Chapter Thirty-Four [V] Suffered a terrible ordeal...
After Han Yue and his wife left, Aunt Xue told her two grandsons to stay in the kitchen for dinner and not to come out, while she hurried to the main room.
"How did it go?" Aunt Xue asked anxiously, "Did that couple come to talk about that matter?"
Li Yan was in a good mood after her victory: "Well, they asked me to go to the county government to drop the case, but I didn't agree."
It was initially just suspicion, since there was no concrete evidence. But now, Yue's daughter and son-in-law have both come to plead for her, which shows that she really did do it.
This woman is truly vicious.
Aunt Xue clicked her tongue twice, shook her head, and said, "It really is her. This woman looks kind and gentle, but her heart is truly black." She had seen Yue Shi the day she went to the Li family to propose marriage. She had a fair complexion, spoke softly and gently, and had smiling eyes. She seemed to have a very good temper.
Who would have thought that beneath the face of a bodhisattva lay the heart of a demon?
"Yan Niang, what should we do now?" Although it was satisfying for her daughter-in-law to refuse the Han couple, she was afraid that it might bring trouble upon herself.
Han Jialang was a scholar, which meant he was practically on his way to an official career. If they really wanted to deal with ordinary people like them, wouldn't it be as simple as lifting a finger?
Now that things have come to a head, Li Yan doesn't want to waste any more time, fearing that the longer she delays, the more opportunities she'll give the other side.
Now that their scheme to persuade him to drop the case has failed, the couple will surely come up with another plan once they return home.
Li Yan wasn't sure what they would do, but regardless of what they did, they had come to her and confessed the situation. Therefore, Li Yan's immediate priority was to report this matter to Magistrate Hong of the county government.
She had considered speaking to Magistrate Hong about it privately, but being new to the area, she didn't know his temperament or character. Therefore, considering her own interests, she could only make a big show of it and go to beat the drum outside the county government office again.
"Mom, why don't you set up the stall tonight?" Anyway, she had prepared everything she needed to, and all she had to do was push the cart to the stall and serve the food bowl by bowl.
Aunt Xue can do this kind of work.
Aunt Xue was naturally more than willing to help her daughter-in-law set up the stall, but seeing that she looked like she was about to go out, she couldn't help but ask with concern, "Where are you going?"
Li Yan didn't hide anything: "I have to go to the county government office."
Aunt Xue worried, "Going now? Could there be any danger? Why don't we skip the stall today and I'll go with you? It'll be better if we go together, so we can look after each other."
Li Yan could understand how she felt at that moment; in fact, Li Yan herself was also feeling a little flustered.
Ordinary people are completely powerless against powerful forces.
But things had already progressed to this point, so she couldn't back down and had to grit her teeth and keep going.
Moreover, this matter has already blown up, and even if Magistrate Hong is inclined to favor those people, he will not dare to disregard public opinion in the slightest.
"No need, Mother, it's alright," Li Yan said. "You go and set up your stall. I know what I'm doing."
The daughter-in-law has always been opinionated, and now she is in charge of the whole family.
Seeing her insistence, Aunt Xue was afraid that her own persistence would affect her decision-making, so she listened to her and said, "Then go ahead and set up the stall. Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it."
After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law discussed and agreed on the matter, they called Xu Ge'er over and asked him to take good care of his younger sister at home. They also told him to lock the door. Then the two of them went out.
Aunt Xue went to set up a stall to sell milk tea, while Li Yan went directly to the county government office.
When she arrived at the county government office, she hesitated for a moment before mustering her courage to strike the drum.
Magistrate Hong had been busy all day, handling several cases, and was only now resting in the backyard when he heard the sound of drums from the front. He couldn't help but frown slightly.
Madam Hong, who was serving him dinner, smiled and comforted him, "Sir, you are deeply loved by the people. Whenever they have a problem, they come to you to handle it impartially. If you were not an honest official, the people would avoid you like the plague, so why would they think of coming to the county government for everything?"
Magistrate Hong thought his wife's words made sense, so he immediately put down his chopsticks and said, "I'll go take a look."
Madam Hong said, "There's no rush. You haven't even eaten a few bites yet. Let's eat first."
But Magistrate Hong had already disappeared into the thick darkness outside, and no reply came.
