The young county magistrate sat upright in the hall and glanced coldly at the Qi clan members kneeling on the ground.
"According to the laws of this dynasty, if a couple dies and has an adopted son, it cannot be said that the family is extinct. Qi Sheng is the adopted son of Qi Yun and his wife. After Qi Yun and his wife die, he has the right to inherit their property, and his family members cannot infringe upon it."
People die for money. Although the Qi clan members were afraid and their legs were weak as they knelt on the ground, they did not retreat. It was obvious that they came prepared.
Qi Hai said, "Your Excellency is wise. Qi Sheng is not Qi Yun's biological son and has long been expelled from our clan. Qi Yun and his wife are members of our Qi clan and are my eldest brother and his wife. His father is still alive and he has his brothers, nephews, and nieces. There is absolutely no reason for outsiders to take advantage of him. Even if we uncles don't take any, my father, Qi Yun's father, must have a share."
It turns out that Qi Sheng and Qi Han are cousins.
Qi Hai is the youngest son of Master Qi Erye, and Qi Yun is the eldest son. Because they have been married for many years but unable to have children and he is unwilling to divorce his wife and remarry, he has never been favored by Master Qi Erye. Especially after he brought Qi Sheng back, his dissatisfaction reached its peak, and he resolutely drove his eldest son and his family out of the house.
The frail and old Master Qi knelt on the ground trembling, looking extremely pitiful. He recounted the difficulties of taking care of Qi Yun when he was a child. He also said that Qi Yun was stubborn and did not listen to advice and brought back Qi Sheng, the evil star, which led to his early death.
"Including his house in the village and the property he purchased in the county town, they were all purchased with the property left by Qi Yun and his wife. They must be returned to our Qi family."
"Yes, Qi Yun was the most filial son when he was alive. It is impossible for him to let his adopted son and his family enjoy the best food and drink while his old father has to eat coarse food."
"Second Master, you're so sad. The winter clothes you're wearing are still from three years ago. They're no longer warm. If we couldn't bear it, we wouldn't want to break up with Qi Sheng and take it to court. It's not going to look good on either side."
"They say family disgrace should not be made public, but we really have no other choice."
Mr. Qi Er had four sons from his two wives, and his four sons had grandsons. His brothers, Mr. Qi Da and Mr. Qi Si, also brought their sons with them. Except for Mr. Qi San and his family, who had a good relationship with Qi Sheng, they all faced the outside world in unison. There was a large group of people, Wulala, talking to each other, and the county government office suddenly became as noisy as a vegetable market.
The County Magistrate said, "Silence, do Mr. and Mrs. Qisheng have anything to say?"
Even though she knew the Qi clan members weren't good people, Yun Yuan was still shocked by their shamelessness. Qi Sheng was about to speak when Yun Yuan tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "I'll do it."
Qi Sheng was slightly startled: "Okay."
Now that he is about to take the imperial examination, it is not a good idea for him to confront his clansmen openly, especially those from the lineage of Mr. Qi. It is a fact that he was adopted by the Qi family. Otherwise, no matter what the result is, he will be known as a ruthless person who repays kindness with enmity. It is better for him to remain silent and say nothing, acting like a weak person, so that onlookers will feel pity for him.
"May I ask, Chief, when did my husband exterminate the clan?"
The Qi clan leader obviously didn't take Yun Yuan seriously. He didn't even raise his eyelids, pretending not to hear anything.
Yun Yuan frowned.
The county magistrate looked at it casually and was slightly surprised.
I saw a beautiful woman with slender hands and feet but an extremely big belly, kneeling on the ground. Her eyes were extremely beautiful, and she seemed to be unable to wait for the patriarch's answer, so she was looking at him.
He was quite courageous. He nodded slightly and said, "This lady is pregnant. I allow you to stand up and speak."
"Thank you, sir."
