Chapter 86: It’s better to break up this rotten marriage of your Lu family as soon as possible!
"Yes, yes." Bai Changlin kept nodding in agreement.
"Lord Bai, do you need me to teach you how to judge this case?" Xiao Mingzhe gave him a fierce look and Bai Changlin quickly waved his hands.
"No, no. This case is very clear. The fact that Lu Changqing murdered his own children is clear and there is no room for excuse! It's just... he is an official appointed by the court after all. Allow me to detain Lu Changqing first and postpone the conviction later. I will give Lord Fang an explanation then." He had heard that Fang Qianxue was the daughter of the former imperial tutor. Although the Fang family has fallen now, her stepmother is the eldest princess and the Prince of Beining is her uncle. This woman still has a strong backer.
But Lu Changqing seems to be also very important to His Majesty recently.
On one side is the eldest prince's daughter, and on the other side is the emperor's favorite. He needs to consider carefully how to judge this case.
"Master Bai, the case can be postponed, but I have something that can't wait." Fang Qianxue said as she pulled out a scroll from her sleeve and threw it to Lu Changqing, saying, "Master Lu, take a look at this letter of release. From now on, there is no relationship between you and me."
Everyone in the room was shocked; even the bailiffs began to whisper and talk among themselves.
"I have never seen a letter of divorce in my life! This Fang is really bold to say that!"
"I heard that for the letter of release to be effective, there must be a sign from heaven, an imperial decree, or a petition from the people. It's not easy to have one of the three."
"This letter from Fang to let her husband go is probably a dud. It won't work!"
"Letter of release?" Lu Changqing opened the scroll in shock. He glanced at it and stood up. He stopped kneeling and looked at Fang Qianxue with disdain. "Fang Qianxue, you are too arrogant. What gives you the right? This letter of release is of no use to me!"
As he was about to tear the scroll, Fang Qianxue sneered, "Useless? Look carefully, it is stamped with the Queen Mother's Phoenix Seal. If you tear it, you will be disobeying her order."
After she brought Qilin back to the palace, she went straight to Shou'an Palace to ask for the imperial decree. With the testimony of her two children and Fang Qianxue's tears, the old empress dowager gave her the phoenix seal without making things difficult for her.
The court suddenly became quiet and all the discussions stopped.
The letter of divorce was stamped with the Empress Dowager's phoenix seal, which meant it was already effective. Everyone then realized that the letter of divorce was not a joke, but was really useful.
This woman is so cruel!
Lu Changqing swallowed his saliva and said calmly, "After all, the Queen Mother's Phoenix Seal is not an imperial decree from His Majesty. I don't recognize it!"
He swore that he would stick with Fang Qianxue until his death. Even if he rots into a pile of mud, you, Fang Qianxue, will not be able to escape unscathed!
"I am willing to sign the petition! I support Lord Fang in divorcing her husband!" At this time, a middle-aged woman in the crowd suddenly said, "How can a man who murders his own children for his mistress be qualified to be a father?"
The scholar just now also said: "That's right! We are willing to sign the petition to help Fang divorce her husband!"
The crowd outside the court was immediately excited, and a large group of people spread the word, saying that they would support Fang Qianxue and sign the petition to help her divorce her husband.
"You... stop making a commotion!" Chen panicked, pointing at the onlookers, "You bunch of rabble, people say it's better to demolish ten temples than to ruin a family, but you're making a commotion in front of her, asking her to divorce her husband? Fang has been married to my Lu family for more than five years and has given birth to two children. If you divorce her, what will happen to the two children?"
"Don't worry about the children of our Fang family. After I divorce my husband, I will set up my own family and the two children will be mine. Anyway, your Lu family has not contributed a penny to the expenses of the two children in the past five years." Fang Qianxue said as she watched Chen's expression gradually fall into collapse.
"Mrs. Fang, you are too heartless! After all, the two children are my grandchildren. I would rather destroy ten temples than ruin a family!" Mrs. Chen began to cry, "Aren't you afraid of dying alone and being laughed at by others..."
"That depends on what kind of marriage it is. The Lu family's rotten marriage should be broken up as soon as possible!" Cui Shuang looked at the old woman with contempt and added fuel to the fire, "In my opinion, both children should change their surnames to Fang, like our wife."
"That's right!" said an old woman in the crowd. "With such a father, these two children are really unlucky. They should change their surname to Lord Fang and sever ties with the Lu family from now on."
"This lady is very sensible!" Cui Shuang gave the woman a thumbs up and praised her, "That's right. Our lady has never complained about any grievances she has suffered, but the Lu family insisted on using the lives of their two children to please that mistress. This is really too much!"
"This is too much!" The crowd began to get excited and wanted to support Fang Qianxue in divorcing her husband.
The scribe found paper and pen and drafted a petition, and soon collected the fingerprints of dozens of people present.
"Master Bai," the scholar blew the ink off the petition and asked the yamen runner to present it to Bai Changlin, "This is a petition signed by the common people of Shangjing. We are all willing to support Master Fang in divorcing Lu Changqing!"
"Yes, yes!" The crowd was outraged.
Lu Changqing was so annoyed by the noise that his head was about to explode. He just looked at Fang Qianxue with red eyes, not understanding why his usually gentle, kind, thrifty and modest wife had become so cold-blooded and unrecognizable.
"Master Bai," King Beining said at this time, "Now that things have come to this, it is time for you to make a decision."
Jingzhao Yin was the official in charge of the capital city. Usually, any divorce, divorce, or household registration had to be recorded in the Jingzhao Yin's office. Naturally, divorce would also be decided by him.
Bai Changlin took the petition handed over by the yamen runner and said to the clerk beside him: "Write it! Lady Fang Qianxue divorced her husband today because Lu Changqing wanted to please his mistress. He murdered his own children, which is a heinous crime. After divorcing her, Fang has the right to drive the Lu family out of the house and leave the house empty-handed. As for Lu Changqing's murder of his own children, he will be imprisoned first and sentenced on a later date."
The clerk wrote a long document allowing Fang Qianxue to divorce her husband, and gave one to Fang Qianxue and Lu Changqing respectively. "Master Fang, keep it."
Mrs. Chen suddenly realized that their mansion would belong to Fang Qianxue. She struggled to break free from the two yamen runners and ran out, throwing a tantrum in the lobby: "I don't accept it! The Lu mansion was built by our master after working hard all his life. Why should Fang occupy it? Are you going to make us Lu family sleep on the streets?"
The crowd burst into laughter.
"Hahaha……"
A scholar said, "When a woman is divorced, she must leave the house with nothing. The same should apply to a man. What right do you have to object? You Lu family members are so cruel and insane that you deserve to be detested by both humans and gods. You should live out on the streets!"
Fang Qianxue frowned slightly, glanced at Lu Changqing and said, "Since we have been married for five years, I will lend you the house temporarily. You don't have to move out. I will move out."
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