Tang Caiyun sneered, "Yu Hanyan pushed Zhuzhu down back then, leaving a one-inch scar behind her ear. Moreover, Zhuzhu and I had a blood test to confirm that she is my daughter!"

Cai Ping'er said, "You left the Yu family nineteen years ago, who knows who her bastard child is!"

Manman was furious and slapped her twice without thinking: "Shameless! I want to be a daughter of the Yu family? Does the Yu family have a throne to inherit?"

Hearing Manman being slandered like this, Yuanyuan couldn't bear it any longer and whispered to Xie Zhaozhao, "Master?"

Xie Zhaozhao nodded slightly, and Yuanyuan immediately rushed over and slapped Cai Ping'er twice.

She was skilled in martial arts and spared no effort; this palm strike was aimed at killing her opponent.

Cai Ping'er had two teeth knocked out and immediately lost hearing in one ear. Yuan Yuan glared at her and then returned to Xie Zhaozhao's side.

The forensic officer's teeth ached. Ouch! Those two slaps must have hurt so much, two teeth!

However, they deserved it!

Surprisingly, Yu Changrong also crawled over on his knees, grabbed Cai Ping'er, and punched her hard several times.

His action stunned Tang Caiyun. But in an instant, she understood. Cai Ping'er, that old white lotus, had caused the entire clan to perish; he must hate her to the core.

The chief magistrate coldly said to Cai Ping'er, "The secret doctor found by the government has verified that this young lady is indeed the eldest daughter of the Yu family."

Cai Ping'er was stunned by the beating.

Old Madam Cai no longer protected her. Her family was destroyed and she lost her good days. At the age when she should have been enjoying her life, she was sold into slavery. She hated Cai Ping'er to death.

All the other female prisoners from the Yu and Cai families were dragged out and knelt in front of the court, forming a large, dense crowd.

The presiding judge asked Tang Caiyun, "Mrs. Tang, what is your wish? Speak it in court."

Tang Caiyun said, "I, a woman, request a divorce from Yu Changrong. I hope that my sons, Yu Huai'an and Yu Huaizhu, will sever ties with Yu Changrong and that my sons and I will have no further connection with the Yu family."

Yu Hanyan cried out, "No, we can't get a divorce, we can't sever ties with our family."

The chief magistrate asked, "Oh, why can't we get a divorce? Why can't we sever ties with our family?"

Yu Hanyan said, "Since Auntie married Uncle, they are naturally husband and wife. Yu Huai'an and Yu Huaizhu are Uncle's children, so they should naturally stay with the Yu family."

Yu Changrong shouted, "I, Yu Changrong, agree to a divorce and agree to sever ties with Yu Huai'an and Yu Huaizhu."

Yu Hanyan cried out indignantly, "Why can they sever ties with the Yu family? I want to sever ties with them too, Mother! I want to sever ties with them too!"

Old Lady Cai immediately said, "My lord, I am willing to sever ties with Yu Hanyan, Yu Huaizhu, and Yu Huai'an."

The chief magistrate gave her a cold look: "You wish."

The presiding judge pronounced the verdict in court.

"The criminal Cai Ping'er deliberately abducted Yu Huaizhu, the eldest daughter of the main branch of the family, causing Yu Huaizhu to be stranded for twenty years. Her crimes are heinous, and she is imprisoned in the death row and executed by slow slicing three days later."

"The prisoner Yu Changrong has long neglected his wife and children, showing no concern or care. He is unworthy of being a husband and a father. He is sentenced to thirty lashes and continued exile. Yu Changrong is granted a divorce from Tang Caiyun and is granted to sever ties with Yu Huaian and Yu Huaizhu."

“Yu Huai’an has been raised entirely by the Tang family since he was four years old. The Yu family has never taken care of Yu Huai’an’s daily life. Therefore, he is not implicated in Yu Huai’an’s case and is released in court.”

“Yu Huaizhu had been a wanderer since childhood, therefore, he was not implicated in the Yu Huaimin case.”

Cai Ping'er collapsed to the ground, while Yu Hanyan, indignant, shouted, "Why are they not implicated? I never leave my home, so why am I being punished? I refuse to accept this!"

The presiding officer said, "You audacious female prisoner, shouting in court and disrupting order, take her away and give her ten strokes of the cane!"

The bailiffs grabbed Yu Hanyan, dragged her to the courtyard outside the courtroom, and beat her with a board until she passed out.

Cai Ping'er cursed, "You corrupt official, you bend the law for personal gain and handle cases unfairly! We are both from the Yu family, so why are the Tang mother and son not implicated?"

Xie Zhaozhao glanced at her leisurely: "You're not convinced?"

"Who are you? I know now, you must be from the Tang family. How much silver did you bribe this corrupt official?"

While she was cursing, many people were watching from the street outside the yamen hall.

Some people who hated officials, swayed by her incitement, shouted: "Yes, why isn't the eldest son's family punished? Yu Changrong is a corrupt official, so why aren't his wife and children implicated? The Tang family must have used some tricks!"

Xie Zhaozhao stood up, and the chief judge immediately knelt down respectfully before her, saying, "Your Majesty!"

His Majesty?

Immediately, the Yu family looked at Xie Zhaozhao in horror.

The people outside looked at each other in bewilderment. Why was the chief magistrate kneeling before that lady?

Xie Zhaozhao stood up: "Fellow villagers, the people of Yulong Kingdom live in peace and prosperity, and their hearts are inclined towards goodness. The second branch of the Yu family has committed a heinous crime of robbing other people's ancestral graves. It is already a mercy that they have not punished the entire family. Yet they have even sold their own relatives. Their crime is unforgivable."

I could not bear to see innocent people implicated, so the Chief Justice made the judgment, and I was very pleased!

Miss Yu Huaizhu was taken in by me when she was young and has been by my side ever since. I can vouch for her noble character.

I hope that you will always have a kind heart, and that even if your relatives commit serious crimes, you may be pardoned at my discretion.

Yu Huai'an and Yu Huaizhu have no further connection with the Yu family. Yu Huai'an has come of age and can set up his own household to care for Tang Shi in her old age and see her off in her final days.

"I am Miss Yu's backer, and I will stand by her! Anyone who dares to utter another word will be executed without mercy!"

...

The people cheered and jumped for joy, and more and more people knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" all wanting to catch a glimpse of his face.

Xie Zhaozhao took the opportunity to tell everyone that Lizhou would establish a border market, and Lizhou would surely become prosperous. She hoped that the people would all have a loyal and patriotic heart, work hard to get rich, and also be wary of unscrupulous people from other countries.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!