Yun Yuan smiled gratefully, helped Qi Sheng up, and asked again, "May I ask when did my husband eliminate the clan?"
This time, the county magistrate slammed his gavel: "The Qi clan leader replied."
The clan leader was shocked, confused as to why the magistrate was helping the Yun family. He said in panic, "Three days ago, I, in accordance with the wishes of the majority of clan members, personally opened the ancestral hall and removed the name."
Three days ago? Yun Yuan smiled.
"According to the laws of this dynasty, if a couple dies and has an adopted son, the adopted son can inherit the estate. Will the clan leader recognize him or not?"
Patriarch: "Yes, but..."
"So my husband should inherit the inheritance from his adoptive parents." Yun Yuan said.
Qi Hai said excitedly: "Qi Sheng has been expelled from the clan, forget it!"
Yun Yuan looked righteous: "The extermination of the clan was something that happened later. According to the time extension, no matter what is happening now, this part of the property belongs to my husband, unless the extermination of the clan happened before my parents-in-law passed away, but obviously not."
The clan leader said, "Second Master Qi is Qi Yun's father. Raising a son is not easy. He deserves Qi Yun's property."
Yun Yuan said, "As a parent, Mr. Qi should have received a portion of the property after my parents-in-law passed away. I have no objection to this, but he drove my husband out of the house after they passed away, gave the land to my husband's fourth uncle Qi Hai, gave the house to my third uncle's two cousins to marry, and gave some money to my second uncle's family to build two new houses.
My husband was soft-hearted and, out of gratitude to my parents-in-law, he silently endured everything, living alone in the mountains with only a few rags. It was the kindhearted Qi Sanye and his family who couldn't bear to see this and came over to build a wooden house for my husband to live in. Everyone in the village knows about this."
"Sir, I can prove that Yun Yuan did not lie." Someone outside the hall shouted.
It was Yunlan. He rushed over after receiving the news. Not only him, but the dean also came, because he was worried that something had happened to his student.
Qi Hai said, "Sir, Yun Lan is Yun's biological brother. His words cannot be used as evidence."
The county magistrate asked him, "Is what he said true?"
Qi Hai stopped talking, and neither did the people who were with him. Everyone looked at him and wondered what they didn't understand.
Most of the people who came today were beneficiaries of the incident that year. It is not a good reputation to have a family wiped out, especially since Qi Yun has an adopted son.
Listening to the discussions outside, they felt resentful and blamed Qi Hai, who said that there was strength in numbers and that everything would be foolproof. They thought Qi Sheng was a softie and easy to talk to, but now that the matter was brought to court, they had lost all their dignity and face.
The county magistrate slammed the gavel and asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"
"Sir!" Qi Hai protested. "Qi Sheng has been bedridden for years and even dropped out of school two years ago due to health reasons. Now he's not only better, but he's even bought a courtyard. He must have spent a fortune hiring a famous doctor. I suspect he hid some of Qi Yun and his wife's money. My father is now in poverty in his old age, so he must use some of his money to support him."
Yun Yuan sneered, her beautiful eyes full of mockery.
"Isn't your father's poverty your brothers' fault? We've been expelled from the clan, and we've never spent a cent of your father's money. But your family, in order to support your youngest son's education, Second Master Qi split every penny he earned, fearing that the subsidy wasn't enough. They say raising a son is a way to provide for one's old age. Shouldn't you reflect on this?"
Qi Hai was speechless.
"You're so sharp-tongued!" the clan leader raged. "To publicly criticize your elders is unfilial. Your attitude is so vile, and your upbringing is just that."
Yun Yuan was surprised: "Didn't we expel us from the clan? What kind of elders are you?"
A smile flashed in the county magistrate's eyes. This woman was brave and not afraid of being at a disadvantage. She was not panicked even when she entered the hall. She behaved neither humbly nor arrogantly, spoke clearly and logically, and had a calm demeanor. It was hard to imagine that she was brought up in a remote village.
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