Shen Qinghe gave a cold laugh, his laughter filled with mockery and helplessness. "Sister-in-law, when you went to the county government office, did you notice what was on the gate?"
Every time she went to the government office, she had something to do and rarely lingered at the entrance. She hesitated and said, "I remember there were stone lions and a grievance drum."
Shen Qinghe nodded slightly. “Sister-in-law is right. However, there are two stone tablets next to this grievance drum. One is for false accusation, which carries a three-fold penalty, and the other is for appealing beyond one’s jurisdiction, which carries a fifty-fold lash.”
"Although paying money to avoid corvée labor is a common practice in many places, it is still a violation of the law. Once a lawsuit is filed, the plaintiff will be dealt with according to the law. Even in our family, where the eldest brother has passed away, it is still considered an overstepping of the law to sue the government. According to the law, the person who files the overstepping lawsuit must first be whipped fifty times before going to court. If the person is in poor health, he may not even have the chance to speak."
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao felt a deep sorrow welling up in his heart. In this ancient society with its strict feudal ethics and clear hierarchical system, it was so difficult to seek justice for himself and his family.
Looking at Meng Zhao's dejected expression, Shen Qinghe felt even more guilty. "I just didn't expect that after so much time, this matter would still affect my sister-in-law. In the end, it is our Shen family that has let her down."
Meng Zhao raised his head slightly, his eyes showing a hint of magnanimity, and gently comforted him, "It's alright, second brother, you don't need to blame yourself too much. Why not think about this from a different perspective? The reason they are acting this way is simply because they are worried that Mother will directly complain to the magistrate after meeting him, so they have resorted to such means to drive us out of the dock."
"Actually, if you think about it carefully, the profits at the dock are low, far less than those at the shop. Besides, once the canal freezes over, we won't be able to sell even if we wanted to. Right now, the important thing is to do well at the shop, find a way to free up manpower, and open more branches."
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