Chapter 308 Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes
Jiang Ling observed for a while, and combined with the discussions of those around her, she quickly sorted out her thoughts.
The woman's name was Su Wan. She married into the Liu family at a young age and gave birth to a son for the Liu family.
As it turned out, less than two years later, Master Liu grew tired of his old wife and took another.
Now that the second madam's belly has started to show, a strange man's clothes have inexplicably appeared in Su Wan's room.
Master Liu was furious and kicked Su Wan and her son out of the house.
This is the situation they are facing now.
It's true that even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes; this kind of drama has been playing out from ancient times to the present.
Zhao Shuo's righteous and stern words made Liu Yuanwai's momentum drop by three points, and the whispers and pointing around him made him feel a little embarrassed.
But he still forced himself to say, "Sir! This...this adulterer's clothes have been found under her pillow. What need is there for government verification? Do we have to make this scandal public and ruin the reputation of the Liu family?"
Upon hearing this, Su Wan trembled even more violently, tears blurring her vision. She could only shake her head desperately, repeatedly murmuring "No," "It wasn't me."
She was too excited, and her words were fragmented and incoherent, making them seem rather weak and powerless.
The child in her arms cried even louder.
Jiang Ling observed calmly throughout.
The gaze slowly swept over Master Liu, and then over the second wife, whose face was a mixture of smugness and feigned worry, finally settling on Su Wan's pale and desperate face.
“Master Liu,” Jiang Ling finally spoke.
She walked slowly forward and stopped not far from Su Wan.
"You're saying these clothes were found under your wife's pillow and belong to her lover?"
"Exactly!" Master Liu puffed out his belly.
"Oh? What's the adulterer's physique like? Is he tall or short, fat or thin?" Jiang Ling asked again.
Master Liu was taken aback, clearly not having considered this question, and stammered, "This... how would I know?"
Jiang Ling raised an eyebrow and turned her gaze to Xiao Ran, "Xiao Ran, bring those clothes over for me to see."
Xiao Ran, unable to contain herself any longer, immediately stepped forward and picked up the men's long robe from the ground. She unfolded it.
This is a men's long gown made of ordinary cotton fabric, neither new nor old, with a common style.
He held the garment in his hand and carefully examined areas prone to wear and stains, such as the collar, cuffs, and armpits, and even smelled them closely.
He then looked up and said to the crowd in a clear voice:
"Please look, everyone. There are clear yellow stains from sweat on the inside of the collar of this garment. The cuffs are worn to a similar degree as the collar, and there is also fuzzing of the fabric under the armpits due to repeated friction. It is clearly an old garment that is frequently worn and is by no means something that was accidentally left behind."
"Nonsense! Of course, the adulterer's clothes have been worn!" Master Liu shouted impatiently.
Xiao Ran didn't rush to refute. Instead, she held up the long robe so that everyone could see the texture of the fabric: "The material is a common style, but the dye is not. This navy blue outer robe is made by repeatedly soaking indigo. This dyeing technique is mostly found in the south and is not common in this area."
During that winter period, Jiang Ling received several shipments of fabric, and Xiao Ran helped manage them each time.
To make things easier, Jiang Ling sourced only solid-colored fabrics so that everyone could dye them according to their preferences.
During that period, whenever they had free time, the villagers of Jishui Village would discuss what color to dye their clothes.
Xiao Ran also went to the dye house with his mother a few times to bring cloth. After chatting with the owner a few times, he also gained some knowledge about these dyes.
He looked at some of the older, seemingly knowledgeable townspeople around him: "Uncles and aunts, have you ever seen fabrics of this color and texture in the clothing shops or dye houses in our town?"
Upon closer inspection, everyone shook their heads.
"I've never seen such a deep color before."
“Old Chen’s dye vat in our town could never produce such a uniform dark blue.”
"It looks like... the fabric worn by that group of southern merchants who passed through our town a couple of years ago?"
Upon hearing this, the Second Madam, who had been standing beside Master Liu, instantly changed her expression.
An older woman in the Liu household realized what was happening: "Isn't the Second Madam's cousin a merchant from the south? I heard he came back a few days ago. The Second Madam is always bragging about the cosmetics he brought back for her!"
Immediately, all eyes were focused on the second wife.
“Although my cousin is a merchant from the south, what does that prove? Perhaps… perhaps she secretly kept some old clothes from a merchant from the south!” the second wife argued, but her voice was already weak.
"I didn't!" Su Wan finally regained a bit of strength, her voice hoarse but firm.
“Ever since I married into the Liu family, I have been a dutiful wife, managing the household chores and rarely even leaving the courtyard. The maids and servants are in charge of shopping. How could I possibly know any merchants from the south? And I would never steal or hide the clothes of a strange man!”
Jiang Ling picked up the conversation, pressing forward step by step with clear logic:
"How could a woman with a young child, who usually manages household chores, secretly become acquainted with a merchant from the south whose whereabouts are unknown? Furthermore, if there really was an affair, she would have been extremely careful in hiding the token, so why was it so easily found under her pillow?"
With each question she asked, Master Liu's face paled a little more, and the Second Madam's eyes became a little more flustered.
Liu, the wealthy man, was speechless when asked the question, and the image of his cousin, Meiniang, involuntarily appeared in his mind.
The man was tall and thin, and he was wearing a dark blue long gown!
He snatched the clothes from Xiao Ran's hands and spread them out in front of his eyes to examine them repeatedly. The more he looked at them, the more he felt that the size and style of the clothes were exactly the same as the one that his cousin Meiniang was wearing!
The crowd completely sided with Su Wan, and a torrent of discussion erupted:
"What the young lady said makes perfect sense! This is clearly a frame-up!"
"No wonder the Second Madam has been so evasive; it was she who did it!"
"Poor Miss Su, she's been wronged like this and is now being kicked out of her home!"
"Master Liu is also confused; he's been bewitched by the pillow talk!"
Master Liu wasn't stupid; at this point, how could he not understand?
He turned his head sharply and glared fiercely at the Second Madam: "Meiniang! What exactly happened?! Explain yourself!"
The second wife collapsed to the ground with a thud, crying out, "Master, I'm innocent! How could you suspect me based on just a few words from outsiders? I'm carrying your child! Besides, the clothes were clearly found in my sister's room; it has nothing to do with me!"
At this moment, the government officials also arrived.
"Make way, everyone! This is an official case!"
It turned out that some of the townspeople who had been watching had already gone to report the matter to the authorities when they realized that things had escalated.
The sky was already ablaze with the colors of sunset, and Jiang Ling had lost all interest in continuing the game.
Seeing this, Zhao Shuo stepped forward and showed the token at his waist to the approaching constable.
Upon seeing this, the head constable quickly bowed and said, "I didn't know you were here, sir! I'm so sorry for not greeting you properly!"
"No need for formalities." Zhao Shuo said calmly, pointing to the scene before him. "This matter is full of suspicious points. It is against the law for Master Liu to divorce his wife and abandon his children based solely on a piece of clothing of unknown origin. I urge the constable to handle this matter impartially."
The head constable quickly replied, "Rest assured, sir, I will investigate carefully and make a fair judgment!"
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