As long as this person exists, he will never be left with nothing.
The atmosphere between the two of them was warm at this time, but it was different in the Zhao family.
"Hongcai, why did you stop your father just now? You let that beast just leave like that." Mrs. Hu asked unhappily.
Zhao Hongcai didn't care and even had a smug look on his face.
"Mom, I have a good idea to deal with them. Then I won't have to worry about them disobeying me." After saying that, she told him the whole idea she had just thought of.
After hearing this, the Zhao family members all praised Zhao Hongwen for his good idea and looked forward to tomorrow with great satisfaction.
The next morning, after the family finished their meal, they went about their own business. The two little kids also took Uncle Xu's ox cart to go to the county school.
When the constable entered the room, Gu Lingze was processing medicinal materials with Zhao Chengmo.
The constable was quite polite in his words. After he explained the reason, the two men followed them.
Xu Mingyan and Aunt Tao took Lingzi, borrowed the ox cart from the headman's house, and headed for the county.
After they arrived, they went to look for Uncle Xu and Brother Wu respectively.
Several people hurried to the gate of the yamen, just in time to catch the court session.
The former County Magistrate Tan, now the County Magistrate Tan, was sitting in the court and raised his hand to pick up the gavel.
"Who is kneeling in the hall? Tell me your name."
"Commoner Zhao Chuantie."
"Hu Fangxia, a commoner."
"Who are you suing for?"
"We are Zhao Saner's parents. We are reporting that Zhao Saner is having an affair with Gu Lingze, a boy from the same village, without a matchmaker."
"Zhao San'er is even more disrespectful to his parents and elder brother."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd standing at the gate of the yamen made a burst of noisy noises.
The punishment for unmediated adultery, if it is to be said in a severe way, is to be drowned in a pond.
If such a thing happened in a village, the whole village would be ashamed to hold their heads up.
In addition, since the parents were suing their own son, the lawsuit was like water poured on boiling oil, exploding among the crowd.
"Silence." Magistrate Tan slammed the gavel down.
"Officer, bring these two people to the court."
Gu Lingze and Zhao Chengmo were brought to the court again, but last time it was the government office, this time it was the county office.
After the two of them stood still, Magistrate Tan asked, "Gu Lingze, the Zhao couple sued you two for having an affair without a matchmaker. Is this true?"
Zhao Chuantie and Hu immediately turned to look at Gu Lingze and found that he looked calm and composed, not at all as panicked as they had imagined.
Gu Lingze looked at their expressions, a sneer appeared on his lips, and he said calmly: "I don't recognize it."
"Sir, there is a saying that whoever makes the claim must provide evidence. May I ask what evidence do they have for this matter?"
Before Magistrate Tan could speak, Mrs. Hu started to retort.
"The entire Donglin Village knows that you live under the same roof. How can this not be evidence?"
"How dare you!" Magistrate Tan shouted.
"Don't speak until I ask you." Hu was startled and quickly shut her mouth.
"Zhao Saner, now it's your turn to speak."
"My current name is Zhao Chengmo. Zhao Saner is just something my parents called me casually since I was a kid."
Magistrate Tan nodded and motioned for him to continue.
"I went to the battlefield to serve in the army when I was fifteen. When I returned home four years later, my parents proposed to separate the family."
"Not only did they take away all the silver I brought back, but they also set a monthly payment of three taels of filial piety silver, and I did everything I was told."
"All the above statements are confirmed by the written contract signed when the family was divided."
After saying this, he handed the deed to the yamen runner beside him.
After reading it, Magistrate Tan said, "What you said is true."
Then he looked at Zhao Chuantie, "Since it is clearly written in the deed of separation, and Zhao Chengmo also pays the filial silver on time every month, how can he be unfilial?"
Zhao Chuantie and Hu both hesitated and couldn't explain clearly.
Gu Lingze bowed and looked at Magistrate Tan, saying, "Sir, I know the reason."
"Then you can tell me."
Gu Lingze looked at the two with disdain and said, "It's for a business."
"The Zhao family is greedy by nature. They mistakenly thought that the dim sum at Yunlai Restaurant was made by Zhao Chengmo, so they asked for the recipe."
"But this recipe belongs to me. When the Zhao family failed to get the recipe, they came to the county government to falsely accuse the two of us."
"Any evidence or witnesses?"
At this time, a loud shout came from the gate of the yamen. It was Xu Mingyan's voice.
“Students are willing to testify.”
Magistrate Tan asked the bailiff to bring the man up.
Xu Mingyan was wearing a juren robe and bowed after entering the classroom.
"Student Xu Mingyan greets you, sir."
Magistrate Tan smiled slightly at this time, looked at him and said: "So you are Xu Mingyan, you are indeed a young talent, you have won the title of Liyuan at such a young age."
"Thank you for your praise, sir."
After hearing this conversation, the crowd at the yamen gate started talking again.
Such a young scholar has never appeared in Xuyang County.
He was handsome and elegant, so people started asking people around him.
Uncle Xu and Aunt Tao were standing in the crowd, but they had no time to care about these things. Now the whole family's attention was on Gu Lingze and Zhao Chengmo.
"You just said that you are willing to testify for Gu Lingze and Zhao Chengmo?"
"Yes, I am willing to use my academic achievements as a guarantee. Everything the Zhao couple said is completely false."
After hearing this, Zhao Chuantie and Hu turned around and stared at him fiercely, but Xu Mingyan ignored them.
"Years ago, the two brothers Zhao Hongwen and Zhao Hongcai came to our house and forced Zhao Chengmo to hand over his dim sum business."
"But this matter is jointly run by Gu Lingze, the student's family, and two other households in the village. It has nothing to do with Zhao Chengmo."
"As for the living together, the student lived with two people, and they did not do anything wrong."
County Magistrate Tan nodded thoughtfully and turned to look at Zhao Chengmo.
"Zhao Chengmo, do you have anything to say?"
"Sir, I believe I have always fulfilled my duties as a son, but my parents falsely accused me."
"I am now disheartened and just want to sever my ties with the Zhao family."
After hearing this, Zhao Chuantie became a little excited, but he didn't dare to speak on his own. He could only report like Gu Lingze had done before.
"Sir, I have something to say too!"
Magistrate Tan signaled that he could speak.
"Zhao San'er and Gu Lingze are not related, so why do they live together? If this isn't a private affair, then what is this?"
Magistrate Tan looked at Gu Lingze and the others, "How do you explain this?"
Gu Lingze snorted coldly, "The father didn't even know his son was dying, and now he comes to the government office to make false accusations for money." After saying this, he paused, looked at Zhao Chuantie and said, "You are a really 'conscientious and responsible' father." His words were full of sarcasm.
Zhao Chuantie blushed at this, but he still stiffened his neck and retorted, "Is your house a clinic? If he gets sick, he will be sent to you?"
"I can cure him even if it's not a clinic. It's much better than you guys ignoring me and now trying to extort money from me."
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