Chapter 644 Marriage (1)
Dingjing had been snowing lightly for several days, but the sky finally cleared up.
Chen Miao was drying books in the yard. They were all military manuals that Chen Qiu had brought over. They'd been sitting in the house for days, and I was afraid they'd get moldy. She wanted to dry them out in the sun. Jingzhe and Guyu were also hanging out their bedding in the yard. Jingzhe said, "I heard the lawsuit between the Chen and Shen families is getting pretty heated. Many people are watching, and now that it's dragged on for so long, I wonder what the final outcome will be."
"What else can it possibly lead to? It's a thankless endeavor for both sides." Gu Yu said disdainfully, "They've turned a family matter into a lawsuit. How ridiculous! Fortunately, Master and Madam separated early, otherwise, we might all be implicated."
Chen Ruoqiu's family and the Shen family started a lawsuit.
Master Chen was a stubborn old man, extremely proud and unwilling to admit defeat. He always fought for the top spot and would never allow himself to be in the wrong. Although Chen Ruoqiu was already married, Master Chen still wanted to protect her reputation. This was not because he loved her, but because he could not bear to see the Shen family look down on them. Chen Ruoqiu's mother was a powerful figure. She loved Chen Ruoqiu and easily persuaded Master Chen to fight a fierce lawsuit with the Shen family for the divorce.
The Chen family claimed that Chen Ruoqiu had been diligently working for Shen Wan since marrying into the Shen family, managing the household business for him. They had even offered him a concubine, but Shen Wan had refused. Chen Ruoqiu had been married to the Shen family for many years, and everyone outside the family knew her as well-educated, gentle, and graceful. Now, to divorce her for a woman of unknown origin who had come to seek refuge outside, was truly a case of favoring a concubine over his wife.
The Shen family said that although Chen Ruoqiu was the mistress of the house, she could not give birth to a son, and she did not want to help her husband expand the family and take more concubines. Now she was trying to stop her husband from taking someone else into the house. She was really jealous.
One accused the mother-in-law of being unkind, the other accused the daughter-in-law of being unfilial. It was a truly farce, and passersby in the capital watched with gusto.
The final lawsuit was filed with the government, but the government rarely handled such cases. Furthermore, the lawsuit wasn't a big deal. The Chen family's master was a county magistrate, and Shen Wan's position wasn't low-ranking either. They couldn't afford to offend either side, so they had no choice but to drag it out.
Shen Wan and Chen Ruoqiu's relationship as husband and wife had come to an end in this lawsuit. Firstly, Shen Wan was a court official, but he was suing over a family matter. Those idle censors, once they found someone they could talk to, would naturally not let him go. Shen Wan's career would be hampered. Secondly, Chang Zaiqing was pregnant.
Chang Zaiqing's pregnancy was a fortuitous occurrence. Getting pregnant at this critical juncture practically pushed Chen Ruoqiu out. Although Shen Wan had doted on Chen Ruoqiu over the years, that didn't mean he wasn't looking forward to having a son. If Chang Zaiqing was carrying a son, he'd have someone to carry on his family line. The more Chang Zaiqing thought about it, the better it seemed to her. Meanwhile, Chen Ruoqiu was reduced to a despised scrap of rag, someone no one even bothered to look at.
Shen Miao smiled slightly and said, “Don’t forget to give some money to the yamen officials.”
Guyu said yes, but then asked with some doubt, "Miss, are you going to help the Third Master or the Third Madam? And who are you going to bribe with this money?"
Shen Miao asked Gu Yu to take some silver to bribe the people in the government office, but they didn't know who Shen Miao was going to bribe, because they hadn't seen Shen Miao's letter.
Guyu whispered, "It's better not to get involved in this kind of thing. That family isn't a good person."
Although her voice was low, Shen Miao still heard it. Shen Miao said, "It's not anywhere."
Litigation is a money-burning endeavor. Poor families often go to court with nothing, so cases are quickly concluded. Those with a bit of wealth, however, usually hold out for a while longer, not for any other reason. The yamen officials also want to make money. The longer the lawsuit drags on, the more the yamen earns.
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