Zhou Laosan's face was dark, and his fists were clenched tightly as he leaned on the stone slab. The severed finger that had just been bandaged was bleeding again due to the force, staining the gauze red.
He could never have imagined that Lin Mo's family would actually dare to file a complaint with the county government. Fortunately, his father had made arrangements beforehand and asked him to carry the person into the house first. He beat his own concubine, not to mention that the other party's family had no say in it.
This is a matter of our own inner courtyard, even the county magistrate has no right to interfere!
I just hate Lin Mo. Not only did he cut off one of his fingers, but he even dared to report the case to the county government!
"My Lord! My son has realized his mistake. This matter was indeed handled improperly by our Zhou family. It is also because his mother and I spoiled him too much. From now on, I will teach my son a lesson and make sure he treats his wives and concubines well."
The old landlord Zhou lowered his posture. The old man knelt on the ground with his gorgeous and expensive robe scattered on the ground. His tone was full of regret, as if he regretted not educating his son well.
Lin Mo frowned. The Zhou family was more tactful than he had imagined. Zhou Laosan was very graceful in court and was very proactive in admitting his mistakes.
He was about to speak when Su Mu beside him suddenly looked up and shouted in a deafening voice, "Sir! We do not accept the Zhou family's compensation. My second brother did not volunteer to be a concubine of the Zhou family. He was bought by the Zhou family. Not only my second brother, but also the other wives and concubines of the Zhou family were basically bought back by force. They suffered no less bullying and beatings than my second brother!"
Su Mu's face was full of anxiety. He was always a man of few words and his expression did not fluctuate much, but now because of the Zhou family's attitude, he was so anxious that he kept arguing.
Su Yunxia, lying on the ground, nearly dying, took the opportunity to cooperate. "Sir... please, sir, please make the decision! As far as I know, there was a man just like me who was also bought back by the Zhou family. He couldn't stand the beatings and torture, and he hanged himself a few days later."
He spoke in a halting manner, but his pronunciation was clear enough for everyone present to hear clearly.
"Nonsense!" Zhou Laosan was panicked, his face pale and his eyes gloomy. "You've only been in my Zhou family for a few days? And you're putting such a big accusation on us? I'm your husband after all. You have to have a clear conscience if you want to frame me!"
Old Master Zhou, standing by, was also furious, his face flushed red. He excitedly pointed at Su Yunxia with his withered, wrinkled hand, "Yunxia! How could you say such outrageous words? I believe I have never treated you unfairly since you came into my family. How can you be so vicious!"
Old Mrs. Zhou also frowned, her face dry and old, as she defended her son: "My third son is not a bad person, he just has a bad temper. If you were more obedient, you wouldn't have provoked him to violence. You are all men, but you always imitate the women's jealousy and stirring up trouble. You have no choice but to resort to violence."
Su Yunxia was also very angry. This old man was very good at lying with his eyes open. He had never seen the old man and old lady of the Zhou family since he came in.
As a concubine he bought, she was not allowed to enter through the main gate at all. She had to be carried in through the back door and locked in the room. Except for a few servants who delivered meals and Zhou Laosan, she had never seen other people from the Zhou family.
They are still jealous of each other. It is obvious that everyone wants to stay as far away from Zhou Laosan as possible!
"Not bad intentions? Just a bad temper?" Lin Mo sneered, "Old Landlord Zhou and Old Madam Zhou are really good at talking. Your son beat someone half to death, gouged out flesh and whipped him alive. This is not just a bad temper, even those murderous bandits in the mountains are not as vicious as him!"
This case is neither big nor small. After all, no life was lost. It is just a civil dispute.
I don't know if this kind of thing would happen to the Zhou family, but I'm afraid many wealthy families are accustomed to it. Moreover, human trafficking is legal in this world. If a slave is beaten and killed by his master, the government will not care.
People like Su Yunxia, although not a slave, were concubines who were brought back by others with money and in a legitimate way. As long as they were not beaten to death, it would be a minor case.
Therefore, Lin Mo intended to sue not only the bullying by Zhou Laosan.
"Zhou Yan, do you think that bringing you to court today is just a matter of abusing wives and concubines and oppressing the people?"
County Magistrate Qian's face darkened. He slammed the table, his eyes dark and intimidating. He scolded, "You've been arrogant and domineering since childhood. You've bullied others at such a young age. You've beaten and killed your servants, taking human life lightly. You've even spared your own wives and concubines. You're truly despicable!"
County Magistrate Qian was obviously angry. He gave a look to the yamen runners below, and soon, four thin men with scars and bruises on their faces were carried in.
Like Su Yunxia, these four people were beaten with bruises all over their faces. One of them was so badly injured that most of his scalp was gone, leaving only an empty and shocking dark blood scab.
Another one was even more unbearable to look at. One of his feet was completely twisted and deformed from the knee to the calf. Because of the deformity, his foot could not lie flat on the stretcher and was raised high. His entire foot was swollen and congested, as if it would burst and spray blood if it was poked lightly with a needle.
These four people are all Zhou Laosan’s concubines.
Su Yunxia obviously knew these people, and his eyes were full of grief and anger. When he left, these people had not been beaten so badly.
The four men had faces full of defeat and dejection, as if they were lifeless puppets. Even when they saw Su Yunxia, they just glanced at her numbly. But the moment they saw Zhou Laosan, they were all trembling with fear, and even though their bodies were already in great pain, they couldn't help but shrink back hard.
"Sir! Please save me, I don't want to go back to the Zhou family!"
"Let me die quickly! Sir! Kill me! Don't send me to the hands of that devil again..."
"Me...me too, please..."
The three men's eyes were full of anticipation, and they kept shouting and begging. They hated Zhou Laosan so much that they wanted to eat his flesh and bones, but rather than hatred, they were more afraid.
These people have been here for two or three years at most, and at least a year. During this time, they have been tortured to the point of going crazy.
The Zhou family is rich. Every time they were beaten to a pulp by Zhou Laosan and were on the verge of death, with only one breath left, they longed to die. But every time, the Zhou family would spend a lot of money to hire doctors to prescribe medicine to cure them, and then they would continue to endure Zhou Laosan's torture, over and over again, as if there was no end.
In order to prevent them from committing suicide, the Zhou family even had people monitor them day and night.
Now when they see the county magistrate or the yamen runners, their first reaction is not to ask for help, but to hope that they can die quickly.
Lin Mo was hardly surprised. These four people seemed to have lost the will to live. They wore luxurious clothes, but their bodies were shriveled and thin, and their eyes were dim, without a trace of life.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
