The case was over just like that. It was the easiest case Gu Xin had ever handled, but it was also the one that caused her the most heartache.
She was in a bad mood, so she went back to her room to rest after the hearing.
Lu Zheng helped her make arrangements for the follow-up.
Zheng Qiu had already stitched Hu Qiangzi's body back together completely. Although it was still visible on the surface that it had been broken, it was not so obvious once he put on clothes.
Du Sanniang immediately sent someone to a coffin shop to buy Hu Qiangzi a fine coffin, and then asked the shop owner to calculate the best time for him to be placed in the coffin.
Du San Niang was thinking of sending someone to look at a burial site for Hu Qiangzi, but Lu Zheng stopped her.
"Let's find a place to park it first. Master Qian has already sent someone to look for the deceased's biological father. If the biological father doesn't accept him, we'll look for a burial plot here in Qi'an Town. We should have news by tomorrow afternoon," Lu Zheng explained to Du San Niang.
The people of the Great Zhou Dynasty valued recognizing their ancestors and returning to their roots, and also believed in finding peace in the afterlife.
Ideally, Hu Qiangzi's biological father would accept him, since Hu Qiangzi is their bloodline.
Fortunately, the village was not far from Qi'an Town, and Zhong had explained things very clearly, so we could find out the details with just a few questions.
After Hu Qiangzi's biological father married his stepmother, he moved away from that village, but Hu Qiangzi's grandparents, uncles, and other relatives still lived there.
...
The next morning, the people of Qi'an Town came to see the excitement. They felt it was a pity that they didn't get to hear the trial. Their town didn't have a government office, and it was a rare occasion for a case to be tried. As a result, they didn't get to see the proceedings.
Butcher Liu and Mrs. Zhong were tied up and kneeling at the entrance of Qi'an Inn. They were all from the same town and knew each other.
Many people threw rotten eggs, rotten vegetable leaves, and spat at them.
Zhong was alright, immersed in remorse, but Liu the butcher found it unbearable.
But nobody cares about their feelings.
In the afternoon, news came from Mr. Qian that Hu Qiangzi's biological grandfather had arranged for his uncle and younger uncle to come and pick him up.
The people of Qi'an Town felt deeply that this was a kind and righteous family, and treated them with great courtesy.
What they didn't know was that the people sent by Master Qian used both kindness and threats, giving them a large sum of money before they finally got their family to come and pick them up.
Hu Qiangzi was able to be buried in their family's ancestral grave, and they even adopted his third uncle's newborn grandson so that he could have a lineage to carry on.
Hu Qiangzi's third uncle has died. His third uncle had four sons, who then had eight sons. One of them died of illness earlier this year, and his wife ran away, leaving behind a baby. The baby had no parents and was being cared for by Hu Qiangzi's grandparents. Fortunately, both of them were pitiful people, and Mr. Qian gave the old man such a large sum of money, which was enough to raise the child.
Gu Xin had heard about the ins and outs of this, but she didn't say anything.
Sun appeared at night, with Gu Xin, Lu Zheng, and Master Qian as witnesses, along with the parents of both families. She divorced Liu the butcher, and their child was expelled from the Liu family and officially entered into the Sun family's genealogy, from then on bearing the surname Sun.
That's why Butcher Liu agreed. They didn't want their grandson to have another man's surname, but they could accept him having his biological mother, Sun.
Officer Gao and his men also returned. They went to the Qian family to make two prison carts, planning to leave Qi'an Town early tomorrow morning and return to the capital.
That night, there were no other guests at Qi'an Inn except for Gu Xin and a few others.
Du San Niang closed the door early and took out her treasured wine.
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