Qu Meihao bypassed the fighting crowd and went to her sister's side, asking loudly, "Sister, what happened?"

Qu Meili, who was in the middle of beating someone, heard a familiar voice, looked up and saw that it was her younger sister. With a burst of strength, she slammed Chen Sanshun to the ground.

He got up and pulled his younger sister over.

"The Chen family is dishonest; they tricked me into marriage."

"They actually arranged two wives for Chen Sanshun in one day! I'm not remarrying! Go home and tell your father to report this to the authorities, and then send some people to take my dowry away!"

Qu Meihao was stunned. Surprised, she puffed up her cheeks and clenched her little fists, sweeping them towards the chaotic crowd.

The eldest brother of the Chen family was scrambling and crawling as he prepared to run outside.

The little girl rushed forward, jumped high, grabbed Brother Chen by the back of his collar, and with a forceful pull, Brother Chen was flipped over like a turtle lying on its back.

Qu Meihao kicked Brother Chen several times, still feeling unsatisfied. With another kick, Brother Chen met his tragic end.

That kick hit the bullseye, and from then on, Brother Chen, who liked to take advantage and play tricks, changed his preferences.

Qu Meihao and her sisters split into several groups: some went home to report to their fathers and the authorities, while others found people to move their dowries.

After sending the people away, the two sisters rolled up their sleeves and stood at the gate of the Chen family's house, beating up anyone who tried to run away.

At the same time, they also need to publicize the Chen family's shameless behavior at the main gate.

Chen Laosi's wife had been beaten until her mouth was bleeding and a large clump of her hair had fallen out.

Having finally crawled out of the battle, I scrambled towards the door, eager to go out and get reinforcements.

When they reached the door, Qu Meili raised her foot to kick it, but Chen's fourth daughter-in-law quickly said that she was a relative of the Zheng family.

The two sisters exchanged a glance, then Qu Meihua squatted down and lifted Chen Laosi's wife's face with her hand.

Although she couldn't see the original appearance very clearly anymore, she had a deep impression of the mole on the corner of the woman's mouth.

With a "smack," a five-finger mark appeared on Chen Laosi's wife's face, along with several of her large teeth.

What followed was a beating from the two sisters.

The fighting in the courtyard had reached a fever pitch.

He'd start beating up anyone he didn't know.

If they were truly outmatched, they would simply watch each other remain locked in a stalemate.

"Whose are you?"

“My cousin Zheng Chunxiang.”

"You fucking lied to me, I'm her cousin." With one punch, blood spurted from the other person's nose and mouth.

This battle scene continued until Qu Zhongzhi brought in the officials, ending the confrontation.

When the three families knelt in the county government hall at the same time, they were all bruised and battered.

The protagonist, Chen Sanshun, had three broken ribs and one broken leg, so he had to be carried to court.

Granny Chen's head had turned into a pig's head, and she had hardly any teeth left.

No one checked whether their arms and legs were broken; they were carried up anyway.

In short, all the members of the Chen family who dared to show their faces were beaten badly and were basically unable to appear in public anymore, but none of them suffered as badly as the eldest son of the Chen family.

Old Chen's leg was broken, and both of his arms were dislocated.

Many of Zheng's relatives and friends were also injured, but fortunately no one suffered broken hands or feet; they all sustained minor injuries.

As for Chen's relatives and friends, they now hate the Chen family to the core.

Magistrate Qiu held court and, after hearing the whole story, was so angry that he wanted to draw a stick and beat up the Chen family again.

But he was the county magistrate, and he couldn't just get angry.

Normally, in the Divine Dragon Kingdom, marriages are registered with the government office. But the Chen family is really something else. They married two wives on the same day and didn't even have a copy of the marriage certificate.

Therefore, all three marriages are considered invalid.

Since Qu Meili had already been taken to the bridal chamber and the wedding ceremony had been completed,

"I ask you, are you willing to continue being husband and wife with Chen Sanshun?" Magistrate Qiu felt great sympathy for Qu Meili.

Qu Meili rubbed her wrists, which were sore from beating people up today.

"My lord, just consider this as Qu Meili being bitten by a dog, I do not wish to be husband and wife with Chen Sanshun."

But I am an innocent young woman who has suffered such a misfortune. Is it not unreasonable for me to demand compensation from the Chen family?

Magistrate Qiu naturally nodded in agreement. He asked Zheng Chunxiang the same question and received the same answer.

Finally, Magistrate Qiu delivered his verdict.

Given that Qu Meili suffered greater harm, the court ruled that the Chen family should compensate Qu Meili with 100 taels of silver and Zheng Chunxiang with 50 taels of silver.

As the person primarily responsible for the matter, Chen Sanshun knowingly cooperated in carrying out a scam set up by his own family, and was sentenced to ten years of hard labor.

Granny Chen served as the planner of the document-related matter for 8 years.

Old Man Chen and his three other brothers pushed all the blame onto Chen Sanshun and his wife.

However, they were also at fault for not reporting the incident, and were punished by having to clean the streets of Qing'an County every day for a year.

Anyone found shirking their duties during a patrol can be punished with a cane.

As for the Chen family's daughters-in-law who had already married into the family, although there was no overt punishment,

But their knocked-out teeth and bald patches of hair have made it impossible for them to go out and face people anymore.

Old Man Chen originally intended to renege on his payment, but the yamen runners came to his door in person, threatening to search his house if he didn't pay.

It's uncertain how much stuff we'll find in this house search, or how much will be left.

Forced by the tyranny of the yamen runners, Old Man Chen obediently gave 150 taels of silver to the Zheng and Qu families respectively.

Chen Jiazhen's scheming backfired, resulting in a double loss. His once-thriving grocery store business became deserted.

Finally, having no other choice, Old Man Chen discussed it with his sons and sold the shop and house at a low price, then disguised himself as a beggar and fled Qingyang County.

The Chen family's era came to an end.

Qu Meili took over the Chen family's general store.

The story of the Chen family has been circulating in Qingyang County for many years, and it's impossible to say that they lack great virtue.

This is just a small episode in the case of missing girls. As long as the perpetrators are not brought to justice, more girls will be victimized.

Magistrate Qiu was under so much pressure that he wanted to write to the prefect for help.

Lady Qiu was very worried when she saw her husband looking gloomy every day and his plump body becoming thinner and thinner.

That night, during a conversation between the couple, Mrs. Qiu inquired about the progress of the case.

"My lord, I wonder how old those missing girls are, and what they look like? Do they have anything in common?"

After all, there are many bad people; who knows if this was done by one person or by many?

Upon hearing his wife's analysis, Magistrate Qiu slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Madam, your words have truly awakened me from my dream!"

My husband always thought that these disappearances were the work of kidnappers.

If it's kidnapping, it must be a group crime. There are always clues to be found.

However, this does not rule out the possibility that some kidnappers commit evil deeds, while others take advantage of the chaos.

Tomorrow we will investigate the specific physical characteristics of the missing girl.

Madam, do you remember that after Madam Tu and her entourage arrived in Qingyang County, they brought a portrait of the third daughter of the Zhao family to the county government office?

That portrait is at least nine-tenths similar. It would be worthwhile to have someone draw portraits of the missing girls.