The constable looked suspicious; he seemed not to believe that the ordinary-looking young man in front of him was the magistrate's son!
Soon, they arrived at the county government office. Two constables immediately opened the gates, and the constable led Liang Shuyan and the others inside in a grand procession.
The crowd gathered in front of the county government office, pointing at Zhao Wei and gossiping, "Hey, look! They say that's the thief the county magistrate is looking for—the one who sold fake tea and caused someone's death!"
"This kind of person should be torn to pieces! How old are their children? Selling counterfeit goods and causing deaths is unforgivable!"
"Kill this inhuman bastard! Kill him!"
The voice of the masses can control everything at any time. No matter who it is, what they fear most is arousing public anger. In ancient times, these people, especially women in their fifties, would pick up eggs and rotten vegetable leaves and throw them at the person.
Zhao Heng jumped off the donkey cart and grabbed Jin Daya, saying enthusiastically, "Don't worry, I'll take you to see my father right now. I'll definitely explain to him how the Zhao family treated you. But you can't stay silent either; your words will be very important at crucial moments!"
Jin Dashan put the donkey cart away and tied up the donkey before calling out to Zhao Heng: "What time is it? How can you take my aunt away? Hurry up and come to the court!"
Zhao Heng listened to Jin Dashan quite well. He said "oh" and led Jin Daya and her two children to the courtroom.
The county magistrate, dressed in a light blue official robe, asked in a high-pitched voice, "Is the person kneeling before me the defendant, Zhao Wei?"
Zhao Wei's head kept turning around, seemingly looking at something, completely unfocused. Zhao Heng, who already disliked Zhao Wei, jumped up and kicked him hard in the back, sending Zhao Wei sprawling to the ground.
The magistrate's gavel rang out again: "Zhao Heng, stop this nonsense! Defendant Zhao Wei, you're a repeat offender. You've stolen from quite a few people in town. What, are there not enough people for you to steal in the village, so you've come to the town to steal from people?"
Zhao Wei stammered for a while before saying, "Sir, it's not like that. I was just curious, so I took a little to try. Who knew I'd accidentally steal too much, so I took it to the market to sell. To avoid being discovered, I had to remove the packaging. So, if this tea can be poisonous, then it's Jin's Tea House's tea that's poisonous, not my fault!"
Even in court, Zhao Wei remained stubbornly defiant. The magistrate coldly said, "What? This whole mess happened because you sold tea to the shopkeeper of the general store. How can you blame the Jin Family Tea House? I'm warning you, not only does the Jin Family Tea House drink tea, but the villagers in the village and the merchants in the town also drink Jin Family Tea House tea, and nothing has happened to them. Yet you blame it on the Jin Family Tea House tea? Guards, give him twenty strokes of the cane! I refuse to believe that this fellow will remain so stubborn at this crucial moment!"
At the magistrate's command, two bailiffs came up, pinned Zhao Wei to the ground, and gave him twenty strokes of the cane.
"My lord, I am innocent! These tea leaves really came from Jin's Tea House. It's just that I removed the outer paper bag because I was afraid this woman would report me to the authorities and destroy the evidence. I never expected that she would now frame me."
Zhao Heng stood up, pointed at Zhao Wei, and said, "Father, we can't let this beast get away with this! He's lazy and good-for-nothing, and he's also abusive! Look at what he's done to his wife! This is not something a human being could do! As the county magistrate, you should seek justice for this suffering woman. Besides, she's Da Shan's aunt, and also my aunt! Father, you must severely punish this heartless, unjust, and unfilial bastard!"
Upon hearing Zhao Heng's words, the constable couldn't help but laugh: "Young master, the magistrate is investigating a case, how can you speak like that?"
The magistrate's eyes widened in anger. Since Zhao Heng came to Liang Shuyan's house, he had indeed changed a lot, but now this kid was showing him no respect in front of so many people, which made the magistrate furious.
“Zhao Heng, do you still want to go back with Dashan? Let me tell you, if you dare to say another word, I will lock you up here today, together with this Zhao Wei. Do you believe me?”
Zhao Heng's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but Liang Shuyan gave him a wink, and he finally stopped talking.
Of course, the magistrate would take Zhao Heng's words to heart. Since his son had spoken up for him, he must have seen something that was truly unbearable to watch.
"Zhao Wei, I'm asking you, is what Zhao Heng said true? Do you often beat your wife?"
Zhao Wei glanced at Jin Daya standing to the side and couldn't help but get angry. He clenched his fists and said, "Hmph, it's all because of this bitch. I'm in this situation because of this bitch. Otherwise, how could I have ended up in jail?"
In Zhao Wei's view, everything was because Jin Daya was unlucky and brought him bad luck.
"Shut up! Who gave you this order, daring to act like this in court? Let me tell you, if this matter is settled, you will not only go to jail, but you will also have to pay a fine."
Zhao Wei was a lazy and gluttonous man. In his opinion, as long as he had food and drink, going to jail was no big deal. However, he did not expect the magistrate to mention that he would have to pay a fine. This made Zhao Wei very agitated. He suddenly knelt on the ground and burst into tears, crying, "Why, magistrate, why do I have to pay a fine? My family has no money left, and I don't even know if my mother is alive or dead!"
Liang Shuyan said calmly, "My lord, I have something to say. Since my elder sister has suffered so much injustice in the Zhao family for so many years, I would like to ask you to grant my elder sister justice and grant her a divorce. Old Mrs. Zhao doesn't seem to like these two children very much either, and she even has some doubts about their paternity. Why not just award both children to my elder sister?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Wei shouted, "You, you bitch, you still want to take over the courtyard my father left me? Don't even think about it, dream on!"
Jin Daya stepped forward and bowed slightly: "Sir, I don't want anything from this house. I just want a divorce and to leave that home. Of course, I want to go to my parents' home in front of my two children!"
In ancient times, women were not allowed to bring their children to their parents' home after a divorce. However, Liang Shuyan did not seem to care about this. She continued, "Sir, please rest assured about this matter. My eldest sister brought her two children to Daling Village with me. Right now, our family is short of people to do the work. When we have the means in the future, if my eldest sister wants to live separately, I can buy her a courtyard house!"
Zhao Wei snorted coldly: "I thought you were some rich man. Your family of more than ten people are crammed into a small courtyard, and you still dare to talk such big words?"
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