Gu Er immediately laughed and came up to hug Wang Zhong. Gu Er said reproachfully: "Why didn't you say anything when you came back?"
Wang Chong said with a smile: "I received an impromptu order from the government, ordering me to return to the capital to report on my duties. I left in a hurry and had no time to write a letter. But I managed to give you and Zicheng a surprise."
"Hahahaha!" Gu Er laughed and said, "If Zicheng knew that you were back, I'm afraid he would be so happy that he would be confused."
"Come in and have a glass of wine. Let's chat while eating!" Wang Zhong invited.
Gu Er shook his head and said: "You have been so busy all this time, so you'd better go back to tidy up, wash up, and change into looser clothes. My yard is next to it. Go back first and say hello. I'll wait for you later." Come find you again!"
"Wait, is your yard next to you? What's going on?" Wang Zhong asked.
"Uh..." Gu Er hesitated for a moment, and then spoke in a much lower voice: "I built a yard next to your house and placed my family here."
"Family?" Wang Zhong was shocked. It couldn't be that Zhu Manniang, could it?
"Outer room?"
Facing Wang Zhong, Gu Er didn't hide anything and nodded to admit it!
Wang Zhong didn't know what to say. Unexpectedly, Gu Er still followed the same path, but it was okay. People can only grow after experiencing things.
Let’s talk about Gu Er, if it weren’t for Xiao Qin’s support, without the frame-up by his uncles and brothers, without his elder brother’s constant pressure, without Zhu Manniang’s betrayal, how could he have grown into the meticulous and careful person in the original work? , Mr. Gu, who is an expert at playing tricks.
While Wang Zhong was thinking about it, the courtyard door was also opened from the inside. Seeing Wang Zhong, the female envoy who opened the door was shocked at first, and then hurriedly greeted Wang Zhong and welcomed Wang Zhong and others into the courtyard while shouting loudly to the back room. They shouted that Wang Zhong was back.
Within a moment, Mrs. Wang Li pulled a pair of children and ran out impatiently.
"Sister-in-law!" Wang Zhong walked up to Wang Li and bowed his hands.
"Uncle is back!" Mrs. Wang Li looked at Wang Zhong and choked up for a moment. The longing that had been suppressed for several years suddenly came out like a tide, especially after having had a skin-to-skin kiss and still alive. After giving birth to their son, their relationship and feelings have undergone tremendous changes.
For many days and nights, Mrs. Wang Li lay in bed, tossing and turning, with Wang Zhong's shadow in her mind. However, Mrs. Wang Li did not dare to tell anyone about this emotion, including Wang Zhong.
The more you suppress feelings, the stronger they become. However, the identity of the two of them is a natural chasm between them.
In the past, when Wang Zhong was just a commoner in Guizhou, it would have been nothing. After his brother died, his sister-in-law remarried his younger brother. In fact, it was nothing in a poor family. After all, the most important thing was to survive and to pass on the incense to the family. If you have an opinion, the most you can do is say it behind your back.
But now that Wang Zhong has not only won the Jinshi, but also became an official, the situation is completely different.
When he reached the scholar-bureaucrat class, reputation was particularly important. A careless move might even lead to Wang Zhong quitting his career, ruining his future and cutting off his official career.
Wang Li could only suppress the longing in her heart, and resisted the urge to rush forward and throw herself into Wang Zhong's arms, hugging Wang Zhong tightly, wishing she could rub herself into Wang Zhong's body.
There is also this boy Wang Xu. When Wang Zhong left, he was still young and was not old enough to remember. Now that he has not seen him for three years, he naturally does not recognize Wang Zhong.
Children are generally afraid of strangers, and when they suddenly meet a stranger, even though their mother and brother say he is their third uncle, how can Wang Xu get close to him?
Wang Qian'er, on the other hand, has been very close to Wang Zhong since she was a child. Later, she studied and practiced martial arts with Wang Zhong. The uncle and nephew often went to the mountains to hunt, went down to the river to catch fish, and went up to the trees to dig out bird eggs and pick fruits. Do less, and whenever Wang Zhong has time, he will tell stories to Wang Qian'er.
Although he is an uncle, in Wang Qier's heart, Wang Zhong, his uncle, is no different from his father.
Just looking at the familiar tall and burly figure, Wang Qier's big black and white eyes were filled with tears, and the longing for her after several years of separation flooded into her heart.
"Third uncle!"
Accompanied by a trembling, crying call, the delicate figure jumped into Wang Chong's arms like a baby swallow.
"Okay, okay!" Wang Zhong pushed Wang Qian'er out of his arms: "You are such a big girl, and you still act coquettishly with your third uncle, you are so shameless!"
Wang Qian'er's pretty face was slightly red, but she looked at Wang Zhong and said frankly: "In front of Third Uncle, I will always be a child!"
Wang Zhong raised his hand and rubbed the head of Wang Xi'er, who had almost caught up with Wang Li's body, and said softly: "We can't do this anymore. We are all big girls now, so we should pay more attention!"
"Yes! I listen to my third uncle!" Wang Qier nodded solemnly.
Wang Zhong smiled and asked, "I'm not at home. Did Sister Qian listen to my sister-in-law?"
Wang Qier immediately nodded her head and said as if she was taking credit: "I was obedient!"
"Sister Qian is quite well-behaved on weekdays!" Wang Li said.
Wang Zhong couldn't help but rub Wang Qier's little head again.
However, Wang Zhong's eyes were still looking at Xiao Wang Xu who was hiding behind Wang Li.
Mrs. Wang Li reacted when she saw this, and hurriedly pulled out her son who was standing behind her and hugging her legs and refused to let go. She squatted down and said in her son's ear: "Brother Xu, why don't you call me Third Uncle!"
Little Wang Xu looked at Wang Zhong, then at his mother Wang Li, hesitated for a while, then reluctantly stood up, bowed to Wang Zhong, and shouted loudly: "Third Uncle!"
(End of chapter)