Inside the room, a young woman sitting at the table chuckled upon seeing this.
"Auntie has such a silver tongue, she's really good at sweet-talking people." The girl was the daughter of Magistrate Hong's first wife, and her given name was "Xiuyun". After his first wife passed away, Magistrate Hong observed a year of mourning before remarrying his current wife, who was also Hong Xiuyun's aunt.
She became pregnant less than six months after her second wife entered the household, and later gave birth to a baby boy.
In just two years, the girl who was once doted on by her parents lost both her loving mother and her father who revolved solely around her. The emotional upheaval was immense, and inevitably, her personality became less endearing than in her childhood. She often acted strangely and eccentrically.
Madam Hong wouldn't really hold a grudge against this niece, after all, they were blood relatives, and she had lost her mother at a young age, so Madam Hong took great care of her.
Hearing her say these words again, Madam Hong just smiled and said, "Auntie is not only coaxing your father, but also you. Eat up, today we have your favorite shredded pork with sweet bean sauce." As she spoke, she picked up the serving chopsticks and put a piece of food into Hong Xiuyun's bowl.
Hong Xiuyun refused to eat the food she was offered, and threw down her chopsticks, saying, "I'm not eating."
After leaving the main hall, she didn't want to go back to her room to rest immediately. Feeling a bit bored, she remembered that her father was still in court hearing a case. After thinking for a moment, she quietly ran to the front as well.
She didn't dare go to the courtroom, but instead hid behind a small door next to the courtroom with her maid, secretly watching what was happening outside.
After Li Yan beat the drum, she was brought to the courtroom.
When Magistrate Hong saw that it was her again, he said, "The case is still under investigation, and we won't find the person so quickly. Madam Li, please go back and wait patiently. There's no need to be too anxious."
Li Yan respectfully replied, "Your Excellency, the reason I struck the drum today was not to urge you to handle the case, but because I have important details to report to you."
"What's the case?" Magistrate Hong asked sternly. "Tell me."
Li Yan then said, "Just this evening, I was having dinner at home when my sister and brother-in-law came to my house to plead for my sister's mother, who is also my stepmother. They admitted to me that it was my stepmother who gave me the laxatives and wanted me to come to the yamen to drop the case and let the matter drop. But I refused, and after they left, I immediately came to the county yamen to plead with you, Your Honor." As she spoke, Li Yan bent her knees and knelt down, saying, "My stepmother is trying to harm me; I beg Your Honor to do me justice!"
Hong Xiuyun, hiding behind the small door, listened with gritted teeth.
"No wonder stepmothers are all the same!" She felt this very strongly. "Father, you must stand up for this woman. Don't let me down."
Seeing this, her maid Qingguo immediately reached out and gently held her mistress's hand to comfort her: "Miss, don't be sad. Master will definitely handle the case impartially."
In the courtroom, upon hearing Li Yan's words, Magistrate Hong slammed his gavel down and roared, "Guards, go and..." Before he could even name her, Magistrate Hong looked at Li Yan.
Li Yan understood and immediately said, "Your Honor, my stepmother, Li Yue, lives at..." She told Magistrate Hong in detail where she was currently living.
After learning the details, Magistrate Hong immediately sent men to bring the person to court.
Since the police had gone to arrest the suspect, the case needed to proceed until the suspect was brought back. There was nothing else to do for the moment, so Magistrate Hong ordered someone to bring a chair for Li Yan to sit down and talk.
At that moment, Hong Xiuyun also came out from behind the door.
"Father," she called softly, tears already welling in her eyes. Looking at Qing Lingling, she appeared utterly pitiful.
Magistrate Hong was slightly annoyed: "What are you doing here?" He quickly went to greet her, lowering his voice, and said, "This is not a place for you. Go back to your room." After speaking, he looked closely and realized that his daughter's face was already covered in tears. "What...what happened?"
Hong Xiuyun, her voice still choked with sobs, said, "Father, that sister is so pitiful. You must help that sister."
Li Yan was far away, but she could vaguely hear what she was saying.
It seemed to be saying something about standing up for her.
Li Yan wouldn't suddenly walk over and meddle in the magistrate's family affairs. She could only pretend not to notice and look away.
"This is a courtroom, and Father is presiding over the case. He will certainly handle it impartially."
Hong Xiuyun glanced at Li Yan for a while before turning to her father: "I won't leave, and I won't disturb Father's work. I'll just stand behind the door and watch Father hear the case."
Her first wife died young, and Yun'er's mother passed away when she was only five years old. Now, ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and she is fifteen.
Over the years, he's been busy with work and hasn't paid much attention to her. He never imagined she'd become so sensitive and suspicious, no longer possessing the innocent romance of her youth.
Let them watch, as long as they don't cause a scene in court or interfere with her judgment.
"I'll have someone bring you a chair to sit on."
.
Han Yue had a backup plan. He drove away himself, leaving his driver to hide at the alley entrance to check on Li Yan's situation.
Therefore, Han Yue quickly learned about Li Yan's trip to the county government office.
When Li Jiaojiao learned that her stepsister had shown no mercy and had gone to the county government to report her mother, she was so anxious that she burst into tears.
Han Yue remained calm. After a moment of silence, he drove directly to his father-in-law's house.
Li Shangping was unaware of this matter; Yue Shi had never dared to tell him. It was only after Han Yue and his wife arrived and Han Yue mentioned it to his father-in-law that he learned of it.
Li Shangping had been working every day these past few days, so busy that his brain was practically numb. It took him a while to realize what was going on.
First he was shocked that his wife had done such a vicious thing, then he was furious that his daughter had shown no mercy and actually took her stepmother to court.
These successive and unexpected blows caused Li Shangping to cough uncontrollably.
Besides being furious, he didn't know what to do and could only ask his son-in-law for help: "What should we do?"
Han Yue had already come up with a plan on his way here. Now, with his hands behind his back and a heavy expression on his face, he looked at Madam Yue and said, "I have a way, but you'll have to suffer a bit, Mother-in-law."
At this moment, Yue was completely flustered and lost all her previous arrogance. At the same time, she began to regret her actions.
If she had known things would turn out this way, she wouldn't have done that foolish thing.
"What method? It's okay to suffer a little. It's better than going to jail."
Han Yue remained stern, showing none of his former gentleness. He said, "Since the woman my mother-in-law bribed recognized the mark on my mother-in-law's hand, then the mark should be destroyed."
"Destroy it?" She wanted to destroy it, but how? This little red mole was something she had been born with.
Han Yue: "As long as my mother-in-law can endure the suffering, it's very easy to destroy it." He said coldly, "Cut it out with a knife, burn it off with fire... it doesn't matter."
Upon hearing that it was such a cruel method, Yue immediately considered backing down.
"This, this must hurt so much... How can this be allowed?"
Han Yue pressed, "There's no time. If you hesitate any longer, the yamen runners will be at your house soon. Once they're inside, you won't be able to escape the hardship."
Li Shangping urged, "You've done this yourself! Since your son-in-law came up with the idea, you should be happy. What are you hesitating for? Do you really want to go to jail? Are you afraid of suffering... You deserve to suffer this."
Yue was afraid and still couldn't make up her mind.
Just then, there was a sudden banging on the door.
"Does Li Yue live here?" the man outside the door asked. "We are from the government office, here to arrest Li Yue and bring her to court for trial."
Originally, Yue was still hesitating, but as soon as she heard these words, she immediately trembled with fear. Forgetting everything else, she ran straight to the kitchen, picked up the scorching hot tongs, and burned them onto the small mole on her left hand.
She held back her cries, but her face was already covered in sweat.
Seeing that she was almost done, Han Yue went to open the door.
Upon seeing the two constables, Han Yue clasped his hands and said, "I am truly sorry, but my mother-in-law has injured her hand and needs to go to the clinic immediately. I beg you, sir, to make an exception for her."
Seeing that Han Yue was well-dressed and looked quite respectable, the two said, "The county magistrate is still waiting in the courtroom. You can go to the clinic to have your wound bandaged, but after that, you must come with us to the county government office immediately."
"That's inevitable."
At this moment, Madam Yue was in so much pain that she almost fainted. Li Shangping and Li Jiaojiao supported her on either side. Madam Yue's face was pale and covered in cold sweat.
She originally intended to scheme against the second wife, but she never expected that the second wife would be so ruthless and disregard all sentiment.
Looking back, she suffered greatly.
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Author's Note: Please keep watering my blog! [covering face and peeking]
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